Will it kill...

by Bri A, Monday, April 17, 2017, 08:46 (2779 days ago) @ Slow Hand

I would think there is little doubt that it would kill a deer, the question is will it succumb quickly enough and leave sufficient blood to find it. Historically, they used the 25-20 and thought it was plenty adequate. I would say to try your chosen load against inanimate test medium to see what kind of penetration and wound channel are likely to be created. Some people using minimal cartridges strive for head or neck shots, but those are very tricky shots that can leave a horribly wounded deer that are extremely difficult to recover. I would be inclined to think a +P load using a cast SWC would give the best chance of achieving the necessary penetration and tissue damage, even on close, standing broadside shots through the lungs.