PintsofCraft: The "difference" is SHOT PLACEMENT!
I have killed "Big Game" with a 22 L.R. via a carefully placed bullet.
Careful shot placement is every bit as important in Big Game Hunting as is "caliber" or "ft/lbs of energy" or "bullet type".
Hold into the wind
VarmintGuy
VarmintGuy, I have no doubt that big game has been killed with a 22 L.R., although I haven't seen it done. Even with careful bullet placement, I wouldn't rely on it. I base this not on animals shot with a 22 L.R. but by observing people shot with one. In one instance, a teenage boy was shot precisely between the eyes. He remained conscious and was able to describe exactly what happened, while waiting for an ambulance to arrive.
I had a discussion with the surgeon at the hospital about the path of the bullet. The bullet , a 40 grain solid, split on entering the skull, one half continuing straight and lodging between the lobes of the brain. The other half of the bullet veered to the right and lodged against the optic nerve. The half that was lodged against the optic nerve was later removed. The boy completely recovered, aside an occasional headache. Unfortunately, he was killed a couple years later in a collision with a tree.
The other shootings I witnessed with a 22 L.R. were in the chest cavity and were also not lethal. That doesn't mean that people or animals can't be killed with a 22 L.R. but convinces me that they aren't reliable, even with careful placement.
