How Much Knockdown Power Is Required?
 

I have always used a .30-06 for hunting whitetail deer. Recently I have wanted to go with a smaller caliber for this purpose. How much knockdown power/energy is required for taking whitetails humanely? What is the formula for calculating knockdown energy of a specific bullet size and type?

RE: How Much Knockdown Power Is Required?
 

800 foot pounds

RE: How Much Knockdown Power Is Required?
 

I don't believe in anything called "knock down power", but you can calculate the energy of a bullet by the following formula. http://www.airgunning.co.uk/tech.htm

As far as the minimum required, that's highly debatable.

RE: How Much Knockdown Power Is Required?
 

I remember reading some articles by self proclaimed experts that set between 700 to 800 ft lbs energy as a minimuim . sounds reasonable but it is debatable to say the least . I guess a lot would depend on where you hit them .

RE: How Much Knockdown Power Is Required?
 

I recall several years ago before I quit hunting (started back again this year) there was a minimum foot lbs of somewhere around 300-350 lbs required for the firearm here in VA. it also had to be larger than .223. Thist year when I was prepping I didn't see the foot lbs requirement. It my crossbow only produces about 45 ft lbs. But I took a nice doe with it. I know that my 9 mm pistol has a muzzle velocity of around 350 ft lbs. I am sure many will disagree, but I have no doubt that I could make a clean kill on a deer with my 9 mm. If I can get close enough with a bow, I can definately get close enough with a pistol. It's more than just Ft Lbs. it's depth of penetration, bullet placement, initial diameter and expansion.

David

Yeah, I know I kicked open the hornets nest on this one

RE: How Much Knockdown Power Is Required?
 

my mom bought me a giant book about hunting from field and stream a few years ago and it agrees with quilly and halcon..800ft/lbs of energy is recommended for killing deer...

RE: How Much Knockdown Power Is Required?
 

People that write books will use numbers like 775 ft-lbs and such, but they are meaningless. Many a moost has been shot behind the front shoulder with a .22lr and found handily. Hell, my bow doesn't produce 350 ft-lbs of energy and I've killed 30+ deer with it.

If you poke a hole in the right place, the deer will die. If you don't, you shouldn't be hunting. 22 Magnums are legal in Maine for a reason...

The key is to choose an adequate caliber and learn to shoot it properly. Personally, I'd pick the .243 as the bottom and work up from there.

RE: How Much Knockdown Power Is Required?
 

Don't get too hung up on energy requirements for deer. More important is the bullet type. 1000 ft.lbs. with a hollow point match bullet isn't the same as 1000 ft.lbs. with a hunting bullet. I know that's basic, but it's important. Anything from a .223 on up will be able to humanely take whitetails at 200 yards.

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RE: How Much Knockdown Power Is Required?
 

It varies a great deal with the size of deer you hunt.In the south a 200lb deer may be considered very large while mature northern bucks often exceed 300 lbs.In any case a cartridge such as the 25-06 or 7mm-08 is more than adequate for any deer.

RE: How Much Knockdown Power Is Required?
 

It's this kind of thing that gives hunting a bad name...yes it's important to consider how much stank you're carrying at a given range before taking a shot, but there are too many variables....first thing, your load isn't the same as the test load in factory ammo, sure it's close, but not the same. Secondly, you're not shooting THE test rifle under test conditions. Thirdly, that information is calculated from the muzzle velocity, so can not be regarded as accurate even under the test conditions.

There isn't a magic number you can just say that means you'll kill a deer or it will walk away, if you hit a deer in the heart with a .22lr, lucky to have 800ft.lbs. at 25yrds, the deer isn't going to say, hey, you only have 789ft.lbs. I don't think I'll die for that, but only 11 more would have done it. OR, you can hit a deer in the @$$ with 4000ft.lbs. from a .416 rigby, and it's probably not going to drop for days. Everything comes down to placement, sure it's good to consider that you might not have enough stank to make a bad shot, but if you make a good shot, it would take less energy to do the job. Hit them in the heart, and they're going down with even a measly 300ft.lbs., but miss terribly, and all the energy in the world will only wound them.

Screw the 10 ring, keep them in the zero!!!

RE: How Much Knockdown Power Is Required?
 

i think foot pounds is not really a big issue as well. comes down to where you put the bullet. just look at bow hunters 300fps. kills deer. just that it takes alittle longer for them to expire.