The heart shot has been the goal of hunters since antiquity. Our ancestors needed to kill their medium-sized prey quickly, before it attracted the attention of major predators and was stolen by them. When tackling huge, dangerous game like mammoths and rhinos, the faster it was killed the less the risk of injury and death to the human hunters. For those using spears and arrows, the heart offered the best option for a fast kill.
That held true, right through into the age of firearms. Muzzleloaders, then more sophisticated black power rifles, threw heavy lead projectiles at low speeds. The late 1800s, just a few years
