Recovering slugs what can we learn.

Everthing, they are the CSI of your harvest. While testing the Remington Accutip in Africa recently, I was lucky enough to recover 4 out 6 slugs. The weight retention was as advertised and slugs held up flawless. With 2 slug expanding to over an inch. The springbok and duiker were pass thrus, but that can be expected. The picture left to right, new slug, blesbok 172yds, implala 125 yds, kudu 55yds, bush pig 10 yds.

Bwheasler,

Congratulations on the great hunt! I remember this original post, you used a Remington 870 rifled slugger with accupoints if I recall correctly. What shell were you shooting, 3 inch or 2 3/4? Was there anything particular to your set up that wasn't "stock" or "factory" loaded? Last question, what was your zero range and estimated drop at 100-150 etc?

I used the 2 3/4 they seemed to be accurate in my setup and were easy to find. I was sigthed dead on at 125, which made me about 3" low at 175, about my max range. The only problem I had on my trip was a side mount scope bracket that I had never taken off for years. But I had to for the trip as my serial number was under the mount. When I got to Africa I couldn't keep it tight,so my elevation kept changes, which means a few misses high and repeated trips to the range. Plus it shakes your confidence. I bought a new Hastings cantilevier mount with muzzle brake as soon as got home. I am not going to have that trouble next year, did I say next year. That's right I'm addicted to Africa. Plus it is cheaper to hunt plains game in Africa/with airfare than alot of hunts in the States. I am also planning a trigger job. Shoot safe, shoot often, shoot slugs

...I think there is way to much B.S. cracked up about weight retention of bullets & perfomance. Most of the information hunters recieve is from some hot shot magazine hunting writer who is trying to sell bullets for a certain manufacturer. They take a box of shells maybe go to Africa - shoot a 1/2 dozen animals & you have the worlds best bullets!!
...If you want real statistics many hunters should be given bullets of that certain brand & pictures & statistics recorded by an independent & made public!!
...How do you determine flawless? If you have 90% bullet weight retention or more? Who knows what that bullet encountered before the hunter recovers it, maybe more bone than the average shot on an animal - maybe a branch or 2 before entry. I think there is more than what meets the eye. A petal or 2 broken off on the way to the stopping point of the bullet may make a lot more tissue damage & bleeding of the animal which will help in the recovery of the animal. Now we may be down to 75% and the animal is found quickly - does that mean the bullet failed - I don't think so!!
...For 50 years the nozler partition & the Remington core/loct were the bullets all others were compared to. You don't hear a lot about them no more because everyone else is advertizing to beat the band. That doesn't mean I'm changing brands or they are no good no more. When these other new bullets get close to as many kills as these 2 brands have I may be apt to believe the writers!!

I have been digging bullets for near 65 years now, got shoe boxes full of them, bullets from the smallest of African antelope to elephant, I have shot quite a number of animals with some of these bullets, and it has given me a pretty good idea of which bullets work best...

For what its worth I like the Noslers, Woodleighs, North Forks and GS Customs in monolithics..I have used a number of most of the new bonded cores and I suspect they all work as advertised...

Bullet failure is what caused me to be a nasty old bullet digger, way back when most bullets failed, today its probably a waste of time as the manufacturers have come a long ways and bullet failure is a thing of the past and for the most part most of todays hunters don't even know what bullet failure is, the misread what they see in that if the bullet isn't a perfect little pretty mushroom then its a failure! That is not the case and I have seen certain well known bullets that mushroom perfectly into a smooth as a babys butt little mushroom and as a result they don't kill well and they don't always leave a good blood trail. I like the Woodleighs for this very reason, they have long ragged cutting buzz saw like arms with lead core bonded to them and they are a virtual propeller of destruction..

The Nosler is another fantastic bullet and it may in fact blow the front portion of the lead out, or even the front end off, and that lead and copper is destruction inside an animal and the rear portion will exit leaving a small hole..I have heard some call this failure, but that is far from the truth, many of the most famous of European bullets such as the tug are designed to do just that! If one does not want that to happen then the answer to the so called problem is go to the next heavier weight of Nosler such as from say the 165 gr. Nosler to the 180 or even the 200 gr., then you get the pretty little mushroom.

Keep in mind that any bullet can fail for a number of reasons, anything made by man can fail, but todays bullets are very close to fool proof and bullet failures are mostly BS today, bad shot placement and unrecovered game that was shot through the heart is the scenario of todays bullet failure.

Kudos to todays bullet makers, I remember the days when bullet failure was common and their efforts and advancement to oleviate the problem has been a success, is one of the great wonders of the hunting world...

They had a lot of help from the gun scribes, hunters sending in failed bullets and complaining and they acted on the advise received, it worked.

Is it bullet failure if the core and the jacket seperate, but the animal dropped in it's tracks? Has the bullet performed if it passed through the animal? It seems to me that it is only bullet failure if I miss the animal Sure couldn't be me !

Bullet separation can actually cause a severe wound but allow the animal to escape under certain conditions and I have seen this happen many times over the years with perfectly placed shots..

I realize that the same scenario of an exploding bullet can kill like the hammer of Thor, but its a crap shoot when bullet failure occurs..Today it is rare indeed for proper game bullets to come apart, but yesterday it was common and I hope we never return to those days of cup and core.

This is the primary reason I prefer a heavier or tougher bullets and with that comes a somewhat slower kill and a proper blood trail as compared to the exciting "awesome", "wow" slam'em in the dirt instant kill..An instant kill is impressive and it works most of the time, but sooner or later it will fail, you will have no blood trail and you will lose your animal, that I can guarantee.

The story floats around about the Sierra Customer Service employee that asked a complaining client "at what point did bullet failure occur in the death of your animal" I would like to comment on that, in such cases death usually occurs with a follow up shot! I don't think his retort passed muster, and I don't think he should be in Customer service, it was a ignorant reply if it really happened.

By the same token there are a few "perfectly expanding bullets" out there of some fame that expand to a very smooth round ball, much like that of a muzzle loading ball, and although they do as advertised, they do not kill effectively as that smoothness pushes blood vessels, arteries, and tissue to one side and passes through some times, whereas a ragged tearing bullet with wings grabs this stuff and rips it like a buzz saw, one of the reasons I am so fond of Woodleighs and Noslers for instance and why I prefer the Swift Sirraccos over the their A frame bullet..

My personal opinion and I suppose some might find it arguable, and I won't argue that..

These are always interesting discussions. I have included a picture of part of a bullet (right) retrieved from a Blue Wildebeest I shot in May. I think a seperation of core from jacket is not desirable, but it dropped in it's tracks. With that said, It was an extreme quarter towards me @ 75 yrds. I aimed at the junction of the neck and the shoulder. The core exited behind the far shoulder, the jacket was against the skin. Recovery of the bullet or at least part of it absolutely convinced me that a bonded bullet is a must in Africa. The fact that it was a 375 H&H gave me a big margin for error. The rounds were Federal Power shok 270 gr SP. Next trip will use only premium bullets. Even though the animal was dropped, I would call this a bullet failure.