Probably one of the most terror inducing, given that you're pointing a firearm at your head, but assuming everything goes right it probably is the best, objectively. It depends on the person. I would much rather give myself a poison cocktail but it's your funeral [meant positively]. Also relevant:
View attachment 197395
Absolutely not up to date now that SN is floating around less censored spaces but that's not the relevant statistic here. 84% is pretty damn good. Firearm attempts are also often associated with drugs/alcohol and impulsiveness, if we took those out of the mix I think the number would be much closer to or even in the 90s.
Addendum: I'm a genius, the number
is 90 (89.6% to be exact) even without cherrypicking. And it's from a similar time frame (2007-2014).
All things considered the difference doesn't matter much, I just didn't want to leave a reply with incomplete information and vague assumption.
guns 90% . but imo most of these people didn't practice
but if I practice dry firing and not flinching and aiming right higher %
a more powerful rifle and ammo higher %. imo no way of surviving a bullet hitting middle of head going 3000 feet per second. so 99.9%
most animals listed below have a much thicker and tougher skull than a human but ai and i say 0% chance of survival for a rifle bullet and a shotgun slug. it even includes humans 0%
question to an ai:
% of survival of a moose, cow, coyote , babboon, bear surviving a bullet hitting middle of head skull by middle of brain going 2900 fps feet per second impact velocity 2900 fps. 150 grain federal fusion 30-06 and federal powershok 150 grain. also breneke black magic at 1500 fps for each
here is the ai answer:
**0% survival probability for all listed animals (moose, cow, coyote, baboon, bear) and all three ammunition types.** A bullet striking the exact middle of the skull and passing directly through the center of the brain causes immediate, irreversible destruction of vital neural tissue. This results in instant unconsciousness and death in every caseāno exceptions or documented survivals exist for precise center-brain hits with these loads.
### Why This Is Universally Fatal (Regardless of Animal or Bullet)
- **Brain destruction is the key mechanism**: The brain controls all vital functions. A direct center-mass hit severs or pulps the brainstem and higher centers. Studies on real-world brain-targeted gunshots in large ungulates (e.g., Philippine deer shot with .223 rifles at 10ā125 yards) show 100% immediate death: no respiration, no reflexes, no recovery. All 132 brain-shot animals died instantly; heart may beat briefly post-mortem, but the animal is dead. The same physics apply hereāonly more so with heavier, faster projectiles.
- **No animal in this list has a skull that stops these bullets**:
- Coyote and baboon: Thin skulls (far less than ¼ inch bone over the brain). Overkill.
- Cow and moose: Thick frontal bones but easily penetrated (hunting reports and ballistics confirm .30-06 150 gr bullets punch straight through moose skulls at typical angles).
- Bear (black/grizzly): Skulls are tough (~¾ā1 inch thick in places), but still no match for these loads. Hunters and wardens routinely use .30-06 or shotgun slugs for brain/spine shots on charging bears.
- **Bullet performance confirms penetration + massive brain damage**:
- **Federal Fusion 150 gr .30-06 and Federal PowerShok 150 gr .30-06 (both ~2900 fps impact velocity)**: These are standard big-game loads (~2,800 ft-lbs muzzle energy). Fusion is bonded for controlled expansion and deep penetration; PowerShok is a classic soft-point that mushrooms reliably. Both expand inside the brain after skull penetration, creating a large permanent wound channel. They routinely kill moose, elk, and bears with body shotsāhead/brain shots are even more decisive. No skull on these animals stops them.
- **Brenneke Black Magic (1500 fps)**: This is a 12-gauge slug (typically 1ā1ā
oz / ~437ā602 gr hardened lead). It delivers ~2,000ā3,000+ ft-lbs and is marketed specifically for dangerous game and bear defense. It is designed for straight, deep penetration with minimal expansion. It drives through thick skulls and heavy bone (proven in gel tests and real bear dispatches). At 1500 fps it still has far more than enough momentum to reach and destroy the brain on any animal listed.
### Animal-Specific Notes (Still 0% Survival)
- **Coyote**: Tiny brain in a paper-thin skull. Any of these bullets vaporizes it.
- **Baboon**: Primate skull is thicker than a coyote's but far thinner than a bear's or moose's. Rifle or slug overkillāsame as human center-brain gunshot (near-100% fatal).
- **Cow**: Cattle skulls are robust but .30-06 and Brenneke slugs penetrate cleanly (similar to deer/moose anatomy).
- **Moose**: Largest skull here, but thousands of .30-06 kills (including premium 150 gr loads) prove full penetration. Brain shots drop them instantly.
- **Bear**: Thickest skull, but both rifle loads and Brenneke slugs are proven penetrators. Brain/spine shots are the recommended "stopper" for charging bears.
### Why People Sometimes Think Headshots Can Fail
Hunters avoid headshots because the brain is smallāeasy to miss and only wound the jaw or face (animal may run off). But the question specifies **exact center-of-brain placement**, which eliminates that risk. Game simulations or poorly placed "headshots" may allow survival; real physics with these loads does not.
**Bottom line**: These are all high-energy, skull-penetrating projectiles. A direct middle-brain hit equals 0% survival across the board. If the shot is off by even a couple inches, outcomes vary (possible wounding), but per the exact scenario describedādead every time. Headshots are not recommended for ethical hunting precisely because precision is critical, but when achieved, they are 100% lethal.