I've read where some of you have taken your big bores deer hunting and decided today to take mine and shoot a doe as our season wound down. I had considered taking it earlier in the season but I primarily trophy hunt and many of my shot opportunities are at 200+ yards. Over the past couple of weeks I've been taking out a lot of does as part of my management plan. I shot 3 this past Friday afternoon, for example. Today I decided to sit in a spot where I was sure to see some at close range.
Right on schedule, 10 minutes before dark, 8 does stepped out in front of me at about 50 yards. I picked out a big one and raised my double rifle. The does in front of me exploded like a cover of quail at the big gun's blast, but on the ground, right where I shot her, was the doe that had been in my sights. The 500 grain Woodleigh solid knocked out both shoulders with a vengeance and the first kill with my new double was complete. As I smiled, I thought, "Why haven't I been doing this all along!"

Vic

AWESOME!!!

thanks for sharing that...

so, let's talk about meat damage... minimal, right?

jeffe

I have shot 3 deer with my 470 with the 500 grain XLC bullets. Surprisingly, these do expand on broadside chest shots, and leave a rather massive exit hole. Meat damage would be extensive on a shoulder or frontal shot. I haven't tried a solid or standard round nose yet on deer.

Ken,
I would expect em to open up.. but as for meat damage, that's most caused by velocity, not a HUGE bullet.... in my experience, though there's always other ways.

jeffe

jeffe,
As for meat damage, both shoulders were hit hard, so they were discarded. Everything else was fine. The exit wound was smaller than what I get with my .270, which I load with Sierra GameKings. The GameKings are amazing bullets for whitetails and for me are a great combination of accuracy with the pefect mushroom for medium-sized animals like whitetails. As for my .470 load, since it was a solid, it just powered through the deer almost like it wasn't there. If this deer was any indication, I would say the .470 with this load would do less meat damage than my .270 and it's little 130 grain bullet. Who'd a thunk it??

Vic,
that's the secert of big bores... you can eat right up to the hole!!! With a 7 mag, on a shoulder, I would throw at least one AWAY due to bloodshoot... got to be necks or lungs only.. with a 358, with strong bullets, it was a prtty good trimming job to get rid of the blood shot, with a 416 with solids, what meat damage?

for what it's worth, 585 nyati and 577 nitro just leave a .585 hole in the steak!!

jeffe