Doug100g
Somehow I knew you were throwing reverse phycology(sp) in there but I went with my eyes...
Although, not always is the size of the exit hole the detirming factor. It is really what the bullet does as it crosses the body.
A couple of examples would be the Nosler, Barnes, and Lehigh.
None of these bullet may create a large exit hole, but the destruction they do inside is noteworthy.
Example:
This is a recovered Noser .458/300 Partition from an elk I shot a couple years back. For a Nosler this is absolute best expansion.
This particular shot did not make a large exit wound at all. Came out of the hide and made a 3/4" hole.
The results... the animal took a couple steps turned 180* and dropped on the spot.
I am pointing to the exit wound... not very impressive huh?
But what did it do in between.
Inside... when I opened her up - all the organs in the chest cavity were ruptured... not much were you able to recognize other than all of the dark red jello in the chest cavity.
Another example might be this year deer harvest. I was shooing a 40 cal/200 grain Lehigh. The entrance hole was really less than impressive.. 40 is awful small, and the exit was also 40 cal but what it did in between was awesome if not amazing. This animal also only moved a few feet and turned 180*
The exit wound on this deer is just to the left of the objective lens on the scope - you can see some blood in the area.... not real impressive at all. But it was pretty much a bang flop.
But again the internal damage was so great it over road the animals instinct to run... it just simply could not...
I should also say that are times when I do not get these clean shots and the bullet contacts a solid bone on the way out and really creates a big hole on the way out....
So all I am trying to say is not everything can be judged by hole size...