Bob Stern’s comments about chest hits vs. headshots renews my interest in pellet expansion—a topic which has as much written verbiage as anything airgun related! But, there is one item you don’t see mentioned with respect to any hit area—what the pellet hit?
When pellets are “tested” artificially, some specific medium is used. Among them are ballistic gelatin, modeling clay, and in my case, wet florists foam. From these mediums, we can measure and compare the penetration, and deformation of pellets, if any. But what if we embed some harder substance within the medium to simulate bone? I’ve seen tests done using plastic designed to “act” like bone, tests using dead pigs, and postmortems done in an effort to simulate real world events. But something is missing!
When you draw down on game of any ilk, most hunters take their best shot advantage. When they can’t, all to often they shoot anyway. The final analysis in either case, whether the game drops dead on the spot, or runs away to die a miserable death, is a matter of how much energy was expended. But just as important is what the projectile hits on its way in and/or through the game? That is something you can’t calculate, plan for, or simulate!
We’ve all (hunters) experienced chest hits and headshots, and had both instant death as well as runaways. So the next time I hear someone say one specific “hit spot” is better than another, I’m going to cringe and shout profanities at the inaneness.
