Hunting Bullet Metrics
Apply Terminal Performance Truth
Hunting Bullet Metrics
2023 Zebra Management Hunt Report
Table of Contents
1.0 Abstract p. 2
2.0 Report Warnings and Disclaimers p. 2
3.0 Introduction p. 3
4.0 Report Contents p. 5
5.0 Hunt Objectives p. 6
6.0 Background Information p. 7
7.0 The Defined Hunting Problem Used to Select p. 8
Bullets with Attendant Chambering
8.0 Screening of 30-Caliber Candidate Bullets p. 10
for Field Terminal Performance Evaluation
8.1 Bullet Nomenclature and Abbreviations p. 10
8.2 Gel Test Results and Their Primary p. 10
Basis for Application
8.3 Desired Bullet Terminal Performance p. 11
8.3.1 Specified Terminal Performance Criteria p. 11
8.3.2 Criterion 1) Screening for All Candidate Bullets: p. 12
EPGW Compliance
8.3.3 Criterion 2) Screening for the 200 WWC, 240 TSMK, p. 14
& 220 SPH: Maximum Travel Distance Assessments
8.3.4 Criterion 3) Screening for the 200 WWC, 240 TSMK, p. 19
& 220 SPH: Penetration Length Assessments
8.3.5 Criterion 4) Screening for the 200 WWC, 240 TSMK, p. 20
& 220 SPH: BSM Assessments
9.0 Bullets Selected for Field Evaluations p. 21
9.1 General Discussion p. 21
9.2 220 WWC p. 22
9.3 240 TSMK p. 22
9.4 220 SPH p. 24
10.0 Field Procedures p. 25
10.1 Professional Hunter Qualifications p. 25
10.2 Hunting Methods p. 25
10.3 Skinning-Shed Autopsy Methods p. 26
11.0 General Terminal Performance Results p. 27
11.1 Overview of Shots on Game p. 27
11.2 Kill-Shot Distances and Corresponding p. 27
Impact Velocities
11.2.1 All Bullets p. 27
11.2.2 200 WWC p. 27
11.2.3 240 TSMK p. 28
11.2.4 220 SPH p. 28
11.3 Kill-Shot Bullet Impact Energy p.28
11.4 Bones Breached by All Bullets p. 28
11.5 Specific Bones Breached by p. 28
Kill-Shot Bullets
11.5.1 All Bullets p. 28
11.5.2 200 WWC p. 29
11.5.3 240 TSMK p. 29
11.5.4 220 SPH p. 29
11.6 Bullet Aim Alignment Deviation p. 29
11.6.1 All Bullets p. 29
11.6.2 200 WWC p. 30
11.6.3 240 TSMK p. 30
11.6.4 220 SPH p. 30
11.7 Kill-Shot Bullet Tumbling p. 30
11.7.1 All Bullets p. 30
11.7.2 2oo WWC p. 30
11.7.3 240 TSMK p. 30
11.7.4 220 SPH p. 30
11.8 Vital Organs Breached by Kill-Shot Bullets p. 30
11.8.1 All Bullets p. 30
11.8.2 200 WWC p. 31
11.8.3 240 TSMK p. 31
11.8.4 220 SPH p. 31
11.9 Direct Evidence of Bullet Shrapnel Wounding p. 31
11.10 Indirect Evidence of Bullet Shrapnel Wounding p. 31
11.11 Wound Cavity Volumes Determined from p. 32
Bloodshot Tissue Surrounding the
Bullet Hole (TBSTV)
11.11.1 Measurements Made p. 32
11.11.2 All Bullets p. 32
11.11.3 200 WWC p. 32
11.11 4 240 TSMK p. 32
11.11.5 220 SPH p. 33
11.12 Wound Cavity Volumes Determined from p. 33
Bullet Holes (TBHV)
11.12.1 Measurements Made p. 33
11.12.2 All Bullets p. 33
11.12.3 200 WWC p. 33
11.12.4 240 TSMK p. 33
11.12.5 220 SPH p. 33
11.13 Animal Travel Distances After the Kill Shot p. 34
11.14 Animal “Amped” Just Before the Kill Shot p. 34
11.14.1 Basis for Assessment p. 34
11.14.2 All bullets p. 35
11.14.3 200 WWC p. 35
11.14.4 240 TSMK p.29
11.14.5 220 SPH p. 35
11.15 Retained Bullet and Bullet Remnant Data p. 35
11.15.1 All Bullets p. 35
11.15.2 200 WWC p. 35
11.15.3 240 TSMK p. 35
11.15.4 220 SPH p. 36
11.16 Bullet Terminal Penetration Lengths p. 36
11.16.1 All Bullets p. 36
11.16.2 200 WWC p. 36
11.16.3 240 TSMK p. 36
11.16.4 220 SPH p. 36
11.17 Quantity of Bloodshot Meat p. 37
11.17.1 Objective p. 37
11.17.2 All Bullets p. 37
11.17.3 200 WWC p. 37
11.17.4 240 TSMK p. 37
11.17.5 220 SPH p. 37
11.18 Shock p. 38
11.18.1 Definition and General Discussion p. 38
11.18.2 All Bullets p. 41
11.18.3 200 WWC p. 41
11.18.4 240 TSMK p. 41
11.18.5 220 SPH p. 41
11.19 Unusual Bleeding p. 41
11.20 Unusual Tissue Damage p. 42
12.0 Discussion of Terminal Performance Results p. 44
12.1 The Effect of Kill-Shot Bullet Impact Velocities on p. 44
Field Performance Interpretations
12.2 The Effect of Bullet Aim-Alignment Deviation p. 45
on Terminal Performance
12.3 The Effect of Kill-Shot Bullet Shot Angle, p. 45
Bone Breaching, and Tumbling on Field
Penetration Lengths Through the
Thoracic Cavity
12.4 Comparison of 20% Synthetic Gel Total p. 47
Penetration Lengths, L(T), to Field
Penetration Lengths
12.5 Comparison of 20 % Synthetic Gel Weight Retained p. 50
And Expansion Ratio Data to Field Values
12.6 The Effect of Bullet Weight Loss on Field p. 51
Penetration and Observed Wounding
12.7 Kill-Shot Bullet Tumbling and Its Effect on Wound p. 53
Cavity Volume
12.8 Comparison of 20% Synthetic Gel Test V(ST) to p. 53
TBSTV Determined from Skinning-Shed Autopsies
12.9 Comparison of 20% Synthetic Gel Test L(S) to p. 55
Interpreted Field Values of L(S) Based on
Skinning-Shed Wounding Observations
12.10 Comparison of 20% Synthetic Gel Test I(V) to p. 57
Volume of Bloodshot Meat Determined from
Skinning-Shed Autopsies
12.11 The Effect of Kill-Shot Bullet Wound Cavity p. 59
Volume on Travel Distance
12.12 The Effect of an Animal Being Amped p. 60
on Travel Distance
12.13 The Effect of Kill-Shot Bullet Impact p. 61
Energy on Travel Distance
12.14 The Effect of Kill-Shot Bullet Impact p. 62
Energy on Producing Hydrodynamic Shock
12.15 Terminal Performance Implications Suggested p. 63
by Graphs 1 & 2
12.16 Terminal Performance Implications Suggested p. 64
by Graph 3
12.17 The Effect of Kill-Shot Bullet Impact Velocity on p. 65
Wound Cavity Volume
12.18 Gel Test Implications Suggested by Table 3, p. 66
Table 4, Graph 1, and Graph 2
12.19 Terminal Performance Implications Suggested p. 67
by All Graphs
12.20 Hydrodynamic Shock Implications Related p. 67
to Bullet Impact Energy
12.21 The Relevance of Using Bullet Expansion Ratio p. 67
To Both Predict and Evaluate Field Wounding
12.22 The Potential for Blood Hammer to Degrade p.69
Edible Meat Quality
13.0 Summary Conclusions p. 70
13.1 Did Guppy metrics obtained from testing hunting p. 70
bullets in 20% synthetic gel reasonably predict
field terminal performance and skinning-shed
observations of thin-skinned African plains game?
13.2 Was there an identifiable and logical relationship p. 74
between wound cavity volumes determined from
skinning-shed autopsies and travel distance
after the kill shot?
13.3 Was there an identifiable and logical relationship p. 74
between bullet impact velocity and wound
cavity volumes determined from
skinning-shed autopsies?
13.4 Was there any apparent and reasonable p. 75
relationship between a bullet’s impact
energy and travel distance after the kill shot,
wound cavity volumes determined in the
skinning shed, and what hunters typically call
hydrostatic shock?
13.5 Did a bullet’s field weight loss adversely affect its p. 76
penetration through vital organs?
13.6 Were bullet penetration lengths, weight retentions, p. 77
and expansion ratios determined from testing
in 20% synthetic gel representative of
actual field values?
13.7 Did shrapnel produced by a bullet’s weight loss p. 78
result in observable/beneficial wounding and
tissue bleeding?
13.8 Does the Guppy model, combined with testing in p. 79
20% synthetic gel, need any modifications to better
empirically predict field terminal performance based
on field observations and data?
13.9 Can the Guppy model, combined with testing in p. 79
20% synthetic gel, be used to empirically
evaluate any terminal performance objective
based on a defined hunting problem using
specific bullets from any specified chambering?
13.10 How did the selected 30-caliber bullets perform p. 81
on thin-skinned African plains game?