Shooting through Twigs

[BackWoods Hunter]

I hunt with a 270. Can I shoot through twigs with it.? Or do I have to have a perfectly clear shot? Twigs the size of a golf tee...

Edited November 19, 2013 by BackWoods Hunter

[thphm]

Depends on what you call Twigs. If you ever bow hunted you would find out how they can scr** up a shot.

[bluecoupe]

Can you shoot through twigs?  Sure!  Now, will the bullet go where you intended it is really the question you should be asking, and the answer is; no.

[BackWoods Hunter]

Figured as much. Just was hoping for a different answer. Thanks.

[bluecoupe]

I'm sure you'll get other replies.  It has to cause some deflection, the argument will come as to how much. ;-)   I figure better safe than sorry no matter what I'm shooting.

[thphm]

X2 on the above.

[bkln]

I use this...

http://ddupleks.com/index.php/en/1270-cal/monolit-32.html

 

I thought it was a BS but I tested it and now I believe... My 11 pointer on the wall can confess to  that... :-) lead free too...

[waterweasle]

nice site bkln, but even those will deflect when shot through brush, theres a lot of determining factors on how much deflection, but any projectile will be deflected

[bkln]

That's what I thought too until I shot it, for some reason small twigs don't bother the target line and it gets there like there is no tomorrow.... go figure, buy and try, that's all I can say... they ain't expensive either....

[wiretowire4]

I wouldnt personally shoot thru twigs with a .270.   30-06 or 30-30 might be a better round if you have alot of brush around where you hunt but still tough call to shoot thru brush. Just might have to cut more lanes and be patient.

 

[Doc]

It probably is not a good idea to intentionally shoot through brush, but I think the question is still a valid one when asked in a different way. If shooting something like a .270, and the bullet strikes a small (maybe pencil sized) twig, are you likely to be in for a long day of tracking. In other words, what size twig does it take to upset the flight of the bullet to the point of a wound. Looking through a scope, it is always likely that the focus will obliterate the view of some unseen twigs. So naturally one has to wonder if this is a concern with using a rifle. I know when I was sitting there in my blind, I was wondering if I should have gone crazy butchering all the trees in the area to ensure that I didn't hit a single thing.

[Pygmy]

Any projectile can be deflected by branches/brush/twigs INCLUDING shotgun slugs...

Tiny toothpick sized twigs are probably not an issue..Pencil sized twigs might be...

A lot depends on the distance of the twigs/brush from the target. The closer the target is to the potential source of deflection, the less the effect will be..

In simple terms, if the bush is CLOSE to the deer, the deflection might be negligible.. If the bush is close to your muzzle the deflection will be much greater, possibly enough to cause a miss or a bad hit..

[shawnhu]

If you have to shoot through twigs, make sure to shoot the one closest to your target.

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[BackWoods Hunter]

I wondered about shotgun slugs. Well, I'll pass on shooting through twigs then.

[Doc]

I have heard about these high velocity bullets disintegrating when hitting saplings. That is an argument used when justifying rifles in a lot of the southern zone counties. The claim has been made by a Minnesota study that rifles are actually safer than shotguns because the rifle bullets do not hold together upon ricochet like slugs do. So, how much of a concern is that when the bullet hits some minor obstruction along the way? Is the bullet likely to come apart on contact before it gets to the target animal? Well sure, it sounds like a dumb question, but when some of these statements are made by some people educated in such things, it does make you wonder to what extend those comments are true.

My questions about these things come from the fact that I am completely new at the rifle deer hunting thing, and I am concerned with just how paranoid I have to be about picking out a perfectly clear shooting lane.

[Pygmy]

Highly frangible varmint style bullets at high velocity might disintegrate when hitting a sapling, but controlled expansion jacketed or monolithic bullets designed for hunting big game will not..

They might deform or deflect, but they won't disintegrate unless they hit something substantial, like the ground.

I think you are safe taking any shot with the rifle that you would take with your shotgun, without having to worry about the bullets vaporizing from hitting a few twigs or a sapling. The main issue is, ANY projectile that is shot through brush may deflect and not hit your intended target.

[bkln]

May or may not deflect, the story I read on the dupleks website could be true, half of Europe is shooting wild boar on the run through the twigs and they are getting meat on the table. I tested it cause I thought it smelled like BS and was nicely surprised, these weird steel slugs do recover in flight and hit the target. Case and point this morning....... :-)

[moog5050]

Where can these be purchased?

[bkln]

I bought it online somewhere I don't remember, google it I'm sure you can find it....

[TeeBugg]

Im interested in trying out the dupleks hexolit 32...they seem nasty!

[ncountry]

In my experience, I have had no problems shooting deer standing IN the brush.I have killed many deer with my 308 pushing handloaded 125 gr bullets at over 3000fps(very "explosive"). In the brush. By this I mean a clear line of sight with brush within a few feet of the deer. I know, through the scope, I could clearly see the kill zone, but I highly dought all of my shots threaded their way through without hitting some twigs.

[thphm]

If you are shooting a 100 yards or less,A heavy bullet as 200 grain and up can be your best friend.Speed does not always kill energy does.

[Steve7]

In my experience, I have had no problems shooting deer standing IN the brush.I have killed many deer with my 308 pushing handloaded 125 gr bullets at over 3000fps(very "explosive"). In the brush. By this I mean a clear line of sight with brush within a few feet of the deer. I know, through the scope, I could clearly see the kill zone, but I highly dought all of my shots threaded their way through without hitting some twigs.

 

I agree with that.  I've shot my 06 through brush knowing and seeing the vitals.  I had no issue with impact where i was aiming.  That's not to say I would prefer the shot though IMO.  

[TreeGuy]

Set up a target in the thick stuff, and take a few shots... what better way to find out !?

[shawnhu]

Was checking my zero today on my .25 cal, and was off by 4 inches to the left consistently at 50. Found out later that my shots were clipping a briar from each shot, but not enough to break it off. The briar was around 15 yards. The angle of deflection isn't huge, but at 100 yards, it would have been 8-10 inches off.

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