I came across this video and was really surprised at the lethality of a typical .22 round at 300 yards.




Cliff Notes;

300 yards, clear ballistics gel block with 4 layers of demin on the front. Just over 11" of penetration, but no bullet expansion with a CCI Mini Mag (~1200 ft/sec 36 grain).


I was expecting a LOT less penetration than this. I am not saying this is a good hunting round at 300 yards, I am saying it is impressive at the penetration a .22 round still has at 300 yards.

That doesn't surprise me at all.

Speed is why so many bullets don't penetrate or perform well on game, they are going too fast. Many common hunting bullets will penetrate deeper at longer range due to reduced speed and expansion.

That's pretty interesting. I shot .22 LR on steel a couple of weeks ago and there was a very distinct ping on the hits all the way out to 400.

This is why many long favored calibers in both Europe and Africa favor heavy for caliber bullets and moderate velocity. Only the USA is in love with magnums. Several years ago I got a 9.3x62 and with 286 gr bullets at about 2400 fps it will shoot end to end on deer with very little bloodshot meat. Try that with a fast magnum.

Wind-age and Elevation

Use a copper bullet like a tsx it's easy to do.

the heavy and slow era died with Elmer Keith

No, it really didn't. The only thing that died was critters shot with big, slow boolits.

Nailed it

Yup

Blasphemy

How fast was the bullet going when it hit the gelatin? Are there ballistic tables out there giving the speed of a 22 bullet at 300 yards?

Obviously you've never been on safari and talked to any people that hunt dangerous game. Heavy and slow work, period.

Yeah, that is why I'm thinking about selling my old lever 45/70. When I shoot things they just fall over, nothing spectacular like running 250 yds before their heart explodes nor does it turn anything into a pink mist. I'm getting bored just killing things. Nothing to video and photos are boring.

Call me first, please sir.

Sure. With a BC of .126 and muzzle velocity of 1250 fps, the approximate velocity at 300 yards is 787 fps (assuming light crosswind).

w SK standard plus its about 14 mils from my 100yrd zero......

The only reason the big Africa cartridges don't shoot fast is because they are heavy. They kick as bad as any magnum. On both ends. And ballistic gel is not like hitting a rib or cartilage. It's the equivalent to hitting guts, fat or softer muscle.

I know this was a 22 LR but when I lived way out in the country my 22 Mag was sighted in at 217 (+/- can't remember exactly). Many and crow, coon and squirrel bit the dust at my feeder. And yes it had a 20'plus tall back stop behind it.
No way I would want to take a 22 round at any range.

Speed is what allows penetration, sure, but it is also what causes expansion when the bullet sees the initial hydraulic shock upon entering its terminal medium.

Heavy and slow usually results in under expansion or straight pass through. Just look at the heavy 300blk bullets. You have to go REALLY soft (or some exotic bullet profile) to get expansion when shooting subsonics. Even then, temporary and permanent cavitation suffer severely.

Right, so a big problem w the 62 gr ammo for the military in Somalia was that the bullets were punching right through the combatants, making nice ice pick like holes, but failing miserably at stopping them very quickly. Lots died but lots took numerous hits and continued to fight. No doubt many died later. So while lethal, often not quickly lethal. Slow lethal has only limited use for hunting.

P.O, Ackley, W.D.M. Bell and Roy Weatherby might have a difference of opinion when it comes to bullet penetration and velocity.

I ran too many to count test rounds through my 45/70 and whether at 25. 125 or 225 yds the recovered bullet never measured less than .45" in diameter.

Now back to topic of .22 lr at 300 yards.

Regarding the OP, just don't confuse stopping power with lethality. When I was a kid my granddad used to always warn all the grandkids to make sure that his cattle weren't down range past our target. He was sure he lost one to a 22.

I figure the OP's scenario only amounts to a slow death somewhere down range to something.

Black Hawk Down reference (book).
I think this is right on.

Cool video. No wonder the Thunderbolt boxes say "dangerous out to 1 mile".