ELKampMaster

Given the great penetrating characteristics of monolithic solid bullets (no expansion) what would be the pro and con of using them for all big game hunting?

EKM

BigBore1895

I like solids for tough game like elk and bear for penetration, but for deer and antelope I like a soft nose. I use a 45/70, so wound channel isn't problem, it's wide enough. For using solids all of the time, I would say that the results of the shot would be pretty predictable, a .45 caliber hole and bullet exiting the animal, whereas with expanding bullets results might differ a bit more.

bigcountry

Pros: Dern good penetraition and even better penetration
Cons: don't need that much penetration.
not much energy transfer or shock to the vitals
copper a gun like nobodies business
And biggest con of them all. not a very good blood trail to follow. Tiny exit wound

diyj98

I don't see a lot of pros except where a solid bullet is need to penetrate tough thick skinned and heavily muscled dangerous game.

Cons would be the fact that a good expanding bullet normally causes much greater tissue damage. Over penetration could also be a bid con where's there's a chance of shooting through one animal and into another.

oldelkhunter

Using a 585 nyati I see no problems using solids on any game

JagMagMan

Except for better penetration, it's all cons!
Especially with no blood trails!

eldeguello

Well, aside from the fact that what you're talking about is pretty much against all game laws in the Unioted States, the drawback is that a small diameter wound channel produces little shock, gives little or no blood trail, and will permit a great number of thin-skinned critters to escape wounded to die unrecovered. This is the reason why they're illegal!! Reserve your solids for heavy, thick-skinned critters like tembo and m'bogo in Africa, where they are legal!![:-]

ELKampMaster

Small wound channels, poor energy transfer and poor shock generation -- looks like some serious downsides. Sounds like their use would require some "common sense" and some discretion and care whether or legal or not.

On the other hand though, what about folks that don't want to pony the bucks up for a bigger gun (or are recoil sensitive) for use on say, moose or elk -- wouldn't the use of solids allow them to use something like a .243 or 30-30 to penetrate in one side, through the heart, and right out the other side?

Good Luck and Good Hunting,
EKM

Buckshot

Im right there with every one else,
Pro-awesome penetration
Con-Unless your smashing through heavy bone, very little energy transfer to the animal.

James B

Mostly cons. The few exceptions would be fur bearing animals to deture pelt Damage. The other would be the use of certain designed cast bullets which open large wound chanels as well as deep penatration. Such a bullet would be bullets cast by the LBT moulds with the long flat nose. They have been used with great success by Ross Seyfried. In middle calibers to take all different species. There is a very good atrical by Ross in rifle magazine explaining the LBT bullet moulds and some elk taken with a 366 caliber bullet of just 160 grains. Complete through shot on an elk with huge blood trail and good internal damage. These moulds were off the market for some time but are now back in production. The LBT bullets may not be the only bullet to use the long Flat nose design. Anyway cast bullets are a whole other subject and don't reall fall in the soft point or the traditional solids. I have only been into the cast bullets for a short while. As far as the expense of buying a bigger rifle goes, if one needs a bigger rifle for a given application they should probably get one rather than trying to make do with something smaller. In many models the 458 and 375 don't cost much more than the standard calibers. My 416 Ruger was the same price as all the other calibers.
For all my NA hunting I am very comfortable with the 30-06 and the 45-70. The Speer manual recomends the 350 grain RN at about 1900 FPS for the geart Bears and big moose. The 30-06 has worked fine for all the other species. The new bullets such as the Barnes X bullet and Nosler accubond and Swift A-Frame has given a new lease on life to many of the middle calibers such as the 279, 280 and 30-06. Ihave yet to try out my 270 WSM but I think it will fit right into this mix.