The Importance of Cartridge Selection and Shot Placement

If ever there was a divisive topic, this is it! The amount of friendly banter and serious shit slinging I see from fellow shooters over what’s the best cartridge and shot placement for any given animal is crazy. And of course, I have a bit of an opinion about it as well. So for what it’s worth, here’s my two cents.

General Sentiments

Now according to some, all anyone needs is a single-shot 22 LR. It’s been strongly touted that if you can’t kill any animal in Australia with a 22 LR, with one shot, then you clearly shouldn’t have a gun licence. I think most of us would call bullshit on that one.

Others still will tout that all you need is a 222 Rem, 223 Rem or 22-250 Rem. All great cartridges, I agree, but perhaps not all you need.

Then there’s the fellas that say all you need is a 270 Rem, 308 Win, 300 Win Mag, or larger. I mean, they’re not wrong. All of those cartridges will kill anything in Australia. And the truth is, I won’t lie, the amount of times I’ve used a 308 Win on a rabbit isn’t something to be proud of, but hey, when you’re on the job, you use the tools at hand.

How Important is Cartridge Selection?

At the end of the day cartridge selection is important but it isn’t the be-all and end-all. In other words, a smaller cartridge in the right hands will do far more damage than a larger cartridge in the wrong hands.

Cartridge selection and shot placement are not mutually exclusive. Actually they are two sides of the same coin. In essence, cartridge selection dictates shot placement. For example: a 22 LR can kill a steer but to do that, the shot needs to be almost point blank and either between the eyes or in the ear. That’s the only two places you can get an effective kill on an animal of that size with that cartridge.

For another example, let’s say you are running a 308 Win on the same steer. Well, now you have options as far as shot placement goes since you’re using a much larger bullet with the capacity for far greater terminal damage. This opens up your shot placement to be head, neck, double lung, or heart. All of those places a 308 Win will give an ethical kill.

How Important is Shot Placement?

I touched on this briefly before but shot placement is dictated by the cartridge and the size of the animal. The smaller the cartridge and the larger the animal, the more limited options there are for shot placement. Conversely the larger the cartridge and the smaller the animal, the more options for shot placement. I think you guys get the idea.

For me personally, wherever possible, I’m taking a head or neck shot as it’s an instant kill and the animal drops on the spot. If the head or neck doesn’t present a clean shot, I’m going for high on the shoulder if the cartridge I’m using provides sufficient damage and a quick death. This also means the target animal drops on the spot or at worst, takes a few short steps.

Ironically, my least preferred shot is a heart shot. Reason being, adrenaline kicks in and allows the animal to run a reasonable distance before expiring. This increases the risk of damage to surrounding fences or infrastructure, and also makes it more difficult to track and recover the animal if it runs into thick cover. 

How Cartridge Selection and Shot Placement Relate to Contract Shooting

As far as contract shooting goes the decision you need to make is how cost effective is the cartridge you choose to use and ultimately how many shots are required per target animal to get an effective kill.

Let me give you an example: 223 Rem is far cheaper than 308 Win. But let’s say you’re out on a pig cull where it is a target rich environment. Chances are the 308 Win, while more expensive, will be a more cost effective option. This is due to the fact that when you’re engaging large mobs of feral pigs a lot of the shooting you are doing is engaging targets on the run. In this case, I would much prefer a larger cartridge where I know landing a good chest or shoulder shot will drop the pig immediately. The same may not always be true with the 223 Rem and you require follow up shots making it the more expensive option.

The other consideration is noise. On rural work, noise isn’t so much of an issue. However on peri-urban work in and around residential premises, noise is a major factor.
How Cartridge Selection and Shot Placement Relate to Hunting
How this all relates to hunting changes things a bit. Cost isn’t really a factor since you’re only firing a few shots at most so the primary driver is choosing a suitable cartridge and shot placement for the animal in question. 

Now, when I’m hunting, I typically like to go as traditional as possible and not use a bipod or any kind of rifle rest. This means I am relying on getting close enough to take an ethical shot or using the environment to create a rest. This generally means I don’t have the stability to take a safe head or neck shot no matter what cartridge I’m using.

When I know I’m not going to have a suitable rest, I typically pick a cartridge that is large enough to safely take a shoulder shot. For most deer and pigs this would be a 308 Win. I find this cartridge super flexible and capable of taking anything in Australia quite comfortably.

Final Thoughts

For me, personally, I care more about shot placement than cartridge selection. That said, they are almost equally as important as each other, but I still believe a small cartridge in the right hands is far superior to a large cartridge in the wrong hands.