Shot Placement & Reducing Damage To The Meat

[Great Letaba Safaris]

Made some Biltong today. I used my .223 Ruger with PMP bullet. I shot a young Impala male right in the brain he was 80 meters away and went straight to ground with no meat wasted.

I know the Rifle very well and have shot over 500 rounds with it. Accuracy is most important.

 

[Gaz1985]

Hi gents.

Quite new to the threads, this is one of my first comments/posts.

Any of you fimiliar with impala bullets? I am still waiting for my first hunting rifles lisence to go through(6 months).

Up to the late 19th century shooting was easy and simple. Black powder was the propellant and lead the bullet material. With the development of smokeless powders lead suddenly turned out being too soft. Hence a bullet jacket was introduced, firstly made of soft steel with copper and tombac to follow later.

The full metal jacket bullet as a solution survived well into our time and due to the comparatively little wounding capability these bullets are even declared mandatory for military use by the Hague Convention.

The search for better performance on game lead to a temporary solution, the soft point bullet. This bullet is, however, handicapped by its design in principle: To achieve proper and acceptable killing performance it has to shed its kinetic energy by either loosing mass (fragmentation) or enlarging its diameter (mushrooming).

To do so, however, it has to rely on external assistance such as that impact velocity and target resistance have to be within certain limits. Going below these limits results in a FMJ effect and marginal wounding effect while on the other end of the scale excessive meat damage and insufficient penetration are imminent.

Mass- and shape consistent universal bullet.

Kobus Du Plessis, known South African ballistician, consequently took advantage of the ballistic and forensic experience he had collected over decades. In 2002 he surprised hunters and experts as well with his ”shock wave inducing” Impala Solid.

It all happened when a friend destroyed the ribcage of an impala female using a Marlin 45-70 Govmnt with a 350gr RNSP BULLET.

Tissue displacement-not tissue destruction was the answer

His approach was high frequency displacement rather than work done (J/s).

This resulted in a bullet which’s sharp cutting edge and nose design develops strong radial shock waves in the animal’s organs.

As no deformation is necessary the Impala bullets do not rely on a fine balance between impact velocity, bullet diameter, bullet mass and target resistance (skin, meat and bone). The bullets performance is machined into its profile using a CNC lathe other than conventional bullets that is dependant of the anatomical structure at point of entering the animal. The Impala Bullet is the only purposely manufactured shockwave inducing hunting bullet in the world.

 

[Gaz1985]

Straight from their website. It is apparently made for shots in the gearbox/engine/boiler room. If shot in the head it will act like a solid and make a small hole. The shock wave disintegrates internal organs with almost no meat damage.

I have been reading up on bullets/balastics/hunting/rifles/reloading etc for months now since my papers went in for my 375H&H CZ 550. I am so anxious to receive it i do not think my heart can take it anymore. THE BEST THING to happen next to receiving my two beautiful boys.

These bullets get amazing reviews but i have read from some that the bullet is a bit small in diameter and can cause barrel strain. Manufacturer says it is a design factor and not flaw.

Next i will mention that i too am a neck man. Heads shots when close 50/75m and neck shots further to save meat. So these will not work for me at close rangeas they will just make a small hole and wound channel.

 

[James Cook]

On recent hunt PH said "shoot them in the crease" which is just behind the shoulder. It double lungs most animals and is very near the heart. It prevents damage to the shoulder meat and nothing runs very far without air. Furtherest we tracked was 100+/- yards. Most animals only ran 50-60 yards.

 

[CAustin]

It would seem to me that if you are good with your rifle shooting them in the head would be best to save all the meat.

 

[James Cook]

It would seem to me that if you are good with your rifle shooting them in the head would be best to save all the meat.

it is, and i have shot animals in the head. but that is also a very risky shot to take at much distance, as the head of an animal is moving much more, and the movement is more difficult to anticipate than in the chest area. all giving much less margin for error. it's just not a high percentage shot to take unless at close range.

 

[edward]

when we go for bison meat i always go for a brain shot.have been lucky so far on about 12 animals,am going for one this oct.hope to stay lucky.my first and biggest one back in the late ninety's wasnt nice,6 shots in the heart area and he wouldnt die.went in and put one in the back of his head.he didnt deserve that.