Karamojo Bell on Elephant 'Knock-Down Power'

From his book The Wanderings Of An Elephant Hunter:

"As regards rifles, I will simply state that I have tried the following: .416, .450/.400, .860, .350, .318, .275 and .256. At the time I possessed the double .400 I also had a .275. Sometimes I used one and sometimes the other, and it began to dawn on me that when an elephant was hit in the right place with the .275 it died just as quickly as when hit with the .400, and, vice versa, when the bullet from either rifle was wrongly placed death did not ensue.

 In pursuance of this train of thought I wired both triggers of the double .450/.400 together, so that when I pulled the rear one both barrels went off simultaneously. By doing this I obtained the equivalent of 800 grs. of lead propelled by 120 grs. of cordite. The net result was still the same. If wrongly placed, the 800 grs. from the .400 had no more effect than the 200 grs. from the 275. For years after that I continued to use the .275 and the .256 in all kinds of country and for all kinds of game. Each hunter should use the weapon he has most confidence in.

This sort of record annoys paid-up members of the BIBB ('Bigger Is Better Brigade') - as a missing degree of logic would be needed to grasp the concept.

an electric mixer, a set of saucepans, a cuddly toy ..

e.g. Consider a tiger (or a lion) shot dead using a .303" rifle ... would that tiger be MORE lifeless if a 600 grain .505" Gibbs was substituted?

- My thinking on the matter is - while there may indeed be something in carrying & using the biggest /most powerful caliber arm that one can manage - we need to be aware that a slightly more moderate power level will likely be easier and faster to manage under duress and therefor MORE accurate & deadly.

I like to think (or perhaps pretend?) that I follow logic .. and that the very same writers who often laud the low pressure, big-bore "forty-five" and the Magnums as being the tool for the job - are the same guys who advise down-loading the 357 with 38 Special ammo for "serious social use".

"Neuroscience has begun to tease out the neural underpinnings of prejudice in the human brain. We now know that prejudiced behavior is controlled through a complex neural pathway consisting of cortical and sub-cortical regions.

A brain structure called the amygdala is the seat of classical fear conditioning and emotion in the brain. Psychological research has consistently supported the role of fear in prejudiced behavior. For this reason, the vast majority of brain research on this topic has focused on the amygdala and the cortical regions that influence it."

Marty K.