Long shot success — 500 yd buck, 135 gr Apex Afterburner (impact ≈ 1946 fps)
Another success in the books for our whitetail season — and a proud moment for my oldest son. Early in the morning a group of does and a small buck popped out at ~120 yds and jogged away. Later, two bigger bucks and more does worked out to the field; one buck looked real good through the scope and binoculars, so we decided to take the long shot.
We ranged him at about 500 yards, dialed the hold (I told my son to hold 2.5 mil) and send it. Wind could’ve used a little help — it nudged the shot — but the projectile impacted broadside at the base of the neck / leading edge of the shoulder, severed main arteries, and the buck bled out quickly. He made a wobbling circle and piled up. The bullet exited roughly the same place on the offside.
Impact velocity
Measured later at approximately 1946 fps — exactly the region I wanted to test for petal-shedding reliability at lower impact velocities.
Wound channel & petals
I probed the wound channel thoroughly and couldn’t find any petal fragments. The hole was over 2" diameter in places. The track started small, opened up, then narrowed again — a small → large → small profile that aligns with the Afterburner’s shed-then-shank design. My read: it expanded and punched cleanly through rather than penciling or leaving petals behind.
Other notes
Summary
Good long-range result and an encouraging lower-velocity test for the Afterburner. I’ll keep testing different impact velocities and post more recovered-shot / gel results as they come.
Another success in the books for our whitetail season — and a proud moment for my oldest son. Early in the morning a group of does and a small buck popped out at ~120 yds and jogged away. Later, two bigger bucks and more does worked out to the field; one buck looked real good through the scope and binoculars, so we decided to take the long shot.
We ranged him at about 500 yards, dialed the hold (I told my son to hold 2.5 mil) and send it. Wind could’ve used a little help — it nudged the shot — but the projectile impacted broadside at the base of the neck / leading edge of the shoulder, severed main arteries, and the buck bled out quickly. He made a wobbling circle and piled up. The bullet exited roughly the same place on the offside.
Impact velocity
Measured later at approximately 1946 fps — exactly the region I wanted to test for petal-shedding reliability at lower impact velocities.
Wound channel & petals
I probed the wound channel thoroughly and couldn’t find any petal fragments. The hole was over 2" diameter in places. The track started small, opened up, then narrowed again — a small → large → small profile that aligns with the Afterburner’s shed-then-shank design. My read: it expanded and punched cleanly through rather than penciling or leaving petals behind.
Other notes
- This was the last Afterburner I had in the bag — the rest went to load development and gel testing (@NibblesLRH).
- We could have taken more with 195 gr TMKs we had, but the freezer is full and my youngest wanted to let the other buck grow another year — proud dad / conservation moment.
- I’ve been impressed with tap-in terminal performance for a copper bullet; the company owner has been responsive and helpful.
Summary
Good long-range result and an encouraging lower-velocity test for the Afterburner. I’ll keep testing different impact velocities and post more recovered-shot / gel results as they come.
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