Bramble, I think we are actually discussing the point.

The original post goes; "the writer claims to have seen no "shock" or stunning effect from a near miss on a elephants brain with the .577 NE, in fact the elephant needed a second finishing shot."

Aussiesteve asks if the .577 should have stopped the critter regardless. A good question since some have asserted that the big ones {.577, .600} are guaranteed to knock an elephant down even if the brain is missed. Even tho the round is not the heavy .577, Pondoro's position would imply that the animal should have been stopped anyhow.

I agree with you that a shot that doesn't hit the brain can't be counted on to do much of anything. It MIGHT, but might not. Stating that a near miss will keep an elephant down for some such number of minutes as Pondoro attests, seems to me to be simple exaggeration or playing on what was hoped by him would be the lack of technical awareness of the readership.

My point is in total agreement with you that a head shot that fails to hit the brain on any critter cannot be RELIED UPON to stop that critter, even if that round is a .577.