Small calibers gain devotees since they are easy to handle, are quite common in the stores and are usually accurate to a point that a hunter feels that he or she is ahead of time. Even on paper some of them even display respectable-looking velocity numbers.
The issue begins when the target is no longer paper, but with ribs, shoulder construction, and the type of muscle mass that makes penetration shallow into a day of labor. When the animals grow beyond the size of a coyote, the range of almost enough will fade quickly. These are seven rounds which again and again demonstrate the same shortcoming in practical terms, that they are applicable in the case of pests and small predators, but fail in the extent of certainty of penetration and disturbance when they are required to do a larger work.
1. .22 Long Rifle
22 LR is omnipresent and such access can mislead shooters into thinking that it is a panacea. Realistically, average muzzle weight is 100 to 150 foot-pounds, meaning that there is little left over when the hide, bone, and angles are involved. Gel testing tends to exhibit shallow tracks not reaching vitals on harder bodied animals where placement of the shot is not ideal. Barrel length swings even count here; in pocket size handguns a slight increase in barrel length can give some decent velocity but still that does not ensure extensive penetration. That, plus low energy and intermittent terminal performance, keeps.22 LR in the small-game ghetto.
2. .22 Magnum (.22 WMR)
.22 Magnum has a heavier load to bear than.22 LR, and it frequently does it with smaller game. In good systems, energy may get to approximately 300 foot-pounds, but the actual limit is what occurs upon impact. In gelatin work using short barrels, non-expanding loads can be used to achieve deeper penetration, and specially designed expanding loads can be used to produce an opening but lose penetration. The tradeoff of penetration versus expansion is why the cartridge becomes unpredictable with larger animal sizes and so on, and more shots up close. The frequently reiterated theory that it becomes .22 LR when out of short barrels does not always stand clean either, there are still gaps in measured velocities, but the bottom line case can still be marginal when heavy structure must be torn.
3. .17 HMR
17 HMR is a laser in the field and its accuracy is one of the best selling points. It also happens to be one of the most striking illustrations of the fact that velocity does not turn you into a person of authority. In lightweight bullets, the cartridge is designed based on quick upset and fragmentation and testing debates speak of fragmentation following an approximate of 1/2 of penetration in some loads. Such conduct is destroying on small-bodied animals, and burns most of the bullet before it reaches deeper tissue. Once the target becomes overweight (more than about 40 to 50 pounds) or the shot must penetrate the shoulder, the ability of.17 HMR to disintegrate turns into the same weakness that holds it back.
4. .22 Short
The 22 Short had not been designed to fit the present-day hunting requirements. Normal operating energy levels are usually less than 70 foot-pounds and such low power is immediately reflected in penetration and disruption. It can hardly do more than stab shallow channels at short distances, and can give little assistance in pushing through thicker muscle layers or bone. It may still find a place on exceedingly small pests, but the original purpose of the cartridge was low-noise, low-recoil shooting, hence the explanation of its collapse as soon as the object becomes serious.
5. .25 ACP
25 ACP exists in the pocket-pistol world, and convenience has never been able to compete with performance. Though centerfire, it often operates in the same range of energies as.22 LR, and with full-metal-jacket loads, it usually exhibits relatively modest penetration. In organized gel testing that involved a four-layered heavy clothing barrier, loads of .25 ACP were said to be generally unimpressive and also with depth variations between the shots. That incompatibility is relevant to animals bigger than coyotes since the cartridge does not have the unused power to correct the angles, bones, or inaccurate placement of hits.
6. .32 ACP
There is a reason why 32 ACP is referred to as borderline. Energy of 130 to 160 foot-pounds may seem workable and the cartridge can be penetrated satisfactorily with the appropriate type of bullet. The thing is that most hollow points cannot easily drive deep enough and some FMJ loads cut deep but are not able to produce the tissue disruption that hunters rely on when the animal is heavier and tougher. That is to say that it is possible to tune .32 ACP to a given result but since the cartridge has a limited energy budget, it is difficult to achieve both consistent penetration and significant wound channel operation simultaneously.
7. .410 Birdshot
Shotguns are known to be problem solvers, however, birdshot is designed to deal with birds and small pests, and not big hide and hard bone. At terminal terms, mass of the pellet is the limiting factor: small pellets lose velocity fast and cease prematurely. An example that is useful when considering shotgun gelatin discussion is that an 8 pound ball shot will go approximately 4.5 to 5 inches into ballistic gelatin even when shot with a 12 gauge, which puts the issues into perspective before even considering the generally lighter weights of the payloads found in the .410. The answer is simple; it works at close range upon small game, but at longer distances on larger bodied game, it does not have the depth needed to reach where it counts.
The only thing that brings these cartridges together is that they do not always work, but they do not work well enough when animals become large, tough, or presently unattractive. Bullet construction and penetration is as important as speed and small rounds can seldom afford the margin of error. To the hunter and the shooter who desires to have clean results, they are the rounds that require a firm discipline on the size of the target, the distance, and the angle of the shot–because physics does not compromise where the target is heavier than a coyote.
