Is a 6.5 PRC enough? Do I need a 7mm?

[BigCountry49]

How do you measure the exit energy?

Would be tricky in real life. I assumed this was just a made up scenario.

 

[Dan Carey]

With a chronograph and this formula. KE = M x V x VKinetic energy equals mass times velocity squared

 

[BigCountry49]

With a chronograph and this formula. KE = M x V x VKinetic energy equals mass times velocity squared

It’s actually mass times velocity squared divided by two. I figured it would be tricky to get a chronograph behind an animal to measure bullet speed leaving the animal.

 

[Dan Carey]

Maybe today, however we now have radar chronographs and in the future we may be able to get that figure.
This is mostly an exercise into Hydraulic shock (bullet expansion) vs penetration (bullet hole) to vent blood out of the body. They both will kill the animal.

 

[BCDJR]

I get a kick out of the love of heavy for caliber bullets and focus on speed on Rokslide, but god forbid someone uses a measure that includes speed twice along with bullet weight! Bigger bullets going faster can do more - it’s a silly argument to argue against basic physics. *chuckle*

There was always a group that used small lightly constructed bullets, so Rokslide is nothing new, many of us just like bigger things.

Use something that barely works at a minimal level if you want to. I get groceries with a one ton pickup and never once thought twice at what the dude with a Smart Car is thinking or that he is right. Minimalists seem to cry the loudest that anything more than needed is a waste. I don’t doubt the Smart Car dude is have his morning coffee as we speak talking crap about my 1985 Ford. I prefer an over powered gas lawn mower, while our electric Makita mower cuts well enough to get the job done with the elegance of a cordless drill.

That being said shooters should progress from smaller rifles to larger ones only if they shoot well and want to. If someone shoots so little they barely function with a small rifle that makes the decision an easy one. Also this strange trend to only have a single rifle almost requires the shooter to have something better suited to practice than one rifle for practice and another good pure hunting rifle.

Make fun of fudds all you like, we were killing things just fine back then and my 1960 Remington with wood stock still shoots better than the vast majority of junk that Tacticool dudes are shooting at the range. Needed or not, our old energy rules of thumb worked well. We didn’t have to have hundreds of posts convincing each other with autopsy photos - we knew what worked because we killed stuff. Take your Smart Car off my lawn!

Yes…and maybe we can all agree that perfect shot placement helps. In the real world of hunting in various countries, various terrains , elevations and elements you will find you rarely have a perfect shot. Been there and done that. I was in very thick cover once 60 yards from a Cape buffalo in brush and timber. Had a .375 with 300 grain expansion and solids alternating. I never felt so under gunned in my life.

 

[eoperator]

With a chronograph and this formula. KE = M x V x VKinetic energy equals mass times velocity squared

You forgot to subtract W² (whallup squared).

 

[Dan Carey]

I can't remember all I once knew.