Hi Sanch,
You're posting about rifles in the Semi Auto HANDGUN forum...
Mannlicher,
I'd say that depends on the bullet and the animal, and the shooter's skill.
(meaning shot placement)
Light weight high speed jhp pistol bullets (particularly in .35 cal) are generally built to be optimized for use against humans. Whitetail deer are often not quite as big as some of the folks hunting them. Mule Deer run larger, but then, so do some humans today...
180gr JHP in .44 Mag is the "lightweight high speed" bullet in that caliber. Pretty sure it will do the job on deer. Or elk, with correct shot placement.
Elk (and moose) are much larger, and so, self defense pistol ammo is a rather poor choice, but with precise shot placement, can do the job humanely. That part is up to the shooter. Not shooting through the heavy bones (shoulder, etc) is a good idea with any JHP pistol bullet, though more important with smaller lighter ones.
Generally speaking, today American bullet makers concentrate on JHP bullets for personal defense and JSP for hunting use. There is, of course, a degree of overlap...
Adequate penetration with proper shot placement always works. Less than that...not so much...
You're posting about rifles in the Semi Auto HANDGUN forum...
Mannlicher,
I just can't see lightweight, high speed JHP bullets getting the job done, as a hunting round on large animals.
I'd say that depends on the bullet and the animal, and the shooter's skill.
(meaning shot placement)
Light weight high speed jhp pistol bullets (particularly in .35 cal) are generally built to be optimized for use against humans. Whitetail deer are often not quite as big as some of the folks hunting them. Mule Deer run larger, but then, so do some humans today...
180gr JHP in .44 Mag is the "lightweight high speed" bullet in that caliber. Pretty sure it will do the job on deer. Or elk, with correct shot placement.
Elk (and moose) are much larger, and so, self defense pistol ammo is a rather poor choice, but with precise shot placement, can do the job humanely. That part is up to the shooter. Not shooting through the heavy bones (shoulder, etc) is a good idea with any JHP pistol bullet, though more important with smaller lighter ones.
Generally speaking, today American bullet makers concentrate on JHP bullets for personal defense and JSP for hunting use. There is, of course, a degree of overlap...
Adequate penetration with proper shot placement always works. Less than that...not so much...