Try to be brief. I had my first opportunity with a ML last week on a buck, the deer was running right at me, then turned and I shot when slightly quartering away at about 30 yards.  It was about 20 minutes before close on a cloudy day, after I shot the deer continued over the hill-appeared to be running just fine. I looked for blood and didn't see any, then since it was almost dark, I went directly to where the deer went over the hill to look.  Two of us looked for an hour in the dark but nothing, no blood or deer. The next day it was cool and sunny, I found a small amount of blood in the corn field, then looked for another hour, up to the propery line and nothing. I was shooting a scoped inline with 100 grains lose Pyrodex RS and TC Maxi-hunter 350 grain lead hollow point bullets. I do a lot of shooting every year with rifles and pistols, not so much the ML, but still practice and I have a really good feeling about my shot. I keep my eyes open when I shoot and the cross hairs were on the shoulder when the rifle recoiled. I'm not dismissing that I may have jerked the shot, however I recently read that lead bullets can have poor penetration at high velocity, as in close range. Could this be a possibility? I typically used the TC Maxi-ball 370 grain bullets but they were not available locally and had to switch prior to this season. I sighted the rifle in with the new bullets, and at the end of the next day I was dead center at 50 yards at season close. I brought a cracker box out with me to verify since I had to unload anyway, assuming I didn't fire at a deer. I'm planning on trying the Hornady FPB bullets soon, however the reason is more because I have added a scope and think I can get more range out of that bullet than the lead bullets. What do you think?

Posted By Shiloh on 06 Dec 2011 03:12 PM
My bet is you hit something besides the shoulder. As it closed the distance, your 'zero' went out the window. Also, it was moving. The slug may well have simply not met where the crosshairs rested. And, I too had a bad experience with the T/C Maxi-Hunter .50" pushed by 80 grs of RS Pyrodex. I hit a small doe that was running broadside to me at about 20 yds. The slug intered on her 4th rib from the back on her right side, took out the right lung, hung a hard left 'U' turn and exited just behind the last rib back at me dragging bile and fecal matter out the exit hole. She went a short distance and died leaving a great lung blood trail to follow, but it was not a pretty job of cleaning her. I had to get her into a creek to make it possible even though that is a no-no. What happens is the nose of the bullet suddenly disrupts and makes a large distorted pushing point while still be ing pushed by the rear of the slug. Like trying to force a frisky straight through a swiming pool it wants to slide instead of plow through.

Since then, and after numerous tests with slugs in soaked and tied phone books, I have dropped all expanding slugs from my muzzleloading arsenal. I have seen .50" balls pushed by 90 grs of RS Pyrodex bore nearly straight through 7 soaked and tied books that equalled about 18" in total depth and keep on going. I have hit deer with those same balls pushed by mere 60 grs charges of FFg and had them bore straight through the deer and bounce off through the trees beyond. And now any conical I use is of a non-expanding style as well. My theory is that a 1/2" hole drilled straight and true is far more reliable a deer-killing means than any rapidly expanded hole that may not track true.

I agree, a half inch hole is more than many rifle bullets mushroom too, although not exactly comparable.  Do you consider the Maxi-ball a non-expanding type?  If I go to Colorado for elk hunting, I can't use the scope anyway, so that may be an option, although I'd probably use my 54 sidelock with the same bullet though.  Only reason I switched is I didn't have time to order more.  I'm still planning on trying those Hornady FPB's.

I wish it was a clean miss but with some blood found had to have been at least a poor hit.