180gr Speer Hot Core......Results from a freak shot.

350JR

Handloader
Sep 21, 2012
339
1
Hesitant to post this. New here and the shot still has ME scratching my head a bit so understandably I'll face some possible ridicule.

For background, this is my 90th deer and I owned and operated a deer processing shop several years and have processed 3500-4000 whietail. FWIW.

I've never seen anything QUITE like this, but then again, the above mentioned deer processed were 99 percent taken with archery, blackpowder rifles and shotgun slugs.

Some dont shoot moving deer. Ive never had a problem with it, as long as I know the range, the trigger and my capabilities with such. Opening day in Indiana is pretty much a "madhouse" and if the deer arent running from hunters, the does are running from bucks, being in the rut here. STANDING deer shots happen, but moving ones are equally expected.

This buck was just hitting the ground from the other side of the fence, slightly twisted to the (my ) right, his left going after 4 does. Range 80 yards plus or minus. He may have been hit the split second he went to leap forward. Timing was everything on this shot. I couldnt let him follow the does. The bullets path in that direction put a house and a highway in the picture. No shot.

WhereBuckStood2012.jpg


The bullet a 180 grain flatnose hot core Speer. I only shot one through the chronograph just for general confirmation, 2693 fps. Velocity was not really a big issue for my hunting distances and the load was a good distance from being maxed out. The round, my 350JR, a shortened 350 Rem mag in my 700 Classic.

Viewing the bullet's entance, when first viewed in the field, I thought I had totally missed the scapula, shooting just inside it from the front angling back hard to the opposite hip. (In retrospect, I wish I would have taken a photo of the bullet entrance.) That turned out not to be the case, yet the angle of the deer at bullet's impact is vague in my head and I'm a little at loss as to just HOW this bullet did what it did and went where it went considering the massive interference it had to go through. Im a little no wait, a LOT surprised the bullet didnt come apart!


Notice the "lump" on the buck's left hindquarter. That is the bullet and I slipped it out slitting the skin after this photo.

IMG_0531-1.jpg


The bullet, miraculously in one piece. Weight Ill tell you as soon as I figure out wth I did with it. lol

IMG_0532.jpg


Delete if such is not allowed. Rather gruesome IMO.
Notice the "hole" and bloodshot side of the ribcage above and left of my hand from the bone fragments. Front of the deer is to the lower right corner of the photo. A large portion of the scapula is just gone. Folding my hand I can push it through the hole.

Photo169.jpg


HOW this bullet kept going in a generally straight path for 33 inches (measured) is not something I would have expected and how the adreneline kept this buck going another 40 yards is equally amazing to me.

God Bless
Steve

The350JR.jpg
 
That's awesome performance and expected from a stout bullet such as the Speer Hot Cor and a 35 CALIBER KILLER!
 
Those Speer FNs are a tough bullet and I would expect similar results in the future with your cartridge. Maybe not as messy but you start blasting through shoulders and the bone fragments can create a bunch of trauma.

Congrats!
 
Great performance from a seriously underrated bullet. I've related at other times that I've used the 220 Speer FN to take quite a variety of game, including large black bear, moose, elk, grizzly bear and mule deer. I've never lost one as result of bullet failure when using that bullet. I would imagine that the 180 grain would work equally well.
 
Steve,

That is pretty impressive performance. The 350 JR is pretty cool round. Good comparison photo.
When did IN change over to rifle?

JD338
 
2007 was the first year we could hunt with rifles......as long as they fit the caliber and brass size regulations of the year.

This year max length of the casing went from 1.625 to 1.8 inchs. .357 min bore.

Some complain but it was the founding reason I came up witht he 350JR so ....cant say Im upset about it.

God Bless
steve
 
:mrgreen: ...Steve, could you tell us a little more about that bra size regulation, maybe some pics??? :mrgreen:
 
wildgene":3t1zvfkm said:
:mrgreen: ...Steve, could you tell us a little more about that bra size regulation, maybe some pics??? :mrgreen:


:lol: Funny!
 
Steve:

I shot an antelope doe with my 416 WBY a few years ago. The load was 300 TSX at 3120 fps. I hit her at 363 yards and the wounds were MASSIVE. So massive in fact that I was told to delete them from this board. Anyway she ran well over 130 yards or so before she gave up.

It can be seen here... My handle is POP on that board.

http://www.weatherby.dk/showthread.php? ... Club/page3
 
wildgene":30vvzqnz said:
:mrgreen: ...Steve, could you tell us a little more about that bra size regulation, maybe some pics??? :mrgreen:

Sorry. Lost me on that one. Guess I dont get out much?
 
Steve,

Awesome buddy.
I live 3.5 miles south of the rifle line so its shotgun, ML or straight walled handgun rounds.
I have a 6.5 JDJ and 7x30 Waters barrels for my T/C Contender but I do not use them out back.
If I could use a rifle, it would be my Marlin 1895 45-70. It is a hammer on WT.

JD338
 
Looks like pretty good performance to me, I sure wouldn't have expected that little 180 to have held up that well.
 
HeathSexton":2owq8pls said:
Looks like pretty good performance to me, I sure wouldn't have expected that little 180 to have held up that well.

I know. Might have to try some in my 35 Rem or 358 Win! Those would be hammers in the woods!
 
I have tried those 180's from both 35's Scott and the 356 win. They work great.
 
Ihave shot several running whitetails with both the 170 grain FN Speer, .32 Win Spec and the Speer FL 200 grain, .35 Remington. Both of them resulted in deer that slid to a stop on their noses when they hit the ground. I would expect a 180 .35 caliber Speer to do the same thing. Good shot BTW!
 
All this time it was sitting about 2 feet from my head on my PC tower. sheesh.

150.3 grains retained after providing all the havoc it played with that shoulder

NOT too shabby, IMO, for a "cheap" bullet but I'm hardly experienced on big game bullet recovery weight averages.

I still want to shoot them against some 200 grainers throughout 2013 when Ill be running several tests with various loads/bullets etc (hey, gotta do SOMETHING during off season!) out to 300 yards or so.

Ballistics and BC claims are all well and good but it all just means more to me all of its viewed first hand.

Wont have much time this week to hunt but maybe a couple times but will still have 10 days after Xmas and I took the week off after New Years hoping that the 350JR and I can "bring in the new year" in a proper way.

WITH DEER HANGING!

Hoping to pop a few more with this bullet yet and the Hornady 200. Not sure if it's my loads and havent found the "right" distance from the lands for the 225s or if it's the 16 twist in that Rem barrel but these two just group well regardless of the load OR distance from the lands. The 225s are "huntable" group sizes but .......need some work.

I had very little time before season to correctly work up the best loads for any of them by the time the rifle was done. My employer kept interfering by wanting me to show up at work all the time. :roll:
People, I tell ya!

GodBless
steve
 
I'll be shooting 220gr Speer Hot-Cor Flat Points in my 350RemMag this year. I've got a good load that puts three into less than 1.5" at 100yds, through open sights, so I believe I'm ready for some stalking. This morning would have been perfect, as it rained all night, but I'm in Indianapolis for work and thus could not take the morning off and walk the lease in beautiful north Alabama! I'm sure hopeful the 220s will give me the same kind of results you've seen with the 180, Steve. I believe they will, as I've been very pleased overall with Speer bullets through the years. I think they are probably the most underrated bullet out there, and rank right up next to Nosler for my use. Funny thing is, I've tried a ton of other bullets over the years, and somehow I end up with Nosler bullets as the hunting bullets in all my rifles, despite having literally hundreds, if not thousands of Hornady and Speer bullets on my bench at any given time. The only exceptions are my two woods rifles. The 30-30WCF Win94 and the new 350RemMag 673Remmie both will go afield with Speer bullets in their loads.
 
I recently bought some 270 grain Speer bullets on half price sale for my 9.3mm. This was the first two boxes of Speer bullets which I have bought in probably 20 years. These Speer bullets being aside from some Hornady pistol bullets which I have in the drawer in my loading bench. These Hornady's and the new Speer's are the sum of non-Nosler bullets that I have in my bullet stash.

I have Hornady bullets for my (6) centerfire revolvers because Nosler does not make some calibers that I load and Nosler Revolver bullets were backordered and pretty much unavailable when I last stocked up on revolver bullets.

I am pretty brand loyal and would probably have all Nosler bullets if they had been available when I needed them. Between Partitions, Accubonds and a few Ballistic Tip bullet choices, Nosler pretty much meets my rifle bullet needs, all from one company. Most of my rifles shoot Partitions as a steady diet.
 
Dub, it doesn't lend as much creedence as Mike killing moose and bear with the 220, but I shot a deer with the 220 outta my 358. Whizzed right on through and made a huge blood trail, very little meat damage as well. I have about 6 boxes of them for when I want something different than the 225 PT. I'm a fan of Speer bullets. I really like their new Deep Curl line. Their tough and accurate and priced really well.
 
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