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Physch

Quartering towards....rifle

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As the cat was on the ground I pulled the trigger 2-3 more times on the last pull I realized nothing was coming out. It dawned on me that I had my bolt action gun and had been practicing with a semi auto 223 that week. I pulled the bolt back and that cat immediately stopped and jumped to its feet broadside staring at me (that was truly the creepiest part of the whole ordeal). I pushed the bolt forward and the cat started to run off on three legs. I got one more shot off but think I tried to lead him too far infront for how close he was. I agree with Browns that we should look at incidents like this and try and learn from them, but for the life of me I cannot figureout what I did wrong. That's why I'm posting this. Is this a shot I should have passed on? I was using federal premium Sierra 150 grain gamekings. I searched for this cat for a day and a half with no luck. There was bright red blood at the sight where he was flailing.

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I have promised myself that if I shoot something I'm going to eat it and I've heard that they are incredibly tasty.

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Anywhere near where you put the dot is perfect. Dead kitty no mater what and 55 deer saved for the next year. Great job anywhere anytime on a kitty is perfect.

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Game kings arent very tough. I know of hundreds of stories of people killing stuff with gamekings from this close and closer but I have personally seen game kings fragment on impact and fail to reach the vitals. There is a good chance that your bullet hit bone on impact and failed. Just a guess and we will most likely never know why that cat didn't die right there but I bet it wasn't your shooting that was the problem. And for the record for everybody that has been killing animals with game kings for years, I fully trusted them until I saw one fail at a moderate velocity and no heavy bone. You are a cat calling machine BTW. Bear too.

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He'll die, no doubt, and may be laying 50 yards from where you shot him, but maybe not quickly. Bullet failure is IMHO unlikely... I've seen as many animals from coues to elk slain with 140 SGKs launched at 2650 from the lowly 260, from 20 yards to 300, as I have from any bullet other than 140 AMAXs, and they all died as quick as if shot with anything else. Close to a dozen animals total, including three elk.

 

I'd have aimed to the right of where you did, on the left edge of the bright spot on his shoulder, same elevation. Being quick ambush sprint predators, relying on a stunning surprise intitial connection, and walking most of their lives, lions have relatively small lungs compared to what you'd think, tucked in nice and tight right between both shoulders. I've personally watched lions attempt to attack deer twice, both times the lion missed, and gave up well inside of 30 yards.

 

FWIW, Monday morning quarterbacks have it easy. Many of us wouldn't have gotten off a shot.

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I think your black dot is a tad too far forward and high. I think ideal spot is about 3" below your pink dot. Having said that, I too believe the cat is dead, and like Casey said, I bet you walked right past him and didn't know it. Also, FWIW, I killed a lion at a similar angle a few years ago. 210 Berger out of a 300 RUM at 120 yards. Impact was just inside his onside leg, and into chest. Bullet lodged into hide just forward of offside hip (didn't hit bone). Cat jumped at impact and bolted until out of sight. I was floored when I found him about 80 yards from where he was hit. When I did the hero photo holding him up, it was like holding up a water balloon - vitals were mush and liquid. They can go a fair ways dead on their feet.

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