pros and cons of shooting light or heavy for caliber bullets

Mr. Friendly

Mr. Friendly

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it's been a long time since I focused on anything rifle related...mostly been shooting pistols for the last 10 years, but I've decided to get back into hunting starting the 2019 spring bear or the following fall for deer.

that said, what are the pros and cons of using lighter and faster bullets vs heavier and slower bullets?

obvious ones, in no particular order are:
- lighter and faster bullets should shoot flatter and may reach out further
- heavier and slower bullets do less meat damage
- recoil

cartridges in question are the 7mm-08, .270 Win and .45-70 Govt, if that helps any :)
 
A heavier bullet for the diameter with a similar design will fly through the air better to offset some of that velocity reduction and they will also have more sectional density, so they will penetrate further for the same diameter.

That being said, a heavier bullet will give a heavier recoil and it will drop more and often have less energy when it gets to the target, although energy that does not go into the vitals is useless.

A balance is needed for sure, your 7mm-08 and the 270 (I still do not like it for personal reasons) both have long bullets for the weight compared to something like a 308, so they will penetrate quite well and fly very flat.
 
Light and fast tend to kill more decisively than heavy and slow. Heavy & slow are reliable, but not fast killers. If I needed sure penetration, I would go heavy (for calibre) & slow. You will get more bloodshot meat with light & fast.
 
What 9.3 said, plus light and fast has a better, or at least more useful trajectory at all reasonable hunting ranges (400 yards) in most chamberings. Run the ballistics computer and you’ll find 110gr .270s, 120gr 7mms, 130gr .30s, etc arrive substantially flatter out to 400 than their heavy for caliber brethren. The lighter bullets also generate less perceived / felt recoil. I hunt for a living and have come to really appreciate speedy, lighter bullets outside Africa. Three off the shelf loads that embody what I’ve found highly effective are the 130gr .270, 140gr 7Mag, and 150gr .300. You will see more meat damage, but in mountain hunting that’s seldom the biggest worry. Of course, fast and heavy trumps all- but there are obvious caveats there.
 
I’ll be testing this out I guess this year, I shot deer with 150g .303 Brit last year. For spring bear I sighted in with 180g and will use it on deer this season to see if there’s any difference in meat damage, the 150g sp did the job well though. All went in and out the other side, on the buck there was a small piece of fragmented lead so I’m pretty sure there was expansion involved, I shot him at 40y and the doe at 100y. Meat damage on both were pretty much the same, the 180g group the same as the 150g out of my no.4. recoil was more with the heavier bullets but not much more.
 
seldom do I need a follow up shot with the .303 brit and 180gr pills and thankfully have never had to track or chase an animal I've shot with it either.... moose, black bear, more deer than I can count.
Inside the ranges I use it for it excells at putting animals down fast, hitting the vitals and dumping it's energy where it counts. Meat shock is usually very minor unless I hit a bit forward and clip the leg muscle or elbow.
That said i certainly don't think it's the ideal but it has worked for me for my entire hunting experience so far.
My go to for all other hunting (beyond 100) is my 7mm rem mag. Myself and my rifle prefer bullets in the 160's and again, seldom needing a follow up shot if I place my shot in the vitals and don't clip anything on the way in or out..... which we all know happens.
If yer gonna use fast and light...... speed kills but it can sure make a mess if your shot placement isn't great hehehe
 
I have had good success with heavy for calibre bullets in my rifles. I don't hunt dangerous game but have used the 405 grain in the .45-70 on deer and bear, 160 grain in the 6.5x55 on deer and moose, 215 grain in the .303 on deer and moose. All killed well and I did not notice much meat damage. Of course none exceeded 2500 fps in velocity. The few deer I shot with a .270 showed mega meat damage. Going to try a .300 savage this fall with 170 bullets (for the .30-30) see how that does.

Darryl
 
45ACPKING said:
seldom do I need a follow up shot with the .303 brit and 180gr pills and thankfully have never had to track or chase an animal I've shot with it either.... moose, black bear, more deer than I can count.
Inside the ranges I use it for it excells at putting animals down fast, hitting the vitals and dumping it's energy where it counts. Meat shock is usually very minor unless I hit a bit forward and clip the leg muscle or elbow.
That said i certainly don't think it's the ideal but it has worked for me for my entire hunting experience so far.
My go to for all other hunting (beyond 100) is my 7mm rem mag. Myself and my rifle prefer bullets in the 160's and again, seldom needing a follow up shot if I place my shot in the vitals and don't clip anything on the way in or out..... which we all know happens.
If yer gonna use fast and light...... speed kills but it can sure make a mess if your shot placement isn't great hehehe
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Thanks for the feedback, both 150 & 180g shoot pretty much the same out of my longbranch no.4. 1”-1.5” at 100y if I do my part, if it works well for me this season it’ll be my go to for hunting for large game. I really enjoy hunting with the LE and the cartridge.
 
I decided (quite a few years ago) that one can find, for every cartridge, the heaviest bullet for which there is very little practical loss of trajectory out to reasonable hunting ranges I am willing to use. I choose that bullet weight for hunting with whatever cartridge I am using for the best compromise between terminal performance on game and best trajectory. The lunatic fringes of the bell curve are seldom the best place to be on any question.
 
Notice I said "seldom". The lunatic fringes of the hunting bell curve is truly where backpack goat hunting resides. At 70 years of age, I have to say you're welcome to what remains of it today, and good luck to ya.

I still like my reasoning for the first two standard deviations of the hunting curve population.
 
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