I was thinking about a compelling archery comparison that James Muhlbeier shared over on the Hammerbullets forum. It really drove home to me that a lot of the fine distinctions we examine and compare in external and terminal ballistics are pretty insignificant in the light of 50,000+ years of hunting history. Maybe 99.9% of the big game harvested since the Ice Ages has been with a 3-6 lb projectile thrown at under 40fps. (with somewhat less than MOA accuracy) By these historical standards, even a 1/18th lb (405gr) slug from a 45-70 at 1700fps is an ultra lightweight, hypervelocity round!
Basically, when it comes to ANY modern Cartridge/Bullet, They are ALL VERY VERY LIGHT AND VERY VERY FAST. In the context of thousands of years successfully hunting with Wood and Stone spears, is it splitting hairs to suggest a 1/54th of a pound (130gr) projectile from my 7RM is simply "too light" for Elk, while the "much heavier" 1/40th of a pound (175gr) is a great choice? Really? Can I tell the difference when I hold them in my hand? And does an impact at 3100fps from a 6.5PRC actually provide dramatically greater shock value or "killing power" on the target than the same projectile at 2300fps from my Grendel? Or are they both INSANELY fast in the grand scheme of things? The terminal ballistics of modern bullets are SO removed from, so entirely different than that of traditional spears and arrows that it requires a rethinking of what factors really matter. I would suggest that Elmer Kieth and Roy Weatherby both occupy functionally identical positions at the extreme far end of the weight-vs-velocity continuum, when charted against the slow, heavy, yet remarkably effective hunting weapons of our ancestors.
Basically, when it comes to ANY modern Cartridge/Bullet, They are ALL VERY VERY LIGHT AND VERY VERY FAST. In the context of thousands of years successfully hunting with Wood and Stone spears, is it splitting hairs to suggest a 1/54th of a pound (130gr) projectile from my 7RM is simply "too light" for Elk, while the "much heavier" 1/40th of a pound (175gr) is a great choice? Really? Can I tell the difference when I hold them in my hand? And does an impact at 3100fps from a 6.5PRC actually provide dramatically greater shock value or "killing power" on the target than the same projectile at 2300fps from my Grendel? Or are they both INSANELY fast in the grand scheme of things? The terminal ballistics of modern bullets are SO removed from, so entirely different than that of traditional spears and arrows that it requires a rethinking of what factors really matter. I would suggest that Elmer Kieth and Roy Weatherby both occupy functionally identical positions at the extreme far end of the weight-vs-velocity continuum, when charted against the slow, heavy, yet remarkably effective hunting weapons of our ancestors.