CraigC
Sixgun Nut
When I read statements like this:
I know the person making it doesn't understand enough about terminal ballistics to KNOW that it isn't "Physics 101". It's much more complicated than that. Kinetic energy might be "Physics 101" but it's "Terminal Ballistics for Dummies".
Energy is a worthless number. What matters is "what does bullet A do when it strikes target B at impact velocity C?" It doesn't matter how much energy is produced. It matters how the bullet behaves, how much destruction it produces and how deeply it penetrates. Bullet weight, construction and impact velocity are what matter. Take three bullets of the same diameter and weight. Let's say 250gr .45cal and a muzzle velocity of 1300fps. One bullet a roundnose full metal jacket, one a wide cavity jacketed hollowpoint, one a cast LBT style WFN. Driven at the same velocity they all produce the same amount of kinetic energy. Yet all three will behave very differently when they impact a live animal. The FMJ will zip through causing minimal damage. The JHP will expand, producing a broad, yet shallow(er) wound channel. The LBT will produce a wide wound channel, break every bone in its path and exit the other side. You can intelligently debate the merits of each and kinetic energy need not be mentioned the first time. We're not saying that kinetic energy doesn't exist or that it is not in play here, only that the calculated amount is not a useful number. It doesn't tell us what a given bullet will do when it impacts a critter at a given velocity. Testing, manufacturer specifications and experience tell us that. Not "Physics 101".
Now please explain to this idiot how calculated kinetic energy helps us determine which bullet does what and which is suitable for what game.
You need to go back to Physics 101.
I know the person making it doesn't understand enough about terminal ballistics to KNOW that it isn't "Physics 101". It's much more complicated than that. Kinetic energy might be "Physics 101" but it's "Terminal Ballistics for Dummies".
Energy is a worthless number. What matters is "what does bullet A do when it strikes target B at impact velocity C?" It doesn't matter how much energy is produced. It matters how the bullet behaves, how much destruction it produces and how deeply it penetrates. Bullet weight, construction and impact velocity are what matter. Take three bullets of the same diameter and weight. Let's say 250gr .45cal and a muzzle velocity of 1300fps. One bullet a roundnose full metal jacket, one a wide cavity jacketed hollowpoint, one a cast LBT style WFN. Driven at the same velocity they all produce the same amount of kinetic energy. Yet all three will behave very differently when they impact a live animal. The FMJ will zip through causing minimal damage. The JHP will expand, producing a broad, yet shallow(er) wound channel. The LBT will produce a wide wound channel, break every bone in its path and exit the other side. You can intelligently debate the merits of each and kinetic energy need not be mentioned the first time. We're not saying that kinetic energy doesn't exist or that it is not in play here, only that the calculated amount is not a useful number. It doesn't tell us what a given bullet will do when it impacts a critter at a given velocity. Testing, manufacturer specifications and experience tell us that. Not "Physics 101".
Now please explain to this idiot how calculated kinetic energy helps us determine which bullet does what and which is suitable for what game.