Perspective on Bullet Performance

[denton]

As I'm reading, and thinking about the good stuff that has been posted, it seems to me that a few things must be true:

The bullet must expand enough to make a big enough hole. Big enough means enough to quickly disrupt any organ it passes through.

The longer the hole is, the higher the probability that the wound channel will intersect an organ that will quickly bring the animal down. This works up to the point that the path exits the animal. The ability to tear a four foot path through a ground hog is irrelevant.

Grand Slams and Partitions make longer holes than standard bullets. Monometals make longer holes than that, and hole length is practically independent of impact speed.

Monos will take a large bone hit, and keep on truckin'.

The original monometal bullet was a lead ball. (Just keeping you awake!)

I think that it follows that a premium bullet will help considerably in a case where the gun is light for the task, and won't help much at all if you are already using plenty of gun. Or, as Rocky says, they will hang together better if you are shooting at very high speeds, where conventional bullets show less penetration.

I don't know if I'm quite ready to cough up $109 for a box of 100 GSCustom HV's, but they are looking more and more attractive. I might splurge and get some Barnes X while thinking about it. I'm kinda leery of the TSX... don't like the thought of an undersized bullet.

Remember, my original train of thought was what to do with my 243... hunt pronghorn or not. If I were using an '06 for prongers, then any old garden variety, accurate bullet would be fine. My issue is making sure a relatively light gun has enough to get the job done.

Dutch: I have the first 8 burros rounded up. Can we keep them at your place?

[Dutchboy]

My place being the feedlot in front of the sale yard? Sure! Might get a few hunnert bucks each for those nags, selling them to the Frogs as horse meat. That's two boxes of HV's! EACH!

Denton, I'll make you an offer. I just "happen to have" some 68 gr. 243 HV's I'll spot you for that antelope hunt, just to see what they'll do for you (I already know the answer --- make a hole all the way through just like the TSX would). I'm sure we can come up with a proper way to even the trade, somehow, probably involving ice cream...

As far as HP's experience with shooting deer, I can't see any want or need to argue with him. His experience is the same as just about everyone that uses that configuration AND HITS THE PROPER SPOT. Bang, flop.

The copper bullets will do that, too, as long as you achieve a very high speed (it's the shock that immobilizes the deer until it bleeds out). I've taken out 300 lb mulies with bang-flops to the lower chest, using copper bullets at 3300 fps, but I don't have the number of kills needed to claim they will do it everytime.

My point was that the performance of a premium will have a wider range of application.

To his groundhog experience I can add that a 130 gr. HV at 3400 fps will separate a feral cat from three out of four feet, and leave the rest suitable for use as fertilizer.... Dang, the things farm boys will do with their deer guns.... Dutch.

[Classicvette63]

The "phenomona" of a bullet performing better at slower speeds may explain why certain rounds like the 30-30 and especially the .35 Remington "kill better" than their paper ballistics would lead you to believe.

No correlation between .243 premium bullets performing better than standards can be made because the .243 wasn't tested. Only .308's were tested. From that chart, my take is that for hunting North America with an '06, Core-Lokts or Barnes bullets are all you need. Others did fine, but those two seemed to come to the top. Ammo is a very small part of the expense of hunting, but why would you spend more just to spend more. You don't put premium gas in the truck for the ride to camp if you don't need it.

The chart also illustartes how round nose bullets are superior to pointed ones insofar as performance on game. Some time ago Rocky made the point that rn bullets due to their shape are closer to the lands than ptd bullets. So if Ol' Betsy has a few miles on her that may help accuracy somewhat.