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Old 01-24-2008, 09:54 PM
Ron AKA Ron AKA is offline
 
Join Date: Jan 2008
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Outcast View Post
Foot lbs and trajectory aside there has to be something said for frontal area of a bullet. Moose are glass houses but elk are a different story. I will take a larger diameter bullet for elk any day and twice on Sunday. I know I will here back about all the elk shot with the small caliber rifles but this is just what I`ve experienced over the years. If you can shoot it take the 300 otherwise it ain`t worth the paper the registration will be written on. Whatever you chose I`ll see you in the elk woods with my 338 winny on my shoulder. Frontal area makes a big difference.
I hear what you are saying, but I'll venture my frank opinion that the frontal area of the bullet only impresses the buyer of the bullet/cartridge. One may think a sharp pointy bullet will penetrate deeper or worse still go right through the animal without doing much damage, while a round or flat nosed big diameter bullet will do much more damage. The reality is that sharp pointy bullets and especially the ones with boat tails, loose less energy getting to the target. Once they get there it is the design of the bullet (thickness of the metal around the lead, partition or not, etc.) that decides what damage it does, and how deep it penetrates. The real need for round nose or flat bullets is for the old 30-30's and the like that use tubular magazines which have the potential for nose to tail fornication if pointy bullets are used.

On the diameter of the bullet consider this. A moose or elk may have in the order of a 30 inch chest. On a proportional basis what is the difference between a .308" bullet and a .284" (7mm)? It is 0.044", or on a proportional basis compared to the 30" target that one is trying to damage, .044/30X100= 0.15%. Does the moose/elk notice? I think not.

It is the energy at impact that has the potential to do the job. The placement of the bullet determines whether it can or cannot. The design of the bullet then determines whether it finally does or does not. In my opinionated view the bore size has nothing to do with it.

That said, it carries a lot of weight in the discussion over a cool one around the hunting campfire...

Ron

Last edited by Ron AKA; 01-24-2008 at 11:03 PM.
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