I've noticed, on this and other boards, that many of you mention raking shots. I assume that this is a shot that hits the last rib or misses the ribs altogether and misses the sholder when the bullet enters from either direction. Is this so? I have never made a shot at this angle. There are two minor exceptions to this. I have also never made a Texas heart shot. I'm not flaming anyone who has, but these shots seem, at the most, very marginal. The two exceptions were both killed with a 45-70 at deer that approuched from 100yds plus and were shot at about 30yds. They never offered a broadside shot and I was afraid to wait any longer. What are your opinions of raking shots? capt david

Whatever shot you take should be done with the knowledge of the animals anatomy. You must disrupt the vital organs . Angle shots require a bullet that will have very good penetration.If they are close I shoot for the head or neck, a shot lower than that can ruin lots of chops ( been there done that).Nothing sustitutes for accuracy and knowledge of anatomy.

For me a 1/4 on or 1/4 away becomes a raking shot. As long as you know the anatomy, I think it's a good shot, especially if that is all you are likely to get. This type of shot is where the so called "premium" bullets come into their own, particularly w/ a 1/4 on shot where you need to penetrate the thicker chest muscles.

I pass up shots a lot of others would take. I will take 1/4 to/away shots if the bullet will do what I'm asking of it. I have used Ballistic tips and limited my shots. I've used X bullets out of the same rifle for areas where a quick shot with angle presented is whet you'll get.

I'm not one to preach the "premium only" religion. They definately have a place, ( I just recieved 2 boxes of XLC's today) I just don't think they're always needed. If you hunt where time and patience are on your side and waiting for a perfect shot is possible then you could use about any bullet and caliber you want.

Your choice is just that. It's up to you to decide what shots you'll take, and if you pick the bullet/ caliber combo that matches what you will do you won't have problems.

I very seldom take raking shots, I am normally happy to wait or if it spots me leave it, I have only shot one Texes shot and this was with a 9.3x62 with Solid bullets, and that did the job. I normally feel that if it don't present a shot than good luck to the animal, it was not is day, maybe we will meet next time

Cheers

Flip

Hunting in thick bush in Africa, one has to take a lot of raking and Texas heart shots.

Otherwise one will not be able to shoot many animals.

The only requiremnt is to have a bullet and caliber combination that will penetrate.

Years ago, I used a 270 Ackley for hunting game such as zebra, kudu sable, waterbuck and so on. I had to be careful of the angle of the shot before taking it.

Eventually, I found that using a 375/404 with bullets such as the Barnes X or our own Walterhog bullets, I can take shot any time I see the animal.

This even applies to large animals like cape buffalo.

Last year I shot 2 in the rear end. Both bullets penetrated all the way to be found in the neck.

Anatomy is everything whenever you take a shot. And use a premium bullet for big game animals. I don't see the reason to ever go afield with anything less. If I want to experiment with the performance of lesser bullets then I'll take it on a varmint hunt. To me, a raking shot is anything other than broadside or staight on, and has accounted for a lot of my shot opportunities over the years. Use your common sense when making a shot selection and if the vitals can be reached then take the shot.

I agree with Saeed. Others have stated that if you wait for a perfect shot then it's infered that a lighter round can be used. This is true also.



I was standing on the ridgeline of a VT hill. There was snow on the ground and in this hardwood forest this was one of the better views and even then I could see only about 75 yds at best. Whitetail bucks were the only legal game and I had put in quite a few days without seeing one.



My rifle was leaning against a tree and so was I. All of a sudden a buck with a wide rack comes walking fast up the steep hill. I reached for the rifle and he must have seen me and he stopped behind a double trunked oak which are common in the area. His head was looking around the left side and his rump was exposed on the right. The distance was about 40 yds.



I had my old M70 Featherweight in .308 Win loaded with 150 gr Corelokts with a few grains less than max. and scope set to about 3X.



What to do?



I did not have the confidence to shoot the buck in the rump. If I had my .358 there was no doubt in my mind that I would have shot it there as that was the only venison I had seen and was going to see. I just had doubts on the smaller bullet. I know it's a good load and all that but I just could not fire the shot.



The buck made up my mind for me and started to run. It made a bad decision to run uphill to my left. I have shot quite a few running deer and this was not a hard shot as the buck could not bound due to the hill being so steep. I fired at least three shots and it finally went down. As I said it's no 358 by a wide margin. I dragged the buck down the steep hill all the way to my camp. This is a VT trophy to me.

being a Texas meat hunter I won't take a shot that will hit the guts- it just spoils too much meat.

If it was a trophy then I would take any shot that presented itself- (well I wouldn't aim for the head if it was "really" a trophy )

I've hunted with Partitions for over 15yrs and have always had great penetration and bullet weight retention.

I've always shot either Sierra MatchKings or BallisticTips for paper and BallisticTips for varmint hunting.

For the last couple of years I've tried some GrandSlams and have really liked the new Accubond for hunting.

I think the Accubond is going to be "the bullet"!

It groups as well as the BTs, better than the Partitions, neither quite as well as the MatchKings- so we get a very accurate controlled expansion hunting bullet that costs 10cents less than a Partition (yeah- I know I'm thrifty )

When shooting deer and wild pigs for the freezer I refrain from making extreme angle or rear end shots. However when trophy hunting or as Saeed says when hunting in Africa you must be prepared to make this type of shot. On my June 2004 Africa trip I shot a couple of Impala with a Texas heart shot with my 9,3x74R, result complete penetration. I also hit my Kudu with a Texas heart shot at a little over 300 yards, also with the 9,3. This shot penetrated deep enough to enable finishing shots to be taken. Also, on my Buffalo my first shot with the 450 No2 hit him about midbody as he was running away at a pretty good angle. The 500grain Swift A Frame penetrated through the heart, exited the ribcage and was lodged against the shoulder bone. I made a similar shot on a Caribou in Alaska with my 450/400 3 1/4" and a 400grain Woodleigh Soft. With the proper calibre rifle and proper bullets such shots can be made without worry.
Also these rifles with heavy, high sectional density, bonded core bullets at medium velocity do not mess up a lot of meat.
There is no doubt high velocity rifles have a place, IE game at longer ranges. However for all game this side of Buffalo at ranges under 300 yards I will take my 9,3x74R and 286 grain bullets. Either the Woodleigh Soft or Nosler Partitions, both work excellent. If I am shooting really light game like deer or Impala sized game BROADSIDE then a 285 Hawk with the .035jkt might kill a little faster, but it will damage more meat. It works great on the behind the shoulder lung shots I take on the deer lease. But for all round use the Woodleigh of the Nosler Partition is the only way to go.
Having the ability to make raking shots is a good tool to have in your inventory.