Originally Posted by Jordan Smith
I think it's fair to say that when it comes to bullets, the manner in which it is delivered means everything to how it kills. If I take a handful of bullets and throw them at a moose, the speed at which they impact that moose versus being fired from a rifle is quite different, and I think we'd both agree that those bullets I throw won't kill very well. So "simply aid[ing] with delivery" directly impacts killing effectiveness in a significant way.
A bullet that has a high BC will retain more if its velocity, and impact the animal going faster than a bullet with a lower BC, assuming equal muzzle velocity.
True enough, but the bullet with the higher BC will also have the higher SD. Sectional density and form factor are major components of the formula used to determine BC. Check it out.
Let's take, for example, the new Hornady 7mm 180gr ELD-M (a simple C&C, similar to the Nosler BT, SST, etc), with it's 0.796 G1 BC, started at 2700 fps, and see how it compares to a .308" 180gr RN and a 180gr Horn SP started at the same velocity. In this instance the 7mm wins as it has the higher SD and consequently the higher BC. At 300 meters in the atmospheric conditions I usually shoot at, the 7mm 180 ELD impacts the animals at 2376 fps- more than fast enough to expand properly and hit with a wallop. The .308 180gr RN, with a G1 BC of 0.241, impacts at 300 meters with 1717 fps, assuming all else is equal. Yes it would, remembering that the SST bullet has a much better form factor than a .308 RN, so not really a fair comparison. That is still likely fast enough to expand properly, but expansion wouldn't be nearly as violent as if it impacted 660 fps faster. The 180gr Horn SP, BC 0.425, impacts 300 meters with 2111 fps. If we go a little further out to 450 meters, the 7mm 180 ELD hits at 2218 fps, the .308" 180RN hits at 1327 fps, and the .308" 180gr SP arrives with 1841 fps of velocity. Form Factor at work again. Try those numbers with the same bullet design. Those differences are starting to become significant with regards to expansion characteristics and the resultant tissue damage done by each of the bullets. So BC DOES affect the damage a bullet does, and its killing ability. Certainly it does. At the same impact velocity and the same POI and identical bullet construction ,the bullet with the higher BC/SD wins every time.
When it comes to killing effectiveness, bullet construction has a much greater impact than SD. To keep things on an even keel use the same bullet construction This has been established by industry experts, and is borne out in my own experience as a hunter and guide, as well. In the hundreds of BG animals I've seen die, the trend that I've noticed is that a lighter bullet of controlled expansion, whether a Nosler PT, Barnes TTSX, etc, penetrates deeper and more reliably than a heavier C&C. Your experience differs from most others, industry experts included. With the exception of solids, all hunting bullets are designed for controlled expansion in one form or another. Again, with bullets of the same weight and design, the one with the higher SD wins. There are many C&C bullets that will equal or exceed the performance of a mono in an identical scenario... if that is what you are referring to. Now that doesn't necessarily means than a controlled-expansion bullet kills more effectively than other designs like a Berger VLD or other C&C design.
These days too much emphasis is placed on ultimate penetration, to the point of people convincing themselves that they have to use bullets and loads that are capable of penetrating the entire chest cavity two or three times over, of whatever animal they're shooting. The more vital tissue a bullet destroys, the more effective it will be, over the long run, in killing.
I think that good bullet penetration is a better option than splash,disintegration or blowback by a fair margin. Before you can damage the vitals you have to reach them, regardless of bullet placement.The Berger VLD, while penetration can't compare to bullets like the Barnes TTSX, typically kills quicker than almost any other bullet design, with solid non-CNS chest hits. That is because it penetrates without expansion for a few inches, and then comes unglued like a grenade in the chest. Exit wounds are rare, and destruction of vitals is usually extensive. Again, this has absolutely nothing to do with SD, as Berger VLD bullets function this way in general, whether using one of medium-weight-for-caliber, or heavy. I think many of us have used VLD's at one time or another. It's unique but very capable bullet within a narrow band of circumstances. I personally wouldn't run it against a Partition under any circumstance.
All that doesn't mean that the Berger VLD is the ideal bullet. When choosing penetration vs. rapid expansion qualities in a bullet, a guy needs to determine how much penetration is "enough" for the animals and types of shots that he usually takes, or is willing to take. For the hunter unwilling to take stem-to-stern shots, and is selective about taking broadside or slightly quartering shots, then he doesn't need to use a bullet that falls toward the extreme penetration end of the spectrum. Shot placement is a personal thing and bad bullet placement happens. In these cases a larger, stouter bullet has a better chance of CYA than a lighter one, as I see it anyway.
At the end of the day, given equally constructed bullets of equal caliber started at equal velocity, a higher starting SD does typically result in greater penetration, but that doesn't mean that it kills any better than other bullets of lesser SD.
|