Head shot thread

I'm very happy with slugs it produces. I'm actually shocked how well they work. I definitely had my doubts. It feels great to make my own slugs that run even better than the H&N's. Highly recommended.
I think I've made almost a thousand slugs now with the Thor press and extremely happy. Problem is I play around too much with different weight of slugs instead of just pick one and stick into it LOL
 
All you headshotters,
I have a question for you: ❓

After a headshot,
have you seen your quarry run in tight circles on the spot?

I have witnessed such a thing.
▪ And I have wondered if this was a typical death dance — muscle spasm of an amimal that was already dead?
▪ Or if the animal was conscious and in pain, and just being disoriented from the headshot preventing it from thinking clearly and run in a straight line away from the shooter.


Thanks for any input. I will be sure to share our insights with the shooter.

Matthias
 
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I
All you headshotters,
I have a question for you: ❓

After a headshot,
have you seen your quarry run in tight circles on the spot?

I have witnessed such a thing.
▪ And I have wondered if this was a typical death dance — muscle spasm of an amimal that was already dead?
▪ Or if the animal was conscious and in pain, and just being disoriented from the headshot preventing it from thinking clearly and run in a straight line away from the shooter.


Thanks for any input. I will be sure to share our insights with the shooter.

Matthias
I would say that a proper head shot causes instant brain death. Everything after is just the result of something akin to an overload of the nerves.
I shot a few squirrels one morning about 20minutes apart. The first was a head shot and I left it to go after another. When I finally got back to the headshot squirrel, I could see it's eye bulged out, blood had poured out of it's mouth and head wound but it was still breathing and had a heartbeat. Was it moving or responding to me? No. It was dead, the body just hadn't quit working yet.
Another case was the last rabbit I got. Hit it right in the head, it back flipped and was dead. When I picked up it's motionless body it started kicking as I carried it away. It was dead for sure but even after cleaning it, the heart was still beating! And it was still beating when I gave it to my dog!

I think the death dance is hard to watch for most people. We are generally sympathetic beings and don't want to inflict pain or harm. The death dance looks the opposite of no pain or harm but the animal is no longer conscious.
 
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All you headshotters,
I have a question for you: ❓

After a headshot,
have you seen your quarry run in tight circles on the spot?

I have witnessed such a thing.
▪ And I have wondered if this was a typical death dance — muscle spasm of an amimal that was already dead?
▪ Or if the animal was conscious and in pain, and just being disoriented from the headshot preventing it from thinking clearly and run in a straight line away from the shooter.


Thanks for any input. I will be sure to share our insights with the shooter.

Matthias
Squirrels tend to flip a bit more for me. Rabbits tend to drop dead pretty quick.
All that went out the window yesterday. Shot a rabbit head on right between the eyes. That guy flipped around for a good 30 seconds.
When I collected him the .22 Hades put a tiny hole between the eyes and a thumb sized hole coming out the back. Go figure. I don't think any brain matter was even still in his skull.
 
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Under some circumstances an animal can be brain-dead while the body remains alive (for a while). This gets into the definition of death. We all know stories of humans who have no brain activity but are kept alive on ventilator and IV feeding, etc. Much of the brain is not necessary for continued body life, but if brainstem function (breathing and other essential reflexes) is lost respiration stops, oxygenation stops, and the heart will stop.

I suspect most hunting headshots are quick but not instant kills, considering heartbeat. There is likely instant loss of consciousness / brain function but heart and lung function may continue for a while. However the brain is very vascular so most headshots result in massive blood loss. Severe blood loss in turn results in cardiac and respiratory arrest, and subsequent tissue hypoxia and cell death.

Presumably the issue in hunting is not how quick death is, but how humane. A heart shot leads to rapid loss of blood pressure and consciousness, and though not "instant" seems pretty humane. Brain shot should be very humane as the animal loses consciousness / brain function before much (if any) pain signal is registered (though with many critters the brain is small and not all head shots are brain shots).

That was today's pathophysiology lecture and there will be a quiz tomorrow :geek:
 
Fox squirrel taken a few years ago with a .25 EDgun Lelya 2.0 shooting JSB Kings from about 15 yards away and up a tree (I don’t know how many feet) in the yard. It fell beneath the tree. I honestly can’t recall how it reacted. I was recovered beneath the tree it was shot out of.

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Went out late was already getting dark but spotted this guy, dropped down to prone cause I'm not taking an offhand headshot at 60 yards on a rabbit (wish I was that good)
Vulcan 3 30 cal 55gn @ 960 fps slug made on my Thor Press

Recorded this on tactacam, still getting used to it, when using the phone app you can get a clearer picture because sometime it looks great through the scope but the vid isn't so clear on the phone. Didn't have time to fine tune it on the phone app. Also not great pic because low light.



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These I believe I recorded at 240 frames a second so you can really get that slug spiraling in the air and the aftermath :D. Think I can only post one video at a time. So will make a second post. I have memory cards full of these, as well as on possums and racoons if anyone is interested. Daytime I can record in 240 frames though which makes for excellent slo mo.

 
These I believe I recorded at 240 frames a second so you can really get that slug spiraling in the air and the aftermath :D. Think I can only post one video at a time. So will make a second post. I have memory cards full of these, as well as on possums and racoons if anyone is interested. Daytime I can record in 240 frames though which makes for excellent slo mo.

What are you using to record...glass on tactacam not very clear. I have an Arken EPL-4 scope and when I put on the tactacam it really darkens it up. I have a Brave 8 that does 480 fps but need to find a mount for it, don't think the eagle vision will work https://www.akasotech.com/brave8
I had a gro pro 11 but nothing but problems with that ****ing thing
 
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We have a snake too but I hesitate to give him kill because there may be lead fragments. I know....overprotective snake dad. But I feel very responsible for animals in my care - their well being depends on me.
Been doing it for over a decade without issue. If anything it could cause reproductive harm, but I don't plan on breeding him. He's 16 years old now and healthy as can be.
 
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