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Went out to the family place in Junction this weekend for a little R&R and hog hunting. Headed out to the stand around 7:30 Friday evening to hunt over a tank where hogs usually hang out after sundown. Sat and watched several whitetail does and fawns drink water, graze, and run around while waiting for the main event. Around 8:30 I saw what I thought was an Axis doe walk out of the brush across the field about 150 yards away. As I looked through my binoculars, I was greeted with a decent buck. I grabbed my Remington 700 .308 and followed him with my crosshars as he made a bee-line for the tank and waist high grass, quickly surrounding himself with about a half dozen whitetail does. The first shot he presented would have placed a pass through round right into the broadside of a whitetail. I patiently watched as he casually made his way around the watering hole until he gave me a clear shot. I placed a 168 grain Sierra BTHP behind his right shoulder blade as he lifted his head from one last drink. He turned and ran about 20 yards before collasping in the cedars. I didn't think to put him on the scale until he was gutted by I figure he would go about 160lbs. His mains measure 31" and 29.5" and he had a 25" spread.

Very nice! They are good eating too.

What a beast...good job.

To echo what has been said, Axis Deer is some of the best eating there is.

Just my .02,
LeonCarr

I'm curious about how the Matchking performed. Did you get a chance to recover the bullet? Did it give any signs of having shed jacketing along the wound channel? I ask because I have contemplated using Matchkings for hunting soft-skinned game before, but I haven't tried it yet. I have always gotten my best performance at the range out of my R700 .308 with Matchkings. Even handloads using good commercial hunting bullets haven't performed quite as well for me in terms of accuracy......not terrible, but just not as good.

I'm one of those geeks who tends to obsess over group sizes, even when practical accuracy is well within ethical acceptability for hunting. It's a habit I'm trying to break. So far, the best commercial hunting load I've found for that rifle from the standpoint of accuracy continues to be the 165 grain Federal Fusion cartridge....although I have yet to actually take a deer with it, so I don't know how it actually performs in application. It's supposed to yank the rug out from under them.....but every manufacturer says that about their ammo.

Anyway, I'm interested to know how that Matchking performed for you.

Funny you ask TAM. I typically use 165 grain Gamekings for deer sized game with my .308s but, since I was out for hogs, I grabbed a PMag with the Matchkings 'cause it was handy. I have used the Matchkings for hogs before and they are excellent for precise pass through head shots but had never taken anything other than hogs with them. When I dropped the guts on this Axis I found a few shards of the jacket near the exit wound at the ribcage. Both lungs had been punctured as was the heart. This led me to believe the jacket came off as the bullet broke through the ribs on the far side of the deer. The exit wound was near the size of the entrance making me think any expansion was minimal. This Matchking did the trick but I would be hesitant to make it my "go to" deer round. The other rifle I had in the stand was a 700 in .223 loaded with Blackhills 62 grain TSX in case a bobcat came out; I am fairly confident those would have dropped this deer just as well.

The Annoyed Man wrote: 165 grain Federal Fusion cartridge..... It's supposed to yank the rug out from under them.....but every manufacturer says that about their ammo.

Like all shooting, shot placement rules. For deer I like the brachial plexus shot. They move about 3 feet....straight down.

I took a large axis (+200 lbs) with a .270 130 grain round (Federal Fusion) through both lungs and he ran about 80 yards. Luckily he was visble at all times. Bullet passed through showing good expansion on the exit wound. Really shocked me that he went that far.

Dan20703 wrote:

The Annoyed Man wrote: 165 grain Federal Fusion cartridge..... It's supposed to yank the rug out from under them.....but every manufacturer says that about their ammo.

Like all shooting, shot placement rules. For deer I like the brachial plexus shot. They move about 3 feet....straight down.

I took a large axis (+200 lbs) with a .270 130 grain round (Federal Fusion) through both lungs and he ran about 80 yards. Luckily he was visble at all times. Bullet passed through showing good expansion on the exit wound. Really shocked me that he went that far.

My first bull elk was shot with a .270 WSM 130 grain TSX and he made it about 60 yards before piling up. The bullet deflated both lungs and perforated his heart; he was DRT, he just didn't know it.

CAK,
Nice buck. Thanks for posting the picture. Interesting info from you and TAM on bullet performance. I shoot .270 Win Federal Premium 150 gr BTSP that have been one shot kills about 90%+. ie. dropped in their tracks. I hunt in the Hill Country on an unmanaged property so deer are not huge. I did take a 180lb buck that was DRT, but then I shot an average size buck that ran 70-80 yards, jumping a fence and leaving a foot wide blood trail from the point I hit him. Upon cleaning him both lungs were mush and the only part of his heart remaining was about the size of the end of my thumb. A bullet can't do much more when you have an animal that can run on "juice".

Niice. There is a place out where my lease is in Pleasonton that has high game fences and all sorts of cool exotics.

Thats a good lookin Axis buck!