Hey all,
Just got back from a late season doe hunt. Shot a doe on the last day of the hunt (new years eve) at 115 paces with the Remington .357 165 gr. Core-Lokt bullet out of my peep sighted Marlin carbine. The deer jumped, ran 10-15 feet and dropped within a few seconds. She was dead within 20 seconds of me getting to her. This was a large Mule Deer and I was very happy with the fast kill. The bullet entered just forward of the left shoulder, shredded the lungs and exited just behind the right shoulder, no large bone was hit.
After skinning her out I noticed a large chunk of jacket in the exit hole. What I am wondering is why? The bullet is supposed to be bonded to the jacket. Was it the added velocity from the rifle? What if I had hit the shoulder? Don't want to think about that!
Anyway, it was a great hunt with a great ending and the bullet did the job although I think next year I'm going to listen to Mike G. and go with the cast-core!

Can't argue with success, Dan.

I don't think the Cor-Lokt bullets are 'bonded' in the strict sense of the word.

Hide is pretty elastic and tends to 'stretch' on the way out and hang on to bullets. I'd guess that the jacket just stuck out a little past the core and that's what caused the separation, when the hide slowed down the bullet on the way out.

Since the core went ahead and exited, you were OK in this case, obviously.

Not sure what to tell you - don't know if you would have had the same problem when the bullet started in, if it hit a shoulder bone. Wouldn't be as expanded at that point, and bone wouldn't act like hide, certainly.

With a rifle you might be on the edge of where those bullets hold together.