This is a VITAL thread

[intenseaty22]

Another one today. 28 yards to the Pecan Tree. Sub-12 Revere in .177 shooting JSB 10gr Knockout MK2. Yes! Slugs out of a Sub-12! It shoots them very accurately.

Hit just behind the shoulder, it ran like a banshee after jumping down the tree, and up a bush 3 yards away, and onto the workshop roof and that’s when it realized that it had been dead all the while. It dropped off the roof and onto my trailer.

I recovered the spent ammo, that had traveled through the vitals and stopped under the hide on the distal side.

 

[intenseaty22]

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.

Generally speaking, I consider Vitals a shot to the lung/heart cavity. However….a shot just below the diaphragm can be a Liver Shot, which technically is still a vitals shot. On a squirrel, the liver literally runs the whole length of the diaphragm.

I usually aim for the shoulder when taking a vitals shot. That gives me a little wiggle room for shot placement.

 

[RangerPete]

Another one today. 28 yards to the Pecan Tree. Sub-12 Revere in .177 shooting JSB 10gr Knockout MK2. Yes! Slugs out of a Sub-12! It shoots them very accurately.

Hit just behind the shoulder, it ran like a banshee after jumping down the tree, and up a bush 3 yards away, and onto the workshop roof and that’s when it realized that it had been dead all the while. It dropped off the roof and onto my trailer.

I recovered the spent ammo, that had traveled through the vitals and stopped under the hide on the distal side. View attachment 499891View attachment 499889View attachment 499888

Wow, that is some very impressive performance in a sub 12z
What velocity’s are you pushing those slugs at?
I also shoot those 10gr knock outs, but I shoot them at 950 to 995fps. The performance is excellent, with massive mushrooms!

 

[RangerPete]

Got a rat tonight that was in a lemon tree eating the lemons.
Couldn’t see its head clearly, watched it moving and took an educated guess as to where its shoulder was.
.177 12.4FPE 8.44gr exact.
Dropped like a stone.

 

[intenseaty22]

Wow, that is some very impressive performance in a sub 12z
What velocity’s are you pushing those slugs at?
I also shoot those 10gr knock outs, but I shoot them at 950 to 995fps. The performance is excellent, with massive mushrooms!

I will have to chrono and see, not quite sure about speed. I tested for accuracy only. Generally speaking I will default to the most accurate ammo. In the case of the Revere, that’s the 8.44 Diabolo, probably just as deadly, but on vitals, something that tears up flesh or expands, is advantageous.

I shoot the slugs because why not. The sub-12 ensures that the ammo will either not pass through or not go much further if it does because I am in a suburban neighborhood.