Attn. Hunters: Can buckshot kill a horse from 400 yards?

[ultralight]

one of my buddies was shot with target load at a trap range from about 25 yards. most of it didn't even puncture his carhart. don't worry, you didn't shoot the horses.

[master_alexander]

haha... the whole story is kinda funny to me...

but as others said, you definatley did not kill the horse. the only thing that could have happened is the horses ate something that was shot with led pellets and died of lead poisioning, however i even highly doubt that.

but if you di find out what happened, let us know.

[billybob_81067]

Yeah there's no way you could have shot the horses with the shotguns...

I do know however that small game shot out of a 20 ga. will kill a dog at 100-150 feet.

[CaptaiN_JacK]

They aren't getting an autopsy because it costs more than they're willing to pay, and at this point it's pretty useless. I think it was probably something they ate when they were running around outside the fence. Or maybe a heart attack or something like that, but I doubt that.

[silentdeath55]

So there arn't even entry marks from a projectile on the horses and they were saying you shot it? Pretty smart farmers.......

[Indignant]

you didn't kill them.

[zt10]

listen to army, i too have been peppered quite a few times dove hunting,even with buckshot or a slug wont go 400yrds,

[geekwarrior]

if Dick Cheney cant take a 60 some yr old down with birdshot, there's no way you killed that horse....

[Lohman446]

Well I just got a visit from the Sheriff's office. The guy was really nice and never accusing, but with this wierd set of coincidences he just had to investigate a bit and get the story straight. I told him the 100% truth and he believed me, and then he went to my friends house and talked to him. He realizes there was no way the birdshot could have killed the 2 horses, so the .22 is really the only thing he was wondering about.

I feel much better now.

What .22? Because that is within the realm of possibly taking down a horse at 400 yards - not likely but within possible.

[CaptaiN_JacK]

What .22? Because that is within the realm of possibly taking down a horse at 400 yards - not likely but within possible.

Just a cheap plinker from WalMart, but we didn't start shooting it until after the first horse was dead, and we were very careful with where we shot it--the exact opposite way of the horses.

silentdeath55--The wife is the only person that said the horse got shot, and that was before they even saw the other side of the horse. The husband never really thought it had been shot, especially after we told him all we had been shooting was birdshot. If you had a horse and all of a sudden it dropped dead without any explanation, wouldn't you immediatly become suspicious of the 2 guys shooting loud guns 1/4 mile away?


We didn't kill the horses, and we know that now. I just wish we knew what did, because this is quite the mystery..

[Thordic]

The first thing I thought of when I saw this thread was Animal House.

3 day for blatant cussing and circumvention of the filters. This ain't the Thorums buddy. Army

[MoeMag]

[Al_Steel]

hmmm.. I replied before I read your post about the .22. Were you using the .22 to plink in the direction of the horses? I so were your shots low to the ground or at a high angle?

A .22LR has enough power at 200 yards to kill a horse with a well placed shot, or even a not so well placed shot that bounces off a rib and into an artery. But again it's highly unlikely at the ranges you describe. Beyond 200 yards the velocity of a 22 LR round really starts to drop. At 400 yards it could go still through the skin though. I can see why the LEO was concerned about the 22. It's possible to kill a horse at that range with a .22. It's not likely at all, but possible. You would have to be a world class sniper that could hit the horse in a VERY vital spot at that range or just extremely unfortunate but it's possible.

I'm more inclined to go with MoeMag's assessment of what happened.

[Lee]

i've seen ricochets from #4 high brass .410 bounce off people at a lot less range than that. stung the guy bad, but no penetration.

may sound like shens, but it's true.

i seriously doubt you are responsible for the horses.

[starchief1959]

With a target load, there's no way you even got near the horses at 400 yards. Especially if you were aiming low as you say.