“Does SD (sectional density of the bullet) matter when using a big-bore rifle on the hazardous sort (of big game), or those that can weigh a half-ton or more?” That is the question posed in the final paragraph of last week’s blog. To get a grasp on what this is all about, you’ll need to go there for the background to that question, which I’ll answer this week.
The shortest answer is an unequivocal “Yes!”. But nobody is completely happy with what might appear, on the surface of things, to be simply an opinion, or personal bias. So we’ll dig a bit deeper.
On the personal level, I didn’t start out “Lovin’ the Big Bang”. That came about as a result of experience, and analysis of ballistics, in the regions of my hunts, the type of game pursued in those areas, and my style of hunting.
The regions were Eastern Canadian woodlands, with occasional hunts on private farmlands with potential open areas bordered by woodlots that merged with forested-wilderness areas in New Brunswick. There were also swamps, streams, ridges, valleys and small lakes. In other words, typical N.E. North America of the 1950’s with very low human population densities. I mostly used a 12-gauge for everything, plus the occasional .303 British and a .22 LR. In my view, nothing more was NEEDED for anything.
Then, circumstances dramatically changed, and “my calling” led me (and family) to the big cities of the USA and Canada for further educational and ministry purposes (I’m still a pastor at 76.). Cities like Chicago, New York, Montreal, Hamilton, Toronto, etc… Not many whitetails strolling down the middle of Flatbush Ave., Brooklyn, N.Y. or Bay St., Toronto! So there was somewhat of a lull in hunting activities for about 20 years. While in Toronto, however, matters changed dramatically again. By that time we had two sons in college in New Brunswick who also became involved in hunting activities in my home province. When they were at home with us, that stirred conversations over rifles, ballistics and handloading. Believe it or not, there’s no whitetail, bear or moose hunting in Toronto! That meant we had to go north of the city for a couple of hours drive to find Crown Land that resembled what we were used to in New Brunswick. That was a lot of years ago, and that is still my primary hunting area.
Over that period of time, I’ve handloaded everything I use except shotguns and .22 LR’s. The smallest being the .22 Hornet and the largest the .458 Winchester Magnum, and I’ve settled on Big Bores for most of my hunting. Why?
Because, from experience, I’ve found they work best for where I hunt, what I hunt for, and my style of hunting. Another fact is that premium, or “ultra-premium” bullets are not needed for moose, black bear, whitetails or wolf when they measure .458-inch.
Several years ago I used my .340 WBY, handloaded with 250gr Nosler Partitions, to slay an 1100lb bull moose in Northern Ontario. It certainly did an acceptable job at 165 yards. But the truth of the matter is that I also had my 1895 Marlin along handloaded with 405gr Remingtons that would leave the muzzle at 2100 fps. After the fact, there was no doubt in my mind that, at that range, the Marlin would have done as well, and perhaps better. I say “perhaps better” for two reasons: 1) I’d had experience with that Marlin load on black bear, and 2) I ended up shooting that moose three times with those Noslers, plus two shots from my son’s .338 WM at a few feet to finish things. ALL were perfect hits. But only one to the brain, and that from my son’s rifle at 3 feet. No shots were to the shoulder or spine… on purpose.
Why? I’m not a “trophy hunter”. Nor are the 100,000+ Ontarians who hunt moose annually. They are hunters, pure and simple, just like I was 55 years ago in New Brunswick. Not one in a hundred is a “trophy hunter” in the usage of that term as understood by North Americans who read “the magazines” where 99.9% of stories, and promotions, are related to hunters who want a “book rack” or a “trophy head”.
Sure, any hunter will brag about a good rack or head, but that’s secondary, not the prime reason for hunting! The primary motive for hunting is … well, HUNTING! It’s the overall experience, plus the meat. Those who want a “trophy” something-or-other must pay for it. It’s as simple as that, and, in the American way, “bigger is better”! That’s not where I come from, nor where I’m going. I’m an outdoors person who enjoys hunting, camping, hiking the back country, sightseeing, doing some photography, astronomy, observing wildlife, and so on… I’m sure you get the picture. Yes, I like the tools involved in all that, but the main thing for me isn’t the tools, but the total experience.
But these blogs are about the “tools”… mainly bullets.
The reason I chose to tote the .340 WBY on that day was due to very fresh sign with much of it in open areas where “reach” could exceed the trajectory of the Marlin load. That load was making nearly 4000 ft-lbs at the muzzle and the .340 was checking out at 1000 more! However, the .340 would have had to fling that 250gr Nosler at an impossible muzzle velocity (3400 fps!)to equal the momentum of the Marlin load. And, that’s not all… the .458″ slug had 83% MORE frontal area (cross-section area) than the .338″. I’m certain, today, that while the 250 NP penetrated well enough, so would the 405gr (cup and core) also have penetrated well enough to put that moose down with a single shot through the lungs.
The first shot was broadside through the lungs, tight against the shoulders (where I was aiming offhand), and it made exit into the bushes beyond. The bull staggered, and swung slightly away from me. The second was a quartering going-away shot which put the bull down on the spot. That bullet was later retrieved just under the hide at 3″ from the first bullet’s exit. My son approached the bull and it stood up, but was very sick (not going anywhere). I put another 250 Nosler into “the seat of the pants” and it went down to stay… my son finished it as described.
That final Nosler was retrieved by the butcher somewhere in the forward “compartment” of the bull. I still have those retrieved bullets which retained about 70% of initial weight. To this day, however, I’m thoroughly convinced that no more than two from the Marlin would have finished the job, without a brain or spinal hit.
Now, there are much better “tools” available for the Marlin today. But the question is: At $2.00 per, is it worth it, or even needed? I shot a medium black bear 3 1/2 years ago using my .458 WM and 350gr TSX’s at 2750 fps. It was a frontal hit and the bullet certainly penetrated well, from chest to flank just in front of the right hip where it made exit. The bear still went 40 yards! That bullet NEVER expanded!!
I’ve killed several black bears with .458″ non-premium bullets, including cast, and the farthest one ever went was 10 yards. Another was shot with a 500gr Hornady Int. (for testing purposes), that made exit, and the bear went 20 yards. That bullet never expanded either! That’s some experience, which leads me now to look at SD and science once more.
Penetration: There are those who want penetration, and lots of it. They want two holes… entrance and exit. They also want to retrieve the bullet so they can take pictures of it (them) as proof that they retained 95 to 99% of original weight! I fail to understand that logic. A “pass-through” BUT ALSO a bullet to prove something or other!!!
I want ENOUGH penetration, and that doesn’t always mean an exit. Some PH’s don’t want an exit either when hunting in a herd. That’s because you (the client) pay for any animal wounded as well as for “the trophy”!
I cited the cases of the two bears and the moose for this very reason. Of the three Noslers, two were retrieved and one made exit. The one that made exit proved nothing to me. The two that remained in the animal actually did more “work” than the one that completely penetrated as their wound channels were longer. My son fired a 250gr Hornady SP into the neck (after the moose was down for keeps) because it’s head was still up. That shot was at point-blank range from his .338 Win Mag at 2700 fps+ and it too made exit. The head went down with a “thump” but it’s eyes were still roving… so another through the skull, between the eyes and into the brain finished things. The jacket of that bullet was later retrieved by the butcher somewhere in the front portion of the chest cavity. We have to assume that the lead core departed with the guts. So much for the idea of “premium only” for penetration. My bullets cost 2X his, which did about an equivalent job in my estimation.
About the bears: The 350gr TSX at 2750 fps MV did a much less favorable job than my experience with 400gr and 405gr “cup and core” projectiles! A humble 465gr hardcast flattened a big bear in it’s tracks with a frontal chest hit. It had a flat tip and never expanded either, making exit through the bottom of the sternum.
And I could go on… and on…
What have I learned about penetration from such experiences?
1) That only enough penetration is needed.
2) That penetration is determined by many factors, not one or two.
3) That the greater the velocity of the bullet on impact, the greater the stress on the bullet.
4) That a big hole, plus adequate penetration, creates greater trauma than a smaller primary wound cavity.
5) That larger-bore (Big Bore) expanding bullets create greater trauma (blood loss) when expansion is approximately 1.75X, penetration is adequate, and the bullet retains most (or all) of it’s original weight.
6) That “solids”, including hardcast, work best with a flat meplat (tips) of more than 50% of caliber.
So, to answer the question (again): “Does SD matter in the clean termination of larger game animals?”
Assuming the bullet is designed for the job at hand, and is placed properly, experience teaches that momentum matters. Momentum is force and, as I have demonstrated, is related to bullet weight times velocity. A heavier weight bullet in any given caliber will have a higher SD as well as more momentum, other things equal such as pressure.
That raises another question: Therefore, is the most heavy bullet needed in a given Big Bore for best results? That depends, of course, on where you hunt, what you’re hunting, and your style of hunting. That’s really where I started with my own choices.
One of the debates now — and ongoing — is “Will a 400gr non-con expanding, or flat tip solid, from a .458 Win mag be adequate for the DG of Africa?” Adequate? Perhaps. Best? Not really, because a 450gr, or my choice, a properly constructed 500gr, has more mass, therefore more momentum, all else equal. Of course “solids” are for things like elephant and rhino where adequate penetration is a must. In a .458″, nothing excels a “best” 500gr for penetration as it has an SD of .341.
(Expanded and retrieved bullets, clockwise starting at 1 o’clock: 400gr/.458″ Speer, 90.6%, retrieved from “trophy” bl. bear; 2, 250gr/.338″ NP’s from moose, 70% weight retention; sectioned jacket from 250gr/.338″ Hor.; 405gr/.458″ Rem. fired into test media, 98.5%; .500gr/.458″ Hor. into test media, 97.6% and 500gr/.458″ Hor. into test media, 71.8%)
Adequate penetration from a Big Bore on large bear will depend on several factors, including: placement, bullet weight, construction, profile and MV. But also whether the bear is frontal, broadside or quartering. I’ve killed at least a couple from frontal hits, at least one from a going away shot and the rest from broadside or quartering toward or away shots. Range is a factor as well, not only for trajectory purposes but impact velocity (momentum), which will have a direct influence on expansion (of an expanding bullet) and penetration. Therefore, choice of bullet weight, shape and construction are all important factors to be considered in selecting the “right” bullet for the task at hand.
In September, 2012, I’ll be hunting bear over bait once again, God willing. My main rifle will be a 9.3 X 62 firing 286-grainers. The choice of bullet will likely be the 286gr Hornady. It has an SD of .305, the same as a 300gr in a .375 H&H. At a muzzle velocity of 2450 fps to 2500 fps, the impact velocity will be around 2200 fps at 150 yards (predetermined bait setup), with momentum at 90 lbs-ft/sec. That’s more than a 200gr from a 300 WBY at the muzzle, while having a near identical SD and 42% larger cross-sectional area… and perfect for any bear on this continent with a proper hit through vital organs.
Shalom (And this is my 150th blog, and the longest!)
BOB MITCHELL