Thank you for sharing those details. With that in mind I’ll try to help you understand the difference between an arrow going 300 fps and a .22 caliber bullet going 3,000 fps and why one is superior to the other.
A broad head tipped arrow kills primarily by causing massive hemorrhage, causing the animal to bleed to death. Also, when an arrow pierces the thoracic cavity it allows outside air into that area causing the lungs to collapse. Both conditions are lethal. How an arrow accomplishes this is that as the relatively slow projectile impacts, the extremely sharp blades of the broad head slice through the hide and flesh, resulting in a relaxing of the tissues which reduces resistance to the penetration of the arrow. As the arrow continues to slice its way through the animal every blood vessel and organ encountered is cleanly sliced open, which results in massive and rapid blood loss. An arrow doesn’t expand (the blades of mechanical broadheads being the exception) so it slides easily through the hole created by the broad head, but momentum also plays a role as a heavier arrow will out penetrate a lighter arrow thus cutting deeper. The ideal result is a ‘pass-through’ where you get both entry and exit holes. Twice as much blood on the ground to follow, twice the amount of air that can deflate the lungs and death is usually very quick. That’s how an arrow kills.
In contrast, bullets kill by brute force. As an expanding bullet slams into an animal it rapidly expands and creates a hydrostatic wound channel that is much larger than the diameter of the actual bullet. As the bullet continues along its path, it destroys all organs it contacts, as well as blood vessels resulting in significant blood loss, deflation of the lungs if shot through the thoracic cavity and death is often quick, sometimes nearly instantaneous.
Where the problem presents itself with the small caliber bullets crowd is when the animal gets a lot bigger and tougher than the game the bullet is designed for. A given bullet that might be devastating on a coyote, or even a pronghorn antelope and many of our deer in the 100-200 pound range; may perform poorly on a 500-950 pound elk. When a bullet impacts an elk’s hide it begins expending energy. It takes more energy to penetrate a thicker heavier hide (elk) than it does a thinner, lighter hide (deer, antelope). After that, the muscles and bones of an elk are significantly larger and more difficult to damage by a tiny bullet, no matter how fast it’s going. Momentum again plays a role as a 225 grain .338 bullet at 2,900 fps has a lot more momentum than a 65 grain .22 bullet at 3,300 fps. A .338 bullet has a larger diameter un-expanded than a .22 caliber bullet does when fully expanded. When that bigger bullet expands it it dramatically bigger and has way more momentum, thus doing damage on a level that no tiny bullet can inflict in the best of circumstances. Bullet construction also matters as some bullets like Berger tend to disintegrate and do massive damage but with shallow penetration, while bullets such as a Nosler Partition, A Frame, Bearclaw and such retain much of their weight and thus penetrate deeply causing more organ damage. A large, heavy bullet that can smash thru and break heavy bones is superior to a small, light bullet that doesn’t have the energy and momentum to break through the same bones. And when that smaller bullet stops, it does no more damage
@Aussie Dan I hope this answers your question and helps you understand the difference in why a slow arrow can be more lethal than some fast bullets.
