Originally Posted by
Todd.K
"still have that energy" makes it sound like you believe the "energy" is doing something to the target. I do not believe that is true. A handgun bullet crushes/cuts tissue as it passes through. An expanded HP crushes more than a RN bullet, and it needs enough penetration to get through vital tissue. Beyond that (until you get into rifle velocity) more energy can only make the bullet expand slightly larger and/or penetration to be deeper. Neither offers any significant improvement in terminal performance unless more penetration is needed for larger animals.
Google “Handgun Wounding Factors and Effectiveness” for a good place to start if you are interested.