I think many times people see a small exit hole and jump to the conclusion that the bullet did not expand. Not always, but more often than one thinks. When in fact the bullet does expand and only a small fragment makes it out leaving a small exit hole. If you want to know how the bullet your are using really works I would spend some time examining the entire wound channel inside. Never leave a gut pile unexamined, it holds the true story, get your hands bloody and see the truth. Don't walk away with only an assumption of what happened. I have seen game with destroyed vitals and 3" wound channels internally with only a tiny exit from small pieces of jacket or lead after 99% of the bullets energy was dumped into the animals vitals.
The result of no internal examination can lead to internet reports from different hunters using the same caliber, bullet weight and design, where one passes through with no expansion and the next report is it blew up and expanded too much. We need to examine closely to see what really happened inside.
Also we need to know that bullet, caliber size, weight, SD and impact velocity play HUGE rolls in what a bullet does and how it performs terminally. What I mean is we should not generalize with phrases like " Target Bullet", Hunting Bullet", "VLD", "Solid", to cover same bullets that fall into said categories. For example a 30 cal 180 Hunting VLD is not going to always act the same in terminal performance as the same 30 cal. 210 Hunting VLD. Sectional density is different and SD and velocity mean way more to me in terms of performance than the fact they are both "Hunting VLD's". Too many times these blanket names are put in place to cover all the bullets that fall into that category of "Hunting VLD's" "Target Bullets" or whatever the given term or name. If one thinks a .243 cal. 105 gr "Hunting VLD" will give the same terminal performance as a 30 cal. 210 gr "Hunting VLD" or a .338 cal 300 gr "Hunting VLD", just because they wear the same name tag, he is very misinformed and needs to learn about bullets, SD, velocity and how they all apply to the task at hand.
I hunt exclusively with bullets that wear the name "Match". Some may also wear other names like Elite Hunters, Match Kings, VLD's, Target, OTM, Hybrid, or whatever. I pay little attention to marketing or design names on the box. I spend more time learning how a bullet is said to work , how it does work in my rifle, and how it also has two different identities or ways of working that is controlled by impact velocity more than anything else.
I have documented probably close to, or maybe over, 100 big game kills. I recorded, took notes, pictures, impact velocities, projectile weight, bullet placement, wound channel lengths and size as well as terminal damage to vitals and bone structure notes. The same bullet from the same rifle is totally different in performance at 200 yards than it is at 800 yards.
Right now my 300 win is setting with 22 big game kills in 22 shots from 200 yards to 1285 yards. Many elk, deer and antelope. This is just since I changed the rifle from a 210 gr "Hunting VLD" to a 215 "Target Hybrid". Were the 22 one shot kills the result of 22 accidents? With as many as a dozen different shooters, including a 13 yr old boy taking his first bull at 550 yards, a 13 yr old girl on her first elk at 601 yards, a 74 yr old man taking his first long range bull at 777 yards? No, not accidents at all. And nothing at all to do with the implied name on the box of bullets. But it is indeed, all about knowing your bullet, how it works best, what it does at different distances / impact velocities, when to pass on a shot, and what
YOU as a hunter can do to allow the bullet to work properly and stack the advantages to your favor. I for one feel it is my responsibility to know these things before I take any shot at game.
If you want to search and learn I suggest that you search "terminal Performance" of what ever bullet you may want to use. Then learn how to make them work best for you from your rifle. Where to place them, and when to pass on a shot.
Want to see what the dreaded "Match" bullet does in the field? Want to see actual terminal performance on 19 + big game animals from the same bullet weight, design and rifle? At many different distances? Then I offer you to read, see for yourself, and study this long thread. It is supported with all the real world data and not just He said ~ She said, or it looked like this happened.
http://www.longrangehunting.com/forums/f19/comparing-berger-210-vld-215-hybrid-88657/
I hope I did not come across as harsh or negative in any way. I mean only to offer my experience in an effort to help anyone be more successful in their hunts.
Shoot straight and have a good hunt.
Jeff
