BEAR Bullets – P1

A number of years ago while chatting on the phone with a Hornady Rep, we discussed bullets for bear. Actually, I was making inquiry about their Interloc bullets suitable for black bear, specifically in 9.3 mm if my recollection is correct. But we did discuss other calibers as well. At the time they were producing one bullet only in 9.3 mm (.366″), a 286-gr Interloc SP-RP.

(270-gr Speer on left, and 286-gr Hornady)>

In the course of our discussion, mention was made that he’d hunted black bear in Saskatchewan and was successful in harvesting “not a big bear”. I asked its weight. “About 300 pounds”, he said. “What were you shooting?”, I asked. “A 25-06” was his reply. I don’t recall the exact bullet weight, but it was, of course, one of the Hornady brand — one or other of the 117 Interloc in RN or BTSP. I don’t believe (from memory) that it was the 120-gr HP. Range would have been less than 100 yards.

Still, I was surprised that a Hornady Rep would go to Saskatchewan for a black bear that could easily surpass 400 lbs with a “puny” .25-caliber! So I did the math, assuming it to be the 117-gr BTSP:

BC = .391

MV = 3200 fps

50 yards = 3076 fps/ 2458 ft-lbs

75 yards = 3015 fps/ 2362 ft-lbs

100 yards = 2956 fps/ 2269 ft-lbs

According to my calculations, at 100 yards (the actual range was less) 2269 ft-lbs should be more than adequate for a 300 lb bear from a .25-cal, 117-gr bullet. But for a 400 lb bear, I’d want more – much more – than a .25-caliber for reasons that I’ll explain. Presumably, the Hornady bullet, whether it was the 117 BTSP or the 117 RN, or even the 120-gr HP, worked as intended, which was good news for the shooter as well as for the Hornady Manufacturing Company.

Personally, as suggested in my previous blog, if I did choose a .25-caliber for a bear hunt it would be the 120-gr Nosler Partition, and I’d wan’t to be prepared for a much longer shot — in which case it would likely be a .257 Weatherby that could move that bullet along at 3400 MV.  But it is still only .25- caliber, and looses 255 fps at 100 yards, dropping KE well below 3000 ft-lbs. Nonetheless, at 100 yards the 120 Nosler from the .257 Weatherby is quicker than a .25-06 firing the same bullet at muzzle speed. The .257 was one of Roy’s favorites, thinking it adequate for The Big Five of Africa!

Regardless of his credentials, I disagree! Even on big black bears I’d disagree!

Why?

I’ve written on this numerous times, but “all” have not become acquainted with my experiences or philosophy. And there are “surprises” that happen that even very experienced bear hunters have not expected or been prepared for. The “norm” is like “normal weather” conditions! Average circumstances and conditions include variables that at times may verge on extreme!

I didn’t expect, and was not prepared for, a mature, 25 lb female turkey to fly across a highway and into the windshield of my “new” (to me) Ford Escape as my wife and I were taking a Sunday afternoon drive to visit a bird sanctuary one week ago! It was a first, but it HAPPENED! Yes, the windshield has been replaced. The turkey? Nada!

The point?

The following adage has been correctly assessed by others, I believe: “Don’t take the rifle cartridge that will work when everything goes right, but take the one that will work when things go wrong!” – or a philosophy to that effect!

In a “any bear hunt” – black, brown or white – we’re dealing with potentially dangerous game, or in the words of wisdom that still echo from Elmer Keith: “Remember, dangerous game is not really dangerous until it is in close proximity to the hunter, and when that is the case he doesn’t need high velocity but rather a big caliber with a heavy bullet that will penetrate well and also deliver a heavy knockdown wallop.”

Of course, many have taken a negative view of Keith and his “heavy knockdown wallop”, thus dismissing his views as antiquated. Keep in mind, however, that Keith used a lot of “modern” magnums, many of which were “wildcats”, and others over .500-caliber! The above article was written about 1950 and published in the 1951 Gun Digest, so he was not living in the Dark Ages of ballistics when expressing his views based on solid experiences in Africa as well as the Rocky Mountain States!

The “heavy knockdown wallop” was an artistic description of results rather than a technical one.

As mentioned in my last blog, it was ole’ Elmer who convinced me of the real potential of an 1895 Marlin in .45-70, NOT the wimpy loads found in ALL handloading guides of the ’80s and ’90s! A full decade AFTER publishing loads in my “SUPREME LOADS for the .45-70” manual, involving the Marlin and Ruger No.1, which included 405s from the Marlin that exceeded 2100 fps, Hodgdon published a single load that slightly passed 2000 fps from a 400-gr using H4198! Then, a few years later, Brian Pearce, of Handloader magazine, also published a few loads that attained about 2000 fps from 400 – 405s!

A good friend said, “I think someone is reading your stuff.” True or not, I’d been publishing a manual for 10 years before anyone, other than myself, took Elmer Keith seriously! So, he was an “old crank” was he?

Actually, in practice, I’ve found “bigger” kills “faster” than smaller on bears unless it’s a clear central-nervous-system hit! Over bait at close range you can “pick your shot”, maybe! Yet not always if you want a particular bear, because very rarely do they pose for that perfect shot. If the site is set up by an outfitter, usually it takes into consideration the closest and clearest shot possible from a tree stand, that a “little ole’ lady” could make! Unless you specify otherwise.

But what if…

You stumble on a bear, or into one, while hunting deer, elk or moose? Or a DIY without bait, as in a stalk, call, or search for, or….

What then? A .25-caliber? In timber or thick brush? I’ve done a lot of that kind! The lightest I’ve carried for that kind of scouting is a Ruger 96/44 rifle loaded with 300s at 1650 fps. Those were 300-gr Speers made for big game, more potent than a .30-30 at close range and even a .35 Remington firing a 200-gr at 2100 fps – not in KE but in KO! Would a big-bore handgun get the job done of stopping a big bruin dead in its tracks? Of course, if it’s big enough and you can shoot it well enough, with a consideration of the range involved.

But there’s a multitude of other considerations:

An incoming 200 lb+ bear… FAST! At less than 20 yards! Even a 200 lb bear is no lightweight, and it will hit harder than a linebacker with a helmet at 35 mph! How long would it take from 20 yards at 35 mph? LESS THAN A SECOND!! Or, to be more precise, 0.855 seconds!! It takes at least that long to BEGIN to realize what’s happening… unless we’re already prepared from hearing or detecting movement in the brush, and the rifle is on the shoulder, chamber loaded with the safety OFF!

Unless it’s a frontal head shot, a .25 caliber will allow the bear to hit, maul, chew, and perhaps kill it’s assailant! Same deal with an arrow or medium bore rifle. But a true big bore is a STOPPING RIFLE and not just a killing rifle.

As much as I love my 9.3 x 62 (.366-caliber), it is NOT a stopping rifle. I’ve killed three bears with mine, and only the first one was “stopped” because it had been seriously wounded twice by a young friend and I finished the job with a going-away shot that took out 3 to 4 vertebrae. The other two went at least 20 yards from shots that took out lungs and heart. The same shots from my .45-70s would have dropped them where they were! Do you wonder how I know that?

Of course, good bullets are always assumed! And what are those “good bullets”?

Here are some that I’ve used in .458″, and one to avoid:

1) My first bear was shot using a Classic 1895 Marlin in .45-70 with the Micro-groove 22″ barrel. The bullets were  the 400gr SPEER FP at around 1865 fps/3089 ft-lbs muzzle energy. Range was 100 yards. The 7 yr-old trophy male was hit broadside, midway up, just behind right shoulder. Impact velocity was about 1535 fps/2092 ft-lbs. The big bear reared up and went over backwards, took off on a dead run for 10 yards into an alder patch where he went down on his back with all four paws pointing heavenward. I stood on the moose-hunting platform, and gave a finisher between neck and shoulder that wasn’t needed. He was eviscerated after dark and it took four of us to load him onto the back of a pickup. The first bullet was never found as it likely came out with the innards in the darkness. The second (finisher) was found in the offside armpit and weighed 90.5% of original weight at 362 grains, fully expanded with one side of the “mushroom” sheared off. (see pics)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2) A 350-gr Speer Hotcore FP, fired from my first .458 Win Mag at 2345 fps (reduced load) stopped a going-away young male at 75 yards. It took out his liver, several inches of spine and the back of its head. The 350-gr was never found having departed into the thick timber beyond.

3) A 405-gr Remington FP flattened a medium male at 98 yards. It too was a going-away shot that hit the flank on the left side and made exit just aft of the right shoulder. Bullet was never retrieved after three-feet of penetration. MV was 2110 fps/4003 ft-lbs from my Marlin Classic in .45-70, and impact would have been about 1835 fps/3028 ft-lbs. (405-gr Remington 5th from left)>

4) A 500-gr Hornady RN Interloc was fired from my Ruger No.1 in .45-70 LT at 2185 fps/5300 ft-lbs. Impact was on a quartering-toward dry 165 lb sow bear. Impact was behind the on right shoulder and took exit in the offside flank. Range was 40 yards and the bear made tracks for 20 yards, bawled three times and died. I didn’t know it was a female as it quartered toward me. There’s ample reason to believe that the bullet did NOT EXPAND! I wanted to try it on bear and I cannot recommend that bullet for medium, soft-skinned game — but it will kill!

(500-gr Speer AGS loaded for my Ruger No.1 in .45-70 LT, 3rd from L)

5) A 465-gr hardcast from my single-shot New England Firearms (NEF) in .45-70 literally flattened a 6-foot bear at 70 yards as it faced me. MV was 1900 fps/3727 ft-lbs, and impact was approximately 1735 fps (depending on actual B.C.) and 3108 ft-lbs. It was in tall 30″ grass and completely disappeared therein when my rifle came out of recoil. It thought for a moment… Did it evaporate? No, I saw a faint shade of coal black hidden away in the tall growth of dried grass — something the color of African dry grass. The bullet completely penetrated from frontal chest under the chin to just below the sternum. It was lost somewhere in the dry grass, soil and blood. I made a brief search, but the call was to finish field dressing before lights were out!

(Here that bear has been field dressed and measured 41-inches around his chest just behind shoulders. He should therefore have weighed 240 lbs. But he was like a fast growing young-adult male, tall and lanky with little fat.)> 

Those are only a few examples of bullets that will work well enough on medium to big game of the soft-skin types. But bullet construction, profile, and impact velocity are all key issues as well. More to come in our next blog.

A wounded, departing bear at 25 – 30 mph… That is a different scenario that we’ll discuss next time.

Shalom

BOB MITCHELL

 

 

 

Handloading — when and why I got into it – P3

The BAR in 7 mm Rem Mag had a serious problem. In developing and shooting various handloads for it, I noticed the ejected cases were very hot — too hot to handle! These were book loads that fed and ejected in a normal fashion. From a bolt action, I’d always ejected the empty cases rather slowly, and never were they too hot to handle — they’d be slightly warm and that was it. I thought hot empties was very strange… That is until I started to reload those same cases, which I didn’t do immediately as I was still using new (unfired) brass for several sessions  over a period of a few weeks — I was only going to the range once per week. During that initial period, using new cases each time, I adjusted loads downward thinking that the “book loads” must have been too hot for that rifle being a semi. Remember, I didn’t own a chronograph at the time so was guessing muzzle velocity.

The light came on when I started to reload some of the cases that were once-fired. Initially, in resizing, I thought it a bit strange that there was more resistance at the start of each case than I’d experienced with the .30-06, but passed it off as just “one of those things”. But creeping into my mind was a doubt about neck tension before resizing. I tried a BT bullet and it wouldn’t fall into the case! It was like the case had already been resized! I then tried several bullets with the same effect — they would only go into the case if the bullet seater was used in the press,  trying several cases with the same results!

As good luck would have it, I’d picked up a Wolfe publication (Rifle or Handloader) when Wolfe himself still owned the business. There was a corner store in Halifax called a “Smoke Shop”, that had excellent magazines for shooting, hunting AND handloading. That particular edition had a lengthy article on the 7 mm Rem Mag BAR, and that’s why I’d bought it around the time of exchanging my .30-06 for the 7 BAR, but I’d not read the article until after the described problems. In that piece (a lengthy one — unlike most short pieces in gun rags today) the author (don’t recall his name) gave a description of the exact same problem I was experiencing! I couldn’t believe it! I mean, I did believe him, but it solved my dilemma. He went on to talk about his investigation of a problem that was being experienced not only in BARS in 7 Rem Mag but bolt actions as well! That brought about a change at SAAMI of CUP for that cartridge from 54,000 cup to 52,000 cup (Later writers gave other reasons.).

It seemed (according to that article) that a bunch of reamers sent to manufacturers, or made by them, had the wrong specs for the neck! And the same results I was getting was being experienced by many others.

Whatever the case, I now owned a new 7mm Rem Mag in a Browning BAR that I considered “dangerous”! What to do? To make matters worse, there was no gun smith in the Halifax region with the credentials to “improve” the neck situation of the rifle as any reamer that might have been available would only conform to what had already been done in manufacturing. The local “smith” wouldn’t touch it!

So it went back to the dealership where purchased with a full explanation. The shop manager was very apologetic, and said the best he could do to resolve the problem would be in a new M70 with a new scope to replace the faulty BAR with the new Leupold. Seeing that they didn’t have any Leupolds on hand, they’d have to be ordered from the USA — and that might take 6 months to a year for actual delivery. Since this was the gun department of a large Canadian Tire store in Dartmouth, and any orders of one-of-a-kind was rare or never, I’d be well advised to accept the finest scope they had in stock — which was a Bushnell    3 – 9 x 40mm. So I accepted a new M70 Winchester XTR in .300 Win Mag (closer to the ballistics of the 7 Rem Mag) with the new Bushnell mounted in place.

Then we moved back to Ontario without ever having fired the .300 Win Mag in Nova Scotia. We’d been in Halifax for four years and received a call to become pastor of a significant church in the Kawartha Lakes region of Ontario. When we left Ontario for Nova Scotia four years earlier it was with the intent to return once our “mission” was done there. So here in The Kawartha Lakes region we’ve resided since 1987. It’s been an ideal area for outdoor living, and hunting/fishing in particular.

This was a much larger church with several pastors and a Christian school, so I wondered how much time might be available as Senior Pastor for the pursuit of outdoor activities. Nonetheless, since it’s largely an agricultural – recreational – cottage country – vacation area, initially any concerns over that seemed unfounded. Along with a decent salary and benefits, plus a month’s vacation whenever suitable allowed possibilities for some hunting.

So my first vacation period that seemed “appropriate” was a full week in the second year of our tenure. I wanted to hunt a bear (for the first time), so that week was dedicated to such an adventure. By then the .300 Win Mag had been to the range a few times, but never hunted. It was mandated that after moving to a different province we must wait a full year before purchasing a hunting licence, or we could hire an outfitter as a non-resident prior to that. My wait was one and a-half years.

During that period the M70 XTR in .300 Win Mag was traded for a SAKO FS in .338 Win Mag. I didn’t like the heft of the .300 as it would have been more suited to a .375 H&H. Because of its total weight — over 9 lbs with scope and 44-inches in length — I wanted something shorter and lighter… enter the .338 in the SAKO FS carbine at 40-inches and 8.6 lbs ready with scope, ammo and sling. The Bushnell scope from the .300 went onto the .338. And I must say that the Bushnell never failed, or gave a moments concern after hundreds of handloads through the .338 and then onto the M70 .375 H&H that came later. Bushnell, at that time, was made by B&L.

By the time of the bear hunt in the spring of ’89, I’d had a lot of handloading experience with the .338 from 200gr to 275gr, which also included 225s and 250s. I certainly had a few loads suitable for bear. By then, however, I had a thirst for a larger bore rifle and had been reading up on the revival of the ancient, but impressive .45-70, especially in the renewed 1895 Marlin. I wanted to give it a try on a black bear — my first!

That story has been told a few times in former blogs so I’ll not go there again in this piece, but the point I’m making is that the .45-70 was my introduction to Big Bores. Though other small bore, sub-medium and medium-bores have had a place in my handloading and hunting experiences, big-bore rifles have dominated my interest in hunting, handloading and shooting activities — especially in .458-caliber. That, of course, being the time-honoured .45-70 and formidable .458 Winchester Magnum.

Even though this has been the theme of many of my articles, once again (for those who have forgetful minds or are only now being introduced to http://www.bigbores.ca ), I’ll boldly affirm that no cartridge that I’ve made handloads for, small to large, has the versatility — when handloaded — as .458-caliber, and in the .458 Winchester Magnum in particular. That audacious claim can easily be justified — and has been! With a little ingenuity, yes that’s “little”, it can effectively be used on woodchucks to Woolly Mammoths (if they existed today)! And the .45-70 could do the same if you leave out the Mammoths!

All that has to do with the caliber (.458″), cartridge, bullets and powders readily available today — not even to mention the rifles — ahem, we do need rifles for such don’t we.

<(The CZ550 in .458 Win Mag)

Since I’ve previously written extensively in justification of such claims, I desist from doing so again. However, the projectiles available in .458″ are nearly infinite, including moulds for making your own. Anything from 250gr to 600s can be fired from 1000 fps to over 3000 fps! (Not the 600 at over 3000!). I’ve owned a couple boxes of Barnes Originals in 600gr, and I’m unable to find the few unfired that remain. Those fired were done so in my Ruger #1 in .45-70 LT at 1900 fps – and that wasn’t max! I figure that a .458 WIN could improve on that by at least 100 fps. The problem with that bullet in the .45-70 Ruger was the rate-of-twist at 1 – 20. They were accurate at 100 yds but some made slightly eccentric holes in the targets. That twist rate couldn’t completely stabilize those long bullets. I believe that the standard 1 – 14 twist rate of the .458 Win Mag would. At one time I plugged the data into a program and that bullet would have been fully stable from a .458 Win Mag with a 1 – 14 barrel. The 600gr Barnes Original bullet had a 0.05″ jacket and a round nose. A 600gr at 2100 fps is doable from a 24″, .458 Win – I’ve no doubt!

Going on record, I’ve stated that a premium 400gr SP would be ideal for the .458 Winchester Magnum as an all-around choice. However, Barnes dropped their 400-X from inventory and failed to introduce it as a 400 TSX when changes were made to that format. The 400 X-Bullet was a favorite of several big game pros, including Phil Shoemaker who lamented its loss. Though I make no claim as a pro, I protested its loss as well, and still don’t accept Barnes’ rationale for doing so.

Others in .458 as some of my “likes” are included in the following pics:

 

 

<Img.1 – L to R: 3rd= 480gr Hor DGX; 4th = 450gr Swift AF; 5th = 405gr Rem; 8th = 350gr TSX; 14th = 300gr TSX.

 

 

<Img. 2 – L to R: 2nd = 465gr hardcast; 10th = 350gr Speer

 

 

In 9.3 x 62 I’ve stated numerous times that I prefer the Noslers: 286gr Partition and 250gr Accubond.

In .358 caliber: Nosler Partitions in 225 and 250gr; Hornady 250 SP, Barnes 225 X or TSX.

In .338 magnums: 250 Partitions

In .300 magnums: 200gr Partitions or Accubonds.

In 7 magnums: 175gr Partitions.

In 7-08: 162gr Hornady.

In .270 Win: 150gr Partitions.

In 6.5: 140gr Partitions.

In .25-06: 120gr Partitions

In .223: 53gr Hornady HP.

In .44 mag: 270gr or 300gr Speer.

In .375 H&H: depending on application, 300s.

In .30-06: 180s.

In .308 Win: 165s.

In 7.62 x 54R: 180s.

In .444 Marlin: 265s.

In .356 Winchester: 220s (plus a bunch of light pistol bullets)

In .375 Winchester: 220s.

And that’s all I know!

Shalom

BOB MITCHELL

Handloading — when and why I got into it — P2

Please read P1 at the bottom of this page, if you’ve not done so, as it’s the background for this page. (Left click on pics for a better view)

At the end of that four-year stint as pastor in the wilds of New Brunswick, I felt the need for a break. That’s not to complain against God’s call on my life, or that I was fed up, but I weighed less than 140 lbs and needed a complete renewal in body and spirit. By then we had two small boys and my wife at 5′-8″ weighed less than I did! So I had resigned as pastor and we returned to Campobello to live with my parents and I worked on the 70 ft. dragger for the next 4 months. In the meanwhile I’d applied to a mission organization with headquarters in New York City.

I’d worked during summer months as a crew member on my dad’s fishing boats since I was fifteen, but had been away from that for the last four years. So I had to get my sea-legs back again. Well, that opportunity came in a hurry as the first trip in early May, after a bad spring storm, was to a fishing grounds somewhere between the New England States and Nova Scotia. After a storm with 60 mph gale force winds the Atlantic Ocean doesn’t suddenly become calm again. It takes days for the whitecaps and 20′ waves to become mere 8′ rolling swells. After twelve hours of an 18 hour trip to get there, I was seasick… and I mean never had I been as sick before in my life. In fact, I’d never been previously seasick in my life to that point… and it was for the whole week! Yet by the end of that first week I was over it and had my sea-legs again.

(My cousin’s lobster boat in the foreground which he gave to his son. Pic on our visit to Campobello in summer of 2018)>

By the end of the summer we headed for New York City in my British Consul, a 4-banger, loaded with my pregnant wife, two small boys and everything we owned. That also included a roof rack with a huge box-shaped container that allowed a top speed on the super highways of 60 mph, max — that was with the gas pedal nearly floored !

From September to a few days before Christmas we were introduced to big city living in Brooklyn, just off Flatbush Ave.  Classes from Monday to Friday were attended. Saturday was for ourselves, and Sundays I was sent to preach in various churches of the greater New York area. That was interesting since we were in the process of becoming acquainted with The Big Apple. One Sunday I was the preacher in a corner store converted to a church in a black community. Another in a black community with a white pastor! It was a huge church, all black, and the pastor was away for the weekend. I was on my own preaching to several hundred, and often heard, “Preach it brother!” But the one church I spent most Sundays in was on Long Island in a very wealthy, sophisticated all white community.  The congregation was several hundred Presbyterians who were without a pastor at the time. It was suggested that I might consider becoming their pastor — and I was in training for missions in another language!

The followup to all that was 18 years of missions work, including ministry in two languages — French and English. Eventually, that led to becoming director for Canada, which involved speaking engagements in both languages and International travel for the same purposes. I was rarely home. We then had a growing family with three teenagers and one preteen. When I was home, that meant a lot of administrative duties. I was responsible for the home office, meetings with the international committee, and representing the mission that sometimes meant conferences with other mission leaders, etc. We were a member mission of the IFMA (Interdenominational Foreign Missions Association) which numbered around 100 mission organisations scattered around the world, that in turn was in a working relationship with another +100 evangelical denominational mission organisations (EFMA). We were non-denominational (not supported by any particular church affiliation such as Methodist, Baptist, Nazarene, Pentecostal, etc.).

But I had to make a decision regarding our future as a family. I needed to be home more to support my wife in looking after a family of teenagers. And I was not really cut out for hours of administration when home. My heart was in people work, not in numbers and finances. So while in the Alps of France in meetings with fifty coworkers, God gave me peace to accept an invitation to become pastor of a Toronto church. That was in the fall of 1977.

During those two decades of missions work, I hunted once in Quebec, and that was it. I gave my 12-gauge to a couple headed to Northern Canada for missions work. All that was early on in years living in the Montreal area. I didn’t have time for a break. Starting a new church in the French language, training a pastor to succeed me, attending conferences as speaker, travelling internationally, etc. was my life. Guns and hunting were the last thoughts on my mind.

But my hobby — yes, I did have one — was astronomy and telescope making. I became a member of The Royal Astronomical Society of Canada, joined a telescope making club with a colleague. This club was associated with the RASC of Montreal. I made five personal telescopes, starting with a 10″ Newtonian. Then another 10″, and finished the 10″ mirror of my colleague-friend’s by correcting it from a 10″ sphere to a 10″ paraboloid. (A telescope mirror – reflecting type –  after the front surface has been ground and polished to a perfect spheroid, must then be corrected to a perfect paraboloid for all light rays to focus properly to within at least 1/10 wavelength of light. Otherwise a concave spherical mirror of less than f10 will not focus light rays from an image to the same point.) I also made a compound 12.5″ reflecting telescope (that’s the diameter of the mirror, not length of telescope) with a total of three mirrors — one convex for increase of overall F rating. That was the best telescope I ever made but too heavy to be toted. It eventually became the property of a grandson. But any of the 10″, and the 12.5″ in particular, was optically superior to my current commercial 8″ Celestron that is worth 4x what they cost! (That was a gift from a friend with mobility problems)

I had learned from my experiences as a young pastor in New Brunswick that long-term ministry, and its success, depends not only on sweat and tears, but also on rest and relaxation. A complete break from our “work”.  And that rest is primarily in God Himself as we learn that He is not expecting us to self-immolate (self-inflicted martyrdom), but to rest in Him by trust and hope for Him to do what we cannot. I’m still learning that.. by leaning on my Heavenly Father in a relationship through Jesus Christ.

So a hiatus of nearly two decades intervened between hunting in New Brunswick in my twenties and becoming a pastor in Toronto in my early forties.

No call to be a pastor in a city like Toronto will be “a piece of cake”, but I was home with my wife and two teens — our daughter and youngest son. The two older boys were in college “Down East”! The daughter and youngest son were in high school at a campus just behind our home, literally, with only a line of mature trees between.

A good salary with benefits, and a month’s vacation whenever I wanted was graciously provided. Plus, I had a lot of weddings, several of whom were motorcyclists — and they got me into that at age 45! And then our two sons, coming back from college, were excited about hunting “down east”, and that stirred the embers of the fire in my own soul again.

Not long did it take for the purchase of a rifle at an army surplus store in downtown Toronto. That was a military Brazilian Mauser in 7 x 57 still in its grease. Once I cleaned it up, its beauty and craftsmanship were stunning!

Yes, it went hunting, but when I missed two shots on a bounding buck through forest and brush, I realized that with only one good eye, wearing glasses (for protection and minor astigmatism) and unable to focus on both front and rear sights at the same time, I needed a scope. But the 7 x 57 Mauser had a bolt handle that stuck straight out horizontally, and when lifted to eject a cartridge it went straight up vertically! Not good! So, I made a choice to change that situation by returning this elegant piece of wood and beautiful metal to the same dealer for a well used military Mauser ’98 with laminated stock that had been converted to a .30-06. The bolt was “bent” down so it could be manipulated in a familiar fashion without interference with a scope. I purchased a scope (3 – 9 X 40mm “something”) and a “contraption” for mounting it. I also bought a Lyman manual, some .30-06 brass, powder, primers and bullets! I was on the road to becoming a “handloader” in 1979 — forty-one years ago. I never shot anything live with that rifle but I became active at a range north of Toronto with one of my sons (Phil). In producing .30-06 ammo, and being frustrated with that rifle and scope setup, the next year it got traded at a west end Italian, upscale, gun shop.

I forget the exact number, but I think the owner/manager gave $75 credit on a slightly used M70 Winchester in .30-06 Springfield.  The owner and dealer said the former owner of the M70, .30-06 decided for a new .300 Winchester Magnum.  I now had a REAL rifle in .30-06! Shortly thereafter a series 340 Winchester semi was added in .22LR (sometime later that became a collector’s piece). It was later given to my son, but it had knocked-off quite a few woodchucks prior to that. After the gift-giving, I purchased a bolt-action .22 Win Mag, and that one was really awesome on chucks! Later still came my first center-fire single-shot for which I also developed handloads in .22 Hornet — that eventually became the property of Phil (that was not a donation!).

I was learning the handloading game — about powders and bullets. That meant more books, manuals and magazines. I had swallowed the hook, line and sinker! That also meant visits to gun shops and auctions. But deer are not usually hunted on Bay Street, Toronto — I obviously needed a place and permit to hunt big game.

Back tracking a year or so: It happened that an elderly bachelor member of our church told me of an older couple living far- northeast of Toronto, who were relatives, and they might be willing to entertain son Phil and I for a week of hunting on their property. He was/had been a bee keeper, and they were childless. It was arranged for us by the elderly bachelor, and when deer season arrived in that area we headed northeast, about a two-hour drive from Toronto. It turned out to be within the area of my current hunting activities over the past thirty-one years! It was there that I fired the two shots from the 7 x 57 that missed the fast-moving buck.

Due to quick paced changes taking place with our two oldest sons, Brent leaving for Africa, and Phil going into training for same, our daughter getting married to a young man from our church, hunting (not handloading) took a back seat for a couple of years until we (my wife and I) moved to Halifax, Nova Scotia for pastoral work in a relatively younger congregation.

We’d been in Toronto for six years and two months. During that period our two oldest sons had finished college and both were married and headed for missions in Africa. Our daughter had also graduated from the same college with her fiancé, I’d married them, and the youngest was still in college. (All since have gone on to earn Master’s degrees in their fields, except Phil who is the head IT with the Salvation Army nationally.)

The four years in Halifax allowed me to deer hunt annually, and with some success using the M70 Winchester. But I’ve written in former blogs about the emotional loss of a huge buck while using that .30-06 with handloaded 165gr Nosler BTs. Because of shooting RH bolt-actions from the left side due to my blind right eye, I decided for a semi-auto to get off a faster second shot — it’s always bad timing to make changes when under stress!

In those days I didn’t own a chronograph nor a range finder, but the “book” said the 165gr Nosler BT bullet should be leaving the muzzle at about 2800 fps. At a paced off 153 yards it broke-up on the probable 400 lb buck’s shoulder. From the middle of a wood’s trail on private property, in one bound he was gone into the timber and brush where I expected to find it dead. Instead, I found a few droplets of blood that soon petered out. I followed it’s trail over piles of brush and dead-falls to a bog that it crossed. On the far side of that bog were rifle shots that I was certain would mean the finish of that great buck that I’d wounded.

I literally lost sleep as I rehearsed that scene and probable causes. I found a small pool of blood with some bone fragments, and that was it! To this day, I can still “see” that big buck as it appeared out of nowhere staring me down from the top of that hill 150 yards away.

The highly regarded M70 was turned in for a new BAR in 7 Rem Mag. It was a beautiful gun with a Leupold scope that someone ordered but never came to pick  up. The manager of the shop gave me what I’d paid for the M70 in Toronto. Then it was off to making  handloads for a semi in 7mm Remington Magnum.

I took it as a challenge and liked the BAR (Browning semi-auto) very much.  It was accurate and fast with any load. That is until…

More to come on this saga…

Shalom

BOB MITCHELL

Handloading — when and why I got into it — P1

In correspondence with one of my readers who has become a friend, he suggested that I write something about my favorite bullets. So I’m taking up that cause, er.. challenge, but not only MY preferences, but those that are favored by a significant number of other handloading hunters as well.

(“Handloading” or “handloader” are coined words not recognized (or is that “recognised”, Eng. sp.?) in a dictionary. Therefore, many write this as “hand loads”, “hand load”, or “hand loader”, probably using a spellcheck (is that “spell check” or perhaps “spell-check”?). You are intelligent, so I’m sure you get the point, eh? I had to get that “eh?” in there to identify myself as Canadian. By times my spelling is Brit-English, sometimes American, and at other times pure Canadian — a mixture of British-American and French. But Americans invented everything, including “handloading”, or “hand loading”, at least that’s the impression of Canadians who “handload”. So when I started the process of “handloading” four decades ago, that’s how the American writers spelled it — so I blame them for being on the horns of the proverbial dilemma for not getting “handloading” into the  New World Dictionary of The AMERICAN LANGUAGE – that being the well worn “Second College Edition” of my one and only two-and-a-half inch thick dictionary. Slightly more than 50% of my readership is American, so I tend to defer to their spelling in most things.)

Sorry for all that, but I had to explain this quandry — not even to mention the strange expressions of those who live on The Island Continent!

<(Shooting my son’s .17 Hornet.)

Now back to the main topic: Today we have an overabundance of “super” projectiles for any conceivable purpose from diminutive .17-calibers to the great Big Bores still in use for hunting the largest and most dangerous game on Earth. Then, on the other hand, there  is still a good supply of “regular”, or standard bullets for most needs, though sadly diminishing due to a majority of hunters/shooters having “deeper pockets” and buying into the idea that “modern is better”.

While I like and use some of the “premiums”, yet I’m increasingly turning to ancient concepts of cast bullets for many applications. When done right they work wonderfully on anything, including DG. While lead is now considered hazardous material to one’s health, a large number of hunters and shooters make their own from a variety of “molds”- Eng. Sp. American? “moulds”. (My dilemma again — sometimes I type “molds”, at others, “moulds”. Both are acceptable. Most fast readers will never notice!)

These blogs are mostly oriented toward Big Bores, and secondly Mid-Bores, as you may already be aware. But my experience in actual hunting, and producing handloads for the same,  isn’t limited to big game. I’ve actually shot far more small game than large, and hunted predators (fox, coyote and wolf) with several small and sub-medium calibers. So I have preferences in cartridges and bullets for those activities as well.

All of those went hunting with handloads I’d made for them. In all cases multiple bullets, powders and primers were tried to attain best results for hunting purposes. Then there were at times different rifles involved for a particular cartridge. Also, I made handloads for friends and family that were used in actual hunting.

When I began making my own loads, the likes of Nosler Partitions were scarce and expensive compared to Speer, Hornady and Sierra products. But Noslers eventually became my preference for bear and moose. They simply got the job done without complaints.

<(A 500gr, .458 cal, Woodleigh PP) Today there is a “super abundance” of so-called “super premiums”. All manufacturers of small arm projectiles have had to join that band or be left behind. And relatively small, novice companies have appeared on the scene with their own copies of the “best”, lacking anything that would make them superior to their predecessors. We have of course, bonded pure lead cores to pure copper jackets, bonded alloy-lead to gilding metal jackets, all alloy metal bullets, all copper bullets, some with cavities filled with lead, others with cavities with no lead, others with no cavities and flat tips while some have no cavities with round noses. Many having pointed plastic tips for better aerodynamics and protection from battering in magazine rifles. The latter has to be proven, as any high-powered rifle cartridge that causes fast and heavy recoil will damage the points of polycarbonite tips in a magazine rifle.

And on and on it goes with more being added with all possible configurations and structure. But the hype from manufacturers, and gun writers who promote them, would have us all believe that their’s is the “best” and absolutely indispensable for success in the hunting fields. “Everyone” seems to have their favorites.

So how do we make our choices? In my case it was a slow process over time. Forty or more years ago there was one “premium” choice with several trying to contend. That choice was Nosler Partitions that was actually started by John Nosler in the late 1940s. He made his own with a semi-partition after a failure of a “standard” bullet on moose. News got out and the Nosler bullet company was born. And the Nosler Partition bullet became the darling of gun writers who promoted them in magazines. After the WW 2, wealthy Americans bought and used them on their safaris AND on heavy North American game.

Back then I was dreaming of getting through high school and having a girl friend!

Moving quickly into the late ’50s, I had finished college, then worked for a month on my dad’s 70-foot dragger to have money enough to get married. Within a week of our wedding I had a job as pastor of three country churches. That was in mid-summer of 1957. And again nearly penniless! But my ownership of anything were my clothes and a single-shot .22 LR. Noslers were not even on the horizon! I borrowed bank money for a $600 Chev that had more miles on it than ten taxis combined! Having to travel 185 miles/300 k per week just to cover the territory twice weekly, the Chev made it through the first winter and then died from exhaustion! “Winters”! I’d never experienced anything like them, nor since! In one snow storm, after the LeTourneau earth mover cleared our driveway and the church parking lot, I had to use a shovel to let light into the church through its windows! And it was just under the house porch’s eves! And all that meant more “borrowed money” for another car. And so on…

Thoughts of hunting only returned sometime after our first son was born and some stability to our lives.

That came about when two brothers from the community invited me to go hunting deer with them. Noslers were still not on the horizon, nor Speers, Hornadies or Sierras. In fact I didn’t know of their existence.

The brothers were members of our main church, next door to the parsonage, or manse — as some denominations refer to the house provided for the pastor and his family. So also were their sister and parents. They looked like twins — but were not. Both over 6′, blond wavy hair and blue-eyed, they were handsome and athletic, and also very intelligent. Both were students at The University of New Brunswick at Fredericton (Provincial Capital) 30 miles away. They entered the Electrical Engineering course of studies, and years later graduated with PhDs. I went hunting with them after two years of pastoral work. The University of N.B. gave any students who wanted to hunt during the deer season, a week off to do so. After a week they had to return to their studies. I shot no deer, nor did they. But I’d caught the “fever”.

After their departure, their father showed up with his trusty .30-30 M94 Winchester in hand, inviting me to hunt with him. He had been a woodsman from young adulthood, and knew deer as well as he knew the forests from which he made his living. But his intent was that I should shoot a deer with his M94 with him acting as my guide. He took me to the forest where he would hunt and where he knew there were whitetails.

I loved hunting, especially grouse as I shot scores if not hundreds — and that helped with the food budget, plus rainbows from the local Cross Creek which lent it’s name to our town. My wife loved the trout and birds so there was no objection to my recreation.

My four years as pastor of those churches, scattered over an area of 1500 sq-miles/4000 sq-klm, was akin to a four-year intense post-graduate course with all of the above circumstances imposed!

<(Campobello in the background. Pic taken from Lubec, Me. in July, 2018.)

We’d been married for one week when I received a call to candidate as pastor in those churches. During our three days away to fulfil that, my wife’s father fell seriously ill. When we returned, he was in such pain that I had to drive him to the ferry that would take us into Maine where the doctor would meet us at 1 o’clock A.M. Except the ferry wasn’t running at that hour of the morning! By phone, we had to awaken one of the ferry’s assistants to row us across very fast moving water (like a wide river at flood time) as the tide was moving out in the Bay of Fundy, and the Narrows between Campobello and Lubec, Maine caused the Atlantic tides to be squished like water from the nozzle of a hose. But this man was capable for the conditions and landed me and my father-in-law safely on the Maine shore where we met the doctor who took us to his clinic. (The Roosevelt International Bridge, connecting Campobello with Maine was built since those events.)

That all resulted in an emergency ride back into New Brunswick at the Calais/St. Stephen border where the patient went immediately into surgery at the St Stephen hospital. Three weeks later he died at age 53. That left my wife (age 20) and her mother (age 51) without a father and husband! My wife was an only child! And I had just been elected as pastor of three scattered country churches (actually a forth that I visited once every month as it was so isolated to the north, and a railroad town). So it was a rough start to married life for a young couple who still looked like teenagers!

Consequently, guns and hunting were not on the horizon either, at least for a few years. And my wife became pregnant a month after we were married — and her mom wanted her home with her.

Two months later, we both came down with the infamous Asiatic flu! Very sick with high fevers we went to bed! That felt like a year-and-a half, though it was about ten days before we could begin to function in a semi-normal fashion.

Then, I received a visit from neighbors telling us that a 3-year old girl that lived with her family on the farm directly adjacent to the church property had died of the flu — I’d been requested to conduct the funeral in our church next door!

This was to be my first funeral, and the church was packed as was normal for such a grievous situation. I’d visited the family in their home (a farm house) and saw this beautiful blond-haired 3-year old little girl in the open casket prior to the funeral the day following.

So what does all of that kind of life and work have to do with “favorite bullets”?

As far as the Heaven is above the Earth, so far removed are thoughts of hunting from such life and death realities.

I conducted many funerals during that four-year period. That, along with witnessing the aftermath of a horrendous motor accident involving the deaths of two male teenagers who had been drinking and returning from a party, and hours in counselling other teens and working with them, was mentally, spiritually and physically exhausting! I was also speaking, preaching and teaching over a dozen times per week!  Hours of driving over treacherous roads, and by times “plowing” through high drifts of snow in winter, and ice when the snow started to melt in the spring. And dealing weekly with complaints that more needed to be done…

Hunting became my “break” time! But who made the bullets, and handloading as a past time, was still not on the horizon.

The saga continues…

Shalom

BOB MITCHELL

 

 

Hunting Fitness

This article is an overview of what the term hunting fitness suggests, and what it may mean to certain sportsmen.

As I’ve advanced in years, now into my eighties, my journey has been one of near perfect fitness in years past, to progressive but slow loss of some physical strength and mobility. That’s natural due to the ageing process. Then, if we add some deterioration due to a chronic illness, that might cause some ageing hunters to quit before it’s really necessary to do so.

<(That’s me at age 55)

What do I mean? There are several ways and means of not only maintaining good health, but improving it within certain limits, depending on age, physical condition to begin with, and any inherited illnesses.

But even with some chronic problems, the otherwise maintenance of good health and/or its improvement is not only beneficial for the body but also the mind!  If we feel well there is generally a more positive outlook on life. Or, the corollary of that being: If we have a positive outlook on life, we will generally feel better.

Of course, personality or temperament enters the picture as well. For some, if they sneeze a couple of times there’re sure that’s a sign of oncoming pneumonia! For others, if they have a broken leg they’ll get a cast on and hunt with crutches! Which one we tend toward will  determine our attitude about physical and mental challenges, and whether we will accept counsel to work toward improvement of health and physical conditioning.

<(At age 72) Some love to retire, sit around, watch TV or Internet videos, dream big dreams, but DO NOTHING! Others are activists and must always be doing something — repairs, going places, building, hunting… whatever. Most are less immoderate. So am I. I like to imagine what it would be like to… and within reasonable limits considering responsibilities AND abilities, do something about it. That means being physically fit and mentally alert.

With the current Covid-19, a reality that affects daily living, it’s not easy to prepare for a hunt that may not happen. Yet mental preparation that will lead to handloading some cartridges is never a bad idea, and it could improve our mental state and keep depression at bay. Then, it may well be that by this fall hunting will return. Just now our range is closed so I can’t test loads or practice. But that won’t keep me from preparing some test loads, or loads that I’m already familiar with for hunting purposes.

A hunting load that I put together last fall (2019) for bear and wolf is already sighted-in for my Ruger No.1 in .458 Win Mag. It’s not a “max load”, but one that will serve more than adequately for its intended purposes. How about this — a 300gr TSX at 2778 fps/5140 ft-lbs from the muzzle. The reason for that load last year was to test that 300gr TSX on a live bear. I wanted to insure expansion of the bullet since it’s a tough one.

<(The 300gr TSX fired into test media from my former #1 Ruger in .45-70 LT at about 2650 fps.)

Barnes, the manufacturer of the TSX bullets (Triple-shock-Xpanding), make the claim that these TSX bullets will expand in flesh down to an impact velocity of 1600 feet-per-second (fps). When started at 2778 fps (avg), it should therefore expand on big game (BG) at a maximum distance of 360 yards. But where I hunt in the Haliburton Highlands, 360 yards is out of the question — 150 yds would be a long shot. So that load is more than ample for anything I might have a ticket for, including moose. Yet 2945 fps for the same 300 TSX shoots into sub-MOA. That’s capable for moose (a big bull) to 400 yards.

See what I mean about “dreaming” of a hunt, and preparing for it, inspiring us to get into physical and mental condition? That will actually lift our spirits to move the body from sitting all day (or night) in front of a TV screen watching old sports’ reruns or really-old movies. And the same could happen from sitting in front of a computer hours on end.

The point being that we NEED to exercise the body and mind to establish good health practices. Yes we still take our meds, but working the body more and exercising the mind with challenging thoughts, questions, ideals, etc can help restore healthy living by a more positive outlook.

I find great inspiration of mind and spirit by the late R.C. Sproul in his lecture on “Eternity”- Does it exist? on YouTube. I Google it.

<(At age 80, that’s my wife Adrienne as we visited with a French Canadian couple — that I’d married and trained, he becoming pastor of the church in Montreal 40 years prior to this photo in 2017. They’d been retired for 5 years. Now living NW of Montreal.) If you left click on the pic it will give a better view.

Now, at ages 84 and 83 for me and my wife, we try to maintain a healthy lifestyle despite “everyone” telling us to “STAY HOME”! We’ve both been very active and involved with people throughout our nearly 63 years of marriage. We are now great grandparents of fourteen great-grandchildren, the latest a boy of less than a week old somewhere in Western Canada. So with an extended family (that’s become nearly a tribe), many of whom are within an hour to an hour and one-half’s drive from us, plus maintaining pastoral responsibilities, and chores around house and home (that we’ve lived in since 1987) we manage to get “things” done and be happy by the grace of God!

Don’t leave God out of your life! For that reason Jesus came, and will come again — of that I’m very sure. Those truths add hope and assurance to living. Without it life could get quite depressing in any bad circumstances we can’t control.

Positive thinking is not only a healthy habit, but comes from hope for the future.

Where there is no hope, people despair.

“May the God of hope fill you with great joy and peace as you trust in Him” – A prayer by the apostle Paul for the persecuted churches of his time.

A few days ago my wife answered the phone to hear a voice she recognised, though not having heard it for the past 60 years! It was from a 94 year-old gentleman who knew us when in our twenties! We were from the Province of New Brunswick and so was he. I was a young pastor in central N.B. and he was a veteran missionary representing his mission that worked in the Chad, Africa. After a decade of hands-on missionary work in the Chad, the mission asked him to be their Rep in Canada. He spoke in our church and stayed in our home during that visit. He also asked me to consider becoming a teacher/trainer of national pastors in the Chad. After serious and prayerful consideration of about six-months, we decided our work in those churches in N.B. was not done. Nonetheless, we followed his career as best we could, and were thankful for his trust in us, but lost contact sometime later. Now, at age 94 he got our telephone number from our son, Brent, who himself had spent two decades in Africa as a missionary.  “Jerry”, the gentleman, knew our son, and through him made a phone call to us. I wasn’t around when he called but my wife relayed the conversation. At age 94, his voice and attitude was still the cheerful Jerry we had known sixty years ago. He had married twice and lost both his wives in death. He drives his own car and walks with a cane, but NO complaints, only a cheerful disposition as he continues to be a blessing to others.

Why are we here? To gratify self and complain that life is miserable, or to praise God and be thankful? That gives a cheerful heart and makes us a blessing to others who need blessings.

So practically speaking, I do my walks with weights in each hand. If the weather is miserable, I work out in my room with heavier weights. This maintains muscular strength and cardio-vascular health. In addition I take my meds for blood circulation and diabetes. Thankfully, I’m very mobile and have few aches and pains. I also work out with the Ruger No.1 in .458 Win Mag. It’s done inside as we don’t have seclusion in our back yard from prying eyes that could result in an unwelcome visit from the police.

<(At age 83, six months ago.)

The rifle weighs 10.3 lbs with the Nikon 2 – 7 x 32mm scope, sling and stock cartridge holder. Depending on the weight of handloaded bullets, the weight goes up to 10.75 lbs with 4 in the holder and one in the chamber.

I work with it by carrying it in one hand and then the other as in walking in the woods. Or slung over my left shoulder. Or slung across my chest using the nylon sling over my right elbow ready to aim and fire within less than one second. The rifle is diagonal across my chest with my right hand gripping the Alexander forearm with sling between the wood and my grip. The left hand (remember I shoot from that side) grips the buttstock aft of the action in the pistol grip. I’m ready to lift the rear of the rifle into position in a split-second as the right hand is already in position to fire.

Often “muscle memory” is mentioned. I practice with my .458 WM so that when the time comes for using it in actual hunting it doesn’t seem too heavy, or like a stranger to me and unwieldy.

Be safe, stay healthy, and God bless,

Shalom

BOB MITCHELL

 

Mid-Bore Rifles — the .375s – P4

.375-calibers have been considered by no small group of experts as the quintessential bore size for all-around hunting, with the .375 H&H at the head of the pack, and the .375 Ruger nibbling on it’s heels for greater recognition. The Super Magnum .375s, such as the RUM, have their place but it’s a small one.

A significant number of knowledgeable hunters and shooters say that if they want more than the H&H they will go bigger in caliber — I tend to agree. Notice, the word WANT! Hunting a diversity of game from small to large is ALWAYS a matter of WANT, not need! (Left click on pics for a better view.)

I’ve hunted a variety of animals because of “want to”. The same with rifles for those purposes. Part of it is a thirst for knowledge and experience. A larger part is a thirst for adventure in wild places where wild animals roam.

Having done that since boyhood, and to a much greater extent over the past forty-plus years, I now know what I know, and perhaps more importantly, what I don’t know. That comes with age and experience — IF WE’VE BEEN PAYING ATTENTION!

As to the .375s, my only experience from among that group is the H&H, and that in three barrel lengths using my own handloads: a 24″ M70 Winchester, a 26″ Browning A-Bolt SS LH, that was later shortened to a 22″ barrel. From a ballistic standpoint only, the 26″ gave best results, the 24″ came in second, and the 22″ was last — which probably fits expectations.

From 300gr bullets (mostly Hornady followed by Sierra) results were: 26″ = 2700 +fps; 24″ = 2565 fps avg., and 22″ = 2530 fps (max — but it was pushed a bit beyond that with poor results that I couldn’t recommend or use in hunting.)

I also tried some 270s, 235s and near the end of those trials, a few Sierra 250s. But my conclusion was — and maybe still is — that the H&H was made to shoot 300s, as they gave the best overall results.

The M70 was heavy, with a heavy barrel and stout walnut stock. The A-Bolt Browning with its longer barrel and synthetic stock was much more pleasant to handle and shoot, though lighter overall. And at 22″ for the barrel it’s handling improved but it lost 185 fps from 300s. That’s significant from a 300gr. Instead of 4910 ft-lbs at the muzzle it was making 4263 ft-lbs — equivalent to a factory claim. Not bad, but still an important loss from its potential employing the 26″ barrel. And the barrel was ample in contour. In my experience, a .375 H&H doesn’t need the typical weight of the M70, as even the 26″ Browning was lighter.

At one time I asked my gunsmith to rechamber the 26″ Browning H&H to the .375 Weatherby. He asked “Why?” Because I was going to Northern Ontario every second year or so for moose, and due to potential long shots, I figured an extra 100 fps couldn’t hurt, could it? And it might help. He discouraged it, so I abandoned the thought.

<(This was my .340 Wby, identical to the .375 H&H Browning, except the .375 had iron sights and a slightly heavier barrel.)

There was a problem with the Browning, however, which I’ve explained in former blogs, so will not go into much detail here. The bore was off-center, so it would not give adequate accuracy. I found that out when I had my gunsmith, Von Atzigen, cut it to 22″ in hopes of improving accuracy. It didn’t, so it got traded at the same shop where purchased for an identical .338 Win Mag that became my .340 WBY. Atzigen also did that work. So the .375 H&H Browning never saw a hunting adventure, but the M70 Winchester did, both for moose and bear.

The load for moose was a 300gr Sierra BT at around 2570 fps. It had a heavy .050″ thick guilding-metal jacket with a 3% antimony lead core, and had a decent reputation on large game. The load for bear was a 300gr Hornady BT with the Interloc and cannelure at around the same muzzle speed. Two days after my hunt for bear was finished, using an outfitter, an American hunter shot a +500 lb black bear at the same bait!

Sometime later my M70 .375 H&H was traded for the A-Bolt Browning because I wanted (I thought) a LH bolt action as I have to shoot from that side due to my blind right eye. That was one of the biggest disappointments I ever experienced in dealings for rifles.

So I’m satisfied that the H&H doesn’t need ballistic improvements over it’s current potential, specially with today’s excellent powders and supreme bullets. With this caveat, however: Some projectiles like Barnes’ TSX’s, or Nosler’s 300gr AB will “eat” a lot of room for powder if constrained to SAAMI COL. That will impinge to an important degree on expected ballistics. The cause being the length of those bullets.

Now, as to the .375 Ruger: From my reading of magazine articles, Internet chatter and hunt reports, and handloading manuals, I believe I’ve done enough research to have a valid — if secondhand — opinion. Though I don’t much like opinions, but for what it’s worth here it is:

The claim is that it was created by Ruger and Hornady to mimic ballistics of the famed H&H in a shorter, lighter and handier overall package. From reports it appears that might be so. Yet there are caveats:

First, and most importantly, Hornady is the sole manufacturer of ammo, and brass for handloads.

Secondly, factory claimed ballistic results are from a 23″ barrel, whereas the favorite Ruger rifle sold is the 20″ Alaskan. That might matter.

Thirdly, actual results in handloading manuals don’t necessarily favor the .375 Ruger, even with equal length barrels to the H&H.

Lastly, from a 20″ barrel there is a significant loss from claimed factory ballistics — at least as much as one would expect from a 20″ H&H.

Moreover, the favorite slug used in Alaska against its great bears appears to be the 270gr TSX, which is longer than a traditional .375″ bullet of equal weight, and has a poor ballistic coefficient. What does that mean? Poor downrange results. It’s of course argued that such bears are usually shot at not more than 50 yards. But that’s with an outfitter. And what about a DIY hunt, where there’s no help nearby, or the range might extend to 300 yards or more on a moose. Is a DIY hunter going to pass up a possible single chance on a bear or moose at +300 yds? No likely! Not I at least — in such a potential scenario, the 270 TSX wouldn’t even get inside the door of consideration!

If I chose a .375 Ruger it would be for more than bear in the alders or punching holes in paper! I’d want it for moose in the far north of our province, whether close in the alders or far in a clear cut. For such a scenario, I’d choose an all-purpose load for the Ruger with the 23″ barrel. An efficient 300gr at not less than 2600 fps might do. But a BC of well over .400 in needed to accomplish those criteria. Perhaps the 300gr AccuBond with a .485 BC at 2600 is possible from the 23″ barrel — I don’t know, it’s a long bullet (1.52″) that will go deep into the guts of the relatively short case and action, stealing potential energy from the cramped quarters intended for propellant.

All in all, the .375 Ruger is perhaps a good concept for Alaskan bear guides who use them at close range.

Other than that, they would be outperformed at longish ranges by my own 9.3 x 62 firing the 286 Nosler at 2631 fps/4395 ft-lbs at the muzzle and 2100 ft-lbs at 500 yards.

From a 24″ Wiseman test barrel*, Barnes’ Manual #4 shows a max load for their 300gr TSX at a best 2642 fps. That bullet has the same .305 SD as a 286gr 9.3mm, but the BC of the TSX is only .357, whereas the 286gr Nosler’s BC is .482. Want to see how much that affects downrange results?

*Would the 23″ Ruger factory barrel give the same results? Subtract at least 100 fps from these in using a 20″ barrel.

Conditions: 50*F/+10*C; Elev. @ 1200′; RH @ 65%

300gr TSX/.375″ at 2647 fps// 4667 ft-lbs (from a 24″ test barrel)

100 yds = 2409 fps// 3865 ft-lbs

200 yds = 2184 fps// 3176 ft-lbs

300 yds = 1971 fps// 2587 ft-lbs

400 yds = 1771 fps// 2090 ft-lbs

500 yds = 1587 fps// 1678 ft-lbs (the bullet will not expand)

 

Now, my load for the 9.3 x 62

286gr NP/9.3mm @ 2631 fps// 4395 ft-lbs (from a 22.44″ Sako target grade barrel)

100 yds = 2454 fps// 3824 ft-lbs

200 yds = 2284 fps// 3314 ft-lbs

300 yds = 2121 fps// 2857 ft-lbs

400 yds = 1965 fps// 2452 ft-lbs

500 yds = 1816 fps// 2095 ft-lbs

Do we see not only how the rifle and cartridge does make a difference, but that barrel length, powder and bullet can influence results to such an extent that success on a one-time hunt might be questionable!

The concept of a more handy rifle package that will equal the normal ballistics from a 24″ .375 H&H, that is usually heavier, is commendable. But I have no personal experience to go on.

Yet four decades of handloading experience with multiple calibers, including mid-bores, and logic, tell me that there will be a loss of ballistic performance compared to what otherwise might be equivalent performance of the H&H, if a 20″ Ruger is used, and perhaps even the 23″.

Those are matters of import that I’d want more concrete knowledge of before I’d trade a 24″ .375 H&H for one of the Rugers, IF it were intended to be an all-purpose rifle for big game.

The Others:

The .375 Weatherby is no longer in factory production, but there are several “out there”, plus some .375 H&H’s that have been “improved” by straightening the walls, adding a few more grains of powder and 100 fps or more to MV. I’d expect up to 2800 fps from 300s in a 26″ barrel.

The .375 RUM and similar wildcats: While Remington’s own factory 300gr offerings are advertised at less than 2800 fps, there’s no doubt that handloaders can extract 2850 to 2900 fps from best loads. That’s on the heels of the mighty .378 Weatherby.

At one time I thought of owning a .375 RUM. It has no belt and is based on the .404 Jeffery,(Same as the .338 RUM that is slightly shorter) having room for over 100 grs powder under a 300gr.

The famed owner of Accurate Reloading Forum (Saeed) has used a “wildcat”, about identical to the RUM, based on the same .404 case. His preceded the RUM by several years, and it’s been used in Africa on “everything”, including all of the DG — successfully so, many, many times over! He uses his own machined bullets.

The .378 Weatherby: This is truly not only a unique cartridge, created and manufactured by Weatherby alone, but humongous! No other in .375-caliber can match it in sheer size or capacity — but also in performance. It, of course, became the basis for both the .460 and .416 Weatherby cartridges.

Some claim it has greater felt recoil than even the .460 itself! Of course, physics denies that as a 500gr at 2600 fps has far greater momentum than a 300gr at 3100 fps, from same weight rifles.

The factory rifles do come with ports built in (and removable for a hunt), which is a good thing if nobody is near when the muzzle blast occurs!

For myself — I’ll take a pass on that one!

That’s it for this week on the .375″ mediums.

Shalom

BOB MITCHELL 

 

 

Medium-Bore Rifles – the 9.3s – P3

I love rifles with big holes in their barrels – within reason, that is. In shotguns I like 12-gauges. In rifles I’ve stopped short of .50-caliber, though at one time the .50 S&W fascinated me in one of the single-shot rifles. I didn’t need it as I already had a couple of singles in .45-70. While I lusted for a .458 Winchester Magnum nearly as far back as I can recall after its introduction in 1956, I knew it was out of the question both in economics and conscience — it could not be justified.

Quite a few years had passed when our economic status improved, and I was more into a variety of big-game hunting and handloading. Then I saw the potential benefit of a larger bore rifle in the pursuit of bear and moose. By then I had owned both a .300 Win Mag and a .338 Win Mag, and really nothing more was NEEDED for the largest and most dangerous in any part of our nation. Yet, my first bear hunt impressed my mind that a larger bore would make a bigger hole in and out, stopping a mean bear from escaping into thick alders or brush where I’d need to go in a followup. The solution? The nearest thing to a .458 Win Mag being a .45-70, of course. So I purchased a new 1895 Marlin for that express purpose, and was never disappointed with results from the eight .45-70s I’ve owned including the first one. In hindsight, they’ve probably exceeded my initial expectations.

But the subject of the current series of blogs is “Mediums”, right? Yes. It’s hard to put into a few sentences all the thoughts and experiences of that period that covered about two decades, but somewhere in there the idea of a medium-bore captured my mind. I’d experienced mostly .30-calibers and .458″ in .45-70s, plus a .338 Win in a Sako FS that was giving me some loss of sleep! Ah ha! At a Toronto gun show, I was able to trade the Sako for a .375 H&H in a M70 Winchester – a straight-up trade… plus $40. That became my new toy in a mid-bore! And it was an excellent rifle, though a bit on the heavy side of matters. From there I downsized to more mid-bores, including those mentioned in P1 and P2.

Yes, I went on a crusade for another .35 Whelen. No luck for either a new or used one! Then, while scanning the website of one of the largest dealers in Canada, that was only a one-hour drive from home, I spied two rifles that might fit the bill — a slightly used .338 RUM in a 700 Remington with a gray-black laminated stock and 26″ barrel, and two 9.3 x62s in TIKKA T3 Lites. As recounted in P1, I’d had lots of experiences with a .340 WBY for a full decade, so already knew what to expect in ballistics from a .338 RUM. And, I’d done some previous research and general reading on the 9.3 x 62 and figured it would be similar to a .35 Whelen, so I made a visit to EPPS in Orillia and handled each of those rifles (one of the 9.3x62s had been sold already).

Handling was important to me, and it was no contest. The TIKKA T3 Lite won by a country mile! So I came home with the 9.3 x 62. And, as I’ve reported in previous blogs, it has far exceeded expectations that were based on meager reports, handloads based on limited tests, and European factory ammo.

Not only so, but it has matched and passed results of my .338 Win Mags, .35 Whelen, .350 Rem Mag, and stepped into the footprint of .375 H&H factory ballistics!

Now to give some meat to those assertions: If there is a downside to the 9.3 x 62, it’s in factory ammo that’s mostly from Europe.  But Hornady, Nosler and Barnes, plus a few others, have come to the rescue of handloaders. (It should be mentioned that in forty-one years of “making my own”, I’ve rarely fired a factory load in any of my centerfire rifles.) So, I consider it no handicap to have to handload the 9.3 x 62, though some US companies are now producing ammo for it — but nothing to get excited over.

You could read my former blogs on all of this, including my handloads and how they came about. However, I’ll give a summary here with the caveat that these are MY handloads, and I don’t propose or recommend them for any other person or persons who do their own. No one should borrow anyone’s handloads and take them for granted to be safe/or give the same results as the originator of them in his/her setup!

Having said that, I’ve used them in hunting and know them to BE SAFE IN MY RIFLE!

Comments on the rifle: Whenever I purchased or traded for a centerfire rifle, it’s primary mission was for hunting purposes. As such I’ve always failed to understand the thinking of HUNTERS (not collectors) who handload their own with the primary purpose of getting the smallest possible groups of three at 100 yards. They appear willing to sacrifice the potential of a rifle/cartridge’s external ballistic energy for a “tiny” 1/2″ bragging group at 100 yards (12.7 mm @ 100 metres). On several forums, those who own and actually have fired their 9.3 x 62 handloads at a range, have mostly referred to the tiny groups their 9.3 x 62 is capable of producing — often without any reference to MV results!

To set the record straight: Sure, I like good groups from any of my “best” handloads from any centerfire rifle I’ve owned. BUT!! How “good” is enough for hunting purposes? First, I want the best ballistics my rifle is capable of, including MV and downrange performance on flesh and bone!

As an example of that principle: In P1, I shared some loads from my former .340 Weatherby. One load consistently shot the 250gr Hornady SP into less than MOA for three at 300 yards!  And the star performer did that at 3/4″ for three at the 300 yd. berm! And it was making 2790 fps. But it never became my hunting load for moose up north! Why? Because I had a better HUNTING LOAD! A 250gr Nosler Partition at a consistent 3000 fps that fired into a consistent 1.25″ for three at 100 yards!

In the field, what difference would it make at 300 yards on a bull moose with a target area of a 24″ circle? Not much that would make a difference in a hit or a miss. But the ballistic results in KE might distinctively matter if the bull was quartering toward or away! At 300 yds the 250 Partition load was making about 600 ft-lbs more energy than the 250 Hornady that shot 3/4″ at 300. And 550 ft-lbs more at 450 yards than the Hornady. Since I didn’t know beforehand at what range I might have to shoot a moose, my load was the 250 Partition at 3000 fps. It turned out that I shot a good bull at 165 yds.

Now my hunting loads for the 9.3 x 62 is treated in like manner. They are accurate enough for any hunting I might envision for that rifle. The 286 Nosler Partition shoots consistent sub-MOA, and the 250 AccuBond load shoots into sub 1/2″ at a hundred when I’m up to it. But that’s not why they are my prime hunting loads — that’s nice for accuracy, but those bullets give me confidence as to their ability to get the job done due to their construction and experience with them on big game. (The reason one hole in the target is larger is because it hit the hardwood plywood behind. The other two went through a void previously created by bullets from other shooters.)

And I’m talking to 500 yards on moose-size game. Over a nine-year period, the average for the 286 Nosler Partition load is 2631 fps MV/4395 ft-lbs, 2120 fps/2853 ft-lbs at 300 yds, and 1814 fps/2088 ft-lbs at 500 yds.

I’ve tested a variety of bullets and loads since the beginning, and none equal that load. It’s my all-purpose load for that rifle.

The 250gr Accubond is also an excellent load at +2700 fps, but can’t keep up with it’s bigger brother.

And the 320gr Woodleigh does very well at +2400 fps, but I’ve decided that it’s more of a closer range load for large game and not as flexible or all-purpose as the 286 Nosler. It appears that the 9.3 x 62 was made for that weight bullet and responds best overall.

What about the other 9.3s? The 9.3 x 57 is similar to a .358 Winchester with a bit more snuff.

The 9.3 x 64 Brenneke is generally considered to be the equal of a .375 H&H. However, it is a unique case and can’t be formed from any other, whereas the 9.3 x 62 has been formed from .30-06 and .35 Whelen cases in a pinch, though the head of those cases are bulged on firing in a 9.3 x 62 chamber.

And the Brenneke in factory form is equalled by my handloads. And the 9.3 x 62 is much more popular and available in factory rifles, some with full-stocks and short 20″ barrels.

I think that a 20″ barrel for a cartridge that can produce magnum-type results is the wrong way to go. Some 9.3 x 62s have 24″ and 26″ barrels, which makes more sense to me than a 20″. That might make a nice handy rifle but it will be at the expense of significant velocity from the muzzle.

But my rifle, a TIKKA T3 Lite, couldn’t be made much handier with it’s 22.44″ barrel and synthetic stock. All-up for hunting it comes in at 7.7 lbs. That dishes out more recoil than a “normal” .375 H&H!

Recoil for the two main loads (286 and 250 Noslers) are 48 ft-lbs and 43 ft-lbs respectively.  Compared to my former .340 Weatherby, that is still less. That load referred to for the Weatherby was 54 ft-lbs, but I didn’t notice it in shooting the moose. In bench shooting, I add some weight to the 9.3 Tikka that helps tame it. In shooting game it’s “quick” in recoil, but not severe. It’s a joy to tote.

Basically, whatever you would do with a .338 magnum or a .375 magnum, you could do with a 9.3 x 62 Mauser.

It has to do with that matter of efficiency. I seat my bullets a bit long in Hornady cases filled with RL-17 powder and ignited by WLRM primers. The loads are compressed to about 109%. It’s a relatively slow stick powder for the cartridge, so it can be compressed within reason. No other propellant has come close to results from RL-17. Yes, and I’ve tried H414 and RL-15, along with some others. H414 would be the second choice for the heavyweights, and I use RL-15 for the 232 Oryx at around 2450 fps for deer and wolf.

The 286gr Nosler will keep up with the momentum of the 250gr Nosler from the 340 Weatherby all the way from the muzzle to 500 yards. Of course, the 340 shoots flatter, but at the cost of 20 grains more powder from a 26″ barrel.

There you have it…

My choice of a mid-bore that has replaced all the others as it can do whatever might have been assigned to them.

Finally, in mid-bores we’ll review the .375s.

Shalom

BOB MITCHELL