Meat Damage

[fasteddie]

My son , Matt , called me last night to ask if I was using Ballistic tips or Varmint loads in my 25-06 . He said there was quite a bit of meat damage on both deer where the bullets exited . I told him that my reloads consisted of Sierra 117 gr Soft Tips . Anyone else have this problem ? 

[Bionic]

The 2 deer I have taken with my 25-06, I had to search for the exit honestly, but I do not process them myself.  I shoot the old Remington Core-Lokt bullets though. I don’t know if any of this, is of any value to you though.

[fasteddie]

My Re-loads consist of ------

CCI 200

53 gr H4831

117 gr Sierra SP ( #1630 )

OAL 3.155

I went to reloads when the prices were high for 25-06 and the ammo got scarce . 

[wolc123]

Meat damage seems to occur in direct proportion to velocity and it is easy to understand why there would be plenty from a 1/4" diameter bullet, using a powder charge designed for a .3".  

Were the hits thru the rib cage ?  When I have seen lots of meat damage from small caliber bullets, they hit some solid bone (hip, shoulder, etc), and did not exit.

I am a little concerned with meat damage myself this year, even though I used a bullet on the other end of the spectrum (12 ga, sst sabot).  That sucker has to be 1/2" diameter minimum.  It went in the front "shirt pocket", and did not exit.

I am  thinking it must be lodged inside the opposite diagonal ham.  I will find out wednesday when I cut it up.  That was the first time I didn't have one pass thru, but also the first time I struck a deer axially with one.

[fasteddie]

My oldest son likes to take shoulder shots to knock the deer down . He says he gets little meat damage that way . In my younger days , I would do that but at my age , drop them dead . 

[SpacemanSpiff]

What kind of velocity are you getting? How far was the deer when you shot it?

[avg. joe]

8 hours ago, wolc123 said:

Meat damage seems to occur in direct proportion to velocity and it is easy to understand why there would be plenty from a 1/4" diameter bullet, using a powder charge designed for a .3".  

Were the hits thru the rib cage ?  When I have seen lots of meat damage from small caliber bullets, they hit some solid bone (hip, shoulder, etc), and did not exit.

I am a little concerned with meat damage myself this year, even though I used a bullet on the other end of the spectrum (12 ga, sst sabot).  That sucker has to be 1/2" diameter minimum.  It went in the front "shirt pocket", and did not exit.

I am  thinking it must be lodged inside the opposite diagonal ham.  I will find out wednesday when I cut it up.  That was the first time I didn't have one pass thru, but also the first time I struck a deer axially with one.

I agree with the velocity and damage. That seems to be a pretty stiff load.

[fasteddie]

2 hours ago, SpacemanSpiff said:

What kind of velocity are you getting? How far was the deer when you shot it?

I don't know the velocity . In theory , it is just over 3000 fps .  Both deer were over 100 yards .

[Pygmy]

Regular Sierra  cup/core bullets are fairly explosive at high velocities, as are Speers or Hornadys...

Bonded bullets like Nosler Accubonds  or better yet monolithics like Barnes bullets  are a better choice if meat damage is an issue with you...

Nosler Ballistic Tips are no more explosive than other cup/core softpoints, in my experience...

Shoot 'em through the ribs and you don't have to worry about it..

[airedale]

14 hours ago, fasteddie said:

My oldest son likes to take shoulder shots to knock the deer down

There you have it, meat damage is largely due to exactly where the bullet impacts the body, most high powered rifles sending a bullet through the shoulder shattering all that bone is going to cause massive damage, no getting around it. A shot through the ribs in the heart-lung area is the best to take for minimizing damage to the best cuts of meat. Most of the big game I have taken has been with the heart-lung shot and for me it is effective causing the least amount of meat damage with the animal usually dropping in it's tracks or going down within a short time.

The high shoulder shot is one of the best to drop an animal in it's tracks if one can live with the damage consequences.

As for your 117 Sierra bullet and load I think it is a good one.

Al

Edited November 25, 2020 by airedale

[Hock3y24]

Don’t shoot for shoulders, bone with any high velocity bullet is big damage. 

[fasteddie]

My shots were rib shots and I got the meat damage . 

[stubborn1VT]

9 minutes ago, fasteddie said:

My shots were rib shots and I got the meat damage . 

Not sure how you got meat damage.  There isn't much meat in the rib cage.  If you hit high enough you could damage the tenderloin or backstrap I guess.  I suspect it would have been way worse if you had hit solid bone like a shoulder.  

IMO you did GREAT.  Dropped 2 doe and easily recovered them.  I wonder about your son's definition of "meat damage" compared to mine.