BLACK BEAR hunting over Bait – P4

This section discusses RIFLES and their CARTRIDGES for BEAR HUNTING using baits. Of course, I’m aware of other methods and means: Shotguns, hand guns, BP, bows, and if one has Tarzan in their ancestry, even spears. But for my purposes, I’ve always employed centerfire rifles, so I’ll stick with that. Anything else in my view is both less versatile and effective. That of course depends on the situation and goals. For instance, if someone wants to us a BP rifle then they are choosing a less effective range, a slow second shot and the resultant smoke limiting vision of the immediate reaction of the bear. I was involved with a partner who used his BP and we ended up on a one-and-one-half-hour search in the wrong direction for a wounded bear! I didn’t witness the shot as I was in a different locaton, but I heard it and in meeting up with the shooter he said he couldn’t see where the bear went but thought it was in “that direction” which turned out to be 180* from where the bear actually went!

A powerful handgun (where legal) means limits from stand to bait. Same with a bow or crossbow as well as in using a shotgun. A few times I’ve brought a 12ga along, loaded with slugs as a backup, but never as my primary weapon.

Hence RIFLES and their CARTRIDGES as the best overall choice.

Internet forums aren’t the best source of information for this subject as everyone has an opinion, and often they can be contradictory and confusing. But, nonetheless, the Internet may still be a good source for finding books, videos and articles on the theme. For myself it’s been learning on the job type of thing, and having a very good professional guide/outfitter for the first eight seasons, known as “The Bear Man”. There’s really no good substitute for a good and experienced teacher. So, what I share in the following paragraphs will be from personal experience and observation of others dating back to a spring hunt in 1989 in NE Ontario, my home province, and every year since with the exception of a couple.

The RIFLE: There are several common types and they will all serve us well if we are familiar with the one we choose, and it agrees with us.

< My first bear and my 1st .45-70 firing handloads of the 400gr Speer at 1865 fps.

BOLT ACTION: This is perhaps the most common. In bear-worthy cartridges under all conditiions something may be found that is suitable for the hunter and the conditions of the hunt.

Their advantages are: familiarity, a simple mechanical device, accuracy, available at reasonable cost, built for scope accommodation, and suited to any power level.

Potential disadvantages:

1) If a lefty it may be near impossible to find the one you’d like in a left-hand action.

2) Or, the one you’d like doesn’t have iron sights as backup.

3) Location of and type of safety – personally, on any type action I prefer a tang safety.

4) And there may be other nuances about certain bolt-action rifles in the cartridge of preference that just don’t agree together as a well tuned unit, including the price!

For example, about a year ago I looked at a Savage chambered in .375 Ruger. The price was right, it had a laminate stock, 23″ barrel, muzzle brake, stainless action and barrel, but was too heavy, especially with a variable scope, and loaded it would make over 10 lbs – good for a .458 Win but not for a .375 H&H type ballistics. Then the store had neither factory ammo nor brass for reloads. So it was a pass. That’s just an example of a good idea that came short on adaptability for the type of hunts I’ve done from close quarter tree stands overlooking bear baits at +/-100 yards. Then not the most handy for close ranges in brush work in scouting bear sign. I had a similar Remington rifle in 350 Rem Mag with a short action but was just way too heavy for the conditions I’ve just described – so after about a year’s use it “went down the road”.

The point is: The rifle must fit and be comfortable to tote and shoot after a day’s hike in rough terrain, or sitting in a blind or treestand when, without notice, it is forced into immediate action without complaint or rebellion!

<My former CZ550 in .458 Win Mag. Yes, it got bloodied on a bear firing a 350gr TSX at 2750 fps.

And even if it’s a bolt-action, we make no excuses for it!

Ditto for semis, levers, doubles and singles!

SUITABLE CARTRIDGES

Because of great differences in the sizes and attitudes of bears, as well as their habitats, I want a STOPPING cartridge for the first well-placed shot, no matter it’s host… be that a bolt-action, semi, lever-action, double or single. In a bad situation we’ll get a single shot and it better hit where a bear’s life comes from! Don’t count on multiple hits! If the cartridge is more than capable to begin with, and the rifle fits like it has been your only for the past millennia, ten more in a clip will be of no help if a bear charges from 20 yards!

In black bear hunting I started with an 1895 Marlin in .45-70, and I took my first bear ever with that rifle! Yep, and I also had a Sako FS in .338 Win Mag in the locker… but the Marlin took that first hunt and the second that gave me a trophy bruin! If you reflect a half-minute on what I just said… that will tell you about all you need to know about my mindset, experiences and attitude. After thirty-five black bear hunts – the majority over baits – I have some rather fixed opinions on rifle catridges. And I don’t go into Ontario’s wildernesses looking for a 2-year old, but with expectatons that anything, even the “worst thing”, could happen! It’s called “being fully equiped AND prepared” for “whatever”!

No bear – including brown bears – are dangerous at 300 yards, though they could close that distance in less than a minute if for a reason known only to them they choose to do so. Or if they put a sneak on the unwary through thick brush! A female in particular with cubs may sneak away if unseen, OR she may charge the unwary from less than twenty yards! A mature sow or boar bear can cover that distance in three seconds – that’s 3 not 10! It may take most of that time if not all of it to get over the initial shock, let alone aim carefully at a 30mph charging ball of teeth, claws and muscle! Recenty, I’ve watched several videos of attacks on men and women by sow bears with cubs that was unprovoked. A few had near-death experiences, but as in many human experiences, the survivors later expressed the thought, “They were only doing what was natural for them”. So, in a sense there was empathy expressed for the bears! But many murderers also are only doing “what is natural for them”!

Without preaching here, we must resist, with any means available to us, anyone or thing that is making a deliberate attempt to harm or kill us. THAT is NOT the time to be merciful! And being fearful will not cause a Putin, or a bear, to be merciful to you! If you are bare-handed, punch the bear with all your might right on the end of its nose! With thumbs, goudge out its eyes! HAVE NO MERCY! But best of all, carry a firearm that you are very familiar with an use it! Save your empathy for your family, if you have one, or at the very least for your own skin! A 150 lb sow bear can do you a lot of harm, let alone a 300 lb hungry male!

In bear country I always tote a powerful rifle loaded with bullets that will work… every time! We must test bullets in tough media, or verify their credentials from trustworthy reports. I do a lot of testing… and will do more this spring, God willing.

I have confidence in the three big-game rifles that I still own, and have developed very effective handloads for each. A new bullet has arrived from Santa this Christmas for the .35 Whelen. Five have been loaded for testing of accuracy and MV. Later on in tough test media.They are the 180gr TTSX’s. Expectations from a full load of CFE 223 is around 3050 fps – 3100 fps, in the realm of a .300 Win Mag. And I’ll be loading up some 300gr TSX’s for my .458 Win Mag at somewhere between 2750 and 2950 fps. A bear hunt for the spring is being worked on.

Depending on expections, regions and seasons, some popular bear cartridges can be found from the .270 Win to the .375 H&H. Personally, I like powerful mediums (.338 – .375) in the magnums, but with the addition of my two favorites: the .35 Whelen and 9.3 x 62, they have replaced all others in that class. I consider “MEDIUMS” as starting at 4000 ft-lbs of kinetic energy at the muzzle using midweight to heavyweight premium projectiles. Then, of course, my favorite of favorites is .458-caliber in .45-70s and the mighty .458 Winchester Magnum. But the choice of bullets is critical.

< 350gr.458-cal fired from my Ruger No.1 LT at ~2500 fps at a 100 yard target and retrieved from the backstop: sand, gravel and mother earth, plus untold thousands of bullets and fragments buried therein. That is a tough test for any bear-worthy bullet!

In a hazardous encounter with a bear, elephant, hippo or wolf pack, the most lethal weapon we have is not in our hands but what’s in our head… the story of the native girl who killed the record book grizzly with her little .22LR single-shot rifle comes to mind.

A BLACK BEAR’S PSYCHOLOGY

How smart are they…? But, “How crafty and cunning?” might be a more apt question in a series on BAITING BEAR for Hunting…

Suburban bears can open the door of your Cadillac SUV, enter, steal your lunch, and leave after closing the door without you ever knowing what happened to your lunch! They can do the same at your cottage! But they can wreck havoc at both if they find some kind of evil pleasure for driving you mad and away from their comfortable and familiar settings! They have been tested and proven to be able to figure out solutions to problems, and considered near the top in animal intelligence – much more so than the moose or even the wolf! Maybe they could play chess with a chimpanzee and win! How do I know that? They’ve played chess with me more than once… and won! And I’ve played a lot of “chess” in my day…

Seriously…

There’s a correlation that exists between the bullet (it’s weight and caliber), its velocity at impact and its effectivness – assuming good construction and POI. It’s logical (logistics): bigger, tougher and more dangerous animals demand bigger, tougher and more dangerous bullets fired from cartridges and rifles with precision. It’s not “Pray and spray!”, but “Practice and prayer”!

Till the next…

Shalom

BOB MITCHELL

Black BEAR HUNTING over Bait – P3

So far in our current series, in P1 and P2, I’ve discussed my personal history in this type of hunting, why hunt black bears using bait, what bait works best, chosing locations and why, time of baiting, securing site, and spring or fall- which is best?

P3’s theme concerns: SETUP of bait and specific location, and WHEN to hunt – time of day and weather conditions.

After the general location has been settled: Private land or Public (Crown Land), it’s VERY important as to where the bait is located on that piece of God’s earth:

SETUP:

It was previously mentioned that on CROWN Land several stands could be placed at various angles to the bait SETUP with it still in view. The main reasons being: direction of sun (if visible) and wind, and to confuse bears. Bears can quite easily discern the exact location of a hunter if he/she is at the same spot each hour and/or day of the hunt. So the SETUP of the bait is critical for that reason alone as well as others.

1) It should allow the bear (you want to shoot) a sense of security in approaching the bait. They will be cautious anyway, especially the more mature ones. And if other bears of less maturity are attending the bait without harm, they will take note of that as an important indication of safety. But that alone is rarely sufficient for the one you may want to shoot to turn up during “rush hour”. Mature bears are independant and NEVER enjoy “crowds”! So they will choose the timing of their approach, and it may be after midnight!

So, I’m NOT talking of a commercial type setup like a “supermarket” for multiple bears, but rather a low-key single owner of a small corner store that sells the likes of chewing gum as you enter or are leaving the store. A “niche” store, if you will… The same idea for locating a bear bait in a niche in the bush or trees – unobtrusive and partially hidden where bears have to pick a “dark street” to find what and where their noses leads them to. A “crowd” will not be found there fighting for scrapes on Black Friday, but it’s a “store” where adults will go down that dark alley to find what’s “forbidden”!

Did you catch an image of what’s intended?

<This is 100 yards (lazered) downhill from my blind. Bears approached the barrel from behind-right, over the deadfall. In scouting out the area, I got to know where the bears were coming from. Yep, it worked!

2) Your stand should NEVER allow smell or sense to give you away! That means: The further your location is from that SETUP the better! Of course your hideout should be as hidden as the bait setup! And the more distance – that’s still reasonable within the confines of the chosen location – the better. In practice of that principle, 150 yards is much better that 50 yards. At 50 yards, the bear you may want to shoot will know your presence (whereabouts) long before he emerges into daylight. At 150 (minimum) he may feel safe anyway unless he’s previously been wounded or fired at by a hunter.

3) And a tree stand is better than a ground blind (where possible) under most conditions as it gets human scent above ground level, especially if several persons are involved in your hunt. And it gives a better view of the surrounding area.

Yet, in a DIY hunt, bears become accustomed to your smell and associate it with groceries being delivered. So I didn’t even try to camouflage my smell or be quite because those sounds made in the delivery of the goods was like a dinner bell!

The best TIME of DAY for hunting:

Actually, there isn’t! When they feel safe – and they’re smart and know when we’re in our blind or stand – we avoid those times if it’s too regular. So vary your timing! Once I started using trail cams, that was a mega lesson on when I should be in my stand… Variably!

And, if possible, have alternate geographical locations – for a bait setup on the same property or distinct properties – so as to give bears as much trouble as possible in getting to know your system. My two locations were too far apart (one Crown and the other private) for that idea to be practical, but what I did do was vary my days and timing at the same location. I might even skip a whole week of hunting or baiting to keep bears guessing – sometimes losing some but gaining others. In other words, vary your technique and practices within the confines of the timing of the hunt, whether that is for a week or whenever you can during the season.

<This blind has lots of very interesting stories to tell if it could speak. So I’ll just mention a few here and others in the next blogs. This is Crown Land in Haliburton Highlands, about an hour’s drive NNE of where we live. I purchased it new as a remnant piece of indoor-outdoor carpeting that might be used on a patio or deck. The artwork – bites and tears – was by a large male black bear that I hunted, off and on, for a couple years. It’s near the top of a ridge, facing west, with the bait setup 100 yards downhill. It was late October with a skiff of snow on the ground. The most prevalent wind direction was from SW, so scent was carried off toward the NE which was basically a crosswind. Stormy weather usually had easterly winds from which we were protected by the ridge still raising behind us, and thick woods.

That’s all for now but that’s my former, most beloved rifle in a Ruger No.1 .45-70 LT (long throat) with the fixed 4x Burris that had a 5.5″ eye relief (It’s now on my oldest son’s Winchester M94 in .356 Winchester). But the story to be told here is that I could leave this setup and sneak away for a walk, scouting or for food/drink/warmth in my van without being detected by a bear at or near the bait. The trail to this blind was distinct from the one below for bringing in food to the bait site.

Just something to consider in doing your own.

Here’s something interesting: Two boar bears showing up at private land bait sites, separated by two years and forty miles at the exact same time on the clock. Both are good males that could have been shot if the hunter had been in his stand!

And both images from my trail cam.

Till the next… RIFLES and CARTRIDGES for a bear hunt over bait… Plus a bear’s psychology.

Shalom

BOB MITCHELL

BLACK BEAR Hunting Over Bait – P2

In P1, I gave some background of personal experience and a plan for dividing this theme into various logical sub-topics – hence:

In P2 we’ll have a look at: CHOOSING a Suitable and Secure LOCATION, and the TIMING of placing baits.

<The owner of this old farm was into heavy equipment, so it was no longer in use as a farm. But a neighbour had permission to put his cattle here for pasture, and we had to deal with that one season. But the property was divided into several fields and pastures by tree lines and natural bush. In addition there were four resident horses. A partner and I started hunting here in 2006 and with the exception of one year I hunted this property until 2015 – often alone and sometimes with a partner. As recorded by my trail cam, in 2015 I counted eleven distinct bears that were attending this single bait. A couple were nocturnal, two were sows with cubs, and others a mixture of some young bears with a few large ones. I shot a good bear in early October – it could have been the one in this pic. The camera was about 10 yards behind the bait, attached to a sturdy tree that was part of a thick bush and woodlot, from which the bears emerged. My tree stand was to the right at 85 yards in a line of trees that separated two fields. For orientation, this is the west side of the same field hunted early on, on the east side with tree stands to the south in the line of trees separating fields to the south and north of that tree line. At times (hunting alone) my stand was on the south side of that tree line, facing south, where I also shot a very good young 6-footer.

CHOOSING a SUITABLE and SECURE LOCATION

As in any successful business, it’s “location, location, location”! Among the most important items for business success are: reliable and excellent service, unvarying quality, successful marketing of those features, reputation and LOCATION! The best restaurant in Ontario didn’t get it’s reputation in the middle of “NOWHERE”! First, there must be people, lots of ’em! And it must be attractive and VISIBLE to “lots of people”. It can have the best gourmet food at a decent price with the best service possible, but if it’s located in the middle of a big city slum… who will go there that has the $$$ to afford it’s gourmet dishes! Give it less than a month and it’ll look like the rest of the slum!

I pass by a restaurant going and coming from my hunts in Haliburton Highlands. Just about every year it has changed hands… on occasion I’ve seen a car parked there; it’s in the middle of nowhere! I’ve never stopped because I’m moving along at about 100 km! It’s outward appearance has changed from time to time; new coats of paint, new signs, etc. The only way it could ever succeed in that location (on a highway to lake cottages for Torontonians) would be unusually fine gourmet dishes, an attractive flashing sign 1/2 mile in advance, Internet marketing and prayer!

And prayer isn’t a bad idea either in choosing a suitable and secure location for baiting bear for hunting purposes. The obvious locations are on either private or public lands. I’ve hunted both. From 1988 til 2004 it was all Crown Land (public) with one exception, then from 2005 to 2016 it was private property with one exception. Since then I’ve hunted Crown Land, when possible due to the Covid-19 thing and some physical reconditioning. In all, I’ve missed a couple of years, but I hunted both the spring and fall bear seasons until the spring season was closed or I’d taken a bear in the spring. So all together, I’m safe in saying I’ve hunted black bear during thirty-five seasons, the vast majority having been in the use of the baiting method, the first eight of which I hired the same outfitter-guide in NE Ontario close to the borders of Algonquin Park. That’s where and how I learned the baiting game. Those experiences were nearly evenly divided between hunting Crown Land and private property – 19 on Crown Land and 16 on private. What are the advantages and negatives of each, if any?

CROWN LAND (Available to residents without cost but with certain stipulations. Also to non-residents with a hired guide or outfitter.)

<My favourite site on Crown Land, used for many years and several bears.

Positives: 1) Less restrictions – options are greater. Searching for the best locations (will be discussed later) is possible years in advance for both residents and outfitters.

2) Natural surroundings that put bears at ease.

3) The surrounding area can be searched at any time for bear sign.

4) Natural products, such a branches, deadfalls and rocks can be employed for blind building materials.

5) Locating a stand or blind can be optimized for prevailing winds and sun location during the latter hours of daylight and as it sets behind trees or landscape. Also a second or even third blind can be built in varying locations with the bait still in view. That can confuse bears and take advantage of prevailing drafts or wind.

6) The more remote it is the more secure it will be.

Negatives:

1) Accessible by anyone travelling in the area, such as other hunters, hikers, fishermen, or even anyone looking to cause havoc. For those reasons I’ve never used a trail cam on Crown Land, and only once my ladder stand.

2) Finding a good, secure location away from easily travelled routes may be problematic in the retrieving of a downed bear.

PRIVATE LAND

Positives:

1) The most secure as usually fences can be locked and any unauthorised persons kept out.

2) Authorization by the land owner should be written and signed with agreed upon terms and conditions. Even if it’s a verbal agreement with a friend who will defend your presence on his property, it’s still wise to have it in written form. This provides security in a number of ways in case you are stopped by a CO for questioning your presence on private land, or another unknown hunter shows up there. He can be challenged to show his authorization by the property owner.

3) The private land should be a proven haven for black bears and/or other wildlife. Usually this is a remote, undeveloped piece of property bordering a water source, or farm land with a large woodlot and water source adjacent to remote Crown Land, or nearby.

4) Crops and/or some animals raised for profit, such as cattle and sheep, attract preditors including bears, and most farm owners are more than happy to have some hunters on their land who can care for that problem – if for one reason or another they can’t do it themselves.

5) If the hunter(s) is respectful of both property and owner, and is successful in harvesting a bear, he will be welcomed back!

6) Removable ladder stands and trail cams can be used without fear of them being meddled with or stolen – usually!

** In this regard, a hunter who is observant of a fence down and fixes it, or calls attention of the situation to the owner, or is helpful in other ways, will be gladly welcomed should other hunts on that property be available, such as for deer!

Negatives:

1) Some inconveniences such as gates, locks, fences, and remembering details of the agreement/contract, and any other implications therein.

2) Family members showing up unexpectedly or inconveniently at crucial moments of the hunt.

3) Domestic animals interfering with the bait setup! There were four hobby horses on the property we did bear hunts on for eight years. And YES, they got into the bait barrel – though sometimes it provided extra entertainment and was hilarious! And one of the four – the black one – got killed by an aggressive bear we were hunting!

The TIMING of BAITING

This has reference to WHEN to start the baiting process for a particular hunt, and how OFTEN thereafter.

A lot depends on the season, location and when the hunter schedules his/her hunt. We’ll discuss more of this when we talk about SOLO hunts vs. with an OUTFITTER or PARTNERS.

Assuming for the moment that it’s a DIY hunt, as I did for several years, the spring season commenced the middle of April, so I was out scouting by April 1st. The problem with that was, while at my home the snow and ice were usually gone, one hour further north there was still snow and ice in the timber of Crown Land, and many bears hadn’t yet emerged from their dens! So what was the big hurry? Actually, my first hunt was with an outfitter the 2nd week of May and it was hot! But here I’m speaking of my 1st original spring season, without an outfitter, and a few others following until I learned that baiting could wait until the snow and ice were gone! After a few seasons – both spring and fall – the spring season was shut down by our Premier who was intimidated by a wealthy industrialist who threatened to expose him as a “baby bear killer”! So, I was left with the fall hunt only, which proved to be sort of a blessing in disquise! I missed the nasty and infamous “black flies” of May, and didn’t have to rush anything! The fall season began Sept. 1st and I started baiting the middle of August, and did so for many subsequent years, even after the Spring Bear Hunt was restored.

As a general rule, I’d say, have the scouting done several months to a year in advance, and start the baiting process a few weeks prior to opening day if you intend to start then. If your hunt is later than opening day, then still plan on a baiting start at least a couple of weeks prior, and a full month in advance would be better still. There are several variables of course: the weather and natural food sources for bears (don’t try to draw them away from that, but bait nearby), etc. Too early in the spring can mean extreme cold and wet conditions, depending on where you live and hunt. Yes, we’ve experienced that too! That’s another reason I came to prefer a September-October hunt; better weather and no bad bugs and mosquitos.

How often during the hunt? And that depends also on a number of factors: A DIY hunt is usual because of logistics and economics. So it’s not a commercial operation that often is seen on YouTube or in a magazine production. The whole idea of a “Do-It-Yourself” is efficiency and simplicity. No huge dollars invested. A few smaller containers or a single barrel job will suffice (see pics). If I’m alone, and the site is within an hours drive, I check it twice weekly and that tells me everything I need or want to know: I then hunt over “fresh” bait (may be smelly – it needs to be) taking some with me on each visit.

< You can see where bears were coming for a visit and food (at 2 o’clock in the pic). They make and follow their own trails, and other bears will follow that too. I had just refreshed the site with stuff from home. Yep, a couple of bears got shot there. This was our first location for baiting on that old farm mentioned above. I chose it based on my eight seasons experience with the outfitter, Norm Easto, in NE Ontario.

<I could back right up to the bait site. Note the bear trail coming in at the bottom of the pic. This was the same private land. The bait was situated about 80 yards further north on the same side of the same field – about a year or two later. I wasn’t using a trail cam at the time.

<And this was my stand location.

Til the next: Black Bear Hunting over Bait – P3

Shalom: And a blessed Christmas time and a happy-healthy 2023!

BOB MITCHELL

Black Bear Hunting Over Bait – P1

About 1/4 century ago I wrote a manual on this topic, but due to other more important events taking place in our lives at the time it never got the marketing it deserved. The full manuscript, including photos, were stored in my computer at the time, but that was several computers ago and despite attempts to find and retrieve several manuscripts, they appear to be lost – which may be a blessing!

Yet a few of my blogs published on Word Press have contained some of that material, which has been achived, but I’ll not do the tedious task of reviewing them or publishing their dates. Rather, I’ll start with a clean sheet, sharing what I’ve learned, and still learning, from thirty-four years of hunting black bears, primarily in the use of baits, but not exclusively.

<This monster was shot using bait as a lure. Over 600 lbs with guts in... not mine but by a fellow hunter.

And we’ll break it down this way in a series of blogs:

WHY use BAIT as a method for bear hunting?

WHAT bait is best?

HOW to use bait.

LOCATION of baits

TIMING of placing baits

SECURING of sites

SPRING or FALL?

SETUP

WHEN to HUNT (time of day and weather)

BEAR psychology

FIREARMS

OUTFITTER or SOLO or with PARTNERS?

RETRIEVAL & PROCESSING

The MEAT?

These will not all be separate blogs, but individual subjects within a selection of blogs in, more or less, a logical order. With a primary focus on one or more of these topics, there will necessarily be some overlapping.

Bait hunting of black bear is a common method in most of Canada, with few exceptions – British Columbia being a significant one. There are of course other jurisdictions in North America where baiting for bear in hunting is both legal and a common practice. If unsure, check with authorities.

The reason for baiting bear for hunting purposes is found in our first topic:

WHY use BAIT as a METHOD for BEAR HUNTING?

Notice, it’s “a” method, not the only! There are also spot-and-stock, tracking, still hunting, hunting over a carcus, running with dogs etc, which are common practices by hunters for other game animals or predators as well. Hunting over a carcus, of course, has the same motive as baiting. Then, as we know, most sport fishing uses lures or baits – with the same motive: insuring success!

While checking out a new area last year (Sept/2021) for placing a bear bait, I ran into a couple of grouse hunters coming out of the woods to their vehicle; they looked rather “down at the mouth” so I stopped, asking “How’s it going?”. They were seeing nothing they said, and asked if I had any suggestions. I made a couple, and added: “Watch out for bears in this area!”. ” Bears in this area? We’ve been hunting birds in these woods for years and have yet to see a bear!” To which I replied: “Neither have I except when hunting them using bait!”. They had some difficulty believing me!

<And the smart ones are nocturnal… note the time:11:31 pm!

While there are some “authorities” and influencers against baiting for bears, wolves, cougers, etc, success in such adventures would result in high expendatures in money, energy and time with little to no success in most Canadian wildernesses and forested areas unless bait is used. I’ve only seen one bear in the wild that wasn’t attracted to a bait, and that big male was responding to my moose call!

Bears, like most wild creatures, are attracted to food sources: natural, agricultural or as a gift from hunters, campers, hikers, etc. Their other main activity is induced by a powerful attraction for the opposite sex during the warmer months of June, July and into August. But bears spend most of their lives in looking for food and eating it! When they find a steady source they will live in that area, and females will bring their young there too, which assures that following seasons will find the same bears plus their offsprings at the same location, whether it be a corn field or bait location for bear hunting.

A practical and ethical advantage of using baits is that it gives an opportunity to see a bear close up in determining its sex and condition, and whether this is a bear I’d want to shoot. Some bears are “trophy” quality even though they may not be in feet and inches! The last bear I shot was in mid-October, 2015, and to me it was “special” and therefore a “trophy”. It was a relatively young six-footer that only weighed 200 lbs, but was very smart! In fact, for about two weeks that bear and I were in a contest as to who could outsmart the other! He wanted the bait but wouldn’t come to it as long as I was “there” in my tree stand! And I knew when he arrived every time I was there! I never saw him but he was given away each time by a red squirrel at 6 pm, not more than 25 – 30 yards from me, hidden away by the thick foliage and underbrush. Bears are silent when walking a trail or even through underbrush, but can sound like a bulldozer at work if they want to intimidate – more on that latter when we discuss a bear’s psychology.

< My “trophy bear”, and I finally outsmarted him!

WHAT BAIT is BEST?

Bears will eat almost anything. Therefore, we need to give that some thought when we choose locations. Dump bears will taste like dump food! We can’t hunt bears within 400 meters of ANY dump, private or public. But I wouldn’t knowingly hunt bears within a few miles of a dump because they travel in response to smells, and a few miles is an afternoon stroll for them.

Sweets attract bears like bees to honey – speaking of which: If you have a friend in the honey business, or such a business nearby (say, within 50 k/30 m) that processes raw honey, talk with them as to any refuse or what goes as waste. Usually it’s saturated with whatever can’t go into a container for sale. That’s what I did for +20 years, because bears are attracted to honey just like bees. And bears don’t seem to be overly bothered if they get stung in robbing bee hives! And there will be lots of hornets, wasps and bees at your bait site if you use a honey product!

And ice creme is a delicasie to them as well, melted or still frozen – we have a well-known plant nearby that throws out 5 gallon containers of “good” ice cream that didn’t go to stores – it wasn’t wasted on the bears even in liquid form.

Then stuff from your freezer that’s been there too long: Meats fresh or stale. Seasonal corn on the cob, other veggies and fruits (apples from old farm orchards), canned goods with the lid open enough for smells to escape – I’ve used canned cat food on sale, etc.

Oats in any form, often sold in sacs for pets and/or farm use. Pour in some bulk molasses on top. Use your imagination! A lot of leftovers (and good food) goes to the dump – instead, make a donation to the bear food bank!

< And they’ll attempt to eat the can as well as what’s in it!

We’ve had bears walk off with 5 gal. plastic honey buckets (empty of honey) filled with anything a bear will eat! Sometimes months, or even years later we find a bucket hundreds of yards from the bait site. And THAT tells us the direction of where bears come from during the season before heading for hibernation late fall/early winter.

5 gal. plastic buckets that once held raw honey, then in my vehicle were loaded with saturated honey filters, from the production facility. Each loaded bucket weighed 30 – 40 lbs -this became bear food!

< Just imagine the size jaw that clamped onto this 5 gal. bucket!

< This one is still on that knoll. As one of my bear bait buckets in that area, it has been used by deer, moose and bear hunters as a seat over the past 25 years – including by myself this past fall!

Which suggests some ideas on:

HOW to USE BAIT

Til the next… Black Bear Hunting over Bait – P2

Shalom

BOB MITCHELL

The Saga of the 300gr TSX in Two .458 Caliber Rifles

Those rifles were a Ruger No.1 in .45-70 LT, which I had an enduring relationship with, and still maintain pleasant memories of till this day. The other is my current Ruger No.1H in .458 Winchester Magnum that has become a favorite.

Yet I’ve lamented not having more of those excellent 300gr TSX bullets available for hunting purposes. That’s not to suggest I’m poor in .458-caliber projectiles. Without counting each bullet individually, a quick count of 24 boxes of .458″ bullets – some still full but most with anywhere from around 20% to 80% still available – an educated guess would be around 500 available as hunting bullets. But the majority are intended for large and dangerous game. And some of those will find use in range shooting for testing MV and accuracy in the use of appropriate propellants, while others will get tested in various media for weight retention and penetration. Those are my current plans, subject, of course, to potential events over which I’ll not have control.

For hunting purposes in this area, bear will be the main target along with some potential predators. For that I’ll load up the 250gr MonoFlex from Hornady and the 300gr TSX by Barnes at about the same MVs. I could use one or the other without changing much, with the 250 for practice and short range hunting.

The SAGA: I first came across those 300gr TSXs in 2013 at the same store as the most recent find on the last day of November/2022. That was at EPPS a few miles north of Orillia in Ontario, about an hour’s drive NW of my home. I’ve done a lot of business with them over the past forty years or so. Originally, I bought four boxes (80) of Barnes 300gr TSXs at $29 and change for each. That works out to a bit over $33 with tax in – exactly what I paid last week for the only box remaining in their inventory nine years later! How’s that for inflation missing out on a chance to make me poorer over “the way things are going”?

Since my Number 1H in .458 is yet to be bloodied, that’s the best all-around bullet of my current “500” in .458-cal for hunting Central and Northern Ontario for the species I’ll hunt – God willing – over the next few hunting years left to me, if the Federal Government doesn’t steal my guns before that! (The Ruger No.1 is on the list of those to be banned!!! That’s not law yet, but it’s on an amendment list to Bill C21 that involves thousands of long guns!)

But let me tell why that relatively light for caliber TSX has impressed me:

1. Its MV
2. Its accuracy
3. Its toughness
4. Its penetration
5. Its recoil

In 2013 they were bought for my Ruger No.1 in .45-70 LT as a hunting bullet. Since that rifle had proven it could safely fire the 500gr Hornadys accurately at ~2200 fps, the 450 AF at +2300 fps, and the 350gr TSX at 2600 fps, I was quite realistic in believing it could shoot the 300gr TSX at 2700 fps. As a fact, my records show it attained 2645 fps/4660 ft-lbs from 68 grains of H4198 in March, 2014, and 2741 fps/5004 ft-lbs in April, 2014, from 70 grains of H4198. However, 68 grains of H4198 under the 300gr TSX became my “standard load” for that rifle over the next several years, though it shot everything well, including: 500gr Hornady RN Interlocs at ~ 2200 fps, 480gr DGXs at +2200 fps, 400gr Colorado Custom RN (original Barnes), 405gr Remington, 350gr TSX, etc.

From 10 ft, the 300gr TSX (on the right) was fired from my #1 in .45-70 LT into a box of dry books and glossy magazines at about 2650 fps and weighed 300 grains after that ordeal. It out-penetrated a 286gr Partition from my 9.3 x 62 by several inches, which retained 73% at 209 grains when shot from 10 ft at about 2640 fps – and it was quite disfigured (I think after it was “punched” by the 300gr TSX!)

< The 300 TSX on R, the remains of the 286 Partition in center. And a 286 Partition from a bear that also retained 73% at 211 grains. See the dimple in the disgruntled one? That’s where it got punched as it wandered into the path of the big fella on the far right! Do we understand the significance of all this… why that “little” Ruger No.1 in .45-70 LT became my favorite all-time BG rifle?

And that “little” bullet was it’s perfect match!

Still, the Saga continues in it’s new found friend – another Ruger single-shot, the 1H in .458 Winchester Magnum!

It is singing a new song at a higher pitch!!< Add 20 fps for correction to MV as that number was recorded at 15 feet from the muzzle! And I’ve recorded higher than that but no pic was taken.

However, my current hunting load will be much milder: With four in the buttstock cartridge holder, overall weight will be 10.75 lbs, and that will assist in the reduction of the speed of recoil, down to around 14.5 fps with further assistance from those Mag-Na-Ports. In foot-pounds that will work out to 35. At this stage of my life (87 a few days after Christmas) every fps reduction in recoil thrust helps, though good accuracy will be foremost.

It has been repeated a zillion times that a lighter monolithic expanding bullet can do the work of an older and heavier type cup-and-core. I believe that, but also better than some premiums with bonded lead cores – subject, of course, to some variables that always seem to happen in any hunt. If there is a weakness with the TSX it’s their toughness – a perfect paradox! So…. they work best on tougher and larger critters when hit through the shoulders, or at an angle where penetration must be deeper and longer. That’s been pretty much established to cause adequate expansion of the petals. For that reason Barnes added the polymer tip in the cavity of some to initiate expansion more quickly as well as to increase the ballistic coefficient to maintain adequate velocity for expansion at longer ranges.

A fellow contributor to the .458 Win Mag thread on 24hr Campfire (“The great .458 Winchester Magnum… everyone should at least own one”) by the handle of “Cold Trigger Finger (CTF) has greatly impressed me with his use of that “little” 300gr TSX. You see, he lives and works with heavy equipment in some remote parts of Alaska and has had to defend himself against grizzly attacks more than a few times at “in your face” ranges! His weapon is a short-barreled .458 Win Mag firing handloaded 300gr TSX’s. He has stopped and killed several big bears with that “little” 300gr TSX at an MV of about 2700 fps!

Some will argue, of course, that they’ve had no problems with expansion of TSX’s in their experience. However, it’s very likely they’ve been shooting lighter BG with smaller calibers and light-for-caliber TSX’s. For example: a 130gr TSX BT at 3150 fps from a .308 Win on a 165 lb whitetail at 120 yards is still going 2867 fps at impact! That would be total devastation from any angle! And the bullet would never be found for examination. Without a second thought, I think that bullet would have retained 130 grains in a fully expanded form! The same for still smaller calibers and lighter bullets. Because they can be pushed faster than a “normal weight” bullet, and because they retain about 100% of unfired weight, no argument prevails against using a “lighter-for-caliber” projectile.

Yet for heavy and potentially dangerous game (an Alaskan grizzly) a 300gr/.458 TSX is also a light-for-caliber projectile that performs well above its weight expectations! It’s main fault, of course, is its relatively low BC of 234. And that means that despite stratospheric MVs, they plummet rather quickly! A heavy .458″ bullet will be started much slower but maintains its downrange speed much better. So it’s somewhat of a balancing act.

A light-for-caliber has a flatter trajectory with less recoil, but may lack the “punch” necessary at distance!

Here’s the scoop on my currently proposed load for that 300gr TSX from my Ruger No.1H in .458 Winchester Maganum:

Bullet: 300gr TSX

BC: .234

SD: .204

MV: 2752 fps/5037 ft-lbs (330 fps less than a top load from the same 300 TSX from six grains less of H4198)

Propellant: 75 grains of H4198, Rem cases, WLRM primers, 3.32″ COL. Three fired on Oct 8/19: 2734, 2728 and 2736. Add 20 to each for correction to MV. This load was fired on Oct 8, 2019 at our range. They went into 7/8″ (.875″) at 100 yards.

Recoil = 35 ft-lbs at 10.75 lbs.

Recoil velocity = 14.5 fps

As stated: 2 lbs extra weight isn’t to be feared, but 35 ft-lbs spread over 14.5 fps is considerably better than a 500gr at 2200 fps from an 8.5 lb rifle making 72 ft-lbs – that being my former love affair! But yes, that 300gr TSX at 2650 fps from the Ruger No.1 in .45-70 LT was adequate for most things to 325 yards at 46 ft-lbs recoil – 11 ft-lbs more than in my current proposed load of 2750 fps (100 fps faster) in the Ruger No.1H…

So the trade off is (using the same 300gr TSX) 2750 fps vs 2650 fps – a 100 fps distinction. That’s about 25 yards difference for the same effect on the same game animal or DG = 350 yards to keep impact velocity above 1600 fps for the Ruger 1H in .458. Then, a saving of 11 ft-lbs in recoil for two extra pounds of weight! Was it worth it? To me… Yes! Another advantage: less pressure insures longer case life for the .458. And… 2980 fps from that “little” 300 TSX would only add another 60 yards to its effective range over 2750 fps.

And (again)…. in a full life of around 70 years as a hunter, the farthest I’ve ever killed anything with a rifle was…? 350 yards! Don’t tell anybody, but those were groundhogs… you know… woodchucks, NOT ground squirrels! There’s a big difference (at least to a .22 LR), a ground hog can outweigh a ground squirrel by 2 – 3X… that’s why I always choose a bigger cannon – not that we have ground squirrels in this part of the world – but my “larger cannon” was a .223 Rem! Have you ever been charged by a woodchuck? I’ve seen it happen… that can be frightening… it clamped its jaws tight on a hunting boot of my SIL! I didn’t dare shoot his boot with the latched-on-woodchuck because his toes were in there somewhere…

Till the next,

Shalom

BOB MITCHELL

Recent Penetration Tests Special

Several readers of these blogs are aware that I had proposed another penetration test of some .458-caliber bullets that had been purchased since the last test on November 21, 2017. At that time I still owned my favorite rifle – the Ruger No.1 in .45-70 LT, and that was the instrument for testing (in similar media as this recent test) the following eight bullets in .458-caliber: a 500gr Speer African Grand Slam, a 480gr DGX (non-bonded), a 500gr Hornady Interloc RNSP, a 400gr Barnes Buster, a 330gr Barnes Banded Solid, a 350gr Hornady RN, a 350gr Barnes TSX, and another 350gr Barnes TSX (modified by a slightly larger cavity to 340gr actual). I’ve written quite a bit about the results from that test, so will add nothing new here.

The recent test of November 16/22 was to involve five bullets, new to me, two of which were of more recent production, and three having a much longer history. The more recent products were: a 250gr MonoFlex by Hornady, and a 500gr Bonded DGX by Hornady. Those of a longer record were: a 600gr Barnes Original, a 550gr Woodleigh Weldcore SN, and a 450gr Swift A-Frame.

On August 10/18, I traded by beloved Ruger No.1 in .45-70 LT for the Ruger No.1H in .458 Winchester Magnum. I’ve previously published details of that exchange on several occasions. It amounts to not lust but pragmatism: aging, less recoil, same ballistics, protecting one good eye, and dealing with severe arthritic attacks. I’d rather carry two extra pounds that reduces recoil from 60 ft-lbs to 40 ft-lbs. And that is my current test platform and hunting companion.

Some pics:

< All essentials for the test were brought from my SUV to the site (a prime bear bait site) on my sno-sled. It’s also great for transporting medium size fall-winter game to my SUV.

< The location: I was standing in a few inches of wet snow, below the box that was almost eye level at about 10 feet from me. The box was tilted slightly back so bullets wouldn’t go out the bottom. The fall bear-bait site was on the relatively flat area just above and back of the box.

< Up close.

RESULTS:

LEFT to RIGHT: 250gr Hornady MonoFlex; 450gr Swift AF; 500gr Hornady, and 550gr Woodleigh

1) The 250gr MonoFlex penetrated 4″, 94% weight retained, expanded to .8″ MV = 2685 fps.

2) The 600gr Barnes O. missed box low (much slower than the 250). MV = 1600 fps.

3) The 450gr Swift AF penetrated 6″, retained 350 gr (78%) and expanded to .675″, MV = 1925 fps.

4) The 500gr DGX penetrated 8″, retained 314.5 gr (63%) and expanded to .72″. MV = 1850 fps.

5) The 550gr Woodleigh penetrated 5″, retained 287grains (52%) and expanded to .82″, MV = 1665 fps.

NOTE: In general, multiply the above inches of penetration by a factor of 6 to 10 in animal flesh and bone, unless a heavy bone such as a ball joint is involved. This media, made of “wedged-in” glossy-dry magazines is “bone tough”. And of course, where the animal is hit, angle and structure of animal are all significant factors in penetration. One bullet from my .340 Wby, up close, made it from stern to stem on a bull moose – at least 6 feet (72 inches). It was found by the butcher in the front part of the chest cavity – a 250gr Nosler Partition leaving the muzzle at ~3000 fps and impact velocity at about 2660 fps. It retained 71% of initial weight.

A 300gr TSX/.458″ out-penetrated a 286gr/9.3mm Partition in similar test media. The 300 TSX was fired fron my former Ruger No.1 in .45-70 LT at 2650 fps, and the 286gr at 2640 fps from my Tikka T3 into the same media on the same date. The TSX retained 100% weight and the 286 retained 209gr/73%. The TSX penetrated 8″ and the 286 about 5″. On a good bear, the 286 Partition at 2620 fps penetrated 30″ retaining, again, 73% at 211 grs. But the 286 into media was from about 10 ft whereas the one into the bear was from 68 yards. The 286 shot into the media was severely disfigured while still holding on to 73%. So, my estimate of penetration in inches into tough media could rationally be multiplied by a factor of 6 to 10 in game depending on some factors already mentioned.

<L to R: 600gr Barnes Original, 550gr Woodleigh Weldcore SN, 500gr Hornady DGX – Bonded, 450gr Swift A-Frame, and 250gr Hornady MonoFlex

Comments:

My initial response is that I was glad to get it done before the full force of winter hit us! I’d planned for Monday, 21st November, but due to a quick turn in the weather to below freezing with a snowstorm on the weekend, I had to postpone it. But by Wednesday, it turned much milder with cloudy conditions so that worked well enough. There was abut 4″ of heavy, wet and melting snow that served ideally for pulling the loaded sled (box of magazines weighed 50 lbs) from the SUV to the site about 200 yards into the woods. But standing and moving about in the wet-slippery snow wasn’t ideal for steady offhand shooting of the .458 at little dots on the end of the box!

So… I thought…. Humm, perhaps the best idea would be to first shoot the relatively light recoiling 250gr MonoFlex as its aiming point was the box’s end center dot! That would help in understanding what “logistics” should be employed for the others with much heavier recoiling effect (in the slippery snow!). Thankfully, while not fully conscious of it, I knew quite a bit about maintaining equilibrium in slippery conditions on an uneven surface! I grew up in a fishing community on the East Coast, a good part of which was aboard the Norwin, a 70′ dragger on the Atlantic where a dry, flat deck was never an experience!

But even that first shot caught me somewhat off guard… I slid backwards and nearly lost my footing… but didn’t, thankfully! So I was ready, I thought, for the 600gr Barnes that would dish out nearly 40 ft-lbs… but wasn’t! I shot low, missing not only the 1″ black circle, but the box itself! (well… it was the “dot” only a couple of inches above the bottom of the box – and I didn’t compensate enough for slower velocity and the bore being 1.6″ lower than the scope reticle… those are my excuses!). But I managed to compensate for the final three, that produced good results from 4 of the 5.

Take Aways:

The little 250gr MonoFlex impressed me, all matters considered. That was my current hunting load for bear and deer. MV was 2685 fps (last record at the range), and while it penetrated the least, yet it retained a much higher percentage of its initial weight than the others at 94%, plus a wide cavity from .8″ expansion! In the words of Dr Ron Berry (Riflecrank) on 24hr Campfire: “That 250-gr Monoflex with 94% weight retention at such high speed is mighty impressive, impressive expansion too.

“Half the weight and half the penetration but wider wound channel. That is going to leave a mark inside of the animal yet not on the shooter’s shoulder.”

Words of wisdom, and I fully agree!

Currently, the plan for the 600gr Barnes’ O is to give it a test, along with a few others, sometime in the spring of 2023.

No surprises from the 450gr Swift A-Frame. It retained the highest % of its unfired weight at 77.8% (350 grains), and weighed more than any others, including the 500gr Hornady DGX- Bonded. But it also expanded very quickly in the media indicating it could be effective on smaller game like whitetails.

Basically, they performed much as foreseen and predicted, but Ron and I both felt that the 500gr DGX by Hornady would out-penetrate all others by a significant margin, and it didn’t disappoint in that regard. However, though it will kill anything that walks (or swims) this planet, it is ideal for the biggest and baddest! And it is more readily available (and cheaper) than the 450gr Swift. I bought my box of 450 Swifts many years ago, and the price was steep even then at $75 for 50. I still have a few remaining that I’ll use for testing. Hornadys are a bargain in comparison.

One of my all time favorites for my former Ruger No.1 in .45-70 LT was the 300gr TSX, and so it is now for the .458 Win Mag. I’ve fired more of those in tests than any other bullet in any caliber. But I never pulled the trigger on my .45-70 LT on game when loaded with that gem. Came close a couple of times over bear baits but no go. I got a good buy at the time, and being very aware of the scarcity of many wanted component bullets by handloaders, I despaired of ever seeing them again. But Tuesday of this past week I trekked to my favorite shop an hour away, to check on availability of some bullets and cases, and found a single box (20) of the 300gr Barnes TSXs at the same price I’d paid for each of four boxes nine years ago!

This is what one looked like after penetrating tough dry-magazines media, and like the 500gr Hornady-Bonded in this latest test, it made 8 inches penetration, busted the back end of the box and scattered magazines across the snow!

<It retained 100% weight, hitting the bullet box at 2650 fps.

God permitting, and cooperation from the weather, I’m hoping to do some predator hunting till the end of this year.

Till the next: the saga of the 300gr TSXs in two rifles, and Frank who found that single box for me last Tuesday, and shared some of his own story from a hunting family with a father who was a handloader ‘BACK IN THE DAY’, and shot his last moose at age 87!

Shalom

BOB MITCHELL

“Praise the LORD, my soul;

All my inmost being,

Praise his holy name!” – Psalm 103

Comparing The .35 Whelen and The .338 Winchester Magnum

I like ’em both, and have owned three of each. We know what they’ve done and can do in the hunting world, so there’s little point in argueing a case for one over the other in that regard. So what’s left to consider by way of comparison?

The .35 Whelen predates the .338 Win Mag by thirty-six years so it has a head start. But no rifle or ammo company legitimized it until Remington did so in 1988. By that time the .338 had an advantage of thirty years of commercial support that was lacking for the Whelen. Technical knowledge for the Whelen ultimately rested on the shoulders of wildcatters and experimenters.

Nonetheless, the .35 Whelen not only survived but was praised by some very experienced writers in the sport. It seemed to fill a niche that to that point in time was not met by the big ammo and rifle companies, but was a steady order for custom rifle builders.

It was that good in the view and experience of several influential hunters. Yet there were a number of hurdles to be overcome before general acceptance by the hunting public: 1) A lack of readily available quality bullets in .35-caliber, especially suitable for the potential power of the .35 Whelen, and heavier than 200 grains; 2) A lack of recognition and promotion by the sporting press; 3) The belief that .333 caliber was better due to O’Neil, Keith and Hopkins (OKH) who promoted it, and 4) .333-caliber had slightly better downrange ballistics due to better SDs and BCs per equal bullet weights because of being a smaller caliber (.338-cal was adopted by Winchester for their magnum). And, to add a fifth obstacle: A poor understanding of how to measure PSI as reflected in Remington’s standard of 2400 fps for a 250gr, that only made 2247 fps for ten over my Chrony!

Enter the new era! Since the production of SPEER’s reloading manual #14, there’s been quite a stir over their published results for their 250gr HC at ~2700 fps and their 220gr FP at up to 2828 fps/3908 ft-lbs, using relatively new and untried propellants in the .35 Whelen. Four of the best in relative burn rates were: IMR 8208 XBR, Alliant Pro Varmint, CFE 223 and Alliant 2000-MR. Alliant Pro Varmint recorded the highest MV for the 220gr at 2828 fps, and CFE 223 the second highest at 2786 fps. COL was 3.060″ for the 220gr which meant it was seated to the cannelure. Mention was made of that bullet in a recent blog as perfect for the .356 Winchester for which it was origional created. I’ve loaded it for my son’s .356 at far less MV than what is possible from a .35 Whelen – in fact I’d NEVER load it to +2800 fps for my Whelen, or even close to that as, first of all, it was made for a high of around 2400 fps, and secondly, the 225s made for the Whelen have better-tougher construction and much higher BCs. But from a .356 at 2200 to 2400 fps it’s dynamite! My load for Brent’s rifle took a nice buck last year and a better one this year at 43 yards:

<It was walking towards him and he shot it at 43 yards in the neck. MV was ~2245 and impact was ~ 2124/2203 ft-lbs – plenty for an Alaskan bull moose or grizzly at that range = 50TE

<Four vertebrae demolished

<And only 10 lbs of neck and torso meat saved as deer burger!

<Remains of the Speer 220gr found in torso.

As previously reported in these pages, many .35 Whelen aficionados were already loading their rifles to 2550 – 2600 fps for 250 grainers, pre 1988 when it was legitimized by Remington at Saami. But no one knew at what pressures. It finally came out that 52,000 CUP was 62,000 PSI, and a couple or three NEW powders were making 2700 fps possible for particular 250 grainers from 24″ barrels within specs! So from a 22″, 2650 fps is likely very reasonable from particular barrels and components in bullets and powders. But the only way to measure that is by Col. Whelen’s method – lacking a lab for testing individual rifles and loads – by appearances of how everything worked: The rifle’s action and fired cases! Unless we go to the expense of strain guages and/or QuickLoad, that’s all that’s left! Manuals, you say! Oh yeah, they’re OK, but just another tool that may confound and confuse issues… how many have you used that agree with each other?

I’m still old school when it comes to that… primer pockets, how many case firings, case head expansion, bolt lift, etc. In my view from forty-plus years of making my own from the .22 Hornet to the mighty .458 Win Mag, I’ve not come across readily accessible science better than that! Short of the rifle blowing-up, after firing if spent primers fall out, that’s WAY TOO MUCH pressure! If the bolt handle has to be hit with a mallet to open, that’s WAY TOO MUCH pressure! Etc. You get the picture: I like, for most cartridges, a case life of five firings, minimum, unless it’s evident from former experience that a particular lot of cases is “soft” or “hard”. I’ve had both and adjust expectations accordingly.

Some say they dislike “compressed charges”, without rational thought or research. Many loads in manuals (which “they” follow as “gospel”) have hundreds of “compressed loads”, and at times by nearly 120%!

Right now, in my .35 Whelen, cases that have been fired six times could be used a couple more times at “max”- that I’ve settled on as “max”. There’s absolutely NOTHING in my manuals that is helpful in that regard, except “old school” methodology! I’ve read some helpful “news” online, but even that is significantly variable as to what others are doing in their experiments! I “neck size” my Rem .35 Whelen brass, and I’m sure that has spared over-working of the cases. The point is, we are individual handloaders who have our own somewhat limited thoughts and goals for a rifle, its chambering and expected results. No two individuals will produce or get identical results from two of anything – like cooking recipes, or handloading recipes!

My .35 Whelen cases, after neck sizing, will hold 70 grains of CFE 223 (double-base ball powder) with very mild compression when a 225gr AccuBond is seated to 3.45″ COL. The same case will hold 67 grains of RL-17 (double-base stick powder which is more bulky), with significantly more compression in seating the same bullet to 3.45″ COL. Supposedly, RL-17 is much slower than CFE 223, but pressure “signs” would not suggest that in this combination. On the contrary, CFE 223 “appears” to have a SLOWER burn rate in this combination which means more of it can be useful for a higher MV at less pressure. 57 grains of anything will NOT bring the best from this old girl!

There are a few things I know for certain, and that is that my .35 Whelen is sturdily built, relatively light and handy, very accurate, and powerful enough for my expectations and purposes. But at least for now, I’ll stick with it’s current hunting load: 225gr AccuBond at 2850 fps MV/4059 ft-lbs and sub-MOA. Keeping in mind that’s from a 22″ barrel, then how would that compare with a 22″- .338 Winchester Magnum? (As I type this there are two Tikka T3 Lites in .338 Win Mag for sale at Epps – where I bought an identical rifle in 2011 chambered in 9.3 x 62, but with 22.4″ barrel instead of the 24.4″ on the .338s.)

Nosler gives credit for the 225gr AccuBond in .338″ from a 24″ .338 Win Mag Wiseman test barrel at 2882 fps. They used Winchester cases, Fed 215 primers, 71.5 grains of IMR4350, and a 3.34″ COL. Typically, a test barrel will give higher results than run of the mill factory rifles, but we’ll not discount that. In good faith we’ll give full credit. But, in good faith we must also subtract the potential effect of the barrel loosing a couple of inches to make matters more equitable. And, a 22″ Win Mag would be slightly handier. But a reasonable loss from less 2-inches might well be 25 fps per inch = 2882 – 50 = 2832 fps from the 225gr AccuBond.

That’s pretty close to my .35 Whelen at 2850 fps, which is somewhat variable from several trials at the range which, in any case, is always expected. But a test of 70 grains of CFE 223 upped the MV to 2874 without negatives, so I’ll go with that for my boomer, calling it 2875 (looking neater).

< The 225gr AB on the right at 3.45″ COL with 69 grains of CFE 223. On the left is a former load for my Rem 7400, reloaded with RL-15 at 3.34″ with the old 225gr Nosler BT.

The structures of the two 225gr ABs would be similar, except for the differences in SD and BC, which in those two the .338 has a distinct downrange advantage with an SD of .281 and a .550 BC vs .251 SD and .421 BC for the .358-caliber. In simple terms, the .358-cal is shorter and fatter making it less aerodynamic. BUT! At least one user of the 225/.358 says that the REAL BC of the .35-cal is between .460 – .470 BC in his shooting to 700 yards! And that’s believable to me since Nosler downgraded it due to some insability from their test barrel – it didn’t “go to sleep” until it reached the 100 yard marker. But that’s a problem with the rifling in one barrel! Yet the experience of others, including myself, have had nothing but perfect .358″ holes in targets at 50 yards!

If the BC of their 225 Partition in .358″ is truly .430, then the 225 AB should be much higher due to it’s more aerodynamic shape, as is the case with the two 225gr .338″ at .454 for the Partition and .550 for the AccuBond! That’s a difference of nearly 100 points, why not the same for the 225 AB vs the 225 Partition in .358-caliber? If so, then that would make the 225gr AB with a BC of around .530, which makes more sense. Nonetheless, since the sectional density (SD) of a bullet is a major player in its ballistic coefficient (BC), I’ll base my conclusion of what the real BC for the 225 AB in .358 should be, given the same graphics. The 225 AB in .358-cal has an SD of .251 (regardless of profile), and the 225 AB in .338-cal has an SD of .281, so the .358-cal 225 is 89% in SD of the .338-cal SD in 225gr. So… 89% of the .338’s BC of .550 = .490 BC for the 225gr AB in .358-cal. Voila, I’m going with that!

Regardless, either one in the .338 Win or .35 Whelen is impressive in results at long distances. Yet Nosler’s manual notes that the most accurate load for the 225gr AccuBond in .338 was from 74 grains of RL-19 at 2782 fps with a load density of 105%. I too have exerienced that RL-19 gave best overall results from my .338 Win Mags – and in general for 225s which proved more challenging in that regard.

The .35 Whelen – zero: non specific depending on scope setting and range intended. Ambient conditions: my hunting areas in fall/spring. elevation: 1200 ft, temp 60*, RH = 60%

Bullet: 225 AccuBond

SD = .251

BC = .490

MV = 2875 fps/4129 ft-lbs (Hunting load = 2840 fps from 69 grains CFE 223. Test load of 70 grains CFE 223 = 2875 fps)

100 = 2695 fps/3627 ft-lbs

200 = 2522 fps/3177 ft-lbs

300 = 2355 fps/2771 ft-lbs

400 = 2195 fps/2407 ft-lbs

500 = 2041 fps/2081 ft-lbs

600 = 1894 fps/1791 ft-lbs

700 = 1753 fps/1536 ft-lbs/ 42.2 TE (Adequate for a mature bull elk hit through heart-lungs, assuming bullet expansion.)*

• This was a definite surprise to me. From one poster on 24 hr campfire, I had read this, though at a slower MV and much higher elevation than I’m using, claiming .460 – .470 BC and expansion at a much lower impact velocity than claimed by Nosler. He had killed mature elk at this range using his .35 Whelen AI loaded with the 225gr AccuBond. Of course, he was using a “tricked-out” scope. Today’s bullets, along with some new powders, have changed the game!

The .338 Winchester Magnum – same conditions as for the .35 Whelen.

Bullet: 225gr AccuBond

SD = .281

BC = .550

MV = 2832 fps/4006 ft-lbs

100 = 2673 fps/3568 ft-lbs

200 = 2519 fps/3170 ft-lbs

300 = 2370 fps/2807 ft-lbs

400 = 2227 fps/2477 ft-lbs

500 = 2088 fps/2178 ft-lbs

600 = 1955 fps/1908 ft-lbs:

700 = 1827 fps/1667 ft-lbs

So the .338 Win Mag is the winner of this particular contest, but not by much, and the good news is: There are NO losers!

RECOIL: My .35 Whelen from the 70gr load = 34 ft-lbs with the brake on my 7.5 lb rifle single-shot (w. scope and 1 cartridge loaded).

RECOIL: The .338 Win Mag from 71.5 (as per Nosler) = 38 ft-lbs in an 8.25 lb rifle with scope and ammo.

Overall length of rifles:

39″ for the Traditions single-shot with a 22″ barrel and brake.

42″ for a 22″ barreled .338 Win Mag.

*There are a variety of bullet weights for each: 180gr to 310gr in .358″

-and 160gr to 300gr in .338″

CONCLUSION: It’s a toss up, what one can do, so can the other.

Nit Picking: one might argue that the .338 WM has more component bullets with slightly better SDs and BCs.

-and one could counter with the indisputable fact that the .35 Whelen is more efficient due to its slightly larger bore, therefore a lighter rifle with less recoil can be used (depending on which powders for each).

For most, looking for a new medium bore rifle, choosing between those two would likely come down to which feels more comfortable to carry and shoot. But the unlikelihood of being able to do that, a choice could still be made depending on whether the hunter is a handloader or not, as well as other factors of perceived availability of rifles, ammo and components for handloads.

If you are one of the “lucky ones” and have both… ENJOY THEM!

Looking for some elk to shoot at less than 700 yards? This is less than 5 km from our range!

Till the next…

Shalom

BOB MITCHELL

Practical Modern Hunting Cartridges, Greater than .30-caliber, using the best in Components for Medium to Large and Dangerous Game – P2

So far, I’ve covered several hunting cartridges from 8 mm to the .375 H&H in P1, but not the .375 Ruger which is coming up next:

.375 RUGER: Ballistics are claimed to be basically the same as a .375 H&H, but from a 20″ barrel rather than a 24″. That means a cartridge that holds more powder. But also its claim to fame is not just a bigger case but a shorter one that will fit into a “standard-length” action, like that of a .30-06. So, it’s not just a bigger cartridge, but shorter and fatter. The idea by Ruger was to have the ballistics of an H&H in a shorter and handier package – and all evidence suggests that they were successful.

So whatever the H&H will do, so will the Ruger in a much more compact design. And that’s not simply by introducing nouveau engineering! It’s been done before, only on a less grandiose scale! Introducing a short cartridge for a shot action and short barrel was the scheme of Remington in their Rem M600, chambered for the .350 Remington Magnum that was, more or less, the equal of a .35 Whelen with a 24″ barrel screwed into a standard-length action (.30-06 length). The plan was a powerful .35-caliber in a relatively light and compact package.

But the African version of the .375 Ruger has a 23″ barrel, with a claimed 2660 fps from a 300gr, whereas their Alaska version has a 20″, reducing velocities of their respective bullet weights more in line with the H&H… or so it’s claimed, but handloading manuals seem to raise a few questions about that! This rifle is a Savage chambered in .375 Ruger. I handled one identical at my favorite emporium. The price was right, but it was quite heavy and has a 23″ barrel plus the brake. But the store had neither factory ammo nor brass for handloads, so I passed. In comparing it with my Tikka T3 Lite in 9.3 x 62, I knew handloaded ballistics would be similar so it would add nothing in that department, and weighing 2 lbs more, it would be less handy in tight quarters.

For example: Handloading manuals are very inconsitent as to barrel lengths for the Ruger .375: Nosler used a 26″! NONE make a 26″ barrel for the Ruger .375, the only possible exception being a special order from a custom gun shop – and why would that be done? The whole idea behind the RUGER .375 is SHORT, Powerful and HANDY! So it appears that NOSLER had a strange motive to make it appear that their 300gr Partition was faster from the Ruger than an H&H… That makes nonsence to me! Since they are showing 2715 fps from their 300gr in a 26″ Pac Nor barrel with a 112% compressed charge of IMR4350… what WAS the point? I’ve gotten that from a 26″ H&H!

Therefore, we have to extrapolate for a 23″ at best, or a 20″: So it looks like a severely compressed load of IMR4350 would result in factory claims for a 23″ African Hawkeye, or possibly 2600 fps from the 20″ Alaskan…. keeping in mind a 300gr.

Again: Barnes #4 used a 24″ test barrel for the Ruger .375. A 24″ isn’t in production by Ruger, so we must ask why Barnes used a 24″? For their 300gr TSX FB, MV is 2642 fps, not the 2660 fps claimed by Ruger for a 23″. From the 20″ Alaskan, how much loss from Barnes’ claim? It’s a guess, but I’d say at LEAST 20 fps per inch = 80 fps = 2642 – 80= 2562 fps for the 300gr TSX. (BTW, my 26″ Browning in .375 H&H lost 140 fps when chopped from 26″ to 22″ = 35 fps per inch!).

But HORNADY comes to our rescue… they tested the Ruger .375 in a 20″ RUGER Model 77 Hawkeye, and the best from their 300gr (4 versions) is 2550 fps from ONE LOAD ONLY!

Eight (8) others gave 2500 fps as max, and six others gave 2400 fps as MAX!

AND, by the way, from my reading, Alaskans tend to use the 270gr TSX for big and dangerous beasts, at around 2600 to 2700 fps from their Alaskan Hawkeyes (20″).

Reality begins to set in! Hornady shows 2700 fps from their 270gr from one powder (two that are the same- H414 and W760), five powders gave 2650 max, and eight shows 2600 max.

Other than the potential handiness of the RUGER .375, for those who hunt the Alaskan bush, I fail to see any advantage in ballistics over the renowned .375 H&H. And the H&H has advantages in availability of factory ammo in out-of-the-way places that RUGER hasn’t yet made available.

The .375 WEATHERBY: This, of course, is simply a .375 H&H Improved with straight walls and radius shoulders. It holds a bit more than 100 grains of H2O, whereas the standard H&H holds ~94 grains, depending on manufacturer. I will say that Remington .375 H&H brass proved exceedingly tough when fireformed in my .340 WBY chamber. And I nearly had my Browning A-Bolt .375 H&H rechambered to .375 WBY, except for the barrel’s bore that was off-center prohibiting good accuracy. The .375 H&H cases improved in a .375 WBY chamber will last much longer due to less stretching.

<That’s the 4″ muzzle end piece of the .375 H&H’s 26″ barrel that I had my gunsmith cut off to improve it’s accuracy. Only then was it determined that the bore was 0.008″ off-center.

Ballistics are improved from standard 2530 fps to 2700 fps in factory ammo from Weatherby, and upwards to 2800 fps in good handloads from a 26″ tube. Of course, best handloads from the H&H with a good 26″ barrel can also make ~2700 fps. So, the overall improvement is about 100 fps in handloads and 170 fps in factory products – and that apart from better brass life in handloads, especially if fireforming Remington cases. Weatherby cases tend to be thinner. There are several medium-slow to slow powders that will work well in any improved version of the .375 H&H, such as the various 4350s and RL-17.

Since the .375 Weatherby verges on impracticality for the average hunter, it snuck into this list due to the fact that a rechambering job is easily done by any competent gunsmith, and fireforming .375 H&H cartridges to .375 WBY is also as simple as firing H&H ammo in a .375 WBY chamber.

Any of the Super .375 magnums are not practical for average hunting by the average hunter, so are not included in this dissertation…. the .375 RUM and .378 WBY in particular.

In order for a rifle’s ballistics of over .30-cal to be practical for medium to large and dangerous game, I’d certainly think – after a lot of evaluation – that a minimum limit of 300 yards must be possible in a practical sense. So that poses a serious problem for certain cartridges that might otherwise be considered in particular rifles. For instance: a Marlin in .444 Rem, or a .405 Winchester in a lever action rifle, but in a Ruger #1 it might qualify, same with the .45-70, and so on. But, as many of you know, I had a long throat given to my Ruger #1 in .45-70, making it very capable at 500 yards for large game. But those are not available today as off-the-shelf Ruger rifles – unless you already have one. But several other models of single-shots are around, and the 1895 Marlin with barrels of 22″ and 26″ are able contenders with their best handloads.

Once we get into calibers over .375″, long-range shooting of large and potentially dangerous game imposes ballistic requirements that can only be fulfilled by certain heavy-hitting cartridges if the minimum limit is 300 yards! There’s no way around that! So the obvious starting choice is a .416-caliber rifle: The .416 Remingtom or .416 Ruger. The Rigby may be far too heavy for the tight bushes of Alaska if my reading hasn’t led me astray. The .416 Taylor is in that mix but not readily available as a commercial creation.

The .416 REMINGTON MAGNUM: if you have one. The 350gr TTSX with a .289 SD and .444 BC is the best choice for soft-skinned game to 400 yards. Starting at 2600 fps, it still has 3303 ft-lbs of kinetic energy at 300 yards. Zeroed at 250 yards it is only – 5″ at 300 and – 46″ at 500 with a retained energy of over 2360 ft-lbs. TE at 300 = 103.

MV = 2600 fps/5253ft-lbs/ Zero at 250 yards

100 = 2413 fps/4523 ft-lbs/ +3.67″

200 = 2233 fps/3876 ft-lbs/ +2.93″

300 = 2062 fps/3303 ft-lbs/ -4.79″/ 103 TE

400 = 1898 fps/2799 ft-lbs/ -20.7″

500 = 1743 fps/2361 ft-lbs/ -46.3″

More or less, the other .416s would be similar except the Weatherby which is much more in everything, especially recoil.

The .45-70: In a strong single-shot in particular, it shouldn’t be discounted. This New England Firearms was loaded with a 465gr hardcast which left the muzzle at 1900 fps. Range to bear was 70 yards. One shot flattened it on the spot. But don’t discount such a load for long-range shooting of large and dangerous game. With a .310 BC, it would still be making 1311 fps at 300 yards with a TE of 108.7 (Compare THAT with the .416 Rem at 300 yards!); enough for a 2000 lb soft-skinned animal with a hit through the lungs.

That load was shooting MOA. From my 1895 Marlin it was going +1900 fps but showing a bit more stress than in the NEF which allowed a longer COL.

The .458 WINCHESTER MAGNUM: This is the all-around best of the .458-calibers, and it has been and is being used on ALL medium to large and dangerous game. Nothing else in this caliber has its historical record of taking all game in these classes. The best currently available bullet for those tasks in soft-shinned animals is the 404gr Hammer bullet. With an SD of .275 and BC of .419, at 2550 fps it out-performs it’s nearest competitors, including the 350gr TTSX/.416 from Remington et al, all the way to 500 yards in energy, and a TE of 120 at 300 yards.

MV = 2550 fps/5832 ft-lbs/ zero at 250 yards

100 = 2354 fps/4970 ft-lbs/ +3.91″

200 = 2167 fps/4211 ft-lbs/ +3.12″

300 = 1988 fps/3546 ft-lbs/ -5.10″/ 120 TE

400 = 1819 fps/2968 ft-lbs/ -22.1″

500 = 1660 fps/2473 ft-lbs/ -49.7″

From 8mm magnums to the top dog in .458 Win Mag, this is a list of practical cartridges for medium to large and dangerous soft-skinned game on this planet at a minimum range of 300 yards. And only a handful of those qualify for the pachyderms. Another small group is borderline, some of which are excellent timber and brush cartridges, but fall short on extended ranges of 300 yards and beyond.

Till the next – the .35 Whelen and .338 Winchester Magnum compared.

Shalom

BOB MITCHELL

Practical Modern Hunting Cartridges, Greater than .30-Caliber using the Best in Components for Medium to Large & Dangerous Game – P1

While hunting rifles and their cartridges will surely be used to punch holes in targets for sighting-in and practice, the emphasis of these articles will be their use in hunting.

There’s no doubt that much more shooting of loads intended for hunting takes place in shooting holes in targets at ranges than in the actual shooting of game.

“Practical”, “Modern”, “Hunting Cartridges”, “Greater than .30-Caliber”, and using the best bullets and powders will be both the aim and scope of the following presentations as they relate to medium to large and dangerous game.

My Ruger No.1H in .458 Winchester Magnum at work at a bear-bait setup in October/2022. The load was Hornady 250gr MonoFlexs at ~2680 fps. In kinetic energy, similar to a 250gr factory load from a .338 Win Mag – its direct descendant – but at only 67% of the .458’s full power!

PRACTICAL implies at least the following: readily available and suitable for handloads from modest to full power.

MODERN suggests cartridges that intentionaly use smokeless powders, or are so loaded by factories despite their origins from the BP era, such as a .45-70.

HUNTING CARTRIDGES. Very few smokeless powder military cartridges over .308″ have become successful hunting cartridges as loaded by factories for large game. Certainly the British .303 (.312″) has taken a fair share of larger game, but it’s not perceived, or recommended, with it’s current factory loads “made in America”, for “the Great Bears” or other game of their ilk. But, certainly capable within safe ranges employing a well constructed handload of a 215gr at ~2250 fps, if they could be found.

Still, I’m thinking of cartridges that start at 8mm (.323) and have practical factory loads readily available for modern-built rifles. Unfortunately, that excludes the excellent 8mm Mauser, even though Euro-factory hunting ammo is far superior to American made 8mm Mauser ammo.

So we’re gonna start with the two American magnums in .323-caliber, the so-called .325 WSM and 8mm Rem Mag. But the main problems with the 8 Rem Mag is the absence of factory ammo and rifles. So, it’s not really “practical” for the average hunter after larger game at longer distances. The .338 Win Mag is much more practical in those regards, so we’ll focus on that one after the .325 WSM – which is also borderline as to factory ammo. Brass from a .300 WSM can be necked-up to .323″.

The .325 WSM (Winchester Short Magnum) was conceived by Winchester’s “brass” in 2004 to compete with their own .338 Win Mag (1958) in a short-action Winchester rifle with a 23″ barrel. It fell short on wishes and has never attained the status hoped for.

First: it’s not a “.325″ but a .323-cal, and secondly, it can’t compete with the standard-action M70 in .338-cal because it’s not a .338-cal, limiting it to lesser weight bullets with poorer SDs and BCs. The standard factory product is a 200gr at a claimed 2850 fps, which is less than the same weight from their .300 Win Mag with good handloads. And a 200gr from a 24” .338 Win Mag can attain 3000 fps using the right formula in handloads.

So while, from it’s best handloads, it could perform well enough to meet the expectations of some users (less weight and recoil), yet it falls behind the cartridge it was deemed to immitate in ballistics. So we’ll give it a nod and endorse it for those with more modest expectations. There are three hunting bullets for handloads from Nosler: a 180gr SB, and two 200 grainers – a Partition and the AccuBond – both excellent. Sectional densities are similar to the 180s in .30-caliber, while their BCs are average at .426 for the Partition and .450 for the AB. Nosler shows a high of 2964 fps for those two, but not from a Winchester 23″ production rifle, but a 26″ Wiseman test barrel. So as a practical best result, I’ll assign 2900 fps for those two. Not too bad, but still short of 3000 fps from a 24″ .338 Win Mag. 3056 fps is assigned to those bullets from a 24″ Wiseman test barrel in 8mm Rem Mag. Of course a few other bullet manufacturers produce 8mm projectiles as well, but the main flaw of 8mm cartridges for larger game at longer ranges is the absence of a “sleek” 250gr, especially for the 8 Rem Mag.

Yet the best “compromise” appears to be the 220gr from Sierra. It was made for the 8mm Magnums, and in particular the 8 Rem Mag. From the .325 WSM is should make ~2800 fps MV from best handloads giving over 2600 ft-lbs at 300 yards, and a TE of 60 – 65 depending on fudge factors – enough for the largest moose but borderline for a 2000 lb Eland at 300. Much better results would be expected from the 8 Rem Mag at ~ +3000 fps MV and ~2500 fps at 300 yards = 3054 ft-lbs/ 70-75 TE. In contrast, my 9.3 x 62 gives 70 TE at 500 yards!

And in all of this, we’re talking about a SINGLE SHOT to the “boiler room”… Agreed, more often than not, a couple or three are required to finish matters!

The .338 Winchester Magnum has enjoyed remarkable success and is still one of the most popular for medium to large and dangerous game, including the Brown Bears of Alaska (which was intended). With component bullets from 160gr to 300gr, and most of the premium type, and with good accuracy and velocity, it’s a very capable and versatile cartridge in a complementary rifle. Just about every rifle manufacturer chambers for it, plus a plethora of private rifle builders and smiths. It’s a TOP choice for any game worldwide where legal. And word has it that it has largely replaced the ol’ .30-06 in the hands of Alaskan guides. And a big plus is one can find ammo for it anywhere ammo is sold in Alaska and most other parts of the world to boot! It’s that much in demand. If I could live with one rifle for all big game, a .338 Winchester Magnum would be on a short list. 2800 fps is possible from today’s powders firing a premium 250gr from a 24″ barrel. Then, of course, heavier premiums are available, but I doubt their usefulness over something like the 250gr AccuBond with a .575 BC. There is also a LR 265gr AB with a .735 BC from Nosler.

The .340 WBY et al: From my former .340 Wby at ~2850 fps from that 265gr AB, I doubt that a bull elk could stop that one at 1000 yards! At that range it would still be making 1806 fps/1920 ft-lbs – plenty for ANY elk and most moose from a descent hit… of course, that’s the rub! The TE is 63.74 by the way, with conditions at +2000 ft, 58* and 58 RH. Giving the hunter credit for an average body hit, we multiply 63.74 x 15 = 956 lbs live weight. A more precise body hit (heart-lungs), I’d multiply 63.74 x 18 = 1147 lbs, a perfect hit (by accident) to CNS, multiply by 25 = 1593 lbs, and so on. Take all that with a grain of salt if you wish, but for me it serves as a potential guide – telling me that nothing more is needed for 99% of any game hunting, anywhere in the world, including for those who attempt such shots in the foothills of the Rocky Mountain States or Provinces. That’s giving academic credit to the Super Magnums in .338-caliber.

The .35 WHELEN: This is an oldie that dates to 1920, or thereabouts, and Col. Townsend Whelen is given credit for it along with his gunsmith, James Howe. Simply: It was the military .30-06 Springfield necked-up to .358-caliber with no other changes. That permitted heavier bullets to 310grs to be used, yet the “standard load” of a 250gr at 2500 fps/3470 ft-lbs was considered the best “all-around” load for most purposes. Not a lot has changed since those days.

Handloaders kept it alive until it was legitimized at SAAMI by Remington in 1988. CUP was set at 52,000, and Remington’s factory loads were a 200gr SP at a promoted 2675 fps/3178 ft-lbs, and a 250gr RN at 2400 fps/3198 ft-lbs. However, having neither dies not brass, I purchased a box of the 250gr SP (due to complaints, Remington eventually produced the 250gr with an SP profile). Chronographed data from ten of twenty fired (for brass to reload) averaged 2247 fps.

I purchased my 3rd .35 Whelen in late March of this year (2022), and have written quite a bit about the progressive experience of developing handloads for/in it. So will not rehearse all that! But, there are new bullets, powders, experiences and knowledge regarding its updated ballistics. In part (NOT wholly) that’s due to new loads in SPEER’s Manual #14, and a fresh understanding of what 52,000 CUP looks like in PSI. The “old” thinking, seemingly promoted by Remington, reloading manuals and “gun writers”, was that CUP and PSI were the same! Identical! It turns out that 52,000 CUP is… wait for it! 62,000 PSI!

Now, some of “us” were very disobedient to those “promotions” by Remington, the “manuals” and the “press”! And, we knew it! You see, knowing there was “fake news” about all this, we went by PRESSURE SIGNS! But we found out on our own that Whelen’s original 2500 fps from 250s was plenty safe… and with better powders, 2600 fps was SAFE! And we were bad boys… reading the SIGNS! BUT! Once SPEER pushed the limit to a new level with newer powders, some of “us” have accepted the challenge of 2700 fps from 250s!!!!!

I haven’t tried that yet, but I’m at 2850 fps/4059 ft-lbs from the 225gr AccuBond, and I know I could safely go another grain of CFE 223 to nearly 2900 fps from the 225gr. So, it’s a new age… and time. But some are still stuck in the dark ages, refusing to admit there are brighter lights shining!

April 27/22 – This was recorded from a 225gr AccuBond fired from my Traditions OUTFITTER G3 in .35 Whelen. Chrony was at 15 ft from muzzle. 67 grains of CFE 223, Rem brass, WLRM primer, and 3.45″ COL. My hunting load is now 69 grains of CFE 223, all else the same = 2850 fps/4059 ft-lbs (corrected to MV) from a 22″ barrel. It shoots into sub-MOA.

Think about that! The .35 Whelen is now producing ballistics that was ascribed to the .338 Win Mag not so long ago… but it too has moved on!

Sometime soon, I’ll be writing a comparison of those two. And recently I made mention that a “modern” .35 Whelen (“modern” in the sense of “updated”) is comparable to the “new” .338 RPM by Weatherby… for elk to 700 yards, using less powder and recoil!

The .358 Winchester: This is one that I often coveted, but for one reason or another it never happened. It was especially attractive, in my view, in a Browing Lever Action (BLR). What the 225 AccuBond from my Whelen can do at 350 yards, the .358 Win can do at 200 yards from a 23″ barrel. That’s inferred from Nosler’s manual #6 at 2528 fps MV, using 49.5 grains of IMR 4895. That also means a recoil of around 25 ft-lbs from a 7 3/4lb rifle. Add a brake and that should reduce that number to about 20 ft-lbs. As a big timber and brush gun, it would be hard to beat for elk, moose and bear. And, of course… bambi.

The downside for a .358 Winchester is availability. Even a used one might be difficult to find. But for those who already have one, they need no recommendations from me! It has also been chambered in the coveted Savage 99.

Since a significant part of our qualifications reads “readily available and suitable”, the .358 Winchester is borderline to say the best about it!

As to any others in this class, such as the .348 Winchester and .356 Winchester, they are destined to shoot FT bullets which limits effective range, but are certainly useful for game up to moose at brush and timber ranges when loaded with the 220gr Speer at ~2400 fps or speciality bullets of 250 grains at around 2200 fps. But for the grizzly and Brown bears at close range, I’d opt for one of the others on our list. But in this essay, the emphasis is on practical and common cartridges over .30-cal that can do it all. And that severely limits choices. Both the .348 and .356 Winchesters verge on obsolescence, as do some more modern cartridges introduced in recent times, such as the . 376 Steyr and .330 Dakota, unless you already have the rifle and have stock-piled components for reloads. and/or commercial ammo.

The 9.3 x 62: On May 31, 2011, I came home with my first (and only) rifle so chambered. And I’ve never felt the need to own another. I’ve owned several in .338 caliber and in .358, but never more than one in .366 caliber (9.3). And it will stay that way. I’ll not repeat all the reasons why, but it’s one of very few that not only has met, but exceeded all expectations in accuracy, ballistics, handling, strength, functioning and reliability.

Most – not all – of the rifles I’ve bought new, regardless of brand, had to have some work done on them by my gunsmith, or myself, to function properly. Not this Tikka T3 Lite in 9.3 x 62. The only work done on it (other than normal cleaning) was adding a brake last winter because of my age and arthritic condition.

<Their speed

< And accuracy at 100 yards – 0.44″ – three 250gr ABs.

It has replaced all my mediums (except for the new .35 Whelen last spring), including .338s and .375s. The only fault with it is that I can’t find any! Well, maybe one: The need for lighter quality bullets, and that’s where another .35 Whelen has entered the picture – the production of excellent quality, lighter weight USA built projectiles in 180s, 200s and 225s. I also have some heavier in .358″, but they will likely never be used as that’s covered by a 250gr AccuBond from Nosler in 9.3, as well as 286s from Nosler and Hornady, and the 320gr from Woodleigh. Then, the 9.3 x 62 can push them all faster, and probably more accurately, than the Whelen. Another reason I like it: It’s not fussy! I “hate” fussy people and things! You never know what there’re gonna fuss over next!

The .375 H&H Magnum: It has been said (and written) more than a few times that “the choice of a .30-06 is never a mistake”… and that in turn has often been applied to the highly regarded .375 H&H. Myself? I might take umbrage from that. But I do, nonetheless, listen with respect to some of the opinions of others whom I regard as being honest and not just political in the use of such expressions.

I’ve owned a few, but have never had to face a lion, leopard, hippo, buffalo or elephant… so what do I know? Be that as it may, I have taken an M70 for bear and moose – but never for bambi. I felt confident in its use for those species in their environments, loaded with 300gr Sierras on one trip for moose and 300gr Hornadys for bear on another, at around 2570 fps for each. But the opportunity escaped me for pulling the trigger on either. But as a side note, my outfitter and guide for bear informed me that since my bait location was on private land, I couldn’t stay past Friday as the weekend was scheduled for other activities. The American hunter who followed on Sunday took over my spot and shot a +500 lb bear the next day! Perfect for a .375 H&H, don’t ya think?

Some argue that the .375 H&H is “too much gun” for N.A. game, yet it’s commonly used on African Plains Game that includes the likes of warthogs and various antelope, so why not for feral hogs, elk, moose and bear? And some of the exotics in Texas…

More comin’….

Shalom

BOB MITCHELL

Staying FIT

I’ve no technical training in the matter of resolving some muscular and joint issues, though I’ve suffered from each over the past three decades or so. But I have received help from professionals. Added to that is the more serious issue of being a diabetic that nearly ended my life a few years ago through complications involving plaque buildup in some major arteries. That was cared for by one of the world’s best who implanted five stents. And, of course, I’m on dietary changes and pills for all sorts of issues as the body insists on slowing down with ageing.

All of that in an uncomplaining mood… I want to add that the most important physical aspect of maintaining and restoring a healthy life style, in spite of and in addition to professional help, has been a life full of physical activity to this day.< Wolf hunting in February

I’ve always loved the outdoors and had an adventurous spirit. Since we lived on an island at the mouth of The Bay of Fundy, (and on the border of Maine) our house was perched at the edge of the Atlantic Ocean. There were ten acres on a rocky shore line where the drop-off from the property behind our house was about forty feet straight down to the rocks below. That was a concern to my mother, so she kept me “locked up” on the full-length veranda to the west side of the house (away from the rocky ledge). I hated that, especially since my two older brothers could roam freely wherever they wanted! When I was finally “let loose” from those confines – I fully explored those ten acres, plus whatever “acres” dad’s cousins owned on the other side of the municipal dirt road.

Like my father, who passed on the genetics that included arthritic “material” that he got from his mother, and was an inveterate researcher, I too discovered through research that my dibilitating arthritic attacks were caused by a malfunction of the autoimmune system (that can cause a lot of other serious medical problems as well). I’m treated for that by a lady specialist (who is also a university professor). And my diabetes was passed on from my grandfather via my mother who didn’t get it!

So, many of our physical problems have been inherited, not caused by ageing or accident – though often worsening as life passes.

In the meantime we can, and must, do our part in maintaining and enhancing our physical (and mental) wellbeing through physical and other activities. Several years ago my wife had a knee replacement. Immediately after, she had to endure physical therapy that was VERY painful! She was sixty at the time, today she’s eighty-six and that knee works as well as it did twenty-six years ago… but now it’s her other knee that needs help! Being a retired nurse, she tells me that those who didn’t do the therapy have had serious problems since!

The point? Doctors, specialists, professionals and pills can only do so much, the rest depends on our self-discipline that includes keeping fit physically! How do we do that? As hunters and sportsmen we should already know! BUT, as we age and have some health problems (real or imagined), the TENDENCY is to say home, go online and/or watch TV for hours on end!! And, for a bit of change, jump in the car or truck/SUV, etc for shopping and “eatin’ out”! And that becomes the extent of “working out”!

< Checking a bear bait site in October. I was in my seventies and the rifle was my 1895 Marlin in .45-70, loaded with handloads.

My wife and I “eat out” quite a bit because: 1) It’s not fair to her at this stage of life to have to prepare a “full” meal for dinner each day, 2) I can cook a basic meal, but I’m no gormet chef by any stretch, and 3) It gets us out of the house for a few hours and we experience new venues. Beside all that, she likes gardening (even with a crippled knee) and I like hunting. Yet, I work out with weights nearly every day and do as much extra walking as my conscience tells me: “Bob, it’s good medicine for what ailes you!”.

Woods walking has been the most profitable for maintaining balance, strengthening leg muscles, tendons, knees, ankles and toes. “Woods walking” is where I hunt, which is a huge area with some trails, but mostly “through the woods” as in stepping over deadfalls, roots, fallen branches, rocks and boulders, climbing up or down ridges and crossing streams. In addition, the rifle is often switched from hand to hand and maneuvered to miss branches and rocky embankments, etc. As well, the upper body is constantly working to miss overhead branches, stooping low, then standing straight again. In effect the whole intricate body mass of flesh and bone, and the various systems that give life and maintain it, is involved in such activities. At the end, I feel alive though physically tired, and in consequence, I sleep well and eat well.

Such “working out” positively affects all bodily systems, so they function better and in harmony: Cardio-vascular, respitory, immune, disgestive, hormonal, etc. And the brain functions are positively impacted.

<Keeping hungry bears fed is a great system for keeping one fit!

And confidence is restored – we feel better about ourselves, so we stay involved with the people that matter to us, and our interests. Staying involved often leads to ventures unforseen at the debut of hunting activities. In my case (as well for many others) it has led to the handloading of many hunting rifles, along with the motive to explore and understand rifle ballistics – their “whys”, “hows” and “wherefores”. As that was happening, along with it came the desire to share with others what I was learning or had already learned – the desire to communicate with others of the same interests. That led to producing a few handloading manuals, and the next step was in writing blogs about all this stuff.

For some, increased knowledge and experience has resulted in a related business enterprise: Joyce Hornady making his own bullets that has resulted in perhaps the largest and most significant empire in all things handloading and development of new cartridges – and restoration of some ancient and near obsolete ones.

Of course, Hornady is not the only. Names like Nosler, Barnes and Hodgdon are just at the tip of a mountain of great entrepreneurs who ventured as young, eager men who were hunters.

Staying well in mind and body is mostly a matter of attitude or “spirit”. I officially retired as “Pastor” at age 84. That exempts me from a lot of responsibilities, but in “spirit”, I’ll always be a pastor, and I’m still “Pastor”to some with whom I regularly visit, or chat with via the Internet, cell phone, or meet with over coffee. I’m glad I can still do that, and they seem appreciative.

I really wouldn’t want to be writing these blogs if I thought they were meaningless drivel. At the very least they may provide a distraction for some from the more pressing issues of life… and just maybe some education and entertainment! The foremost beneficiary of staying fit from “working out” is obviously self. We feel better about ourselves and a positive attitude is gained or maintained that undoubtedly influences those close to us, and still others with whom we maintain a relationship.

< This man was a British intellectual with emotional and physical problems: Serious depression and serious diabetes, along with that he was seriously overweight. About a decade ago I conducted his funeral. He died of complications related to those issues, a year younger than I. However, we became decent friends and he wanted to hunt bear with me. That gave him something else to think about and do rather than endlessly denigrating himself that caused him to make a couple of attempts on his own life. To help “lift up” someone with self-destructive tendencies, we must be relatively free from “baggage” ourselves. A major part of that freedom comes from right thinking and living!

On the other hand, we may be fit physically, but sick in mind and spirit if our daily diet is the endless corruption of the world spued daily from media sources of entertainment and “news”. Immoral and aberrant thinking and resultant behaviour is endorsed and promoted in all aspects of society: All levels of education, politics and media – with its focus on lust, greed, anger, destructive self-centered living, and predictions of no hope for the future.

Yet, an ancient word from the Bible is still apropos and post modern: “Rejoice in the Lord (Jesus Christ) always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.

“Finally brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable – if anything is excellent or praiseworthy – think about such things.” — Philippians 4: 4 – 8 (NIV).

That was from Paul, an apostle, to the church at Philippi, in today’ Greece, in an epistle (letter) sent from a Roman prison, where he was locked up because of preaching the “good news” (gospel) about Jesus – who was raised from the dead by God the Father, and confirmed to be The ONE spoken of by the ancient prophets and his apostles who were witnesses of his resurrection. Yet, the GOOD NEWS is: He’s alive and coming again for all those who have believed in him according to the truth – not the lies and myths of the world that hates him, AND STILL DOES! They have substituted a lie for the TRUTH in making Jesus look like a toothless pet and declawed lion, so anyone and everyone can feel “comfortable” with that pet-form of Christianity – in which the CHRIST has been X-cluded! (The Gospel of John, chapter 3, verses 15 – 18)

In the pic below there is a bullet, a 400gr Hawk bullet in .458″. Is that all we see? Oh yes, it has a cannelure. Those were ordered for me by the late John Williams, proprietor of Williams Arms in Port Perry, Ontario, around 1995, and I still have 20, including the one with the cannelure (that I gave it from a Lee Crimp Die). John and I did a lot of business over the years, but he is no longer with us having died of cancer a couple of years ago – and he was quite a bit younger than I. The shop is still in operation, though John had moved it to a larger facility due to making more clients and friends over the years. Today it’s owned by his widowed wife, and operated by a competent staff. My latest trip there was for CFE 223, that had been ordered for me about three months ago, and arrived two weeks ago – I picked up two 1 lb cans.

But to the purpose of the pic… the 400 Hawk rests on one of my Bibles. You’ll have noticed it’s well worn though only twenty years old. There’s a simple reason for that: The heavenly Father talks to me through the Bible. God’s TRUTH is the foundation of everything that exists -including that 400gr bullet and my life! Even the Hawk company acknowledges that! How do I know? From the ancient symbol of a fish imprinted in two places on the box! That was the symbol that the early Christians used to identify one another when under the threat of death by Rome. Today, you might find it on automobile license plates and other products, stating that the company or product acknowledges Christ as Saviour and Lord, and the Bible as God’s TRUTH. Many products that we use as handloaders and amateur gunsmiths have come to us in Jesus name from places like Hawk, Timney and Hodgdon!

There are those among us who acknowledge God’s Truth: Jesus declared, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” (The Gospel of John, ch 14 and verse 6). Because He IS alive, He’s the eternal source of our healing for body, mind and spirit. (The prophecies of ISAIAH chapters 2, 40 and 53. Recommended reading in the NIV or NKJ versions.)

Till the next…

Shalom

BOB MITCHELL