Shot To The Heart

[ArmyGrunt]

The shadow is just almost Tom Servo

 

[leslie hetrick]

small kudu heart shot on the run, made about 35 yards and when down. .375 H&H 270 gr bullet at 2600 fps.

 

[Dr Ray]

I am just guessing. It must have to do with the nervous system that the back collapses first. It could also be that a heart shot reacts like a major heart attack which jerks the animal backwards. But I have also seen many heart-shot animals that take off at full speed just to collapse about 100m later.

Me too!

 

[kevin masters]

The kudu in my avatar was a heart shot and he staggered around for 20 or so seconds before he went down head first. When he was cleaned the trackers held up the lungs for me to see what was left of the heart, nothing but threads of meat were left. If you didn't know that it was his heart you would never know.

that kudu in you'r avatar looks a lot like an impala! lol
Damn nice impala!

 

[DLRX]

Crony average was 2836 fps.
Quite different onions, yet I know the combination work. I do appreciate all the comments and recommendations.
She is comfortable and not recoil shy, next season we will step it up to another calibre. I would need ample time to accustom to a heavier calibre/ load.

 

[Daga Boy]

Save for small animals (like springbuck), the majority of heart shot animals will either jump upwards and then bolt or simply bolt. Sometimes they will kick the hind legs forward under the body as if to kick the chest before bolting (typical of kudu). Primary cause of death is disruption of circulation and bleeding out, which takes a bit of time.
This is why a heart shot is not a realistic option for stopping a charge, except for cats. ( A buffalo shot in the heart at close range can easily kill you, your PH and the tracker before the loss of blood takes it out!)

 

[Tim Blackwell]

I've seen all sorts of reactions from a heart shot, from DRT, to the animal sprinting several hundred meters before dropping dead. One thing is constant, they are going to die quickly.
I think it all has to do with the volume of the heart at the time of impact, as explained well in 'The Perfect Shot". This determines whether the heart explodes or springs a slow leak...

 

[Daga Boy]

Yes, I suppose that could play a role.
What I do know is that bullet construction and velocity on impact play a role - i.e. a frangible bullet will have a devastating impact if it penetrates the heart , often destroying it; whereas a solid or tough bullet (like an A frame) will generally just make a clean hole , resulting in a slower kill. (The fellow from NZ who writes on terminal ballistics has done a lot of studies on this, which make interesting reading).
My observations are based on the use of tough/premium bullets as we mainly use that type for our applications.
Having said that, I did shoot a few wildebeest with Nosler partitions. The kills were spectacular, but the meat damage was too extensive for my liking - looked as though they had been shot with small grenades!

 

[Foxi]

Why in the world, when you hit to your game right in the heart it falls on its hind-quarters first?

I've never seen this before very often.
And I made countless kill shots over the years.
But, with pure heart shots the game often still goes relatively far.
Probably when the aorta is filled with blood and the brain is still supplied.
An Impala, a red deer, needs four seconds for 100m.And what are four,five seconds ?

Also, I think heart wounds are painful.
I've fortunately never had a heart attack, but everyone who had one, told me it was a terrible pain.
And an animal can still press the speed until it falls over.
The aorta's empty when you hit the heart, it falls in the bang.

 

[Rum Runner]

A picture from my 1st buffalo. One shot, 100 yards. He ran for 20 yards then fell over dead. .416 Rigby, 400 grain Swift A-Frame.

 

[Rum Runner]

Same heart, different picture.

 

[Solitaire]

I remember the first words of my PH in Namibia : "Shoot to break; dont care about the heart, take the shoulders, it's died" !