hornady HITS system

Newton24b · December 15, 2012, 01:56 AM

im lookint it to see whatit can tell me with a hunting handgun. its quite interesting really and i have to actively ask if the projectile energy is every taken into account or consideration.

for example,

45 colt with a .452 diameter 145 grain roundball at impact velocities ranging from 600 to 870 gives a rating of 88 to 127, SMALL GAME only

the 255 grain bullet with a nominal impact of 900 only gives you 409, small game. yet we agree that load generates 450 foot pounds of energy at the muzzle.
200 gr at impact of 900 fps only gives you 252, small game

a 200 grain slug cant break the small game threshold until the impact velocity reaches 1789fps at a max 50 yards. that gets it into medium game.

a 300 grain slug with impact of 800fps barely hits medium game

a 180 grain 357 slug needs 1450 fps to become medium game usable.
a 158 gr needs 1800fps impact to become medium game usable.

a .430 projectile of 200 grains with an impact velocity of 1,000 fps is a 310 score only useable on small game. it says youd need and impact of 1650 to bemedium game.

240 gr at 1200 fps impact barely qualifies as medium game load.
300 gr at 1200 impact is almost dangerous game usable. but impact of 1000 fps only has it usable for medium game.

so i have to ask on the validity. its an interesting topic but..

feets · December 16, 2012, 10:14 PM

You have to get over the whole energy thing. A mystical number with ft/lbs behind it does not kill animals. It's vapor. The numbers neither prove nor show anything credible.
A 240 grain frangible bullet at 1200 fps has the exact same energy as the same diameter 240 grain flat nose hard cast lead. Once those two bullets pass through three inches of critter their killing ability is worlds apart.

Personal defense loads are great for personal defense. They are not so great for hunting where the bullet has to go a little farther through an animal to get the job done. That PD round is going to poof out and lose momentum due to the wide frontal area. It might even break up on heavy bone or higher velocity.

Another thing you have to do is chew on the lawyer factor. If Hornady says X ammunition will take down a charging rhino and some freak gets stomped after emptying a full box of that ammo into said charging rhino the family will take issue with Hornady and get lawyers involved.

Also, they want to generate favorable user feedback and word of mouth praise for their products. If less than skilled hunters use their barely-made-the-cut ammo and end up tracking their wounded game all day long there will be some fussing. If it happens frequently that same hunter will flood the interwebs with hate and angst with Hornady and their cut-rate garbage. The problem may well be with the hunter but how often do you hear someone brag about their shortcomings?

There's all kinds of things at play. That's why Hornady came up with their own scale that errs towards caution.

Newton24b · December 17, 2012, 07:36 AM

even when it relegates their own top line hunting ammo into squirrel ammo?

feets · December 17, 2012, 05:15 PM

Yes, even then.

What one guy calls big game is another guy varmint.

Guys up north would laugh at Texas Whitetails. They're like Cocker Spaniels with antlers.

December 15, 2012, 01:56 AM	#1
Newton24b Junior member Join Date: February 10, 2009 Posts: 974	hornady HITS system im lookint it to see whatit can tell me with a hunting handgun. its quite interesting really and i have to actively ask if the projectile energy is every taken into account or consideration. for example, 45 colt with a .452 diameter 145 grain roundball at impact velocities ranging from 600 to 870 gives a rating of 88 to 127, SMALL GAME only the 255 grain bullet with a nominal impact of 900 only gives you 409, small game. yet we agree that load generates 450 foot pounds of energy at the muzzle. 200 gr at impact of 900 fps only gives you 252, small game a 200 grain slug cant break the small game threshold until the impact velocity reaches 1789fps at a max 50 yards. that gets it into medium game. a 300 grain slug with impact of 800fps barely hits medium game a 180 grain 357 slug needs 1450 fps to become medium game usable. a 158 gr needs 1800fps impact to become medium game usable. a .430 projectile of 200 grains with an impact velocity of 1,000 fps is a 310 score only useable on small game. it says youd need and impact of 1650 to bemedium game. 240 gr at 1200 fps impact barely qualifies as medium game load. 300 gr at 1200 impact is almost dangerous game usable. but impact of 1000 fps only has it usable for medium game. so i have to ask on the validity. its an interesting topic but..

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December 16, 2012, 10:14 PM	#2
feets Senior Member Join Date: April 28, 2008 Posts: 560	You have to get over the whole energy thing. A mystical number with ft/lbs behind it does not kill animals. It's vapor. The numbers neither prove nor show anything credible. A 240 grain frangible bullet at 1200 fps has the exact same energy as the same diameter 240 grain flat nose hard cast lead. Once those two bullets pass through three inches of critter their killing ability is worlds apart. Personal defense loads are great for personal defense. They are not so great for hunting where the bullet has to go a little farther through an animal to get the job done. That PD round is going to poof out and lose momentum due to the wide frontal area. It might even break up on heavy bone or higher velocity. Another thing you have to do is chew on the lawyer factor. If Hornady says X ammunition will take down a charging rhino and some freak gets stomped after emptying a full box of that ammo into said charging rhino the family will take issue with Hornady and get lawyers involved. Also, they want to generate favorable user feedback and word of mouth praise for their products. If less than skilled hunters use their barely-made-the-cut ammo and end up tracking their wounded game all day long there will be some fussing. If it happens frequently that same hunter will flood the interwebs with hate and angst with Hornady and their cut-rate garbage. The problem may well be with the hunter but how often do you hear someone brag about their shortcomings? There's all kinds of things at play. That's why Hornady came up with their own scale that errs towards caution.

December 17, 2012, 07:36 AM	#3
Newton24b Junior member Join Date: February 10, 2009 Posts: 974	even when it relegates their own top line hunting ammo into squirrel ammo?

December 17, 2012, 05:15 PM	#4
feets Senior Member Join Date: April 28, 2008 Posts: 560	Yes, even then. What one guy calls big game is another guy varmint. Guys up north would laugh at Texas Whitetails. They're like Cocker Spaniels with antlers.