"In a word, stopping power is a myth."
"One of the most significant and utterly uncontrollable variables in terminal performance is the target itself; not merely the shot path or point of impact (these can be controlled), but the intrinsic constitution of the animal. I have seen deer with their heart blown quite literally away that ran 100 or even 200 yds on nothing more than the oxygen present in the blood at the instant of impact. Others spring lightly away as if unhurt when hit in an identical manner by a load which has dropped similarly sized game as if struck by a thunderbolt."
" Some will continue to graze calmly as though unaffected by the passage of the bullet through their vitals or the sound of the rifle's report (clearly in a state of shock). Some appear to be flipped or thrown by the impact while others never twitch a muscle. Some flinch or drop their hind quarters in a spasmodic contraction of agony, but nevertheless run or walk away."
" The point is this: there is never any certainty of the effect on a game animal even when all of the controllable variables are held constant. Shoot any ten deer, elk, sheep, antelope of identical size and age on a classic broadside shot through the shoulder and lungs; half of them will crumple on the spot but the remainder will exhibit most or all of the various behaviors described above. A research project by the South Carolina Dept. of Natural Resources into the effects on deer shot with high powered rifles demonstrates these assertions."
I have a pal on a small town police force. He was forced to shoot a guy shooting at him at a traffic stop. My pal shot him in the forehead with a .45 ACP.
The guy turned and ran off as fast as he could and made it almost two blocks before he keeled over...
The back of his head was pretty much blown off.
Wierd...