re: Ballistics question

Just get a 7mm Remington Magnum and fah-get-a-bout-it

quote:

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With most my shots being under 150 yards I'd rather something with a lot of punch rather than a bullet that's good at distances

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Yup. Always go with the heavier bullet when you aren't concerned about bullet drop at long range (all other things remaining the same). I have had this discussion 1000x with people about arrows and arrow penetration/killability. As much as people want super lightweight carbon arrows that fly 500fps, in most hunting scenarios (especially in Louisiana) a heavier aluminum arrow weighted properly is a more effective killing tool.

The issue here is not actually the ballistics of the two rounds (w/ appropriate shot placement, the deer aren't going to know the difference between the two rounds), but bullet performance. The 280 Remington is as good a deer hunting round as there is....as long as the bullet performs appropriately. Of the deer you shot w/ the 280, at what distance were they shot? How far did they travel after the shot? Did you recover both deer? I understand your frustration since I, like you, put much value on a decent blood trail. I don't expect my deer to drop immediately, but I DO expect a decent blood trail.

The 180 gr 30-06 bullet is meant for animals usually bigger than our whitetail deer so it's designed to penetrate deeper.

Sounds like the bullet's not holding together. That wouldn't be too unusual if the shot's really close range, but at 100-150 yds, it should hold together fine. On deer #1, did the bullet jacket/core separate? I'd definitely go to a stouter bullet. A deer bullet shouldn't have to be a "controlled expansion" bullet in order to behave appropritely. If you like the 280, change bullets. If you don't like it or you've lost confidence in it and no longer trust it, go back to the tried and true '06. If you like the 180 gr bullet, you shouldn't have any trajectory issues hunting inside of 150 yds.

Good luck recovering #3!