I went through this post. Here a few quotes regarding lead bullets (unless I misunderstood something).
Close range and shot place are paramount
Less bloodshot than a high velocity .22 hollow point.
punches clean holes and does not destroy meat while absolutely hammering small game dead.
I killed a deer with four 200gr 10mm HC bullets in about 2 seconds all through both lungs at about 1,200 fps impact velocity, and I was unimpressed with the results. It might have worked better if I had hit some bone.
I agree on the 38special being great for small game; it's typically very accuracy when loaded at mild velocities. Lead bullets are cheap and effective on small critters when properly placed. And that brings me to what I find amusing. It's effective when "properly placed." Lead, HC lead, and big meplates (which is exactly what a wadcutter has) are all recommended for dangerous game. We're talking small game here up to including deer, but results are less than stellar. But hey, when a bear, easily 2x as big as a deer, is munching on you, shoot it with hard cast lead! Need hard cast because shot placement will be hard to achieve under stress, so need something that penetrates deep and hits vitals and stops the attack fast. I find irony in this. "Requires proper placement" "has less bloodshot," "makes clean holes," "no meat destroyed," "unimpressive results." Why do we as a whole keep recommending lead bullets for dangerous game, when they are less than stellar on small game? Don't we want big, bloody, cavernous wound channels that destroy everything in it's path? And yes, penetration is required, that's a given. But that can be achieved with a quality soft point or hollow point. Even a grizzly only requires 20 or so inches of penetration to vitals from just about any front facing angle. What am I missing here?
