I think it is interesting and educational to see what projectiles do in real hunting situations, not just in gel or wet newspaper. I'm sure some of you guys have dug around in a carcass to find the bullet that downed the beast. Here are a few of mine with details.

Top: 6.5 Grendel 123 grain Hornady SST factory load, Whitetail buck @ about 220 yards. The bullet broke the near shoulder, passed through the vitals, broke a rib on the back side and was found against the hide. The bullet shed its jacket but they were about 1/2 inch apart, I glued them back together. Deer went about 30 yards. Retained weight 105 grains.

Middle: .308 Winchester 150 gr Remington Core-Lokt factory load. Whitetail buck @ 20 yards. The deer was walking away in heavy brush at a pretty steep angle. Sent the bullet through a small opening and hit the deer just behind the first rib. The bullet traveled about 2 feet through the deer. Ended up under the hide in front of the far shoulder. The deer was found about 50 yards from where he was shot but he left going the other direction so not sure how far he traveled. Retained weight 81 grains.

Bottom: 30-06 150 grain Speer Hotcore reload. Coyote called in standing on a tank dam face on at 150 yds or so. Bullet hit middle of the chest. Traveled stem to stern shedding its jacket along the way. Yote was DRT. Jacket was recovered outside the yote tangled in its butt hair, core kept going presumably. Retained weight of jacket about 39 grains.

Post em if you got em.












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7mm-08, Hornady ELD-X 150gr, broadside at about 30 yards. Went through scapula on near side, both lungs, no ribs, and exited far side behind shoulder. Thought everything had passed through until we were eating some breakfast sausage earlier this year....

This is the polymer tip from the ELD-X. Must have lodged in the flesh on the far side shoulder. Also, fun fact, it is hard enough to chip your wifes tooth.
He was young, but tender.


Don't have a picture of it anymore, but the year before I was trying out the 95 grain Winchester Deer Season XP bullets in my .243. Hit a "mature" cull buck broadside at 100 yds. landed just behind the scapula on near side shoulder, thoroughly took out both lungs, and never exited. After a long search (due to almost no blood trail) I found him about 40 yds from where I shot him. Collected 5 or 6 fragments just inside the hide on the far side, total weight was about 85 grains. Stopped using that round on deer after that season, and went back to heavier core-lokts for my .243.

I've shot two deer and a 200lb pig with my 6.5 using Remington Core-lokt 140gr. All three were broadside, just behind the shoulder, and all three passed through, with a big exit wound.

The buck fell stone dead. The doe and the pig went about 30 yards.

Didn't find a trace of the bullets, but I didn't open the pig.

This is a Sierra 300 grain .44 Caliber 300 GR. JSP shot from a suppressed Ruger 77/44 into a ~40lb hog at about 75 yds. The pig was DRT and I usually leave them lay but I got out and drug this one over a pond dam so the ranch owners mom would not have to drive past it everyday. Walking back over the tank dam I spied it laying in the dirt. Retained weight 293.6 grains.

Before and after of my 300 win mag on a mountain zebra in Namibia in 2021. Core separated and this was found in the middle of his heart.

Here is a 90gn Nosler Varmageddon shot out of my 6.5 Grendel. It started out at about 2850 fps. The deer was about 250yds so impact velocity was about 2250fps. It broke a rib on the entry side and angled back and was found lodged against the hide on the off side. Retained weight is 54gn and it expanded to just under 1/2 inch.

Cool thread idea!

6.5 Creedmoor, 143gr ELD-X, 100ish yards, 152lb boar





Same configuration, 78 yards, 146lb boar





7 Mag, 162gr precision hunter (ELD-X), 162 yards, 285lb Aoudad



I think I have some more but haven't been able to find them. I know the ELD-X bullet catches some crap from people for lack of blood trails" but it just absolutely hammers everything I shoot with it and it's more accurate in a few of my guns than any other off the shelf round.

Sorry don't have a pic to post, but recovered a 55 grain Federal Trophy Copper out of my boy's buck. About 65 yards and lodged in the far shoulder. Lost almost no mass but barely expanded at all. I was less than impressed.