The Unique .458 Win Mag compared to the .416s – P2

P1 was a brief overview of the .458 Winchester Magnum – its history and my relationship with three of them: a Ruger 77, CZ550, and my current Ruger No.1H.

P2 will pit the .416s against the Ruger No.1H – each in handloads. Mostly, this will involve ballistics and versatility. As stated in P1, we’ll compare a 400gr in .416 with a 500gr in .458 because those are the “normal” heavyweights for each caliber. Then a 350gr vs a 400gr for the likes of Cape Buffalo, big bears, lion and moose size game. Unfortunately, I couldn’t find a current production 300gr .416 to compare with a 350gr in .458″.

SPECIAL NOTE: For the ill informed or unaware, the ballistics for the .458 Win Mag are based on COLs permitted by the long SAAMI throat of all .458 Winchester Magnums at up to 3.78″ in the Ruger No.1H and long action Mausers such as the CZ 550 that I previously owned, allowing the power space of a .458 Lott, at the Lott’s PSI of 62,500.

Let the games begin…. As previously suggested, there are these four common .416s: .416 Rigby, Taylor, Remington and Ruger. That is, more or less, the order of their appearance in time, though the Taylor was a “wildcat” till sometime after the .416 Remington came to market. And I’m aware of several other .416s that were “cats” or even “legit” at SAAMI but have since dropped out of sight. Even the .416 Chatfield-Taylor is no longer offered in most handloading journals though one is owned by hundreds of sportsmen, if not thousands. Being a .458 Win fan, I’ve been tempted to own its closest decendant in ballistics, the .416 Taylor. That was a favorite of the late author and African hunter, John Wootters – he liked it for lion and Cape Buffalo. And as an addendum, I’ll even pit the.416 Wby Mag against my Ruger No.1H in .458 for the likes of elephant, Cape Buff and lion.

FIRST up: the .416 – 400gr

Bullet: 400gr Hornady DGS

Sectional Density = .330

B.C. = .319

MV = 2500 fps/ 5553 ft-lbs/ 163 TE/ -1.6″ (some will give more, others less – this is average) Zero at 100 yds. Elevation = 1200 ft. Temp = 70 F

50 yds = 2374 fps/ 5006 ft-lbs/ 155 TE/ +.030″

100 yds = 2253 fps/ 4506 ft-lbs/ 147 TE/ +0.0″

150 yds = 2134 fps/ 4036 ft-lbs/ 139.5 TE/ -1.7″

200 yds = 2020 fps/ 3623 ft-lbs/ 132 TE/ – 5.3″

250 yds = 1909 fps/ 3236 ft-lbs/ 125 TE/ -11″ (TE is a product of momentum, sectional density and caliber)

NEXT the .458 Win Mag

Bullet: 500gr Hornady DGS

Sectional Density = .341

B.C. = .295

MV = 2300 fps/ 5875 ft-lbs/ 214 TE/ -1.6″

50 yds = 2170 fps/ 5229 ft-lbs/ 202 TE/ +0.13″

100 yds = 2045 fps/ 4644 ft-lbs/ 190 TE/ +0.0″

150 yds = 1925 fps/ 4112 ft-lbs/ 179 TE/ -2.2″

200 yds = 1809 fps/ 3631 ft-lbs/ 168 TE/ -6.8″

250 yds = 1698 fps/ 3200 ft-lbs/ 158 TE/ -14″

Quick analysis: In elephant and hippo hunting, solids would likely be used. Therefore the comparison above is fair, I think.

• For Cape Buff and lion, either a 450gr soft of 400gr expanding bullet would be near ideal in the .458 and a corresponding 350gr or 300gr would suffice in the .416’s. These could also be used for PG. To be as equitable as possible, I’ll choose the 404gr Shock Hammer in .458 (Thanks to the good work of Dr Ron Berry in convincing Hammer Bullets that such a bullet for the renowned .458 Win Mag would be a great idea.) for said soft skinned DG. In .416 the choice will be another great creation by Barnes: the 350gr TTSX.

FIRST up the 350gr TTSX in .416 caliber

Bullet: 350gr TTSX

Sectional Density = .289

B.C. = .444

MV = 2600 fps/ 5255 ft-lbs/ 130 TE/ -1.6″

100 yds = 2415 fps/ 4532 ft-lbs/ 121 TE/ +2.2″

200 yds= 2238 fps/3891 ft-lbs/ 112 TE/ 0.0″

300 yds= 2068 fps/ 3323 ft-lbs/ 103.5 TE/ -9.1″

400 yds = 1906 fps/ 2822 ft-lbs/ 95.5 TE/ -26.4″

< Since we don’t have many lions in our back yard, how about one of these?

NEXT the 404gr SH in .458″.

Bullet: 404gr Shock Hammer

Sectional Density = . 275

B.C. = .419

MV = 2550 fps/ 5832 ft-lbs/ 154 TE/ -1.6″

100 yds= 2356 fps/ 4982 ft-lbs/ 143 TE/ +2.35″

200 yds = 2171 fps/ 4228 ft-lbs/ 131.5 TE/ +0.0″

300 yds = 1995 fps/ 3569 ft-lbs/ 121 TE/ -9.7″

400 yds = 1827 fps/ 2994 ft-lbs/ 111 TE/ – 28.2″

Quick analysis: The .350gr/ .416′ shoots a bit flatter, but lags behind the 404gr SH in both energy and TE.

• The rifles should be similar in weight but the .416s will burn more powder to achieve their ballistics than the .458 Win.
• Recoil will also be similar with the .416s averaging about 51 ft-lbs and the .458 Win about 54 ft-lbs with each weighing around 10.5 lbs ready to hunt if a scope is used.

LASTLY, a bullet for each in general hunting of PG and North American big game.

• Unfortunately, Barnes has dropped their 300gr and 325gr in .416″ which means if a .416 owner wants to shoot “deer size” game and hogs he’s stuck with Barnes’ 350gr TTSX which is really a buffalo and brown bear bullet on this side of the pond!
• Fortunately, the .458 Win Mag owner is never poor in choices for smaller big game like whitetails or coyote! There are too many to count, depending on what and where, but I often load mine like .45-70 factory loads: a 300gr FT at 1800 fps, or a 300gr TSX like a .375 Weatherby or .378 Weatherby. Right now my deer and bear load is the 250gr Hornady MonoFlex at 2680 fps. That’s a tough bullet and retained 94% weight when shot into very tough media at ~2700 fps. The versatility of a .458 Win Mag has few peers due to the scores of bullets available off the shelf – most of which were made with the .45-70 in mind. Of course, there are also myriads of moulds on the market for making your own, and you can even custom order moulds.
• So on that basis, I declare it a NO CONTEST in our comparison of .416s with the UNIQUE .458 Winchester Magnum.

The Addendum: Compared to the .416 Weatherby:

• The Weatherby can shoot a 400gr at up to 2700 fps/ 6476 ft-lbs. As intended, those are intoxicating numbers!
• But there are other ways and means of evaluating such a concoction! For example:
• By momentum:
• By caliber:
• By S.D.:
• By TE:
• Let’s do that in comparing apples to apples – the 400gr DGX in .416″ at 2700 fps with the 500gr DGX at 2300 fps… OK?

• <In a late fall test in tough media (November, 2022) these four .458″ bullets from my Ruger No.1H in .458 Win Mag were retrieved : L to R: 250gr Hornady MonoFlex, 450gr Swift AF, 500gr DGX and 550gr Woodleigh Weldcore. (The two separate pieces belong to the Woodleigh). The Hornady 500gr DGX out-penetrated all others by a significant margin.

At the muzzle:

Momentum: 154 M for the .416 Weatherby, and 214 M for the .458 Win Mag!

Caliber: 0.1358 sq-in for the .416, and 0.1647 sq-in for the .458.

S.D.: .330 for the 400gr and .341 for the 500gr.

TE: 176.5 for the .416, and 213.8 for the .458.

At 300 yds:

Momentum: 112 M for the .416 Weatherby, and 132 M for the .458 Winchester Magnum.

TE: 128 TE for the .416 Weatherby, and 147 TE for the .458 Winchester Magnum.

A long time ago, I did these anaysis and came to the conclusion that the .458 Winchester Magnum was the best choice of a BIG BORE when all that mattered was accounted for!

AND, by the way: Recoil from the .416 Weatherby when shooting a 400gr at 2700 fps = 80 ft-lbs vs 66 ft-lbs for the .458 Win. That’s at 10.5 lbs weight each and sans muzzle brakes.

A bit late this week as on Saturday morning our clan (or a part of it) was at STACKS celebrating a birthday for our daughter, Colleen. That included her husband, my wife and I, a son with wife and two kids, and a son-in-law with their daughter (Colleen’s daughter was sick with a flu so she was missing). It was a hoot! We enjoyed our time together – as we always do, with our great-grandkids present (we’ve many others elsewhere) they had a good time enjoying their cousins.

Just though you might enjoy knowing something about us!

Till the next…

Shalom

BOB MITCHELL

The Unique .458 Win Mag compared to the .416s – P1

Several fitting adjectives could be ascribed to the .458 Winchester Magnum, such as: Wonderful, Great, Historic, Powerful, Famed, Practical, Useful, Superb, Exceptional… etc, but for this article I’ve chosen “Unique” because that seems best fitted to its timing, design, purpose and character.

< My former CZ 550 in .458 Winchester Magnum in a bear blind.

Post war Americans were not only emerging as the most militarily powerful nation but in economics as well. Many sportsmen were wanting to venture abroad to hunt the world’s largest and most dangerous game – which meant African. To that point in time, the most powerful and readily available made in America, by Winchester, was the British .375 H&H which had released its proprietary status to the public sector. And the big English cartridges loaded with cordite for large and dangerous African game were no longer in production due to the ravages of the war, thus the timing and economics were ripe in 1956 for Winchester to introduce an African model of its famed M70 in .458-caliber, the .458 Winchester Magnum.

It was destined to become the most popular and useful Big Bore in the hands of both clients and PHs alike in pursuit of Africa’s largest and most dangerous game.

A lot of water has flowed under many bridges since then, while both advocates and adversaries have picked their sides of a dispute over what in this article I’ll refer to Winchester’s 1956 creation as: “The Unique .458 Winchester Magnum”. Where it stands today, as a creation of one of the world’s most recognized and prolific rifle manufacturers, it is UNIQUE. There are competitors but none like it in it’s combination of universal acceptance, longevity, versatility, and with more than adequate power and manageable recoil. It stands alone when all that matters in this type and purpose of rifle are objectively weighed.

When I started writing blogs back in 2008, the .458 Winchester Magnum was compared with all other Big Bores still being manufactured or having reloading components available. The .458 Win Mag was near the top of my priorities. Now, with a clean sheet and a lot more experience with two distinct .458 Win Mags, I’ll venture again, but this time only in comparing the “Unique .458 Win Mag” with the .416s found in current reloading manuals.

Followers of these blogs already know that the two models of .458 Win Mag rifles to which I’m referring are a CZ 550 and my current Ruger No.1H. Of course, the CZ was a magazine rifle that held five down, plus one in the chamber, and it sported a 25″ barrel (like the original M70 by Winchester). The Ruger No.1H is, of course, a single-shot. You’ll probably want to know which is my favorite of those two.

The first edition of my reloading manual on the .458 Winchester Magnum was in 2008, and largely based on my reloading experiences of the CZ 550. The CZ was my second rifle in .458. Several years earlier I’d owned a Ruger 77 in that chambering with a 22″ barrel that only saw my first experiences in handloading a .458 Win Mag. The CZ took another level and taught me the full potential of that magnum cartridge in a Mauser magnum action and 25″ barrel. In 2011 the 2nd edition appeared with updates from an additional three years experience with that rifle in both handloads and hunting.

The Ruger No.1H has fired a greater variety of bullets and loads than the CZ, and that is ongoing. The CZ was sold in 2011.

In a comparison of the two there are these similarities and distinctions: Their ready-to-hunt weights would be close. In the CZ 550, there was a slightly longer but slimmer 25″ barrel. Then, of course, the true magnum Mauser action which together with the longer barrel made it six inches longer than the Ruger No.1H in OL. Also, the CZ could hold five down, plus one in the chamber. All that and yet it wasn’t heavier than my Ruger with one in the chamber and three in a stock cartridge holder. So the Ruger No.1H, as a bare-bones rifle, was actually slightly heavier than the CZ stripped of hunting essentials (ammo and scope). In plain enough language, that is telling me that the Ruger No.1H is more sturdily built. It does have a significantly heavier barrel. And the action of the Ruger No.1 is renowned for it’s strength.

Knowing what I do from hunting experiences and hundreds of handloads in each, if I had to pick one over the other it would be the Ruger No.1H

<This one, and also on the header.

But some will think, if not outright saying it, “But it’s a single-shot!”. No it isn’t! I have actually fired more handloads through it than the CZ which holds a pocket full of cartridges! A so-called “magazine repeating rifle” has the potential for a second shot somewhat faster than a so-called “single-shot”, depending on WHO the operator is of each! Personally, I’m not less at ease in hunting with a “single-shot” than a “repeater”. To each his own, of course. Ideally, if I lived in Alaska and had to deal with truculent bears on a semi-regular basis, I might prefer my old Ruger 77 bolt-action. But I don’t live in Alaska and the bears I hunt usually show up at baits at a reasonable distance with adequate time for a careful well-placed shot – which if well-placed ends the story right then and there! On the other hand, if I run into one unawares at very short range, I’ll get a “single shot” so I much prefer that one shot to stop trouble from happening! What about nerves? If I get a negative “case of nerves” at this stage of the game, I’d better quit while I’m ahead… don’t ya think?

It’s my strong opinion that a .458 Winchester Magnum, suitably handloaded, can handle any situation, good or bad, if the operator has the composure and experience fit for the task confronting him/her. That could be a brown bear at five yards or an elk on the side of a mountain at 400 yds. And all that from a single load: a 404gr Shock Hammer at 2500 to 2600 fps. Split the difference… call it 2550 fps. At 5 yds, impact velocity would be 2540 fps/ 5789 ft-lbs/ 154 TE. Cape buff have been dropped with far less! At 400 yds = 1810 fps/ 2940 ft-lbs/ 110 TE. Enough for a freight train! Seriously… that’s equal to an 1895 Marlin .45-70 at the muzzle! And that’s from one bullet and load only! There are literally scores of .458″ bullets and thousands of potential loads!

<These are a few: L to R: 500gr Hornady RN, 500gr African GS, 500gr Hornady RN, two 480gr Hornady DGX, two 450gr Barnes TXS, and a 450gr Swift AF.

How, then, does that compare with the most common .416s? (We’ll not include the .416 Weatherby as it stands apart from the others, though I did include it in my initial blogs that compared all common Big Bores with the .458 Win Mag.)

Generally, the .416s make between 2400 and 2500 fps for their heavyweight 400 grainers, so I’ll be generous in granting 2500 fps, though for long distance shooting a 350gr is much better. So, we’ll do this: The best weights for dangerous mammoths from the .416s vs the same philosophy from the .458 Win – which would be a 500gr and a 450gr vs a 400gr and 350 from the .416s. Finally, a 350gr – .458 vs a 300gr .416. That’d be fair, don’t ya think?

P2 – hopefully, I will answer any objective questions with objective answers.

Till the next…

Shalom

BOB MITCHELL

The Super .338s – How do they Compare?

The USN has multiple Carrier Air Wings. They stand prepared day and night for war. Even in “peace time”! Why?

Not because of theory but due to reality that was born from war. For example: The current Russian invasion of an independant democratic country that was uncalled for.

I’ve been preaching for some time that hunters need to be fully equipped and prepared for “war”! Especially if they want and intend to survive in any country or territory where “the enemy” has stealth, cunning, craftiness, speed and power that far outclasses any human, Thus he/she needs the right equipment for compensation. But equal force may only result in an eventual truce – but not before losses to both sides in personnel and equipment that not only could they ill afford to lose, but NEVER replace leaving both sides vunerable to lesser powers!

I’ve read accounts, and likely you have also, where both the animal and hunter died. No winners, only losers! So to insure that the hunter returns home healthy and in good spirit, he must go into battle with overwhelming force or power, or however we may want to put it, that ensures he/she is the victor – no ifs, buts or ands! Sure, there have been heroes in war times – but most died in battle! I have no intention to become a “hero” in attempting to kill a dangerous animal while armed with inferior weapons !

< At 1000 miles (1600 km) from home, I had a bull moose tag and also one for black bear. There were fourteen-inch wide bear scat “pies” throughout the area! That’s a .458 Winchester Magnum over my shoulder – too much gun?

I didn’t think so!

Therefore, there’s surely a place for the likes of the Super .338s !

Do they have a niche in the theory of rifle ballistics in modern “warfare” with creatures that are, as described above, more stealthy, cunning, crafty, faster and far more powerful – that outclasses our own natural abilities?

Evidently such a place in rifle ballistics has proven its worth to many or there would be little to no interest by various companies in developing and manufacturing them. And the manufacturers need dealers and the dealers need buyers. And apart from the resurrection of 6.5s, .338-caliber of the “hot” variety is selling like “hot cakes”! Just look at the number and variety of bullets available today in .338″! And they are not specifically made for the .338-06 or .338 Win Mag, but for those with extra power and reach, like the .338 Lapua.

So, my nominations for the “Supers” to be compared are: .33 Nosler, .340 Wby, .338 RUM and .338 Lapua. Yeah… there are some obscure others (the .338 Edge, etc) that don’t appear in typical reloading manuals, but the 4 mentioned will suffice, plus the .338-378 might interest a few as well, so I’ll acknowledge that one too, making a total of 5.

But the first thing is: What can they do that other .338s can’t, and secondly, who has interest in them, and why?

< My .340 Weatherby Magnum at 1600 km from home.

WHAT CAN THEY DO? According to the Nosler 9 manual, all from 26″ barrels, the .340 Wby and .338 Lapua made OVER 2700 fps shooting their two 300gr hunting bullets (AB and ABLR) with very high BCs of .720 (AB) and .735 (ABLR). The .338-.378 made over 2800 fps. The .338 Win Mag will make those same numbers but only from 250s. That’s 20 – 25% more at any range for the “Supers”! At long range of 600 yards the .340 and Lapua would be making 2900 ft-lbs. The .33 Nosler falls behind that to 2540 ft-lbs, the .338 RUM at 2740 ft-lbs, and the .338-.378 at 3150 ft-lbs. What could one do with all that power at 600 yards? Hmmm… Well, for one thing, it would make a great moose load at 600 yds! Where I hunted moose in the far north of our province, the potential was there as I stood in a clear cut where moose had been crossing. I could see for well over 600 yds. 2800 to 3000 ft-lbs at impact isn’t too much for a big bull that might go over 1200 lbs! I ended up shooting a good bull (1100 lbs) at 165 yds with my .340 Wby, but I was fully prepared for a 600 yd shot.

WHO MIGHT BUY THEM?

Those who want and can afford them! No doubt, among that group are those who just want one to “play with” – to see what it will do. That’s legit in my book… I’m also guilty! But my main interest in the .340 was for hunting moose in Northern Ontario. In the meantime I learned a whole bunch about potential .340 ballistics, and using it as a hunting tool in the ecosystem of the Far North. If not for my current age and the challenges of getting there, getting it done and out again, I’d be interested in another on sale at my fave gun emporium – a used Sako in that number with a McMillan 25″ ported barrel. (Likely, there’s somebody reading this that will pick it up as they know my “fave gun emporium” – it’s happened in the past! Looks like a good deal…)

NOW, TO COMPARE THEM

Going by Nosler’s 9, the .340 Wby and .338 Lapua are comparable, depending on which bullet is compared – sometimes the Lapua passes the .340 in a particular matchup, at others it’s reversed by the .340 surpassing the Lapua. The .33 Nosler fell behind the others as the bullets got heavier. Of course, the .338-.378 Wby is always a step in front of the others due to its mammoth case based on the .378 Wby Mag. The .338 RUM is close to both the .340 Wby and Lapua, again depending on powders and bullets in the comparison.

A few things worth noting:

• Case volume doesn’t always determine the result of which will be fastest with the same bullet. It was evident that sometimes a faster powder was used for a heavier bullet that gave the best results instead of a slower powder that might have been expected.

• Case shape and the powder used were also major factors in the final results of Nosler’s tests. Case volume was a factor but not a major one, except for the outsized .338-378. And I doubt that Nosler was making any attempt to showcase one cartridge over another since their own .33, on the whole, gave inferior results to the others. From careful analysis, it is certain that the “perfect” powder was often wanting for best results. By that is meant that when top velocity is from a powder that is less than 100% load density, or more than 100%, the ideal powder hasn’t been used or is lacking. Then, of course, there’s no way of knowing what the psi actually was unless it was revealed – which mostly is missing in all manuals because we (the handloader) can’t replicate it for several reasons well known to astute and experienced handloaders.

• There’s no question, from the same seven types of .338″ Nosler bullets used in the production of data for Nosler’s manual 9, that bullets from the 180gr AB to the 300gr RDF (7 types and 16 total in .338-caliber) gave significantly different results from cartridge to cartridge, and not always as might be expected since, for example, the .340 Wby gave best results from a faster powder (75 grs of IMR 4350) under the 300gr at 97% load density, at 2727 fps, only 24 fps less than the .338 Lapua that used 98 grs of RL33, 102% load density at 2751 fps. Obviously, the .340 would produce significantly less recoil for the same down range effect.

• The biggest is not always “the best” as measured by a reality check: The .338-.378 Wby holds 113.1 grs water when the 300gr AB is loaded to a 3.75″ COL. It’s best MV was 2831 fps from 115 grs US869 at 104% load density. In comparison, the .340 Wby -as stated – used 75 grs IMR 4350 for 2727 fps (104 fps less) at 97% load density at 3.7″ COL. It’s capacity is 82.5 grs water with that bullet seated in a Nosler case.

• We must assume that Nosler was aware of SAAMI standards in psi and case dimensions but did not necessarily regard SAAMI in COL. The .340 Wby could act in the stead of both the RUM and Lapua, being somewhat superior to the .33 Nosler, but not in every loading. The .338-.378 is definitely superior in ballistics but not as much as might be expected. When we take into account the amount of powder burned to produce those .338-378 ballistics, and the subsequent recoil, (I know a brake will be used – or should be) that, no doubt, has caused even some of the bravest to have second thoughts! Consider this: Even at nearly 6000 ft-lbs, how much powder has to be burned to make 2935 fps/5738 ft-lbs from a 300gr? In dividing that number by 119 grs we get 48 ft-lbs KE per grain (according to another source). The .340 Wby using 75 grs got 4953 ft-lbs = 66 ft-lbs per grain! That doesn’t matter to some, but it does to me! And, .340 brass can easily be made from .375 H&H brass, at pennies compared to that humongous .338-378! And recoil? 46 ft-lbs vs 70 ft-lbs!

All matters considered, take your pick! Any of them is capable for any game in Alaska-Yukon, and anything in Africa that’s legal at extra-ordinary ranges. Adding reason to the equation, finances and other needs like physical fitness, including the hunt itself in the larger picture – any of these isn’t a poor option to have around if bigger and badder might decide to go to war with us. If I were younger again, of these five, I’d choose the .340 because I’m familiar with it and know that a good condition .338 Win Mag could easily, with little cost, be made into a functional .340 Wby.

< But there are alternatives to the powerful Super .338s that are more versatile. This one replaced my .340 Wby. It’s shorter, handier and lighter, and can do anything a Super-.338 can do to 500 yards. It’s my TIKKA T3 Lite in 9.3 x 62. It will safely fire the 286gr Nosler Partition at up to 2643 fps/ 4435 ft-lbs (average) into sub-moa, and the 320gr Woodleigh Weldcore PP to 2474 fps/ 4348 ft-lbs. After a severe bout of arthritis for a couple of years, I toned down the 286gr load by a couple of grains of RL17 to 2583 fps/ 4236 ft-lbs, and minus one grain to 2436 fps/ 4216 ft-lbs for the 320 because it was more accurate. Yet the 250gr AB flies flatter for anything moose size to 500 yards.

Till the next… The Unique .458 Win Mag compared to the .416s.

Shalom

BOB MITCHELL

Managing a Hunting Rifle – P2

The HUNTER

His PURPOSE: to use a weapon suitable for the hunt. Since the topic is hunting rifles, we’ll not be discussing handguns, bows, shotguns or other possible means for success in the field. Rifles for hunting are numerous. Without going into the details of each one, usually they fall into five groups: bolt-actions, lever-actions, semi-autos, doubles and single-shots. Depending on the type of hunt, the species persued and the environment, certain types of rifles might be more suitable than others. For example: In a mountain hunt for goats in the Rockies…

Having never personally hunted the Rockies, that eliminates personal experience of all species hunted there. So I’m not about to write anything on such an expedition. Yet I’ve watched videos and read stories of how difficult and even treacherous such a hunt can be in any mountainous terrain. So I have some second-hand knowledge but I’d want to check it out with some who have real experience. I know that O’Connor was a “great” mountain sheep hunter (not on “sheep” farms) and often used numbers like a .270 or .30-06. I’d, therefore, would likely choose a .300 Win Mag for myself, but would still want to hear from someone I personally knew who has had ample experience.

Why would I choose a .300 Win Mag and not a .270 or .30-06, or some other number of that class? The answer is simple: I have a lot more experience with numerous .300 Win Mags than any .270, .30-06 or .308 Win. I know what I can do with one and have more confidence in a .300 mag than the others mentioned in more challenging circumstances. In fact, I’ve only owned one .270 that was an investment buy, and did one (unsuccessful) deer hunt with it. I started handloading with a .30-06, having owned a total of two, and moved on to a .300 Win Mag of which I’ve owned eight. So that may answer any questions as to preferences and confidence… which a hunter MUST have in his weapon of choice no matter the game or terrain.

Then, a .300 Win Mag (or Weatherby, and others of their ilk) is less limited and more versatile than those three common deer rifles when conditions, range, angle of the shot and game sizes are uncertain.

<This bear was taken near the southern border of Algonquin Park, Ontario. A 175gr Nosler Partition at 3000 fps from my 7mm Wby Mag between neck and shoulder flattened the bruin.

That’s given as an example of:

The hunter’s PERSONALITY:

BEST = better in my view of the world! That’s not to suggest that perfection is always possible, or EVER possible, but I think we should aim for, at the very least, the BEST possibles. Anything that’s inferior is…. well, INFERIOR! And I’m NOT talking ART here, but CHARACTER.

I don’t want inferior tools in the fair chase of live game of any DIMENSION or DISPOSITION, and in particular ANY that can turn on me and do me harm! So… as one example: I believe a .338 Win Mag is a BETTER choice than a .270 for where I”ve hunted moose in the Far North of our Province. I recommended that to a fellow range member who annually moose hunted in the mid-north of our Province when he expressed some frustration with the results of his .270 on big moose at ranges beyond 300 yards (Where their group had permits to annually hunt could take in ranges beyond 500 yds.). He relunctly moved on to a 7 Rem Mag and found it not a whole lot better than his “beloved” .270 – which was expected in my view. Finally, he agreed (but never admitted it) that a .338 Win Mag might be a better solution. A couple of years later he was jubilant in meeting me – he had shot and killed two bulls: one at nearly 400 yards and the other at over 400 yds using the 210gr Nosler Partition at 3000 fps from his new M70 in .338 Winchester Magnum!

A testament again to my personality: Better IS best. And best may at times be too much, but nothing is lost! But too much is better in the long run than not enough! Which would you rather have: too much money in your bank account or not enough to pay your bills?

I apparently have the mindset of Bob Hagel. I never knew or heard of Bob Hagel until I purchased a book with this title: Game Loads and Practical Ballistics for the American Hunter by Bob Hagel. I’ve read sections of the book multiple times and have to agree with him… or found that he agreed with me!

Enough for the average situation may NOT be enough in different and more demanding situations. The main problem is knowing in advance which of those kinds of situations may confront us!

So (like Hagel) I always go prepared for the worst possible and not the best possible, because only God knows what lies ahead, and He has told me to prepare by prayer and prudence! (Ecclesiastes 7: 11 ” WISDOM IS A SHELTER…” , ” WISDOM PRESERVES THOSE WHO HAVE IT.” – King Solomon)

The hunter’s PROGRESS

In every stage and experience of life there should be progress or further development. That’s ideal, but many get “stuck in the mud”! There are diverse causes, no doubt, some of which may be outside the pail of personal fault… BUT, from sixty-plus years as a pastor-counselor I firmly believe that at least 50% of any blame for lack of progress in a person’s personal life – intellectual, maturity, achievements, rising above any negatives, etc…, must be owned by the individual himself/herself! And the same for myself after eighty-seven years on this earth living with the times and conditions delt to me.

In all of this, as hunters we must accept personal responsibility for our degree of expertise! True, many – perhaps even a majority – have had it “dumped into their laps”! That is, they grew up at a time and place where hunting activities was a fact of every day living.

The University of New Brunswick (located at Fredericton, the Capitol) gave two weeks off, during the deer season, to any students so interested. I was a young pastor of four country churches located from 25 to 60 miles northeast of UNB. Two brothers at UNB took that time off for deer hunting. They invited me to join them. Their father was a woodsman and hunter. The area I worked in was farming and logging, and many men (young or old) bought annual deer licences. But that was not my background. Mine was on the east coast in a fishing community, so I got a late start, and my “job” wasn’t in farming or lumbering… and with time I ended up in the “big cities” of Eastern Canada (Montreal and Toronto) that didn’t lend themselves to thoughts of hunting and the outdoors, though it was always in “the back of MY mind”.

That’s cited only as a hint of the challenges that might have to be “overcome” by the majority of our populations that are NOT rural dwellers but urban or suburban, who still love the outdoors and fishing/hunting. Such was my case.

<The 1895 Marlin in .45-70 became a “love affair” as I learned through development of handloads that it was more effective and “powerful” than many “magnums”.

Nonetheless, when the time came, as well as the economics, I unleashed the pent-up desire for the outdoors through handloading and hunting while still living in urban and suburban conditions. And for the past thirty-five years, my wife and I have lived in the same home on the edge of rural Ontario. An hour’s drive to the NW, N and NE puts me in prime semi-wildness areas, some of which is true wilderness. We’ve lived the longest here than on any other part of this planet, which has handed me ample opportunities to develop skills in handloading multiple rifles (bolt-actions, lever-actions and single-shots) and using them in hunting experiences.

The point? Make good use of every opportunity to explore our God-given intelligence, aptitudes, interests and physical abilities for our own welfare, the benefit of others, and the glory of God as we give Him praise and thanks for making us who we are, and the privileges we enjoy for expressing them and knowing Him! After all, we didn’t choose to be who we are or the conditions of our birth! That was not our wisdom and choice! But what we do with it is related to our choices! Or, is it HIS?

The hunter’s POWER

Our mental and physical powers are puny/minuscule compared NOT to “a higher power”, but to GOD ALMIGHTY (“I am God Almighty”, said by God himself in Genesis 17:1, plus scores of other biblical references!) Some poor souls imagine that SCIENCE is almighty god! But so-called “science” (knowledge) is still in it’s infancy! Almost every day scientists fall upon something “new” that startles them which not only changes what thay have believed from past “knowledge”, but REVERSES IT! Some of Newtonian physics has been turned upside-down! And that’s not the end of matters either! More on the way… I’ve, personally, no doubt that GOD, the Only One, will be vindicated at the end of time, and “little” man will be left looking foolish! Time is a creation with the universe (or universes). GOD IS TIMELESS! Outside of time, since He created it!

The biggest and most powerful rifle we could ever tote into a hunting situation is puny compared to missles, rockets and cannons that are being used in wars today, as in Ukraine! And even the “greatest” of men in their fields of influence, command and control, are impotent without the “breathe of life” that is in GOD’s hands! Let’s NOT forget that! Otherwise, God who is timeless, may catch us unaware like a lion from a thornbush!

Many have thought themselves “mighty”, like Putin, and they turned out to be “paper tigers”… they met their Maker when they believed He didn’t exist! I wonder… what did they have to say then?

No “man” is God, he/she, whomever they might be in their own eyes, or the eyes of others, will fail and return to dust! So stop putting trust in mortal, frail human beings, who are weak and sinful at best, and evil at worst!

And let’s stop judging God on the basis of the short-sighted views of theologians, historians and athiests who know neither God nor His power!

And inasmuch as God permits us to own and use rifles as sportsmen and women, let’s be wise in their choices and use.

With my personality and love of the outdoors which takes me into big game country, I have chosen rifles that in themselvs are capable of fulfilling my expectations, dreams and practical hunting excursions into the rough and rugged Algonquin Highlands of Ontario. There, I have encountered both sexes of moose, bear and whitetails, as well as coyote and wolf, and tracks of mountail lion… not even to mention lesser creatures like birds, rabbits, squirrels, etc.

My purpose is to tote the most powerful weapon I’m intimately familiar with and suitable for any creature on my licenses, under any and all circumstances… Period!

Therefore… given nearly four decades of experience in those areas and much farther north, I favor Big Bores and Mediums.

<As recently published, that rifle is my “much loved” Ruger No.1H in .458 Winchester Magnum. It was being used to test some heavy bullets in that box of tightly compressed dry-glossy magazines from close range. Such a Big Bore can be useful for testing purposes as well as for hunting.

Till the next… (Comparing the Super .338s)

Shalom

BOB MITCHELL