Weight Retention
The share of a bullet's original mass that stays intact after impact, a key measure of how a hunting bullet performs in the target.
Weight retention is the percentage of a bullet’s starting mass that remains after it strikes and passes through the target, a central figure in terminal ballistics. A bullet that holds most of its weight keeps the momentum needed to drive deep, while one that sheds a large fraction loses penetration even as it dumps energy quickly.
Construction is what governs the outcome. A bonded bullet welds the core to the jacket so the two stay together through expansion, commonly retaining well above ninety percent of its weight. A conventional cup and core design may retain less, which is fine for some uses but a liability when deep, reliable penetration on heavy game is the goal.