The most efficient hunting cartridges

I like how these two compare:

6.5 Creedmoor 140gr Accubond @ 2855 fps
45.0grs powder
BC .462
Recoil = 15 ft lbs
500y energy = 1230 ft lbs
Ft lb bullet energy per ft lb recoil = 82.0

7mm-08 Rem 160gr Accubond @ 2675 fps
42.9grs powder
BC .462
Recoil = 16 ft lbs
500y energy = 1207 ft lbs
Ft lb bullet energy per ft lb recoil = 75.4

Hmmm ... maybe I should consider 160gr 7mm08's

Thank you, Mark!

-Dennis
 
The major assumption in this thread is that ft/lb of bullet energy per ft/lb of recoil produced is, for some reason, an important measure of "efficiency", and that "efficiency" is important for hunting rounds. Why is anyone making that assumption?

I appreciate the work involved in making the comparisons, and I even found it interesting, but bullet kinetic energy is NOT a useful measure of the effectiveness on game of any given round. Basing cartridge choices on bullet energy is not a very good method.
 
Interesting.
And I thought efficient hunting cartridges are ones you can kill with.
Recoil? Never noticed it when killing game...
 
People don't like typically like objective analyses like this when "their" preference doesn't score well. No offence, but as the popular and meaningless saying goes: "It is what it is".

Preferences instead are based on many things, and often quite a bit of sentimentality - e.g. "I've always used grandpa's 30-06 and won't be changing", "Everyone uses the 308 and I want to be different", etc. No-one's suggesting that you change.

Even though I mostly hunt with a 7X57, which this analysis strongly favours, I won't be changing, and will still regularly recommend the 308 and several other rounds "lower" on the list.
 
Of course cartridge performance or efficiency is way down the list of what is needed to kill game.
But its discussion kills time when you can't be practicing your shooting.
 
JEC said:
I doubt more than 1% of all hunters need to worry about killing big game at 500yds?
Click to expand...

I would hope that there is more than 1% of hunters capable of a 500 yd shot. Under the right conditions of course. My criteria when building a gun is that it must be capable to harvest deer size game out to 500 yds minimum. Sure I prefer the shots closer, but if a longer shot presents itself I know my gun/bullet combo is up to the task. Setting up a light recoil 500 yd max deer rifle right now in 6 Dasher. There is no free ride that I see with recoil. The farther I want to shoot and deliver ft-lbs on target the higher the recoil and the heavier the bullet. But a good high BC bullet and a brake make the higher recoil guns a pleasure to shoot. Even off the bench. Good info and thanks for taking the time to put it together. Another interesting comparison would be a high BC to low BC energy comparison. Example of a 215 Berger cal to a 200 gr Hornady Interlock or a Nosler Partition. Or even a 215 Berger compared to a 180 gr. Difference on target I'm guessing would be big with all calibers.
 
Andy said:
People don't like typically like objective analyses like this when "their" preference doesn't score well. No offence, but as the popular and meaningless saying goes: "It is what it is".

Preferences instead are based on many things, and often quite a bit of sentimentality - e.g. "I've always used grandpa's 30-06 and won't be changing", "Everyone uses the 308 and I want to be different", etc. No-one's suggesting that you change.

Even though I mostly hunt with a 7X57, which this analysis strongly favours, I won't be changing, and will still regularly recommend the 308 and several other rounds "lower" on the list.
Click to expand...

I scrolled back through and so not see any data for 7X57.

This analysis is "somewhat" objective... close enough for the discussion, but someone (or thing) chose the components and six loads to be averaged for sorting the position of each cartridge or combination, which is partially subjective... so if some one is feeling bad about their pet cartridge, they can do some mental gymnastics and bump it up the list two or three spots and viceversa if your hated nemesis cartridge did well mentally bump it down.

The only thing I see as a sticking point, is that all of this data is comparing output to recoil... so the only time it will likely be used is for a recommendation for a recoil sensitive person (child, lady, slight stature, shoulder injury etc...), and if that is the case, the cartridge might be recommended based on the analysis, but not the bullets used for testing, as "heavy for caliber" bullets were used in each case, and for a recoil sensitive individual, you would likely couple the cartridge with a "light for caliber" bullet... what does switching to light for caliber bullets do to the recoil efficiency order of the cartridges?
 
You had to know when you posted this that there'd be a long list of folks looking for their favorite cartridge.
It would be interesting to see the efficiency of a few older and odd ball cartridges though.
22 Savage High Power
30-30
44-40
45-70
Hell, even the 44mag rifle

Thanks for posting!
 
Cool post. I always suspected that the mid sized 6.5’s would be most efficient. It’s good to see the math.
 
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