Hunting Ammo: What to Look for in a Big-Game Bullet

Hunting bullets have come a long way since the first round lead ball was launched game-ward from a long-barreled muzzleloader. Bullets now are long and streamlined, tipped with space-age material, and constructed of copper married to lead through special bonding processes. They are incredibly accurate, highly aerodynamic, and boast superb terminal performance. They are the finest killing projectiles the world has ever known; that’s a great thing for us as hunters. NRA American Hunter Logo NRA American Hunter Logo MENU Search American Hunter Quick Links NRA MEMBERSHIP Sections NEWS NEW FOR 2022 #SUNDAYGUNDAY ARCHERY GAME GUNS & GEAR HOW-TO HUNTERS' LEADERSHIP FORUM JOIN THE HUNT LIFESTYLE SHOT SHOW STATE FISH & GAME INFORMATION WILD GAME RECIPES VIDEOS NRA Publications AMERICAN RIFLEMAN AMERICAN HUNTER SHOOTING ILLUSTRATED AMERICA'S FIRST FREEDOM NRA WOMEN NRA FAMILY SHOOTING SPORTS USA NRA HUNTERS' LEADERSHIP FORUM NRA BLOG HELP Hunting Ammo: What to Look for in a Big-Game Bullet by ARAM VON BENEDIKT posted on September 6, 2022 NEWS, AMMO, BIG GAME Support NRA American Hunter DONATE Photo 1 Hunting bullets have come a long way since the first round lead ball was launched game-ward from a long-barreled muzzleloader. Bullets now are long and streamlined, tipped with space-age material, and constructed of copper married to lead through special bonding processes. They are incredibly accurate, highly aerodynamic, and boast superb terminal performance. They are the finest killing projectiles the world has ever known; that’s a great thing for us as hunters. Bullet Mold What Kills Game? To effectively and cleanly kill a big-game animal, a bullet needs to expand reliably and penetrate deeply no matter what it encounters en route. That’s the crux of bullet performance. If a bullet fragments to bits upon impact, or stops upon encountering bone, it likely won’t penetrate deeply enough to accomplish a clean kill. Or if it fails to expand, it may simply pencil through, doing minimal damage along the way and failing to accomplish a clean kill. Here’s a short anatomy-of-a-kill lesson for you: There are three ways a bullet will cause rapid and mostly painless death: 1: Collapse the lungs, causing a dearth of oxygen to the brain. 2: Cause massive damage to the circulatory system including the heart, arteries, and veins, leading to catastrophic loss of blood and blood pressure. 3: Disrupt or destroy the central nervous system, which consists of the brain and spinal column.* Of the three, number one—the lungs—offers the biggest target, results in the fastest death, and usually comes with the side benefit of accomplishing number 2 en-route. When a bullet passes through the lungs they collapse almost instantly. Arteries and veins, and sometimes the heart, are destroyed as well. Within seconds the brain is starved of oxygen and blood pressure plummets. The animal literally blacks out and tips over, unconscious even before it is dead. This is the ideal, painless-as-possible death that we as ethical hunters should strive for every time we take a shot.