Originally Posted by
TFOX
When dealing with high caliber rifles you want a transference of energy and if the bullet stops in the animal,all the energy gets transferred,unlike with a bow where you want penetration.
I thought this "theory" was pretty much discredited as a bunch of hokum...
Naturally,you need enough penetration to get through the hide and bone that is encountered upon entry but beyond that,it isn't the main goal.
What if you "transfer" all your energy penetrating the hide and the bone and then only get another 1/8" of penetration?
Of course,thicker boned animals like elephant need more penetration than whitetail but we aren't looking for passthroughs.
The concept of "transferring all the energy" inside the game is absurd from a physics standpoint. What would you really rather have, a bullet that hits the front shoulder with 2500 ft lbs of energy, and then penetrates and hits the back shoulder with 2100 ft lbs of energy and then exits, or a bullet that hits the front shoulder with 2500 ft lbs of energy but, doesn't penetrate to the far shoulder, thus, that shoulder gets hit with 0 ft lbs? The energy transfers during the full penetration event. The first bullet will hit the front shoulder at 2500, the first lung at 2400, the heart at 2300 the second lung at 2200. The second bullet hits the front shoulder at 2500, the first lung at 1750, the heart at 1000, the second lung at 250, and then pretty much bounces harmlessly off the rear shoulder. If the bullet is slowing down to the point that it fails to penetrate, it's going to transfer less and less and less energy as it slows. The first animal's various organs are hit by a cumulative energy transfer of 11,500 ft lbs. The second gets hit by 5500.