125 grain nosler for deer?

[Quarterbore]

While I wouldn't want to limit myself to only head shots... I have shot a great many deer in the head over the years but after a shot two years ago I amy not be doing that anymore....

I shot a nice sized doe at about 35-yards with my 243 (yea not a 300 Whisper) and it was a nice standing profile shot so I decided to shoot her in the head so as to not loose any meat. It is the first time I shot a deer in the head that they didn't drop but I hit her in the head just above her lower jaw where the lower jaw connects to her skull.

The deer took off running like she wasn't hit and I sat there in shock as I have made clean kills on groundhogs at 400-yards with the same load and rifle and I knew my POI. Well, I walked over to where she was and the 243 round did it's work as blood and pieces of bone were there to show I didn't mis. I had to track that deer for a good 500-yards or more before I saw her working on getting up and I was able to put a second round in her and dropped her for the count. The original round completely tore the lower jaw off the deer and the bottom of the skull had a good sized chunk out of it. It really was a pathetic looking sight and while the deer would have died soon I didn't like the delay.

Darndest deer I have shot in 20+ years of hunting as I am just not used to shooting a deer in the head and having it take a sigle step much less run 500+ yards and live for about 2+hours while we tried to let it sit and die... And this was with an explosive 100-gr 243 round at very close range. Normally the whole head of the deer would have been gone... I just can't imagine nonexpanding bullets being in my future with a plan to only take head shots... In fact, last year I stuck with heart shots...

Now, Back on topic:

I have never used the 300 Whisper on deer yet but from everything I have read the light single shot pistol bullets are excellent bullets... I am pretty sure I have a box of 125-gr Nosler Ballistic Tips in my reloading stuff as well and if I get to use my little 300 Whisper Bolt-Action AR-15 pistol for deer this fall it would be the bullet that I would be using!

[K9 Handler]

OK. We've seen the benefits/compromises with 220's and 125/130's.

How about the mid-weights? Where do the 150, 165, and 180 sizes fit into this Whisper-hunting mix?

[JF]

I guess there are lots of opinions and experiences at work here. For me, every deer or goat or exotic that I have head shot with a heavy subsonic 30 caliber bullet was a quick and fast kill. Even the long range shots were clean fast kills. I never go for brain stems shots but just aim for the center of head. Every one made a pencil size hole in both sides of the skull. I have killed about 6 or 7 animals this way and they all immediatly dropped to the ground and did not get up. If the animal is moving or skitish I will wait or will not take the shot. With a proper rest, head shots are possible IF you practice, are a good shot and know where your bullet will hit at different ranges. The different drop at different ranges with these heavy slow bullets make me always use a range finder. The difference in scope adjustment for 50 and 100 yards is quite substantial.

The 2 animals that I shot and the 2 deer that I've seen shot with heavy subsonic body shots were all properly hit in the chest area but were not killed. They all ran off. The bullet simply does not have enough shock to it for making clean kills on soft body shots. That is my experience.

I would not attempt to have my wife go for a head shot since she is not a cool head or a great shot when the chips are down and bambi is looking at her. Yes, when I am 'guiding' her on hunts, I tell her to shoot for the center of the chest and hope for the best.

Have a great weekend!!!

[Zed Stewart]

Well, the hog hunting trip I went on a couple of weeks ago was a bust. We never saw a hog in the daylight and at night everybody (read 8 people) went on one truck and we hunted with dogs. Big woop. Wasted time and money.