My original line to which you are replying said "The point I was making that any kinetic energy that a bullet still has as it continues its path after leaving a body is wasted, not to mention that over penetration outside of the target body threatens any bystanders."
So you no longer think that energy possessed by a projectile after it passes beyond the target's body is wasted?
Please enlighten me as to what damage is continuing to be done by a bullet no longer in any way interacting with the body in question.
You are replying to a reply, my original post said this:
"
It also depends on what you are talking about shooting.
A deer at 11AM on first day of hunting or an orc attempting to rob you at 11PM either when you're out and about or sitting in your house and the orc is kicking in the door.
A humanoid (the orc) is maybe 10" sternum to spine. So half that to vital organs. A bullet penetrating to and reaching full expansion at 12" will be less effective against the orc than one that reaches full expansion at 6" and delivers all of its energy to that point while it wouldn't be very effective on a deer or other larger bodied game. 6" of penetration wouldn't work well on a hog or an elk."
Please note that it is all about penetration.
Meh indeed.
No, I don't think the energy is wasted at all.
Neither you, nor anybody else, can reliably tell me that even a .22 will not over penetrate a target body and threaten bystanders.
Besides, over penetration is the least of our worries, statistically speaking, as we're far more likely to miss the majority of our shots in an encounter in the first place, wherein there exists a much greater danger to what lies beyond the target body. Especially in self-defense.
Whether shooting for self-defense or for hunting, we're supposed to be aware of what lies beyond the target body in the first place. Especially with hunting, we're supposed to take what lies beyond the target body into serious consideration as part of the four rules of gun safety.
Ever hunt with a shotgun? Plenty of pellets miss the intended target entirely.
Ever hunt squirrel? I don't know of any squirrel with a body big enough or dense enough to stop a .22.
Ever hunt any small game or varmints? Those small bodies are no impediment to nearly any rifle round .22 and up.
Ever hunt any larger or potentially dangerous game? Neither you nor I can reliably calculate any given load which will ensure the bullet will ONLY penetrate into the body (sufficiently to effectively reach vital organs) and not pass through.
I grant you that using an excessively high powered rifle/cartridge may be unwise under some circumstances. But then, that's why we have such a wide variety of ammunition types and loadings. Choose what's appropriate to the hunt...I, for one, won't be hunting squirrel with my brother's 30-06.
Any given bullet which passes completely through the target body is NOT "wasted energy". What would be wasted is any effort to ensure that this will never ever happen under any circumstances, if for no other reason than such a round would not be a reliably effective hunting round, and most certainly not one I would rely upon for self-defense.