Consistent drops at impact result from CNS damage (butt hits first then head). Baring direct CNS hits, the more tissue that is destroyed= the faster things die. With the right bullets you can and do get wound channels big enough due to fragmentation and temporary stretch cavities that will damage the spinal cord from pure rib shots.

When talking about terminal ballistics given two bullets- one with a long and narrow wound path (TSX, GMX, etc) and one with very wide yet relatively shallower wound path (AMAX, Berger, old NBT's, etc) as long as sufficient penetration is achieved to reach vitals with both.... The one that creates a wider wound channel will kill faster. Make that wound channel wide enough (temporary stretch cavity) and it will easily damage the spine consistently from broadside rib shots with no bone involved.


5, 10, or even 15 instances does not mean much. 40-50 instances start to show a trend. Between hunting and depredation I have shot several hundred deer- from 80lb does in Alabama to very large bodied mule deer and whitetails in Montana and the Midwest.

Using only those bullet/cartridge combinations that I have more than 50 kills with no bone being involved-


300WM-

1) 178gr AMAX. Despite well over 100 kills with pure chest shots this combo is still in the single digits of animals that have so much as twitched after impact. All but two were well over 400 yards of those that have moved. 95% + of animals have dropped at impact from this combo. The reason is simple- an extremely wide wound channel with a bullet that will fragment.

2) 190 and 220gr SMK's. Almost all run a bit despite extremely large exit holes. The reason being that SMK's tend to tumble after penetrating 5-8 inches and fragment rather than expanding traditionally.

3) 150gr and 180gr Corelokts. Most all ran.





308win-

1) 168gr and 175gr SMK's, most all run. Same reason as the SMK's in the 300WM.

2). 168gr AMAX's. Around 40% drop at impact. Here we see a frangible bullet that causes a wide wound channel, but due to velocity and less fragments does not create a wound channel wide enough to consistently disrupt the CNS. In contrast the 155gr AMAX starts to approach the velocity/frag necessary.




243win-

1) 95 NBT. Around 80-85% flop from chest hits. It's a little monster of a bullet.



223/5.56-

1) 77gr SMK's. Very few drop at impact from chest hits.





I've killed a bunch of deer with a bunch of different cartridges and bullets, some combos approaching 40-50 kills, yet the above are the ones that I have the most experience with.