There is a precise relationship between the weight of the shot and the size of the game and it is usually 0,001 to 5, that is 1 milligram of lead for every 5 grams of game. However, no one takes this into account and usually we limit ourselves to buying cartridges with pellets considered suitable for a particular type of hunting, convinced that the bullets have a “universal” value, that is, they are useful for shooting down any game.
General Journee, one of the greatest technicians of the last century, wrote in "Shotgun shooting": "The arrest and death of animals are safer and faster the greater the number of penetrating bullets that they hit them.
Number of wounds |
Probability of killing |
Probability to capture |
1 | 25 | 40 |
2 | 43,8 | 64 |
3 | 57,8 | 78,4 |
4 | 68,4 | 87,0 |
5 | 76,3 | 92,3 |
6 | 82,2 | 95,4 |
7 | 86,6 | 97,2 |
8 | 90,0 | 98,4 |
9 | 92,4 | 99,0 |
10 | 94,3 | 99,4 |
Based on the countless observations made during the wars it was found that the bullets that reach men or horses cause: 25% fatal wounds, 15% serious wounds or fractures, 60% light wounds. So out of four wounds there is on average one that causes death in a more or less long time. An animal must be inflicted on five wounds to have the probability of dying in a short time: one cannot be sure of killing quickly unless by producing at least ten penetrating wounds.