I'm with you Bigbulls, theres no such thing as knockdown power. A hand thrown baseball hits about the same as a bullet. I've seen deer drop with an arrow by a lung shot, and Ive seen them run a 100 yds from a high powered rifle. Some run some drop.
My buddy dropped in his tracks from a .25 shot to the groin, said his legs just gave out.
I dont think there is any REAL formula for why some deer drop and some do not. I know it has nothing to do with energy or the size of a bullet. I have seen tiny bullets drop them, and seen them run also. It's funny that everyone here drops them in their tracks with their ( insert caliber here) but in the real world I rarely see them just drop, unless its a head, neck or spine shot. Sometimes they do, I grant you that, but most run a little ways.

-

Yes!!!

.45-70 wrote

"I think that larger caliber bullets have more "knockdown" power than smaller and faster ones. At least that has been my own experience. As an analogy, what would you rather be hit by, a baseball going 90 m.p.h. or a bowling ball going 45 m.p.h.? I'll take my chances with the baseball."

Remember, kinetic Energy equals one half the mass multiplied by the velocity squared. A two pound baseball at 90 mph will have the same kinetic energy as an eight pound bowling ball at 45 mph. Furthermore, regarding bullet placement, while I would be severely injured by being hit in the foot with the 45 mph bowling ball, I think I would survive it. I am not nearly so confident about surviving being struck in the head by a 90 mph baseball.

Californiadoctor

I always find these type of stories amazing since I have killed around 40 head of big game with ballistic tips at muzzle velocities from 3340fps to over 3500fps and have never witnessed any similar events.

I only ran into it with a Winchester Model 70 in 7mm Rem mag. I had it happen at least three times. All at ranges of 75 yards or less. I realize that those conditions are tough on any bullet. I continue to use the Ballistic tip in the 25-06, 6.5x55, 280 and 308. Nothing has ever survived or even went more than 10 yards or so after a hit from the 308 at just over 2700 fps. So far I have just used the 150 grain in the 308 but next fall I think I will try the 165 grain. I am going to hunt moose with it next fall. Do you think from your expierence that the 180 Ballistic tip would be better for Moose?

My 7mmstw's produce muzzle velocities of 3500fps with the 140gr ballistic tip and yet on a 25 yard shot,the bullet exited a deer that weighed in excess of 300lbs live weight.In fact,I have taken several deer with this cartridge where the impact velocity was still higher than the muzzle velocity of the 7mmremmag.
As far as moose are concerned,I have taken two mature bulls(1000lbs and 1200lbs) and eight elk with the 180gr ballistic tip out of my 300ultramags with very good results.I have never used the 165gr ballistic tip on large game.

Thank you for the info on the 180 grainers. Our deer are pretty large as well. Its all farm country and the farmers have done a good job fattening them up.

This past season I shot a moose Approx weight 600 lbs using a 30-06
cal and 180gr. TBBC bullet.One shot dropped in its tracks. Thinking that myseason was over,(enough meat in the freezer) I put my rifle away for the year.2 months later my brother dropped by my house with a 160 class muleybuck in the back of the pick-up truck.Boy was this deer beaten up badly.He offered to take me hunting the following weekend. When my brother picked me up early Sat morning I told him I should have loaded some30-06 cartridges with a lighter conventional style of bullet.
That morning I spotted a buck with a monster rack quartering down a
slope away from me. I waited for the buck to stop.When it did I fired
The deer did not stop running I thought I missed. I called my brother
on the 2 way radio and told him the story.He arrived 20 min later to where
I was sitting and we slowly apprached the area where I last saw the deer run through. We found the 190 class buck at the bottem of the ravine
150 yrds from where I shot. Boy was that a relief of my chest to find this
deer. The bullet had entered the deer behind the shoulder and because
it was quartering the bullet exited out the neck. The deer's weight was under 140lbs (Big rack for a deer this size) even if it is the rutting season.
This deer should have dumped in its tracks but I because of the heavily constructed bullet I used it didn't expand and hit the vitals it needed to
to bring the deer down in its tracks. The bullet passed through the lungs
and punctured its diaphram in the chest, but did not hit the juggular or spine or trachea in the neck region .Shot placement is very important but
using the right bullet for the animal being hunted is just as critcal. Its
hard enough to dump something in its tracks with any cal.being used.
My freind shot a big buck with his 7mm Ultra mag this past season as well.
He told me he used a 175gr. Swift A-frame bullet (same cartridge he used
on his elk just prior to this deer hunt he was on.) Shooting it in the neck
at 65yrds away the deer dropped.He walked up to the deer that was laying flat on the ground and assuming it was dead he layed his gun down and started taking photoghraphs forgetting his knife in his truck he walked back to the truck.To his amazment the deer got up and ran off.
He saw it four days later (in a no shooting area) with a group of does.
The deer looked fine, just a pencil hole in and out.Again shot placement
and bullet type played a key role in this situation. He did get some nice pictures though.

I have no idea why anyone would want to flatten whitetails. To me that goes beyond sport hunting.



If you want to blow stuff up go join the Army !