I also agree with Con on this one, but have my doubts about the "shock" theory. If you mean hypovolemic shock, which is caused by sudden loss of blood pressure from massive bleeding, then yes, but that goes back to causing CNS failure, which needs blood supply to function.
But when others speak of shock, it seems to conjure up the image of a bullet with so much energy it knocks the animal off its feet. I'm not sure I'd WANT to shoot a rifle that has enough power to knock a 900lb elk off it's feet from sheer impact energy; the recoil would disable the shooter. A bullet that can cause significant internal damage (not including a direct CNS hit) depends on a number of factors, including velocity, bullet construction and density, and density of the target medium, which has pretty well been covered here.
In all, it's an interesting thread. Much like the "What is the ideal bad guy stopper for CCW?" thread; I still haven't found the final answer to that one because bad guys vary. Bottom line is, hit where you aim. Bullets can't make up for improper shot placement.
Just my $.02
But when others speak of shock, it seems to conjure up the image of a bullet with so much energy it knocks the animal off its feet. I'm not sure I'd WANT to shoot a rifle that has enough power to knock a 900lb elk off it's feet from sheer impact energy; the recoil would disable the shooter. A bullet that can cause significant internal damage (not including a direct CNS hit) depends on a number of factors, including velocity, bullet construction and density, and density of the target medium, which has pretty well been covered here.
In all, it's an interesting thread. Much like the "What is the ideal bad guy stopper for CCW?" thread; I still haven't found the final answer to that one because bad guys vary. Bottom line is, hit where you aim. Bullets can't make up for improper shot placement.
Just my $.02
