DannyD

My assumptions, true or false, of what kills an animal is a bullet or arrow making a hole in the heart which damages a vital organ resulting in death. A bullet or arrow slicing through the lungs filling them with blood resulting in suffocation/death.

That being said, there is obviously an amount of energy needed to allow the bullet or arrow to pierce the skin, the muscle and ultimately the vital organ that will eventually result in the death of the animal.

I'm just not sure what that amount of energy is, I don't claim to understand alot about KE or exactly what it is. However, I began hunting 5 years ago. Right away i heard about this 1,000lb number that is supposed to be a minimum standard. I've always just used it and accepted it a a minimum especially when i was trying to choose a particular cartridge for my first gun for me and my daughter (thank you Rebel Hog)
Now, I'm trying to understand that number and why it is set at that particular figure. There is a lot of experience on these forums. Zrex and Eldeguello have always had great info. In fact Zrex is probably responsible for my 243 purchase (although he doesn't know it). And since i just bought a reloader kit i'm sure i will be watching Eldeguello's posts more often

Thanks lots for the responses so far

falcon

Bullet placement is everything. However, the elusive search for a magic bullet that will turn a gut shot into a bang flop every time continues.

If kinetic energy is everything how in the world did my brother, our friends and I ever kill lots of deer with our .25/20 and .32/20 guns in the early 50s in WV? Those guns did not make 1000 foot pounds at the muzzle. We killed those deer because we put the bullets in the right place.

I routinely kill big wild hogs with a .22 magnum and FMJ bullets. Those hogs die because they are hit in the right place. Once saw a guy gutshoot a huge hog with a .300 Win Mag and someones spiffy premium 180 grain bullet. That big sow never missed a beat and just kept on trucking for about one-half mile. We jumped the wounded hog in a plum thicket and the guy gut shot her again. So we had another chase before the hog died.

zrexpilot

You have it right, its the hole you put in the animal. 2500ft/lb of energy slipped between the spine and and the lungs will not kill a deer. He will live another day. 600lb of energy through the lungs will let the air out and the life of a deer.
A .22 lr with 100 or so ft/lb of energy to the heart of a deer will kill it everytime. Just so you know a .22lr out penetrates a .223 or so I've read

ps how you liking that .243

DannyD

Liking it lots thank you. I've killed a few deer with it. My buddies young son uses it to hunt. Everyone that i go to the range with eventually shoots it and loves the gun. No recoil, accurate, effective. What more could i ask

zrexpilot

I sold my last .243 a year or 2 ago. Its was a bull barrell and was just to darn heavy.
I have been using my NEF .22 hornet since then but I came across a 7-08 barrell for it, pretty cheap so I bought it. I want to see what all the fuss is about with the 7-08. I started handloading some time back And I found some loads for the 7-08 that puts the 120 gr pill a bit faster and flatter than even a hot .243 load. So I am a little excited about it. I will eventually get another .243 though, it really is a shaweeeet gun.

ipscshooter

I handled a 7-08 yesterday at Academy, here in Houston. I was kinda hoping they'd have a Marlin XS-7 in that chambering. They've got Remington 700 ADL's on sale for $439... They had a couple of 700's and an XS-7 them in .243. I think the XS-7 was only $289, and I've been hearing really good things about them...

ipscshooter

The buck I shot last year had that exact injury... healed up bullet wound passing just under the spine. Looked like it was probably at least a .308 cal.

DANTHEHUNTER

I must be really dumb I just point my .270wsm or my .300wm or my 45/70 at a deer and pull the trigger and the deer sometime drops and some times runs but there is blood trail and follow it to the deer!

zrexpilot

I must be dumber, I point my .22 hornet at deer and hogs (23 to date) and not one has taken a step.

Got this one saturday night. nuther DRT

JamminJay

That's kind of an odd standard. Legally, you couldn't use a hard cast 45/70 bullet in the range of 400-500 as it does not expand, even though such rounds dropped uncountable Bison in the 19th century.