I shot an elephant once that we recovered a bullet from that wasnt mine. It was a solid from an AK near as we could tell. It looked like it had been in there along time because it wasnt bright and shiny. It was an inch or so under the skin in the middle of its back. God only knows why or how they were shooting it there. I have often wondered if the elephant smashed the paochers that day, I hope so.
Posts: 1407 | Location: Beverly Hills Ca 90210<---finally :) | Registered: 04 November 2001
I found a perfectly expanded 300 gr. .375 caliber Swift A Frame that had gone through "both lungs" near center of the big bull that I shot last year..the bullet was under the skin on the off side in a wad of hard white cartlidge..the wound was at least two year old and completely healed, and the bull was fat and sassy. The lungs showed scar tissue all the way through both lungs, very unusual indeed..I have that bullet...
I would have bet all my donuts that no animal could survive a shot through both lungs until that day...Never underestimate one of these old buggers when they go into survival mode...I just get smarter and learn more every day, at least about some things...
Posts: 42354 | Location: Twin Falls, Idaho | Registered: 04 June 2000
LV Eric, I would bet that elephant was shot at very long range. The shooter allowing for lots of drop and the bullet comming down on it's back with just enough velocity to penetrate one inch.
Quote: I found a perfectly expanded 300 gr. .375 caliber Swift A Frame that had gone through "both lungs" near center of the big bull that I shot last year..the bullet was under the skin on the off side in a wad of hard white cartlidge..the wound was at least two year old and completely healed, and the bull was fat and sassy. The lungs showed scar tissue all the way through both lungs, very unusual indeed..I have that bullet...
I would have bet all my donuts that no animal could survive a shot through both lungs until that day...Never underestimate one of these old buggers when they go into survival mode...I just get smarter and learn more every day, at least about some things...
The NYATI book published by African Hunter says that it is not at all unusual for a buffalo to survive a lung shot, especially from the smaller caliber rifles.
Posts: 18352 | Location: Salt Lake City, Utah USA | Registered: 20 April 2002
Quote: The NYATI book published by African Hunter says that it is not at all unusual for a buffalo to survive a lung shot, especially from the smaller caliber rifles.
I believe that statement, but since when is a fully expanded 375 SWIFT a small caliber?
Man, I'd have hated to run into that buff the next day!
From all accounts (I have not used them) the A-Frames open slowly and smoothly, exhibiting excellent penetration and overall weight retention. However, the incident described above may indicate a design flaw, as the bullet should have wrecked both lungs and killed in short order. I suspect they may be overly tough and ductile, often producing unimpressive wound channels.
From my experience with A Frames, I fing they always expand the same way, very consistant, the base bulges under a very smooth round ball of expansion, and I would not be surprised if that isn't the problem, the lack of tearing edges such as one finds on the Woodleigh or monolithics just is not there...at least thats my impression and I have seen plainsgame go a long ways and not bleed on ocassions with these bullets, other times they perform great...
Swift told me, some years back, that was the reason they were making a new bullet called the Sirroco for the lighter game.
I like the pictures posted on this forum of the new Rhino bullets, they look to be real buzz saws when expanded and I think that is what I want in an expanded bullet...
Posts: 42354 | Location: Twin Falls, Idaho | Registered: 04 June 2000
A few weeks ago I posted a little blurb about the recoverd musket ball that I found under the skin of my eland I took in Tanzania last year. If you go to the Nickudu files you will find a picture of an elephant I shot after it had been riddled with AK rounds and a heavier caliber had been used for a non-fatal brain shot. He was a little agitated when we found him.
Regards,
Mark
Posts: 13135 | Location: LAS VEGAS, NV USA | Registered: 04 August 2002
Quote: I found a perfectly expanded 300 gr. .375 caliber Swift A Frame that had gone through "both lungs" near center of the big bull that I shot last year..the bullet was under the skin on the off side in a wad of hard white cartlidge..the wound was at least two year old and completely healed, and the bull was fat and sassy. The lungs showed scar tissue all the way through both lungs, very unusual indeed..I have that bullet...
I would have bet all my donuts that no animal could survive a shot through both lungs until that day...Never underestimate one of these old buggers when they go into survival mode...I just get smarter and learn more every day, at least about some things...
When the post started I actually wrote my story, but was scared of posting it. I expected to be ridiculed for telling tall tales!
I once shot a big, and fat, gemsbok bull in the Kalahari. A far shot, I saw him lurch, herd the 'thud' and he ran off. My buddies said shoot again, but I was quite confident that the .300 win mag 180 gr aimed for the lungs would bring him down after a bit of a run. Well, he kept on running, and running in a big semi cirlce. By the time I was getting really worried about the accuracy of my first shot, he was to far out for a running shot anyway. Eventually, after running at least three times the furthest distance that I've ever seen one of them run with a lung shot, he did go down. When we got to him he was quite dead. But a post mortem revealed that my shot was just a bit to far behind the heart through both lungs, which were shredded. Closer examination revealed scar tissue on the entrance side, just behind my bullet entrance. A broken rib on that side "below" the scar tissue, an abcess on the inside, two broken ribs on the opposite side and a big scar on the outside made me think that he had been shot through the lungs with an expanding bullet some years before. As I say, I did not post it least I be accused of story telling to the forum. Well, now I know that it had happened to someone else with a buffalo also. And he has the bullet, I have nothing, just the memory and my buddies to back up my [very true] story.
Like someone else I would, until then, have been prepared to bet important body parts that no animal could survive a dubble lung shot with an expanding bullet. Now I know better.
Verewaaier.
Posts: 1799 | Location: Soutpan, Free State, South Africa | Registered: 19 January 2004
I once shot a big Kudu bull with neat entry and exit holes behind his shoulders, with scar tissue in both lungs. From the holes it appears to be a small calibre rifle I think it was 223 FMJ
Posts: 931 | Location: Nambia | Registered: 02 June 2000
1 bushbuck with .22 caliber slug in shoulder. I am really surprised that these lungshot animals are surviving! I remember reading in Rifle magazine that a shot that "goes between the spine and lungs" is actually hitting the fringe of the lungs and that a killing shot must burst the bigger blood vessels in the lungs, near the front...Any experiences with "bulletproof" lungshot animals?
Posts: 2360 | Location: London | Registered: 31 May 2003
I've found several bullets in deer and one broadhead. I recovered a broadhead from one as well. I recovered a 270 size bullet from the hind quarter of an elk that was grown over with no damage. My Blue Wildebeest had another bullet in him close to the hole I'd put in him.
The most amazing one I've seen wasn't a bullet wound though, it was most likely a battle wound. I shot a very old elk a few years ago that had his right antler growing out of the center of his forehead. On close examination, he had previously had a fractured skull which had healed. The regenerated skull was between 1 and 2 inches thick.
About this time last year, I posted the tale about the client that I had just been with in Ethiopia who had litteraly upended a Mt. Nyala at 300 yards with a .300 Win. Mag. The animal had slid down a mountain slope on it's back kicking it's legs like it was trying to run upside down. When we got to the site it was reconstructed that the animal must have been hit in the base of the horn and knocked silly for a time. It then recovered and ran off. Well, this February, almost exactly a year later, we had a client shoot a 35 1/2" Mt. Nyala on that same mountain slope and..you guessed it...there was a groove in the base of a horn.
Rich Elliott
Posts: 2013 | Location: Crossville, IL 62827 USA | Registered: 07 February 2001
