Ballistics of Hunting



The practice of hunting has been around for ages and has played an intrigal part in the survival of civilization by providing food on the table and feeding many a family for thousands of years.

The practice of hunting has been around for ages and has played an intrigal part in the survival of civilization by providing food on the table and feeding many a family for thousands of years.

Although hunting and even the weapons used for hunting have changed forms since times past, the basic principles of hunting have remained the same. Hunting requires you to seek, find, and dispatch the animal before processing and eating the delicious game. For centuries, people have worked to create better weapons for harvesting game more effectively. With the advent of gunpowder, hunting took a huge leap forward that would eventually lead to modern sport and subsistence hunting.  

The primary form of hunting today occurs through the use of firearms such as rifles, shotguns, pistols, and muzzleloaders. Bowhunting is another important form of hunting but will not be discussed in this website.

The primary way a rifle kills is by disrupting the function of vital organs such as blood flow in the heart and lungs causing the animal to expire. The rifle shot causes tissue damage that transfers the kinectic energy into the animal and creates a wound channel. Different bullet design and cartridge selection are important in the effectiveness of hunting. For years people have worked to design better weapons and bullets to quickly and effectively harvest game, ensuring that the animal is harvested quickly and humanely.

The idea of ballistics is important in the area of firearms hunting because it allows effective and ethical harvest of game.