Originally Posted By: jbmasterAnd while I am not an expert,nor do I know what kind of vegetation you hunt in,You can not possibly know that your bullets never riccochete.Just saying.
Actually a person can know that with a reasonable certainty.
Now, if you are talking about a 45-70 hard cast bullet, yes, I see your point, and what you say is true. Even with a .22 long rifle bullet. But, with bullet technology today we are talking about very thin copper jackets with soft lead cores expanded with polymer tips. They are designed to fragment into very small pieces upon impact. Add that to high velocity & the bullet fragments very rapidly. I'm sure there's small pieces of jacket & lead that disburse from impact, but I wouldn't consider that a riccochet by standard definition.
Police Depts. nationwide are using the Hornady TAP ammo because it has the same VMax bullet that we use for predators. In extensive testing not only by Hornady, but the police agencies themselves, the studies show virtually no riccochet potential, and further studies indicate that light obstructions like drywall or wood paneling such as inside homes and apartments will also fragment the projectile, and reduce the risk of casualties to bystanders.
If you combine the above with basic safe hunting proceedures, such as knowing your target, being aware of your background, and not shooting towards anything you don't want to kill, then a hunter can very well say that they don't have riccochets. Might not work with other calibers like 30-30 or .308, or the big game cartridges, but I'll stand my ground on this one as it relates to what I use, and where and how I hunt. I also don't spray and pray as game is running over a hill, so there's no damage potential there either.
When out hunting I would hope that we are all aware of the potential risks, and are familiar with our hunting areas by knowing the type ammo you use, and how it works, and by knowing what's over that next hill, or through those thickets. Once a shot is fired, it's too late to "Take it back"....