A DAY at The RANGE

More like a half-day, but . . .

It was a very positive experience.

I took my two big guns, and shot them back to back, back to back. That gave a somewhat new perception, but the right one.

How do we measure such experiences? Perhaps most often its an evaluation of a particular handload in a particular rifle. Or trying a number of handloads for the same rifle. We then make judgments based on what? Sometimes it’s numbers or feelings, what we like or how we “feel” about results – their accuracy, MVs, recoil, consistency – often a blend of physics and feelings. Then, there’s the rifle itself – how much do we like it – our previous range experiences AND field work with it? Expectations? Does it meet those, exceed them or fall short? All of this and more add to or detract from our mental “score” for the rifle – whether expressed or tucked away in memory. Hoping for better things, or just the “feeling” that this rifle doesn’t fit as a companion in my hunting and shooting adventures.

“A DAY at The RANGE”, it “was a very positive experience” expresses my sentiment without much afterthought. The day was Friday, May 3rd, 2024. I don’t normally go to the range on Fridays because it’s the first day of the weekend for many members, and that means it will be busier than early in the week when I usually go. So why did I choose Friday? Because my son, Phil, planned to be there and invited me to join him. . . how could I refuse? And I did need to go at least one more time to check the sight-ins of my planned-for bear-hunt rifles, that had already commenced two days earlier! On Wednesday of that week (May 1st) I’d put in bait and toted last year’s rifle, the single-shot .35 Whelen. But my plan for this year’s spring bear hunt was the Ruger No.1H in .458 Win Mag, and the back-up will be the Zastava M70 in .375 H&H. So those two went to the range for The Day at The Range!

What’s it like to shoot back to back and then back to back, a .375 H&H and a .458 Winchester Magnum? Starting with the .375, then the .458, then the .375 again, and finishing with the .458.

Very pleasant, actually! It’s the best way to check them out in the real world.

< We don’t wait for a scene like this to find out if our rifle and ammo are working as hoped for. That was the renowned African PH, the late Dr. Don Heath facing down a charging bull elephant. Yes, he did shoot it and the rifle and ammo worked as he expected – a 9.3 x 62. I don’t recall the bullet but surely it was a solid of at least 285 grs.

On Internet forums, subjective opinions too often become dominant. Well, how do those two “African” rifles compare in felt recoil, handling and effect? That question, as stated, becomes an open field for opinions and speculation because the expected answers might be based on conjecture provided by what and whom? A majority opinion could be based on hearsay or limited experience because relatively few own and regularly shoot even a .375 H&H, and much less a .375 WBY or .375 Ruger! And from that grouping, a small percentile owns a .458 Winchester Magnum, and even if they do it get’s shot very little with serious Africa-intended loads. There are warm to hot debates on Internet forums as to whether a .416-caliber cartridge is really that much better than a .375 magnum. Few mention the .458 Win Mag in any such contest as it’s already a given that when aptly loaded there’s little to compare with it unless it’s bigger, louder and nastier.

So, back to back, and again back to back shooting of serious African dangerous game loads is a very rare test of not only the participant’s endurance and ability, but also of firsthand reporting of valid impressions and physical results. Since I intend to have both rifles with me, I now have a realistic expectation of results from the standpoint of handling and shooting those chosen loads in those two rifles.

So what are their similarities and distinctiions?

What was SIMILAR?: Their weight and their recoil. Not identical, but similar. As stated in a previous recent blog, the Zastava M70 in .375 H&H weighs 9.75 lbs with a 3-9 x 40mm Burris Fulfield II scope mounted, but empty of ammo. With three cartridges loaded with the 250gr TTSX in the magazine it is an exact 10 lbs. That is a max load from that bullet in my rifle with its 22″ barrel.

The 400gr TBBC Federal factory load at 2282 fps is no slouch in my .458, but far from a max handload that can drive a 400gr at more than 2500 fps from a 24″ barrel. In fact, from a handload, I’ve reached 2590 fps/5957 ft-lbs from a Barnes 400gr X-Bullet in my Ruger No.1H at about 50% more recoil than the Federal factory 400 TBBC. There’s much to like about a milder load when “full power” isn’t called for. It’s easy to do that with handloads in a .458 Win.

< The Zastava M70 in .375 H&H at last year’s bear hunt in September, loaded with the same 250 TTSX.

The Ruger No.1H in .458 Winchester Magnum is 10.25 lbs empty with the 2 – 7 x 32 Nikon scope mounted. Depending on how many .458 loaded cartridges in the stock cartridge holder, the weight varies between 10.5 and 11 lbs.

Both empty with their scopes, the .458 is 1/2 lb heavier. So that’s the way I shoot them at the range. I load a single cartridge in either before squeezing the trigger.< The Ruger No.1H in .458 Winchester Magnum in the late fall of 2022. It was loaded with the 250gr Hornady MonoFlex (not the 325gr FTX with a lead core made for bambi at not more than 2300 fps). It was made for the .45-70 and .450 Marlin in Marlin’s 1895, for large-tough and dangerous game. It was shooting into sub-moa at 100 yds from the Ruger No.1H at ~2700 fps. That is a very tough bullet made of solid copper and withstood a severe test in media retaining 94% of unfired weight. I came near to choosing the same load for this year’s hunt (2024) but decided to give the Federal 400gr TBBC Premium load a try. The above scene is not more than 100 yds from my current bear-bait site.

RECOIL: As previously written, numbers suggest physical recoil should be near identical when 15% reduction is attributed to the Mag-Na-Porting on the Ruger No.1H. But I question that number. In felt recoil the .458 seems more to me. The porting and heavy 24″ barrel keeps the barrel from jumping and the rifle comes more straight back on my shoulder, though I have a good grip on the forend.

The .375 H&H, on the other hand, jumps much more on the front end. Though I have a good grip on its forearm as well, it comes off the front rest completely but punches my shoulder with less force than the .458.

But in a comparison, as they were both shot from the bench, neither causes fear or trauma. I can handle either as “normal” for what they are. In going from one to the other no major adjustments needed in managing their recoil.

Though, if I were seriously arthritic in my left shoulder (I shoot from my left side), I’d drop down to a .300 Win Mag or my .35 Whelen for larger and potentially dangerous bears.

DIFFERENCES in the two rifles at The RANGE:

• The .375 is not as handy as the .458 in those configurations. It’s longer despite its shorter barrel. It also has a longer reach from butt to trigger. In addition, with my smallish hands, in holding the pistol grip tightly, I’ve trouble reaching the trigger with my trigger finger. All that is a matter of the wood stock being proportioned for a large man. And the wood stock is much heavier than it needs to be. Though it comes to my shoulder perfectly, and aligns itself quickly and naturally to the scope eyepiece, it needs work on the stock to fit comfortably, or a replacement. And I’m not inclined to either of those solutions as long as I have the rifle. I’ll live with it and make those adjustments until I pass it on. Having said all that, the fit and finish of wood and metal are beautifully done! It’s also very accurate with particular loads.

• The Ruger No.1H in .458 Win is a classic in its own right. It’s beautifull in my view and perfection in balance and handling. Finding acceptable to great accuracy is not a concern. With its 10+lb weight, it’s simply a matter of adjusting any expectations of swift movements. When done with practice and adequate experience, it comes to my shoulder smoothly and naturally, and aligns the scope without any stress or extra head movement. I’ve had none better in that regard. And it’s compact at ~40″ OL. It doesn’t need a 6 – 24 x 50mm scope, nor should such a monstrosity be mounted on any .458. The 2 – 7 x 32mm is a perfect fit and quintessential for any jobs assigned to it. If I ever have to replace it, a 2 – 7 x 33 Leupold would likely get the assignment. I don’t want a 20mm objective lens on any scope for bear hunting, nor a 30mm tube.

• Triggers: Both are light. The .375’s is a bit too. I adjusted the creep out of it so that the safety would still work, but it’s almost like a bench trigger for target shooting. If it weren’t for the hassle of dismantling it again, working with itsy-bitsy tools, nuts and screws, I’d like to set it at about 3 & 1/2 lbs. Right now it’s about 2 lbs. The No.1H Ruger is 3 lbs. The Ruger never goes off before I want, but on a few occasions, the .375 has!

• Single-Shot vs magazine rifle: or the Ruger No.1H .458 Win Mag vs the Zastava M70 bolt-action repeater in .375 H&H. I’ve written a lot on this theme in past blogs, so without repeating it all again, this will be a “single-shot” attempt at rehearsal: 1) Either is a repeater depending on how it’s defined. 2) They each have advantages and disadvantages. Whichever is chosen for a particular hunt, we need to know them thoroughly and what to expect from them.

I’m very familiar with single-shot rifles, lever-actions, semis, and both left-hand and right-hand bolt actions. So I adjust my thinking to what I’m using. It’s perhaps interesting to note that in many decades of hunting both small and big game, two quick shots have never been needed to saved the day for me. But if I were to choose any particular rifle action, from preference and experience, that might be faster for a second or third shot it would be a lever-action (they’re ambidextrous), since I shoot from my left side as a right-handed person. The main disadvantage of lever-actions is their limitations of suitable all-purpose cartridges that I prefer. The fastest rifle for multiple shots on big game that I’ve ever owned was a Ruger 96/44 in .44 Rem Mag. But, of course, it was limited in effective range, and accuracy was so-so, not great. I used it for a decade for scouting bear and bringing in bear-bait to sites. For those chores it couldn’t be beat! It had a low-power Bushnell scope.

• Ballistics: As revealed in several previous blogs, my load this year for bears in my .458 WIN is Federal’s Premium Safari 400gr TBBC. So far, of 20 in a single plastic container, I’ve fired 12 for data, sighting-in at 50 yds and practice. That’s $10 Cdn per shot! The last 3 (after adjustments) went into dead-center at 50 yds (my bear-bait site is 40 – 45 yds from my ground blind). Center to center extreme spread was 0.86″. It was a very windy day, but I’m more than satisfied. Chronographed in March, five averaged 2282 fps corrected to MV. Recoil is ~43 ft-lbs. Impact velocity at 43 yds should be ~2184 fps/4238 ft-lbs.

<The final three from the .458 Win at 50 yds.

• The .375 H&H is shooting the 250 TTSX at ~2850 fps. Since it’s for back-up, at 43 yds itshould be doing ~2758 fps/4220 ft-lbs. But of course, the 400gr/.458 has a lot more momentum, a larger cross-sectional area by 50%, and a higher SD of .272 vs .254 which all have meaning. Depending on how the bullets respond to flesh and bone, I’d give any advantage to the .458, 400gr. – “all else equal” – I had to say that, though they never are “all else equal”.

• After some adjustment, the last three fired from the .375 H&H were dead on at 50 yds and 100. At 50 they went into 0.50″ and at 100 into a perfect triangle of 1″ per side. Can’t beat that for consistent on a v. windy day!

Previous to this work on May 3rd, I was at the range a month earlier on a cold and windy day. I made quick work of the sightings of these two rifles that was good enough, but not as good as liked. So the first shot from each rifle on May 3rd is indicated by the “before”. The three following the preliminary shots for each are indicated by “after”. And that’s where they’ll be hitting on any bear at 40 – 50 yards – within an inch of where the rifle is pointing when the trigger breaks. I’ve adjusted the reticle to intersect where the final 3 shots are on the target for the .375 H&H. The Nikon scope on the .458 is set perfectly for 50 yds. In case a longer shot it needed, their current settings will do the job out to 100 yds or more without holdover.

< The final 3 shots within the circle from the .375 H&H.

At my age, I don’t have any long-term plans for anything! Any long-term will surely put me in heaven, which is a far better place – even than a “Good day at The Range”! And that’s the only Good News! In the near future, nothing good is heading our way down here. . . EXCEPT I walk, work and shoot in the light of God’s presence as my best FRIEND! Yep, including at the range!

Till then. . . whenever “then” happens!

Shalom

BOB MITCHELL (a friend of ISRAEL)

Advantages of the BAIT BARREL – P2

That’s for bear hunting – see P1

The basic emphasis of P1 was two-fold: 1) With the exception of one sighting, in over sixty years of huting in Eastern and Northeastern Canada, I’ve never encountered or sighted a single black bear apart from the “bait barrel”. And 2) I’ve learned far more about bears from those experiences than any other source of information.

While there are some authors and others with limited experiences who make claims that spot-and-stalk is where its at, and baiting bear makes it too easy, such an attitude reveals limited knowledge and experience where baiting is essential even to see a bear in their natural habitat. Sure, there are “nuisance bears” on farms and in some rural areas partially or progressivly under development that is still part of what was natural bear habitat. The folk who live in those surroundings see bears rather frequently, have problems with them – and usually want them gone by whatever means! And, by times, I’ve been called on to help eliminate what to them has become a scourge! However, some take matters into their own hands, and the solution is as simple as “shoot, shovel and shut up”! At others, when complaints aimed at the MNRF for their policies, or lack thereof, they’ll (the MNRF) undertake a “shoot, shovel and shut up” cull operation of their own!

Whatever – it appears as a sophisticated form of hypocrisy to those who pay top dollars for a hunt under strict regulations! And the MNRF will never let it be known what they’ve secretly done until revealed in public media by a snoopy reporter. Then, of course, like all politicians, they’ll give “their own” version of matters.

As for myself, I don’t live where bears do. But as long as the MNRF hands out expensive licenses for shooting bears within seasons, I’ll likely have one in my wallet because I’ve become a bear hunter since my first in 1989 in the northeast of our Province of Ontario. Since 1995, I’ve been doing it on my own (sometimes with a friend) much closer to home about an hour’s drive north of here on Crown Land, or 3/4’s of an hour NW of here on private land. In several ways, private property is more congenial even though the “bait barrel” is still put to good use. However, for the past couple of seasons I’ve gone back to my old Crown Land areas in Haliburton Highlands – but I’ll not reveal locations!

Since this was a basic solo hunt in 2023 and will again be such in 2024, I’m using a “bait barrel” in a natural setting for wildlife, small to large – squirrels to moose – with bear in the mix. But since it is “solo” it will not be too far from the main dirt road for retrieving a bear:

<My SUV was hidden by the thick cluster of trees on the right, parked on the far side of the dirt road about 75 yds away. The pic was taken about midway into the bait setup on the left across from my seat and blind up on the slight ridge on the left. There’s a basin or gulch between my blind and the “bait barrel” of 40 – 50 yds. This was early May, 2023.

<The bait had been hit several times in early May. The signs indicated a large bear. The ground dug up where the tote had been is a solid indicator, plus the 2.5″ diameter scat left as a signal of personal possession of this site and area!<Late October, fall season.

In the fall bear season (Sept 1st to Nov 30), I’d added a stock cartridge holder to the .35 Whelen for the 300gr Barnes Originals and 225gr Nosler ABs that both shot to the same POA at 100 yds without any adjustment to scope setting. The bait was being hit less regularly in the fall hunt until the “bait barrel” (tote) was removed in late October before moose season started the first week of November, followed by deer season. I used heavier “timber” on top of the tote to slow any bears down as well as keeping anything else (or anyone) from meddling with it. With daylight substantially shortened and the hardwoods denuded of leaves, any bears still around would sneak in after darkness had settled.

So then: What are the advantages of “The Bait Barrel” for bear hunting purposes?

Since no one, who is a sport fisherman, throws a line with a hook into a stream, river, lake or ocean, without a lure or “bait”, so be it with bear hunters! A “bait barrel” is nothing but a nuisance in back country without bear bait inside and around it! I’ll not get into what’s the best bait, but it needs to “cast out” smells attractrant to bears! And they’ll return if it tastes good to them! They love sweets! In early spring they’ll eat grass for digestive purposes, and even carrion because they’re hungry. But after that they’ll go for live game like moose calves (and will even kill the mother if necessary), deer and their fawn, or anything live they can catch! They are firstly predators! Let us never lose sight of that fact! If on farms, fruit trees, corn crops, bird feeders or your cats and dogs, plus garbage cans and bags. In natural habitats: live game, as mentioned, plus fish, and beaver on land or still in their huts. They love beaver. On Crown Land (Public Land), a “bait barrel” should ALWAYS be near a natural water source. “Near”, as within 50 to 400 yds (1/4 mile). If wounded, they will likely head for water.

• A “bait barrel” attracts the potential bear you may want to shoot to you, in your stand or blind. My setups have been from 35 yds to 135 yds from blind/stand to the bait setup, depending on several physical characteristics of the hunting situation.

• My suggestion is to use a trail cam if possible in a secure location that’s aimed at the “bait barrel”. That gives the opportunity to see what goes on there when you’re not present. The number of bears, their identity, sex and size can be determimed, as well as behaviour. I’ve yet to use them on Crown Land (Public Land) for fear they might get stolen or damaged, but that might change this year.

• The “bait barrel” also affords time to study “the bear” for decision-making purposes. “Is this the one I want to shoot?” And what if?: A sow shows up with cubs? Or a female in heat is followed by a bruiser of a boar bear?

• Depending on setup, the “bait barrel” may afford the opportunity to use a video cam or cell phone cam.

Don’t wait too long to take the perfect shot with your rifle. And don’t be impatient to take a shot either. The presentation the bear makes is important. A broadside, of course, is ideal, but a good shot opportunity may be lost if waiting for that! What is a “good shot opportunity”? A quartering towards you. Depending on the angle, that could be just inside the shoulder toward you, or close behind the shoulder. . . or better still, the shoulder itself. In particular, wait for a still bear and aim for a spot. A double-lung shot is not a loser. Depending on caliber and bullet selected, a double-lung hit might take a few moments for the bear to realize it’s been hit, allowing it to leave with a jump in the air and then a dead run – maybe toward you! Don’t panic! Give ‘im another if possible.

The main reason I prefer larger calibers is because they make larger holes, and larger holes means faster and greater loss of blood to life sustaining organs – wherever hit. Don’t count on a CNS hit! It may happen (by accident) but don’t plan for it. Some expect the bear to run after hit by whatever. . . I don’t! I want a bear DEAD RIGHT THERE! To be honest, I’ve found nothing better than a .45-70 using “hot” handloads for that!

Another thing: Don’t count on precision shooting – it may never happen on a bear that you WANT! You may have to just stop it, right there, and then finish it!

If you want to use a smaller caliber than mediums or big bores, I’d recommend fast 7mms or thirty’s with well proven bullets for big game (ie-moose), for we never know what size bear with an attitude might show up at our “bait barrel”.

As a rule of thumb, I think it’s hard to improve very much on mediums (.338 to .375) with carefully selected bullets placed “in the boiler room”. But don’t make ’em too tough for penetration purposes. I favor Nosler Partitions and ABs. The TTSX’s and TSX have yet to prove themselves to me. I was not happy with the original “X” or TSX that both failed to expand properly unless solid bone was hit.

My backup rifle this year (May 1st – June 15) and (Sept 1st – Nov 30) is the .375 H&H loaded with the 250gr TTSX at ~2850 fps. The claim is that the TTSX expands better and faster than the former TSX. I’ve no experience, but I’ve done adequate research. . . I’m hopeful!

It may be that sometime ago there was failure of penetration by some common bullets, especially on larger game – bullet breakup, flattened, losing cores, etc. – in very rare cases does that happen anymore. But full penetration, without adequate or no expansion, has become more than an occasional complaint these days. I’ve told this before, so bear with me: A 350gr TSX from my .458 Win Mag at 2750 fps MV failed to impress a small bear more than a .22 Hornet at 100 yds. It was facing me eating a lunch I’d prepared for it and took that magical bullet under the chin with hardly a wimper, and ran off as though I’d missed! Fortunately, it didn’t know what had just happened, so it circled around in thick bush behind the bait until it expired 40 yds behind the bait as though it went to sleep. To say the very least about that episode, I was thoroughly unimpressed! I was shooting a “cannon” developing ~5877 fp-lbs at the muzzle and about 4665 ft-lbs at impact and that little bear that weighed no more than 120 lbs shrugged it off as though it had been bitten by a mosquito!

What I’m saying is, I’m hearing too much these days about “penetration” this and that sans enough emphasis on bullet performance within the animal! Cosequently, we have “adequate” penetration and the animal runs off for 50, 100, 150 yds and that seems acceptable! NOT for WHERE and WHAT I HUNT! Especially when it concerns a bear! A bear can get into tangles (on purpose) you wouldn’t believe! When my partner shot a bear broadside while having a drink at a pond at 65 yds – using his 270 Win firing a Federal 150gr Nos Partition Premium load – it ran back up the hill from which it came, and dove into a briar thorn bush, where I finally found him in darkness with only his rear sticking out. I found him in pitch darkness because he’d bawled eleven times (recorded on video). When the shooter caught up, we each grabbed a rear foot, pulled it out of there and slid it back down hill. He then asked me: “How much does it weigh?” I said “350 to 400”. The owner of the property, a retired professor of wildlife biology at our local college, came with his tractor and transported the bear to the barn where it was weighed, before guts removed, at 399 lbs. Just before the bear was shot, it had pushed over a big tree, with a crash that shook the earth, to announce his presence that sent birds scattering in flight, and fright! That was not your average bambi taken with a .270 Win.

I helped dress it out, load it onto his truck, and early the next morning helped skin it in preparation for a butcher and a taxidermist. It was like wrestling with a large greased pig!< The taxidermist’s work.

As popular as the .270 Win is in the Mid-Western and Western States, I believe there are many cartridges more suitable than a .27-caliber, starting at .28-caliber. For me, those have been 7mm magnums – several in Remington and one in a Wby. A 150gr., .277″ at 2800 fps MV isn’t really that comparable with a 175gr at 3000 fps from a .284″ premium bullet.

The following bear was not a 400 pounder, but still a good specimen, and it was DRT from a 175gr Partition at 3000 fps from my 7mm Wby Magnum. Range was about the same as my friends at 65 yards.

If all a hunter has as a BG rifle is a .270 Win, and he/she has enough experience with it on BG, I’d not say “Get something else” for a bear hunt, but experience and physics says a 7 magnum is better! Frankly, I’d choose a .308 Win over a .270 Win if wanting a dedicated bear gun (see my blog of March 30 – “Ten Reasons Why The .308 Winchester is Better than a .270 Winchester”.)

<I’d recommend this hog gun in .308 Win as a dedicated “bait bear” rifle – especially for the handloader.

Going up from there are the .300 magnums – my favorite the .300 Winchester. It’s a well balanced cartridge for multiple purposes, accurate, and a 200gr Partition or AB at 3000 fps is more than a 175gr at 3000 from a 7 magnum.

These days my choices are mediums: .35 Whelen, 9.3 x 62, and .375 H&H. Lots of whomp there! And, of course, my favorite single-shot in .458 Winchester Magnum in my favorite rifle: the Ruger No.1H Tropical. Not, “What could I do with that?”, but “What could I NOT do with her?” Her name is “Grace”, full of beauty and wonder! I’ll be expounding on that when we get to P2 of “Why I (still) Promote The .458 Winchester Magnum”.

Previously, I’ve mentioned this only once: Since I saw my first Ruger No.1H in .458 Winchester Magnum on display behind glass, I coveted one. I was allowed to handle it, and it felt heavy. It took many years for me to own one, and it’s still heavy (10.25 lbs with the Nikon 2 – 7 x 32 mm scope), but every time I handle it, it seems ideal with such grace, beauty, power and multi-talented abilities. More later. . . .

Bear over bait hunts never gets boring for me. There’s an aura of surprises tinged with danger! No two experiences are the same! “What will the next one be?” – keeps me on edge and alert! Nothing else I’ve hunted does that for me, and I’m glad at this stage that I’ve not become a jaded hunter who has become bored with my rifles because I’ve too many of the same thing. Each is a special challenge. In regard to the .458, I’m often thinking of how a particular bullet and its load might work on bear. For lesser creatures, like wolf and coyote, the .35 Whelen gets my attention.

To me, in several ways, single-shots are more flexible in the use of handloads than magazine rifles. And, both my .458 and .35 Whelen are single-shot rifles. And I’ve noted that in older (or ancient) literature pertaining to African rifles for DG, that those which had to be loaded singularly by hand in oppening the breach were designated “single-shots” with the hyphen, not “single shot” as is common today. It’s my belief that “single shot” doesn’t give due respect in honor of the mechanism and overall impression of its historical contribution to refined weapons. I’ll continue to write “Single-Shot” with the hyphen! “I used a single shot from my M70 to bring down that elk”. Is that the same as saying, “I used my single-shot No.1 Ruger to bring down that elk.”?

Till the next . . .

Shalom

BOB MITCHELL

The BAIT BARREL. . .P1..

(P2 of “Why I Still Promote the .458 Winchester Magnum” will be presented after a bear is shot by the Federal 400gr TBBC from my Ruger No.1H in .458, or the spring season is over on June 15, as explained at the end of P1. In the meantime “The Bait Barrel” will provide further entertainment and awareness of what goes on in those out of the way, obscure patches of land rarely, if ever, seen by 99.9999999% of humanity.)

There are lots of stories and learning experiences directly related to them. . . . .

For example, at least 90% of my firsthand experiences and knowledge of black bears has come from the use of “the Bait Barrel”! In looking back over the many years of big and small game hunting, as well as predators, on both private and public land, I never saw or encountered a black bear until a “bait barrel” or baiting specifically for bear was used. And let me tell you, I think it’s possible that I may have experienced it all! That covers a period of 34 years, out of which I hunted 31, and both spring and fall hunts in at least 1/4 of them. All involved bait hunting, and a significant number were both bait and scouting for sign with some calling thrown in. I’ve called in one bear using my cupped hands around my mouth simulating a moose call. It was a large bear that came within 35 yards, but I didn’t shoot it because conditions were not right (which I’ve explained in past blogs).

But all the bears I’ve shot, or at, were at a bait site, or coming to or leaving one. And, at most of those sites there was a bait barrel.

Of course, other containers may be used, and I’ve done that too, as in last year’s hunt I used an orange colored plastic tote box. Empty, it’s much more manageable than a barrel and it also fits better into the back of my medium size SUV which replaced the Ford Freestar van that could easily handle the barrel plus a bear when the middle row seats were removed and the rear bench seat folded. It had the interior room of a Yukon or Suburban with 2x the gas economy. And my current SUV is better still. At $1.60 per litre, hunting bear is still economically feasible, but barely. Each trip, to and from my hunting area on Crown Land is ~ $25 for gas alone. Two trips per week is $50 x 4 for a month = $200. Not cheap, but much better than the Freestar would be and 2X better than a pickup would be. That, of course, is apart from other costs associated with hunting and shooting. Still much cheaper, though, than hiring a guide/outfitter. And the personal physical, intellectual and psychological benefits of doing it all myself would be near impossible to calculate. (This isn’t directly a part of the theme, I realize, but it may serve to answer some questions.)

<My former “hunting vehicle”. That’s my Tikka T3 Lite in 9.3 x 62 resting against the bumper. The buckets are loaded with bear bait.

<Last fall’s setup. My .35 Whelen leaning against tree. Yep, it’s loaded with a 300gr Barnes O.

< A momma bear with her 2 cubs. There were two other sows with cubs. One had 3 cubs and the other with one – never at the same time – they seemed to respect each other’s families.

Among several other advantages of using a “bait barrel” is the one pictured above and below: In a chase with hounds, spot-and-stalk, or scouting in the northeast of N.A., we would never capture on camera or see what bears do in daylight when they feel secure!< At 8:59 a.m., this would have made for an ideal shot on a good bear using either a bow or rifle at 50 yds from the tree stand to the right and back of my trail cam. But nobody was there! Too early for bear? The bait and camera unveils the truth that bears show up when they want to, and when no one else is around, including other bears! Was the hunter still in bed?

I learned from trail cams, in various locations and seasons, that bears will show early at baits as often as late evening after the sun is setting. Also, I was informed of that as a fact by the outfitter, Norm Easto, when I began bear hunting under his tutoring in the late 1980s in the far northeast of our province.

At least once when I was toting two 5gal plastic buckets of bait to my favorite Crown Land site at 8 a.m., when I rounded the corner of the trail I was on, and came into the clearing on the side of a ridge where my blind was located, there stood “the” bear on my blind he’d just torn down! And from about 40 yards he was glaring at me! And he was a big bruiser! He didn’t run off, but was challenging me! He definitely knew who I was and why I was there on his turff! And my rifle was well behind me in the parked van! Slowly, I put the buckets down and backed out to my van to retrieve my .45-70. Of course, he made his point, and when I slowly returned to where the buckets were he was gone. . . but where? That was when I was baiting and hunting on my own after those years of tutelage by Norm.

Though I well recall one of my later seasons on Crown Land with Norm as outfitter: Each day Norm, with his two American guides accompanied by a volunteer hunter each, would leave the lodge early to check baits. Not all got checked daily as there were too many, but often I went along with him to sites I’d never previously visited. On a particular morning after breakfast, he took another client with him and spooked a big, agressive bear on a particular site. The bear was reluctand to leave and walked around growling at them. Eventually it did leave and they rebaited the site.

For that late afternoon and evening hunt of that particular bait site, he asked me and my buddy to hunt that location from different spots, separated by 1 mile – I at the south end and my friend at the north end. He was actually closer to the bait site than I. But this big aggressive bear was travelling somewhere between our locations with a swamp between. I never saw where my partner was because when Norm let us out of his truck about 3 p.m., he said to me: “Bob, I want you to go as far as you can down this logging road (it was a new extension with coarse gravel), about a mile, and you’ll come to a corner that turns right toward the park (Algonquin). Somewhere around the corner you’ll find a place off to the side to use a dead fall or brush as your blind. That bear may show up crossing of walking the road in your direction”.

I did as he said, and found a perfect setup for a blind behind a big conifer blowdown off to the side of the gravelled logging road – and waited, watching in every possible direction. I knew nothing of where my partner (also a “Bob”) was located, except he was a mile away, and closer to the bait where, it was assumed, that big agressive bear might return near darkness, or even after pitch dark had settled in – we didn’t exactly have street lights! But we each had a flashlight.

On my end of things, no bear showed but a huge bull moose did! I saw him emerge from the Park, then disappear for about ten minutes as he silently slipped below and past me, appearing again on the rough logging road directly behind me at about 40 yards. I was looking, facing the Park, but wary that Mr Bull Moose might show up. Then, somehow, without a sound, I was aware that I should look back over my shoulder at the road I’d travelled to this spot . . . and there was this big bull facing me with huge antlers!< Not this one as it’s borrowed from the Net. But similar in size, appearance and background, only closer and facing me!

Confidently (it was NOT moose season), I stood with my Marlin .45-70 in hand, pointed it directly at him and shouted “GET OUT OF HERE!” And he did! He swung like an overgrown Clydesdale and marched off toward a ridge (likely where he was going before I interrupted his plan). Part way up the ridge, he stopped, looking back at me . . . I raised my rifle once again and aimed directly at him about 75 yds away. . . he snorted and took off running over the top of the ridge breaking branches and trees as though they weren’t there, and disappeared as though he’d never been there! There was no doubt in my mind that “the bear” was alerted by my shouting and the bull’s reckless bulldozing of timber – nonetheless, I stayed until I needed to turn on the flashlight. The “coarse gravel” was not exactly gravel, but chunks of granite from blasting ledges!

It got darker than dark. . . and I had to trudge 1-mile back over that very rough logging trail to where I’d been dropped off, alone with flashlight in one hand and the Marlin in the other. “Where is that bear?” No shots fired on either end of the marsh, but midnight stories to tell! Yep, Norm picked us up on time. And I did see the bait setup before walking that mile “in”, and it was spooky!< Not all sites have literal barrels – but are still spooky! That’s one of those 5 gal buckets mentioned earlier. And this is what tells you something of the size of the bear trying to eat the plastic . . . or leaving its signature.<And sharpening its teeth on metal.

Till the next: P2 – ADVANTAGES of the “Bait Barrel”: It’s been well documented, of course, yet there are still those who feel it’s too easy – like catching fish in a barrel. That’s not my experience of about 40 bear hunts, 90% over baits. So next time we’ll discuss that, plus. . . Classes of bears and suitable firearms.

Shalom

BOB MITCHELL

Why I (still) Promote the .458 Winchester Magnum – P1

Especially at my age of 88 years and counting! And as much as I like my Mediums, the .458 will be the last to go if I have my say about it!

Well, it not only does what it has always been doing, but it’s better than ever with age, experience, better bullets and powders – just like most other honorable cartridges that have earned their keep – and then some! One of its early offsprings – as an example – the .338 Win Mag is better than ever also! If by “better than ever” is meant new rifles from several sources chambered in that cartridge, as well as new and better projectiles from 160grs to 300, including some more consistent rifle powders.

With all matters considered for a typical world-wide, all-purpose rifle and cartridge, it would be a real challenge to find one that truly improves on the extraordinary .458 Winchester Magnum in a decent rifle. As said: I like my Mediums as all-rounders, but I’ve a respect for the .458 that’s unmatched by any other rifle cartridge. In a suitable rifle, being held in high esteem is a normal response by aficionados !

I’ve owned three rifles so chambered, in this order: a Ruger M77 bolt-action with a 22″ barrel and tang safety. I loved the rifle and it went to the range and hunting with modest handloads. The 500gr RN Hornady was the first tested for accuracy and hunting. Using a modest dose of H4895 – 68 grs, Fed 215 primers in Win brass, it came close enough to 2000 fps – and one-hole accuracy when I was careful about matters. That load went moose hunting as a back-up to my Sako FS in .338 Win Mag. My first, a Ruger M77 with tang safety, was like this one except for the scope, and it had a 22″ barrel.

I’ve told this before, but we were (4 of us) hunting on the back end of a hurricane that was passing through, so I used that Ruger M77 in .458 rather than the “more delicate” FS Sako. Trees were blocking trails and roads so none of us, or anyone else, saw a moose (the moose had more sense than the hunters – and that’s not an uncommon feature in chasing moose in their typical habitats!).

Still, I continued working with that rifle, developing new handloads. Later, I settled on a more sensible load for bear, and killed one (on video) at 70 yds using a reduced load for the 350gr Speer at ~ 2345 fps (Not the most accurate load, but accurate enough.). It was a young bear walking away from the bait and heading back into the trees. I hesitated, but decided to shoot it anyway. That 350gr Speer impacted the left flank, just ahead of the hip, destroyed the liver, came out the back taking out several inches of backbone and the back of the bear’s head, then went off somewhere into the timber beyond.

Sometime later that rifle was sold/traded and that investment ended up in what I’d wanted all along – my first Ruger No.1 in .45-70. If I had the experience that I now have, I would have kept that first .458. But money was tight, and I figured the Ruger No.1 in .45-70 would do what the Ruger M77 could have done, with less fuss and bother. Rightly or wrongly, that vision turned out to be much more than just a mistaken theory – it actually worked out that way. And after a couple of decades of working with an “improved” version of a Ruger No.1 in .45-70 (given a bit longer throat), indeed, it was “equal to” a 22″ .458 Win Mag in ballistics as they were recognized at that time. But, of course, the .458 Win, as already mentioned, has also moved on with “improved ballistics”! More on that later.

Years passed, and I had a growing appetite for another .458 Win Mag – but few seemed available in “used” format. “Everyone” was holding onto theirs, although few would admit they owned one lest they get verbally scalded by “the Lottites”! And I knew nothing of that attitude out there until I purchased a new CZ 550 in .458 Win Mag. From its beginning, I did handloads for it and shared results on the Net! Then the flame throwers scorched the earth with their vulgarities, claims, boasts, put downs, and everything they could come up with to drive me into hibernation! If I’d claimed 1900 to ~2050 fps from the Hornady 500gr RN, they’d simply have patted me on the head like a “nice” puppy dog, or ignored me completely. . . . BUT! When I presented the facts of +2200 fps from those 500gr Hornadys. . . . , well it was like I was red all over with a pitchfork in my hand and doomed to hell!

But I certainly don’t want to give a false impression that I was alone in that struggle in giving a righteous view of the .458 Win Mag’s true capabilities. I’d had previous correspondence with Phil Shoemaker on the .45-70 when I was stoking its fire in a Marlin and Ruger No.1. He handled that exchange with grace and wisdom. Also, his magazine articles were full of sagacity and experience. And when he defended the .458 it was, again, with solid facts, mentioning, with numbers, the experiences of Richard Harland and others of the African scene. Stiill, there were those hard cores that refused to bow in the face of truth!

< The CZ550 in .458 Win Mag. The scope was a Burris fixed 4x by 21mm, and had a long eye relief of 5.5″

But that didn’t work because I’m a TRUTH lover and seeker! I produced my own handloading journal on the wonderful .458 Winchester Magnum that sold like hotcakes! In which I proved it’s equality with the then .458 LOTT! And I never got a a single word of complaint or negativity from anyone who purchased one of those journals/manuals. And at least one who purchased a manual had considerable African experience and promoted my manual in an article he’d written for a significant shooting journal.

With time and more experiences with that CZ 550, I produced a Second Edition that also sold out in a hurry. Then some, who had been hiding out over their ownership of a .458 Win Mag, started coming out of their closets and declaring their favor of the “Great” .458 Winchester Magnum. Recently, I’ve been having more requests for that manual. Unfortunately, or otherwise, the text is stuck in a format that suited my computer back then, and though it was brought “in” to my last computer, and now into my 2-yr-old computer, I’d have to download a program to get it up and running again. Then, I’d need to add what I’ve learned and experienced since with my Ruger No.1H Tropical in .458 Winchester Magnum. So, at this stage of life, I don’t want that degree of pressure.

Instead, I recommend the 24 hr campfire thread (now about 200 pages) on “The Great .458 Winchester Magnum . . . “. That is encyclopedic in its contents and value! Nothing before like it has ever been produced on the .458 Winchester Magnum.

And major credit should go to “Riflecrank” or “Sir Ron” or Doc Ron Berry, for not only keeping it alive, but also making major contributions that reveal his experiences and knowledge from several .458 Win Mags that he personally owns and has used in the field. Go there for a thorough education. After reading that, if you don’t agree that the .458 Lott is redundant, then I can’t help you, nor can anyone else!

From my CZ 550 and it’s 25″ barrel, I got a high average of 2283 fps (corrected to MV) from the 500gr Hornady RN at 15 feet from the muzzle = 5786 ft-lbs. (5800 ft-lbs is claimed for the .458 Lott). That was from 81 grs of H4895 in winter weather and temps. COL was 3.44″.

On Jan 7/2010/ Temp at -7F, @ SAAMI COL/79 grs of H4895/ 500gr Hor = 2266 fps corrected to MV.

On June 30/2008/ Temp at +20C, @ 3.44″ COL/80 grs of H4895/500gr Hor = 2286 fps corrected to MV, etc.

From my current Ruger No.1H Tropical (24″)

In late May/2019/ Temp 54F @ 3.56″ COL/ 81 grs H4895/ 500gr Hor. = 2317 fps corrected to MV.

On June 11/2019/ Temp 21C @ 3.617″ COL/82 grs H4895/ 500gr Speer AGS = 2312 fps corrected to MV.

On June 11/2019/ Temp 21C @ 3.53 COL/84 grs H335/ 450gr A-Frame = 2403 fps corrected to MV.

On July 23/2019/ Temp 20C @ 3.325″ COL/82.5 grs H4198/ 300gr TSX = 2958, 2961 and 2959 fps (instrumental) -v. accurate! Corrected average (Chrony 15′ from muzzle) to MV = 2980 fps/5915 ft-lbs.

The last fired in that series of three 300gr TSXs.

AND SO ON!!

This Ruger No.1 is my favorite of the three .458s I’ve owned and worked with (Pic on the header above).

And if God is willing – and that’s not a frivolous question – I’m serious about that as I know very well that He controls my destiny and every aspect of it – that rifle will be featured in this spring’s bear hunt. Any load will work, but I’ve chosen a factory product that will be “a first” in any of the three .458s. As described in previous blogs, it’s a Federal Premium Trophy Bonded Bear Claw (TBBC) 400gr at an advertised 2250 fps/4496 ft-lbs. In shooting five at the range, the average result corrected to MV = 2282 fps/4625 ft-lbs.

So energy will never be a problem, but placing the bullet correctly to get some expansion will be the biggest challenge since it’s designed for creatures like Cape Buffalo.

The hope of getting a chance to test it in media before the hunt, to get an idea of what to expect in performance, is a window now closed. But I did get it sighted-in this past week at 50 yds – which will put it about dead on at a hundred. That only took three shots after I’d fired a total of seven from my .375 H&H. The .375 load was the 250gr TTSX at 2850 fps. A max load to serve as backup to the .458. Both are zeroed at 50 yds, and the .375 load at less than +1″ at100 also.

Recoil from the two rifles with their loads and ready for action should be similar based on calculations, if the Mag-na-ports on the .458 reduce felt recoil by 15%, as advertised – but I doubt it’s reduction by that amount. Without the ports, the .458 would produce about 45 ft-lbs recoil and the .375 about 39 ft-lbs with those respective loads. Muzzle energy is about 100 ft-lbs greater in the .458. In truth, the recoil of the .458 proved to be much more of a handful than the .375 load. Of course, what recoil calculations don’t take into account is the speed of recoil of the .458 Federal factory load based on momentum. When calculated based on the respective momentums of the two bullets at the muzzle, the 250gr TTSX from the .375 H&H would need be going 3651 fps to match the 400gr at 2282 at muzzle speeds! Impossible! That explains much of the differences in FELT recoil of the two rifles when fired back to back. The momentum factor of the .375 firing the 250gr at 2850 = 156.6 lbs-ft, and rifle speed in recoil is 16.1 fps. In the .458, the momentum factor is = 172.2 ibs-ft, and 16.8 fps recoil speed. Of course, the .458 outweighs the .375 (sans ammo) by 1/2 lb that makes a significant difference in actual recoil force (momentum).

I shot them with a single cartridge in each – none on the stock of the .458, and none in the .375’s magazine. They were “bare bones” with a single cartridge in each, plus scope. That way, the .458 is 1/2 lb heavier.

I’ve no doubt that the 400gr TBBC would have greater “smash” on an elephant (if it were a solid) or dugga boy than the 250gr TTSX within 200 yds or so.

On black bear? The reverse may be true if the 400gr fails to expand. That’s why I must be careful where I place that 400gr on a bear.

The bait site (center of pic) in early Sept, ’23, forty yds from my blind – from where this photo was taken. The bait was being “hit” regularly. This was early Oct/’23. Leaves were falling.<The last setup – late Oct/’23. That’s my .35 Whelen leaning against the tree. The load? 300gr Barnes O. at 2355 fps.

< And it was “hit” for the last time in late October/’23. The tote and cover are at home with me, and I didn’t forget the rifle!

Early May, 2024, the “bait barrel” (tote) will be there again with bear grub. Last year’s bear was a big one that I didn’t want to shoot – likely he’ll be back, and I just might shoot him with the big gun!

Why choose a factory load when there are literally hundreds of other options through handloading? I’m curious, and want to have knowledge outside my own ballistic results – especially on bullets – which I like to share and write about. I’m only going this way once!

Does it matter? I’m not smart enought to know about everything that matters in this life. . . I leave that with my Maker. And frankly, neither is any other human if we honestly take a look at the mess we’re in and how we got there! But, as The Good Book says: it’s mostly the results of pride, greed and self-serving!

Aside from that, healthy living along with healthy thoughts and motives have His approval!< An awe inspiring experience! This is God’s land, and He owns everything on it, in it and under it. “He owns the cattle on a thousands hills and the wealth in every mine” – (See: Psalm 50:10 – 12 and Haggai 2:8). Though He has charged sinful humanity with its government, it still belongs to HIM, and sinful humans WILL give a final accounting to the One who owns it!

Unless we live that way, with proper thoughts, motives and actions, we’ll not be pleasing to Him!

That was my CZ550 in .458 slung over my shoulder. The load was the 350gr TSX at 2750 fps.

Till the next: P2 – Throughout the summer months, I’ll be writing a couple of times per month rather than the past 4x each month. That’s because of more outside activity, especially related to preps for hunting, more range shooting and hunting itself. Then P2 will likely appear after a bear is shot or at the end of the spring season on June 15. In the interim I’ll do a one-off on something else.

Shalom

BOB MITCHELL

Why are .35-Caliber Rifles So Special?

Quick answer: They seem to work well above expectations. For example: The .35 Remington has renown and favor among Maine’s black bear hunters; often being referred to as “Maine’s bear rifle” in its various iterations: pump, lever, semi or bolt actions. The cartridge with a 200gr Rem Core Lokt at about 2100 fps in real life just gets the job done without a lot of fuss, noise or recoil.

Of course, Maine bear hunting is typical of most bear hunts in the Northeastern parts of both the USA and Canada – mostly thick, mixed unspoiled forests where shots are close and action fast! That could be in the use of baits, hounds or just still hunting.

Why then a .35 Rem over a .30-30? A good question that demands an educated answer. While there may be other .35s on the low end, yet the .35 Rem has survived and is still quite popular through the use of factory ammo or classic handloads. I’ve a friend and past hunting partner who loves his in a special 16″ Marlin Marauder.

< One 200gr RN Core Lokt handload at about 2100 fps straight down into the bear as it walked under his stand. He’s a big man and so is the bear bigger than it looks. It was DRT – didn’t move 1 cm after the shot.

< The recovered bullet looks like a $3 premium!

All that to say you can discover a lot more on this bear hunter at his website: http://www.35cal.com

As to celebrities who have favored .35-cal cartridges of the more powerful kind, I think of famed author/hunter Lane Simpson who introduced the .358 STA for longer reach. Simpson’s creation was simply an 8mm Rem Mag necked to .358-caliber with less body taper. A 250gr Partition was said to attain about 3000 fps from a 26″ barrel – not by Lane himself but others who had adopted the same basic thing previous to Simpson’s, based on the .375 H&H. This was an AI conversion from the .375 H&H necked down to .358-cal and referred to as the .350 Mashburn Super Magnum that I was aware of before Simpson introduced the .358 STA based on the 8 Rem Mag which, itself, was based on the .375 H&H or .300 H&H.

Regardless: While my 26″ .340 Wby would do 3000 fps from the 250gr NP, it had the Weatherby freebore and double radius shoulder that may have added the extra fps; but also from RL-22 that was not available many years earlier. But the basic question of interest to be put under a microscope is: Does a 250gr .358-cal Partition (or any other “good enough” bullet) have any advantage over a .338-cal 250gr at similar impact velocities on large and potentially dangerous game like brown bear? And how could we ever find that out except from expert witnesses who have done it 1000 times without biases?

Never mind that, as empirical evidence will never be forthcoming in this world or the next! So let’s be satisfied in crunching some numbers:

Because the .340 Wby and .358 STA are using the same basic case – an improved .375 H&H – they’ll hold approximately the same amount of powder. And since the slightly larger caliber will have a slightly better expansion ratio -which interpreted means: slightly better efficiency than a .338-cal, other matters being equal (which they never are 100%). A .358 mag based on the .375 H&H employing 90 grs of the right powder should give. . . maybe. . . likely. . . perhaps 50 fps advantage over a .338 mag using a similar amount of a slightly slower appropriate powder – all else equal (except they rarely are).

The disadvantage of the .358 to the .338 is a lack of the best bullets for extra-long range – and who really cares? I don’t!

However, in my view, and others who use mid-bore cartridges, those that qualify for game up to the size and weight of Alaska/Yukon moose and brown bear, will generally hire an outfitter and in any case would not be thinking of extra-long range shooting of such animals, but closer ranges that under most conditions would not be exceeding about 400 yds maximum.

In such a scenario, much less powerful cartridges in .35-caliber (and .338-cal) could fit the bill. . . or so it would appear if we crunch some numbers and take the experiences of some others seriously.

Some other shorter-cased popular mid-bores that have worked very well in the far North West of North America in Northern B.C., Alaska, Yukon and NWT, are: the .338 Win Mag; .35 Whelen; 9.3 x 62 and .350 Reming Magnum. From select handloads, they all qualify for attaining and, in some cases, surpassing 4000 ft-lbs at the muzzle. Depending on the bullet and load in each, 2000 ft-lbs is easily attained or surpassed at 400 yds.

Again: Depending on bullet MV, construction and profile, any 250gr from any of those cartridges making 1900 fps at 400 yds is producing 2003 ft-lbs.

Some examples:

.35 Whelen and .350 Rem Mag – 250gr Partition/.440 BC/.279 SD/ 22″ barrel

MV = 2700 fps/4046 ft-lbs

400 yds = 1980 fps/2176 ft-lbs/ 60 TE average/ -19″/ Recoil = 37 ft-lbs – 8.5 lb rifle ready.

.338 Win Mag – 250gr Partition/.473 BC/.313 SD/24″ barrel

MV = 2780 fps/4289 ft-lbs

400 yds = 2094 fps/2435 ft-lbs/ 67 TE average/ -17″/ Recoil = 41 ft-lbs – 8.5 lb rifle ready.

9.3 x 62 Mauser – 286gr Partition/.482 BC/ .307 SD/22.44″ barrel

MV = 2620 fps/4358 ft-lbs

400 yds/1970 fps/2463 ft-lbs/ 77 TE average/ -19.6″/ Recoil (without brake) = 44.6 ft-lbs – 8 lbs ready.

• Those are actual results from four mid-bore rifles that could effectively be used on large N.A. game like Alaska/Yukon moose and brown bear to 400 yards and slightly beyond. Yet, I’ve serious doubts that actual shots are routinely taken on such animals at 400 yds or metres.

• The historic .375 H&H could slightly improve on the 9.3 x 62’s results, but at the cost of a longer action and heavier rifle. If not in a longer and heavier rifle, then the recoil will substantially increase.

But that begs the issue of which is best, a .338 or .358 of similar ballistics at bullet impact. A .358 Norma Magnum has the same basic cartridge case as a .338 Win Mag. I have used .338 Win Mag brass necked to .308 for my .308 Norma Magnum. And the .358 Norma is simply a .308 Norma expanded to .358, so it’s simple math to use .338 Win Mag brass for the .358 Norma as well as for its own .338 Win Mag rifle.

So case capacity will be about the same. If PSI and barrel lengths are as identical as humanly possible, using the best powders and bullet weights in each, theoretically the .358 caliber should have the better ballistics, at least from the muzzle. However, as pointed out, since the .338-cal in magnums has caught on as a do-it-all caliber for both near and far ranges, as well as small game to large and dangerous game, as the ranges stretch-out to +700 yds, the .338 Win Mag and ilk will take home any roses!

BUT! As stated and implied, most large/dangerous game are NOT shot at close to 700 yds, but rather at less than half that number! In other words, unless the hunter intends to spend any extra cash (or debt) on becoming a dedicated long-range expert in the HUNTING of game in the 1/2 ton or more class, he/she would be better served with a standard length cartridge of 3.34″ – 3.5″. Let’s say: a .35 Whelen vs a .338 Win Mag , or equivalent, on an average Alaska-Yukon bull moose, at an estimated 400 yds average – which, I’m sure is beaucoup plus median yds!

My .35 Whelens (3 of ’em) have all had 22″ barrels. Of the two .338 Win Mags I’ve personally owned, there was a great variance in barrel lengths: a 20″ and a 26″, so the average was 23″. So from a considerable number of handloads in each, I reckon a safe, fair average from a 22″ firing a 250gr might be ~2750 fps. I got 2840 fps in my 26″ Browning A-Bolt from 74 grs of RL-19. I think a loss of around 100 fps is conservative from a 4″ shorter barrel. Then, that 26″ .338 Win became my .340 Wby that also gave high numbers. That barrel, I believe was a tight one that gave a bit higher velocities than average. Ergo: 2750 fps from a 22″ .338 Win Mag should be doable!

Like the .338 Win Mag, the .35 Whelen has benefitted from better powders and bullets in recent years. Some “old-timers” are pushing back on that, refusing to accept that “more” is needed or beneficial, or stating that the “old” numbers satisfied them! But NOT this “old-timer”!

The .35 Whelen predates the .338 Win Mag by nearly four decades, and aficionados have kept it alive – it was that good – until Remington made it legit at SAAMI in 1988. The original specs by Col. Whelen called for a 250gr at 2500 fps from a 24″ barrel employing the “then” powders. Remington claimed 2400 fps from a 24″ tube and their 250gr RN (at 62,000 PS). That load wasn’t even close to max! Nor was their 200gr at a claimed 2675 fps. Those figures still resonate with some “old-timers”. The mere suggestion that 2700 fps from a 250gr in a 24″ barrel appears as hyper exaggeration or, at best, mythology to them! They reject such ideas out of hand – and, in a sense, who could blame them! I could, as I was getting better than 2600 fps from my first .35 When and its 22″ barrel – but who knows at what PSI.

But the facts are: No one, and I mean NO ONE seemed to know what the SAAMI spec was for max PSI – and that included those who were professionals and supposed gurus! A transformation has come about in the last 3 – 4 years after SPEER plublished the No.14 manual and new loads, with new powders, for the venerable .35 Whelen at up to 2700 fps from their 250gr. And while I’ve not seen Sierra’s results, apparently they confirm SPEER’s.

Pre-SPEER and Sierra, I got an easy 2560 fps from a 250gr Hornady SP in a 22″ NEF single-shot. Also, from the same rifle, I got about 3000 fps from the 200gr Hornady SP. Those were, for me at least, “normal loads” long before the appearance of these “new powders”.

My current .35 Whelen has had the spotlight on it for a couple of years in these blogs: A Traditions G3 OUTFITTER single-shot with a brake. It’s appearance is similar to the CVA. Mine is an SS with Cerakote 22″ fluted barrel, plus brake. OL is 29″. It’s a break-action that naked weighs about 6.5 lbs. All-up ready to hunt = 7.75 lbs with a 3 – 9 x 40 VORTEX Diamondback scope, nylon sling and 4 cartridges – one in chamber and 3 in the stock cartridge holder.

BALLISTICS: 2 loads:

• 225gr AB at 2840 fps/4029 ft-lbs/.430 BC/.251 SD.
• Powder: CFE 223/brass: Rem/Primer: WLRM
• COL = 3.45″
• 400yds = 2082 fps/2165 ft-lbs/53 TE average/Recoil =39 without brake/31 with/-17″ at 400 yds.

• 300gr Barnes Original at 2355 fps/3694 ft-lbs/.371 BC/.334 SD.
• Powder: RL-17/brass:Rem/Primer:WLRM
• COL = 3.39″
• 250yds = 1852 fps/2283 ft-lbs/78 TE average/Recoil = 36 ft-lbs without brake/ with brake =29 ft-lbs. -8.2″ at 400 yds with a 160yd zero.
• 2450 fps/3998 ft-lbs easily possible using RL-17. I’ve gone as high as 2620 fps/4572 ft-lbs with a bit of gas escaped around the primer. Otherwise, I could use the case again.

Those two loads shoot into the same group at 100 yds. That’s why I’ll not change the 300gr load. It wasn’t planned, it just happened that way. My .35 Whelen has a long throat that can accomodate a Barnes 225gr X or TSX to 3.5″ COL. Being a single-shot, it’s not cramped by a magazine box. That’s like having a longer case of 2.654″ instead of 2.494″ with .16″ more room for powder.

So, what you’ll get from handloading a generic factory rifle in .35 Whelen will depend NOT on what a particular individual is getting from his/hers, or even what a manual suggests, because there are too many options available from various sources in both information and the rifle’s configuration and specifics. Since there are few new ones in the current market, advocates are recommending rebores of anything from worn-out .30-06’s to rebarrels of anything new that chambers cartridges based on the original parent .30-06 cartridge: from .25-06 to whatever action is long enough to accomodate whatever ultimate length they want their .35 Whelen’s COL to be! The case itself, as I’ve demonstrated above, can accomodate an ultimate COL of the longest monos with enough of the bullet’s shank inside the neck to hold it securely. That does NOT mean it has to be crimped. But if the bullet in question has a BT, like some of the BARNES TTSX, Sierras, etc, that has to be taken into consideration because they must be seated deeper for secure fastening. That means less powder space. But the flat-based bullets, like the 250gr Hornady, Speer and Partition are shorter than some monos with plastic tips and BTs, plus they only need about 1/3 of an inch for secure seating. A Lee crimp die comes in handy as well.

A single-shot, like my Traditions G3 OUTFITTER, has a long freebore and no magazine, so long bullets, as mentioned and pictured above, are not hampered by their cartridge overall length (COL – NOT COAL, as overall is a single word, not two words, despite how some journalists and manuals spell or print it!) That enhances ultimate ballistics significantly!

That’s why IF you want to get the most from a .35 Whelen, not only from best bullets and powders, you should consider a longer action than a generic .30-06 action, or consider a single-shot. Some bolt-actions will handle both medium-length AND longer COLs, like an M70 or M700 (30-06 to .375 H&H- 3.6″) That’s what I’d recommend for a build with ample freebore in throating.

Basically, I’m at original .338 Win Mag ballistics from a 22″ barrel, and more specifically on the heels of a .375 H&H shooting the 300gr Barnes O. I know I could safely go to 2500 fps with that rifle using RL-17 in my setup – whch is NOT standard!

2611 – corrected to MV = 2620 fps

The cartridge case – a bit of gas escaped around the primer. Otherwise no evidence of damage anywhere including extraction!

BUT DON’T TRY THAT ! Yet I know I could load that bullet to 2500 fps safely, but will limit it to 2450 max! Still, as it’s now loaded (2355 fps), it shoots into the same group as the 225 AB at 100 yds, and no more is needed for my purposes.

Yet, as a one rifle for ALL I have hunted, or ever will, nothing more is needed, including for Cape buffalo where legal – as long as the RIGHT bullet is used and placed correctly. It has been called: “The poor man’s .375 H&H”, and in all honesty I think the .375 H&H has little advantage, if any!

Note: I didn’t say “nothing more is WANTED”!

The .35 Whelen is one of the “GREATS” that refuses to go away. . . just like the .35 Remington.

Till the next: Why I (Still) Promote The .458 Winchester Magnum – P1

Shalom

BOB MITCHELL

Ten Reasons why the .308 Winchester is a better choice than the .270 Winchester

The short answers are: 1) The .308 is more versatile; 2) It’s more efficient; 3) It’s better at close range for heavy game; 4) It comes in a greater variety of rifles; 5) It’s more accurate; 6) It’s handier; 7) They’re abundant and easy to come by; 8) A variety of factory ammo is readily available, plus handloading components; 9) They’re not fussy in developing an accurate load; and finally 10)It’s a .30-caliber, and a .30-caliber, plus a .458-caliber, I see as the best possible duo for anything, anywhere that’s legal game.

I’ve never owned a rifle in .308 Winchester, but I’ve recommended it to others. And, I made handloads for a friend’s .308 Winchester. And, I’d still recommend it over certain other popular numbers to particular friends and family members, or correspondants looking for a general purpose hunting rifle using factory or handloaded ammo.

In sub-medium, non-magnum cartridges, whatever anyone claims is best or better than a .308 Win for general purpose hunting, I’d like to hear about it – but it’s not going to be a .270 Winchester, though I’ve owned one as an investment piece, handloaded it and took it deer hunting.

BECAUSE:

Right off the bat: It’s more versatile than the .270 Winchester. “the” .270 Winchester is generic rather than “a” particular .270 Win. Implied is that “a particular .270” might be more versatile than “a particular .308 Win” in that a particular .308 might have a heavy long barrel intended primarily for long-range varmint shooting and/or competitive target shooting. Such a rig would be severely restricted if so intended. The same, in a certain sense, goes for a special built .270 intended for sniping game at longer distances than usual. It would surely outclass a .308 Win with a 22″ barrel.

Rather, in the most common usage of each in 22″ bolt-actions, produced for the average hunting guy or gal, perhaps in Remingtons, Winchesters, Savages or Rugers with competitive pricing.

Handloading manuals are not necessarily equitable in process and purpose of handloading data since one may have a 20″ barrel (common for the .308) and the other a 24″ (more likely for the .270), so we’ll need to have access to at least a couple of recent manuals for both cartridges. It’s a bit of a balancing act, but doable.

< A Savage Hog Hunter in .308 Win with a 20″ barrel.

In checking Nosler’s #9, the 270 Win is given a 24″ Shilen test barrel, and Nosler lists five 150gr bullets all giving the same MV from the same powder charges (which is highly unlikely, but we’ll go with that anyway). The highest MV (not most accurate) = 2918 fps from 61.5 grs of MAGPRO. The .308 Winchester also was tested in a 24″ Lilja test barrel and gave the highest velocity using 46 grs of TAC at 2996 fps from all six 150/155gr bullets. Again, not the most accurate powder in their setup.

In summary of that contest, the worst we could say is that the .308 is at least equal to the .270 in shooting 150grs and much more efficient in the use of its powder – hence less recoil in a same weight rig.

The advantage of the .270 in 150gr-weight is the better BCs of the longer bullets.

Since there is a 160gr Nosler Partition in .277″ for the .270 Win, what does Nosler record as best MV from the 24″ Shilen? >2828 fps using 56 grs of RL-22.

In .308-cal, there are both 165s and 168s. The best results from the 24″ Lilja =2904 fps from 52.5 grs of Big Game. And since in .308 the 168gr is a ABLR with a .525 BC, it will leave the 160gr/.270 in its dust!

So far then, it’s fairly obvious that the .308 Win can not only keep pace with the .270 Win but surpass it in long-range shooting – other matters equal? NOT QUITE though, as the .270 Win runs at a higher PSI (64,000 psi) to attain what some consider superior ballistics to the more ‘humble” .308 Win (62,000 psi)!

And, of course, that’s not the whole scoop! In addition, the .308 has a significantly larger repetoire of bullet weights and types to draw upon when and if needed: Nosler alone lists 30 for the .308 Win and another couple are available if a handloader wants to use them; especially the 200gr Partition. On the small game and varmint side of business, Nosler has a 110gr and a 125gr. In addition, Barnes boasts a 130gr TSX. Hornady has four 110gr, a 125gr, two 130gr, 8 -150/155gr, 7- 165/168gr, 7-178/180gr, a 190 BTSP (that I’ve used in black bear hunting with success), a 195 BTHP, and besides a match 208gr there’s a 208gr A-MAX. Also a 220 RN for critters in close that may want to bite you!

The .308 Winchester (24″ HS Prec. test barrel))

Bullet: 168 ABLR/.525 BC/.253 SD

MV = 2904 fps/3146 ft-lbs/Recoil = 23 ft-lbs (8 lb ready rifle)

400 yds = 2265 fps/1913 ft-lbs/-19″/35.6 TE average (good enough for a Shiras bull moose, but a 180gr AB might be better.)

500 yds = 2119 fps/1674 ft-lbs/-39″/32.2 TE average (good for a mature bull elk)

%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%

The .270 Winchester (24″ Lilja test barrel)

Bullet: 160gr Partition/.434 BC/.298 SD

MV = 2828 fps/2841 ft-lbs/Recoil = 21 ft-lbs (8 lb ready rifle)

400 yds = 2078 fps/1534 ft-lbs/-22″/30.5 TE average (good for a mature bull elk)

500 yds = 1911 fps/1297 ft-lbs/-44″/27 TE average (good for an average elk) < No elk here, but there are moose, and that’s 400 yds to the farthest point according to Google Earth. And that’s a long ways to be shooting at any game!

So, after all is said and done, there’s no way a .270 of any variety can match .308-caliber in sheer quantity of bullet weights and variety, and is far from being better at long range on big game.

In sheer bullet weights available and useful in .308 Win, it surpasses the .270 Win in versatility!

The only other caliber that competes with .308-caliber in numbers and variety of bullets is in .284/7mm, but it too lags behind the American favorite caliber of .308″, which is also found in the greatest number of cartridges – including the famed .30-30 Winchester all the way to the humongous (and rediculous).30 – .378 Weatherby! I guess there are those who still shoot such monstrosities, which, by now should be “redundant monstrosities”! I fail to see any purpose for them other than boosting some egos so they can say. . . what? “Yeah, I own one of those too!”

Give me a .270 over that, though I know a .308 Win is “better”!

Well! It looks like we’ve covered most of those 10 reasons why the .308 Win is better than the .270 Win. But still, what about accuracy and handyness? Ask youself, “When was the last time I saw a dedicated target rifle in .270 Win? And the .308 Winchester? Who makes heavy-barreled .308 Winchesters? Do they also make them regularly in .270s? Then you know the answer as to which is normally more accurate. That’s not to say that in a hunting rig a .270 can’t be made accurate enough. . . of course it can! But there is a difference that favors the .308 Win (see below).

No one with experience in a good .308 Win, in their right mind has EVER complained about it’s accuracy! That’s often the thing that overshadows its other stellar qualities: handyness, cheap, low recoil, etc. Many are sold with 18 – 20″ barrels that don’t seem to lose the amount of bullet velocity that cartridges that burn a lot more powder do – including the .270!

I tested a friends custom .270 Win at the range shooting Federal Premium 150gr Nosler Partitions. It had a 24″ barrel and MVs varied between 2700 and 2800 fps with so-so accuracy. I got it sighted-in for him so he could shoot a bear with it. Another friend wanted me to develope handloads for his BLR in .308 Win – it had a 20″ barrel. I developed a good moderate load of 165s at around 2500 fps. It turns out that the momentum of the 165gr had the same momentum of the 150gr factory load from the 24″ custom .270. That, from a 20″ barrel burning less powder than the 24″ burning more from a full Federal factory load!

Take your pick!

Knowing what I know, from the sources I know it, I’d choose the .308 Winchester every time over the .270 Winchester – all else equal, including cost and quality.

A scope for the .308? Depending on what is hunted and where, I’d go with a good quality variable 2 – 7 by?, or my favorite 3 – 9 x 40s because I’ve done a lot of black bear hunting till last light in dark woods. I leave them on 3x untill I need more details, and 40mm provides ample light till closing time. And it wouldn’t overburden a light .308 for most purposes. Count on about a pound extra to rifle weight for scope and mounts. Cartridges extra, of course. A 6.5 lb rifle bare will come out at about 8 lbs ready for action. No need for a .308 Win to be heavier or lighter for action. Felt recoil would generally be slightly less than a .270 of equal weight and equivalent ergonomics.

I’m not really bashing the .270, but generally speaking I believe 30-caliber big game cartridges are superior to anything less intended for the same class of game. That’s based on physics, intense study and application. That’s why a .308 Win is superior in ballistics to a 7-08 and .243 based on the same cartridge case. It is more efficient in the use of powder. Same with a .35 Whelen over a .338-06, or a .458 Win over a .416 Taylor, etc.

Till the next. . . Why are .35-Caliber Rifles so Special?

Shalom

BOB MITCHELL

It’s Easter weekend, that’s not about bunnies and Easter eggs! Because we celebrate the death, burial and resurrection of Christ Jesus, the following text from the Bible, found in the Book of Romans, ch 10, of The New Testament, is very appropriate for reading and meditation:

If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord”, and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved.

For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile – the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him, for “Every one who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved” (Joel 2:32) – Romans 10: 9 – 13. (The Apostle Paul) – NIV

Is a Good BULLET in the Right Place Enough?

I’ve read it often, but what’s the intention – what is a “good bullet” and “the right place”? A lot is assumed by such a statement that might fail more careful examination.

Is that 265gr ABLR a good bullet? It’s very sleek with a high BC of .732, bonded and expensive, but not my choice for a brown bear hunt on the Alaskan Peninsula should the bear wanted (a 10 footer) show up at 50 yards and I’m using my former .340 Wby Magnum! At an impact of around 2850 fps, there’d be more than plenty energy but with that thin jacket and extra-long profile, I’d wonder about the outcome! My preferences of Noslers would be the 250 Partition or the mono 250 ET with a .627 BC. I also doubt that Nosler would recommend their 265gr ABLR for a brown bear hunt. The “LR” stands for “Long Range”, and outfitters/guides are strongly against any long-range shooting at grizzlies/brown bears because of the real potential of a wounding shot with the attendant consequences!

Yep, it’s likely a good-enough bullet for particular applications by those who could profit from its use, but shooting hazardous-dangerous game isn’t one of them!

“A good bullet” in today’s market could apply if they were looking for a job! Most are good enough. Few animals are lost today because of bullet failure. But failure in a particular choice of a bullet for a certain application could happen, and occasionally does. In other words, the wrong bullet for the job. For instance, I’ve killed bear at 100 yds in using the 405gr/.458″ Remington bullet from an 1895 Marlin at +2100 fps MV. I’ve also fired that bullet from my .458 Win Mag at approximately the same MV, and if the accuracy was good enough, the intent was to use it as a deer load, which may have been perfect under specific circumstances. In some other specific conditions, it could fail.

About 80% of my deer hunting has taken place in forests or bush country. Sometimes there is an open area: a small lake partially surrounded by marshy habitat , meadow, swamp, a river or streams where whildlife seek refuge and refreshment, but nothing like the much more open mid-west farm lands. Usually, we end up bumping deer before we see ’em. That means shots on fleeing deer of which you only get glimpses. So, you must time your shots somewhere ahead of the deer where there is a gap or openning in the trees to hit the animal that’s in high gear! That’s why shotguns, semi-autos, pumps and a few lever guns are popular in this area. Rarely ever will you see a bolt-action rifle. And that’s problematic as western style hunts dominate the media, and so bolt-action rifles are prolific in number and styles.

The exception is the neophyte hunter who want’s to challenge himself/herself with a bow! So, generally they must have permission on private lands with woodlots or brushy conditions. Even here in Southern Ontario where most deer hunting takes place, it’s private land and much of that is limited to muzzle loaders, shotguns and/or bows only.

But never was my intent to drive that 405gr/ .458″ bullet at +2400 fps for whitetails, especially at close ranges as it would likely have been too explosive on contact. While it did an excellent job on that bear – a full exit, bang flop – the impact velocity was just over 1800 fps. At the same range, starting at +2400 fps, impact velocity would have been about 2100 fps. I have serious doubts it could have held together for full penetration. But the 400gr Hawk, on the other hand, with its heavier jacket and less lead exposed might give an exit.

< The 405gr Rem on far left and the 400gr Hawk seen near the middle within the blue outline.

Most conversations on the Net regarding this theme is related to all-copper or bonded-core bullets, and even solids. Yes, the Partitions are often included, but sometimes with criticisms over losing their front cores. It was the best in its day, but there are “better” today, seems the message. In bear and moose hunting, under the conditions described above in deer hunting, that’s why we use baits for bears to draw them to an open area that is still relatively close. Big, heavier for caliber bullets work better at relatively close range because the energy is still high and the entrance and exit (if there is one) allows for faster and more blood letting. And a more careful placement of bullet is usually possible for a patient hunter. That’s in sharp contrast with deer fleeing through thick bush or trees. Sometimes multiple shots are needed from several shooters to finally bring the buck to rest.

In longer range shooting, few question that the monolithics penetrate very well and hold onto nearly 100% of their unfired weight, doing the work of heavier bullets of the past. Yet, two bullets of the same caliber, with similar ogives, will give the better BC to the heavier one constructed of copper and lead, meaning it will keep its initial velocity better to impact. PLUS, it could be shorter in OL leaving more room in the case for powder. So the “best” for every application isn’t necessarily the monolithic bullets. In my 9.3 x 62 I refuse to use TSX or TTSX bullets because of the length to weight ratios. I only use the 286 Nosler Partition and 250grAB. The same idea for my .35 Whelen. The 225 Nosler AB is my goto bullet in the Whelen. There’s room enough left in the case for using up to 70 grs of the right powder – same as in the 9.3 x 62 for the 250 and 286gr Noslers, which have better BCs as well. These two cartridges are quite popular: a .308 Winchester and a 9.3 x 62 Mauser. Even if we didn’t know much about the histories of these two iconic cartridges apart from the facts of their respective calibers (.308″ vs .366″), I think we’d have to be impressed with how much larger in case capacity the 9.3 x 62 is compared to the .308 Winchester. And that’s aside from the obvious visible distinction in caliber.

Both are favorite hunting cartridges: The .308 is common in North America, and the 9.3 x 62 In Europe and Africa, though both have become more familiar internationally. But the clear distinction between them is in the bullets they normally shoot that’s based on the fauna of the North American continent for the .308 Win, and the African continent for the 9.3 x 62. Since there is African game that corresponds in weight and disposition to some North American game, the 9.3 x 62 was designed from the ground up for that class, but not only for small, medium and big game, but Africa’s largest and most dangerous. The .308 started out as a military cartridge and morphed into a hunting cartridge at the hands of the Winchester Corp.

Typical hunting bullets for the .308 range from about 110grs to 200grs, with 150s being the most common is actual use at around an actual 2700 fps from a 20 to 22″ barrel = 2428 ft-lbs energy at the muzzle. Handloads from a 24″ barrel can compare favorably with a 22″ .30-06 shooting factory ammo. That can cover a lot of ground for Mr Average Hunter in North America. Then with today’s better bullets and powders than in the ’50s, when the .308 got life as a hunting round, the savvy handloader has many options . . . one being sending his .30-06s “down the road”.

Since boredom often is an associate with affluence, N.A. hunters demand more options, in particular those with European and African influence and identification. Soon after smokeless powder arrived on the scene, rifle bore sizes were greatly reduced. So much so that the introduction of the British .375 H&H was considered a “Medium” and soon chambered by Winchester in their already famed Model 70 as an African rife for which they also manufactured ammo. Of course, the .375 H&H had already been in use in Africa since its birth in 1912. It became the competitor of the German 9.3 x 62 Mauser of 1905 designed specifically for German settlers in East Africa that had to do with maurading fauna of all sizes, plus human intruders. The rifles were ’98 Mausers and the cartridge was designed specifically for that rifle, AND for the largest and most dangerous of both two-legged and four-legged creatures. Hence, two loads with excellent bullets: a 232gr for lesser weight creatures and 285gr for heavy-weight creatures. Both rifle and ammunition took care of any challenges those settlers were faced with, including elephants!

So, the most important physical matter after the rifle was its ammunition. No failures of any sort could be tolerated because these literally were life and death issues for all involved.

And, THAT’S WHY THE 9.3 X 62 CARTRIDGE CASE PICTURED ABOVE HAS ENOUGH CAPACITY TO PROPELL A 286gr/9.3 (.366″) AT THE SAME mv AS THE .308 WIN CAN FIRE A 180gr. THE 286gr HAS THE SAME BASIC TRAJECTORY AS A 180gr with equal velocities. A .308 WINCHESTER has far less advantage than a handloaded 9.3 x 62 firing a 286gr NP at 2600 fps on moose or elk to 500 yds!

The .308 Win is an excellent deer cartridge, but for the largest deer that can go to 1500 lbs, it’s a poor choice UNDER ALL CONDITIONS! The 9.3 x 62 isn’t a poor choice at up to about 500 yds when the 250gr leaves the muzzle at +2700 fps = 1952 fps/2115 ft-lbs.

The 180gr AB/.308 caliber (BC = .507) has ~1972 fps remaining at 400 yds when started at a real 2620, whether from a factory 30-06 load or handload in a .308 Win = 1555 ft-lbs. When expanded to 1.5x on impact, or shortly after, its cross-sectional area would be: 0.111 sq-in; and momentum at 50.7 IF it retained 100% of initial weight.

The 286gr/9.3 caliber would retain slightly less downrange velocity since it has a BC of .482 vs .507, but we’ll not concern ourselves with that . . . With similar impact velocities of 1972 vs1959 fps for the 286 at 400 yds = 2436 ft-lbs/80 momentum; OR 57% more KE and 58% more momentum at the same impact range of 400 yds. Plus the “frontal area” expanded 1.5x (cross-section area x 1.5) = 0.158 sq-in for the .366 (9.3)-caliber vs 0.111 sq-in for the .308-caliber.

Ergo: These are the important matters of cartridge and caliber. They are not synominous! They are not the same thing! Both the .308 Winchester and the .300 Winchester Magnum are .308-calibers, but with a huge difference in case capacities! A normal load of powder for the .308 Winchester will be less than 50 grs with a 180gr seated to SAAMI specs, and MV will be less than 2700 fps from a 24″ barrel. But, as concerns the .300 Win Mag, case capacity will be around 75 – 80 grs powder in motivating a 180gr over 3100 fps from a 24″ tube. So while they’re the same caliber, they’re NOT the same cartridge, with a huge distinction in downrange results . . . OR, closer-range results!

Therefore, if the discussion is .30-caliber, expect a huge difference in bullet choices and applications. In my .300s, I made application of bullets on the tougher side as well as heavier. The “best” overall bullet in a .300 mag is a 200gr “premium” at around 3000 fps. Such a load could be used on coyote at long range or Brown Bear close or far. Yeah, I know that last statement needs some added details. Recoil? Personally? My .300 Win Mags were “tack drivers” and easy to shoot. . . because I shot them often! I didn’t waste much time on my “rat rifles”. Frankly, I could shoot my .300s in offhand shooting as well as my .223s or 6.5 x 55s. And that held true for my .340 Wby as well.

Then, when my .300 Wby Mag went bear hunting it was loaded with 220gr Partitions or Hornadys at 2800 fps. A heavier 220gr bullet going slower for closer work and with a higher SD of .331 will go through any bear from any direction, including brown bear, especially the Partition at suitable ranges.

But if I were fortunate enough to be headed for a BB hunt on the Alaskan Peninsula, a Medium or Big Bore would get the nod. There are several that qualify with appropriate bullets: The .375 H&H likely still being the most common by clients. Though, the .375 Ruger is catching on by clients who may want to try something different. And in .375-cal, of course there’s a proliferation of suitable, modern premium bullets (when you can find them) from 235gr to 350gr. The most commonly used is likely a 270gr or 300gr.

Over the past ten years or so, I’ve watched quite a few of Billy Molls’ videos of brown bear hunts on the Alaskan Peninsula, as he guided wealthy clients from all over in this conquest. He’s known as The Modern Day Mountain Man of Alaska, and toted a synthetic-stocked, stainless steel M70 Winchester in the historic .375 H&H cartridge using the best premium loads available – usually Barnes TSX. But he also recommended A-Frames and Partitions. And, he can shoot when he needs to! There was little talk about recoil, except he didn’t want any client to arrive with anything less than a .300 Win Mag, and a .338 Win Mag was better in his view and experience, and a .375 H&H was better still, IF one could shoot it. He was very direct about it, and doesn’t do finess talking (like on the Internet) or going down “rabbit holes”.

He nearly lost his life a few times and was once charged by a wounded grizzly (wounded by a young lady with her father by her side) in an alder patch where he and assistant couldn’t see beyond 3-feet! I’ve watched that video several times. Billy wears a video cam on his head, and the girl’s father was behind them with a camera rolling.

He lived 100 days of the year in a tent on the Alaskan Peninsula for three decades. That involved both spring and fall hunts for brown bear, moose, sheep, caribou, and whatever clients had paid for. Then he’d go home to the mid-west of the Lower 48 to see his wife and kids. After that on a lecture tour, speaking at clubs, churches and wherever he was invited about hunting, nature, wildlife (he’s an expert) and God’s marvelous creation – he’s a convinced Christian and not ashamed of it! He met God when alone in Alaska as a very young man.

Today, he’s a world-wide guide working with outfitters and PH’s on various continents, including Africa.

In my humble view, his credentials are impeccable!

To watch any of his videos, just Google Modern Day Mountain Man of Alaska.

I share that because it’s authentic and not merely cosmetic entertainment for selling outdoor sporting equipment – it has “the good, the bad and the ugly”! It’s the guides and PHs whose lives are on the line in a serious confrontation with wounded dangerous game – rarely ever is it the client! Yet, there are Internet heros who discuss rifles and ballistics in a manner that would impress the reader to believe that they are the ones who must “save the day” by their equipment and knowledge of their rifle’s ballistics!

There is only so much that equipment can do, but they can’t have courage (valor), or awareness of what’s happening with immediate response to a deadly situation with skill and experience – they are tools, and that’s it! Some are better than others, but even a dull axe will cut down a tree in the hands of a strong and skilled axeman if the chainsaw is broken! Even a .458 Win Mag is a poor tool in the hands of someone who fears it about as much as he fears the wounded Cape Buffalo who’s ready to charge anyone with a rifle!

A “good bullet” placed into the lungs of a broadside running 1500 lb Yukon bull moose will not stop it right away if it’s a 100gr, .243-cal at ~150 yds! In fact, the bull might go a couple miles before it decides to stop for a rest! But a 400gr Federal Safari .458 Win Mag load will drop it in its tracks! In my Internet search for results from that load, the only response I got was of that running broadside 1500 lb Alaskan bull moose being dropped in its tracks with a single shot through its ribs!

And I’ll be hunting a black bear that (at worst or best, depending on a number of factors) will weigh not more than 1/3rd of that bull moose, with the same Federal factory 400gr TBBC – this spring, beginning May 1st, God willing. If I get a chance on a 150 to 200 pounder – that I’m hoping for, will be a 1/4 presentation to take out two ball joints, a front and an opposite rear to get adequate expansion. Then that will be “the right bullet in the right place”! The right bullet? Federal’s 400gr TBBC at 2282 fps from my 24″ Ruger No.1H in .458 Winchester Magnum. Our “legal” bears can go from about 90 lbs to over 600 lbs. For safety’s sake, I must prepare for a big mean one, but I prefer a medium to smaller one for sharing meat and handling purposes.

I hope you got my “drift” in this piece: “Is a Good BULLET in the Right Place Enough?”. I put it that way because that’s the way it’s often discussed. But the way I presented the case was: “Is the Right BULLET placed where Needed Good Enough?”

The emphasis of the piece was on the best bullet for the job – more specific than just any “good bullet”.

A “Good BULLET” is replaced by “the Right BULLET” (more specific), and “the Right Place” (a singular ideal spot) replaced by “where Needed” (a variable depending on location and angle of species). For example, that may mean a shot to shoulder joints to break the “moose” down before it gets into deep water, rather than lungs and heart where it may still travel 40 to 60 yds before it drops and is immobile.< This is moose country (and everything else country). But a bad spot to shoot an adult moose this side of the water headed across that river, unless I knew for certain that I could drop it before it gets into the water! Would you know that? 100% sure? To shoot it coming out of the water on the far side would be a better bet as long as a canoe is handy, or an ATV on this side but it’s still a long hike to get to the far side on an ATV. This is part of my hunting turf for bears in particular. If we back away from this scene for 35 yards we start a climb up a steep ridge with mostly hardwoods on top. That’s where my current bear-bait set-up will be located (as in last year’s hunt). Between this low-land scene and the commencement of the ridge is mixed forest and bush of firs/spruce and hardwood maples and birch. That is where I passed on the big bruin described below.

But this precisely illustrates some of my points about the conditions of a hunt, the game, the bullet, the cartridge and firearm. My current bear bait is within 150yds of this site. If I fail in my choices or ability, a wounded bear could get into that water in hopes of making it to the far side and safety. In fact, a number of years ago, I turned down a shot on a big black bruin not 50 yds from where I took this pic because it was late in the day, I was alone, and a too-thick maple was blocking its vitles. He was stopped 35 yds below me, lifted his head, tasted the air, never saw or smelled me, but knew where I was! Then, after a stand off of less than 1/2 minute, he took off at a quickened pace that didn’t permit a clean shot due to the many maples, saplings and conifers. I followed hoping for a better shot that didn’t happen. We all know about such experiences. My rifle was a new 1895 Marlin in .45-70 loaded with a 400gr at ~2050 fps. The right rifle and load but the wrong conditions!

Till the next. . . (I’ve recently had surgery, so I’m not sure at this point how that may, or may not, affect my plans for a spring bear hunt. . . will keep you updated.)

Shalom

BOB MITCHELL

Experience Counts In The Development of SUPREME HANDLOADS

In the last two editions of my handloading journal on the .45-70, the front cover had this title:

SUPREME HANDLOADS for the ADVANCED HANDLOADER of the .45-70 in a RUGER No.1, RUGER NO.1 LT, 1895 MARLIN CLASSIC and GUIDE GUN, PLUS THE NEW ENGLAND FIREARMS SINGLE-SHOT

That manual had evolved over a decade. Every edition grew! The last edition was the thickest because my knowledge and experience was growing exponentially. My personal handloads for all five rifles were presented, and that was a developing process with new powders and bullets being added, along with comments and recommendations.

In my correspondence with those who wanted a manual, or those who purchased them, I stressed the importance of experience with “the rifle” of choice before jumping into deeper waters. That was at a time when Ken Waters had great influence on handloading manuals by SPEER and Hornady following his counsel of three levels of pressure: weak actions, medium strong and strong, represented by BP, Marlins and the Ruger No.1. Fortuitously or not, these became “standards” that were taken to the bank as gold by companies in the reloading business that included the ancient, but still popular, .45-70 in their inventories. Still happening today! Hornady is still publishing the same results for a Ruger No.1 in .45-70 in its 9th edition as they did in their 4th edition 33 years ago!

My point is NOT to disparage Ken Waters work or HORNADY, but it was SPEER that really caused me to think “outside the box”! Unfortunately, Speer had only one bullet at the time in .458″, a 400gr for both a Marlin and Ruger No.1, as well as the .458 Win Mag. But it was far too soft for impact on game over about 1800 fps. While showing it at 2178 fps from the Ruger No.1 in their manual No. 11, and plus 2400 fps from the mighty .458, it would have been seriously overstressed! Yet to give credit where it was overdue, they limited their cup to ~35,000 for the “strong” actions of the Ruger No.1 and bolt-actions. Of course, that limitation was due to the influence of Ken Waters and not the very strong falling-block action of the Ruger No.1. Later on, I’d asked a Ruger official about the strength of their No.1 in .45-70, and while he wouldn’t put a number on it, he said: “It can be compared to the Ruger No.1 in .458 Winchester Magnum”. That was both authoritative and satisfying.

In my own progress in these matters, I limited that 400gr Speer to what SPEER’s manual listed for the Marlin: 56 grains of H332 resulted in an average of 1886 fps from a 22″ 1895 Marlin identical to mine. While that was a max load, 56 grs gave me significantly less than 1886, so I upped it to 57 grs that gave an average of ~1865 fps. As I’ve written many times, that was from my first 1895 Marlin (not my last) and killed my first bear. That’s where I started. More recently, I shared results from my last 1895 Marlin (my 4th) in killing another bear at the same distance of 100 yds – many miles and years from that first kill. Another powder was used (AA2015) and another bullet: a 405gr Remington at 2110 fps. On a “going away” bear it gave complete penetration from behind ribs on left side to exit just behind the shoulder on right side. DRT!

2110 fps = 4003 ft-lbs. 1865 fps from the 400gr SPEER = 3089 ft-lbs. That data went into my last two editions of my manual on .45-70s. Did I have fears of publishing something that might ruin somebody’s life, or my own? Never! Because I knew from analysis, study and experience, that was a safe load! Every manual I produced was sold. One fellow up in Ottawa – our Federal Capital, and who worked on the Government’s finances, bought four! That was a long time ago, and I just heard from him again recently as he was looking for recommendations on something else he’d read about in my blogs. It turns out that he has more rifles than I’ve had and shoots some rather exotic stuff with his buddies.

The purpose of this is not for self-aggrandizement, but to very simply say that we should not stop learning because we’re satisfied with what we think we know! No matter how experienced and knowledgeable a sportsman, author, or celebrity might be – they don’t know everything about every rifle cartridge out there! And that includes myself. I’ve become more of a specialist on a FEW, not the MANY!

I’ve owned a couple .223 Rems, handloaded them (never fired anything but handloads in them) but when the groundhogs were whipped out in this area those .223s went “down the road”. Otherwise, they were never a challenge in making accurate loads which became boring after a few thousand rounds. Same with most other “rat rifles”, as Doc Ron Berry has classified them! They were not appropriate for our big whitetails where hunted/huntable, and certainly far from my concept of a good enough cartridge for bear and moose where and how hunted. Moreover, why should I waste time and money on cartridges that were perhaps “good enough” in ideal situations but questionable in situations far from ideal? The recoil of any rifle has never been a deal breaker for me. After a while they all seemed similar, and if recoil mattered enough to me as to which I should take for a day or week of hunting, I wasn’t aware of it! And similarly, the weight of a rifle. You get used to it! Lately, I’ve been handling my .458 Win quite a bit, and every time I take it out of “the closet” it seems lighter! We have high hills and ridges but no mountains, so when I can’t handle 10 or 11 pounds of groceries when out shopping, I’ll retire to a nursing home!

If I’m just out scouting, which involves some walking, sitting and standing, I’ll take my 7 lb-12ga or 7- 3/4 lb .35 Whelen. But sitting in a bear blind my 10 lb .375 H&H or 10 – 11 lb .458 is no burden. If they were, I shouldn’t be hunting in the first place! If I’m walking about with them, they are mostly slung on my shoulder, that’s why they have sling studs! And I don’t have any serious shoulder or neck problems. The weights I work out with are 15 lbs in each hand. If I work out regularly with them, a 10 lb rifle between two hands seems light. Any of us can practice handling them at home in maneuvers that simulate hunting – and well we should indoors if neighbours might scream and holler, or outside if neighbours can’t spy on us! Of course, those who live on farms or ranches have it made! I’ve owned the current .375 H&H since February 2023, and it has gone with me not only to the range with handloads, but into the Haliburton Highlands (Crown Land) for bear hunting last year. And when not en route somewhere, I work the action, aim and pull the trigger on an empty chamber at home, in the house! It’s a left-hand action that I’m getting used to since I’m a right-handed person having to shoot from my left side because of a blind right eye due to a childhood accident.

The point is: to get used to a rifle no matter its weight or configuration so that it becomes “second nature”. Yes, I read what shooter-hunters have to say about such matters on forums, blogs, magazines and podcasts, and, frankly it appears we’ve raised a generation or two of whimps! They boast what they can do with their 6.5s in 6 lb rifles (all up) but complain about their recoil!

Fifteen years ago, I recommended a .300 Winchester Magnum to a 19 year old young man who wanted to hunt bear with me. This would be his first “owned” centerfire rifle! But he was NOT your typical “kid” who’d been coddled at home. First, he was not a “momma’s boy”, and he was bigger and stronger than his father who was 6′ and 220 lbs! Plus, his father had served in the Rhodesian army during it’s revolution! He met a Canadian nurse serving in Rhodesia, they fell in love and after the war, married and moved to Canada to live in the town where I was a pastor. They had two sons and a daughter. The younger son,Ben, became my partner in wars with bears, and was 6′-5″ and 300 lbs! Larger than most black bears!

Does that answer the question over why I recommended a .300 Win Mag as his first BG rifle? He’d also had training on the British .303 as a cadet during summer months while still in high school. And in two seasons, he killed two bears with that .300 Win Mag. . . and the last I finished off at close quarters with my 9.3 x 62 Mauser.

I’ve known some “19 year-olds” that I wouldn’t trust with a BB gun! The point of this semi-humor with tonge-in-cheek is that I have NO respect for those who choose a 6.5 whatever, boast about it, and then whine over it’s recoil! But it’s not just about a hunter’s size – mostly it’s an issue of attitude!

SUPREME LOADS imply: maximum, accurate, consistent and safe – recommended only for the ADVANCED handloader!

Commercial reloading manuals, have rarely met such high standards across the board: maximum, accurate, consistent and safe.

Of course, handloads that are maximum, accurate, consistent and safe are for individual rifles and their handloaders only, NOT all rifles and handloaders qualify! That’s the point! And that’s not achievable with generic loads in generic manuals produced in thousands of copies for a generic public!

I’ve already made reference to SPEER’s No.11 and it’s published max results for the Ruger No.1 in .45-70 firing their 400gr at a recorded 2178 fps (4213 ft-lbs). But THAT WAS NOT at max pressure (35,000 cup), and I knew it! The Ruger No.1’s action can easily digest loads at 65,000 PSI! And modern .45-70 brass had been tested at 70,000 psi without failure! So, what was the deal in following Ken Waters’ advice? Ignorance of facts and fear of litigation!

Hornady had claimed (and still does) that their loads for the Ruger No.1 in .45-70 were limited to 50,000 cup (copper-units- pressure – not exactly the same as PSI. 50,000 CUP in the .45-70 = about 56,600 PSI). Yet their two bullets – a 350gr and a 500gr – are both well below par at 2200 fps and 1800 fps respectively! That was published 33 years ago and they haven’t upgraded since! IMR 3031 is NOT the best powder for either bullet.

I had the SUPREME load of the 500gr Hornady RN at 2015 fps from my “standard” Ruger No.1 in .45-70 (22″ barrel) tested in a US lab at 2096 average fps (24″ test barrel with a shorter throat at 63,200 PSI average, with all less than 65,000 PSI.) and it was pronounced “safe” by the head ballistician. And that was repeatable and accurate. After I had the throat of a new Ruger No.1 in .45-70 lengthened to seat the monos out of the case by .30″, MV was increased by 200 fps from a slower ball powder (H335) with less PSI – the same that gave best results from Hodgdon and Hornady in their .458 Win Mags. ! I kept that rifle for 20 yrs and put scores of loads through its 22″ barrel, and most of them were SUPREME HANDLOADS!

If I’d had, at that time, an African appointment for dugga boy, that’s the rifle I’d have taken: a 450gr at 2319 fps/5373 ft-lbs or 500gr at 2210 fps/5422 ft-lbs! That rifle (pictured above) weighed a smidgeon over 8 lbs with scope. Of course, with 4 – 5 in a stock cartridge holder, weight was up around 8.5 lbs. But even then recoil of those 500-grainers at 2200 fps was around 72 ft-lbs KE! That was more than a .458 Win Mag weighing 2 lbs more would’ve been at 57 to 58 ft-lbs, or about 20% less. I killed both a bear and a coon with that load from my Ruger No.1 in .45-70 LT. I never noticed the recoil when I shot the bear, but did a week later when I shot the coon (which was with a group) stealing our bear bait! Because the temperature was on the hot-side of matters, I was only wearing a thin short-sleeved shirt.

Add 12 fps for correction to MV =2210 fps/5422 ft-lbs. That’s the load used on the above mentioned bear. (This pic was taken in April after the snow was gone at my favorite bear-bait site in Haliburton Highlands – where I later shot the bear in May.)

From the 450gr A-Frame (Add 14 fps for correction to MV). The bear blind is seen just above the right edge of the CHRONY. I’d killed several bears here, plus one by a partner. Those ballistics equal those from a 22″ barrel of a .458 Winchester Magnum that’s 2 lbs heavier!

That defines SUPREME handloads: MAXIMUM, ACCURATE, CONSISTENT and SAFE!

Till the next. . . .

Shalom

BOB MITCHELL

AS WE AGE and LIFE GOES ON . . .

Do we get weaker? Depending on the age we’re talking about and the individual, yes, there is a gradual deterioration of physical strength past a certain point in our lives. As concerns statistics, that may be past twenty-five to thirty years. But we’re not a statistic but an individual! Then general healthiness is the major factor, along with keeping active both mentally and physically. For the individual, all that can vary immensely from the average or norm either positively or negatively. Then there’s the matter of genetics we’ve inherited from parents and ancestry. Without discrimination, by nature some are muscular “giants” and others weaklings by comparison. Then there’s the matter of temperament and lifestyle which all goes into the “soup” of the aging process.

To continue hunting as we get older – past about 60 years – is an individual thing that’s not set by arbitrary rules. There are many factors involved, but mostly how we “feel” about it – that’s both mentally and physically. And others close to us are also involved in those “feelings” – there’s no denying that!

For example: My wife is 87 and I’m 88! I have to be conscious and sensitive of her physical and mental state as well as her concerns for my safety and wellbeing in “the woods” alone! I’m not as nimble, strong or perhaps even as mentally alert as I was even ten years ago. And she has to be honest with me about that! And I must be honest with myself! But I’m not the “avarage statistic” for an 88 year-old. I’ve always “looked” younger than what the calendar says, or so I’ve been told. Then, I “feel” capable of doing what I’m doing. I’m still driving (after retirement) 20,000 kms per year in my own SUV plus most of the kilometers in my wife’s Cruze, which is close to another 7 – 8000 kms. And I certainly don’t slow traffic down on highway driving – I’m just happy that my “wheels” can get me past those slow poke “seniors” in a hurry!

My lifestyle, genetics, physical and mental strength – that I had little to do with – was God’s choice for me, and I give Him thanks! But we all have our part to play in staying fit both mentally and physically . . .

The major part is: GET OFF THE COACH and GET OUT THERE! Whatever the motivation, just DO IT!

At age 86 (2 years ago) I was holding the same Ruger No.1H in .458 Win Mag in the same location as it’s intended to be used come May 1st of this year (2024). But only if it fits with God’s plan! Who knows for sure what tomorrow may bring?

Part of the motivation must come from the awareness of our current mental and physical state. I take pills, lots of ’em, twice daily, but that’s only part of the program for a diabetic and someone with arthritis. I work out with weights daily, and I walk at the mall in winter and on our hilly streets when spring arrives. PLUS in Crown Land forests an hour’s drive from here (that’s where some of those 20,000 kms added yearly to my SUV come from). And that’s my hunting area – The BEARS are OUT already, and it’s 2 months before I can hunt!

Can’t wait, but I have to! And where does that motivation come from? At the very least, it’s motivation to get to the range for testing loads and practice. And my wife want’s me outta the house after a long winter! But we didn’t have much winter here this year – the mildest on record. And my conscience will be pushing me to tend to outside chores – not as interesting as hunting, but whatever. . .

I’m just thankful – to my Heavenly Father – that I can sit up, take nurishment, and no babbling yet. Seriously: I was up at 4:45 am this morning and in my office a few minutes later decently clothed, and I hope in my right mind. I’ve been writing on my laptop for 45 minutes and that will continue for an hour more before I prepare some breakfast for myself (an egg, piece of toast and 1 and 1/2 cups of coffee -the 1/2 cup back in my office. But before going back to my office, I get matters ready for my wife’s breakfast when she’s up around 8 am. The rest of the morning is usually in my office, but not always. That depends on what else is on my calendar: meetings with men, doctors’ appointments, wife’s doctor’s appointments, shopping, running around, etc. You get the point, I’m certain, that life doesn’t necessarily slow down because we do! And, oh yes, how could I forget (really how could I NOT forget) get-togethers with our daughter and husband, plus their extended family for Christmas, Easter, anniversaries, or just for no reason – they live 45 min south of us. And son Phil, wife, daughters and their husbands, etc. for similar reasons – they live 50 minutes from us in the east end of the Greater Toronto Area (GTA). He’s a hunting buddy at times and a member at the same range.

My wife and I now have our own clan, and we’re thinking of our own army! We have a dozen grandkids (all grown-up and married, starting their own armies), and I think it’s now thirteen GREAT-grandkids, and I don’t know how many more are on the way.

So, LIFE IS BUSY for a couple that’s been married for 66 years, and are supposed to be – according to statistics – already in their graves (or in Heaven!)!

%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%

All of the above was written earlier in the week, plus hopes getting to the range before the end of the week, which happened yesterday, March 8/24.

I’d hoped to make it to the range yesterday (March 8/24) which was “a first” this early in the spring – that doesn’t technically arrive until the 21st. It turned out to generally be sunny but still quite cold with temps around the freezing mark, though it warmed up gradually to between +6 to +8*C/45*F, with a stiff cool breeze blowing in my face. I stayed 1.5 hrs and got done what I’d planned, except not getting the groups from my .458 and .375 exactly where wanted as both were new loads for their respective rifles. Hopefully, that will come next session.

<There are two groups there, one on top of the other from my .375 H&H. The one on top of the other is slightly faster and much tighter. The bottom 3 is from 76 grs of CFE 223, and are strung out in an arc going downward. It measures 0.963″ c to c from the 250gr Barnes TTSX, with the bottom-most at 2795 fps, the next on top of that at 2798 and the third on top of that leaning left at a whopping 2848 fps, no doubt causing the spread. All velocities recorded at 15′ from the muzzle. Add 11 fps for correction to MV for each. The .375 barrel is a 22″.

The three at the top forming a tight triangle are also 250gr Barnes TTSX’s, all crimped into the top cannelure for a COL of 3.58″, same as the first group, but with this difference: 0.354″ extreme spread, c to c. That will be my hunting load this spring’s bear hunt, as back-up to the .458. Notice that the triangle only needs to be adjusted slightly up and left to sit on top of the center diamond. That’s at 50 yds. The corrected average for that load is 2847 fps./4499 ft-lbs. (Call it 4500 ft-lbs at the muzzle).

The Ruger No.1H in .458 weighs 10.75 lbs with four of those Federal 400gr in the buttstock cartridge holder. The .375 H&H weighs exactly 10 lbs with three in the magazine. Recoil from each should be around 38 ft-lbs for the .458 and 40 ft-lbs for the load chosen for the .375 H&H.

The Federal factory 400gr TBBC was taken to the range yesterday and was the first of the two rifles to be fired. That rifle’s pic is on the header, and as many of you know it’s a Ruger No.1H Tropical in .458 Winchester Magnum. I bought it used in excellent condition in2018, and have put several hundred handloads through it at our range. And it’s gone hunting several times. Handloads from 250gr MonoFlex, 300gr Barnes TSX, 350gr Barnes TSX, 350gr Speer Mag Tip, 400gr Speer, Barnes O., Hawk, Colorado Custom (owned by Barnes then sold back to them- a different bullet than their current 400gr), 400 – X, 400 Barnes Buster, 405 Remington, 450 AF, 450 -X and TSX, 465gr hardcast, 480 Hor DGX, 500 Hor DGX, 500 Speer AGS, 550 Woodleigh Weldcore SN, and 600gr Barnes Originals have all gone out the muzzle of the Ruger’s Mag-na-ported 24″ barrel.

Recently, I purchased those Federal 400gr TBBC for testing and hunting – a FIRST EVER FACTORY PRODUCT in any of my past two .458s or my current Ruger No.1H.

I fired 5 yesterday. It took 3 to get on target at 50 yds because the rifle was sighted for a bear hunt in 2022 using the 250gr MonoFlex at ~2685 fps and the prophecy by Federal was that their 400 TBBC would be making ~2250 fps. So, to hit near center of the 50 yd target, three were fired (the first 2 hitting below the target) but all recorded their instrumental velocities at 15 ft from the Chrony. So did the final 2 that hit touching near the bottom of the target at 0.392″ c to c. (Evidently I’d adjusted the scope way too much. But I have to check the Nikon rifle scope because something may have gone “haywire” inside. I’ve had it for quite a few years – first on my Ruger No.1 in .45-70 LT and now on the Ruger No.1H in .458 – it has taken a veritable pounding from each.)

Instrumental velocities at fifteen feet from the muzzle were in this order: 2298, 2233, 2290,2284, and 2248. Total average corrected to MV = 2282 fps/4624.8 ft-lbs. Pressure appeared normal – not excessive and not sub-par. That makes for easy reloads.

Next trip to the range for adjusting poi of both loads – factory for the .458 and handloads for the .375 – just over the center diamond of the respective targets at 50 yards.

< The final two 400gr TBBC that I adjusted way too low – but only .392″ c to c at 50 yds!

Till the next. . .

Shalom

BOB MITCHELL

HUNTING SOLO

I’ve done lots of it – for deer, bear and wolves, but never for moose. Still do bear and wolf hunts solo.

Apart from equipment, including rifle, the most important thing is maintaining awareness of our surroundings at all times. In searching for tracks and scat, and other signatures, it’s easy to momentarily loose contact with the larger picture – which should never happen! I was looking for a wounded bear – shot by a friend. It was nearly dark, but my trail cam flashed and caught me in stride. That’s my Tikka T3 Lite in 9.3 x 62 with potent handloads. The bear was later found by the shooter in a swamp. It was dead, but he almost stepped on it before he found it. What if it had been still alive? He was using a .50-cal BP.

It’s not just a matter of vision, however, as all senses must be alert, Including hearing and smelling.

VISION: Depending on the location and terrain, a decent set of lightweight binoculars should be part of essential equipment. I’d recommend something smaller and lighter than 8 x 40s of decent quality, unless it’s a more open area and/or we’d be sitting for longer stints scanning particular areas for details. I have a set of BAUSCH & LOMB 10 x 40mm, endorsed by the National Audubon Society, and another 8 x 40 for rough and ready use, 7 x 35s and 8 x 21s – which mostly get used in walking about. And just a few days ago I picked up an ideal set of Vortex youth binos: 6.5 x 32mm. They are compact and rather light weight, and excellent for watching a bear bait at 40 – 50 yds. With an exit pupil of nearly 5mm, that’s perfect to the last moments of legal light. Why so many? Some are better than others for particular jobs. The Baush & Lomb’s are mostly used for birding – they are sharp and crystal clear but too heavy for a hunting binocular hanging from your neck. The smaller/lighter ones are for wearing with a strap around the neck when walking about and sitting, watching for game at close range while not interfering with a shotgun or rifle use. The lighter/more compact binos are like handy/lightweight rifles – less obtrusive and faster in use. Also, I always seem to be donating binos to family members and friends.

The latest.

If someone has poor vision due to cataracts or other causes, then that’s a disqualifier from any kind of hunting, especially solo, unless corrective lenses can alter that situation. In the event of having to wear glasses, an elastic strap that goes around the head for securing them is a smart idea, otherwise it’s possible for them to fall off, or get knocked off during vigorous activities in rough country. I’ve had to wear glasses most of my life and that includes while hunting. That is until a few years ago when a cataract was removed from my “good eye” and I was given a permanent new lens. Since that operation, I only need glasses for reading and writing on my laptop, menues, and small print on anything essential for living. I no longer need them for hunting or driving.

That’s a big relief because it’s frustrating to have to tip glasses up or remove them to use binoculars or even a rifle scope.

HEARING: This is a vital sense that is second only to good vison in importance. I’ve lost about 70% in my right ear and 40% in my left. So far aids haven’t helped, but I do have Walker’s for the range and sitting in a tree stand or blind. A number of years ago when hunting bear on private property, I was in my tree stand wearing Beretta electronic muffs and they were “on”. Cattle were in the pasture with some calves. About the right time for a bear to show up I heard this “roar” that sounded so loud I checked the bottom of the tree and surrounding grassy area for a bear that I thought might be climbing up “my tree”! It turned out to be a mother cow that had lost her calf in the woods somewhere and was calling it and it was responding! No luck that evening in shooting a bear! I turned off the Berettas!

WALKER’S

When my hearing was much better (I’ve told this one in a couple of previous blogs), I was walking on an old, narrow logging trail that was being swallowed up by bush growing on each side and from the ground itself. I was scouting for bear sign and knew the area well. And I was toting one of my favorite bear rifles – an 1895 Marlin in .45-70 with scope. Slowly walking and watching – also listening – suddenly I heard almost inaudible sounds from the tops of conifers to my left not more than 20 yds away. I recognized them as cubs calling for momma! That meant that Momma Bear knew I was there and where! She’d be on me in seconds! The rifle was shouldered, safety off, and with one in the chamber I slowly backed out of there before I turned around facing the direction from which I’d come. Today, I couldn’t have heard that without my Walker’s. And how many with good hearing would still not have recognized the source of those faint cries before momma bear would’ve been on them?

SMELLING: Farmers who work with cattle or sheep can’t smell ’em! That is, they don’t recognize the smell because it’s too common! The same with commercial fishermen. Many moons ago, after I’d just finished my last year in high school, I went to work for the summer on dad’s fishing vessel. I needed money for college that fall. In returning from a day’s fishing to the fish plant, a young lady was standing on the local warft next to where we’d unload our catch. I was in the afterdeck preparing matters for offloading the haddock, cod, flounder, etc. , when the young lady, looking directly at me, loudly proclaimed “Old fishermen never die, they just smell that way!” That young, beautiful lady was my girlfriend that after college for both of us became my wife!

Apart from the humor, there’s a valid lesson there: I can smell bears if they are within 15 – 20 yds. I’ve had it happen more than a few times when they were invisible in thick bush beside or behind me.

So in stating that our senses are critical at all times when hunting, especially is that true when hunting SOLO!

Some pics of a few of the solo bear hunts I’ve done as well as some others: A few are “selfies”, most are from trail cams or pics I’ve taken on the hunt. Each is of a distinct hunt, location and date. A solo combo deer/bear hunt.

A solo anything on license hunt a mile from my van A solo bear hunt over bait. A spring scouting expedition.A wolf hunt on my own. Another wolf hunt.In ’22, the .458 my companion. In 2023, a .375 H&H <I was caught in the trail cam’s sights as I reviewed what the bears had been up to since my last visit:

It was not strictly a “solo hunt” as two buddies sometimes helped with baiting but were tending their own site a mile away. But most days I was alone in the process. Two days after this pic, I shot a very good bear here and they gave me a hand in it’s retrieval and processing. But still, walking in alone to bring in bait after this scene had some tense moments as I disappeared over that slight ridge in the background to my van and then reappeared with both hands occupied with bait buckets while toting rifle by a sling over the shoulder. This was a busy site on private property 24/7. I counted 11 distinct (by size and markings) bears on camera, including three sows with cubs. One sow with one, another with two and the third with three – never at the same time. Plus two good size males (never with the sows and cubs, and never together) of which I shot the larger. But the point is: I was alone in tending the bait and watching from a tree stand 85 yds to the right of this pic. Though a mile separated us, we did communicate via radio, and I called them when the bear was down. They also heard the shot.

< That’s the bear -seven feet from heel to top of its head. That’s a 4″ post for measuring if you want.

Those are but a few pics as examples of the theme.

Apart from AWARENESS at all times, the second issue on our list of PREPAREDNESS, is our SURVIVAL!

At any time, yes! double that in a solo hunt! And, of course, AWARENESS heads that list! That’s why it’s first in this documentation.

SURVIVAL must be a mindset, and starts long before any hunt, and is paramount for the solo hunter! Because we’re not God, we can’t know what could happen, what might happen or what will happen on any particular hunt that could ruin the hunt, or worse ruin our lives and those we love. Yep, it happens!

So to forestall anything from diaster to death, we take precautions. And pray for wisdom and protection. Because no matter how well we prepare ourselves, sometimes stuff hits the fan! Yet, while we’re not exempt from matters going awry, there should never be room for excuses!

There was likely a decade in my life where my hunting focus was primarily on moose. By my reckoning, I’ve owned seven bull moose tags and cashed one! That’s probably close to average in an unfamiliar area far away, unless you’ve hired an outfitter to find the moose for you. Or you live where the moose live. Or you’ve been hunting those areas with a group who does the same area yearly. When and where I’ve owned those adult tags for cashing them in put me (and those with me) 4.5 hours driving time to the lodge on three trips. That was another world away as to our (four of us on the first trip) knowledge of the area in Northern Ontario, northwest of Algonquin Park. A good part of the time on that first round was spent in surviving – no one getting lost – except one that caused some angst! Yep, he was found again!

I cashed in on my second trip to the “Far North”, which was my 5rth trip to cash-in a bull moose tag. There were 2 of us – son Phil with me. The “Far North” was more of a challenge than getting to Indonesia – I think in hindsight! 16 hours of driving time ONE WAY! The vehicle was not a super-duper all-wheel-drive $60, 000 Limo, er… 4 door “pickup”, but my 2-door red Pontiac semi-sport with a 3L,V6. Besides the 3000 lb red “bullet”, there was room for no more than 2 adult males with all their gear from end of trunk to the back of 2 bucket seats, behind which everything was piled to the ceiling! And wouldn’t-cha-no-it, pulling a borrowed lawn-service trailer that weighed 1000 lbs (empty) made of steel and iron that brougth along everything else: full 5gal gas cans, full water cans, tents, gear . . . “where we gonna put our moose?”

Before you die laughing, I shot the bull on the first hunt day – I knew where he’d be because of making the same trip the previous year with a young friend who ran around that whole time on his “new” ATV without a muffler!!! – while I scouted the wilds on foot and found a fresh rut pit! – nearby to that rut pitt of the previous year is where I shot the bull, and my son and I were on our way home the next day! But we needed some help from another camp (with atvs, big wall tents, all-up pickups, woodpiles, etc) 10 kms away, who were still looking for moose! There was a cow and calf still where we’d killed the bull. And my brave son proposed a deal: They could move to our location if they helped get our bull onto the lawn-service trailer! How’s that for inovative survival tactics?

All that to say: Don’t try a solo hunt for an adult moose in far away places that you’re unfamiliar with, without an outfitter/guide who is experienced with moose and those kind of conditions. And especially if you have no or little experience yourself, and are over 50 years! When you’ve done everything it takes to get an adult moose on the ground, or lucked out, and you walk up to it, it doesn’t get smaller! I was in decent shape at age 62, but I think I’d still be there 1/4 century later if that had been a DIY solo hunt!

SURVIVAL means adequate preparation! It means counting on the fact that we may have to deal with a bad situation solo if we’re far from home or a main highway with regular traffic. Never do a solo hunt close to home or far away without immediate access to a phone – usually a cell. Have it with you, not in a truck a mile away!

Then of course, there are other basic rules: never climb a steep or rocky surface, cross a fence or stream with a live round in your rifle. Have a light backpack with essentials for the day, and a bit extra. Its colour should have ample panels of hunter orange. Not an all-black pack as you might be mistaken by another hunter – who’s only using half his/her brain cells that day – as a black bear! Nor brown of any shade for likewise reasons. I was in SAIL (a Canadian franchise outdoor store) not long ago and they had a full row of BROWN/TAN backpacks! Plus, if it has adequate panels with hunter orange colour, when you take it off and set it on the ground for any reason, you’ll be able to find it again.

In the backpack these items are essentials, not extras: a GPS with maps, or a separate paper map; compact flashlite; water bottle attached; granola bars or similar; phone; more ammo; a pocket knife; a cigarette lighter or some fire-starter; an extra pair of socks; essential medications; small camera; etc.

Some of this may be placed in jacket pockets or left in the vehicle if not more than 200 yds away. Whether in a pocket or pack, have extra ammo available – for safety’s sake: in case of having to fire 3 shots at a time to direct help to you if immobile for any reason . . . or being surrounded by a pack of wolves, etc.

Yep, we have ’em and I hunt ’em.

As to outer wear: depending on the season and/ or quick seasonal changes, such as often happens on a fall or spring hunt (a lot depends on whether we’re staying in a cabin with sleeping, heating and cooking facilities, or in a tent or camping trailer) we should plan for variables in weather patterns. On one moose hunt in the “far north”, I had a young partner and we were living in an old camping trailer that was as cold inside as out until we got a gas-fired stove going early morning. But when we left camp, we couldn’t leave it going, so when we’d return mid-day or late day, it was COLD! In those kinds of conditions we must layer our clothes. Light-dry comfortable boots are essential if much walking is in store.

But there’s lots of information “out there” regarding jackets, pants, hats, gloves and boots, as well as underwear. Go online and/or visit Cabela’s or your favorite outdoor store. In those places we’ll run into some folk with experience and recommendations.

Other essentials I always keep in my vehicle: Tarp, rope, string, axe, saw, wrenches, large hammer, duct tape, search light, (and a small shovel will be added) etc.

Our rifle and loads: Living conditions, and travelling to and from our areas of the hunt, whether “walking it up”, riding horseback or ATV, these matters will have a significant influence on our choice of a rifle for the hunt. In walking in rough, unspoiled country, the weight and handiness of a rifle is a major factor of security and peace of mind.

Depending on the WHAT and WHERE of the hunt, including it’s physical conditions, should determine our choices. The “WHAT” having to do with the game – i.e.: moose, bear, deer, caribou or what? The “WHERE” regards the location of the hunt and it’s revelant terrain. Is it relatively flat and open, or rugged hills or mountainous with some spots with open meadows . . . etc?

Regardless of the conditions, we should have confidence in the choice we’ve made. Usually, we have a short list that’s been narrowed down to no more than two or possibly three. Of course, those two or three may already be in our possession. If so, it often comes down to: 1) Do we feel more comfortable with a rifle we’re very familiar with, or: 2) Something different.

Whatever! Practice is always important. Familiarity under stress can sometimes be the key to success.

In a situation where there’s the potential of several variables coinciding on the same hunt for a particular species, where the outcome might depend on either negative or positive coincidences, I’ll take a familar rifle with particular handloads that could, at least in theory, cover any “perfect storm”! Today, that would be my Tikka T3 Lite in 9.3 x 62, loaded with either the 250gr Nosler AB at 2700 fps or the 286gr NP at +2600 fps. One in the chamber, 3 in the clip and 4 in the stock cartridge holder. Weight about 8 lbs.

The .375 H&H is 2 lbs heavier with scope and a total of 3 cartridges in the magazine. If a 300gr Nosler AB were loaded at 2600 fps, it would have little, if any, more effect than the 286 Partition from the 9.3 x 62. They have identical SDs and similar BCs. The only distinction would be a 5% greater cross-sectional area of the 300gr and a similar 5% in momentum.

When I started bear hunting in 1989, in my 8 bear hunts with outfitter/guide, Norm Easto, from Manooth, Ontario, south of Algonquin Park, I generally knew the terrain was mostly wilderness of a rugged kind (with lots of water in streams, rivers, lakes and ponds – and marshes/bogs, high ridges and ravines) – and I’d be alone once he dropped me off at my blind or stand. I took 2 rifles for each hunt. The one was a fast magnum and the other a “slow” .45-70. That’s “slow” in muzzle velocity, relatively speaking. Just in case he put me on a bait in thick brush at relatively close range, I took the Marlin .45-70 with 400gr bullets. If, on the other hand, it was on the edge of a marsh, stream or lake where I could see a bear coming in to the bait from a distance – beyond 100 yds – I’d take the fast magnum or medium for a potential longer shot if the bear might get into high-gear running in the opposite direction. But it could also serve at close ranges, or even in a dangerous encounter, making the fast magnum more versatile, but still not as good as the lever-action .45-70 in a “fist-fight”, nose to nose type of encounter. In that kind of fight (for survival) the .45-70 was not only “faster” in getting off a second or third shot, but the punch from those big-heavy .458″/400-grainers was more “upsetting” in more ways than one. However, it was rare when more than a single “punch” was needed for “lights out”!

When alone in a wilderness area that’s a bear playground, it’s very hard to beat a lever-actioned 1895 Marlin .45-70 with stout 400GR+ handloads! My last was a Classic with a 22″ barrel. I asked my gunsmith, “Eddy” VonAtzegin to chop off two-inches to make it even handier. He didn’t refuse but was against it, and put matters off too long and I sold it – shouldn’t have! Yep, shot a bear with it at 100 yds downhill, going away. The bullet was a 405gr Remington leaving the muzzle at 2110 fps/4003 ft-lbs. Impact was over 1800 fps behind the short ribs on the left side and made exit just behind the right shoulder – it might still be going! No fragments or pieces left behind – and it was a “bang-flop”! That was one I hunted, shot, dressed out and brought home SOLO – no help from a guide or buddy!

There’s just something about that kind of hunt that’s so fulfilling, that having an entourage of friends and buddies, or a guide, who do much of the work, can’t begin to compare!

However, I’m not Superman! Never have been even though for my age I’ve been in pretty good shape. There has always been a plan for retrieval of game. I’ve passed on shooting certain game when alone because I knew I couldn’t do it alone. On other occasions I’ve shot the game and then got help from other hunters or friends to assist with its transport to my vehicle. We need to know our limits. We don’t shoot a 400lb bear in an isolated area without a plan for its safe retrieval.

Till the next. . . .

Shalom

BOB MITCHELL