More than bullet accuracy is needed when deer hunting
Last week, I wrote about the importance of the performance of a bullet and subsequently the importance of an accurate bullet. I also said that the value of bullet performance goes a bit farther than accuracy alone. It is at this time of year, with the approach of the traditional deer season, that we tend to look at that little chunk of lead and copper, the bullet. I cannot help but wonder how this bullet spins its way down range with help from the other three parts of the cartridge and it will hit something, but what? The hunter hopes it strikes the chest of a world record buck.
We know accuracy is striking close to the bullet hole made by the preceding shot. The average shooter has been guilty at some time or other of carrying in his wallet one of those targets we all hope for. All the bullets worked together to create this coveted one-hole shot. While it is what we seek, this one-hole group may have been the rifle’s only group ever shot that stayed in a 1 1/2-half inch circle. Whatever the case, the shooter now believes this is now the greatest bullet for hunting.
While accuracy-wise this is the magic that we seek it is not always the best thing for hunting. You must consider if the shooter, the rifle, bullet and combo work well together. Does anyone out there beside me read the fine print on the label of Sierra Bullets? They say right on the box, if needed hollow-point bullets are for target shooting not hunting. I have heard many the hunter brag about the shot he has made, and indeed it was a great shot at such a distance. Accuracy is necessary for long-range shooting but isn’t good terminal ballistics also needed? A bullet that is well-forged shoved down the barrel will travel 3,000 feet per second. I would trade some of that speed for good terminal ballistics.
Not only is the spin rate higher than the forward velocity, there is some thought that this high RPMS increases bullet fragmentation. The bullet used for hunting must penetrate to reach the vitals yet must also expand. I have often questioned someone who likes to shoot deer at long ranges. His bench is at one end of the field and his target frame is 1,000 yards away. One question I bring up is hitting with 3,000-foot pounds at the muzzle does not mean it will hit with 3,000-foot pounds at the target. The atmosphere has resistance, and this resistance slows it down at long ranges. At 1,000 yards the bullet has slowed down significantly. Combine that with the hitting precisely in the right spot. I am sure there are a few crippled deer floating around. If the bullet you send down range hits the mark, then it is probably a good accurate bullet but will it down the deer?
- I just received my Game Commission calendar. I thought it had some excellent photos this year.