Energy Transfer or penetration.

I agree with J E here on the importance of discussing this topic. Differences in thought process and opinion, when used correctly, is how we learn new things. There are many different types of bullets out there with many intended uses. As mentioned before, it is picking the right cartridge and bullet combo (to the best of our knowledge) for the intended use. I think this is a great topic to discuss and there can be a lot learned when things like this are brought to our attention. Also, as mentioned before, too many focus only on B.C. when picking a bullet. We all want to shoot just a little farther than the person next to us. And that is a great thing because it has driven the industry and sport to things previously thought to be impossible, that is a win for all of us. But, when we are hunting the prized game we all love so much, we need to take all of these things into account and try to be as ethical and responsible as we possibly can. And that is why discussions like this are important.
There are some very intelligent people on this forum with a wealth of knowledge in many areas that can benefit all of us if we are willing to listen (read). Thanks to all of you for keeping the discussions civil and respectful here. That is the reason I check in here as often as I do and always enjoy reading what others post.
 
I'll take both please.

Energy transfer is nice. No ricochets, no exit wounds. Good for varmints and furs. Best suited to smaller game

Penetration is nice. Few things worse than a bullet that gets arrested before it can do its job. Especially when it has a job to do. Best suited for large game.

When choosing a hunting bullet, generally I'm lookin' for a little of both. Nosler Partitions are a good emample of a design that both transfers energy on impact and penetrates deeply (when provided with sufficient momentum). I really like the description @RockyMtnMT gave of ideal terminal performance. Flat points ARE better than mushrooms.
 
Lets change our projectile to a baseball. Pitcher fires it right down the middle
Clean up batter smacks it good right to the mound hitting the pitcher in the chest.
OK There is Zero penetration no blood loss other than massive bruising.
And there is no damage? Really? Why do they have to be helped or carried off and miss weeks? Done by energy from the bat transferred to the ball which is then transferred to the pitcher!
 
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KyCarl said:
Lets change our projectile to a baseball. Pitcher fires it right down the middle
Clean up batter smacks it good right to the mound hitting the pitcher in the chest.
OK There is Zero penetration no blood loss other than massive bruising.
And there is no damage? Really? Why do they have to be helped or carried off and miss weeks? Done by energy from the bat transferred to the ball which is then transferred to the pitcher!
Click to expand...
This is a great analogy and why I consider energy a secondary consideration to choosing a bullet. It is a good figure for comparing cartridges.

I would like to know the energy of a 200g bullet impacting at 2500 fps vs a baseball impacting at 100mph. Might be interesting if someone has the time to calculate it.
 
I think energy should be the first consideration. Then you should choose a bullet that will function properly at that energy level for the task you have chosen. That doesn't mean it needs spend all of its energy and stop at the skin on the off side. More energy that you needed and an exit is a good thing.
 
I still believe it takes all of these things to make a bullet perform.

A bullet has to have velocity and weight to produce penetration.

It must have enough energy and meet enough resistance to make the bullet expand.

It then must have enough momentum to carry it through the tissue and destroy everything in the wound channel based on game size.

Take away any one of these, bullet weight, velocity, energy, momentum, And caliber and failure is almost a sure thing. A bullet cant perform if the right proportions of each of these factors are not present for the intended use.

All kinds of scenarios can produce the desired effect and you can reduce one or two of these elements but you must increase the others to offset the ones you reduce.

Finding the right proportions of each is the point of this post and should be the goal of every hunter.

J E CUSTOM
 
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