.264 Calibers

That’s a little bit more than .257″ and a little bit less than .277″, not quite in the middle but I think we might be splitting hairs if we thought it’s the “best” of the three.

And oh, it’s now monikered “6.5” because that seems to give it more cache! And since 7mm is .284 – caliber, is it now deemed “not cool”?

Whatever the convoluted thinking of “the masses” might contemporarily be, I’d choose a .284-caliber any day over a .264″! Why?… the death moans from the .264 Win Mag while the BIG 7 Rem flourished! Last count, I’ve owned 7 of the 7s and two 6.5s, both Swedes. And today, if I chose one or the other of those two, it would be another 7 (.284-cal). Why? A wider choice of bullets that are “wider”. So now we have some .264s that, more or less, are comparable with the “ancient” 6.5 x 55 and .264 Win Mag! My goodness! What will “they” think of next?

But these are blogs about BIG BORES, right? Yeah, but I just can’t dismiss hammering those wannabe “do-it-all” kid’s stuff as pretenders to the “What Crown”? It’s now the “In Thing” that soon will be the “Out Thing” by those who are looking for the “Next Thing”!

At one time (a long time ago) I thought the .264 Win Mag might do something for me – except I didn’t live in The West, and had no expectations of doing so in the near future. Analysis was convincing enough to choose Winchester’s other invention of 1958, the .338 Winchester Magnum that made a lot more sense to me for where I hunted and what. It appeared to be much more versatile – and that view of Mediums hasn’t altered with added years.

< That’s a .264, 140gr Partition on the far left. The others are all .338-cal. L to R: 275gr Speer, 250gr Sierra, 210gr Partition, 250gr Partition, 250gr Speer GS, 250gr Hornady and 225gr Hornady.

The .264 Win Mag had a major flaw, and that was no ideal powders for the ratio of bore to chamber dimensions. Today, the situation has in theory improved, but “everyone” is choosing 125gr to 147gr projectiles for their .264s/6.5s, (to get that “flat-shooting”, high velocity “magic”) whereas the Swedes mostly used 157s and 160s at modest velocity, and got closer where the high SD bullet would penetrate forever! And I bought the “modern line” about the 6.5 Swede until it failed miserably in using a 120gr at 2900 fps on a big “woods” whitetail buck! But I never gave up on .284s in which I used “heavy for caliber” projectiles – 162s to 175s. A 175gr Partition at 3000 fps is even better at long range than a .300 Win Mag firing a 180 at 3000 fps because of a better SD and subsequent BC. Of course, some .300 Win Mags (26″) can easily make 3150 fps. And a .300 Win is “best” firing aerodynamic 200s at 3000 fps, like the Partition or AccuBond – being the cartridge and bullets among my alltime favorites. But that’s not for the “kids” that wimper and whine at recoil over 20 ft-lbs! But it’s one of the best for 1000 yard shooting.

In giving an example of the potential distinct effects of two bullets of similar construction, SD, BC and MV, the results at 100 to 600 yards could be expressed in kinetic energy and/or momentum. While a growing number of shooters/hunters deny any significance in the final effect of those distinctions, yet they physically exist in both contact with an animal and consequent disruption of flesh and bone (if bone is hit in the process). To disregard that KE is a factor in the wounding or killing process would be a denial of certain aspects of physics – at least based on my observations. How would I otherwise understand the complete obliteration of a “trophy class” bear’s heart when field dressed, or tough test media (hard-covered books and dry glossy magazines) turning to confetti inside a container box when hit by heavy .458 projectiles at modest velocities. Or, a 500gr/.458 Hornady “exploding” inside a test box of media, flipping it upside down, then doing a disappearing act- no fragments, no pieces! Or, a 300gr/.375 hitting a Cape buff frontally in the heart. Later, Capstick holding the heart in his hands with a 3-inch hole through it – a .375″ expanding to that diameter?!

Another part of the physics process is momentum – the conservation of energy. Some place more emphasis on this than on KE (which I do), while still others see momentum (mass x velocity) as the main factor combined with bullet caliber – sometimes caliber by itself with a particular meplat (nose shape), at others the expanded “mushroom”.

<A 286gr/9.3mm Partition taken from a black bear. It tumbled but penetration was from frontal chest to the rightside flank just in front of the hip where it was recovered in skinning. It retained 211 grains/ 74%. MV was +2620 fps with impact velocity at ~ 2485 fps/3923 ft-lbs. Should an attempt to place a value on any of that be meaningful… or just say, “It killed the bear”?

All that said as a basis to a comparison of two Winchester cartridges introduced the same year and based on the same parent cartridge. Of course, I’m referring to the .264 Winchester Magnum and the .338 Winchester Magnum. The one being created for potentially long range shooting of mule deer, pronghorn, whitetails and elk in the western parts of the USA. The other for the larger Alaskan game such as brown bears, grizzly and moose which are normally not shot at long range. Yet the .264 is certainly capable, and appropriate, of taking game from coyote to moose at closer ranges, as well as the .338 being equally capable of long range shooting of game to adult bull moose size.

Yet, to start an argument that Winchester’s planners and design engineers were badly mistaken in the perceived need for a larger caliber (based on the same case) for the massive and potentially more dangerous game represented in Alaska would be a foolish and unprofitable contention. If the .264 Win Mag was “The Answer” for any and all hunting, despite some unforseen hurdles, the .338 Win Mag would have experienced its demise in the first few years of its existence! Instead, not only has it survived but trying to improve on it has never been a grand success. The .338 Win Mag is better than ever and still the favorite among those who choose .338 caliber cartridges. And I consider it to be an unwise tactic to assume that’s because everyone who has one is “just because” others have chosen it. That kind of thing happens, of course, but it’s ill advised to think we know the motives of all concerned. The truth is that the .338 Win Mag has, for the past 64 years, been far-and-away more popular than it’s sibling – a 6.5! And it appears to be growing in popularity if the number of bullets in .338″ is any indication… Yes, I know there are newer and “other” .338s. The .338-06 was “supposed” to be “The Answer”, but how is it doing these days? It was the “hoopla” for how long?

Back to the .264s (6.5s): If there’s any practical advantage over .284 or .308, I fail to see it. Even from a small cartridge like the .308 Winchester, 2900 fps – 3000 fps from a 150gr is possible today using the best bullets and powders from a 26″ barrel. Then there’s the possibility of using 165s, 180s and 200s, all having excellent BCs, and some designed especially for long range shooting like a 174gr.

That’s to help us get some ballistic balance back into a reality check of 6.5s. They are .26-caliber, and that’s it! With all the hoopla over sleek-modern .264″ bullets, let’s keep in mind that great improvements in “sleekness” have been given to .277, .284, .308, and .338 as well! In fact, all the AccuBonds by Nosler have high BCs, and if I lived in an area where a 6-point Elk could be taken to 600 yards, any of those mentioned with modern loads could do so, assuming I was well prepared and equipped, as well as the environment, plus cooperation from the elk. The average 6-point elk weighs what? 600 – 700 lbs? Depending on the angle of the beast, anything from broadside to a sharp angle away could mean penetration from a few inches to several feet to reach vitals – which places very unequal demands on the same .264″ bullet from the same rifle and load.

<This target was shot at 100 yards. The large ragged hole near center was made by three shots from my .458 Winchester Magnum and all the others by my CZ 455 in .22LR. This was done purposely for contrast. Is anyone foolish enough to suggest from a physical standpoint, or even believe, that there would be little distinction in effect from the two cartridges on a large game animal? Yes, I’m aware of the native girl who killed a record book grizzle using her single-shot .22 LR in a side shot to the brain… but how many have gone to Alaska in pursuit of the big bears armed with a .22 LR? And how many resident hunters have a .22 LR as their main firearm? I very much doubt it’s only because a BIG BORE looks more impressive.

The point is obvious, I think, that larger calibers with more “horsepower” are best suited to larger and more dangerous animals. The goal is, or should be, their immediate demise… NOT for target practice!

At this stage of life, any thing up to around 40 ft-lbs recoil isn’t bothersome – but not from prone. That means either my .35 Whelen or 9.3 x 62 is more than sufficient for an elk of 800 lbs, or a moose to 1200 lbs – at 400 yards for the Whelen and 550 yards for the 9.3 x 62, using Nosler ABs in each: 225gr in the Whelen and 250gr in the 9.3 x 62 Mauser.

As it is, the Whelen makes 43TE at 400 yards using the 225 AccuBond, and the 9.3 X 62 is making about the same at 550 yards employing the 250gr AccuBond. Generally, that number would represent an animal of up around1000 lbs with a hit to vitals (not CNS), and with a good bullet like the Partition or AccuBond designed for heavy game. 6.5s don’t come close to those numbers at the same ranges. (TE is terminal effect as measured by a synthesis of a few physical factors, including bullet caliber and weight, plus impact velocity, assuming bullet construction is suitable for the work to be done.

<The expanded bullet on the right is a 300gr TSX fired from my Ruger NO.1 in .45-70 LT (long throat) into very tough media from 10 feet. It was a hunting load with 2650 fps MV. It retained 100% of unfired weight and expanded to .825 inches. It would be a mammoth effort in futility to try and convince me that a .264 Magnum (or 6.5 PRC) could have the same effect (however measured) in shooting a 147gr at 3000 fps into an oncoming big bear at 30 mph from 10 feet when first realized a serious attack was in the making – unless it were a brain shot – which under similar circumstances isn’t going to happen other than by accident! And, for me, that applies to any potentially dangerous beast, including moose and wolf!

At 10 feet the KE is ~4640 ft-lbs and 88TE. And to say that a Mike Tyson punch to my gut whould have no more effect than my punch to his gut makes as much sense as denying the potential effects of the load above vs a 6.5, 140gr at ~3000 fps. That’s claiming that 4640 ft-lbs has no more effect than 2800 ft-lbs, or 88TE is no better than 38TE (Again: TE is a synthesis or combination of bullet weight, impact velocity, sectional density and caliber.).

According to at least one reliable report, several of those 6.5 mm long-sleek bullets with very high BCs have failed on larger and tougher game due to their structure. To have a BC of somewhere near .7 with a weight of 140 + grains, they must use lead inside a relatively thin jacket that gives enough expansion for maxium effect. That also can mean their demise if they hit solid bone. I had one such experience and that was more than enough for me. The bullet was a Nosler SB with a plastic tip hitting the shoulder of a mammouth whitetail buck (at least 400 lbs) at 153 yards. It was fired from my M70 in .30-06 at ~2800 fps (so the book said in pre-Chrony days). The bullet managed to break some bone (some fragments left behind) but not enough to stop that buck from escaping by one bound into thick woods and underbrush. It leaped over deadfalls and piles of brush, went across a swamp and was shot by hunters on the far side of the swamp. After my shot, I saw it bound off the woods trail to be swallowed up in the forrest – which took not more than two seconds! I trailed it to the swamp where only pinpricks of blood were found on it’s escape route. The location of where it was shot revealed some bone fragments and a small pool of blood.

Yet that bullet was PRAISED by western media! That’s why I switched to it. The previous year I’d shot a very good buck from the same blind on the same trail – at 65 yards – using the 165gr Sierra BT at about the same MV. That buck went down on the spot, got back up and hobbled into the brush ten yards where I found it as though it were sleeping. I gave it a finisher. That BT Sierra hit the buck just after it saw me and started to turn away. Impact velocity would have been ~2700 fps, hitting the gut, went through to the offside hip joint, changed direction almost 90* and came out in pieces at the knee joint! It was one tough bullet! But it got little attention from the media!

Shortly after, I bought my first Chrony and started to do my own bullet testing in media. That was the beginning of revelations… that I now trust… in comparison with other bullets of the same caliber in the same media.

But one bullet “failure”, after pondering the cause, or probable causes, turns me away from ever using that bullet again under similar conditions.

So the long and the short of it is that I became an avid believer in larger calibers for bigger game in tough places. That’s where any animal’s habitat was mostly thick brush and forrest, ravines, lakes, rugged ridges, marshes and bogs – anywhere that a bullet could easily be deflected or break up on a sapling, branch or other unseen objects – and the animal to escape and never to be found in a myriad of places that humans rarely know exist. The fact is a slight deflection can quickly and easily cause a projectile to hit in the wrong place and the animal be lost. A few hard-earned lessons have taught that a .358 Winchester/.356 Winchester would likely have been a better choice using 220gr to 250gr under such conditions than a .30-06 using anything less than a well built 200gr or 220gr.<If we followed the illogical beliefs of those who say: “It’s not what you hit ’em with, but where you hit ’em that matters”; or others, such as: “use a good bullet and put it in the right place”. Without qualifications as to “where you hit ’em” and “a good bullet in the right place”, an unthinking and unexperienced hunter might possibly think of using the tiny .22 LR solid above and shoot it into the shoulder of a lion, buffalo or Brown Bear – but NOBODY with sanity and a modicum of knowledge attempts such stunts! The other above cartridge is a .45-70 load for my former Ruger No.1 LT. That’s a 400gr SP. I’d never use that bullet on any of the DG mentioned, but a good 400gr, like the 404gr Hammer, could be more than adequate from that Ruger No.1 with an MV up to 2400 fps.

Our situation in Ontario would be more akin to Michigan and hunting experiences there, both in species and physical conditions. Rarely is a flat-shooting, long range rifle-cartridge needed, except, as pointed out numerous times, in the far north of our province with its multiple lakes, streams, bogs and clearcuts. In a moose hunt of Northern Ontario a .300 magnum makes a lot of sense as a starting point. As previously mentioned, my friend “Jim” finally discovered, after trial and error, that a .338 Win Mag was just about perfect- and that was after starting out with a .270 Win, then a 7 Rem Mag. I’d recommended a .338 Win Mag to him when he was at the .270 stage pronouncing it “good enough for any moose”. Yeah, it took a few years, but after having lost a couple of bulls to his “good enough for any moose” .270, he began to think otherwise – but failure is often the first step to success! The first year of using the .338 Win Mag, he cleanly took a bull a bit shy of 300 yards, and the following year another at ~ 400! He shared those experiences with me the following summer in getting himself and the .338 ready for the upcoming fall moose hunt.

And that’s exactly my experience with smaller calibers and their frangible bullets on our big game in their particular ecosystems. Where Jim and friends hunted annually, moose often travelled across a marsh from one point of timbered land to another. Distances from their stands to where a moose was crossing could be anything up to 600+ yards!

Twenty years or so ago, BIG BORES was the rage! Hornady was the main supplier of bullets for the .404, .405, .416s, 450/400, 450 NE, .45-70, .458 Win and Lott, 470 NE, .505 Gibbs, and 500 NE.

“Everyone” had to have one or another! And along with some dusty ones in closets, Ruger took up the challenge of producing some new versions of the same themes as well as creations of their own like the .375 and .416 Rugers. Then some custom shops were also overloaded with orders!<That was around the time that I purchased this CZ 550 in the .458 Winchester Magnum. You’d be hard pressed to find one new like it today. In fact, finding factory ammo for it today would be a fruitless endeavor from most shops in Canada. Back order only! However, being a handloader, I was prepared. Now I have more than enough in powder, bullets, primers and cases.

Today, “everyone” and his uncle, aunt, father-in-law, mother-in-law, sister, brother, and anyone he knows “has to have” a 6.5 to be cool! And it’s all justifiable, “just because”!

Now… to be “cool” with it, I think the ballistics of the .264 Winchester (6.5) has a place, a niche, that it always had… nothing more, nothing less. But nothing more than Two-Eighty-Four (7mm) and just a bit less.

Till the next…

Shalom

BOB MITCHELL

BIG BORE Rifles – their Accuracy

It seems that such discussions from various media sources ultimately deteriorate into splitting hairs. But how much accuracy is needed from any rifle to terminate the intended game? It’s quite often assumed that Big Bores (.40-cal to ?) either are incapable of producing “fine accuracy”, or don’t need to as they are intended for larger game at relatively close ranges. While that may be true under certain conditions, yet absolutely NOT under all.

From the multiple professional videos I’ve watched in addition to some print media, a PH frequently calls for a shot by the client on a Cape Buffalo through a relatively small “hole” in thick thorn bush cover. And often enough a precision type shot is urgent on a fast escaping wounded leopard or grizzly headed in the opposite direction, or in a quarter-on-angle towards the hunter in a charge from fifteen yards! In such scenarios MOA may not be essential but extreme confidence is, and that is chiefly gained in developing the load, and by a great deal of practice with it from various positions. But if the inherent accuracy is only mediocre at best…. how much confidence will that inspire in a life and death encounter with a revengeful beast?

<Field practice is essential in developing confidence. This was my CZ 550 loaded with a 405gr at ~2400 fps in the Haliburton Highlands 93 kms from home.

Personally speaking, I want as much accuracy from my BIG BORES as is humanly possible or they will not go on a hunt with me! And as to inherent accuracy, all my big-bore rifles proved to be as accurate as I was, and often more so! Sub-MOA to MOA was the norm, though under field conditions, unless a rest was used, results were what they were, sometimes on a quickly departing animal! At others, a stationary game animal from offhand or from a rest.

So a smaller-bore rifle (.30-cal?) that shoots itty-bitty groups of five at a hundred… what will their accuracy be under the terms described above?

Some (many?) say it depends on the recoil of a rifle, therefore a hunter (any hunter?) can shoot better under the stress of urgency using a common round like a .30-06 than a BIG BORE. Really? I’m doubtful of that for a number of reasons:

1) It might take more than a single shot to accomplish DRT from a charging Cape Buff, lion, grizzly, black bear, moose, bison… or you name it!

2) A savvy hunter experienced with his BIG BORE will keep his calm much better under intense danger with a .458 Win he trusts than a .308 Win he doesn’t ! Therefore he’ll shoot better with the BIG BORE!

3) My experience with BIG BORES is limited to .458-caliber in multiple .45-70s and three .458 Win Mags. I’d be seriously disappointed if I failed to develop a multi-purpose load in any of them that didn’t shoot MOA… consistently… and in some instances, one hole groups of three at 100 yards.

4) Such experiences breeds confidence – and by the time hunting season rolls around, recoil is a faint memory.

The following paragraph shouldn’t be passed over lightly even though it’s basics have been made in these blogs multiple times, or that I’m considered as “prejudiced” in promotion of the .458 Winchester. If so, I think I CAN and have made a pretty decent argument as to why it’s TRUTH for those who want the experience of killing game from medium to large, and even dangerous, in the use of a true BIG BORE.

While there are others, the advantages of .458-caliber shouldn’t be ignored due to an incomparible variety of bullets from manufacturers, plus innumerable moulds to make your own, and all that in addition to many suitable propellants. Any gun powder that works well, or is manufactured for the .223 Rem is a candidate for .45-70s and .458 Win Mags – and they are indeed plenty! Mostly, I’ve used these three: AA2015, H4198 and H335. H4198 had replaced RL-7, and more recently AA2230 and 2460 has come along as perhaps the best for heavier bullets in the .458 Win Mag. Also, Accurate 5744 is ideal for reduced loads. Is there anything that can’t be done using a good, appropriate load in the .458 Win?

But there are other .45-calibers, some of which are still in use on mega fauna, and date back to the pre-smokless powder era, including the .45-70, .45-90 and .45-110, plus others.

My first choice of bullets for my first 1895 Marlin with the micro-groove barrel, were 300gr Sierras and Hornadys, 350 RN Hornadys and the 400gr Speer FP. At the time (about 1990), I owned a .338 Win Mag in the Sako FS so had high expectations for the Marlin at closer ranges- it’s first hunt was for a black bear, of which I’ve told that story several times. I shot the bear ( a very good one) using the 400gr Speer. In the following photo, it was on it’s maiden trip for whitetail deer in the woods of Haliburton Highlands. The load was a 350gr Hornady RN at about 2100 fps – good enough for the largest moose of the area, and likely plenty for an Alaskan grizzly within range. As said, I had high hopes for that first .45-70. The powder was RL-7.

<This is a pic of a photograph taken by my old 35mm camera… since given to somebody… I don’t remember to whom. It was taken by my partner, Bob, a retired school principle. Since those days I’ve used digital and have lost a few hundred in a computer which I no longer have. That was my first 1895 Marlin in .45-70.

It stands out in my memory that I developed – or was it instinctive – more confidence in the Marlin .45-70 than in my Sako FS in .338 WM for larger game at closer quarters. And I never had an experience that changed that view of matters, even as time passed.

As an indication of that, consider this: A .458-cal 405gr at 1667 fps is equal in momentum to a 250gr/.338-cal at 2700 fps. The Marlin could shoot the 405gr Remington at up to 2120 fps!

The TE (Terminal Effect) from my .340 Wby at 165 yards, on the bull moose killed by it, was 83.75 TE. I had my Marlin as a backup, loaded with the 405gr at +2100 fps. At 165 yards the velocity impact would have been 1687 fps for a 102 TE !! At the time, I sensed that the Marlin would have performed better than the .340 Wby at that range just from the size hole it made in game, plus its train-like momentum! Of course, the .340 was there for potential shots to 500 – 600 yards in open clearcuts. But a cross-sectional bullet area of .1650 sq-in from a .458-shouldn’t be ignored vs .0897 sq-in from a .338. That’s an 18% advantage in potential displacement of tissue and bone that favors the larger bore, plus a slight advantage in momentum!

And let’s not forget the comparison being made here: a Marlin in .45-70 vs a .340 Wby Mag! If we up the ante to a Ruger No.1 in .45-70 LT (long throat) the advantage of .458-cal over .338-cal is magnified 1.63 times over the .338 Win in momentum as well as 1.83 times in cross-sectional area! More or less the same for the Weatherby version in .338. Then, go with the .458 Win Mag and any advantage is only proportionally increased.

And what does all that have to do with a Big Bore’s accuracy, one might ask? Plenty! It’s only logical to assume that if accuracy is equal (or thereabouts) in .458 with .338 calibers, it’s a win-win situation for the .458-cal shooter-hunter! No arguments entertained that could possibly be logical!

<These were from three 225gr AccuBonds at 100 yards. Corrected to 2838 fps… recently from my .35 Whelen. Recoil was about 33 ft-lbs.

“Yes but…”, splitting hairs are we? “The .338 Win or .338 Edge, or .338 Lapua, or….” are better at longer ranges for moose-size game? How far is “longer ranges”? Yes, I’ve gone on record in stating that my .340 Wby was created for those “potential” ranges of 500 – 600 yards in the “Far North” of our province. But the actual prospect of that happening was less than one in fifty because 9 out of 10 shot in that area of N. Ontario are harvested inside 200 yards, and only one in four tries by an individual resident hunter living outside that area is usually successful. So 5% of those 25% is what for shots beyond 200 yards? That’s barely more than one chance in a hundred of being successful in taking any moose beyond 200 yards for someone like myself who was still on a learning curve of the particular area I was hunting in. I’ve yet to hear or read of a bona-fide report of anyone harvesting a moose in that area at 500 to 600 yards – and that’s not to say it never, ever happened, but I switched to a .458 Win and a load that was good (so I thought at the time) for up to a 400 yard shot on moose, which would have been much more realistic as a “long shot”.

I’ve known a fellow at our range, who is about my age, who went with a group to N. Ontario on an annual moose hunt. Over somewhere between fifteen to twenty years he personally killed three moose, all less than 400 yards. He started with a 270 Win and found it completely outclassed for that area. He had wounded one bull with the 270 at something over 200 yards and he along with some of the group spent a full day searching for the bull. It was finally found, and still very much alive, but then quickly dispatched. He traded or sold his .270 for a 7 Rem Mag which he said after a hunt that it was not that much better than the .270. Finally, he got a .338 Win Mag (which I’d suggested to him) and with handloads of the 210gr Nosler Partition he killed two bull moose in two years, one at just under 300 yards and the last at about 400. My friend, “Jim”, has not done a moose hunt going back several years. In fact, he no longer shows up at the range. I’m unsure if he’s still with us, but I did hear from him a couple of times via email.

But to put it all in a reality happening: If today I were to visit that region once more for a bull moose, here are the probables:

1) A long trip of 1000 miles (1600 kms) by auto (truck, SUV, car). 160 litres of gas @ $1.5 per L x2 (there and back, plus driving around in scouting while there = +30 litres) = 350 litres minimum x $1.5 = $525 for fuel alone. Plus all other foreseen and unforeseen expenses.

2) A partner.

3) Equipment: trailer and camping gear.

4) Plus safety equipment, GPS and phones.

5) Food and drink.

6) Heat.

7) Rifles and all other equipment related to seeing game, knowing ranges and secure setups for accurate shooting.

8) My limit would be ~500 yards under ideal conditions: time to calculate range and wind; stance of animal; animal not moving; very steady setup of rifle from a standing/sitting/kneeling position – not prone in using a .458 Win.

9) Field dressing.

10) Retrieval of game. Securing it from contamination.

11) Dismantling camp.

12) 1000 mile drive home.

Would it be worth it? Again? No, not really at this time in my life. If I were 50 to 60 again, then all matters considered I’d propably do that adventure. But with the odds of a 25% chance of success…? I might stay home and shoot a bear!

But in theory, I’m discussing the NEEDED accuracy of such a hunt in the “Far North” in using a Big Bore rifle at up to ~ 500 yards on game the size of a mature bull moose.

So:

Bullet: 404gr Shock Hammer; .419 BC; .275 SD

Ambient conditions: Temp = 40*F average; RH = 60%; Elevation = 1200 ft.

Rifle: Ruger No.1H in .458 Win Mag

Scope: 2 – 7 x 32mm Nikon

Weight ready = 10.65 lbs (5 cartridges + scope and sling)

MV = 2550 fps/ 5835 ft-lbs

500 = 1630 fps/ 2383 ft-lbs/ -50.8″

Zero @ 250 yards

Will the 404gr Hammer bullet expand adequately at 1630 fps on a through the lungs hit? I believe so, but that needs verification from experience which is yet lacking.

In any case, 2383 ft-lbs is usually more than plenty for a mature bull moose if the bullet hits vitals. More importantly, however, is impact velocity, SD and cartridge caliber that, altogether, = 99 TE at 500 yards. That’s indeed, more than plenty – if the bullet works as advertised!

Recoil: about 48 – 49 ft-lbs from my rifle with the Mag-Na-Porting. That’s a bit less than my .340 Wby at 54 ft-lbs on that historic moose hunt.

Trajectory of the 250gr NP wasn’t a concern on that hunt, neither sould it be on the simulated hunt using the 404gr Hammer bullet at 2550 fps from a .458 Win Mag.

A mature Canada bull moose can go to 1400 lbs, though an average one might be 1100 – 1200 lbs. That’s still a big target to hit in the vitals (heart-lung) of up to a 30″ circle! Obviously, a range finder is critical. But at ~ 500 yards, with a drop of about 51 inches below the reticle’s center cross bar, many scopes today have dots and/or bars across the vertical line to compensate for that drop below absolute center of the reticle. So 500 yards is quite doable for the above load in an accurate .458 Win assuming a solid rest with confidence built on continued use of the rifle and load.

But there’s the rub…! The emotional cost will be in making a decision to use that BIG BORE for far more hunting than two or three trips to Africa in a lifetime!

Questions please…

“Is a BIG BORE needed for moose-size game at 500 yards?”

That’s off topic… which is a BIG BORE’S accuracy – implied: are they, or can they be accurate enough for a long (500 yd?) poke on a medium to large game animal? I think that’s been answered.

But the real questions are: Is the shooter accurate enough, and will he ever need to experience a 500 + yard shot from his BIG BORE?

This is realistic as to potential ranges where I hunt in Haliburton Highlands.There are two dark objects side by side to the left of the photo just in front of the trees on the far shore… How far? Moose? When the pic is blown up to about 9″ wide on a computer screen, the visual effect is what I saw without optical aid. I didn’t have my rangefinder to check, but I’d say it’s less than 200 yards. From a standing offhand shot could I have made it, though my .458 was capable?

It turned out to be an “optical illusion”, but we always must check with binoculars before shooting phantoms or something illegal! Because moose are black (in these parts), as well as black bears, we MUST have binoculars handy! And how might that affect one chance in a lifetime, no matter the rifle in hand? Hunters in Ontario MUST wear Hunter Orange that would stand out brilliantly against a dark green background.

If those were two side by side adult moose, either they would have been a cow and calf or a bull and a cow – first they would have had to be identified in binoculars. Since I was alone, and scouting, the binos would have been dropped, hanging by their strap from my neck, the rifle raised, aimed (from offhand), then waiting for the cow or bull (depending on the license) to turn at least to a quarter-on shot. How much time for all that? Using the sling over my offside elbow for steadiness, taking a deep breath and… how much longer before the right animal presents a realistic shot? What about the wind? And so on… The .458 can shoot MOA, but can I shoot 3 MOA? At 200 yards that’s at least 3 in a 6″ circle! But what if…? the moose swings and heads back into the trees? And I didn’t bring a boat! That’s an awful lot of work ahead!

Shooting accurately may turn out to be the easier part! A few years earlier, I did a moose call from a couple hundred yards from where I took that pic. That was a week before the season opened to see if I’d get a response – if there were moose in the area. I called in a bear instead – a BIG one – to within 50 yards from where I took the above photo! I told that story last time – I passed on it because of some circumstances I didn’t like…. time of day and being alone. Now a bull moose, on the other hand, would outweigh that 400 lb bear by up to three times!

If I’d recommend a partner for a 400 lb bear, how much more so for a moose! It turns out that “fine accuracy” is, in a very real sense, the least of some other potential challengers.

Till the next… .264 calibers

Shalom

BOB MITCHELL

The Fall Bear Hunt has begun…

As of September 1st, bear hunting in underway here in Ontario…

And my preparations are still lagging. First, I’ve just got over Covid-19 so my strength has not fully recovered. Second, I’m in no big hurry since the bear season continues till the end of November. Yet I want to get “out there” for some scouting and decision making on where and “if” I will use some baiting. Calling is another alternative with less work involved but demands full attention at all times, whereas with a bait setup I can just sit, be quiet and watch. Such decisions are yet be made, but likely I’ll employ both strategies. In any case, I must get my legs moving.

Rifles? Yes, I have three BG rifles and a 12ga smoothbore shotgun that shoots those hard lead Challengers (Brenneke type). All are ready to go.

The .35 Whelen single-shot TRADITIONS Outfitter G3: 7.35 lbs with 1 cartridge in chamber, and a 3-9 x 40 scope. Overall length with muzzle brake = 39″. Load: 225gr AccuBonds @ 2840 fps/4030 ft-lbs. Recoil with brake = 33 ft-lbs.

Advantages: Light, short, handy and powerful. Good as a “walk-about” and for scouting.<A bear bait in a pile of logs in May/22. That’s the Traditions G3 in .35 Whelen. This was a recently logged-out area in Haliburton Highlands.

The TiKKA T3 Lite in 9.3 x 62 (now with a muzzle brake). With four cartridges (three in clip and one in chamber) plus four in a buttstock cartridge holder, and a 3-9×40 Elite 3500 scope = 8.25 lbs. With brake, plus overall weight, recoil = 33 ft-lbs (286gr NPs at 2583 fps/ 4238 ft-lbs) Rifle length with brake = 43″.

Advantages: Repeater, powerful, familiar, recoil similar to the Whelen with brake and added weight. Best for stting over bait, or calling from a particular location.

The Ruger No.1H in .458 Win Mag: 10.6 lbs with one in the chamber and four in a buttstock cartridge holder. Loaded for bear: 250gr Hornady MonoFlex at 2680 fps/ 3988 ft-lbs. This is a reduced load that’s plenty for any game to 200 yards. With the Mag-Na-Porting, recoil is a nominal 24 ft-lbs.

Main purpose and advantage: Sitting over bait, or watching/calling from a particular location, familiarity, minimal recoil, powerful, handsome and a classic. My favorite rifle.

Stevens/Savage 12ga Tactical: For followup of a wounded bruin in dark foreboding places.

STRATEGY:

1) Get out there. The importance of this should not be minimized. We can’t discern conditions and sign if we’re not there! I like preseason scouting. Unfortunately, this year it was out of the question. First, due to my wife coming down with Covid after attending a women’s conference, then five days later I got it from her! It had its own debilitating effects for a couple of weeks. I lost ten pounds in five days! My legs seemed like wet noodles! Among other things, I lost appetite for food that I couldn’t taste, but I drank gallons of cold water from the fridge.

I’m back to near normal, and woods walking will be good for heart, lungs and legs. Plus, I’ll start thinking “hunting” and look carefully for any signs of big game. It’s also refreshing for mind and spirit. On Wednesday (Sept 7/22) I checked two locations and placed a minimal bait in one of them. My legs got a good workout. Will check that site sometime early next week.<Right out there in the middle of the pic across this little gully at about 75 yards.

2) The rifle I’ll be toting for that initial activity will be the single-shot .35 Whelen – that was the reason for its purchase as a “walk-about” that’s quick and handy… not a burden. It’s quick to the shoulder, and with the Diamondback scope set on 3x the field of view is both bright and broad. It’s zeroed at +1″ at 100 yards. That’s plenty for anything legal to 200 +yards.

3) Sign: I’ll be looking for bear scat, tracks and scraches on trees. Also, moose and deer sign as bears are very opportunistic in tracking both deer and especially a moose with a calf, or calves. I know of moose in the area I’ll be scouting. Then, wild berries might be plentiful in certain areas as well as acorns. This is Crown Land where I’ve done a lot of bear, deer and coyote/wolf hunting, and know of an Oak grove, usually with lots of nuts on the ground which are loved by both bear and deer. It’s not a bad strategy to just sit and watch an area.

4) Calling: I’ll be doing some of that for wolf and coyote. Sometimes a bear will respond. I’ll need to have my back against a fat tree or one of the Smart Car size boulders scattered throughout the area. In making moose vocalizations with my hands cupped to my mouth, late one fall day, I called in a 400 lb class black bear. There was an unfilled license in my pocket and an 1895 Marlin in hand, but I decided against shooting the bruin as it was late in the day and I was alone.

5) The terrain: It’s variable. Lots of ridges and valleys, streams, small lakes and large, marshes and bogs, trails, heavy brush, forrest and some recent logged out areas – typical eastern Canadian ecosystems.

6) Baiting: The positives and the negatives – there are both on either Crown Land (Public Land) or private. Which is most productive? That, like most things, depends on a number of factors.

Both bear and deer spend most of their lives searching for and eating food. Where the food is, that’s where you’ll find them. The difference? Bears are omnivorous, like humans, they are both meat eaters and vegatable/fruit/nuts eaters. And, generally, they aren’t picky… they’ll eat just about anything that’s edible, and some things that aren’t! They are also cannibalistic! They’ll eat rotten meat as a delicacy but hate raw potatoes! And they love sweets in particular – the meat is flavored by what they’ve been eating! Stay far away from areas with dumps! And if there’s an old apple orchard in bear country in the fall, watch out because there’ll likely be some bruins, if not under or in the trees, they’ll be nearby! But apple-flavored bear meat is delicious!

I had a friend who owned a honey operation. The raw honey was shipped in barrels from Western Canada and had to be filtered before marketing. A filter was placed in a large drum separator that was full of the raw honey. When the filters were removed at the end of a particular operation they went into big-tough- black garbage bags for the dump. One bag might contain up to twenty of those filters that were oridinally about two feet in diameter and round. When they were removed from the machine they were saturated with honey and bees wax, plus any bits of waste, folded into a pie-slice shape, two-inches thick by eight to ten inches in length and weighing two to three pounds each. Bears flocked like bees to snatch ’em from the bait barrel! But each bag full could weigh from 35 lbs to 50 lbs, and usually I’d have up to ten of them in a big container in the back of my van. It was a major task to get them to the bait site – depending on distance and terrain. Usually, I toted them in five-gallon plastic buckets. Alas, the business got sold and moved much further away when the owner retired. The point is that there are often many different sources of “food” that will go to the dump that bears love to feast on – just visit any dump where such “stuff” is in the open. That’s why there are now laws forbidding hunting bears within 400 meters of a dump – as here in Ontario.

< This isn’t a dump – though it may resemble one. No, it was my favorite location for a bear bait station. Sometimes bears would walk of with one of those 5 gallon buckets with the honey filters, and I might find them -or not – a year or so later!

But old frozen foods in plastic bags at the bottom of our freezers, that have been there for three or more years are good candidates for filling a bear’s empty stomach! Or, table scrapes – save ’em for the bears, not the dump!

Then, I’ll add some store-bought “sweets” when on sale, such as a big bag of “big” marshmellows that I bought recently to help start the baiting process – NO, they’ll only get a few to get ’em coming back for more! Then I go to the local supplier of big 40 – 50 lb sacks of corn, oats or whatever that are sold to farmers for farm animals and pets. Stirring in some cheap molasses and adding a rag or two of saturated anise hanging from nearby branches are powerful attractants! Get ’em comin’ and they’ll come back looking for more!

I’m not a “trophy hunter” of bears. I’ve had one on my office wall in the form of a rug for decades – and that’s it! After all, someone has to eat ’em – not the rug but the meat! The bigger they are, the bigger the freezer must be – and we only now have one freezer in the garage that is full! So most of it goes to neighbors and friends after processing by the butcher into steaks and roasts. Fortunately, the neighbors on one side of us will take whatever we offer. They are an extended family. Then, there’s a poor family in town that, likewise, will take what’s offered.

All of it, including caring for the meat, must be part of the “strategy”.

And caring for the meat is the law, so that commences in the field in retrieving the carcass, field dressing it and transportation to the vehicle and on to the butcher. I don’t do any butchering, though at one time I had a younger partner who, among other trades, was a butcher!

Then, if nothing is shot I’ll not be greatly disappointed. I’ve harvested a good number of bears, plus other big, medium and small game. The main thing is “the hunt”. This past week I purchased a new small game license, plus a wolf tag. I’ve had a bear license since spring, but spent only a few days in May in exploration of some old and new areas until the notorious black flies became intolerable. That season ended on June 15, but the license is still good for the fall hunt till the end of November that embraces both the moose and deer seasons. During the big game seasons, I also have the small game tag and wolf tag that goes on to the end of 2022. The fall hunting seasons are both cooler and minus most bugs and biting insects, including the dreaded deer tics.

So, may I wish you a safe and successful hunting season, wherever that may take you, and whatever the game.

Till the next…

Shalom

BOB MITCHELL

East meets West in Hunting…

Similarities and distinctions… Then there are North and South, and Central, in both Canada and the USA. Of course, lest we forget, there are these regions also: NE and SE, as well as NW and SW. Then E and W Central – where do you spend much or most of your hunting days in North America?

Implied in all of that are potential differences in hunting cultures as well as distinctions in topography that defines habitat for a variety of species. Mountain hunting in the Rockies (Canada or the USA) is distinct from plains hunting in central N.A. As one example: The .270 Win is generally referred to as “one of the best” in hunting sports magazines with roots in the western half of North America, whereas I’ve noted far more .308 Winchesters in our deer woods, along with a smattering of oldies like .32 Winchesters, .30-30s, etc.

And so on…

This article will focus on some of those distinctions, cultural implications and different attitudes depending on where we live and do most of our hunting. Of course, like most others, hunters move about in their living and doing… We’ve lived and worked in four eastern provinces of Canada, and some of our extended family has been living and working in several western provinces, including Saskatchewan, Alberta and British Columbia – where they now dwell. But in moving from place to place, we discover particular cultural thinking even within a given state or province, as well as changes in habitat for wildlife.

So, among other things, we need to be restrained in using too many generalizations.

A friend wanted to hunt bear with me. He was a British guy, a year younger than I, with some experience in the British military, but said he didn’t like the recoil of the .308 in the BLR he’d purchased for such a hunt. He liked my Ruger 96/44 (.44 Rem Mag), and asked if that would work… I said “sure”. So he bought this new Marlin in .44 Rem and put a huge scope on it! The range from blind to bait was 35 yards, and he, along with another of my partners, sighted a +500 pounder coming to this bait. They flipped a coin to determine who would get the first shot. It fell on the partner with a .270 Win… and his rifle misfired! That was the first and last time that bear was ever seen! I was hunting over another setup 3 Km away. This (above) was later in the same year (fall season) at the same site on Crown Land about 1 hour from home. Is a .44 magnum adequate in that kind of setup? With a good bullet (at least a 270 gr) in the right place, yes. But I was there to his left with adequate “power”, just in case!

However, that said, it’s apparent from several sources of information, that “the West” has a somewhat unique perception of themselves in several domains, not the least being in hunting. As a generalization, the East appears more “traditional” and less venturesome.

However, let’s be aware of those dangers of “generalizations”! When it concerns hunting and equipment apropo, there are often differences based purely on physical demands, whether east or west, north or south! For example: a rifle for hunting sheep, goats or bears in the Rockies (or mountain hunting in Asia) could be a generic lightweight .30-06 firing a 180gr AB at 2800 fps, or one of the “new fangled” 6.5s… OR – dare I tell it again? – I might choose a lite .35 Whelen shooting a 225gr AccuBond at +2800 fps! Then again, I’ve owned several 300 Win Mags that is, with few arguments, one of the best “all purpose” rifle cartridges extant. Millions are in use for such purposes. However, there’s a current revival of .264 caliber rifles (6.5mm) and some new cartridges to satisfy that rebirth: The 6.5 Creedmoor and PRC seem to be the pace setters, along with Nosler’s creation. To quench the thirst of these new creations, various bullet manufacturers are in a race to produce the best in construction, including aerodynamics and weight. Bragging rights are at high stakes! In the end, however, it’s like a tune up of the historic and famed 6.5 x 55. “Deja-vue all over again” to quote a famed baseball catcher, Yogi Berra of the New York Yankees.

Such choices – one way or the other – will largely be influenced by the personality, experience, and what’s “just right” based on other’s experiences, or unemotional, pragmatic knowledge and thinking! East or West, real knowledge and analysis should result in weapons suited to the hunter, his hunts and region. Yet, it appears that most purchases today are the result of, first emotions, and secondly what so-and-so shows up with at the range.

Objective thinking”… being your “own man”, wherever you live, work or hunt is a rare bird these days. Such a hunter-shooter has his own reasons, regardless of the opinions of others. And they can make their .270 work as well as their .30-06 within certain parameters. Outside those parameters, they may choose something else entirely.

There’s no law that dictates particular rifles for hunting the East or West. In the Traditions OUTFITTER G3, I chose one in .35 Whelen… my son chose another in .44 Rem Mag. Both are capable for the full bag of game in our area – from coyote to moose. His intent is for deer and bear – so is mine. His is lighter and slightly handier due to a bigger hole in the barrel, no brake and a smaller scope. The range generally will not exceed 100 yards in heavy brush and forrested areas. For more open areas – such as marshes, lakes and trails – I chose the Whelen for possible shots on coyote/wolf or even deer to 400 yards or so. Being a very versatile and efficient cartridge, it can handle any chores for North American game – large or small – under most conditions (See my previous piece on a comparison of the new .338 RPM with my “new to me” .35 Whelen – there’s practically NO difference in ballistics using a premium 225gr). If you own and use one rifle for all hunting, forget about the recoil because it just “seems normal”, and won’t kill you despite the media’s hype!

The .30-30 is still a favorite in eastern woods for whitetails, and the .35 Remington for Maine’s black bears in typical eastern ecological systems. But I’m also certain of it’s good use for bears and bambi in the mountains of Pennsylvania, and so on.

In hunting, much of the world is the same, though sometimes great distinctions do occur east or west, north or south. It’s therefore a matter of knowing the area, the game, and clear thinking in choosing wisely for our next hunt. That may be a .416 Remington or a Plain Jane .308 Winchester. Hey! There are likely some of those in the East and West, and….

But some regulations relative to rifle calibers, BP and shotguns do exist, depending on species, seasons and jurisdictions; It’s ironic that I could use any cartridge up to a .270 magnum for groundhogs in season, in an area otherwise limited to shotguns and BP during deer season! For bear, however, till the start of deer season in those same areas, I could use my .458 Win Mag. So “absolute freedom of choice” is often a narrow one constrained by the regs – East or West.

<From my trail cam: During this hunt on private farm property (about 1/2 hr from my home), my partner was a neighbour to the owner of this property which was leased to crop growers. This was the “back half” that was filled by brush, woods and swamp. My partner was the owner of a neighboring farm (that I’ve hunted deer on) where at one time he kept cattle, then switched to sheep. He hunts both coyote and deer on his own property. The point is: This was bear season. He was using his BP rifle over this bait (and shot a good one), and I was 350 yards away in a tree stand watching another bait in a different type of setup. My rifle was a 9.3 x 62 that couldn’t be used on those properties during deer season a couple of months later!

<My stand in that tree, 350 yards away (as flies the crow, but much farther in walking). We couldn’t see each other, but I heard his shot around 6 pm. The bear was retrieved 3 and 1/2 hours later in pitch darkness, in a swamp! He just about stepped on the bear before it was found. I was there to give a hand.

In reviewing my own choices since I became a handloader forty-two years ago, I progressed from a “generalist” to more of a “specialist”, to use gunwriter John Barsness’ identification of handloaders. Over time, I became more interested and attracted to “magnum” cartridges and larger bores, and with a clearer view that “medium bores” were the best compromise for anything from bambi to brown bears as a single choice. Brown bears and grizzly have never, and never will come into view in my scopes, but there has been a sharp focus on the hunt of black bears and moose since 1989.

From that date until about twenty years ago, we had a huge population of groundhogs in this area that have since been pretty much whipped out by various means: domestic dogs, poison and new crops (mainly corn and Canola, but also others) – so less wasted acerage and weed-filled agricultural land. So I traded or sold my .223 Rem, .25-06 and 6.5 Swede. The smallest rifle cartridge I retained was in 7 Rem Mag, and eventually that was traded for a medium. The last of the sub-mediums was a much loved .300 Win Mag – the final use of which was in killing a good whitetail buck… at 35 Yards! No, there was no meat loss – a pencil-size hole between neck and shoulder… the buck collapsed right there. The bullet blew up inside like a grenade! A .35 Whelen will do the same things without acting like a bomb, and might be a better choice on big bears and moose.

Arguments? Of course there are! Say, are you from the West?

When all is said and done, with multiple sources of information at out fingertips, any hunter East or West, North or South, will chose what they want as rifles and cartridges for hunting or just plain recreation…. After all, one of my partners chose a .44 Rem Mag and the other a .270 Win for a big bruin hunt. East and West thinking as partners in the same blind? I ‘ve read too much already (in my view) of the .270 Win in publications and Internet sources from a western perspective, but rarely (or never) of a .35 Rem or .44 Rem Mag for elk, grizzies or moose (except in handguns)! Yeah, I know the country (even in mountains) is much more open than here in the East. And I’ve watched quite a few videos of western hunting in both Canada and the USA.

Gulp… there I go with too many generalizations….

Yeah, you’re right, there are places in “the West”, where shooting game is as “tight” as anywhere in “the East”!

< Another friend, and sometimes partner, shot this 300 lb class bear under his stand (He’s a BIG man!). That’s his Marlin “Marauder” in .35 Rem in his hand. The bear never moved from its tracks after a 200gr RN finished his day! A Maine type hunt in Ontario, Canada.

Till the next….

Shalom

BOB MITCHELL

If it’s not Kinetic Energy, then what else?

Recently, I was on a forum where long range shooting of game was being discussed, and a hunter-shooter asked a simple question that ended in piling on him with sarcasm, inuendo and down-right brow beating! He was even called a troll and “invited” to come up with “proof” of his “theories” because he used terms and words like foot-pounds (ft-lbs), ballistic coefficient (BC), sectional density (SD), etc.

What he wanted, in his question/request, was: What would it take to extend an effective shooting range on big game (like elk) beyond 400 yards to about 600 yards? He was comfortable to 400 yards, but didn’t like a lot of recoil so was making plans to extend the effective range of his 270 Win in using one of the extra-long, high BC .277 bullets, the 165gr with a .6 BC from a new barrel with a 1 in 8″ twist rate. Man alive! Had he attempted to tear down a hornets nest with his bare hands he wouldn’t have gotten stung more!

He was told in no uncertain terms that he was a “theorist” and not knowledgeable, despite a lifetime of hunting and evidencing both experience and knowledge of his game!

In addition to being told he didn’t know what he was talking about, he was informed that basic physics had little or nothing to do about anything, except he needed a good scope that had dials, an accurate barrel and practice, practice and more practice…. till he became expert in hitting targets at 600+ yards. And plus all that he must learn to dope the wind which demanded a lot more experience, so he should talk with guys who had a lot of experience in doping the wind! Never mind the charts or computer programs that give trajectory and wind drift at 600, as all that was only theory anyway!<This was a real load (handload) from my Ruger No.1H in .458 Win. I wanted to have an idea of it’s effectiveness to about 300 yards under “normal” conditions for my hunting areas. That was from a 405gr Remington that I’d had good experience with on bears. I was confident it could be effectively used on bear and deer to 300 – 350 yards, with that trajectory if needed. But according to some “modern day” wonders who shoot “long range”, all that’s a waste because it’s “theory”! BTW, I still have some of those loaded in a .458 ammo box.

Apart from some advise that was helpful and worthy, there had to be an endurance test in derogatory name calling and an attack mode. Then photos of “successes” at extreme ranges were posted by those who were congratulating themselves as “experts” in all of this.

The poor “guy” – no, that’s not right – the mature man and hunter with knowledge and experience simply was asking for some pointers for extending his “normal” max range of ~400 yards to ~600, and instead he was treated like a 6-year old kid who needed his knuckles whacked! “Typical of forums no matter the subject”, so I’ve been told by a professional on Internet applications. There are some exceptions, of course, but I’ve experienced that same kind of uncalled for drama!

The Bible advises me to stay away from people who use bad language, are always right and looking for an argument to proove themselves right and you wrong! (check this out: Proverbs 3: vs 30, “Don’t make accusations against someone who hasn’t wronged you”. And: Proverbs 4: vrs 23 to 27, “Above all else, guard your heart, for it affects everything you do. Avoid all perverse talk; stay far from corrupt speech. Look straight ahead, and fix your eyes on what lies before you. Mark out a straight path for your feet; then stick to the path and stay safe. Don’t get sidetracked; keep your feet from following evil” – Book of Proverbs by King Solomon. (New Living Bible)

Keep in mind that the subject being discussed was particular bullets from certain cartridges that would adequately expand on “elk” at ~600 yards or more. Among other suggestions, a 6mm that would expand at that range was said to be sufficient. As I’ve checked 6mm bullets that might be adequate for elk, there’s a 100gr Partition (.243″) with a BC of .384 and SD of .242. It’s claimed by Nosler that 1800 fps will insure “some” expansion. 888 ft-lbs at 2000 fps from a 240 Wby Mag (or similar) at 600 might kill an elk if hit in the right place (spine, heart or head). But at 600 + yards several factors enter the equation for pin-point accuracy, not the least being the shooter’s familiarity with his/her equipment and the physical conditions. Atmospheric turbulance can become the “experts” nemesis.

Even at our range, the limit of which is 300 yards, swirling wind is a challenge to the best who shoot competitively. Walking back from the 200 yard berm with my sixty-plus year-old son a couple of weeks past, he spoke of the small orange flags that had been placed every 25 yards or so. They’d been placed there by a competitive shooter while we were walking out to check (and change) some targets. Some were pointing west, others east, and still others were headed south. That’s not uncommon at that range as it’s surrounded by hills east and west, and a built up “berm” behind the 300 yard plywood panels that hold the targets. That “berm” had to meet Federal regulations as there’s a farm beyond the ~ 75 ft-high wall of mud, sand and gravel. Any wind at all affects down range accuracy, even at 100. If there’s a 15 km wind, when shooting my .22 RF at 200 yards, I have to shoot several to account for up to a foot “drift” in either direction. A .22 RF is relatively slow in velocity compared to a 6.5 shooting a 140gr at more than 2x the velocity of my .22 (at 1400 fps), but at 600 yards+, is the wind going to be from one direction only? Competitive shooters of .223, 6mm, 6.5mm and .308 at our range put out the flags in a 15 km wind (less than 10 mph), no matter it’s direction, because experience has taught them that the wind’s direction at our range is as stable as a neurotic person on drugs driving an ATV!

< Our range – that was my Ruger No1 in .45-70 LT. And sometimes it did get shot all the way to that 300 yard berm.

So, taking into accound the wind – it’s force and direction – there’s little doubt that physics, expressed in numbers, graphically apply. And the larger the bore, with equal MV, SD and BC, the less they’ll be affected by atmospheric turbulance – Note: I did not claim “They won’t be affected”, but “the less they’ll be affected”. Other factors are the platform, it’s weigh and stability, rest, barrel profile, inherrant accuracy and any handloaded ammo. Another very significant factor is the scope – adjustments for elevation, range and windage. Then, on scene, a waiting process until everything is just perfect…. including the hunter’s patience, nerves and breathing. The trigger is squeezed, the rifle recoils and bucks (at least “a little”) and the perfect bullet for the job is on it’s way… to 600 + yards. At yard 350 the wind drops to zero… and the “elk” switches ends and is caught half-way “there” ! (With little wind, that happened to me when a whitetail buck decided to “switch ends” at only 65 yards… and it made a difference where the 165gr Sierra hit the buck – through the gut and into the offside hind leg. It didn’t go far, and I gave it a finisher at 10 yards… But, what if?).

We get the stories of the “experts” successes at long range… with photos, but never hear of any failures. So they must be true “experts”? Or are they experts at choosing their rhetoric? How many elk, deer or bear are wounded, never retrieved or accounted for? And they post pics of their setup with huge scopes and magazines that hang well below the action… is that a rifle you’d choose for rough country or mountains?

All I know for myself is: Of the few (very few) potential very long range (for me) shots on big game, it would have been difficult to miss a BIG bull moose broadside (as that’s the ONLY condition under which I’d take such a shot at not more than 500 yards using a secure rest). And also: the weapon I chose for any such hunt left NO DOUBT as to its ability to do its part, if I did mine!

<For anyone who may not know: That was my CZ550 in .458 Win Mag over my shoulder for a bull moose hunt in the “Far North” of Ontario, my home province, 1600 kms from home! The load was “adequate” to 400 yards – or so I believed because velocity wouldn’t have dropped below 1600 fps – the velocity limit set by Barnes for expansion of that bullet. I didn’t get a chance on moose during that hunt, but later I used the same 350gr TSX on a young bear at 100 yards. The bear travelled the farthest of any I’ve ever shot – in a semi-circle of about 75 yards! Impact velocity should have been around 2500 fps/4850 ft-lbs! On further examination of entrance and exit wounds, it was evident the the 350gr TSX hadn’t expanded, though full penetration was ~ 2-feet! So, had I used it on a broadside bull moose at 400 yards it likely would have given full penetration but never have expanded at ~1600 fps. Results would likely have meant a not-so-merry chase of a wounded moose that – no doubts in my mind – would have survived and escaped the hunter, with bucket loads of questions that never would have been answered until the bear hunt a year later.

So yes, I fully agree, there’s much more to it than a simple formula. There’s the bullet itself: is it suitable for the physical context of range, elevation, atmospheric conditions AND its impact velocity? Then, in addition, there’s the shooter: Is he/she capable or wise for taking a shot at “long range” under unknowable circumstances such as unstable atmospheric conditions that may occur, and reading the mind of the animal.

I was fully confident in the choice of that 350gr TSX that was leaving the muzzle of the CZ 550 at ~2700 fps. The powder used in the handload was RL-7. However, my confidence faded when I arrived home, where the temperature had dropped at least 20*F from when the load was created with the result of a 100 fps loss! SO I switched to H4198 that worked better and proved to be consistent under changing temps. And worse still when the bullet didn’t expand on that relatively young bear though I was using a “new” powder that gave a consistently higher MV!

At our range there’s a longtime member who has been an international competitive shooter of .223s and .308s. I’ve known him for a long time. He still shows up but only competes with himself because of arthritis and shaky hands. He still brings expensive heavy-barrelled .223s and other small stuff. He likes to talk, so I mostly listen. He knows a lot about accurate rifles and shooting them, which he can no longer do to get the best from them. That’s mentioned ONLY to stress that the best equipment for precision shooting is only as good as the shooter AND the physical conditions he/she is competing in… same as for any hunter! A better shootin’ rifle doesn’t make one a better hunter! And a beautiful wood stock doesn’t make a rifle shoot MOA or better. And a tricked out small-bore rifle with a $2000 scope, with dials all over it doesn’t make it the “best” rig for shooting a 1500 lb bull moose or brown bear in Alaska… OR Cape Buff in Africa. No PH or Alaskan guide would permit those nefarious stunts, and for good reasons! Let’s bring some sanity into this! There are elk, and then there are ELK! And there are shoulder bones, and those of an elk of 400 lbs are not the same as those of 800 lbs! And a bullet isn’t just “any” bullet… It has an identity and “personality” all its own, much like humans in a sense. They all behave their “own way” in particular conditions (and… so does a hunter!).

A short while ago in these blogs I published part of a statement emailed to me from the father of a hunting family. They’ed been using this “new wave” of small bore accurate and fast cartridges up to and beyong 600 yards on deer and hogs with both successes AND failures. The hogs were tough and big – to 400 lbs and more. Many of the bullets (no matter the brand) weren’t up to the task even with good hits. They switched one of the rifles to a .35 Whelen with 250gr Partitions, that they didn’t shoot as far, but up to ~400 yards on ~400 lb hogs without a single failure. One shot on each was more than plenty! Some of the details I didn’t reveal to protect his identy.

I’d much rather shoot a “big” hog at 400 yards with certainty in using an adequate cartridge-caliber -bullet than attempting a precision shot from a small-bore “target rifle” to proove “Ya don’t need a cannon to kill big game … and certainly not at extreme ranges. Any small-bore that shoots 100grs with precision is adequate!”

As to dedicated moose and bear hunters of Ontario, I’ve yet to meet even one that swears by a .243 Winchester. I recommended a .243 Win to our son “out west” in Canada for coyote, when his choices were a .223 and .243, because one day he might decide to hunt deer. Under the “right conditions” a .243 is adequate for some of the big western bucks, and most of it’s “open country” except the far northern regions. So if a deer runs for a half-mile after the shot it probably could still be retrieved. Most hunters, under “normal” conditions, who are not handloaders who shoot thousands of rounds per annum, can’t reliably hit a deer in the vitals beyond about 100 yards with the animal absolute still and broadside!

All media, regardless of type, hypes any event worth notice to a particular interest group, in order to be “first” in doing so… nonetheless true of the shooting/hunting sports. Increased attention and business for all concerned (including themselves) is the obvious goal.

Today, it seems that “everyone” wants to get in on this “new wave” of ultra-long range shooting of big game… some recommending 6mm (.243) cartridges. Incrementally, from that, one can go all the way to Big Bores. For me: “hunting” means hunting, not sniping to prove it can be done – sometimes with weapons (including bows and BP) that are borderline at best, both for the game, physical conditions and the hunter! I choose NOT to go there to prove I can do it as well as the next guy. But how many times must I fail before “proving it”? 99% of hunters are not shooting live game (any size, any where, any conditions) at 600+ yards!!

I’ve never been a guy who makes “fashion statements”. Firstly, I’ve rarely been able to afford it, but also I’m too pragmatic to buy overly expensive clothes and vehicles, especially to impress others. I’ve owned a few suites for decorum’s sake as pastor, but the tie came off as soon as I left the stage. I was always more comfortable dressing casual. Same with rifles. I don’t buy rifles as art. To me they’re tools for the job. The bigger the “job”, the bigger the tool! The smallest caliber/cartridge I’ve ever purchased for a mix of varmint, small game and deer was a Winchester M70 in .25-06, and I loved the cartridge but not the rifle – it was too “bulky” and heavy for that cartridge, so it went down the road after a couple of years when I’d typically tried nearly “all bullets” in .257-cal. It particularly liked the 117gr Hornady SP at 3175 fps.

< A clan get together in Central New Brunswick; fashion satements were not the order of the day. Each one did their own “statement”. It was a happening about 1/4 century ago for those of us who rarely saw one another. The lady in the middle with the blue shirt was the organiser who lived somewhere in the USA. She was a “pastor” and a 1st cousin, later deceased from cancer. Most of the others were cousins, whom I’d not seen for many years. I was on the far left with Dave, my oldest brother (in his sixties) at my left elbow (His wife peaking over his shoulder). He was a former captain and part owner of a 68′ fishing trawler on the East Coast. I was a pastor in Ontario in my mid to late 50’s, and he was the Maritime Rep for a gospel ministry among fishermen. He deceased in his seventies from diabetes – he’d lost both legs. None of us were trying to impress anyone else despite having not seen one another for several years. That was our heritage. The appreciation was a get-together where we could finally re-engage in sharing news and wishing each one God’ best and promising to pray for one another. Those are the very best of friendships!

There were good enough reasons (in my experience and thinking) in my choice of magnums and larger bores that throw heavier projectiles – yes, even to the so-called “premium” types. One of those several good reasons being: I didn’t have to buy another rifle to “PROVE SOMETHING” that family, friends and aquaintences would yawn over! “So dad, you got yerself another rifle… in 6mm? But that’s not you!”

I’d get a headache trying to explain that… and I don’t need any more aches or pains!

Till next time…

Shalom

BOB MITCHELL

“How d’ ya like yer eggs?”

Whenever my wife and I go to Cora’s Restaurent in Peterborough, I choose the breakfast menu. Cora’s is a franchise across Canada (and maybe into some of the northern states) created by a French Canadian lady out of Quebec – and the very least I can say is: It’s gotta be the best breakfast this side of heaven! Well… anyway, whatever waitress/waiter shows up at our table or booth ALWAYS asks: “How d’ ya like yer eggs?” And I respond: “Over medium”…. or, “Over easy” from my wife.

Somehow the cracking of eggs has become symbolic of “cracking heads” or joints and bones in the underworld… and by times even in the “upperworld”.

<One of these 350gr TSX’s leaving the muzzle of my .458 Win Mag at 2780 fps generates 6005 ft-lbs of kinetic energy at the muzzle and 57 ft-lbs of recoil at the butt end! (In my Ruger with the brake, that’s reduced to around 48 ft-lbs. But still not for “the faint of heart”!)

When applied to the rifles I choose for cracking bones, the first test is what it feels like to my bones! Now don’t get me wrong… If it doesn’t hurt me it probably won’t break big bones! So I count on my rifles being very, very capable of rearranging the framework and anatomy of the beast in my crosshairs! The price, of course, is spite and fury until that’s harnessed!

Let’s put a face on this to make it more than ho-hum…

Confronted by a big bull moose with huge antlers still in velvet, in the northeast of our province – a true wilderness area miles from “civilization” – I was comforted by the knowledge that the rifle in hand had been kicking any apprehension out of me every time I squeezed the trigger at the range in load development and practice. It sure felt like the 40+ ft-lbs of recoil must have been at least cracking some bones! It was the notorious 1895 Marlin in .45-70 firing a 400gr at +2100 fps! But… amazingly, no thought at all was given to my bones in the mentioned incident, but, rather, to breaking some moose bones if he took another step in my direction!

<This is borrowed from the Internet, but very similar to what I saw, except the moose was closer and turned more towards me. It was also in the month of May, not October.

It was a spring bear hunt that didn’t include big bull moose! But there’s something eerie about the relationship that exists between the hunter after big/dangerous game and his rifle that comforts when needed and hurts when he’s maturing it for it’s job of coming to his rescue when a big hairy beast is staring him in the face! It sorta like a “love – hate” thing! As Solomon wrote: “There’s a time to love and a time to hate”.

Now, I don’t wanna put an ugly face on my sometimes beloved Marlins in .45-70, but I came to ignore the pain they inflicted when I fed them too much protein! Of course, you’re right… they can be wimps as well as wildcats depending on their diet.

But… I ‘ve come to “love”…naw, that’s not it.. to “appreciate”, naw to that too. It’s much stronger than merely “appreciate”… scratching my head and rubbing my chin here, I think I’ve got it! Admiration, mingled with a powerful respect! Something like my relationship with my dad… In today’s world of La La Land, where false expressions (like hugs and pats on the back, Hollywood style) of public affection are cheap and rampant, there are a very few that I deeply respect and admire. My father was one of them.

If I can’t both admire and respect what a rifle can do, I don’t want it in my gun cabinet! That’s who I am. YMMV. (And, BTW, big-bore handgunners also must have those same genetics!)

And did I ever mention my shotgun? Yeah, I guess so… Which one, you ask? Of course, the ONLY one! Many, many years past I was an inveterate bird hunter – well, not all kinds of birds, but grouse in the hardwoods, which we called “partridge”. I shot “scores”, probably. They were “good eatin'”, so my wife thought, and me too. (Yeah, that shouldabeen “I too”, but doesn’t sound proper.) Anyway, it’s been awhile since I’ve done much birding. Yet, my 12ga is a smooth bore that could fulfill such duties, but it was purchased to replace a real ol’ timer, the 12ga bolt-action Mossberg with the “polychoke” on the front end. Adjusted to “Improved” it shot Challenger slugs real well.

Those Challengers, out of Quebec, are loaded with the world famous Italian DGS slugs (“Dangerous Game Slug”) used by military and police in various countries. As said… they worked great in my “polychoked” 12ga Mossberg. But that shotgun sorta died under the “womph” of those Challengers, so I needed a new 12ga adapted primarily for “tactical” purposes. The primary tactical purpose being in the case of not a home invader, but a bear intrusion into my space, being that hunting bears has become somewhat of a preoccupation. In guarding my stash of those Challengers for said enterprises, I took my new Savage/Stevens “tactical” 12ga, 3″chamber, to the range, and “let one off”! That exclamation mark wasn’t a mistake… That Challenger from that short-barrelled, light-weight Stevens tactical 12ga “rocked me”, hard! I just fired one, and using the peep rear sight and front “glow” sight with protective “wings”, hit dead on – at the fifty yard target! That was good enough and I packed it in… until I suspect a big bruin will intrude into my space… or I into his if wounded and in a bad place! Do I resent that 12ga and want to get rid of it? NO WAY!!! It sent me a message of just what I want for a nasty black bruin wanting revenge! Especially if I need to get into his space…

That Stevens 320 pump gun is quick and powerful with 490 grains of hard lead leaving the muzzle at an actual1550 fps from the 20″ barrel (the 24″ polychoked Mossberg made 1620 fps), and three more in swift succession… if needed! Weight is 7 lbs within 39.25 inches of length. TE = 87 at five yards, compared to 67 TE from my .35 Whelen shooting the 225gr at 2850 fps, (and 125 TE from the .458 shooting those 350 TSX’s). I’ll notice the difference when I pull the trigger… but perhaps not if 450 lbs of black fury is coming my way at 30 mph! Either one should work… both the Stevens pump and single-shot Whelen are equal in length and nearly so in weight and recoil, but… no contest IF a repeat shot is called for at “in my face” range! That’s where “tactical” and “cracking eggs”… er “bones” may make a life or death difference!

Too much drama or fantasy? Maybe… but then again, maybe NOT!

Till the next…

Shalom

BOB MITCHELL

The .338 RPM compared to the .35 Whelen

The .338 RPM hasn’t yet appeared on the market by Weatherby, but is simply the 6.5 RPM (which has been in production for a while) that has already been “necked up” by wildcatters as well as by Weatherby. But recently Weatherby has made it official along with specs adopted at Saami, so the PSI at 65K and resultant ballistics of a 225gr at 2820 fps is no longer a mystery. That is proposed from a Weatherby Mk V “Backcountry” with a 20″ barrel and weight of 6.2 lbs ready with scope, ammo, etc. The case (a necked up 6.5 RPM) is said to hold 83.4 grains of water – a bit less than a .338 Win Mag. Generally, the idea (having been reviewed by a sufficient number of potential buyers) has a positive rating. The goal by Weatherby is a rifle weighing less than the typical .338 Win Mag by a couple of pounds with near identical ballistics for hunters who want power with reach in typical mountainous regions. That’s attained from a 20″ tube at 65K psi whereas in the .338 Win Mag it’s standard ballistics are reached from a 24″ barrel at 64K psi. “But the same or similar ballistics is from a much lighter and handier package”, says Weatherby and hopefuls.

So one is tempted to ask: What does this achieve that is not already achievable in the Win Mag that’s been around since 1958? And the Weatherby Mk V isn’t a “cheap” rifle, as well as Weatherby’s ammo and components – when you can find them. My Sako FS in .338 Win Mag with a 20″ barrel came very close to those results from the powders of the day at less than 65K psi.

And then the “kick” from such a beast will be on the order of 60 ft-lbs (if the total package is 6.2 lbs) compared to about 40 ft-lbs for a typical .338 Win. Granted the Win will weigh 8.5 lbs (or should). Is 2 lbs going to make or break a hunt in the mountains?

<Odaray Mountain in the background of Lake O’Hara, located in SE British Columbia in the Canadian Rockies. This is a famous hiking area.

But this comparison is between the .338 RPM and the .35 Whelen firing the same weight bullet. As stated, the RPM is made to fire a 225gr at +2800 fps for any range, shooting in mountainous terrain – according to Weatherby’s promotional material. Depending on what brand and model of a 225gr will, of course, determine the outcome at both near and far distances. Since the avowed purpose of the cartridge is mountain game (wherever hunted globally) that could include some wildlife that attains 800 lbs or more.

My question then would be: What is the best short-range to long-range bullet that makes at least 2000 ft-lbs at up to 500 yards from a 225gr in .338-caliber? Since mountain hunting doesn’t always imply “long range”, the hunted animal may be no more than 65 yards from the muzzle when the trigger is squeezed. So whatever be the brand, it must be well constructed for high impact into a shoulder bone at close range of, say, 40 yards (impact velocity around 2750 fps) out to ~500 yards where the velocity has dropped to ~2000 fps/2000 ft-lbs at an elevation of 5000 ft in the mountains. At about 1200 ft elevation the retained velocity will be around 1870 fps/1748 ft-lbs. So atmospheric conditions (temps, elevation and wind) ALL will influence the story to be later told – not even to mention the hunter’s condition and abilities.

There is a Barnes MRX BT in 225gr with a .433 BC. Then there is a 225gr Nosler AccuBond with a much higher .550 BC giving it a distinct advantage in range. And the 225gr Partition at .454 BC. Since I’d choose the Partition, we’ll pit that against the 225gr, .358″ from my rifle in .35 Whelen.

<Those are three 225gr Partitions loaded in the lower right corner for my .35 Whelen, with the 225gr AccuBonds in the background. The Partitions will be kept for backup if needed. Only two more remain in the original box. Being unable to locate more, I’ve settled on the 225gr AccuBonds at about 2850 fps.

The .338-cal, 225gr Barnes at 2820 fps grants 1987 ft-lbs at 500 yds

The .338-cal, 225gr Nosler Partition at 2820 fps gives 2056 ft-lbs at 500 yds

Which would be your choice, and why?

Some would choose the Barnes, others the Partition and still others would favor the AB, all for their own reasons.

Mine would likely be the 225 Partition for no other reason than I have more experience with Partitions.

But whichever is chosen, any of them should give the desired results for mountain game at typical ranges if the bullet is placed into the heart-lung region.

Any of those two should be more than adequate for a 300 to 800 lb animal at up to 500 yards.

The knowledge that a minimal impact velocity of ~1800 fps is deemed necessary for some bullet expansion, limits the range to about 500 yards.

But the bigger issue for me, and likely for many others, would be the recoil without a brake. Therefore, I expect that Weatherby will include a brake on such a light rifle. That should bring recoil down to around 48 ft-lbs. Other than that issue, they’ll likely be snatched up by some adventurers with thick wallets and thick skins.

But… I wanted to know how my “cheap” .35 Whelen would fare (single-shot G3, at 7.75 lbs loaded with a 225gr AccuBond in the chamber and 3 in a buttstock shell holder) against this new .338 RPM in a fair fight under the same conditions proposed above – not that I might be climbing the Rockies anytime soon.

< This blind was for a bear hunt over bait at 55 yards out front. My partner shot a 400 lb black bear from here at 65 yards as it came to the pond for a drink, slightly off to the right. I was alone at this site for one afternoon/evening while he was absent and prior to him killing the bear an evening later. My intent was not to shoot a bear, as I did that the previous day at another site one mile away. I used a .45-70 for that 6-foot bear. On the day I was attending this site for observation purposes, I toted my CZ 550 in .458 Win Mag. It weighed (ready to shoot) about 10.5 lbs. Resting as it was, it was no burden to me – no more than my NEF .45-70 I’d killed the bear with on the previous evening. That rifle ready weighed 8 lbs. Both rifles were equally suitable for the purpose at hand.

The point of this is: a rifle’s weight and ballistics can usually be adapted to a great variety of situations. There’s little need to own a particular rifle dedicated to a single task… especially a powerful “Mountain Rifle” that could easily kill grizzly that when purchased barely weighs 5 pounds! In my mind, there’s something definately bizzare about that concept when considering the exchange of two pounds weight for 50% more recoil! OK, that’s 32 ft-lbs from the .338 Win (with brake) vs 48 ft-lbs recoil from the proposed .338 RPM (with brake). Just do the math! It’s quite apparent that Weatherby’s ploy is more sales… and who could blame them? Well… I could on the issue of complete honesty! Any rifle from any manufacturer could be made the same to do the exact same thing… if chambered in .338 Win Mag!

Here’s the complete story: At my last trip to the range this past Monday, August 1st, 2022, I loaded one grain more (70) of CFE-223 under the 225gr AB. Conditions were not perfect (sort of hunting conditions), but 3 went into MOA at a corrected average MV of 2865 fps without drama from cases that had already been used five times in the same rifle working up loads for the .35 Whelen.

Here’s the dope on that (if we are to believe Nosler):

MV = 2865/ 4101 ft-lbs

BC = .430 (Yes, I know that .421 was printed in their manual and .430 for the 225gr Partition – but some have said it’s much higher than that from their rifles – so on Nosler’s wedsite they give the same as for the 225 Partition – .430 BC. And it may be higher or lower from any particular rifle. My choice would have been the 225gr Partition but none were available in this area. (Zero is for 275 yards)

100 = 2684 fps/ 3598 ft-lbs/ +3.3″

200 = 2509 fps/ 3146 ft-lbs/ +3.5″

300 = 2342 fps/ 2740 ft-lbs/ -1.9″

400 = 2180 fps/ 2376 ft-lbs/ -13.6″

500 = 2026 fps/ 2050 ft-lbs/ -32.6″

*** All that from a “cheap” single-shot that shoots MOA and can basically do what the “new” .338 RPM from Weatherby is proposed to do! (The conditions for both rifles were 5000 ft elevation at 50*F and 50% RH)

In addition: It’s as light as I want with less recoil, and less than 40″ OL. And 1-shot is all the Weatherby can fire at a time – same as mine! Ha!

But this particular view commenced when reading about the .338 RPM, and I began to make mental comparisons with the results from the same weight bullet in my .35 Whelen, well knowing that a comparible 225gr in .338 would have a better BC and SD, but the .35-cal has a larger cross-sectional area by 12.6%. That means that the .35-cal would make a bigger wound cavity (all else more or less equal) and the .33-cal would give better penetration (all else more or less equal). Things don’t always work out that way but those are sort of rules of thumb. Whatever we believe, there’s not a lot of difference between the two except the .358-cal will be more efficient in the use of powder than the .338-cal assuming the best powder for each at the same or similar psi. Yeah, I know the SAAMI standard for the 35 W is 62,000 psi, but who is going to be present to test the PSI of “their loads” or mine?

However, the .338 RPM will use considerable more powder than the .35 Whelen for the same or similar results – meaning more recoil and, in the long haul, more expensive to feed. It will have a big appetite!

So go get yourself a .35 Whelen and pretend it’s a .338 RPM on a diet… that’s what I’d do, or doin’.

<Dieting?, this ain’t! This was FD Roosevelt’s favorite dish (the menu said so!) when living at their estate on Campobello Island, New Brunswick, Canada – within 300 yards of the Maine coast. In 2017 my wife and I visited Campobello where we grew up and graduated from high school together in 1954. 2017 was our 60th anniversary and, among other activities, we had a meal at the former Roosevelt guest house (for American friends and politicians) – now an elite restaurant on the Roosevelt International Park — it’s a haddock chower (lots of haddock in creme and butter) with biscuits, and it was yummy!

A look out the window of the restaurant toward the main Roosevelt residence, now a museum.

See ya next time…

Shalom

BOB MITCHELL

Which is better, a .375 H&H or .375 Weatherby ?

Better for what?

That’s sorta like askin’ “Which is better, a .30-06 or a .30-06 AI ?”

Depending on who you ask, and a whole lot of other details, a guestimate might be “Weatherby” because of the name. On the other hand the H&H is more popular by a country mile. There are probably good enough reasons why that is so.

< I saw one of these Sakos for sale recently at my favorite gun shop – in .375 H&H.

Yet, in checking Nosler’s #6 manual of handloads for the ’06 and ’06 AI, the grand distinction in firing a top load of a 150gr from their 150s (from 24″ barrels) is 3056 fps from 58 grains of propellant in the “regular” .30-06 Springfield, and 3075 fps from 60 grains of a different powder in the AI. Those were averages so it’s more than likely that at least one of the shots from the AI fell within the group of the “regular” .30-06, and at least one of the shots from the “regualr” .30-06 came within reach of the AI’s average! In truth – an animal would never notice any difference!

Likely, that would also hold true in any comparisons of our nominees.. at the same psi and barrel length. However, one must give credit if credit is due. So let it be: both now, henceforth and forever more.

In checking as many manuals available at my elbow that give a credible average of each, only two: Hornady Seventh Edition and Barnes No. 3, give data for each. I’ve only considered their 300 grain bullets, and Hornady’s reflect an advantage of 200 fps (2500 fps vs 2700 fps) for the Weatherby version (that was dropped for several years when the .378 was introduced, but has more recently been resurrected by Weatherby). On the other hand, Barnes No.3 grants only about a 50 fps advantage.

I do have some experience handloading three versions of the renownwd .375 H&H and none in the Weatherby version, but I have researched the matter and have reason enough to assume a maximum advantage to the Weatherby of 100 fps, all else equal (barrels and psi).

When it concerns the “Improved” version of any cartridge, or wildcatting it, there are several issues involved to make it truly “better than” the original.

< The long and short of it: The bigger the case and the more powder used requires a barrel long enough to efficiently burn all the powder and effectively use the increased psi.

Firstly, the barrel: It must be longer. My experience with three distinct barrel lengths in .375 H&H, reveals that the “general rule” of 25 fps per inch, loss or increase, isn’t a fixed “rule”. On the contrary, when a 26″ barrel was hacked to 22″ the loss was 170 fps = 42.5 fps per inch. Of course, there were some variables depending on powder and bullet, but that was an average. In the 24″, M70 Winchester, I never reached 2600 fps from any load for 300s. Although factory ammo ballistics were readily attained at 2530 fps, with a high of around 2565 fps. On the other hand, Weatherby advertises their 300gr from a 26″, .375 Weatherby at 2800 fps. But the 2530 fps (not “premium ammo”) from the H&H is given from a 24″ barrel. From my 26″ Browning A-Bolt in .375 H&H, I attained 2700 fps from a couple propellants (RL15 and IMR4320). So… it would appear to me, at least, that about 100 fps distinction is close to expectations, with equal barrels and psi, favoring the Weatherby.

Secondly: In “wildcatting”, usually higher psi is allowed. The .375 Weatherby is likely running around 65K psi, whereas the H&H is SAAMI approved for 62K psi. I asked my gunsmith to give my M70 a rechamber to the Weatherby version. He (typically) asked: “Why? You’ll get maybe 100 fps more and perhaps spoil the resale value of your rifle! And, as it is, it will do anything you need or want.” I headed his advise.

Later still, I became somewhat fascinated with the ballistics of the .375 RUM, also 65K psi at SAAMI. But that would have meant much more expense for rifle and components in addition to hastles finding a handy store for cartridge cases – and more weight and recoil. It’s not far behind the infamous .378 Weatherby in ballistics and recoil, with handloads.

< The humongeous .378 Weatherby cartridges.

So back to the drawing board…

Which is better? A .458 Win is better than both, but between those two it’s a toss-up depending on what one has in mind for either. Big and dangerous game are not generally shot beyond 300 meters (330 yards) anyway, so any distinction in effect would depend on the shooter’s ability to correctly place the shot and the animal’s cooperation.

And a .375 RUM generally has more recoil than a .458 Win. Yet when appropriate loads are used in each to 300 meters, the .458 will have a distinct advantage in terminal effect = 118 TE vs 93 TE. Those are the results from a .458″ Hammer 404gr bullet at 2590 fps, and a 299gr Hammer bullet in .375″ at 2900 fps from a .375 RUM.

And the .458 Win will likely weigh about 1 lb more than the typical .375 RUM when each is ready for action (That will surely help somewhat in the management of recoil of the .458).

But this discussion began with a comparison of the original .375 H&H with an “improved” version. My recommendation would be the same as my gunsmith – all matters considered: Why spoil the value of an historic icon by trying to “improve it” – for 100 fps? Though improvements are readily at hand anyway in the form of modern bullets and propellants.

<This is the Nosler AccuBond with a heavy jacket and bonded core. The BC of .485 will dramatically improve downrange ballistics over the 300gr TSX, for example, from any .375-cal, including the H&H.

The following ballistics could be possible from the above 300gr AccuBond in a 26″ .375 H&H with a good barrel:

MV = 2700 fps/ 4855 ft-lbs/ -1.5″

100 = 2524 fps/ 4245 ft-lbs/ +3.3″

200 = 2356 fps/ 3699 ft-lbs/ +2.6″

300 = 2194 fps/ 3207 ft-lbs/ -4.3″

400 = 2038 fps/ 2767 ft-lbs/ -18.5″

500 = 1889 fps/ 2378 ft-lbs/ -41.1″ – has “enough” potential for most thin-skinned large animals.

From a 9.5 lb rifle ready to shoot with scope and ammo, recoil should be in the neighborhood of 44 ft-lbs. With a brake that number should be around 35 ft-lbs, or about the same as a .300 Win Mag without a brake. I can’t see where anyone would need more than that for most soft-skinned game under most conditions. (And of course… it’s a capable rifle and cartridge for DG using appropriate projectiles at typical ranges)

That’s it from this brief and to the point analysis…

Being an analyzer depleats energy, so…

Shalom

BOB MITCHELL

Mediums and Big Bores for Big Game Hunting – Why?

“Big Game” in the areas of my hunting world would include: whitetail deer, bear, elk and moose. Feral hogs have recently moved in but are not yet legal game.

That’s BIG GAME, not small game, varmints or predators which I also hunt at times…

Potential ranges in the “Far North” of our province might be up to a kilometre or more, and down to a handful of metres as the terrain is extremely variable. Black bear in those areas could include some that are huge since few are shot. They feed on calf moose and even some adults, along with beaver kits and adult beaver that they can catch on land. That’s in addition to anything else they might pounce on, like deer or rabbits. As well, bugs, berries and grasses help fill their avid appetites. Moose can go to 1400 lbs and elk to 750. Whitetailed bucks can hit 400 lbs.

Farther south into Central Ontario, the situation is not totally dissimilar, except there are more people and all that involves.

Southern Ontario is where most of the 13 million inhabitants dwell, with a mix of urban, suburban, industry and agriculture, spotted by small and large lakes, towns, villages and cottage country.

My hunting over the past +40 years, since 1980, has mostly been in Central and Northern Ontario, away from the masses. There is no hunting of antelope or mule deer in Ontario that is found farther west on the Prarie Provinces and/or Western Canada – otherwise, mostly the same species, but not necessarily identical in size. Some provinces farther west have similar terrain in their northern regions to Northern Ontario. And the western coyote is smaller than the hybred wolf-coyote of Ontario (now called by the MNRF: The “Algonquin wolf”, which, against sound science, is protected as a “rare species”, that is based on nothing more than political bias).

All that to help clarify my leaving sub-mediums (25 to 30 calibers) in favor of mediums (.338 – .375) and big-bore calibers for big game.

While not the same context, yet the following was received from a correspondent, not long ago from “David”:

“Bob, I recently built a .35 Whelen solution for a big game timber hunting rifle that can be used by my son. We hunt very big pigs in NC and bear/moose in Canada. I found that these trendy small fast bullet fads are not working for us.”

“However, we have had lots of bullet failures – from Nosler, Hornady and Barnes over the past five years. My conclusion is, at these very high velocities, a bullet has to perform perfectly to result in a quick kill, and worse than that, no bullet/load works perfectly at 50 AND 700 yards…”

“I bought an old 30-06, Rem 700 for the action, then a new stock, trigger and barrel chambered for the .35 Whelen (which had been recommended by a retired 84 year old gunsmith – bold italics mine). Using 250gr Partitions and Varget powder I’ve gotten 2645 and MOA of 0.70.”

“We took it pig hunting last weekend and devastated 4 very large animals weighing over 350 lbs from 125 to 381 yards. They just fell over.”

“Based on my ballistics calculator, this rifle will deliver a tremendous punch out to 400 yards – enough to drop any animal in N.A.”

And he praises the 250gr Nosler Partition.

My take away from David’s commentary/summary is exactly what I’ve been preaching for the past 1/4 century or more.

However else we may want to measure it, some of us have “discovered” through experience that smaller-bore rifles don’t compete well with larger-bore rifles in “punch” at any reasonable range on large game when psi, sectional density and bullet build and profile are equal. Construct any kind of physics we may want, but the final proof is found in honest observation of results in the field.

And I’ve had similar experiences with bears.

< This 286gr/9.3mm Partition fell to the ground on skinning a 6′ bear that was hanging from the tree my stand was located in. It was a head-on shot from 68 yards. One and done. The bullet fell from the right flank after penetrating from just below the chin, and retained 210 grains. It was fired from my 9.3 (.366-cal) x 62 Mauser at an MV of +2600 fps.

Let’s just do some physics: Assuming equal placement of bullets, and their construction, a 7mm (.284″) has a cross-sectional area of .063 sq. in. compared to a .358″ caliber with .101 sq. in. The 7mm has only 62% of the size hole it would make compared to a .358-cal IF shot into a hardwood tree! No doubt exists, when viewed objectively, that the pressure exerted inside that tree would be significantly more in a .358″ hole than a .284″ hole. And those wouldn’t be bored holes, but holes where the wood, under great pressure, isn’t removed from inside the tree but pressed against the existing natural hardwood structure of the tree. It’s nearly impossible to imagine that kind of pressure, though I suppose it could be scientifically calculated.

Several years ago, I did such a test in a 9″ white birch. Everything wasn’t exactly equal, but similar. The two rifles were a .340 Wby Mag firing a 250gr Partition at over 2900 fps and my #1 Ruger in .45-70 LR firing a 500gr Hornady RN at +2100 fps.

The bullet constructions were somewhat distinct, so also the profiles and sectional densities. But energies were similar at around 5000 ft-lbs. The range was ~ 15 yards.

Results: The 250gr Partition gave full penetration with an approximate bullet-size hole. The 500gr didn’t make a complete exit, but it’s nose was sticking out the far side of the tree. The big difference was in the “size” of the .458″ hole, and the fact that the hardwood tree was cracked both above and below that hole by upwards of 5 inches in each direction! And that wasn’t a dead tree but one that was very healthy! (I hope you’re not a tree hugger!)

A similar event had previously occured at a bear camp: My son and I, along with a friend and one of his friends were together at that camp. To while-away time before heading out to our blinds or stands, we did some chores, chatted, ate food and created mischief. Phil (my son) and I dreamed up the idea of bullet penetration tests into a stacked pile of maple wood (for the stove). These were big chunks – about 18 inches in length by 6 to 8 inches in cross section. The idea was to shoot into the exposed ends of the maple wood, and we each picked a chunk that was similar to the other. Distance from the muzzles to the wood pile was about five yards. Phil was shooting his .338 Win and I my first (unmodified) Ruger No.1 in .45-70. His bullet was a 250gr Hornady and mine (again) a 500gr Hornady (this time about 1900 fps). In this case a 250gr Partition wouldn’t have penetrated more than the Hornady as the wood “would” hold it together in form. He shot first… his wood was down a couple of layers under those piled on top. The stick moved back a few inches and was later retrieved. He split it open with an axe and found the bullet, mostly intact.

Of course, I didn’t wait for him to pull out his chunk of wood from the pile before I fired into mine. The piece I fired the 500gr into was also down under a couple of layers of maple and flew from the pile and landed about ten feet beyond. That bullet was never found as it was a mammoth task even for Phil to find his. But that was a lesson in the effects of momentum. Kinetic energy was nearly the same, but from the virtual and visual effects, the 500gr/.458-cal won the day!

That was a near maximum load from the .338 Win, and also from the Ruger in .45-70 (pre LR version), but had that 500gr been fired from the parent case of the .338 (a .458 Win Mag), we might never have found that chunk of harwood maple! So bore size (all else about equal) does make a difference… and sometimes a huge difference! (assuming proper bullets and placement).

Recently,I’ve been writing on this theme quite often, but I find it more than just interesting, but also informative and even inspirational, that numbers of hunter-shooters are returning (or turning) to the “ancient” .35 Whelen over fast-small and sub-medium, “long-rang” cartridges when game gets heavy and tough. Although, the .35 Whelen seems very capable at both roles.

<My Traditions OUTFITTER G3 single-shot in .35 Whelen. It sure likes that 225gr AccuBond at 2850 fps MV!

.35 Whelen: the 225 AB is calculated to make 1805 fps/ 1628 ft-lbs at 550 yards = good for an 800 to 1000 lb animal with a good hit.

9.3 x 62 Mauser: the 250gr AB is calculated to make 1852 fps/ 1904 ft-lbs at 550 yards = good for a 1000 to 1200 lb animal with a good hit.

.458 Win Mag: a 400gr “X” (I still have enough for a moose hunt) is calculated to make 1623 fps/ 2340 ft-lbs at 575 yards = good for a 2000 lb animal with a good hit.

All of the above MVs are based on actual results from my three big-game rifles. Ranges and results have been determined from their published B.C. s and ambient normal conditions for September-October in my hunting areas. And… results at the suggested ranges are NOT based solely on kinetic energy, but sectional density, momentum and bullet cross-sectional area are important factors as well.

But all of the above is obviously much more than I’ll likely need for the rest of my hunting life, and I’ve never shot big game at anywhere near 550 yards. However, those calculations would have been in effect when I did a lot of moose hunting in the “Far North” of our province. There were areas where a 600 yard shot was viable, and moose were crossing within that range.

Those are good enough reasons for me to like ’em! I don’t have to keep a dozen different cartridges fed with too many cans of powder and thousands of bullets… especially in these uncertain times.

And that’s the view from here …

Til the next….

Shalom

BOB MITCHELL

Getting Jaded with the “Usual”?

That’s normal for a society with an over-abundance of “stuff”!

Of course, this article will focus on rifle cartridges and the rifles that shoot bullets from them.

In following some Internet chatter on hunting rifles and bullets, I’m somewhat put off by how much of “the same” goes round and round! I mean, there seems no end to chatter these days over the various renditions of the Creedmoors in general hunting discussions. But that’s not surprising since there are tendencies in human nature toward overindulgence. Then getting jaded! We want something NEW, FRESH and EXCITING to keep us interested and upbeat. When life gets boring or depressing, humans tend to spend money if they have it, and credit if they don’t! Those are not praiseworthy facts of the “liberated” West.

As all that, in this space, pertains to rifles and their various cartridges in particular, I’m as guilty as anyone else! I may choose larger bore rifles, but it’s the “feeling” of missing something “special” or “a new venture on the horizon” that impels me, but reflection on reality helps put on the brakes!

< A rifle like this would more than satisfy and meet all my expectations. Wait a minute… I already have one like that! This one was for sale at my favorite gun emporium a few months ago. It was snatched up by someone soon after it appeared on the website. Yes, it’s a Ruger No.1H in .458 Win Mag. The tag said $1799.

Learning to appreciate the “status quo” is no evil invented by the devil to deprive us of happiness!

At another time and different circumstances, I could have been very happy to own and use a British .303 Jungle Carbine as my one-and-only firearm. It was offered for $35 from a friend in nearly new condition.

In visiting with our oldest son and family in Senegal, Africa, about two decades ago, as a licensed big game hunter he took me on a one-day hunt in the “outback” where they had lived and worked as missionaries for many years. While they were then living and working in Dakar, I had the unique privilege of visiting and sleeping in their former “huts” made of mud brick, thached roofs and dirt floors!

The hunt… Brent’s firearms were a very used and well worn single-shot .22 LR (that was used for protein gathering) and a Stevens pump 12ga that was equally “well worn”! It was loaded with Brenneke slugs when he could get to Dakar and afford them. Understand: that well used (before it came into his possession) .22 LR, single-shot cost as much in Senegal as a new centerfire .308 Win would have cost in Canada at the time. Then there were multiple governmental hoops to jump through to get possession of it even after it was purchased! Same deal with the 12ga Stevens. To become a LICENSED BG hunter was akin to becoming a licensed guide. He took me on my hunt to his “old”, remote “outback” for a day of “whatever” might come our way! Why didn’t he bring new firearms from Canada? Just about impossible – the import would have been delayed for months – bureaucratic red tape, paying off those in charge and “regular” import fees of about 100%, etc. After all that, they might “get lost” in the fracas… if you know what I mean!

< The Stevens in hand with Madi leading the way. I was trying to decipher what was plain and clear to him as he pointed to it with his stick.

Hey! Brent was content that he had a well-worn single-shot .22LR with which he shot multiple warthogs and various other “small game” for protein and recreation. I was there when he shot a young baboon with that rifle, within a troupe of fifty or so, at the request of the village chief for meat for a family of a dozen, including a couple of wives!

On our day hunt we were also accompanied by a resident of the village who was a friend and guide. Madi efficently demonstrated what it meant to see and read spoor. I managed to shoot a warthog that day with the 12ga and a Brenneke slug. It was young, lean and excellent eating. But, I was warned by my son to be prepared for a lion or woods buffalo in the immediate area that could be mean spirited. I’d never previously handled or fired that shotgun.

… back to “Getting Jaded with the Usual?”

What more could I say or add? Back home, in Canada, I did have possession of another rifle owned by our son – that he didn’t want to “loose” in import to Africa: a very nice M94 XTR in .356 Winchester that he had used, and would use again when they returned home permanently. With that rifle he successfully harvested last fall’s whitetail buck.

As we age, our circumstances change… and I think we become more appreciative of the opportunities we’ve had and not just those we might yet have. We are a relatively few who have been blessed so richly out of about eight billion others, a majority of whom don’t even have the freedom to hunt, or the means to do so!

Madi, our guide, was given a single-shot 12ga by our son when he came into the luxury of taking possession of that 12ga Stevens pump. I asked Brent how I could reward Madi for the day’s hunt. “Give a gift that will make it possible to purchases a few Brennekes for his single-shot 12ga. He wants to kill a buffalo with it” (for food). When Brent could get them from Dakar they were very costly. That single-shot had taken all manner of BG in the hands of our son. And it was “well worn” before he got it from a shop in Dakar. He said he liked it better than a .375 H&H that he’d borrowed from a fellow missionary on one occasion.

When younger, Madi and his brothers used home-made spears to kill buffalo after driving them into a pit.

Being born near the end of The Great Depression and a few years prior to WW2, it took several years for our family, and others, to financially recover during the 1950’s. By the fall of 1954 I was in college and had never owned a big game rifle. After graduation I married and still didn’t own a centerfire rifle – though I still had a single-shot .22 LR.

The account of how I came into ownership of my first BG rifle has been told a few times in some blogs that are archived, so I’ll not retell it here. But suffice to say that I actually bought a new12ga bolt-action, magazine shotgun for big game and small, as well for birds, prior to my first owned centerfire BG rifle. I was then in my twenties. In the meantime I’d used some borrowed rifles for deer hunting. My first two owned rifles were military castoffs: an Argentine military in 7 X 57 that was new in grease – one of the most beautiful rifles I would ever own. But because I needed to mount a scope, I just couldn’t bring myself to mutilate the rifle to accomodate a scope, so it got traded for a used military ’98 that was chambered in .30-06. That got a scope and was the first to experience my handloads. After that…. I’ve lost count! The first real sporting rifle (not ex-military) was a used – but in very good condition – Winchester M70, push feed, in .30-06. From there I got into magnums and Big Bores. All were handloaded. So, to quote King Solomon: “There’s nothing new under the sun”. That is, for me, I’ve no need or desire for another rifle – new or old! “Enjoy what you have rather than desiring what you don’t have. Just dreaming about nice things is meaningless; it is like chasing the wind.” – King Solomon

<A 7 x 57 Argentine Mauser

Am I jaded? Perhaps, but I’ve yet to experience the many possibilities that any one of those still in my cabinet could offer. Can’t say: “I’ve been there, done that” regarding even my two .22 LR’s. So little time… so much to learn… I’ve not even shot a grouse with a .22 LR… and my son has shot tens of warthogs with his single-shot .22 LR! Have you ever shot a warthog with one of your .22 LRs?

But in life I’ve learned this: One can satisfy, but ten can’t! That is… One God and Saviour (See King Solomon’s essay in Ecclesiastes – the Bible).

Are we still jaded? (jaded – “dulled or satiated, as from overindulgence” – New World Dictionary of The American Language)

Till the next…

Shalom

BOB MITCHELL