zrexpilot

knock down power is usually associated with kinetic energy, and the more kinetic energy the more knock down power. Well kinetic energy doesnt kill an animal, tissue disruption and blood loss or disruption of the nervous system is what kills. you can shoot 3000 ft/lbs of energy into the hind quarter of a deer and all that energy was disspersed into the animal but it wont kill it, put 50lb of kinetic energy through the lungs of a deer and it will expire. an arrow cuts tissue and a bullet crushes tissue, they both do the same thing just do it a little different, hydrostatic shock or temporary wound cavity is usually associatedwith velocity, and itdoes disrupt tissue but not nearly as much as the permanant wound channel created by the bullet or broadhead
Yes, knock down power is a myth.

retrieverman

I have killed over 160 deer with calibers ranging from 50gr 22-250 to 300 gr 50 cal muzzleloader and have never "knocked" a deer down, but with good shot placement, I have dropped many in their tracks.

johnnybravoo77

If you beleive in "knockdown power" read this article.

http://www.rathcoombe.net/sci-tech/ballistics/myths.html

homers brother

I used to believe in "knockdown power" and could quote you the energies of nearly every cartridge loaded by Remington or Winchester from their catalogs when I was ... younger.

Those tables never quite translated as well to the field, nor did they explain why deer and antelope shot with my "marginal" .243 died more quickly than those shot withmy family's .30-06 or .270 - and generally without regard to which one of us was doing the shooting. If the tables and "knockdown power" were anything but misleading, that wouldn't have been true.

While it's true that we've sincedabbled with Magnum-mania, particularly .300 Win and Wbymags, we've never used either on deer or antelope. Conversely, we've never used the .243on elk.

A few years ago, I lung-shot a bull elk with my .375 H&H and a 300 gr Barnes SP. Entry andexit wounds were both about the same size (finger-sized going in, thumb size going out). Heart and lungs turned to goo. Left a blood trail about a foot wide - as he crashed another 100 yards or so through the trees only to drop dead.I've neverhad a deer or antelope go that far hit by the .243.What would that suggest about "knockdown power"?

8mm/06

If you want knock down power use a really large and heavy baseball bat.

Both my brothers use much larger cartridges than me for deer. Neither one has scored much on killing deer. I have a much higher kill ratio than my brothers and I use many different cartridges/rounds. I suppose it must be me that has the knock down power .... NOT!

Killing percentage is like real estate and kissing ... it's location, location, location.......