Kinetic energy does stop hearts.
Energy is figure by the weight of the bullet and the velocity. They are paired and always will be, this is Newtons formula for kinetic energy.
A fast bullet without weight and a big bullet without speed will not produce an adequate energy level like a good weight to velocity ratio.
I don't to hear minimum velocity comments, that is rubbish.
I already stated using a quality bullet.
My question is what is the minimum energy level for deer using quality bullets ?
About 100 trillion neutrinos pass through the human body (every one of them) per second. They do so at the speed of light or very close to that, proving that velocity does not kill. Their mass, however is nearly zero, resulting in very low energy.
For many years my rule of thumb has been 1500 ft-lbs for elk and 1000 ft-lbs for deer. I also use "quality" bullets – Barnes MRX, TTSX and LRX; Nosler AB and ABLR; Swift A-Frame, North Fork SS, HP and FP; Swift Scirocco II and a variety of FP JSP and FN bullets for my levers and handguns. Considering the Hornady SST's and Nosler BT bullets I've used and their terminal performance, 'd have to say they are "quality" bullets as well, just not my favorites for hunting. There is a great deal of difference, however, in how those bullets react on impact, with that reaction being dependent on impact velocity and what material they impact. As a result, I prefer 2200fps minimum for the Barnes and 1800 to 2000fps for the other spitzers. If I held to a minimum of 1800fps my .45-70 350g hunting laod would be limited to about 125 yards, far short of its real effective range. I killed an elk with that load at 213 lasered yards and am confident the result would have been the same at 400.
Velocity matters because it helps determine what the bullet does on impact. A mono that doesn't expand can pencil through, causing little damage. A thin-skinned cup-and-core bullet can blow up on impact, causing horrific wounds that are not fatal in the near term.
The killing mechanism for bullets is the destruction of vital function, but this can happen a number of ways. CNS hits can be fatal with low energy, trajectories that miss vital organs can still be fatal if the wound channel is sufficiently large. To ask for specific energy numbers is asking the wrong question, of at least a very incomplete question. The bullet used, point of impact, angle, impact velocity, animal type and size/weight, and whether the animal is adrenalized of relaxed all play important roles in determining how much energy is required.
This year I've prepared three rifles for the annual elk hunt: .280 Rem/140g TTSX @ 2928fps, .300WM/175g LRX @ 2988fps and .338WM/225gAB @ 2760fps. Only two will make the trip (which two is still to be decided), but I'm confident any of the three would do the job at 600 yards if I do mine.
