The bullet that has killed more deer than other turned 75 years old in 2014. Serious gun writers with more knowledge of ballistic coefficients and terminal performance than me say that the iconic Remington Core-Lokt produces good accuracy in most center-fire rifles and “typically sheds considerable weight during expansion and penetration, which quickens the death of an animal.”
While I might not have as much ballistics knowledge as those gun writers, I have more field and hunting experience than most of them. I have shot dozens and dozens of whitetails and mule deer (and one blacktail) over the years with 140- to 180-grain Core-Lokts, both the soft-point and pointed-soft-points. The shock and knockdown power of these bullets are impressive. They kill deer hard.
Never is that more evident than in this video (below) we shot up in Saskatchewan. I am proud to say this is the quickest, cleanest and most ethical buck kill in all my years of hunting. I was shooting a Model 700 in .30-06 and using a standard 165-grain Core-Lokt. Keep in mind that this was a big-boned, heavy-muscled, 250-pound Canadian brute.
Is this one of the quickest and cleanest kills you’ve seen? And see the steam shoot out the deer? It was below zero that day.
Those high shoulder shots are the quickest kill, but with one caution. For those guys who like to sight in 3 or more inches high at 100, you can get in trouble aiming high in the shoulder and actually shoot over the spine. I have seen and heard of it happening on several occasions.
Looks like he didn’t suffer at all.
Wow! It was cold that day! Thanks for the information – it’s great you got such amazing footage.
Excellent shot and footage, Mike. Impressive all the way around.
That’s kick ass to dump him like that. Upper shoulder shots are where it at. The steam look like Sprint Cup Car that is overheating after a victory burnout!
those high shoulder shots do drop them in their tracks
That’s the way you draw it up. Good clean kill. Great footage, too.