This season, I planned to use my latest 6.8 SPC build that was completed earlier in the year. It started life as a 5.56 carbine that I just couldn’t leave alone. Specs. R-guns NiB upper and lower, *** 16” fluted scout (melonite), Kies adjustable gas block, Vltor e-mod stock, Hogue grip, Geisle MK IV free float rail, Leupold 1-4x VX hog scope with Stoner mount, BRT Covert Comp, CMC flat trigger. I didn’t have the time that I usually need to develop a good hunting load, so I went with the Federal Fusion MSR rounds that I was able to get my hands on when they were available. This round gave me reasonable accuracy (approx. ¾” at 100 yds), and I had about 160 rds .
My first trip was to my best friends place in MS in early Dec. I saw lots of deer and other game every day, but I was trying to be selective for my first trip. On the third day, I had a coyote cross my shooting area at 125 yds out. I will shoot a coyote anytime one is in my deer hunting area even if it means screwing up my hunt. While watching him cross, I grabbed a varmint call I keep in the pack and used it to stop him. Squezzed off the shot and watch him flinch on impact and do 2 complete spins and then take off like a rocket. I Stayed in the stand for another hour watching deer that showed up 15 minutes after my shot and then went to look for my dead coyote. Nothing! Not a drop of blood, a hair, nothing. I couldn’t find a trace of the dog or any trail to follow. The heavy brushy area he probably went into is a known deer bedding area so I didn’t want to stomp around looking for a coyote.
A couple days later, and my last day to hunt, I spotted a nice buck that we had seen on camera a few times. Only a few minutes after legal shooting hours, he stopped with his head down and quartering toward me. It wasn’t the best angle for a shot, but I was sure that I could make a confident lethal shot angling from the front shoulder through the vitals and exiting on the off-side ribs. I had a solid rest and carefully squezzed the shot off. The deer disappeared instantly. I started looking at the spot the deer was standing and couldn’t find a speck of blood. I even got on my hands and knees where his tracks were and nothing. My buddy and I hunted for that deer for 4 hours and covered approx 200 acres with no luck. By then, I convinced myself that I had missed.
Back home in East TX, I went out to the National Forest for an afternoon hunt. About 20 minutes before last light, a small doe walked into my shooting area and worked her way toward me. At 90 yards, she was stopped broadside and in the last area that I could have taken a shot. Again I carefully aimed and fired. She appeared to jump and take off. I listened close to hear if she crashed, but nothing. She was gone. I started the tracking at the spot she was standing at the shot, and again, nothing. Not a drop of blood, or hair. Starting to see some kind of pattern here? By the way, before I went out this time, I went back to the range to check my rifle’s zero. It was right on.
Back to MS in Jan. The rut is on now so I’m really stoked to get a shot at a nice buck. I haven’t killed a buck in three years, so this is really looking promising. First things first, I went to the range to check the zero again. It was within ½” of my point of aim at 100 yds. The first day, all I see is young bucks, spikes and 4 pts chasing does. I was watching one particularly pretty 4 pt buck with my rifle scope when he alerted and got really nervous. When he turned and started to run away, I was sure that a big buck must have run him off, but was surprised to see a really pretty and big coyote chasing right on his heels. I had a quick shot at about 50 yards and instantly took the shot. I don’t practice nor do I take running shots, but when I touched off the shot, the crosshair was right on his shoulder looking down from above. He immediately turned into the heavy woods and I never saw him again. Again, no blood, hair or anything to indicate he was hit. By now, I have pulled the trigger on 4 animals and not found the first drop of blood.
That afternoon, I had a chance to shoot a doe and decided to take her. At 160 yards and broadside I took the shot. She was standing still, but ready to continue out of the area. On impact, she took off like lightning and I could see her for about another hundred yards before she went out of sight. I was sure she would crash before going out of sight, but it wasn’t to be. It was getting late, so I didn’t wait the usually 30 min before starting to look for her. I got to the site where she was when shot, and you guessed it. NO BLOOD! I knew she had run at least a hundred yards along the pasture boundary so I started walking that way. About 200 yards away, I spotted her white belly facing me about 10 feet inside of a thick yuopon thicket. I never would have found her if not for the white hair showing. The first pic shows the entrance wound. Typical, nothing special about it, but the second pic is of the exit wound. Not a bit different than the entrance, and no bleeding.
First deer of the season
Entrance wound
Exit Wound
Two days later, my last day again, I got a shot at a small 8 pt. Nice broadside shot at 90 yds. The deer disappeared instantly on the shot and I had no idea which direction he went. Knowing that he was facing to the right, I started my search that direction. But, with NO BLOOD to follow, I was just guessing based on past history on this property where to look. I finally gave up and looked to the left, which is off his property, and found the deer only about 30 yards from the point of impact. He was laying on the side of the entrance wound and there was only about a tablespoon of blood under him and only a couple drops on his hair at the exit side.
Summary, I made 6 shots at animals with the Fusion MSR and never found a single drop of blood and only recovered two of them. The round is accurate, and apparently lethal, but not DRT lethal, at least not in my rifle. I didn’t do a complete post mortem dissection to check on internal damage, but there was massive tissue damage on both deer on entrance side, not so much at exit. Entrance wounds and exit wounds were nearly identical in size much like what you would expect from a FMJ round. You can form your own conclusions, but I won’t be using this round for anything that I want to recover ever again.
My first trip was to my best friends place in MS in early Dec. I saw lots of deer and other game every day, but I was trying to be selective for my first trip. On the third day, I had a coyote cross my shooting area at 125 yds out. I will shoot a coyote anytime one is in my deer hunting area even if it means screwing up my hunt. While watching him cross, I grabbed a varmint call I keep in the pack and used it to stop him. Squezzed off the shot and watch him flinch on impact and do 2 complete spins and then take off like a rocket. I Stayed in the stand for another hour watching deer that showed up 15 minutes after my shot and then went to look for my dead coyote. Nothing! Not a drop of blood, a hair, nothing. I couldn’t find a trace of the dog or any trail to follow. The heavy brushy area he probably went into is a known deer bedding area so I didn’t want to stomp around looking for a coyote.
A couple days later, and my last day to hunt, I spotted a nice buck that we had seen on camera a few times. Only a few minutes after legal shooting hours, he stopped with his head down and quartering toward me. It wasn’t the best angle for a shot, but I was sure that I could make a confident lethal shot angling from the front shoulder through the vitals and exiting on the off-side ribs. I had a solid rest and carefully squezzed the shot off. The deer disappeared instantly. I started looking at the spot the deer was standing and couldn’t find a speck of blood. I even got on my hands and knees where his tracks were and nothing. My buddy and I hunted for that deer for 4 hours and covered approx 200 acres with no luck. By then, I convinced myself that I had missed.
Back home in East TX, I went out to the National Forest for an afternoon hunt. About 20 minutes before last light, a small doe walked into my shooting area and worked her way toward me. At 90 yards, she was stopped broadside and in the last area that I could have taken a shot. Again I carefully aimed and fired. She appeared to jump and take off. I listened close to hear if she crashed, but nothing. She was gone. I started the tracking at the spot she was standing at the shot, and again, nothing. Not a drop of blood, or hair. Starting to see some kind of pattern here? By the way, before I went out this time, I went back to the range to check my rifle’s zero. It was right on.
Back to MS in Jan. The rut is on now so I’m really stoked to get a shot at a nice buck. I haven’t killed a buck in three years, so this is really looking promising. First things first, I went to the range to check the zero again. It was within ½” of my point of aim at 100 yds. The first day, all I see is young bucks, spikes and 4 pts chasing does. I was watching one particularly pretty 4 pt buck with my rifle scope when he alerted and got really nervous. When he turned and started to run away, I was sure that a big buck must have run him off, but was surprised to see a really pretty and big coyote chasing right on his heels. I had a quick shot at about 50 yards and instantly took the shot. I don’t practice nor do I take running shots, but when I touched off the shot, the crosshair was right on his shoulder looking down from above. He immediately turned into the heavy woods and I never saw him again. Again, no blood, hair or anything to indicate he was hit. By now, I have pulled the trigger on 4 animals and not found the first drop of blood.
That afternoon, I had a chance to shoot a doe and decided to take her. At 160 yards and broadside I took the shot. She was standing still, but ready to continue out of the area. On impact, she took off like lightning and I could see her for about another hundred yards before she went out of sight. I was sure she would crash before going out of sight, but it wasn’t to be. It was getting late, so I didn’t wait the usually 30 min before starting to look for her. I got to the site where she was when shot, and you guessed it. NO BLOOD! I knew she had run at least a hundred yards along the pasture boundary so I started walking that way. About 200 yards away, I spotted her white belly facing me about 10 feet inside of a thick yuopon thicket. I never would have found her if not for the white hair showing. The first pic shows the entrance wound. Typical, nothing special about it, but the second pic is of the exit wound. Not a bit different than the entrance, and no bleeding.
First deer of the season
Entrance wound
Exit Wound
Two days later, my last day again, I got a shot at a small 8 pt. Nice broadside shot at 90 yds. The deer disappeared instantly on the shot and I had no idea which direction he went. Knowing that he was facing to the right, I started my search that direction. But, with NO BLOOD to follow, I was just guessing based on past history on this property where to look. I finally gave up and looked to the left, which is off his property, and found the deer only about 30 yards from the point of impact. He was laying on the side of the entrance wound and there was only about a tablespoon of blood under him and only a couple drops on his hair at the exit side.
Summary, I made 6 shots at animals with the Fusion MSR and never found a single drop of blood and only recovered two of them. The round is accurate, and apparently lethal, but not DRT lethal, at least not in my rifle. I didn’t do a complete post mortem dissection to check on internal damage, but there was massive tissue damage on both deer on entrance side, not so much at exit. Entrance wounds and exit wounds were nearly identical in size much like what you would expect from a FMJ round. You can form your own conclusions, but I won’t be using this round for anything that I want to recover ever again.
