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After 60 years of hunting, reloading and the like, you get a feel for what works and what sells. Some people’s disagreements are based on fact while others are based on hype.
When we were discussing firearms in the club the other day, we all agreed that the popularity of cartridges was wishful thinking, not reality.
The kinetic energy used in shooting is based on bullet weight times speed and is a fact, not an opinion. There are other factors that affect the bullet, such as its ability to expand and penetrate. (Note that this is the projectile, not the cartridge.) These are the two theories relating to this phase of the projectile’s performance when it hits the target. The higher speed increases the kinetic energy and a flatter trajectory or projectile trajectory, which enables shots at greater distances.
The weight also increases the kinetic energy, but not necessarily the trajectory. Another factor that affects the flight path is the length and shape of the bullet itself. This is usually referred to as the drag coefficient. The coefficient allows the bullet to maintain the speed at which it was launched. If you were driving on the freeway and holding your hand flat outside the window and then cranking it up, this would be a similar example of a coefficient because of the shape of the projectile. The shape is important. Gravity acts on the bullet in the millisecond it leaves the chamber and pulls it down. However, the projectile expansion is affected by this speed. The faster the ball goes, the faster it expands, with everything else being the same. The same with regard to jacket thickness etc.
A revolution in design was created 20 years ago when Nosler launched its Ballistic Tip Bullets. To show that there’s very little new under the sun, the ballistic tip was actually a copy of the old Remington Bronze Point. Both had a sharp wedge at the top of the sphere that expanded quickly when it hit something. The only difference was that Remington used bronze for its point and Nosler’s point was made of plastic. The new Nosler immediately caught on when Nosler created an extremely accurate projectile that expanded quickly. Nosler’s unique idea was to color code the tips so that you can easily see which tip belongs to which caliber. Almost everyone does that today. A great idea from such a small thing. The only flaw with this idea was that quick hitting doesn’t necessarily mean great penetration. I would not hunt moose with this bullet. I use them all the time for marmot hunting.
A good example of overstretching and poor penetration would be my .264 Magnum. I push a 120-grain bullet at a speed of nearly 3,400 feet per second and I almost never get an exit hole on a deer. However, I find that the .264 is super accurate at its high speed and has a flat trajectory that allows for long shots. So you see, it’s a compromise. It has been suggested by people whose knowledge I respect that I slow down my reloads a bit. But if I do, why pick up the .264 Magnum? There is no magic here. Sometimes you have to compromise to enter the field of reality.
There are a few other factors that I could look at, such as the jacket. But I still have to face the reality of this cartridge when hunting with it. We who hunt deer, bears and other big game tend to take a stand on opening day and become snipers rather than hunters. The faster cartridges then become more popular.
You have to weigh the realities of high speed. One day we are going to discuss the speed of rotation, or spin, which affects accuracy. For today, that’s enough for the whole game of speed, speed and cartridges. The next time I’m in the club, you can tell me what you’re photographing and we’ll discuss it.
George Block writes a weekly outdoors column for the Observer reporter
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