Understanding Bullet Deflection: Key Insights for Hunters

Many hunters often attribute missed shots to bullets clipping small branches or twigs en route to their target. This belief, while logical, raises questions about the actual impact of such obstructions on bullet trajectory.

To investigate this phenomenon, a wooden manifold was constructed, featuring a series of hardwood dowels designed to simulate branches. These dowels were strategically positioned to ensure that a bullet traveling toward a paper target would inevitably contact at least one.

Three calibers were selected for testing: the .300 Win. Mag., .30-30 Winchester, and .22-250 Remington. Due to the diverse range of .308 bullets available, three different bullet weights and styles were tested for the .300 caliber, while one style was used for both the .30-30 and .22-250.

The initial tests utilized dowels measuring 3/16 of an inch, with the obstruction placed 10 feet in front of the target. The results showed minimal deflection across all calibers. Subsequently, the dowels were increased to ¼ inch, and the obstruction was moved to 30 feet from the target. While this adjustment did increase group sizes, the difference was still not significant.

It is essential to note that as the size of the obstruction increases or the distance from the target grows, a greater degree of deviation is expected. However, shooting through light vegetation, such as grasses, should not pose a significant issue for hunters, provided the game is at a reasonable distance behind the obstruction.