As I understand the term "stopping rifle" for African game, it goes like this... When taking on a charging elephant or buffalo, you aim for a brain shot, and kill them instantly with a CNS hit. If you miss the brain, with a "stopping rifle", it will either knock out or daze the animal...stopping it long enough for a precise follow up shot to the brain. Most stopping rifle calibers start with a "5" and are used with solids with a flat nose. This is the way it was explained to me, by my PH, in Zimbabwe. Pretty much follows what mule deer stated, above.
