5-7 shots to be ready to kill game at 400 yards?

[iron cat]

I found that if I hit the shoulder I often hear a "smack!" But not always if I go through the lungs only.
Cat

 

[starvin]

I wonder if the rush to mono bullets is why some hunters aren’t hearing impacts?
They certainly don’t seem to smack a gong as hard.

 

[Joel]

I wonder if the rush to mono bullets is why some hunters aren’t hearing impacts?
They certainly don’t seem to smack a gong as hard.

Odd considering kinetic energy is kinetic energy, considering its pretty much all being dumped into a piece of steel immediately, but I guess if you're far out enough that they've lost some to higher BC lead cored bullets...

They don't seem any different really, in shooting water jugs or testing media at 100 yards, compared to lead cored bullets. They seem to do what you'd expect. A 308 cal 110gr Barnes TTSX at 3100 fps hits noticably harder than a 129gr 6.5mm Interlock at 2800 fps etc

They also seem to open quite a bit faster than lead cored bullets do in slow motion recordings of gel.

I'd say its the same reason lots of hunters say the sound of a gun or recoil isn't felt. Besides environmental variables. But then the surest way is just to ask the folks here who don't hear it what they shoot haha

 

[starvin]

I hear you on the KE comment Joel.
As I’ve aged I spend lees time trying to rectify what I know to be true with what I’ve seen to be true. Lead core bullets absolutely SLAP compared to monos.

 

[Joel]

I hear you on the KE comment Joel.
As I’ve aged I spend lees time trying to rectify what I know to be true with what I’ve seen to be true. Lead core bullets absolutely SLAP compared to monos.

Just throwin a possibility out here, but think it could be the lead core bullet impacts and expands/fragments in such a way that all of it hits the plate, whereas more of (like part of the shank) of the mono does not, and goes in a different direction?

That would explain it, if its whats goin on. The departing chunk of the mono takes all its energy with it. Who knows...

 

[IronNoggin]

I will never understand (I don't think) the "Slap" of a round hitting an animal.
I have shot a great many animals over my career and I cant say that I was ever in a state to hear a "Slap" or a "thud" for that matter.

I have heard the vast majority of hits on big game animals.
Something I rather look forward to.

 

[saskgunowner101]

Thats something to do with your hearing or concentration then most likely, not if it actually occurs.
By far the vast majority of animals I have stuck projectiles into I have heard the impact, be it a whop/whump/thump/crack depending on where they were hit. The only ones that I can remember for sure not hearing impacts are elk at less than 20-ish yards.

Even with my "not the best" hearing, the sound is always obvious. Reminds me of a fwuck or fwook on deer at least, same sound I recall when dad would wack the car floor mats with a bar or chunk of wood before vacuuming them.

 

[cptseawolf]

I wonder if the rush to mono bullets is why some hunters aren’t hearing impacts?
They certainly don’t seem to smack a gong as hard.

F=MxA....Force = Mass x accelleration

the mass of Monos tends to be less than the biggest cup and core options. So...sure.

But like for like there is no difference in the force exerted on the steel.

MATH!

lol

 

[Slimbo]

I hear impacts all the time when shooting game. Big or small. It’s a great indicator of a hit. Even inside 20 yards you can hear it. Sometimes you don’t hear it. Quartering shots seem not to produce sound as much IME.

That’s a very satisfying thwap indeed

 

[pathfinder76]

I wonder if the rush to mono bullets is why some hunters aren’t hearing impacts?
They certainly don’t seem to smack a gong as hard.

I’ve shot a pile of game with monos. That has not been my experience.

 

[track]

Just throwin a possibility out here, but think it could be the lead core bullet impacts and expands/fragments in such a way that all of it hits the plate, whereas more of (like part of the shank) of the mono does not, and goes in a different direction?

That would explain it, if its whats goin on. The departing chunk of the mono takes all its energy with it. Who knows...

For myself personally, I believe that my concentration is intensely focused on shot placement, correlated with trigger control. In return, my other scenses are ingnored; ie: not hearing/remembering report of rifle, accompanied with the feeling of felt recoil.

 

[BCBRADD]

To hear the smack or thud when hitting a big game animal is more common with large diameter bullets at moderate velocities and medium distances. Like 100 to 200m and hit the solid structure of the animal, a thru & thru on the lungs not so much smack. Had 35 Whelen for years and a lot of big game animals, it was a smacker!

 

[Beeron]

It's not my hearing, I can generally hear a cottonball touching a piece of felt on the other side of the room. I acknowledge it may be related to discernment (In fact it must be) but I am a musician and discerning discrete signals in a mix is an important part of that so I have high confidence in my ability to do that.

And the is a sound is created. There is no doubt about that, it's just physics.

I wonder if it is psychosomatic and I am inclined to think so.

All those old timey hunting shows about the great white hunter taking buffalo and Gemsbok with a massive frontal area cast bullet going 1400fps on a thick hided, thin haired animal has created an expectation of hearing a "slap".

I could see if you "trained" your ear you might be able to discern the sound amongst the cacophony at some distance but at 20 yards (as has been claimed) the sound is arriving at your ear at virtually the exact same time as the sound of the blast at the muzzle. too quickly for the neurons in your auditory nerve to have reset and refired.

Then again, at distance we are talking about the noise that a 0.30" diameter, pointy little projectile, makes when passing through leather. Remember we are talking about penetration here, not splattering on a gong. Even the best bullets do not expand on the outside of the animal. I would be very interested in some science to assess exactly what that sounds like and how many db are generated. I have some decent recording equipment so maybe I will play with this if i can find some road kill.

I use a brake an almost all of my rifles which may contribute to more noise at my ear but I also shoot almost all my game in broken terrain with an abundance of trees, rocks, water, etc. There is 3 - 5 seconds of echoes and echoes of echoes that all exceed by a significant margin the expected sound created by a tiny hole being poked in leather and meat.

Anyway, I remain skeptical.

 

[IronNoggin]

I wonder if it is psychosomatic and I am inclined to think so.

Anyway, I remain skeptical.

You can remain as skeptical as you want.
The sound a bullet striking a big game animal is NOT psychosomatic whatsoever.
It is very much real.

Although I have not heard that at point blank ranges, beyond 75 yards I damn near always do.
Regardless of the day's caliber of choice.

Reality.

 

[Joel]

Shoot something where you usually shoot game and see if you hear it

If you do, its psychosomatic, as you suspect haha.

 

[pathfinder76]

To hear the smack or thud when hitting a big game animal is more common with large diameter bullets at moderate velocities and medium distances. Like 100 to 200m and hit the solid structure of the animal, a thru & thru on the lungs not so much smack. Had 35 Whelen for years and a lot of big game animals, it was a smacker!

I don’t think so. I’ve shot game inside 20 yards with 7mm bullets exiting the muzzle at 3100fps. You will hear that bullet hit. Unless of course you are in this zen like trance that apparently overcomes some people.

 

[209jones]

Seen ribs ripple, saw where the shot hit, saw red mist when I shot, few parts of critters exploding. Don't remember hearing rifle shots hit except on gophers with a .22LR or hitting wing feathers on geese a couple of times.

 

[Meroh]

I know what you mean but man, it seems pretty inconsistent to me. A not mortally wounded deer can react pretty theatrically and one with no heart or lungs can run off with a full head of steam. In what I've seen anyway. Hard to make a call on.

Have really started liking braked rifles to stay on target and really see the impact placement and effect through the scope though, thats cool. But with moose, if I can I just shoot again.

You are not wrong, we always said that deer don't always realize that they are dead. LOL

 

[Meroh]

I have heard the "slap" noise on ground hogs with 22 250 and other varmint with 22lr. once out of 4 times on deer with a 12ga sabot slug.

I think it has to be in a sweet spot for environment and distance. most times I heard it was without ear-pro. I don't think it's realistically repeatable on game. At any distance you hear the impact on a water bottle it will probably have potential produce the same noise from a creature.

You aren't missing anything. I don't think it is a remotely reliable indicator for how well you hit medium or large game. And any time I heard it on small game there were strong visual indicators that the shot was a good hit.

That brings back memories, .22-250 and big, pregnant Ground Hogs, at 200 yards+ in hilly farm land, it sounded like swatting a fat guy on the ass with a canoe paddle. (the hydraulic shock with those little hollow points was awesome to watch. LOL Too many Coyotes, not enough Groundhogs