This is a VITAL thread
- Thread starter intenseaty22
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Not my thread lol, but I have to acknowledge I’ve never tried a body shot on the little ones like that…..firecrackers?!
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I usually go for headshots, but when they are upclose I have to aim a little lower and these are the results lol. Although this was while using the 30gr Varming knocker slugs in .25 but even shooting the with the hades in .22 and .25 this will still happen.
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This groundhog was fleeing the scene. When it hesitated, its head was obstructed so I went for a vital shot. It rolled down the hill in a ball into a creek and was dead. A .30 slug at 950-960. About 65 yards.
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I’m a vitals guy but was always a little leery with a .177 on anything bigger than a chipmunk. Been experimenting with vital shots with .177 slugs. They are not as devastating as the .22 but seem to get the job done. Only recovered one slug so far, because they are almost microscopic, but I’m getting expansion.
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The Uragan 2 is choked or unchoked in the .177? How is it grouping with slugs? What weight slug, and fps?
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I think it is important to define a shot to the "vitals". That's not a body shot. It is a shot to the chest cavity anywhere above the diaphragm. Preferrably going through both lungs. Ideally crossing the heart or one of its major arteries.
The diaphragm is positioned slightly differently n every mammal. So are the heart and lungs. Below (or behind) the diaphragm it is a gut shot. It will not be a clean shot and will require another shot in the vitals to recover the animal humanely.
Any animal can be taken more reliably with a chest shot than a headshot. As long as you have enough energy to smash a front shoulder you are good. It may not kill immediately if you go through a shoulder but it will kill. And they aren't going to run away.
You can always whip out your bowie knife and finish them. Or just walk over and break their neck to effect an ethical kill.
Headshots are a recipe for failure unless you know exactly what you are doing and have a perfect shot.
If you try a headshot on a guided big game hunt your going to be sitting in camp afterwards. Most hunters and guides won't tolerate it.
Same with a follow up shot if the animal is down. You sit and wait for death or you do it with your knife. The second shot is usually a huge mistake. Once the animal is on the ground shooting stops in MOST cases.
For deer you never take a headshot. They can have chronic wasting disease (CWD). You try your best not to disturb the brain or spinal cord. That's where the prions are that cause the disease.
For rodents and vermin headshots are fine. Probably not the best strategy but its fun and appropriate. For a game animal it's just a bad idea no matter what weapon you are shooting.
The diaphragm is positioned slightly differently n every mammal. So are the heart and lungs. Below (or behind) the diaphragm it is a gut shot. It will not be a clean shot and will require another shot in the vitals to recover the animal humanely.
Any animal can be taken more reliably with a chest shot than a headshot. As long as you have enough energy to smash a front shoulder you are good. It may not kill immediately if you go through a shoulder but it will kill. And they aren't going to run away.
You can always whip out your bowie knife and finish them. Or just walk over and break their neck to effect an ethical kill.
Headshots are a recipe for failure unless you know exactly what you are doing and have a perfect shot.
If you try a headshot on a guided big game hunt your going to be sitting in camp afterwards. Most hunters and guides won't tolerate it.
Same with a follow up shot if the animal is down. You sit and wait for death or you do it with your knife. The second shot is usually a huge mistake. Once the animal is on the ground shooting stops in MOST cases.
For deer you never take a headshot. They can have chronic wasting disease (CWD). You try your best not to disturb the brain or spinal cord. That's where the prions are that cause the disease.
For rodents and vermin headshots are fine. Probably not the best strategy but its fun and appropriate. For a game animal it's just a bad idea no matter what weapon you are shooting.
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Well if you ever think about trying other slugs they're really good accuracy wise and trump everything else in terms of expansion
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This grey was at 40y it was quartering away so went for the vitals . Dropped like a rock. I used my .22 cal Maverick with a 25.3g AEA pellet . The 600mm Maverick had set for over a month and was still on .
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Overkill, hit with a JSB .25 MK2 at 890 fps at 23 yards. The gun was setup for coons but this came by. It flew up in the air and landing about 1 yards away. I didn't see an exit hole but I'm sure it passed through.
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