Unusual Bullet Performance

[Dr Ray]

Some years ago I shot a Rusa buck for meat.
Nothing new there.
When I approached the dead deer I noticed 2 bullet holes beside each other. I thought for some time that the bullet struck something between firing and the hit.
It didn’t make sense as there was a clear shot with no obstacles.
I was butchering the deer and had a very close look at the entry holes.
The colorization was different!
On closer inspection it dawned on me that in fact the deer had been shot by a smaller caliber in virtually the same spot previously.
I think it must have been a 243 whereas I was using a 270.
First time ever that this has happened. It had me puzzled for a while.

 

[Dr Ray]

A better photo

 

[Hogpatrol]

That is interesting. Wonder why the first shot wasn't a mortal wound.

 

[Ridgewalker]

? Interesting!

 

[BRICKBURN]

Shot from a long distance and no penetration?

 

[PHOENIX PHIL]

Maybe the first shot was a DGX......

 

[Divernhunter]

The 243 explains the poor performance of the 1st shot. Flame on boys.
Possibly a 22cal bullet?? Same results as the 243

 

[Dr Ray]

Shot from a long distance and no penetration?

Could be with a small caliber.

 

[stug]

Wasn't an antler wound from fighting?

 

[Dr Ray]

Wasn't an antler wound from fighting?

Definitely not an antler mark. Very definitely a bullet wound.

 

[Ray B]

I'm wondering if there was any evidence of the track of the bullet into/through the animal. Several years back a friend shot an elk and on field dressing it we found what appeared to be a Remington CoreLokt .308" bullet 180 grain stuck between the abdomen muscle and the skin. It was only slightly expanded. Further skinning showed the bullet had hit on one side, just an inch or two above what would have been a miss under the animal. It had so little velocity left that it failed to expand more than just a blunting of the round point, slid along the seam between the muscle and skin, coming to rest on the opposite side with insufficient penetration left to push through the skin. The elk was a couple years old and the wound may have been from the previous year. We guessed that the hunter was shooting from several hundred yards away and figured that he had missed the elk.

 

[flatwater bill]

Thanks for the report and the photo....................many possible explanations.................the track following the second hole might tell the tale..........FWB

 

[Opposite Pole]

I’ve shot a boar last year that appeared to have an injured front leg but on inspection the leg looked healthy but underdeveloped, it was shorter. When dressing the animal I found what appeared to be a 22lr projectile inside it which caused a rather nasty infection, it was all healed on the outside but terribly infected and stinky inside. The pig was in a good condition overall and must have acquired the wound when it was much smaller as it affected the development of the limb. As we are not allowed to hunt with rimfires in here it must have been shot by a poacher.

 

[johnnyblues]

Guess we will never know. Very interesting.