Doing The Science, Are Bow & Arrows More Powerful Than Guns?

The humble bow and arrow. It was a very formidable and deadly weapon of war long before it became the 'naturalists' way of hunting cuddly animals. Take for instance, in the video above, the arrow looks like a clear cut winner against the firearms of the time... The 30 Carbine and 30-06 Garand round that won WWII. But the science seems a little skewed to me.

Firearm ammunition, especially NATO compliant ammunition is designed to hit a target and stop. That's the nature of soft materials. A lead core with a copper jacket is designed to shed energy at impact.

A hardened steel arrowhead isn't designed that way.  They're designed to continue through flesh and bone, doing as much damage as possible with the least resistance. That's why we mount those incredibly sharp razors to our 'broadheads.' Whether mechanical or not, they're not designed to shed energy.

So are bow & arrows deadlier that guns? I guess it depends on who's using which.