Handgun vs. Rifle Ammunition for Stopping and Killing Dangerous Game vs. Self-Defense/Mammalian Target
Key Takeaways
SHIT THAT WORKS!
What makes handgun vs. rifle ammunition work
Transcript
Okay, friends, we’re back in our Idaho office, and as usual, I haven’t staged anything for this video. Our dining room table is full of my gun and hunting stuff, and that’s just how we live. We’re located below the Continental Divide on the Idaho-Montana border.
Today, I want to talk about the difference between rifles and handguns in stopping and killing big game. The dynamics are very different between a 3,000 ft/sec, high-sectional density bullet from a rifle and a 1,200 ft/sec, low-sectional density bullet from a handgun.
Let’s take a look at some examples. Here’s your typical .30-06 with a 180-grain bullet traveling roughly 2,800 ft/sec. Notice how long the bullet is compared to a 180-grain .44 Magnum bullet, which is much shorter. This is where dynamics come into play: a handgun bullet with low sectional density won’t penetrate as deeply, especially if it’s expanding. Expanding a bullet is like opening a parachute; it slows down quickly.
On the other hand, rifle bullets can penetrate much deeper because they have more mass behind the expanded tip. For example, the .30-06 bullet with its higher sectional density will penetrate deeper than a .44 Magnum at the same weight. The handgun bullet, when it expands, may penetrate about 14 inches in a human, while the rifle bullet can penetrate two to two-and-a-half feet.
What you want in a .44 Magnum for big game is a non-expanding, hard-cast, flat-nosed bullet, which avoids the parachute effect and achieves deeper penetration. This hard-cast 305-grain bullet is ideal for that purpose. Sure, it won’t make a larger hole like the rifle, but it will penetrate effectively.
For smaller animals, like deer, you can use an expanding bullet because you don’t need as much penetration to exit. But for dangerous game or larger animals, the non-expanding bullet becomes crucial, especially for deep penetration through bones and tough tissue.
Now, if we shift to 9mm, here’s your standard 115-grain cartridge, which works well on humans, where you only need 12 to 14 inches of penetration. However, this changes when people are wearing heavy winter coats or if you’re shooting at a much larger target.
Let’s talk about Phil Shoemaker, a renowned brown bear guide from Alaska. He killed an 800 or 900-pound bear with a 9mm while it had his clients knocked down on a fishing trip. Phil was carrying this 9mm Outdoorsman load I designed for outdoor defense against bears. It’s not ideal, since 9mm is underpowered for bears, but the bullet design—heavier 147-grain hard-cast with a flat nose—allows for deep penetration. This load runs at plus-P velocities, about 1,100 ft/sec, and can penetrate up to three feet without expanding.
Here’s why flat-nosed bullets are effective: they crush through tissue rather than slipping and sliding like round-nosed or expanding bullets. This crushing action ensures deeper penetration, which is crucial for thick-skinned animals like bears or moose.
So, when choosing ammunition for dangerous game, the difference between rifle and handgun bullets is stark. Rifle bullets, with their high sectional density and speed, allow for expansion while maintaining penetration. Handgun bullets, on the other hand, should not expand when hunting large animals. For thin-skinned animals or self-defense, expanding bullets in handguns can be effective, but for thick-skinned animals, non-expanding flat-nosed bullets are the way to go.
Lastly, here's a curio: a 25 ACP load with a 60-grain flat-nosed, hard-cast bullet. This little bullet, because of its design, will penetrate two feet in human tissue. If it were to expand, it would only get about six inches. So even for small calibers like .25 ACP, .380 ACP, or .32 ACP, you want non-expanding bullets for effective penetration.
Thanks for watching—hope this was useful. God bless, and have a great day!
