Quote:
Originally Posted by Kurt505
I'm not saying the 30 cal is going anywhere, I'm saying the smaller calibers are making leaps and bounds with bullet BC's and performance.
A 175gr 7mm bullet Hornady ELD-X has a BC of .689, that bullet propelled out of the same size case as that of a 178gr 30 cal ELD-X bullet with a BC of .552 will kick less and hit harder, even with a 220gr bullet the 30 cal is at .663 BC.
The smaller diameter bullets are getting the job done with less recoil, more penetration, and flatter trajectories with modern bullet design, and because of this I think more and more hunters can see you don't need a big bore, unless you enjoy them for what they are, which I totally understand.
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The thing that some fail to grasp is that BC doesn't kill .. it simply aids with delivery. Sectional density and bullet construction take over at the point of impact and that's what is doing the killing. With two bullets of the same construction, the one with the higher SD will penetrate further and be the most effective . At 2000 fps terminal velocity a .30 cal. 220 gr bullet will easily outperform a 7mm with an identically constructed 175 gr bullet at the
same terminal velocity due to a higher SD ... and with about the same amount of recoil.
With
identical bullet weights and
identical terminal velocities the 7mm 175 gr will outperform the 30 cal as it will have the higher SD. That is why many choose to use "heavy for caliber bullets ", regardless of their construction.
Upon entry, bullet momentum (mass in motion) trumps velocity and provides the force for penetration- kind of like the slower moving bowling pin vs a faster moving golf ball sized bowling pin . Which one will be most likely to penetrate through a 12 inch solid wall ? New bullet designs do make some smaller caliber bullets a bit more capable of penetration but those same bullet designs are available in all the larger calibers as well. They simply are not required. Like they say, there is no replacement for displacement, and never will be in the world of bullets.
On the other end there is this thing called recoil. Most of us don't care for it
and we welcome the new opportunities to utilize smaller cartridges and their more efficient bullets. A fair trade-off, but not always the best one. My take anyway.