Effectiv range for game???

[Michael Eichele]

Definatly not trying to start an argument here.

What I can tell you is that a dall sheep can live a whole lot longer when hit through both lungs with a bullet that didnt expand versus a sheep hit in both lungs with a bullet that did expand. The difference is huge. I no longer use certain bullets for game due to how irresponsible it made me feel seeing a ram hit 3 times in the lungs and still lived for too long. Yes he expired but not soon enough. Using bullets that expanded worked like a charm and stuff started expiring very quickly. We owe it to the game we harvest to dispatch them quickly even if we have to sacrifice some BC or other good long range qualities for terminal performance. One thing is for sure, sometimes game will die quickly with bullets that didnt expand and others will not but the fact is there is more reliability in cleaner kills with bullets that expand as this creates more tissue damage and expends energy upon the critter for shock. Much more reliable outcomes are found with the latter. I certainly am not saying you shouldnt hunt with match bullets either but one does need to select the right one for the job and that can take alot of time and effort but if youre going to use them you have an obligation to know how the bullet will react at different velocities and on bone versus soft tissue. Some quick tests and you will quickly find that a 178 AMAX at any velocity isnt the best bullet for large elk or moose yet the 300 SMK is very reliable at certain velocities. Yet the 178 AMAX makes a stellar bullet for deer size critters even at low velocity impacts. There are a lot of good LR bullets out there that will work you just have to use the right one for the job and not neccecarily the one that gives the best LR trajectory.

 

[jwp475]

The bullet that made this wound did not expand;

Pointed bullets that do not expand rarely track staight and normaly tumble..When I was very young we killed several wild hogs very dead very quick (DRT) with Military FMJs..We had not read enough gun rags to know that they would not work...... I am not advocating thier use,but IME they killed........

 

[britz]

know what you are shooting

i hope i don't ruffle any feathers with my thoughts, it's not my intention, merely an observation. we as a shooting group do everything we can to get every bit of accuracy, performance, drop charts, you name it for hunting long range, except for one thing. we don't test the terminal performance of our bullets, out of our gun, at the range we intend to attempt to harvest game. or know what speed it's gonna be going and test at that speed. you won't have to wonder "if it will expand". or "how far it will penetrate". it's not very difficult to get a few milk jugs or something that will hold any of the stuff that's used to shoot bullets into. i'd be the first to admit that until this year i've only done it a few times myself. at the ranges we shoot, we're at the edge of capability quite often, and some of our worst critics are other hunters who are not exactly sweet talkers about our sport. of all the things that has to happen right to take game at long range, the bullets terminal performance is one of the most important. do the animals you're hunting a favor and test the bullets. it's actually a heck of a lot of fun!

Dave hit the nail on the head!!
we all have to have respect for the sport.