Forums
New posts
Search forums
What's new
Articles
Latest reviews
Author list
Classifieds
Log in
Register
What's new
Search
Search
Search titles and first posts only
Search titles only
By:
New posts
Search forums
Menu
Log in
Register
Install the app
Install
Forums
Hunting
Long Range Hunting & Shooting
Energy or bullet diameter most important?
JavaScript is disabled. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding.
You are using an out of date browser. It may not display this or other websites correctly.
You should upgrade or use an
alternative browser
.
Reply to thread
Message
<blockquote data-quote="SansSouci" data-source="post: 1235982" data-attributes="member: 84520"><p>Big game hunting is full of folklore, legends, myths, and falsehoods. However, they do make for stimulating campfire banter. But it's all inconsequential banter without biological science. </p><p></p><p>Every year, huge elk are felled by arrows, which are less destructive than a .357 Mag revolver.</p><p></p><p>The best way to determine what is factual is to know how every living being dies. Legally, death is determine by cessation of brain activity. Nothing living remains in that condition without topside oxygenated blood flow. Destroy any big game animal's blood oxygenating and/or pumping apparatus and it will die. That is biological fact. Biology and not cartridge is controlling.</p><p></p><p>Somewhere among myths perpetrated by gun writers, someone arbitrarily came up with 1500 pounds of kinetic energy as necessary for killing elk. The perpetrator of this myth was obviously sleeping during his high school biology course. Hunters have successfully killed huge elk with the .30-30 Win. Long before gunpowder was invented, huge animals were killed with primitive spears and arrows. </p><p></p><p>I do not pay a bit of attention to ballistic tables. I pay attention to momentum and bullet construction. A bullet has to reach essential life-sustaining equipment to be effective. Whether it's a .30-30 Win or a .375 H&H Mag, if an animal's topside oxygenated blood flow stops, it will die within seconds, maybe a minute -tops- depending upon its metabolism. </p><p></p><p>I know of hunters who actually believe that the .300 Win Mag is minimum for killing bull elk. If what they believe leaves them warm and fuzzy, I'm good. But the biological fact is a .300 Win Mag won't kill any deader than an arrow at 300 FPS provided that a .300 Win Mag and an arrow destroy an elk's heart. With its heart no longer pumping topside oxygenated blood, every single elk will die. </p><p></p><p>So to answer your question, neither kinetic energy nor bullet diameter is controlling in killing elk. Shot placement is. Put a bullet -regardless of caliber- where it ought to go, and elk will die. Biology, not bullet diameter or kinetic energy, is controlling. </p><p></p><p>Here's an interesting article about lethality: <u><a href="http://africanxmag.com/debunking_ballastic_myths.htm" target="_blank">Debunking Ballastic Myths</a></u></p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="SansSouci, post: 1235982, member: 84520"] Big game hunting is full of folklore, legends, myths, and falsehoods. However, they do make for stimulating campfire banter. But it's all inconsequential banter without biological science. Every year, huge elk are felled by arrows, which are less destructive than a .357 Mag revolver. The best way to determine what is factual is to know how every living being dies. Legally, death is determine by cessation of brain activity. Nothing living remains in that condition without topside oxygenated blood flow. Destroy any big game animal's blood oxygenating and/or pumping apparatus and it will die. That is biological fact. Biology and not cartridge is controlling. Somewhere among myths perpetrated by gun writers, someone arbitrarily came up with 1500 pounds of kinetic energy as necessary for killing elk. The perpetrator of this myth was obviously sleeping during his high school biology course. Hunters have successfully killed huge elk with the .30-30 Win. Long before gunpowder was invented, huge animals were killed with primitive spears and arrows. I do not pay a bit of attention to ballistic tables. I pay attention to momentum and bullet construction. A bullet has to reach essential life-sustaining equipment to be effective. Whether it's a .30-30 Win or a .375 H&H Mag, if an animal's topside oxygenated blood flow stops, it will die within seconds, maybe a minute -tops- depending upon its metabolism. I know of hunters who actually believe that the .300 Win Mag is minimum for killing bull elk. If what they believe leaves them warm and fuzzy, I'm good. But the biological fact is a .300 Win Mag won't kill any deader than an arrow at 300 FPS provided that a .300 Win Mag and an arrow destroy an elk's heart. With its heart no longer pumping topside oxygenated blood, every single elk will die. So to answer your question, neither kinetic energy nor bullet diameter is controlling in killing elk. Shot placement is. Put a bullet -regardless of caliber- where it ought to go, and elk will die. Biology, not bullet diameter or kinetic energy, is controlling. Here's an interesting article about lethality: [U][URL="http://africanxmag.com/debunking_ballastic_myths.htm"]Debunking Ballastic Myths[/URL][/U] [/QUOTE]
Insert quotes…
Verification
Post reply
Forums
Hunting
Long Range Hunting & Shooting
Energy or bullet diameter most important?
Top