This Is Just Hypothetical

[jigsaw 11,902]

so,before anyone starts jumping to conclusions,my mate and I were discussing the matter with conflicting views.I was saying to him,if tou tried to shoot a horse/cow with a 223 at point blank range straight in the centre of the forehead,it would have the capability to render the said animal defunct/dead/,he reckons it wouldnt have the power and the chance of a ricochet would be there.what would you folk think?I said Id throw this up here just to solve the debate,lol.and no horses/cows or large mamals were hurt in the creation of this composition.

[air gun ant 1,666]

i personaly have no experiance but i would think it would be "brown bread" but wouldnt fancy putting my eye near a scope that close to an animal like that unless i was sure it couldnt move its head and butt the end of the barrel lol id prefer a few yards away and shoot slightly of centre

[Alsone 789]

Most vets use handguns to euthanasise large animals.

 

Commonly these are .22 or .38 and from point blank I believe either will kill a horse. I seem to remember seeing a horse euthanisised with .22.

 

Something like a .38 Special only has 255ftlbs at the muzzle or .38 S&W 150ft lbs.

 

You can guarantee .22 LR therefore is less than 100ft lbs although I couldn't find the figures.

 

Even a fraction of that applied directly to the skull would be enough to kill:

 

 

A .223 is in a whole different league - around1,200 ft lbs at the muzzle.

Edited October 23, 2013 by Alsone

[air gun ant 1,666]

having said that, a few years ago at work a cow had escaped from the auction mart over the road and started running rampage round kendal, after tossing one of lads in the air they got it on to the cricket ground and called in the police marksmen. im not sure what calibre they were but 5 shots later it eventually whent down and vet finished it with a bolt gun. at least one of the rifle shots was a head shot and it ricoched of and "apparently" hit some scaffold at the train station with lads working on it! not sure how true that bit is but the poor fecker definatly got one to head and a few in the engine room/gut! it was a shambles and really hard to watch the poor fecker! so perhaps your mate could be correct with the ricochet thing

atb ant

 

ps DONT TRY THIS AT HOME!!!! lol

[riohog 5,939]

hypotheticly ovcourse I wouldn't have a problem dispatching /cow horse with a 223.

[Alsone 789]

If there was a ricochet it was probably because it hit at too shallow an angle for the thickness of the bone. The skull is only covered by a very thin layer of skin, no real flesh. When a vet euthanisises an animal I believe they place the muzzle against the head at a right angle to the skull.

 

However, I'm not a vet or farmer so can't verify this.

 

As for the police failing to kill the horse with multiple shots - .223 probably is too small for an animal of that size for a heart / lung shot at range. Remember a fully grown horse is larger bodied than a red deer. I would have thought you'd have needed at least a .30 calibre of some type. Also, whereas the police are trained marksman, they probably have no training or experience in shot placement as against live quarry.

Edited October 23, 2013 by Alsone

[danw 1,748]

The answer is yes of course it will kill a cow at point blank I regularly dispatch cows and horse with both my .22 and 9mm pistols

[air gun ant 1,666]

If there was a ricochet it was probably because it hit at too shallow an angle for the thickness of the bone. The skull is only covered by a very thin layer of skin, no real flesh. When a vet euthanisises an animal I believe they place the muzzle against the head at a right angle to the skull.

 

However, I'm not a vet or farmer so can't verify this.

 

As for the police failing to kill the horse with multiple shots - .223 probably is too small for an animal of that size for a heart / lung shot at range. Remember a fully grown horse is larger bodied than a red deer. I would have thought you'd have needed at least a .30 calibre of some type. Also, whereas the police are trained marksman, they probably have no training or experience in shot placement as against live quarry.

thats what i thought, they were in an elevated position ie on the club roof but it did seem a shallow angle still. also it was a cow not a horse

[alan81 110]

yes a .223 will easily kill a cow iv shot 5 or 6 all be it with a shotgun number 4 32gram. I would have no problem shooting a cow with a .22 WMR or a .17 HMR. a cow has a big head but the place you need to shoot them for an instant kill is no bigger than a cartridge. you aim right between the 2 eyes and up about 1 1/4" and you will hit the brain. if you miss that spot which I did once the cow wont even fall she wont be right but still alive.

[air gun ant 1,666]

yes a .223 will easily kill a cow iv shot 5 or 6 all be it with a shotgun number 4 32gram. I would have no problem shooting a cow with a .22 WMR or a .17 HMR. a cow has a big head but the place you need to shoot them for an instant kill is no bigger than a cartridge. you aim right between the 2 eyes and up about 1 1/4" and you will hit the brain. if you miss that spot which I did once the cow wont even fall she wont be right but still alive.

i was told to draw imaginary lines from left ear to right eye and right ear to left eye then aim just off centre to where they cross? infact it was in a book "basic butchery of livestock and game"

[alan81 110]

I was shown where to shoot them by the owner of a knackery yard, he shot the cow dead and told us if we had to shoot one that was where to shoot them. I shot 5 or 6 in that spot and they all dropped dead. I missed that spot once with the first shot and she shuck her head and bellowed and then fell dead with the second shot. all I know is they will fall dead if you hit them between the eyes and up 1 1/4".

[jigsaw 11,902]

thank you folk,he can stick that in his pipe and smoke it now ,i knew that a 223 would be more than suffiecient to down a large beast while not a foot from the skull......nw wheres that horse......ONLY JOKING LOL

[alan81 110]

here's a pic with the lines you where talking about and it is the same as where I said so we were both on about the same point of aim.

 

[Alsone 789]

 

yes a .223 will easily kill a cow iv shot 5 or 6 all be it with a shotgun number 4 32gram. I would have no problem shooting a cow with a .22 WMR or a .17 HMR. a cow has a big head but the place you need to shoot them for an instant kill is no bigger than a cartridge. you aim right between the 2 eyes and up about 1 1/4" and you will hit the brain. if you miss that spot which I did once the cow wont even fall she wont be right but still alive.

i was told to draw imaginary lines from left ear to right eye and right ear to left eye then aim just off centre to where they cross? infact it was in a book "basic butchery of livestock and game"

 

 

Don't worry no horses are harmed.

 

Edited October 23, 2013 by Alsone

[jigsaw 11,902]

thanks alsone,fuk me that guy dont half blabber on,he could do with being shot,