Rifles & Ammunition(1)

Aim

The aim of this guide is to describe the factors to be considered when choosing a rifle and ammunition combination to shoot deer in Scotland. This guide will specifically cover:

• The legal limitations on what firearms can be used;
• Bullet trajectory, drop and the effects of wind;
• A description of why expanding ammunition is required to shoot deer.

 

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Rifles and ammunition

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  Ballistics 1:

  Rifles and ammunition...
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  Ballistics 2:

  important to know bullet types and expanding ammunition purpose
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  Ballistics 3:

  results on a heart show(left) solid ammunition, little transfer of energy and (right) expanding ammunition, good transfer of energy
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  Ballistics 4:

  Permanent wound cavity showing early expansion and energy transfer to the 'tissue'. The outer (purple) area is the temporary cavity whilst the inner (red) area is the permanent cavity
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  Ballistics 5:

  expanding bullet before and after impact
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  Ballistics 6:

  Permanent wound cavity with plaster cast of permanent wound tract being taken. The same rifle/ammunition was used to produce these two 'wound tracts' (this shows 'wound track 1')
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  Ballistics 7:

  'wound tract 2' was shot at 4 times the range of wound track 1. The bullet shot at longer range was therefore going much slower and resulted in slower expansion and a significantly smaller wound tract. The larger wound tract simulates the difference between using expanding v solid ammunition.

 

Legal limitations

For the killing or taking of deer in Scotland, firearms, ammunition and sights must conform to requirements, laid down in the Deer (Firearms etc.)(Scotland) Order1985. These are stated as follows:

• Rifles:
  

NB. Ensure that all three minimum conditions are met for your chosen calibre of rifle

• Rifle bullets should be of an expanding type designed to deform in a predictable manner.
• For Shotguns
  Use is limited to certain circumstance1 and must be of not less than 12 bore gauge
  

• It is lawful to use a slaughtering instrument using any ammunition intended for use in it. A “slaughtering instrument” is a firearm specifically designed or adapted for the instantaneous slaughter of animals or for the instantaneous stunning of animals with a view to slaughtering them. Such an instrument may be appropriate for use in capture for culling operations.
• Any firearm or other method of humane dispatch may be used to prevent suffering to injured or wounded deer.
• It is illegal to use sights that are:
  • Light intensifying,
  • Heat sensitive, or
  • Other special sighting devices for night shooting
  

Why use expanding ammunition

The severity of a bullet wound is directly related to damage caused by the path of the bullet and the amount of kinetic energy that is transferred from the bullet to the tissues of the body.

Extent of damage to heart shot with solid non-expanding or expanding ammunition.
The path of the bullet through tissue can be categorised into the permanent and temporary wound cavity (see diagrams below).
Expanding ammunition increases the rate at which the energy transfer takes place and will create larger and more predictable permanent wound cavities than solid ammunition.

The temporary wound tract is where the expansion of the bullet causes a temporary elastic expansion of the tissue. The contribution of the shock to death is when the elastic limit of the tissue is overcome and permanent damage results.

Ballistic tables

Ballistic tables will ensure you are aware of the technical capabilities of your rifle ammunition combination. These tables can be generated either by using the information provided on the manufactures box or through the use of commercially available ballistic software.

continued in Rifles & Ammunition(2)

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