Fred Eichlers Response to FMJ

WSMBUCK

WSMBUCK

New member
This is what he just sent me ,so i posted it for all to know his answer.



Billy, thanks for your message. Simple answer is, as a guy that used to trap for a living, I still stretch and sell furs. I usually use a 40 grain Vmax but on the thinner furred critters in Texas I wanted less pelt damage. Not one of the animals made it over thirty yards from where it was shot and none were lost. Additionally, In the thick brush or tall grass often found in Texas, an FMJ doesn't come apart if you have to shoot through some of it to get to the animal your shooting at. Good hunting. Fred
 
Last edited:
Pretty weak if you ask me.
smirk.gif


He said exactly what I was expecting him to say.
 
Well,if he's having no trouble recovering the animals I fail to see the issue. I know it's illegal to do where I live so for that reason alone I wouldn't do it but I don't doubt it could be done quite effectively. I've killed several coyote's with a .22lr and while it's not my first choice it did the job. I'm sure a .22 centrefire with FMJ would be considerably more effective.
 
Personally, I have always shy'd away from FMJ for hunting any game animals.
I think that there are several bullet choices out there that will accomplish his goal of minimal pelt damage yet deliver more energy to the coyote causing quicker and cleaner kills.
Now, in Texas or Alberta I don't think you will have this problem, but another danger of the FMJ is it ability to ricochet a long way. If he (or anyone) were hunting in a more populated area, that would be another one of my concerns.
I guess my opinion comes from the fact that I was raised that when I pull the trigger, I am responsible for that bullet...start to finish. I want to know where that bullet goes and you can't do that if it ricochets.
But this is just my opinion and how I choose to hunt.
Your opinions may vary. No worries.
Mark
 
I would have respect the answer "To be honest, I lost my rifle rounds during the flight and had to go to Walmart and buy more. It's all they had." over the answer Fred has given. It's simple....FMJs have absolutely no use in the hunting field, except maybe for plinking rocks to get used to a rifle. I've watched way, way, way too many coyotes run off from FMJ's, sometimes with 6 or 7 holes in them. Of course, that was back in highschool, when I didn't know any better.

Kinda disappointed, to be honest.

Tony
 
Yep there are way better choices for hunting and keeping pelts,
I have seen FIRST hand what a Ricochet will do. I had a girlfriend get killed while we were in our Teens from a ricochet off a Pine tree from a 30-30 BAD DEAL
 
Awww geeeze. That is lame.

It makes no difference to me what he or anybody else uses. But for him to say the reason he is using them is to minimize fur damage on Texas critters is, well, bullchit.

Come on. Don't piss on my leg and tell me it's raining. Who saves Texas fur.

I just lost any respect I had for the guy.

 
Quote:In the thick brush or tall grass often found in Texas, an FMJ doesn't come apart if you have to shoot through some of it to get to the animal your shooting at. Seriously???

If you don't have a clean open shot, why are you shooting??? I won't even shoot through leaves on a tree at a deer with my .44 magnum Marlin, for fear of a ricochet...
 
And 40gr Vmax wouldn't be much better on coyote sized critters. Even *thin skinned Texas" critters.

But they should eliminate the ricochet concerns.

lol.gif
 
I have shot literally hundreds of rounds of 55gr V-Max at coyotes & other predators in all sorts of conditions from tall grass to brush. They have never, ever riccocheted, and are very good at putting the animal DRT with very minimum fur damage.

Do I miss a kill sometimes due to the coyote stopping on the other side of a greasebrush or something? SURE! It happens, but I'd rather see them run off unscathed than know that they have a through & through that will not be conducive to me finding the animal.
wink.gif


As I have said about this subject before, where it's leagl to use FMJs for predators, it's not the BEST choice, but, it's YOUR choice.
blush.gif


I think an education has occured here. I doubt that he'll use them again.
wink.gif
 
They're not legal in Georgia, and for once I belive that the Georgia DNR has a good reason, UNLIKE the blasted .22 rimfire rule for bobcats and foxes.
 
I do give him credit for answering the question when called out on it. But I mirror the comments above, just wish there was a safty warning in his show so others know the dangers. Oh well
 
FMJ's have an application for certain uses, but thin skinned non-dangerous game isn't one of them. Fred should do better than this. I like the guy but he needs to remember you can bullsheet the fans, but not the players. There is a difference...
 
Back
Top