Bullet Weight vs. Bullet Velocity

I receive mail from time to time asking if a lighter bullet fired from a handgun at higher velocity would not be better than a slower, heavier bullet when shooting game. While I am hesitant to make a blanket statement that one is "better" than the other, I can share with you why I personally choose the heavy bullet.

First though let me say that I am no ballistics expert. I have shot a lot of game using a handgun and cast bullets, but not nearly as many as a lot of people out there. Some of the people I would classify as experts in this field would be men like Larry Kelly, J.D. Jones and Doc "The Hit Man" Rogers. ( there are lots of others also ) Doctor Rogers has killed hundreds of deer with various handguns and loads. He has also shot hundreds and hundreds of groundhogs with a large number of handguns and loads. Being an MD he has kept extensive records as to distance, load, bullet, results etc. which make fascinating reading.

Sixguns are limited as to how much velocity they can produce. With normal weight bullets in a standard as-issued factory .44 Magnum revolver we cannot run the 240 gr. bullet much over 1400 fps. There are limits to what the guns will stand. Yes, you maybe can crack 1550 out of yours.....for a while. But does the extra velocity mean anything as far as actual power when it hits it intended target?

Lets look at some data using a 240 gr. JHP fired from a .44 Magnum.

Starting velocity is 1400 fps at the Muzzle
Distance	50 yards	100 yards	150 yards	200 yards
Remaining Velocity	1246 fps	1140 fps	1126 fps	976 fps
Trajectory (50 yard zero)	0	-4.1"	-15"	-34"
Starting velocity is 1500 fps at the Muzzle
Remaining Velocity	1330 fps	1190 fps	1086 fps	1010 fps
Trajectory (50 yard zero)	0	-3.4"	-13"	-29.9"

For the extra increase in pressures we flattened the trajectory by .7" at 100 yards. wow - almost 3/4" of an inch gain. For what? Will it "kill better"? No. Put the 1400 fps load into the right spot and it will work just fine. At 150 yards we flattened the trajectory by 2". If you are not using a scope you cannot tell that difference with the naked eye. And probably should not be shooting at game at that distance.

The 1400 fps load is not quite maximum pressure. The 1500 fps load is over maximum pressure. What does it accomplish in real life? Wear and tear on your revolver. Not much more.

What about a heavy, fairly slow bullet vs. a lighter, faster one? Would that "work" better? Well, again, I don't feel comfortable saying "this" is "better" than "that". I will toss out the figures and let everyone decide for themselves.

.44 Magnum

225 gr. SWC. starting velocity 1500 fps
300 gr. JHP starting velocity 1300 fps

Remaining Velocity

50 yards	100 yards	150 yards	200 yards
225 - 1297 fps	1141 fps	1035 fps	960 fps
300 - 1190 fps	1102 fps	1036 fps	984 fps

The heavier slower bullet is going just as fast as the lighter faster one by 150 yards, and is going faster at 200 yards.

Remaining Energy

50 yards 100 yards 150 yards 200 yards

225 - 839.25 ft. lbs.                   645.75 ft. lbs.                   535.5 ft. lbs.                   461 ft. lbs.

300 - 942 ft. lbs. 810 ft. lbs. 714 ft. lbs. 645 ft. lbs.

The 225 gr. load lost 203 fps in the first 50 yards, 259 fps in the first 100 yards.
The 300 gr. load lost 110 fps in the first 50 yards, 198 fps in the first 100 yards.

The 225 gr. load lost 540 fps overall.
The 300 gr. load lost 316 fps overall.
Trajectory with a 50 yard zero.

50 yards 100 yards 150 yards 200 yards

225     0                    -3.7"                            -14"                           -32"

300     0 -4.6" -16.4" -36.3"

The higher velocity load simply flattened the trajectory a little, but did nothing to increase the kinetic energy level other than maybe at extremely close range.

If we use the Taylor Knock-Out Formula we arrive at these figures:
(Taylor KO is Bullet weight in grains    times bullet velocity in feet-per-second times bullet diameter in inches divided by 7000 equals   KNOCK OUT)

225 gr. SWC @ 1500 fps = 20.7 KO    @960 fps (remaining velocity at 200 yards) 13.2 KO
300 gr. JHP @ 1300 fps = 24 KO          @984 fps (remaining velocity at 200 yards) 18 KO

According to Taylor's Formula the 300 gr. load has nearly as much Knock Out at 200 yards as the 225 gr. load has at the muzzle.

How does all this work out in real life? To be honest, from what little I know, I do not believe you can tell the difference between the loads on most game. The 225 gr. bullet at 1500 fps, the 240 gr. bullet at 1400 fps and 300 gr. bullet at 1300 fps, when fired through the lungs/heart of a deer will drop them all about the same if everything else is equal....say on a broadside shot at 50 yards or less. If you are taking a quartering or raking shot on a large deer, or the distance is long, then bullet weight will make a difference. If a person had to choose one all-around bullet in the .44 Magnum I personally would use the Keith 250 gr. SWC. It will do it all - hunting, long-range shooting, plinking.

Elmer Keith once related to me in a letter of a friend of his who had shot 8 Black Bears with his .44 Magnum using 21 gr. of 2400 and the Keith 250 gr. SWC cast hard.   All were broadside shots. All were one-shot kills. No bullet ever stopped in any of the animals. All gave complete penetration. Which is what you want. Let air in and blood out. Note this: entrance wounds do not usually bleed much. You want a hole in one side and out the other, especially with sixguns.

If you are shooting over 100 yards with open sights at any animal I hope you are very proficient with your gun. The difference between a heart shot and a broken front leg on a deer is just a matter of inches. You do not have to be off by much to inflict a wound and yet lose the animal. And it will die a slow lingering death most likely. We don't want that. Find a good load that you are comfortable with. Practice with it until you are confident of your ability to put the bullet where you want it.

Now go have fun. Be safe. And enjoy yourself. This is supposed to be relaxing!