For a much expanded version of this table showing a great many more cartridges and loads including handloads, European, wildcat, obsolescent American and proprietary calibers, see the "Expanded Optimal Game Range Table" on the Tables, Charts and Lists Page.

The 2008 Hornady products catalog uses a unique system called "H.I.T.S." (Hornady Index of Terminal Standards) as a guideline to help hunters compare the effectiveness of various cartridge and load combinations on animals. The Hornady Index considers variables such as impact velocity, bullet diameter and bullet weight. The published Hornady H.I.T.S. ratings for rifle cartridges are based on 100 yard impact velocities, which is a reasonable choice, although the impact velocity at any range can be substituted when calculating a H.I.T.S. value. I used the same 100 yard impact range and factored energy, bullet cross-sectional area and sectional density when creating the "Rifle Cartridge Killing Power Formula and List," which can be found on the Tables, Charts and Lists Page. It is interesting to compare the two attempts to quantify killing power and see how the various cartridges/loads line-up in each.

Hornady divides game animals into four groups. These are: "Small Game" weighing less than 50 pounds, "Medium Game" weighing 50 to 300 pounds, "Large Game" weighing between 300 and 2000 pounds, and "Dangerous Game" (for which there are no weight limits). These Hornady game categories correspond closely with Winchester's CXP1, CXP2, CXP3 and CXP4 game categories that are used in various Guns and Shooting Online articles and also the Federal game usage categories, which are simply numbered 1, 2, 3 and 4. In all three systems the basic categories of game animals are (1) varmints/small animals, (2) medium game, (3) large game and (4) dangerous game. Examples of small animals would be squirrels, rabbits, marmots and coyotes. Medium size animals would include black bear, caribou, feral hogs, goats, sheep, deer and most antelope species. Large game would include such animals as red stag, elk, moose, alg, kudu and eland. Dangerous game includes lion, the great bears, elephant, rhino and buffalo.

Here are the H.I.T.S. scores that Hornady recommends: Small Game, 500 or less; Medium Game, 501-900; Large Game, 901-1500; Dangerous Game, 1501 or more.

I thought that the H.I.T.S. cartridge/load ratings were worth sharing with Guns and Shooting Online readers who may not have seen a 2008 Hornady Catalog. The table below lists the cartridge, bullet, Hornady factory load product, 100 yard velocity (in feet per second), 100 yard energy (in foot pounds) and 100 yard H.I.T.S. rating for a variety of typical calibers and loads. These figures were taken from the 2008 Hornady catalog or the Hornady web site (www.hornady.com/ballsitics). It does not include every factory load offered by Hornady, since some are essentially duplicated with different Hornady bullets of the same weight. Please remember that the H.I.T.S. numbers are just a useful guide to help you choose a proper bullet/cartridge combination. You must still consider the conditions where you will be hunting, the game, bullet construction and impact velocity when choosing a load for your specific purposes.

The following abbreviations are used in the table below: E = energy (in ft. lbs.); gr. = Grains; V = Velocity (in feet per second); yd. = yard.

Hornady bullet abbreviations: A-MAX = Accuracy-Max (match/target bullet, not for hunting medium game); BT = Boat-tail; BTHP = Boat-tail Hollow Point (match/target bullet, not for hunting medium game); BTSP = Boat-tail Spire Point; DGS = Dangerous Game Solid; DGX = Dangerous Game eXpanding; FP = Flat Point; FTX = Flex Tip; HP = Hollow Point; IB = InterBond; RN = Round Nose; SP = Spire Point; SP-RP = Spire Point Recoil Proof; SST = Super Shock Tip; V-MAX = Velocity-MAX; XTP = eXtreme Terminal Performance (a jacketed hollow point bullet).