... yes it is probable that lighter controlled bullets are as good as heavier older ones. but this begs the question is the controlled heavier one even better again?
I believe that the answer is a resounding yes, and that is the point I was trying to make in the post:
"
2- The bullet weight debates goes both way: a 250 gr A Frame that retains about 95% weight ought to perform similarly inside an animal as a 350 gr Partition that looses 30% in the first inch or so. That puts the 250 gr A Frame from a .340 Wby in a somewhat similar class to a light .416 load, all consideration of frontal area, energy, ballistic coefficient, sectional density, etc. duly considered."
... however I believe the fragmentation of the Partition in the lungs contributes to its killing criteria.
I believe that as well, but I am undecided as to whether it is more or less effective than the 4 petals of a TTSX shredding tissue as it plows forward. I am speculating (?) that a petaled mono-metal that remains heavier will likely penetrate deeper and do more mechanical damage than a lighter Partition rear core that may or may not have expanded past nominal caliber. As stated in another thread, I was negatively impressed by a follow up shot on a big Eland that failed to reach the lungs coming from the rear end. See
https://www.africahunting.com/threa...mes-or-tsx-bullets-be-30-lighter.45537/page-2
A .340 has a 2” MPBR with a 250gr of 291 yards. A 375HH has a 270 yard mpbr with a 270gr. Is gaining 21 yards of mpbr worth 10 extra pounds of recoil and less grain weight?
... Average DG shot is at 38 yards ... Longest shot I’ve ever taken under hunting conditions with a medium bore is 345 yards. Outside MPBR for both options so I had to have a firing solution calculated either way ... 99% of shots are going to be inside 200 yards for hunting scenarios and the .340 benefits don’t exist yet at those close ranges.
It seems that we do not see things from the same perspective, which is fine. Allow me to share a few thoughts:
In my mind,
the purpose of a .340 Wby is not to be shot at small animals that require a 2" MPBR. That is what the .257 Wby is made for. In my experience, elk/wildebeest and up, for which the .340 Wby is made, offer a much larger vital area, hence a much larger MPBR. In consequence, and as mentioned previously, a properly used .340 Wby should be zeroed at 300 yd and has a legitimate effective range out to 400 yd in experienced hands (see discussion of firing solution here under).
Now, mind you, I am not advocating a 400 yd first shot on game, but I like the ability to deliver an anchoring shot on a fleeing wounded animal at 400+ yd should it be needed.
As also indicated elsewhere, I shoot steel at 1,000 meters regularly, so I could engage at 400 yd, or further, in most cases, with what I would characterize as a high probability of success. But to me this is not hunting. The sames goes in my mind with applying sniping equipment (which I own: see
https://www.africahunting.com/media/300-win-mag-mk13-rifle.70488/) and sniper techniques (external turret adjustments) to long range (600+ yd) shooting at game. Note that I say "shooting at game" not "hunting". This is a personal preference, and I am fine restricting myself to 300 yd first shot. Others can do as they please as long as they do not litter the landscape with crippled animals, which is easier said than done. Nough' said about this.
Regarding DG, the .340 Wby is not a DG cartridge. This would be illegal in most place. To me that ends the discussion. Period. So the 28 yd average DG shot seems irrelevant to me in a .340 Wby discussion.
We also see things differently regarding the need for firing solutions. As previously stated:
"
From a .340 Wby, a 250 gr. Nosler Partition launched at 2,940 fps will be +4" @ 100 yd; +5" @ 200 yd; 0 @ 300 yd; -11" @ 400 yd. This means that on game typically shot with the .340 Wby (elk/wildebeest and up), from 0 to 250 yd you hold the horizontal cross hair on the belly line and let the bullet climb into the heart, at 300 yd you aim dead center, and at 400 yd you hold the horizontal cross hair on the shoulder line and let the bullet drop into the lungs. Simple. Deadly." As previously stated, I could be adjusting turrets, but I elect not to do that when hunting, and one does not always have the time in dynamic scenarios. It is actually quite amazing what one can do with a well understood application of a MPBR adapted to the class of animals hunted. I have applied successfully enough the above method to be entirely confident in it. I therefore do not believe that a properly sighted and understood .340 Wby requires firing solutions for most hunting applications, and certainly not up to 400+ yd.
As to 99% of shots being inside of 200 yd, I personally have doubts about this. I am not sure where your data comes from, or whether it is actual data, but my intuitive opinion based on 40 years in the field is that outside of dense habitats, the average shot seems to me to be more like anywhere between 200 and 300 yd. Emphasis: in open habitats. I have shot many deer at less than 150 yd in dense Pennsylvania woods, and buff at 30 yd in Limpopo thick bush, but I have also seen shot, and shot myself, a lot of game in the 300 yd range in Arizona, Colorado, British Columbia, Newfoundland, Eastern Cape, etc. open hills, tundra, or plains.
In summary, if you will never shoot past 200 yd, you do not need a .340 Wby (.338 RUM, .338 Lapua, .33 Nosler; or what that matter anything with a belt, including .300's, 7's etc.; or for that matter too .270 Win, 280 Rem, etc. etc.). The 7x57 and the 9.3x62 ought to deliver all you need. Is such be the case, I am happy for you and respect your choice, but it is missing the point to evaluate the .340 Wby for a 9.3x62, or even .375 H&H, application.
