All that you read and see in the commercial media is advertising designed to create uninformed consumers who make irrational choices. The quote is from Noam Chomsky, and I agree with his analysis of advertising, and you see how shooters repeat what they are taught.
While more means more, I am of the opinion that what really counts in terms of lethality is the bullet that makes the biggest through hole. And what is totally missing in this discussion, and in 99% of the discussions on calibers, is the difference in penetration depth and wound channel between the rounds under discussion. Also, not the wound channel and penetration at short distance, but the effective distances being claimed for the cartridges. You notice everything you read in the in print press , if it is presented at all in ballistic gelatin, are 25/50/100 yard shots. Well if the cartridge is sold as a 600 yard, 1000 yard, 1500 yard hunting round, then the consumer should be seeing the expansion of the bullet and the wound channel it creates at those distances. What we do see is 25/50/100 yard data which of course, bullet expansion is just wonderful! The typical bullets on the market don't expand when velocities are less than 1800 fps, and when the 30-06 or 338 Win slow down to that velocity, the difference between the bullet holes, on target, is exactly 0.030 inches. There are posters who make convincing arguments that 0.030 inches is greater than the span of the Grand Canyon and that the game can tell when it is hit with a bullet 0.030 inches larger in size!
And where did they learn this stuff?, because they sure can't have thought of these analyses by themselves. Why, they must be reading this stuff.!!
As do all industries, the shooting industry depends on churn, so the cartridge du jour will be old hat tomorrow. I am surprised that they are still chambering rifles in the 338 Win Mag but even so, it is no doubt a fine cartridge and does everything you would expect from a round that pushes a 225 grain bullet to 2800 fps. Including the recoil! I was given a 338 Win Mag to shoot for a silhouette match, and I was stupid enough to shoot the thing in a rifle match where all shots for record were made standing. I can say, about 8 shots into a 40 shot match, my flinch was horrible! These magnum rounds really, really kick. And that is important, if you cannot control your flinch with these monsters than you should not be using them on game. A good standard is, "can you keep all your shots within 8 inches at the distance you are shooting". Eight inches reflect the typical lethal zone on N.American game, and if you can't keep your first shot, and your last shot, within 8 inches, then you are going to wound some poor animal and un necessarily increase it's suffering. Many could care less about the suffering of another, and even less about some defenseless animal that runs off and dies an agonizing death due to a poorly placed shot. But, if you are not one of these individuals, you ought to look realistically about your ability to hit at distance with a powerful cartridge.
While more means more, I am of the opinion that what really counts in terms of lethality is the bullet that makes the biggest through hole. And what is totally missing in this discussion, and in 99% of the discussions on calibers, is the difference in penetration depth and wound channel between the rounds under discussion. Also, not the wound channel and penetration at short distance, but the effective distances being claimed for the cartridges. You notice everything you read in the in print press , if it is presented at all in ballistic gelatin, are 25/50/100 yard shots. Well if the cartridge is sold as a 600 yard, 1000 yard, 1500 yard hunting round, then the consumer should be seeing the expansion of the bullet and the wound channel it creates at those distances. What we do see is 25/50/100 yard data which of course, bullet expansion is just wonderful! The typical bullets on the market don't expand when velocities are less than 1800 fps, and when the 30-06 or 338 Win slow down to that velocity, the difference between the bullet holes, on target, is exactly 0.030 inches. There are posters who make convincing arguments that 0.030 inches is greater than the span of the Grand Canyon and that the game can tell when it is hit with a bullet 0.030 inches larger in size!
And where did they learn this stuff?, because they sure can't have thought of these analyses by themselves. Why, they must be reading this stuff.!!
As do all industries, the shooting industry depends on churn, so the cartridge du jour will be old hat tomorrow. I am surprised that they are still chambering rifles in the 338 Win Mag but even so, it is no doubt a fine cartridge and does everything you would expect from a round that pushes a 225 grain bullet to 2800 fps. Including the recoil! I was given a 338 Win Mag to shoot for a silhouette match, and I was stupid enough to shoot the thing in a rifle match where all shots for record were made standing. I can say, about 8 shots into a 40 shot match, my flinch was horrible! These magnum rounds really, really kick. And that is important, if you cannot control your flinch with these monsters than you should not be using them on game. A good standard is, "can you keep all your shots within 8 inches at the distance you are shooting". Eight inches reflect the typical lethal zone on N.American game, and if you can't keep your first shot, and your last shot, within 8 inches, then you are going to wound some poor animal and un necessarily increase it's suffering. Many could care less about the suffering of another, and even less about some defenseless animal that runs off and dies an agonizing death due to a poorly placed shot. But, if you are not one of these individuals, you ought to look realistically about your ability to hit at distance with a powerful cartridge.
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