The energy gimmick

[44 AMP]

No cartridge, rifle or handgun, will give a 100% guaranteed one shot stop. Physics doesn't allow it.

While I do believe this to be true, I have my doubts about the 90mm recoilless rifle..(with a COM hit, of course)..

.327 Federal Magnum, for example, listed energy figures on the ammunition when it was released, because the American Eagle 100 gr soft point load met the 500 ft-lb energy requirement for hunting big game in certain states; and the other loads included the information to show that they came up shy (and were illegal in those states).

until you mentioned it, I had forgotten how now, many states include an energy requirement in defining what is legal for what game.

In light of that, putting that number on the ammo box makes good sense, providing a handy "in the field" reference that shows your ammo meets the requirement. (or doesn't).

 

[Koda94]

I haven't seen any states hunting ammo energy requirement that wasn't flawed. Obviously many wildlife officials are not that familiar with guns. In my state you can legally hunt deer with a .25acp. Thank god even the craziest of yahoos are smarter than that but I'm sure the wildlife official has a degree in something...

 

[5whiskey]

Obviously many wildlife officials are not that familiar with guns.

Maybe it's because I'm in a very gun-friendly locale, but I constantly hear about LEO's and Game Wardens being en masse ignorant about firearms but my observation proves this to be totally false. Most sworn wildlife officials I know hunt, fish, teach CCW classes, and are avid shooters. At least half of the cops I know are avid shooters, and most of the rest I would describe as "better than just proficient."

If you are talking about the eggheads that actually write the law, I would agree with you. They probably know virtually nothing about firearms and the low K/E requirement is based off of ensuring that bow hunting will be allowed. As we know, K/E of a arrow and K/E of a bullet are apples to oranges.

 

[kraigwy]

Energy if fun to play with but is not the end-all when it comes to hunting bullets.

I attended the Northwestern Traffic Institute on Traffic Accident Reconstruction.

We played with the numbers where if you got a bumble bee going fast enough it would exceed the energy of a freight train (eng. only) and it theory would stop a freight train.

But we know math alone will not stop a freight train, no matter how fast you can get a bubble bee to fly.

A more realistic example it comparing two bullets of the same weight at the same velocity.

Lets say, a 150 FMJ 30 cal bullet going 2700 fps, with a 150 gr. Soft point 30 cal bullet going 2700 fps. Both are going to have the same KE, about 2430 ft lbs. (2428.7 to be exact).

Which of the two would make the better hunting bullet. One more then likely will pass through, expending its energy in the air until it hits the ground someplace down range. The other is more then likely going to expand and expend its energy in the critter.

But like I said, its fun to play with the numbers. Not as much fun now as it use to be when we had to use a slide rule, but still fun.

As I have said in the past, "sniping isn't about the gun/ammo, its about the weaponization of math".

 

[44 AMP]

If you could get that bumble bee going fast enough, it would turn to plasma, which could burn a hole through that train engine, lengthwise...or so the math says..

Our thinking about "what" does "what" when it comes to bullet performance in a target medium is somewhat channeled by the terms and math we use to describe it.

Kinetic energy is energy of motion, energy doing work, and a bullet has that as long as it is moving, but, that is all just potential until it strikes the target.

Target resistance forces some of that energy to work on the bullet, itself, which is why a hollow point expands. You could say that the energy used to expand the bullet is "lost" because it doesn't directly affect the target, and be mathematically correct. However, like energy lost when the bullet exits, it doesn't matter. All that matters is that there is enough energy to drive the bullet where it needs to go to get the job done, under all possible conditions.

If you have enough to do that, where any excess goes is a moot point.

 

[Hal]

It's like 0-60 mph times for econo cars and light trucks .... not very useful, but a point of comparison between models.

There ya go...
There's not much all loads have in common that can be used by a just about anyone that have any sort of common ground - that's even partly useful.

 

[dajowi]

This is all the technical stuff you need to know for the .44 magnum.

"This is a .44 Magnum, the most powerful handgun in the world and would blow your head clean off."