Heath Hansen
FNG
To answer your question, I’d take a bow at 50 all day over a .223. I don’t care what bullet you want to run through a .223; they have no place being used for moose or grizzlies for sure.I don’t feel like it’s much of an argument. Assuming that you’re using the best options for both bullet and arrow, a 223, 22-250, 243, and 22 Creed are all far more devastating on tissue using standard expanding ammunition than a bow is using a broadhead.
A broadhead is going to be similar to a well expanding pistol round. Both affecting tissue with direct cutting and contact. They are about equal when placed appropriately.
The biggest thing that even makes this vaguely an argument are people taking poor, long shots, with a rifle caliber that might be a little marginal to begin with. Placement is off, and you see a bad outcome. If a rifle hunter with a smaller caliber never shot beyond standard bow distances, you wouldn’t hear stories of animals wounded. The other factor that complicates this is that bow hunters are usually the more experienced and patient of hunters. It’s already a biased group due to that with regard to talent and experience, which often leads to better placed shots due to more patience and better stalking.
But if you told someone in a life or death situation that they had one chance to make a kill on an animal at 50 yards and offered them a 223 with 62gr Barnes TTSX going 2900 fps or a compound bow with an Iron Will broadhead (or whatever your flavor is), what are you picking?