I thought some here may find these interesting.

There are three 570 gr Woodleigh softpoints recovered from bison bulls. These bulls were all shot at ranges from ~ 20 to 50 yards. The cartridge is a 500 AHR and the muzzle velocity was ~ 2500 fps. I have actually gotten a picture of one of the bulls. He was shot at ~ 20 yards. The recovered bullet follows. It was a low hit on the brain and actually cut a channel through the skull the full length of the brain pan. The bullet was found under the skin on the forward portion of the shoulder. You can estimate the penetration yourselves.

Bison bull:



Recovered bullet:



This is another 570 grain taken from another bison bull. Penetration into the shoulder. This was a front on head shot, just like the previous:



The third 570 grain taken from a third bison bull. Again front on head shot, bullet recovered in shoulder.



The next two are American Hunting Rifle loaded 535 gr Woodleigh soft points recovered from two bison cows. Both cows were shot front on in the head and the bullets again were recovered in the shoulders. The advertised muzzle velocity is 2450 fps.

Bullet #1 (535 grain Woodleigh)



Bullet #2 (535 grain Woodleigh)



Considering the amount of bone punch though and a then a couple of feet of heavy muscle I cannot find any fault with any of these bullets. By the way, when shot broadside of oblique to the front shoulders, the bullets punch right through both sides, at least they do when the range isn't over 100 yards.

Scott

Not bad, considering the bullet was designed for 2150, and a Bisons skull is a serious piece of bone. I shot the same bullet in a elk at about 40 yards and got aprox 3' of penetration out a 500 3". Classic Woodleigh. Since you have a 500 AHR have you tried any of the the 600 grain Woodleighs?

smallfry,

I have made the switch to Woodleigh's new 600gr Protected Point. I hope to have field results from heavy game in 04 or latest 05. I have decided what I am hunting yet for 04.

Scott

Makes one appreciate a solid IMO....I will be shooting Bridger FN copper solids in my .470 once I get a load worked out that will go to POI...and that shouldn't be a chore, the Bridgers seem to do that well in all the doubles I have tried them in...

I witnessed a cull bison hunt with a 375 with 270 and 300 gr. fac Corelokts as I recall and a 7x57 with 175 gr. fac corelokts for sure,..the 375 stopped under the skin on all the bulls head and the 7x57 punched out the other side..that long for caliber bullet just penitrates like the dickens, I would not have suspected those results but stanger things have happen in my line of work, blows all the accepted theory to hell and back, but they all work so its a moot point, just an observation the the little 7 will normally out penitrate some of our finest killers..

Ray,

I do not care for solids as they generate minimal tissue trauma with resulting piss poor bleed-out, in my experience anyway. Now for a head shot that isn't an issue. What is an issue with the head shot, and I know it because I did it, is that a .510, 570 Woodleigh solid will enter the bisons forehead and exit his arse! This was undesireable, to me anyway, since I was meat hunting and did not want the contents of the gut soiling the meat.

Just my opinion/experience. I should state; however, that I have no experience with the broad meplat flat point solids, which now seem to be all the craze. I hear they are much more destructive than the old round nose solids, but I'll bet they still don't leave a 2'- 3' trail of destruction like those Woodleigh soft points do.

Scott

A question on the performance, were these quick kills, slow kills, how about meat damage? Just curious.

They died on their feet most likely within a few milli-seconds of bullet impact. Remember these were all head shots. The only shot that was not 'centered' on the brain was the one of which I have shown the picture of the bull. I was very close, approximately 20 yards, and did not hold over enough with the scope so the shot hit low. I should have removed the scope and used the irons, but I was lazy. Luckily, the shot still hit the brain pan, the very bottom of it, and killed instantly. The bullet, the first one pictured, travelled through about 6" of solid bone before leaving the head behing and going through the neck and ending up in the shoulder.

Meat damage, as should be expected looking at those bullets, was severe. However, it was limited primarily to the neck and the forward outside portion of the shoulders. On the animals shot broadside or oblique the damage was not overly severe on the onside, the chest cavity was pretty ugly, and the offside had around a 3" - 4" exit hole. This was pretty much in the rib cage area / termination of shoulder, so in reality the meat damage was not too aweful significant. I mean no, steaks or roasts were lost. These animals went down either with the shot or within less than 3-5 seconds of being hit. They took around 30 seconds to get to the point that they were unconscious and we closed in and slit their throats, hooked then to a loader and lifted them up (arse first) to drain before loading them into the back of pick-ups.

For the record all the game shot in the head belonged to me, or a family member (I purchased these animals from various ranches for meat). Those shot in the chest were meat kills for ranches that had meat markets, and they allowed me to harvest a few animals for them. For some reason they preferred the heart/chest shot.

The head shot animals were all at least 3 years old, the pictured bull is a 3 year old and the youngest I shot. The oldest animal was a ~ 9 year old cow, who turned out to be the herd's matriarch. That was mighty exciting, ever stare down 30 or 40 bison before?


Scott

Thanks for the info. To your last comment, herd behavior can give you a different view of most animals, as opposed to individual behavior. I have known some that raised bison, as a herd they can take on an attitude of their own, I hear.