Don't get me wrong I would like the bullet to expand as long as it will penetrate deep enough all the time. I have yet to shoot a solid bullet that really wowed me with its accuracy. I am testing some in the near future though that show some promise. I believe that the failure of non expanded bullets to do the job is a result of not hitting bone or penetrating vital organs. Alot of people shot recover the animal gut it out looking at damage to the organs quickly then look in the chest cavity to see the entrance and exit wound properly place and write the lack of killing power up to bullet performance. I believe that on closer inspection of the organs will find that most people shoot too high for a heart hit and many times only hit one lung. Even though placement was really good bullets don't always penetrate the organs like we think.
During the thousands of hours of SWAT training I have attended over the years the ability to incapacitate a deadly aggressor is a hotly debated subject. In the hundreds of shooting reports, autopsies, real shootings and video I have seen one thing is perfectly clear, you can count on nothing 100% of the time to work. A side from that the the highest % shot is to the CNS this requires penetration. Next in line is multiple penetrations of organs that bleed alot this doesn't include lung only hits as they take away the ability to put air in the blood and really don't produce the serious bleeding effect we are looking for. (They are great for tracking because they blow alot of the blood loss that they do produce from the animal.) Gunshots to a single lung hit are usually recoverable. Hits to the heart where 1 or more chambers are penetrated seldom are recoverable and will usually make the subject passout from lack of blood pressure in short order. Hits that penetrate the heart, lung and spine drop them like magic but this is a small target.
Back to animal engagements, shooting to the high shoulder (but not to high) is my prefered shot some like this some don't. Like all things it is not perfect there is an area with the HSS that the bullet can penetrate the shoulder but not the spine or the lungs, this is a small window though and you have still broken up the shoulders. In my mind the HSS on a deer for instance is a circle of only about 4-5 inches for maximum effect. Hitting this circle requires acccuracy and penetration both. The hit produces bullet fragments along with bone fragments that perforate the organs of the chest cavity. Is it perfect ..... No doese it work 100% of the time .... No Does it work a very high % of the time .... Yes. But lets look at the 2 shots when placement is not perfect. Take the crease shot if the heart is missed (easy to do) we now are counting on the lungs to not get air into the blood if by chance only one lung is hit well or one only partially collapses we now have a slow bleeding animal still getting air in the blood and it will be a long day. If the high shoulder shot goes less than perfect one of 2 things will happen the shoulders will be broken and the chest cavity will not be effected enough but the animal is now imobile. If you miss the shoulder mark and hit back you are in the crease back at the single / double lung issue. Lung shots tend to be more effective with fragmenting bullets but if you miss the mark with them and hit the shoulder you may have a 3 legged 2 lunged animal and several really long days ahead of you. So that is the best explanation I have for what I do in terms of bullet selection and placement. This is why I have always said for me it is about placement and penetration.
