Margin for error. ?????
01-13-2005, 05:12 PM
#11
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Gypsum KS USA
Posts: 1,289
RE: Margin for error. ?????
Here's one way to look at "margin for error"...
Say I shoot a .30-06 with a fairly soft bullet, maybe a tougher JHP. Typically, when I shoot JHP's , unless I break the shoulder, I get an exit wound of about 4-5". Say I take a broadside shot, but miss the near lung by 1.5" to the rear. Since the wound tract is basically conical, by the time it reaches centerline of the body, it should be 2-2.5", maybe it would be 3" in diameter by the time it reaches the far lung, so it would take about 2" off the bottom end of the farside lung. With similar bullets in a .243, I typically only get about 1-2" exit wounds...that'd miss the lung completely. If I shot a .45-70 with soft enough bullets (that didn't fracture), I'd venture I'd get about a 6" exit wound, so I could miss by about 3" and still reach a little part of the lungs.
We're not running arrows through deer with a high powered rifle, we do a bit of tissue damage. The more tissue damage you to, the greater margin of error you get. No, shooting a .30-06 instead of a .243 doesn't mean you can miss the vitals by 4", but it does give you a little more leeway.
I had a similar experience with Win. Balistic Silvertips twice. The first time, I hit a little rearward of the heart-a good rear lung broadside hit. The rear lobe of the near lung was wasted, but the ENTIRE far lung was destroyed, and the heart was lacerated substantially. Fragments of my bullet, mostly the jacketing, had shredded the heart and far lung, as well as the upper reaches of the stomach on the other side. Had I been using less frangible bullets, I'd have only had a double lung hit (still deadly) on the lower lobes, likely would have chased the deer for 100yrds or so. Instead, I got a double lung and heart hit with only half a lung left in tact.
The second time was on a trotting doe at about 125yrds, broadside shot also. I didn't hold over far enough and hit her just behind the near lung. The near lung was fine, the lower lobe of the far lung was shredded.
And if you really want to split hairs, we all get a 4" margin for error, if I aim directly at the center of the lungs, there's an 8" diameter circle all around that that I can hit that will still be a lung hit. I can be 4" high, 4" low, 4" left, 4" upper right, etc etc and I still get a lung hit.
Yes, there is a "margin for error" in hunting. I don't have to be able to hit a dime at 200yrds to be able to kill a deer, as long as I can hit a milk jug, it's gravy.
No, the margin for error isn't huge, and shooting a 30cal eargensplitter-loudenboomer belted magnum isn't going let you miss CONSIDERABLY more than shooting a .243 or 7.62x39mm, but it does give you a little more room.
Say I shoot a .30-06 with a fairly soft bullet, maybe a tougher JHP. Typically, when I shoot JHP's , unless I break the shoulder, I get an exit wound of about 4-5". Say I take a broadside shot, but miss the near lung by 1.5" to the rear. Since the wound tract is basically conical, by the time it reaches centerline of the body, it should be 2-2.5", maybe it would be 3" in diameter by the time it reaches the far lung, so it would take about 2" off the bottom end of the farside lung. With similar bullets in a .243, I typically only get about 1-2" exit wounds...that'd miss the lung completely. If I shot a .45-70 with soft enough bullets (that didn't fracture), I'd venture I'd get about a 6" exit wound, so I could miss by about 3" and still reach a little part of the lungs.
We're not running arrows through deer with a high powered rifle, we do a bit of tissue damage. The more tissue damage you to, the greater margin of error you get. No, shooting a .30-06 instead of a .243 doesn't mean you can miss the vitals by 4", but it does give you a little more leeway.
I had a similar experience with Win. Balistic Silvertips twice. The first time, I hit a little rearward of the heart-a good rear lung broadside hit. The rear lobe of the near lung was wasted, but the ENTIRE far lung was destroyed, and the heart was lacerated substantially. Fragments of my bullet, mostly the jacketing, had shredded the heart and far lung, as well as the upper reaches of the stomach on the other side. Had I been using less frangible bullets, I'd have only had a double lung hit (still deadly) on the lower lobes, likely would have chased the deer for 100yrds or so. Instead, I got a double lung and heart hit with only half a lung left in tact.
The second time was on a trotting doe at about 125yrds, broadside shot also. I didn't hold over far enough and hit her just behind the near lung. The near lung was fine, the lower lobe of the far lung was shredded.
And if you really want to split hairs, we all get a 4" margin for error, if I aim directly at the center of the lungs, there's an 8" diameter circle all around that that I can hit that will still be a lung hit. I can be 4" high, 4" low, 4" left, 4" upper right, etc etc and I still get a lung hit.
Yes, there is a "margin for error" in hunting. I don't have to be able to hit a dime at 200yrds to be able to kill a deer, as long as I can hit a milk jug, it's gravy.
No, the margin for error isn't huge, and shooting a 30cal eargensplitter-loudenboomer belted magnum isn't going let you miss CONSIDERABLY more than shooting a .243 or 7.62x39mm, but it does give you a little more room.
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