“Time to death after a bullet enters the boiler room is the only conclusive measurement of terminal performance.” – Scott Fletcher

This report presents the data and results of a self-funded zebra management hunt that was conducted in South Africa in July of 2023. The hunt’s primary purpose was to identify if the personal Guppy wound-evaluation model with its attendant metric values obtained from gel testing, as presented in the eBook, could empirically predict a bullet’s field wounding, penetration, and meat damage.

On prior plains game trophy hunts, kill shots on the shoulder through the boiler room from a 300-grain bullet shot from a 375 H&H had produced wounding that had resulted in a consistent range of travel distances. Bullet penetrations typically either passed through the animal or were occasionally retained by the far-side hide. Gel testing of the 300 grainer as well as a variety of 30-caliber bullets fired from a 300 Winchester indicated that a 200-grain, 30-caliber bullet had achieved Guppy-metric wounding and penetration values comparable to the .375-caliber, 300 grainer.

Bullets selected for a management hunt should produce an acceptable volume of bloodshot meat. A 165-grain, 30-caliber bullet fired from a 308 Winchester has an established African field performance of producing a low volume of bloodshot meat. This chambering/bullet combination was also gel tested. A Guppy metric-value comparison indicated the 200-grain, 30-caliber bullet could also potentially produce an acceptable volume of bloodshot meat, as judged by an experienced Professional Hunter (PH).

These pre-hunt gel tests and Guppy metric-value comparisons indicated that a 200- grain, 30-caliber bullet fired from a 300 Winchester could potentially match both the field wounding with attendant travel-distance range and the penetration of a 300-grain, .375-caliber bullet fired from a 375 H&H, but without the prospect of excessive meat damage. Field and skinning-shed autopsy data would be required to validate such empirical terminal performance predictions.

A report abstract that summarizes the report’s content can be found on page 2. The ten hunt objectives are identified in report section 5.0 found on page 6, and the four specific terminal performance criteria all 30-caliber candidate bullets had to meet are presented and discussed in report section 8.0, beginning on page 10. Summary conclusions that sequentially address each of the ten hunt objectives can be found in section 13.0, beginning on page 70.

The report’s table of contents and text can be accessed by clicking on the links below, as can the report’s tables, photos, and graphs. This website is configured to allow topics of interest or the entire report to be downloaded and printed, accessed from the browser’s tool bar.

The conclusions in this report essentially mirror terminal performance opinions made in the early 20 th century by Colonel Townsend Whelen, a U S Army ordinance officer. Colonel Whelen’s primary opinion was that the killing power of a bullet depends entirely on the size of the wound it creates. This opinion was subsequently substantiated in the 1970’s by research and gel testing done by Colonel Martin Fackler, a U S Army physician. Colonel Fackler’s bullet testing in FBI ordinance gel is the basis for the Guppy wound-cavity analytical model and gel-test metrics presented in this website.

An 84-page technical report on bullet terminal performance is likely not considered a “must read” by most website guests. Hunt-based articles of about 1500 words that present key terminal performance “lessons learned” are presented here.

Hunters that invest the time to read the full report may conclude alternative chamberings, ammunition, or bullets are available that could accomplish personal terminal performance objectives. If so, give these chamberings/ammunition alternatives “a go”. Do field autopsies. Focus on the wounding results, including specific bones and vital organs breached, animal reaction, and animal travel distance after the kill shot rather than any retained bullet data. In doing so, a bullet or cartridge/bullet combination could be discovered that meets/ exceeds preferred terminal performance criteria and is uniquely “best” for specific hunting circumstances.