Читать книгу Gun Digest 2011 онлайн

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In effect, the 55-grain softnose bullets were not energy-effective against the 155-pound animal. The ratio of bullet mass to body mass just didn’t compute in this very direct and obvious test scenario. Tom had dropped a pair of adult does in the same field by way of his handloaded 55-grain Ballistic Tip .224 bullets that were turning up about 3200 f.p.s. velocity. Shooting his R-15 by Remington topped by Burris 4.5 X14 glass sights, he had elected to take head/neck shots on the two animals and thereby dropped both in their tracks with the light-caliber rifle. Here was the classic example of bullet placement getting the job done.

Jerome, with his DPMS AR Hunter in .243 Winchester and the 95-grain Winchester boattail, still elected to shoot neck shots on the cornfield at under 150 yards. As Jerome says, when in doubt take the best shot possible regardless of the rifle being put to work. Good advice in any big game harvesting situation! Was the data returned by my two partners valuable? Of course it was, as any kill can be a learning curve of sorts. With accuracy being a given – all the local Dakota hunters I have spent time with afield can shoot for sure – the next element to success is body area placement. Light bullets and small calibers require placement in areas of the body that will result in immediate neurological takedown, versus a more prolonged death caused by blood loss.