Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Elk Hunting Minimum caliber to hunt elk??...

Isn't it funny that you must add things I never said to try and make your point, I can now see how you have 31k posts, you have to post for others along with yourself
I get it, you have managed to bluff your way through all these years.. It is becoming quite obvious that you either don't understand simple ballistics or your ego is bruised and you can't back away from, this now..

Not even sure what you are asking, but the simple fact is the axiom works across the board, as a general recommendation for Elk hunting, I don't understand why it is so hard for you to figure it out it really isn't difficult

A simple ballistics calculation that takes everything into account if you know what you are doing, and it fits to almost all cartridges if you understand how to use it ..It really isn't Magic just simple math and common sense

This thread is useless without ballistic tables.

Dammit Jud get the net.

In other words, you have no idea what the magical 1500 ft-lb benchmark is based on. Thanks for clearing that up.

Do you always use enough gun, and stoke it with premium pills?

Finally, two guys that get it.

A premium pill, shot through a premium tube, will knock ‘em down good.

sixgun is the smartest guy in his quartet.

Über smart.

A simple ballistics calculation and common sense. Let's talk about that, first the calculation. Without googling it, you do know that the simple calculation squares the velocity term, and halves the mass term, right? And you do know that means the formula emphasizes velocity over mass, many would say to the point that it gives an unrealistic apparent advantage to a light, fast projectile over a heavier slower projectile, right?

And since you brought up the state of Colorado and it's take on kinetic energy, you do know that Colorado allows elk hunters to hunt elk with a rifle and bullet that delivers less than 1500 ft- lbs at the muzzle, and less than 1,000 ft-lbs at 50 yards, right?

Last but not least, have you ever shot an elk with a bullet that delivers less than 1500 ft-lbs? Yes or no?

I have, and none of 'em got away.

Have you ever read Col. John Patterson's account of the man eaters of the Tsavo? His book relates a bunch of lion hunts he was on. His gun was a 303 British. Over and over he makes the statement "the lion was hit but wasn't taken". IOW, he wounded a bunch of lions because his gun wasn't up to the task. He might have created more man eaters than he stopped. When he killed the 2d man eater, he shot it 3 times with the 303 before switching to a 450 to finally kill it.
Use a caliber that's up to the job.

😂😂😂

And tighten the drag while you're at it.

Without weighing in on the merits of the always-explosively-violent kinetic energy debate, the formula therefore doesn't just halve the mass, but also halves the square of the velocity.

1/2 x M x V^2 = 1/2 x V^2 x M.

Killed my first 2 with a 378 Bee. Worked well!

No, 1/2m + 1/2v^2 = 1/2(m + v^2).

The factor of 1/2 could well be applied to either variable, and is really not relevant here. Smokepole correctly pointed out that kinetic energy is proportional to the first-order of the mass, and the second-order of the velocity, meaning that velocity contributes much more prominently to kinetic energy than does the mass.

Bottom line is, kinetic energy is necessary for the bullet to do its work, but due to the myriad of variables involved in killing effectiveness and the use of kinetic energy to deform tissue, is a poor metric of ‘killing power’. A better indicator is to simply use a bullet that can penetrate to the vitals, and make sure it impacts with enough velocity to expand properly.

Just saw your edit. That’s better.

I’m sure he made good shots on all of them shooting at night and he was using those early day jacketed bullets that have never been improved upon in the last century......

The .303 British is essentially a mild .308 Win. If lions are getting away from a single shot from a .303, it’s either because of bullet failure or poor bullet placement. Plenty of moose have been killed up here with the .303, and they are a lot bigger than a lion.

I’ve posted this link before, for those that are completely enamored by foot/pounds of energy being the quintessential basis for measurement of effective killing power! Foot/pounds energy, as mentioned by many, is “only” one of many factors involved in lethality of a bullet!

For those that completely “buy-in” to the foot/pounds energy school of thought, please read this.....
if you dare! memtb

http://rathcoombe.net/sci-tech/ballistics/wounding.html

And there we have the basis of your "Facts" too funny

The fallacy of reading things one way,,,, look at your wording, NOBODY said that !!! you said it in your mind and blocked out simple facts in evidence from my OP

Reading Comprehension is helpful