A lot of folks that get into hunting, think that they need the biggest bullet possible, with the most knockdown power, to take game. Me…I’m folks…well, I was.
The internet is a great place to go for free information. It’s also a place that has a lot of free MISinformation. Remember that anyone with an opinion, and a keyboard can post stuff on the internet. That doesn’t make it true…or factual.
Most people will tell you that you want the biggest baddest caliber on the market, because it will have the most knockdown power. I’m here to tell you that that is complete and utter BS. If someone tells you that, you should do 2 things. First, chop them in the throat…second, walk away…you dont need that type of negativity in your life.
The myth of “knockdown power” has been circulating around the hunting community for decades. I’m here to tell you. Right now. That there is no such thing as knockdown power. That’s not how this works. That’s not how any of this works. So lets take a quick look at how terminal ballistics DO work.
Bullets do damage by cutting soft tissue, muscle, and organs. They enter soft tissue, and begin expanding, shredding everything in their path at incredible speeds. This combination of velocity, mass, and cutting surface causes hydro-static shock. Essentially, that’s the “shock-wave” of the bullets impact as it enters a body cavity, and begins to transfer its energy to the animal. As this happens, a wound channel is formed, and continues, hopefully through the animal, or until the bullet runs out of gas and lodges in either dense muscle or bone.
This is true of both PROPER hunting and self defense ammo…and a reason why PREMIUM ammo is highly recommended.
The goal, is to create as large of a permanent wound channel as possible, which will cause massive blood loss, and lead to a quick and ethical kill. Remember…people and animals don’t die from gun shot wounds…they die from blood loss.
At no point in the history of modern ammunition, was ANY cartridge intended to knock an animal, or a man, over. Its physically impossible. Like literally…been disproved by that wicked smart guy you may have learned about in middle school, Sir Isaac Newton.
Newton’s Third Law of Physics is that every action will have an equal and opposite reaction…IE…if you shoot an animal and knock it over, you, in turn, would be knocked over by the recoil of the round. Now I’m sure there are many great hunters out there that will tell tall tales of literally knocking deer over. I’m here to tell you that there’s books in libraries, and graduate level courses taught at top universities that disprove these stories 10/10 times. Let me reiterate…No round in history was ever created to take an animal off its feet. Sorry to break it to you.
That being said, people that claim rounds “bounce off” animals are also full of it. That’s called bad shooting…not anemic ammunition. Are there rounds out there that are better suited for certain situations? 1000%…but most of the time, we overcompensate for poor shooting skills with monster bullets.
I’ve killed 200lb boars at 120 yards, full sprint, with 45gr .223. I killed a 450lb bear with a single 120gr .357 Magnum. I’ve killed deer at 150 yards with a 110gr .300 black out. Shot placement, and ammunition selection will trump poor shooting and over-sized calibers every day of the week.
Get yourself a gun that fits you, in a caliber that you can shoot comfortably all day long, with a quality optic, and get out and practice. Practice standing, kneeling, seated, and prone, for we don’t know what the shot opportunity will be when presented with it. Proper preparation prevents piss poor performance.
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