COMPLETELY MISSED THAT DEER!

[Sumaru]

Which is 100% better than a poor hit, admittedly. Having said that, this is the 1st time I'd taken my new 44 Mag BB all weather out hunting. I had previously sent it back for tragic grouping issues and had the barrel and a few other items replaced. Upon receiving it back, I set zero at 50 yards (typically do woodland whitetail hunting) and got acceptable results. This past Saturday I was in a 15 foot tree stand partially overlooking both a woodland and cornfield plot. A buck happened to come into the field at about 110 yards. A longish shot that I assumed would still be flat with a 50 yard zero, but a clean miss. Was the 50 yards zero a terrible idea on my part?

[Hatchdog]

I just took a look at the Hornady ballistic chart for the 225 FTX Leverevoulation ammo you mentioned in your post regarding the accuracy of your Big Boy. If this is the ammo you used for your hunt know that with a 50 yard zero the drop is only 4.2” at 100. I was surprised at that, I expected more drop.

[JEBar]

do you know if your shot missed high, low or off to one side ... our Henry 44 mag is zeroed at 100 yards .... that distance has served us well

[Shakey Jake]

Heck ya! I've missed a deer before closer than that. I think that it was because of a rushed shot. I was walking along to my deer stand one morning and it was foggy. All of a sudden, I was in a whole herd of deer! I raised my rifle and shot at a good size doe that wasn't any more than 25 yards away and clean missed her. I know it was because of not being aware of my surroundings, excited and rushed. Man oh, man was I embarrassed.
Jake

[Ozarkwoodswalker]

It happens to us all if you hunt long enough.

[Sumaru]

I just took a look at the Hornady ballistic chart for the 225 FTX Leverevoulation ammo you mentioned in your post regarding the accuracy of your Big Boy. If this is the ammo you used for your hunt know that with a 50 yard zero the drop is only 4.2” at 100. I was surprised at that, I expected more drop.

I had zeroed with and hunted with Hornady XTP 240 grain this time around. Wanted more terminal energy. Guess I got more terminal drop!

[Sumaru]

do you know if your shot missed high, low or off to one side ... our Henry 44 mag is zeroed at 100 yards .... that distance has served us well

I don't know for sure, I have to assume it was below. Yeah, this really has me questioning my zero point. You know, the "haunting missed shot". How are the in between trajectories with a 100 yard zero? What grain ammo do you tend to use?

[Sumaru]

Heck ya! I've missed a deer before closer than that. I think that it was because of a rushed shot. I was walking along to my deer stand one morning and it was foggy. All of a sudden, I was in a whole herd of deer! I raised my rifle and shot at a good size doe that wasn't any more than 25 yards away and clean missed her. I know it was because of not being aware of my surroundings, excited and rushed. Man oh, man was I embarrassed.
Jake

Ha! Got that right, it is embarrassing! After that miss and no chance at a follow on, I texted my buddy that the buck was headed toward him. 3 minutes later and a shot report ripples across the field. Oh well. If I couldn't get him, at least my good friend did.

[JEBar]

I don't know for sure, I have to assume it was below. Yeah, this really has me questioning my zero point. You know, the "haunting missed shot". How are the in between trajectories with a 100 yard zero? What grain ammo do you tend to use?

I load 240gr Nosler JHP bullets pushed by 23.8gr of W296 or H110 which generates a muzzle velocity of 1,720fps

zeroed at 100 yds ..... +1.1" @ 50yds .... -2.2" @ 125yds

pretty much hold the cross hair dead on and you should be good to go out to 125 yds

after 150 it drops like a rock

[JEBar]

the ballistic calculator I use ====> https://www.jbmballistics.com/ballistic ... tors.shtml

[Mags]

... A buck happened to come into the field at about 110 yards. A longish shot that I assumed would still be flat with a 50 yard zero, but a clean miss. Was the 50 yards zero a terrible idea on my part?

This from Wide Open Spaces https://www.wideopenspaces.com/bullet-t ... affect-it/

The barrel of a scoped rifle is actually angled up to meet the point of aim in the scope's reticle. When fired, the bullet actually travels in an arc, going up, before coming back down to meet the target.

So your attempted shot out to 110yds likely fell short.

[Hank44]

I don't know for sure, I have to assume it was below. Yeah, this really has me questioning my zero point. You know, the "haunting missed shot". How are the in between trajectories with a 100 yard zero? What grain ammo do you tend to use?

I load 240gr Nosler JHP bullets pushed by 23.8gr of W296 or H110 which generates a muzzle velocity of 1,720fps

zeroed at 100 yds ..... +1.1" @ 50yds .... -2.2" @ 125yds

pretty much hold the cross hair dead on and you should be good to go out to 125 yds

after 150 it drops like a rock

I sighted in my 44 mag 2" high at 50, verified 100 and I'm good to go. The majority of my deer were taken at less than 50 yards.

When I hunted with a 308, I zeroed 1" high at 100 and I'm good to 200. I've only taken two deer at 100+/- yards in 30 years.

[Conax]

Spend some mornings hunting groundhogs this summer. Once you can hit those low contrast, ground hugging, wary hole diggers a deer will be like a barn door standing out there in the brush. I like the whistle pigs now, in my old age, so I don't shoot them anymore.
Farmers don't mind their being taken out, though.

[BrokenolMarine]

It could have been anything, we all miss shots sometimes. You could have squeezed the forearm with your off hand at the last second. Milked the grip with your shooting hand, or pushed with the trigger finger. A bad thing is looking for the hit, AS you fire the shot. This causes PUSH where you drop the muzzle AS you fire, trying to see the shot. You shoot low. It's why follow thru is so important. All these things are important things we diagnose in Competitive shooting, and they apply in hunting shots as well. The longer the distance the more critical they become. It may not have been the ammo or your zero but a blown shot. We've all done it. My mentor, a Distinguished Expert in most competitive disciplines has a framed target prominently displayed in his den, with a beautiful group in the ten and x ring, except one shot, at the bottom edge of the target. To remind himself what happens when HE loses focus at the match. Cost him ten points and a win at a major event.