Terminal Ballistics Part 2: Hornandy Index of Terminal Standards. AKA HITS

Posted by Bill on Jul 25, 2012 in Articles, Bill | 0 comments

The Taylor Knock Out is a useful comparision of different rounds. That said TKO falls a bit short in some practicable application.

According to Hornandy the “Hornady Index of Terminal Standards” calculator is a resource designed to help hunters choose effective bullet/cartridge combinations for any hunting situation in the world.
Traditional muzzle energy figures do not take into account for the manner in which energy is transferred from the bullet to game animals. HITS factors in Bullet Weight, Sectional Density, Ballistics Coefficient, and Impact Velocity and delivers a rating that will fall into one of the four classifications below. Bullet construction is also a very important factor to consider. If you have questions as to which Hornady bullet is right for you, there is a quick performance reference listed at the bottom of the page.

The H.I.T.S formula = Bullet Weight² / Bullet Diameter² / 7000 x Impact Velocity / 100

The H.I.T.S. rating on Hornady ammunition is based on: 100 yard impact velocities for rifles, muzzleloaders, and shotguns and 50 yard impact velocities for handguns.

500 or Below — Small game weighing less than 50 lbs

501 to 900 — Medium game with a body weight of 50 to 300 lbs (e.g., deer, black bear and caribou)

901 to 1500 — Large and heavy, but non-dangerous game weighing from 300 to 2000 lbs (e.g., elk, moose, African plains game, bison, etc)

1501 or Above — Dangerous game of any weight (including, for example, big cats)

H.I.T.S	TKO	Bullet	Weight	Velocity	Diameter		Energy	Momentum
7589	147	.50 BMG	660	3050	0.51		13630	287
3666	70.3	.458 Winchester Magnum	500	2150	0.458		5131	153
1102	35	.458 SOCOM	300	1800	0.458		2157	77
1239	26	.458 SOCOM	450	900	0.458		809	57
1716	42.9	.500 S&W Magnum	500	1200	0.5		1598	85
2333	41	.375 H&H	300	2550	0.375		4330	109
1325	37.7	.500 Linebaugh	440	1200	0.51		1406	75
1721	36.5	.45-70	450	1250	0.458		1560	80
2301	35.5	.338 Lapua Magnum	250	2940	0.338		4797	105
1212	35.2	.475 Linebaugh	370	1400	0.475		1609	74
1530	34.7	.405 Winchester	300	2000	0.4115		2664	85
852	30.2	.454 Casull	260	1800	0.452		1870	66
904	29.8	.480 Ruger	325	1350	0.475		1314	62
1535	24.9	.300 Winchester Magnum	180	3146	0.308		3955	80
1240	20.8	.30-06 Springfield	170	2850	0.308		3065	69
599	19.9	.44 Magnum	240	1350	0.429		971	46
1126	19.6	.308 Winchester	168	2650	0.308		2619	63
7.63	14.9	.30-30 Winchester	150	2250	0.308		1685	48
551	13.3	7.62mm Soviet	123	2420	0.312		1599	42
517	12	300 AAC Blackout	125	2200	0.308		1343	39
655	8	300 AAC Blackout	220	900	0.308		395	28
309	12.3	.45 ACP	230	830	0.452		351	27
392	11.3	.357 Magnum	158	1400	0.357		687	31
348	12	10mm	180	1250	0.4		624	32
187	10.4	.40 S&W	165	1080	0.4		427	25
517	8.7	.243 Winchester	85	2950	0.24		1642	35
236	8.56	.357 Sig	125	1350	0.355		505	24
187	7.31	9mm Parabellum	115	1250	0.355		398	20
215	6.2	.38 Special	158	770	0.357		207	17
287	5.78	.223 Remington	55	3300	0.224		1329	25
101	4.72	.380 ACP	95	980	0.355		202	13
90	4.64	5.45x39mm	49	3000	0.221		979	21
34	1.33	.22LR	30	1400	0.222		130	6

Overall, HITS is useful in gauging the the sepority of one round vs another in some aspects.

This said terminal ballistics is much more complicated. As a 223 ZMax will stop the average sized unarmored intruder better than the military 556 M855.

When its your familys saftey thats paramount or benovelevent hunting…Results matter. Future posts will help you make the best decision on which round is best.

 

 

 

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