Iowa buck smashed my round ball

[Lady-Hawk]

Hi all, I am new on the site. I took my 1st black powder buck yesterday. I shot him on the ground at 30 yards. The ball hit a rib on the way in and one on the way out. It was a quartering away shot. The ball entered 2 ribs from the back. It came out right behind the front leg. The ball was just under the skin. Never broke out. It was smashed up as well. I will post pics.
I was using 70 grains with a .15 patch and .490 round ball. I took a doe with this same set-up last year and the ball went right through her. Any suggestions on if this is normal? Should I up my powder?
Thanks-

 

[BrownBear]

Wahoo! Congratulations! :hatsoff:

The ball passed through a whole lot of deer, as well as a rib at each end. I'm betting if it missed the ribs at either end, you would never have recovered it.

I don't see any reason to up your load. I'm guessing most of the ball expansion happened on the first set of ribs, yet it still managed to power on through the vitals with enough geewhiz to penetrate those on the other side.

I'd be as proud of the ball performance as you must be of that great buck!

 

[R.M.]

Congratulations on the deer, and welcome.
What brand of powder and ball were they. I'm wondering if the ball was a harder lead, or the powder was weak. That ball should have been like a 50¢ piece, or at least a quarter.
Either way, you did get to harvest a good looking animal.

 

[Canerod]

Nice buck :thumbsup: !!

I recover about 1/3 of the balls that I have shot at deer and look at it this way. The ball expended every last ft/lb of energy on the deer, so I'd be happy. They have a tendency to not go very far when that happens, IMHO.

Good job!

Kevin

 

[Bill Hall]

Well, congratulations Lady-hawk! Your post is a perfect example of the importance of shot placement compared to the power of the load. And I would call that a classic, testbook example of perfect shot placement for a quartering deer.

If you feel comfortable with 70 grains at differing ranges, then by all means stick with it. If 70 grains will pass through a big deer at the angle you shot, then it's plenty powerful enough. However, if you find you have trouble adjusting the elevation for longer ranges, i.e. the difference between 30 yards and 70 yards, you can play with increasing the powder for a flatter trajectory.

You can also play with load to find the best accuracy, which could be more than you're currently using. My T/C .50 was the most accurate at about 80 grains fffg dupont (now goex).

Congrats again. Nice to see a young lady show up some of us old timers (myself included). Bill

 

[luieb45]

I shot a button buck in the illinois 1st firearm season with basically that same load and I got a pass through with roughly .65 caliber holes on each side. But I'd say that seems like a good charge and it really shows with the results. Nice buck :thumbsup:

 

[Skychief]

Lady-Hawk, welcome to the forum and WOW, WOW, WOW.....

I would be tickeled pink with the performance that you got. Talk about a heavy corn-fed Midwestern bruiser! Congratulations :thumbsup: !

By the way, how far did he go?

Skychief. :bow:

 

[hoochiepapa]

This is a .54 round ball from the off side of a pronghorn, at about 70 yards, 110 grs.of Goex, through both shoulders. I think you have optimum performance of that ball, and if'n it were me, I'd leave things alone.
Good Job! :applause:

 

[luieb45]

What part of the state did you get him in? I'm from Illinois but live just across the river from Keokuk, IA. I forgot that Iowa had their gun opener over the weekend. That would explain why when I went to farm and home in Keokuk before opening day most of their slugs were sold out and hunters were buying stuff left and right.

 

[oldude]

I think you and that ball done a fine job. as an archer you know all about Kentucky windage & elevation and waiting for YOUR shot.Tinker with the charge size and see what you and your rifle like best. Enjoy yourself and good luck. Bent

 

[Maynerd62411]

I have had several round ball shots stop at the hide on the opposite hide. I wouldn't get it a second thought, beings as the deer is on the ground. :thumbsup:

 

[jtmattison]

Congratulations!
Looks to me like it did it's job perfectly. All of the energy was tranfered to the deer instead of being wasted by passing through.

:thumbsup:

HD

 

[Lady-Hawk]

Thanks everyone.
I did not know that a ball could smash down. I feel a lot better now after reading your posts. When I started out last year, I played with my loads. I use Pyrodex. It was all I could find to buy. I like 70 grains for my max range of 60 yards. I like to hunt close. That is what gets my blood pumping. I only take bow shots at 15 yards or under. Just more fun for me. If I was a good shot like my hubby, it would be fun for me to take long shots

My round balls are Hornaday.

The buck ran 70 yards before he went down.

I shot him in Warren County, Iowa. Right in the middle of the state.

Yes, I am very pleased with him. I called him to my stand at 10 yards in October. He just never turned broadside for me.

Thanks again to you all for sharing your knowledge. I do not know anyone that shoots traditional black powder.

Lady Hawk

 

[luieb45]

I don't know how far this is from Warren County but our black powder club has a couple shoots every year in Davis County. If you're looking for more shooters in your area go to muzzleloader magazine and find the "find a club" section and you can see all the blackpowder clubs in Iowa. That's how I found my club.

 

[Skychief]

I do not know anyone that shoots traditional black powder.

Lady Hawk

You do now Lady-Hawk.......

Congrats again! :hatsoff:

Skychief.

 

[Leon/Iowa]

Lady hawk, congratulations on the fine looking buck you got. The results you had on the recovery of the RB are normal. I have taken over thirty deer with RB and recovered only three or four. I shoot from 60-80 gr of 3F (depending on the rifle) and get almost all complete pass thru. I though that I was using hard lead for some time, and broke down and purchased a box of Hornady balls a few years ago. They do the same thing, at least I haven't recovered any yet. I have since checked my home cast RBs with a hardness tester and found they were just as soft as the Hornady. I have come to the conclusion that to make a RB expand, you need higher speed then what I am shooting.
If you are looking for some black powder you can get it at the Bass Pro, in Altoona, not to far from you. They have it, but you half to ask a sales person for it. It is not out on the shelf.
Leon

 

[Rob Patuto]

AAAAAHHHHHHHH! :shocked2: A buck like that and no cape...........lol

Congrats Lady Hawk, nice deer, nice shot

 

[hanshi]

Welcome to the forum, Lady-Hawk. That's a very nice buck and you should be proud. Your load is fine. I rarely recover prb as most are pass throughs and the recovered balls are flat, too.

 

[BrownBear]

For frame of reference, here's top and bottom views (on the right, of course!) of one of the few round balls I've recovered from game.

It's 54 cal and was launched on top of 90 grains of 3f, completely smashing through the neck from front to back on a good buck at 55 yards, stopping under the hide. I don't recall the before and after weight, but even after all that reshaping, the ball retained virtually all of its weight.

Gotta love round balls!

 

[flyfish]

Lady Hawk,
Congratulations on your buck. That is one big deer.
Nice shooting. :hatsoff: :hatsoff: