1300 fps is the "top" speed for the 500JRH shooting a 440gr wfngc. Anything above that, and the ratio of speed gained vs. recoil gained vs. penetration gained is not worth it. That part I understand, or at least accept. This statement is coming from Jack Huntington, so I take this as gospel.

However, if the same bullet is going at 900fps, also according to Jack, it will take down a buffalo with no problems at all.

This is my question--

What happens to the wound channel when traveling at such different speeds? Sitting here thinking about it, I think the 900fps wound could actually be a larger hole because it gives more time inside the critter to do more damage, rather than just blasting through. However, if I think about the other side of things, I'd rather be hit by a baseball going slow, than a baseball going fast cause it would hurt less.

So which is it???

I would also like to know this answer, and would the theory apply to smaller caliber cannons as well? Do I need 1300+ fps with a hardcast? Or will 1100 do?

in theory the faster bullet should cause more cavitation and therefore more damage but in reality it generally seems with hard cast that slower does more damage. That is just based on my own observations

No you don't. The most effective (on large animals) cast load I have ever seen/witnessed was a 525 grain WLN (.500 Linebuagh) at 1,100 fps. Game killing machine. It's not good to run hardcast bullets too fast as the bullet material wasn't designed for high impact speeds. You will disrupt the nose shape, inhibiting good straightline penetration.

1,300 fps isn't tops for the JRH. Hardcast bullets don't like speeds much over 1,400 fps. The Buffalo Bore 425 grain .500 JRH loads ran over 1,450 from my first BFR.

I am sure that some of the more experienced members here will correct me if I am wrong but I recall reading somewhere (can't locate the source right now) that any type of temporary wound channel created will not vary significantly at handgun velocities. 1300 vs. 900 the difference should be fairly minimal with both resulting in a dead critter. It is not until you start getting up into rifle velocities does the formation of the temporary wound channel (hydraulic shock) become truly significant.

As Whitworth pointed out, pushing a bullet faster will increase the likelyhood of bullet deformation due to the increased pressure wave as the bullet impacts the hide but that 440gr bullet is going to have plenty of inertia to keep moving in a relatively straight line.

I also seem to recall something by John Linebaugh stating that in the .475L once you got above something like 1100 fps the velocity vs. penetration curve really flattened out. Essentially a jump from 900 to 1000 fps had a larger change in penetration than did 1200 to 1300.

Well if you want to do some reading rather than pondering, we have had links here in various threads to the testing that went on in the Linebaugh seminars. I would suspect a google search would turn it up (the info). If you visit the Beartooth Bullets pages/forum, there are lots of notes and ponderings by Marshall Stanton (owner), as well as ballistic resources to use to calculate wound cavities, etc.

Craig

The British used to load their .38/200 and .455 Webly as well as other large bore revolver rounds at velocities in the 600-700 f.p.s. range so as to spend more time in the target expending energy. The theory was called "Transmission Dwell".

The velocity threshold for a cast bullet depends on your alloy. 1400 fps is a mid-range rifle load. You can push it faster, it's just going to push back.

Good stuff fellas. But I'm coming to a conclusion that I didn't want to come to: I need to slow down my loads, which means I need to let go of the enjoyment of the recoil. I LOVE shooting full house loads mainly because of the recoil. Just something about it that I can't get enough of.

But from what I'm reading, it sounds like if I slow the bullet down a bit, it may be even MORE effective on the terminal end of things. And when it comes to the brass tacks of the matter, the terminal performance is what is important-- not enjoying the recoil.

I think I'm going to start looking for a load around 900 - 1000 fps for the 500JRH and see how things go. I've got about 2 weeks before leaving for deer / elk camp, and that is plenty of time to figure this out. If all else fails, I've got the load I use now that I can always return to.

Thanks a lot for the thoughts and comments. Keep them coming if there are more.

You also have to keep in mind the distance you expect to shoot. At 100 yards those big fat slugs slow down a good bit.

Buddy, you got issues!

Just kidding...but really

You don't have to slow your loads down - just tailor your bullet to the speed you desire. With that said, 1,450fps plus might be just the load you're looking for from a 500JRH and a 440 grain pill - plenty of recoil for any gunpowder junkie.

Don't put any stock into the energy transfer theory - just a marketing ploy - otherwise you would be seeing bodies flying through the air with the greatest of ease.

Amen to that!