Can a Lung Shot Deer Run 400 yards?

Wow that's nutz & glad you found that nice buck.

Perhaps the projectile didn't have the required velocity to expand & destroy the lungs. Black powder guns can do some funny things if moisture gets to the powder. Sometimes they go bang but with minimal powder burn & slow bullet speed.

One thing for sure is they are amazing animals with an incredible will to survive...

My buck kill this year literally shredded the lungs & it went down in about 50 yards using the 300gr Hornady XTP projectile. The XTP offer massive expansion & true knock down power. The smokeless muzzle-loader velocity helps too... lol

We had a guy at the camp hit a doe hard in the chest, thought it was a double lung but ended up just being one lung. A 270 Win to one lung and the deer went over 1km from the point of impact to where it dropped. I have also witnessed a deer hit in the heart by a 180gr 30-06 go 100 yards before laying down and it still did not die for a few minutes, if it had kept running (or swimming in this case) it would have had the potential to make it a long way before it ran out of blood.

They can do amazing things.

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Originally Posted by bellerivercrossbowhunter

Wow that's nutz & glad you found that nice buck.

Perhaps the projectile didn't have the required velocity to expand & destroy the lungs. Black powder guns can do some funny things if moisture gets to the powder. Sometimes they go bang but with minimal powder burn & slow bullet speed.

One thing for sure is they are amazing animals with an incredible will to survive...

My buck kill this year literally shredded the lungs & it went down in about 50 yards using the 300gr Hornady XTP projectile. The XTP offer massive expansion & true knock down power. The smokeless muzzle-loader velocity helps too... lol

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Velocity is exactly what I'm thinking. This is actually the second buck that has made it 400 yards with a double-lung with this gun. A friend of a friend has a chronograph so I'm going to see if I can get him to help me compare to manufacturer's specs. I also ordered some new powder, going to try Pyrodex RS and see how it compares by the chronograph. The gun is an absolute tack driver at 100 yards so I hate to monkey with the load, but punching paper and killing deer are different things!

He was the third buck I dropped this year and the other two went down easier. One went 30 yards (wasn't spooked) and the other made it 70-ish.

Sounds like you are shooting an ML-II? I won't pretend I'm not jealous! My old Thompson Center Black Diamond has put a good 30 deer in the freezer over the years, but it is time to reexamine its performance.

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Originally Posted by benjhind

This deer was shot at 45 yards broadside with 90gr FFG and 240 gr Hornady XTP bullets.

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Originally Posted by benjhind

Velocity is exactly what I'm thinking.

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That powder/bullet load will give you well in excess of 1800 fps at 40yds....that is not your problem.

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Originally Posted by MikePal

That powder/bullet load will give you well in excess of 1800 fps at 40yds....that is not your problem.

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Mike can you expand on what you meant in your first post by "a double lung shot (IYO) is a hail mary"... i was under the impression this is the shot everyone should be trying to achieve ? i have even read that lung shots traditionally result in shorter tracking jobs than heart shots as it more quickly deprives the brain of oxygen and they pass out as one of the other members pointed out.

To me, this potentially sounds like bullet performance rather than shot placement. maybe more of a FMJ type performance (not actually) than a proper expansion ?

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Originally Posted by parkcity

i was under the impression this is the shot everyone should be trying to achieve ? ...

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No...it can be one of the least effective shot..leads to tracking deer long distances and leaving poor blood trails.

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Originally Posted by parkcity

To me, this potentially sounds like bullet performance rather than shot placement. maybe more of a FMJ type performance (not actually) than a proper expansion ?

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That's not necessarily true, but the main reason I don't like jacketed bullets.

IMO...Shot placement plays a big role in bullet performance, if it expands in a cavity and doesn't strike a 'vital' then it pretty much just makes a bigger hole on the way out. If you hit the heart, liver etc, it destroys the organ and the animal dies quicker.

I prefer the neck shot myself, especially at sub 50 yds, the deer dies the moment the bullet hits and it drops in its tracks. I shot three bucks last year , all in the neck and not one took a step. Last week the deer was at 100 yds so I opted for the heart shot, (see my thread with pic)....the deer again dropped where it was standing.

To get an idea with pros/cons; https://www.outdoorlife.com/blogs/bi...-deer-one-shot

If you look at the pic in the link, you can see a high shot, like the OP said was made, could have missed anything that would see the deer die quickly. The shot was obviously fatal, but it took longer than it should and you risk loosing the deer.

I'm not afraid to admit I've made some horrible shots in the past. I've been very very lucky only loosing one deer (hit in the briscut with archery gear)
my longest recovery was about 1000yards on a high lung shot and actually had to go swimming for him
my nerves got the best of me a lot when I started out so I spent a full season just aiming at deer without shooting that pretty much cured me of the jitters
deer are crazy tough animals a solid hit can sometimes be deceiving and a chest cavity takes a long time on a large buck to fill with blood

Dan

Thanks Mike, good read.

from that article, i personally gather that i will remain taking heart / lung shots. At this point i don't have the confidence or the knowledge to take any other for which the error is too great. i'm not even rifle/muzzleloader hunting this year to maybe a moot point but good for future events.

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Originally Posted by parkcity

Thanks Mike, good read.

from that article, i personally gather that i will remain taking heart / lung shots. At this point i don't have the confidence or the knowledge to take any other for which the error is too great. i'm not even rifle/muzzleloader hunting this year to maybe a moot point but good for future events.

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A high shoulder hit will drop them in their tracks, with not much meat loss. A good hit when there is danger of the deer leaving your property.