Thread: Impact joules and ethics

I think the lesson here is if you don't miss and poke a big enough hole through something vital the target animal will expire and all are happy. If you do enough or substantial damage to enough bits, the target animal will expire and everyone is happy.

If you miss anything vital, or don't do enough damage to enough vital bits your target animal will opt for 'exit, stage left/right/outta here bro' and no one is happy.

Everything else is a nifty theoretical discussion to be honest. Even speed is only one measure that might predict how the bullet will perform, example speed of a .177 air rifle pellet can be nicely subsonic at 1100-odd FPS - but I would not consider using it on deer even though that is travelling faster than some of the subsonic pills used to absolutely flatten big deer on the spot. Energy is the other part of the consideration when selecting a cartridge, and you really need to know both.

Speed of bullet is what gives you the 'design window' that the bullet is designed to expand correctly when it impacts, faster and blow up, slower and pencil through. Energy is what means the bullet is likely to be reliable, quick and humane at killing when it impacts within it's design speed. One without the other isn't enough info really.

As an aside, deer are not that easy to kill to be honest. Seen several that have survived broken legs from bullet impacts, one that took a hit through the back of a lung and out through a kidney, part of the liver and the gut and was dropped by another hunter at which it was found to have black gangrene and not happy at all. Others have had broadheads in them, one with an antler tine embedded in it's skull, a couple dead on their feet with shot off lower jaws etc etc. Hit em where it matters, not where it's cool...