i have 200 rounds of 140 gr .284" failsafe bullets and can load them in either a 7x57, 280 rem or 7 remmag. i'm just worried about penciling. i hunt where 100 yds is a long shot and a 180# live weight buck is on the large side..last year i killed 9 hogs while deer hunting so i need reasonable penetration.

The failsafe is my favorites of the premium bullets I have tested, and the 140 grain 7mm is my favorite of the lot. Check out this bullet I used for a big 6x6 Elk.
http://users.sisna.com/darty/bullet.jpg
It went through the rib cage area, busted through the far shoulder, and lodged just under the skin. It lost less than a grain of weight.
I have a buddy who uses this bullet for long range hunting, and tests them up to 700 yards.
The petals will break off at high speeds, but I'm talking 7mm Mag velocities. I doubt that you will have any problems with this bullet.

Tom,

I have shot a lot of deer-sized game with the .308/180 grain FailSafe from a .308 Win. I have only recovered one bullet, and that from a Texas heart shot. The bullet was under the chest hide on one shoulder. It weighed 180.1 grains.

My shooting was all under 100 yards too.

jim dodd

I've never seen them pencil on deer or anything. They just don't provide as much tissue damage as softer more fragile bullets do.

Don't drive them too fast. 2700 to 2800 fps will work just fine at all distances in the 7x57 or the 280 Rem.

If your shots are usually so close, I would just leave the 7 mm Mag in the safe.

Tom, I've used the 30 cal / 180 failsafe in a 308 and a 300 Wby. Both on deer at close range, among others. At 2600 fps or 3150, they're sudden death on whitetails. Load em up and go huntng!

Tom,
I have killed several deer with the 140 gr Failsafe out of the 270 Win. I have never recovered one but I have not had the spectacular
instant kills that i have gotten with the Win. Power Point Plus or Core Lok type bullet. It has been my finding that if not shot through the shoulders or spine deer tend to go farther after the shot with a premium bullet than a common factory Power Point.

I agree with Hawkeye47, I like them on the larger animals of Africa, elk and moose, but for deer I think the PP or corelokts are better for fast kills...

But, I personally usually use a bullet that doesn't open up much and try to keep meat damage to a minium..Carefull shooting with a FS or heavy for caliber bullet that doesn't open much is the way to stop meat damage or bruising...I lean that way.

Hawkeye and others

At one time I was nutcase serious about bow hunting. As you probably know bowhunting is all about shot placement and penetration. If a bowhunter achives his goal the end result is a dead animal and an excellent blood trail to follow to your trophy.

After killing several head of game with a bow, I concluded all that mattered with a rifle bullet was that it hit the right spot, expanded, and exited the other side of the animal. The end result is a dead animal and a much shorter blood trail.

I must admit trying to create instant death on deer by driving light X bullets and NBTs at stupid speeds. Indeed I got a few spectacular kills. My opinion, but there is little difference between a dead deer here and a dead deer 20 yards over there.

To be truthful I have never shot a game animal with anything smaller than a 30-06. So I don't know anything about smaller calibres. I am curious if bullet selection is more critical with the smaller bores. Or, can you simply load the premium bullet of your choice and expect a dead animal inside of a few yards?

Jamie

My first deer, I used a .270 at about 20 feet. Tiny hole going in and coming out using a heart/lung shot

When I hunted Texas last winter, one of the guys I was with shot 3 hogs, weighing between 120 and 200 pounds, with a 30-06 and factory 180 gr. Failsafes. Shots were between around 60 and 175 yards. The only bullet we recovered entered in the neck and fell out of somewhere toward the rear of the body cavity during the dressing process. It hadn't opened up much, and was the subject of some criticism during the post-mortem beer and bs session.

On the other hand, all three hogs were one-shot kills, so its seems the bullet did its job just fine.

Given a choice, in your situation, I'd prefer Noslers (partition, not BT), but if I had Failsafes on hand, I'd load them up--particularly in the 7mm Rem, which should hasten their opening a bit--and let the whitetails beware.