I must admit I have always been a big “energy kills” fan, but after reading this thread with an open mind, I may have to change the way I think. I shoot a 7mm Rem Mag with 160 NP loaded hot, this combo on deer sized game leaves big exit holes. I have killed many deer with this load that were hit very poorly; some I am still not sure how they died. I feel that if those poor shots were made with a gun that didn’t have the power to leave those big holes I would have lost those deer. Large exist holes (IMHO) should not just be attributed to a larger caliber; you need a combination of bullet construction, velocity and bullet weight to achieve this. Even though I am still a little confused as to ‘how much’ energy plays a role in killing I think I understand it more than before I read this thread. That being said, I think that nobody knows all the answers yet, as there are so many variables to contend with.
Sheephunter,
I have thinking about getting a 270wsm for sheep hunting. On the episode where you and your hunting partner killed a bunch of mulie does, with I believe 140 accubonds, how were the exit holes (if any) at the different ranges?
|