What can 300fps do?

[SCHUETZENBOOMER]

In the case of a 350gr bullet.....al lot! If my math is correct, bumping velocity up from 2000fps to 2300fps, takes it from 3111 lb/ft of energy to 4114 lb/ft. I want to be prepared if an Irish Elk walks out.

[JeffinNZ]

Except you are not shooting the game at the muzzle. What's the difference at terminal range?

[petroid]

A 350gr boolit at 300 fps would be a great neighborhood stray cat load!

[xacex]

A 350gr boolit at 300 fps would be a great neighborhood stray cat load!

Oh, I bet you would hear that whack right before it gets rolled.

[357maximum]

A 350gr boolit at 300 fps would be a great neighborhood stray cat load!


I really like the way you think. :drinks:

[Garyshome]

You must have some good size cats in your neighborhood!

[45 2.1]

Darn.... here I thought from the title is was something else. Lead balls out of a slingshot or arrows at that velocity kill a lot of things. That is the base velocity for the military for a bullet to do a lot of damage also.

And as far as what range an elk, of any subspecies, gets killed...... some bow hunters get breathed on by said elk before it gets arrowed.... guns can be the same.

[Rattlesnake Charlie]

Go with what is most accurate. That includes what you can shoot best. Recoil can affect a shooters ability at the loads you describe. A 350 gr bullet at 2000 fps will pass through and through any elk, likely even on end-to-end. The .30-30 kills elk dead when placed where it counts.

[SCHUETZENBOOMER]

My original post about the Irish Elk (Megaloceros giganteus) was supposed to be in humor. They have been extinct for a while. I am going after an Alaskan moose this fall and have my rifle choices narrowed down to the .35 Whelen Imp and my .375GP. More bench time (with the lead sled) will declare the winner.

[Blammer]

I personally would choose the 35 whelen. :) only because I don't have a 375GP. :)

[dverna]

A woman I set up a compound bow for shot an elk with an arrow/broadhead combination that weighed slightly over 300 grains. He died from a heart shot in less than 100 yards.
She was using a 40 lb draw bow. The elk also weighed just under 1400 lbs. The largest one taken at that guides ranch that year. Thoroughly upset her husband who had to settle for a much smaller animal.

If an arrow moving at about 180 fps can do the job, certainly a boolit can do it at 2000 fps.
I realize the dynamics are somewhat different but the boolit possesses a LOT more power.

Most people are unable to make a shot like that. Maybe the lady is a great shot or maybe she was lucky. Energy makes up for less than ideal shot placement. Mass allows for greater penetration and breaking of bones if needed, and velocity allows for not only more energy, but errors in range estimation.

[dilly]

I think he meant that the elk walked less than 100 yards after being hit, not that she was 100 yards away when she made the shot.

[trucker76]

Here's something to think about. I used to play paintball and 300fps was generally considered the maximum safe speed though the markers (Proper name for a paintball 'gun") can be turned up faster. As an experiment this past winter my stepson got some frozen paintballs that were left outside and fired them at a 1/2" sheet of plywood. It left perfect .68 caliber holes from about 15' at 300fps.

[dilly]

Here's something to think about. I used to play paintball and 300fps was generally considered the maximum safe speed though the markers (Proper name for a paintball 'gun") can be turned up faster. As an experiment this past winter my stepson got some frozen paintballs that were left outside and fired them at a 1/2" sheet of plywood. It left perfect .68 caliber holes from about 15' at 300fps.

The bruises aren't clean little 68 cal bruises!

[45-70 Chevroner]

Go with the 35 Whelen you won't be disappointed.

[ShooterAZ]

A woman I set up a compound bow for shot an elk with an arrow/broadhead combination that weighed slightly over 300 grains. He died from a heart shot in less than 100 yards.
She was using a 40 lb draw bow. The elk also weighed just under 1400 lbs. The largest one taken at that guides ranch that year. Thoroughly upset her husband who had to settle for a much smaller animal.

If an arrow moving at about 180 fps can do the job, certainly a boolit can do it at 2000 fps.
I realize the dynamics are somewhat different but the boolit possesses a LOT more power.

Wow that was a big Elk at 1400 lbs! I have never heard of one that large. Sure it wasn't a moose? http://www.rmef.org/ElkFacts.aspx

[SCHUETZENBOOMER]

Yes sir, that a lot of lead. At the left is a std .35Whelen with the 280gr cast. To the right is the .375GP with the 350gr Barnes Original.

[Dan Cash]

A 350gr boolit at 300 fps would be a great neighborhood stray cat load!

You must have some interesting cats or else an interesting neighborhood.

[freebullet]

I'd say forget the lead sled because you probably won't have it on your hunt. I'd make my choice after shooting without the sled.

[Outpost75]

300 fps gives about 0.6 ft-lb. of energy per grain of projectile weight. Even a paper spitball at that velocity is going to smart!

[waksupi]

The interesting thing about a 300 fps velocity gain, is the fact that is approximately the increase one needs to appreciably make a rifle shoot flatter. Those who worry about squeezing out an extra 50 fps from a load are wasting their time unless they can achieve the 300fps+ gain.

[Silver Hand]

Wow that was a big Elk at 1400 lbs! I have never heard of one that large. Sure it wasn't a moose? http://www.rmef.org/ElkFacts.aspx

I have been living in Oregon for almost forty years an avid elk hunter in my younger years. There has never been an animal that large recorded in this state that I know of and these are Roosevelt Elk the largest of the four North American Species.
Oregon propagates the species and sells them to other states. It is quite the thing to see.
What range or conditions you will be hunting in will determine what length and weight rifle you will be handling that day
Silver Hand

[waksupi]

I guided a fellow to a 7X7 bull back 30 some odd years ago. It was 1175#.

[ShooterAZ]

There are some HUGE Elk running around here in Northern Arizona, but none are approaching 1400 pounds, not even close. That is Moose territory right there! 900-1000 is a REALLY big one. The ones that are here have gigantic racks, just not the big weight.

[Bigslug]

300fps is approximately what the police less-lethal bean bags leave the muzzle at. These are typically an ounce of #9 shot wrapped in a Kevlar sock. It's also the ball park speed of a fairly top-end modern compound hunting bow shooting a 400 grain arrow. Plenty of penetration there!

I'm thunking if you're chucking a 350 grain pill at almost seven times that speed, you don't need to add the extra 300fps - even if your Irish elk is being chased by a short-faced bear.

[Bullshop]

Long ago I read of a test done by our military cant remember what branch but the test was to find the minimum velocity required for a projectile to penetrate human tissue. That velocity was determined to be 300 fps.
Interestingly they did another test with 45 acp and 9mm Luger to determine the effectiveness of each.
They found that when turned on live beef no animal fell to the 9mm until they were well into the third clip full of ammo and that no animal was able to stand through a full clip of 45 acp. Interesting!

[44man]

I hate figures and only look for accuracy with no regard to velocity. ME does not kill but a good bullet/boolit will when placed right because it shoots where you aim.
One thing I hate is when someone brags how fast his boolit is or how much ME it has.
The truth is that a ML with a round ball has never been beaten and the larger the caliber, the faster they kill.

[petroid]

You must have some interesting cats or else an interesting neighborhood.

Suffice to say that I don't particularly care for cats. Also feral cats are the biggest reason for the decline of small game populations. So it's a win win

[45-70 Chevroner]

What happened to "tazmans" post?

[dougader]

Yes sir, that a lot of lead. At the left is a std .35Whelen with the 280gr cast. To the right is the .375GP with the 350gr Barnes Original.

I'm not familiar with the 375GP. What is it, exactly?