How do I know when bullet expansion is good or bad? Can a bullet expand too much? For example, if a bullet stops before it goes all the way through a target is that bad? What if a bullet only mushrooms or flattens out a little bit and then doesn't flatten or expand any more?

Mburu

Bullet expansion helps the bullet deliver energy into the target and cause a bigger wound channel. Yes a bullet can expand to much, and a bullet can not expand enough. It is up to you as the shooter to decide what level of expansion you want.

For example, you as the shooter should decide if you want the bullet to exit the far side of the animal. I for one want my bullet to exit the far side of the animal. The whole argument of "then you waste all that energy on the side of the hill" is rubbish to me. Destroying both lungs, the heart, both shoulders and devestating the diaphram is what I want to be able to do every time. It's like saying I am going to hit that deer or elk as hard as I can with a sledge hammer and hope he falls over dead, or saying I am going to slam him with a pick ax through all his vitals and break both his shoulders so he can't run away. You get what I am saying?

Everyone has their own version of the perfect shot, bullet, or wound channel. You just have to find what works best for you. Bullet expansion is part of it.