The big question which seems to be unanswered is which metallic cartridge is suitable for which type of game. I have always thought that this was worthy of an answer, but so far nobody has had a really good one. But some people, especially and notoriously gun-rag writers, have always been more than happy to try to sell me on some guns or ammunition that I might not need!
I've long had a little formula for my own personal use but I put it on the backburner because I thought it was just too simple. It certainly is simple, yes, but I decided maybe simple is also good. It's certainly not any worse than anything else that's already been out there.
First, I'll give the formula. Don't worry. It's simple, painless, and you can perform it easily on your desktop calculator in three steps. (A far sight easier than balancing your checkbook! ) I call the result the "Striking Force" (SF) and it's intended to be a sort-of estimate as to what a cartridge is suitable for. (Note: It won't work for theoreticals like baseballs thrown at 100 mph, because the original calculation assumes that the density of the projectile is at or near that of lead.)
1. Either calculate or look up the kinetic energy figure (in ft-lbs) for the cartridge you're evaluating. Take the square root of that. (For a more realistic/conservative estimate, I've generally used one of the downrange KE figures, say at 100 yards for rifles or 50 yards for handguns.)
2. Multiply the square root of the energy by the bullet diameter, in inches.
3. Multiply the result of #2 by the constant 2.65
4. This is the Striking Force.
Here is a breakdown for the Striking Force values that I have determined so far:
20 or less--Small game and varmints
20 (bare minimum) to 40+ : Deer
30* (bare minimum) to 50+: Large game (for tougher animals a minimum of 40-45 is probably best)
55 (rock bottom minimum) and above: Dangerous game
Okay, there it is. Have fun with it!
(*This is a change from what I originally had. (Trying to do this from memory.)
I've long had a little formula for my own personal use but I put it on the backburner because I thought it was just too simple. It certainly is simple, yes, but I decided maybe simple is also good. It's certainly not any worse than anything else that's already been out there.
First, I'll give the formula. Don't worry. It's simple, painless, and you can perform it easily on your desktop calculator in three steps. (A far sight easier than balancing your checkbook! ) I call the result the "Striking Force" (SF) and it's intended to be a sort-of estimate as to what a cartridge is suitable for. (Note: It won't work for theoreticals like baseballs thrown at 100 mph, because the original calculation assumes that the density of the projectile is at or near that of lead.)
1. Either calculate or look up the kinetic energy figure (in ft-lbs) for the cartridge you're evaluating. Take the square root of that. (For a more realistic/conservative estimate, I've generally used one of the downrange KE figures, say at 100 yards for rifles or 50 yards for handguns.)
2. Multiply the square root of the energy by the bullet diameter, in inches.
3. Multiply the result of #2 by the constant 2.65
4. This is the Striking Force.
Here is a breakdown for the Striking Force values that I have determined so far:
20 or less--Small game and varmints
20 (bare minimum) to 40+ : Deer
30* (bare minimum) to 50+: Large game (for tougher animals a minimum of 40-45 is probably best)
55 (rock bottom minimum) and above: Dangerous game
Okay, there it is. Have fun with it!
(*This is a change from what I originally had. (Trying to do this from memory.)
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