Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters Nock down Power

Was a fly on the wall the other night, while 2 gents debated "shock /knock down" power, or myth of said power.
#1 party said he uses heavier bullits for the additional knock down umph, superior to lighter projectiles.
#2 says physics state every action has an equal but oppisite reaction, thus the prey feels aprox on impact what you feel in your shoulder via recoil.
I had enough sense to stay the hell out, and remaim a fly on the wall, but got my curiosity going. How much validity do you gave shock power?

Very little. I put the bullet in a place where the animal will not run off and live. They may still run off, but they usually leave lots of blood and are pretty easy to find. I tend to use heavy for caliber bullets, but I'm shooting mostly factory cup and core bullets and feel that I'm better off with heavier bullets of this construction.

I'll be a fly on the wall as well, but atleast I'll have my popcorn....

I can guarantee that contestant #2 has never been shot.

I don't think that the nock imparts any energy at all; it's just there to keep the arrow on the string.

+1

I've never been shot either. Do tell.

Was thinking the same thing...and it shouldn't matter if the nock is down.....or up.

Course...gettin' nocked up is entirely different....

We talkin 'bout the thing on the butt end of an arrow?

Hmmmmmm, What's gonna leave a bigger mark a Chevy Aveo at 80 MPH or a Peterbilt tanker truck at 65 MPH when it hits something? The only way a lighter, smaller bullet can make up for size is velocity combined with quality construction.

Nope, ethnic slurs...

Use a 338 Lapua Mag and it wont matter

Ingwe's talking about the after effects of when an arrow penetrates the target.

I have

It's funny how a misspelled word can lead to endless blather.

But I think Phil nailed it pretty well.

Bob

www.bigbores.ca

The one thing that the original poster said I have to take a little harder look at. The animal feels the same recoil as the shooter, due to physics. First the shooter has the mass of the rifle and size of the recoil area to slow then disperse the recoil. Second we add the adzorbing power of the material in the recoil pad and the fact that the excess gasses leave the barrel behind the bullet. It is another thing when the bulllet and gasses cannot escape the barrel, but that is another story.

Momentum of the rifle is slowed by it's extra mass as compared to the mass of the bullet and the velocity it travels...an object at rest stays at rest unless acted upon by a force. The bullet is accerated up to it's speed, say 2800 fps, the stock due to it's mass, 150 grain bullet vs @ 52,500 grains to a 7.5 pound rifle, the velocity of the stock is much less (thank god) so we get a push or a slap or next to no recoil depending on the round fired. Could you imagine the "knock down" power of a 7.5 pound rifle at 2800 fps? Talk about a dangerous game gun.

To sum it up, I would much rather be on the rifle side of the equation, than the bullet side. Even with the diminutive .223, which some feel is inadequate for anything but small varmints, is a destructive force to be respected with out to hundreds yards yet leaves the rifle with a gentle push to the shooter. No matter what anyone says about it, there are mountains of dead game and combatants that this diminutive round has taken with ease. I do not think the rifle firing it has taken any lives due to it's recoil forces.

If you want knock down power , then forget a rifle and use your truck , this is the only way to get real knock down power on the spot. The only reason any animal drops right there is a brain , spine or i should say nervous system shutdown from the bullet, other wise the brain will need a few min's to run out of O2 and a deer or other big game animal can cover a few yards before this happens. They are dead while running but just don't know it.

Go on...

Or many little bitty aroows finding their mark.