Scouting…

Under the theme of SCOUTING we’ll consider the following:

1- WHY?

2 – WHERE?

3 – WHAT?

4 – When?

5 – HOW?

Believe it or not… those five questions have immense significance! They could be answered briefly or with much more detail. I’ve chosen the latter approach because to do so briefly usually raises many more issues than initially considered.

Scouting, of course, has application to many more fields of planning and activity than hunting, but I’ll reserve it to that interest.

WHY? Over a seventy year period of “chasing” game (including snares and a BB gun as a pre-teen) I’ve done an immense amount of scouting compared to actually shooting game. The percentage of time invested including all other activities – handloading, testing loads, practising and watching from stands, etc, is likely between 10% to 25% of the total depending on the hunt. That’s no small investment, but those hours aren’t wasted… far from it! In a single moose hunt of 8 to 10 days, at least 50% of hunting time is in scouting! That will not include those who use traditional “stands” waiting for a moose on licence to show up! In such cases most of the hunting hours are in sitting, standing and waiting! The scouting was already done by others in years past. In a case where a pro guide is involved, he has done, or will do, most of the scouting, sometimes with the hunter tagging along. But scouting is/was still involved by someone.

< My primary activity here was scouting.

Assuming you or I are doing the actual scouting prior to a hunt, and not a paid guide or outfitter, we need to know what to look for and what were’re actually seeing and experiencing which answers the question: “WHY?” But what we’re seeing and experiencing isn’t always apparent in its relation to the goal from the get-go. For example: If it’s a new-to-us area there could easily be a lot more information being presented to our senses than we might actually see the importance of in a first go-around of a particular area. Did we pay enough attention to any wet areas or a trickle of water running through a low area that might be hidden in thick undergrowth? The area surrounding it will be soft ground which may reveal the tracks of various fauna. In a puddle on a trail that crossed a significant nearby stream I counted the tracks of eight species of land mammals that were using the same trail I was on — and because the puddle — about 4′ x 6′ — had just recently dried out after a rainfall. The mud with the imprints, at times mingled, was still wet and soft! The tracks of a moose, deer, coyote, wolf, coon, fisher, bear and fox were all accounted for after intense investigation. Those animals had all walked that trail or crossed it over the period it took for that puddle to go dry after the rainfall! One of the joys of my hunting life was to become familiar with various remote trails in the Haliburton Highlands Crown Land before the ATV’ers took them over. I enjoyed the scouting-out of territory prior to “hunting” the same, though technically they are one and the same.

Do you want to know what critters make their living in the area you will be hunting? Do preseason scouting! That’s why!

WHERE? : Any area where you’ll have permission to explore and hunt that will be new to you. Exploration of a new area is the key to scouting. Game trails are evident as well as human trails. Sometimes humans use game trails and/or game use human made trails. When I began hunting bear with an outfitter, Norm, with his permission I followed him around and helped with the baiting procedure during the morning hours. He didn’t check all eighty-five locations each day but did over the course of a week and saw where the activity was “hot”. I was getting a “Master’s” level course in bear hunting, especially in hunting them over bait, by asking questions like: “Why did you choose this site for this bait setup?” Without attempting to give the full course here, he’d point out some key features of the terrain as well as noting bear markings on trees, scat, and the trails they use — difficult for the untrained eye to notice. It could be any game trail OR a distinct bear trail! Usually, if in tight quarters, a bit of careful detective work will reveal black hair snatched by briars or the bark of a tree. Also there will be somewhere along that trail bear markings of a tree. The higher up the claw marks, the deeper, longer and space between claw marks will give excellent evidence that a mature dominant boar bear considers this to be “his” turf! These are not the markings of a bear cub scrambling up a tree to escape a perceived threat… those are quite evident as well, and not difficult to discern from a mature bear.<Do you see the claw marks?

WHAT? : are you looking for, or hoping to discover in your scouting? Is it general or specific? While my main interest, in the example given previously, was firstly bear and secondly moose, yet I also carried small game licences during scouting, but the two seasons didn’t always coincide. But I took note of every possible creature that could be hunted in season in a particular area. I’ve flushed many grouse while scouting for deer, bear or moose. I’ve also had fisher and coon at bear baits, as well as multiple squirrels. But some forests are dead of any wildlife! They may be used as a corridor but nothing living dwells there. It’s good to find that out before wasting time in a non-productive forest or region. Planted pine forests that replace natural harvested mixed growth will usually produce 3 to 6 inches of dead, dry-brown spills — no growth as natural food under those trees! My friend and retired CO laughs when he tells of having a “job” of “reforestation” in planting pine samplings to replace what was a former healthy place for all creatures to find food and shelter.

WHEN? Specifically, any favorable time prior to the hunt. But, as already noted, during any season that allows hunting for specific species we should be alert to other possibilities for predators or small game, as examples, that may require particular seasons and licenses. Some hunters are bird hunters only. Others are small game specific. Whatever the case or season, we should be observant of physical conditions that will vary with the seasons of the year. Our climate is temperate which forecasts four specific seasons per year with more variation during both spring and fall, the usually more active hunting seasons. So I go prepared with potential variable weather conditions in mind. That means I keep in my vehicle both heavier and lighter outerwear — some of which must be for hot and dry or wet and cold during the same hunt… which also applies to foot gear. In a bear blind or stand in the spring or fall, I could be wearing sneakers as footwear or watertight all-weather boots. Changes for both outerwear and footgear have permanent residence in my SUV. Also, ready access to weather updates is a sane policy; I use the radio in my SUV which reports weather, including updates every ten to fifteen minutes.

HOW? Some of the generalities have already been discussed but there are still some practical issues involved.

Making a plan: While pre-season scouting has been emphasized, yet it should be a part of the larger plan for a specific hunt. Consciously or unconsciously we all make either detailed or informal plans for most important activities. Hunting is no exception. Either we rely on others to take the lead or we do so ourselves. If we do it ourselves there are some practical steps for planning a scouting trip:

A MAP of the area to be scouted, ether GPS or an official geological map is a must, and either (or both) should be on our person at all times. History abounds with stories of lost people who should have returned home but didn’t. Enough said? Probably not!

A FLASHLIGHT – a small but bright one with fresh batteries because you (or I) may end up trying to read a map or find our way in darkness!

A COMPASS – never go into an unfamiliar wooded, swamp filled, hilly or mountainous area without one! Some GPS’s will do, but not all! If you can read the stars and it’s clear, good! If it’s daytime and the sky is relatively clear of cloud, the position and direction of the sun can help. Do you know the direction to the nearest road or your pickup from where you are now?

SPENDING THE NIGHT ALONE? Did you plan for that?

FOOD and WATER – as in any matter involving survival we must know what to bring – and what not to!

A CAMERA and other means of record keeping. It’s too easy to forget important details otherwise.

Did you know that you could get lost on someone else’s property of 70 acres without a sketched map at least?

A few years ago I was involved in a bear hunt over bait on a private, unfamiliar property. While I was a licensed hunter yet my “job” was more of a consultant and assistant to the main hunter who was somewhat familiar with the farm (and we had an official map) and less than a mile from his own farm land. Yet it quickly became apparent that I was so unfamiliar with this property, which had a huge swamp, a large wooded area, a pond, rolling contours and no visible landmarks, that I could get lost in there without a GPS or map… or someone familiar with the property. In fact, when my friend finally shot a bear with his BP on the edge of darkness, it was well after dark before he stumbled upon the dead bear in a swamp after having searched in the wrong direction for well over an hour! The reason we searched in the wrong direction was due to the smoke from the black powder — he though the wounded bear went one way when it actually went in the opposite direction! I was over 300 yards hidden from him in my own tree stand when he fired. Thankfully the swamp was nearly dry after a very hot ‘n dry summer! But the grass was still very tall and he nearly stepped on the bear before locating him.

<One of the bears attending my partner’s bait site.

My partner was a sheep farmer and his schedule often involved last minute decision making, so I assisted in where to locate bait and stands and placement of my trail cam which told us an otherwise impossible to know story of the bears that frequented the site. He knew the property in general terms but not in detail. My stand was out of sight of his but close enough to hear his shot and lend a hand in finding the bear. So all such details go into a folder or memory bank called “Scouting results for future reference”.

As an item of interest, my bait was also hit and apparently by a good size bear as the barrel was drug through heavy bush in an attempt to hide it from other bears!

I became somewhat familiar with the part of that property we were hunting having spent a couple of days attaching stands to trees. I could have found my way out in daylight without a map or GPS.

< Note the shotgun of my partner, Brian, in lugging bait to his site.

All in all it was an exciting adventure.

Hope all of your’s are as well!

Shalom

BOB MITCHELL

Worst Case Scenarios VS Best Case… P4

Continued from P3…

CONSTRUCTION: The well read and experienced hunter/shooter is already aware that not only is the bullet the most important piece of equipment on a hunt, but so is its construction.

I’ve already elaborated that to near exhaustion, but it’s important for any and all of us to be familiar with the bullet we intend to use on a particular hunt, and that familiarity should include its construction. And that’s more than outward appearances though profile is included.

The manufacturer’s blueprint, material and machinery are the keys to its construction. This is not intended as a history lesson in the evolution of the modern day bullet, but certain legendary figures readily come to mind such as John Nosler and Jack Carter, plus a few others who have tweeked the concepts of partitions and bonding of lead cores to copper or copper-alloy jackets. Then came the monometals of pure copper or copper-alloy bullets of various designs, all claiming to perform miracles. These were all basic themes with slight variations inside and out that worked well enough depending on caliber, impact velocity and where the animal was hit including its presentation. In my thinking construction also includes a bullet’s profile or external shape. More on that later, but the bottom line is that the construction of a bullet should insure the immediate demise of the animal when: a) Its design is suitable; b) the range is reasonable, and c) the shooter places it correctly.

There should be no questions or doubts over the choice of bullet.

POTENTIAL WEIGHT RETENTION: This of course is dependant mostly on its construction which is related to both purpose and design to achieve its intended MISSION. When a Hornady bullet came apart on a bull moose in Canada, John Nosler decided to produce a better bullet. The Hornady bullet fired from a .300 magnum had little chance of surviving impact with the heavy bones of a +1000 lb tough animal. It was a simple cup-and-core design with no internal design to hold core and jacket together on impact. John came up with the famed Partition bullet, somewhat following a German design. To this day it is a standard by which others are measured as to results.

In the larger calibers the Nosler Partition has a thicker jacket and partition which is moved further forward than small bore to medium bore Partition bullets. The jacket is tapered forward of the partition with minimal thickness at the nose cavity to improve expansion as low as 1800 fps on impact for most big game bullets. Typically, in my experience, Nosler Partitions retain over 70% of unfired weight regardless of where it hits the animal even if heavy bones are impacted. I’ve never personally experienced “bullet failure” in using a Partition bullet on big game. They are also among the best for penetration — in fact, out-penetrating some with bonded cores that retain more weight! < Partitions: On far left a 250gr/.338 from a bull moose, and center a 250gr/.338, both from my .340 Wby at 165 yards. Each retained 72% of initial weight. On the far right a 286gr/9.3mm retrieved from the hide of a black bear just in front of the right hip in skinning. It retained 74% of 286 grains. It was a frontal hit in the chest just under the chin as it faced me at 68 yards. MV was 2622 fps from my Tikka in 9.3 x 62. Bear was 6′ from nose to tail.

Here are a few others that have worked as intended: a 200gr CorLoc/.35 cal from a black bear fired from a friend’s .35 Rem; a 400gr Speer fired from my 1895 Marlin into a trophy black bear at 100 yards, retaining 90.5%, and a 270gr bonded custom fired into a grizzly in the Yukon from a 9.3 x 62 Mauser… unsure of % weight retention, but it looks like plenty. The shooter is personally known to me.

ACCURACY: Plenty has been said and written on this point that could be reduced to one word: “Enough”! I like MOA or better from all my hunting loads that have been hand-made. That’s not essential but it gives confidence. One more thing: MOA or better under all atmospheric conditions whether 90*F or 0*F. But I’ll favor a load less than MOA if it’s the right bullet and consistent under all conditions.

USEFUL TO WHAT RANGE? Depending on the game being hunted and the landscape. A Cape buffalo at 50 to 100 yards doesn’t need a pointy bullet for long range. So most for that task are blunt RN or flat tip. A BC of .300 or less will suffice. On the other hand if distances could be variable from day to day or hour to hour for the same beast, from 50 to 350 yards or more, I’d choose a bullet constructed for the chosen game with a BC or at least 350… +400 BC being better still. For example: a 160gr NP would suffice on a mule deer hunt from a 7mm magnum at 50 to +400 yards when fired at around 3100 fps. It will hold together at the closer rang and expand adequately at the longer range.

Another view for long or short range of medium to large game using a .458 Win Mag, for example, would be in the use of a flat-tip cast bullet of 480 grains or a 480gr Hornady DGX at 1800 fps. They will get the job done close up to any range where a sure shot could be taken due to that FLAT POINT! It doesn’t need expansion to be a sure killer if placed correctly. That knowledge could serve as a template for other large-bore rifles as well… BP rifles have been doing it at least since the time of the massive destruction of the NA bison!

Potential ranges will depend on muzzle velocity and BC of the bullet, plus the shooters ability. We know that a heavy bullet with a high SD will retain its momentum for very long ranges.

FIT FOR WHAT CLASS OR CLASSES OF GAME? We all should know by now that bullet manufacturers designate the purpose of their bullets in their respective reloading manuals. For example: Hornady lists 14 bullets in 6.5mm (.264″), 5 of which are target/match bullets. Those 5 should not be used on game even though they have very high BCs.

As a “rule of thumb”, I choose larger holes in targets for larger game! Big, round holes are impressive! Little holes are for little critters, medium holes for medium game, and so on. Of course, other bullet features and qualities are considered as described in the forgoing articles.

< Little .22-cal holes from my CZ455 in .22LR at 100 yards.

< Medium cal holes from my 9.3 x 62 at 100 yards.

< .458-cal holes from my 1895 Marlin at 100 yards (465gr cast bullet at 1900 fps).

In Summary, I choose my bullet based on:

1 – Class of game to be hunted

2 – Physical conditions including potential ranges

3 – Cartridge/Caliber

4 – Type of construction – (a “solid” is used for thick-skinned heavy beasts, or followup on same.)

5 – Reputation

6 – Experience (if any)

7 – SD

8 – BC

9 – Accuracy

Why is accuracy last and not first? Because any of today’s bullets are accurate enough, or can be made to be so by juggling components and MV. It’s rare that I reject a bullet based on accuracy. It does happen of course… but still rare. Accuracy is most often related to the rifle and its operator.

Happy Easter to one and all

Shalom

BOB MITCHELL

Worst Case Scenarios vs Best Case… P3

Bad things happen, and so does good things, and we are not always in control of the outcome. This topic is related to firearms — rifles in particular — in hunting contexts. P3 will be devoted to the only relatively small part that determines the final outcome, the BULLET. Related topics involving the bullet have to do with: construction, velocity at impact, accuracy and the animal itself. What do I look for and consider as a potentially effective bullet for medium, big, large or dangerous game? I’ll present a list of issues that I consider essential if I need to choose one among several. I’ll make some comments regarding each even though some matters may seem more important than others:

1 – Reports, not hype.

2 – Effective velocity parameters on game.

3 – Sectional Density (SD).

4 – Ballistic Coefficient (BC).

5 – Momentum and kinetic energy at impact.

6 – Construction.

7 – Potential weight retention in %.

8 – Accuracy.

9 – Useful to what range depending on muzzle velocity.

10-Flat tip (FT or FP) vs SP.

11-Fit for what class or classes of game. I go with a load for the potentially largest/most dangerous game I may encounter in a given area.

REPORTS: Those may come from friends or professionals, or both, but sometimes separating the “wheat from the chaff” is a matter of whom to believe as well as sorting out any contradictions. We need to ask a lot of questions, too many to go into here but a clear picture of what happened must be understood. For an example: When someone (friend or pro) says they’ve killed x-number of elk with a particular bullet, we need to know the cartridge, MV and ranges as a bare minimum, as well as approximate age and weight. And did they have to shoot the animal more than once?

EFFECTIVE VELOCITY PARAMETERS ON GAME: Most bullet companies don’t provide this, so it’s a guessing game until we find out for ourselves. Others make recommendations such as Woodleigh and Swift. Hornady makes recommendations for starting MV but NOT for terminal if the bullet in question is an expanding bullet and not a “solid”. We may have to ask questions, but even then the tech person on the phone may give the company promotional answer not based on the live testing of animals under varied physical conditions. Or he may be simply guessing.

This current series is in response to a bullet failure I experienced on a big 400 lb whitetail buck. Most companies have solved the over-expansion or breakup of soft-nosed bullets by making them monometal with poly tips in a hollow cavity or with bonded cores. But the issue of NO expansion has become a more recent problem when the impact velocity is below a certain point, or the impact area of the game is too soft to provide suitable resistance for the needed expansion — resulting in what is known as a “pencil” effect with the barest of tissue destruction. The bullet may fully penetrate but with minimal effect. I’ve previously written on this in regard to a 350gr Barnes TSX NOT expanding on a medium bear from my CZ550 in .458 Win Mag leaving the muzzle at 2750 fps and impacting at over 2400 fps. That bear went the farthest of any I’ve shot with a .458-caliber bullet. Most have been “bang-flops”!

SECTIONAL DENSITY (SD): This is the RATIO of the bullet’s weight to its diameter or caliber. The heavier a bullet is in relation to its caliber, the longer it will be. All reloading manuals include the SDs of their respective bullets — and for good reason. All other matters equal, a higher SD generally means better penetration. Penetration, however, is also contingent on bullet construction and bullet impact speed. Heavier bullets for a particular caliber from the same company also tend to have somewhat thicker jackets in the case of alloy jackets with lead cores. A partition within the jacket plus bonding lead to the jacket, and their hardness, also affect weight retention and penetration. So, penetration is the result of several factors of which SD is an important item. I’ve written much more extensively on this matter in former blogs.

BALLISTIC COEFFICIENT: This also is given for individual bullets in handloading manuals. There was a time when bullet manufacturers were perhaps too optimistic in this regard. It was a calculated number that basically described the efficiency of a given bullet in overcoming the drag resistance of the atmosphere it passed through. The higher the number the more efficient the bullet was in maintaining its velocity to target. That was largely based on the bullet’s profile/shape in relation to its weight and caliber. The “pointier” it was the better it was in defeating air resistance. A round-nose or flat tip was therefore less efficient (slowed more rapidly) and became less desirable in the minds of the average buyer. Of course rifles with tubular magazines had to use blunt-tipped bullets that made the rifles with lever-actions and tubular magazines somewhat a “relic of the past”. Therefore, bolt-action magazine rifles have won the battle for ballistic efficiency and long-range shooting despite the fact that most game are taken at ranges where bullet efficiency makes little difference. In fact, there is an advantage to heavy-for-caliber RN and FT bullets at closer ranges that produce more immediate “shock” and a larger permanent wound cavity than some others designed for expansion at long range which tend to “blow up” more quickly at close range and higher velocities.

<These are 465gr/.458″ semi-hard cast with a 1/4″ meplat. One was devastating on a good black bear from a frontal hit at 70 yards. They were leaving the muzzle of my single-shot NEF .45-70 at 1900 fps. It was a DRT and the bullet was never found. They were shooting MOA in practice.

There are, of course, bullets like the “premiums” and “super-premiums” that work quite well at both relatively close and far distances. However, there is far too much that could be said to detail the pros and cons of each in a few sentences or even chapters in a book. In an 1895 Marlin lever-action in .45-70, heavy flat-point bullets, both cast and factory, work well beyond their calculated kinetic energy numbers. That’s due to momentum, bullet diameter and shape, SD and the “hammer effect”. Same could be said of any large bore shooting heavy bullets with wide-flat tips. The theory can be understood but the practice is conclusive to those who have experienced it… and I’m one of “those”!

MOMENTUM and KINETIC ENERGY at IMPACT: Like all serious students of firearm ballistics, I too have spent endless hours pondering, studying and researching both scientific theory AND practice related to both issues. Neither of which standing alone seems to satisfy or answer all issues and questions related to TERMINAL EFFECT. It would seem, therefore, apart from bullet structure, that some integration or combination of the two is the best approach. But the challenge of that is: How to do it?

Some have attempted to use empirical evidence based on some combination of bullet construction, nose profile, impact velocity and type of media, such as body part or bone impacted. In my mind there are far too many variables in that approach to come up with a general consensus.

Others have decided on momentum alone, such as the KO and TKO formulas.

Still others hang with the kinetic energy number alone.

As in the late John Wootters case, I’ve tried to integrate KE at impact with SD and CSA (cross-section area before expansion rather than mere caliber which John used), and that’s not totally satisfactory either as the end result is momentum at impact of one bullet vs another. However, if a KE number is selected on its own, in isolation from the rest of the formula, then modified by SD and CSA, it works better.

For example: choose 2000 ft-lbs standing alone at impact from ANY bullet and caliber, then modify THAT (2000 ft-lbs) by SD and CSA and we see differences in final results that may be expressed as Terminal Effect or simply TE as a comparative thing. Incidentally, my formula preceded Wootters’ Lethality Index by about a year.

< That’s a 450gr Swift A-Frame on left and a 500gr Hornady RNSP on right, both loaded to standard .458 Win Mag COL of 3.34″.

As an example, let’s stick with 2000 ft-lbs, first from a 500gr/.458, then from a 350gr/.458, and finally from a 150gr from a .30-06:

2000 x .341 x .165 = 112.53 TE

2000 x .238 x .165 = 78.54 TE

2000 x .226 x .074 = 33.45 TE

Then, of course, using ballistic charts we can determine at what ranges those bullets produce 2000 ft-lbs depending on MV and BC.

It’s a comparative thing in which I use 50 TE, as an example, for a bull moose of 1000 to 1200 lbs. Larger numbers and smaller can be extrapolated from that.

It works for me as a “rule of thumb”.

Let’s do an analysis of some of that: Notice the difference in results between the 500gr and the 350gr, both .458-caliber, but producing 2000 ft-lbs at impact, however at distinct ranges. The difference in results suggests why a 500gr would be far superior on large game than the 350gr though each is producing identical energy at impact. The distinction is found in their relative SD’s. There’d be little doubt in the minds of the cognoscenti which would penetrate better on large animals assuming the same construction. For one important matter the 500gr is producing 19.5% more momentum and, secondly, it’s SD is 43% greater!

So while KE has a voice in the demise of a large beast, it isn’t a solo act!

The 2000 ft-lb result from the .30-06, 150gr would suggest a need for a heavier bullet producing the same 2000 ft-lbs. If we exchange the 150gr for a 200gr making 2000 ft-lbs at impact, we have a legit 1000 to 1100 lb moose killer. It will make that KE number at close to 400 yards (much farther than the 150gr) while producing a greater TE. That we already know intuitively but it’s nice to know it empirically as well.

Coming up in P4 will be the final six points and a wrap-up of how I select bullets for particular rifles and game… hopefully avoiding a “worst case scenario” due to bullet failure!

Shalom

BOB MITCHELL

Worst Case Scenarios vs Best Case Scenarios – P2

< This is at the bottom of a ridge on the left with a small stream on my right which is still at a relatively high elevation in the Haliburton Highlands. The month is late October and I was alone. The rifle was my CZ550 in .458 Win Mag loaded appropriately for whatever licences I may have had in my wallet at the time. I felt quite confident despite this being moose, bear and wolf country, plus many other smaller creatures. What could possibly go wrong? (For a better view, right click on photo, then left click on “Open image in new tab”, finally left click on “new tab”.)

In Part One (P1) I posed the possibility of a worst case scenario on any given hunting day without expectation of that happening — yet it can and does at times happen even though, in our minds, we may have gone prepared for every possible contingency, including weather variables, health issues and equipment. Several examples were given including the last one: Bullet failure.

I’ve read articles by pro authors who, generally speaking, don’t really believe bullet failure is possible with today’s techno-wonders. If the animal in question escaped it was the fault of the shooter in (a) choosing the wrong bullet, or (b) in misplacing it… surely it wasn’t bullet failure! Of course, non-professional “experts” on the Internet also affirm that to be so…. so it must be! Right?

Not in every case! The wrong bullet for a particular application could, of course, happen, but why was a “wrong bullet” chosen in the first place? Because humans make mistakes and often assume too much, that’s why. That’s what happened to me in the final example of the lost 400 lb buck whitetail in P1. And why did I make that mistake?

Reason 1: Because a similar bullet had worked very well on a “nice buck” the previous year. I simply wasn’t ready to entertain the thought of failure due to my choice of bullet. And after the fact it took some time for that to sink in! At the time of seeing the bone fragments and small pool of blood on top of the hill, I fully expected to easily locate a dead buck twenty or so yard inside the tree line! All I found, however, were pin-pricks of blood and turf flying from the buck’s hooves leading to the swamp. I did the followup, but still couldn’t believe that big buck wasn’t dead somewhere just in front of me!

Reason 2: Lacking experience with 400 lb bucks and that 165gr Nosler SB, plus never having read prior to, nor since, any bona fide tests of such bullets in any suitable media, nor African fauna, I became the tester! It is said about life: “We learn more from our failures than from our successes.” T’is true most of the time because success only affirms what we already know — or think we do — as judged by the known experiences of others. And failure also causes us to eliminate a bunch of assumptions, including by those who profess to be “experts”, or are promoted by “authorities” to be “experts” in a particular field of endeavour. There’s this growing feeling about science, even by some scientists: “The science of today will become the myths of tomorrow”. Recently in watching a science program on TV about “dark matter” in the Universe, it was clearly stated by an astrophysicist that “Dark matter causes us to question anything we think we know about physics!”So then, how do we mere mortals discover the best, reliable, fool proof bullets for our next hunt?

In a set of fallible criteria yet to be given, I’m assuming that only a single shot may be possible in a worst-case scenario before the animal is located or lost. In the “wounded-but-lost-buck” case a single shot connected where aimed, the second was past the rear end of the huge whitetail as it was swallowed up by the thick bush.

FIRST — but not LAST: use what has previously worked in your experience. But that’s one criteria only! Remember, I once made that same mistake and it cost me dearly! Even in a deer hunt the potential for extraordinary conditions is a definite possibility. I couldn’t begin to tell you of how many swamps I’ve had to cross to get to where I though I needed to go, or return to my vehicle! Yes, those were mostly solo hunts, or with one other, in relative unfamiliar territory based on Government maps. By the time we (I) got to where we (I) thought we needed/wanted to go, when we finally made it, we were in no immediate shape to squeeze the trigger on anything, let alone a “trophy” confronting us at a mere 150 yards! My “trophy” saw me well before I saw it, and was steadily gazing in my direction, giving me time to get in a steady prone position before squeezing the trigger! As stated, there are contingencies over which we have no control.

< This was my African guide, Madi. Melinke was his native tongue. He’s using a stick from the bush to point out animal tracks of various African creatures of which I’ve no clue about what he’s saying apart from my interpreter, son Brent, who was following with a camera. I’m the only one of three with a weapon, a Stevens 12ga pump belonging to my son loaded with Brennekes. I was told by Brent, who was a licensed BG hunter, that if confronted by a lion or buffalo, “shoot it!” I’d never handled this firearm previously nor fired it! This was thick, wild bush country and any creature native to that area could show up when least expected, so “Be ready!” I was told.

This is to point out that we may somehow and in some way find ourselves in a hunting situation that is totally new and different, and those in charge (PH, paid guide or friend) don’t seem able to communicate very well what we need to know, mostly because they’ve never experienced what we’re trying to comprehend, but having difficulty doing so because the current situation isn’t like anything we’ve previously experienced.

So a new location or terrain is a definite variable that can alter plans immediately! So you’ve done your homework for the upcoming moose hunt to the “far north” with a couple of buddies. Have you been there? Do you know the variances of the geography? Are you certain of how far or close, or at what angle, you might have your ONE CHANCE of squeezing the trigger on a mature bull ? But you made the decision to take your 270 Win anyway, loaded with 150gr Partitions that theoretically would be enough to 250 yards on a clear broadside shot. BUT! What if your only chance in several years of moose hunting presents itself in the form of a 1300 lb bull on the far side of a small lake at 450 yards… and the bull isn’t broadside? And what if you know that the average success of a DIY hunter in a group of three is 25%, would you still choose your beloved .270 Win?

I’ve told this before: On three consecutive moose hunts to Northern Ontario a group of us — four the first trip, six the second and five the last — went to the same WMU, but hunted in pairs or solo as the case might best suit us. On two successive years at least three of us met the same solo hunter seated more or less comfortably in a cove of a medium-size lake where he had clear vision to the opposite shore line at about what appeared to be — if you were a golfer — approximately 350 to 450 yards away. Of course, shooting across water can be a very deceptive thing in regard to distance. Anyway, this gentleman — about 50 years old or so — had great confidence in both his location for spotting an adult moose and his ability to make the shot using his .270 Weatherby Magnum. We bid him adieu and moved on. The following year we met him for the second time at the exact same location, but this time he’d upgraded in firearm to a .300 Weatherby Magnum. When asked his reason for doing so all we got for an answer was “It has a better reach”. He didn’t seem to want to discuss it further but among ourselves we decided that he must have lost a moose the previous year due to the .270 Wby’s lack of expected results to the far shore. The third year we were back to the same general area, walked the trail past that familiar cove of the lake and the interesting gentleman hunter wasn’t there.

Because I’ve found myself more than a few times in like scenarios, I’ve never considered anything less than a .300 magnum as suitable for all conditions. And the bullet must be nothing less than what John Nosler came up with in the 1940’s after having lost a good bull on the Canadian side to bullet failure!

SECOND – but not FINAL: Ask questions, do all necessary research. Then, and then only, test bullets for velocity, accuracy and drop to at least 300 yards. But nice holes in paper at 300 or more yards is, again, one thing only. Honestly, I get tired of seeing and reading reports of accuracy at whatever ranges, with NO guarantee of performance on live game. OR, as a minimum, comparative performance in media against other bullets purporting to do the same things. I’ve done enough testing of .458-cal bullets from both .45-70s and .458s in game as well as media to have my own ideas of best for each depending on contingencies. I’ll probably again write of my own experiences in regard to .458-cal tests, and on game, in an upcoming blog. I still have a much greater supply of .458″ bullets on hand, and in a greater variety, than I’ve ever had in any other caliber. If my arthritis cools off enough this spring-summer, my plan is to do a lot more testing for velocity, accuracy, penetration, retained weight and expansion — all much needed first-hand information to establish bullet selection criteria.

THIRD – a bullet’s REPUTATION: If that has yet to be established, then the brand’s reputation is at stake! Personally, I’d NOT want to be the first to try a new, untried bullet on an expensive and long-awaited-for hunt, as the one-and-only bullet in my repetoire. Mixed results have often been reported from the field on “new and improved” bullets from Hornady, Barnes, Trophy Bonded, and others. There IS one bullet that has never failed me in cartridges up to and including the MEDIUMS — that being the NOSLER PARTITIONS. For my BIG BORE .45-70s and .458s, I select according to expectations of the hunt. But I did have a disappointment from a 350gr Barnes TSX in my CZ550 .458 Win on a medium bear — it killed the bear but only after the bear went about 70 yards… No, it was not due to poor placement – it hit exactly where aimed at 97 yards, but it failed to expand! No doubt it’s performance would have been much improved on a moose, being a larger, tougher target. In tough media it penetrated the whole system and retained 100% of initial weight, retaining all four petals. The only others to completely penetrate the system were solids!

< The 350gr TSX on far right retained 100% weight and penetrated the full length of media –15.5 inches, stopping just inside the final panel of the last (2nd) box. On the far left is the 500gr Speer GS that lost its front core, penetrated just 6.5 inches of the tough media retaining 310 grains/62%. In the middle is the 350gr Hornady FP that penetrated a mere 4.5 inches, lost it core retaining 52% in its copper alloy jacket. These were all .458-cal.

While “Worst case Scenarios” can involve the weather, health issues, the terrain and equipment, or other unforeseen events over which we have no control, let us never forget that out of a multitude of circumstances and thousands of dollars invested in equipment, in the end game only one tiny part determines the outcome = the bullet! Yes, by that is intended, as in that very disappointing outcome involving the extraordinary 400 lb buck whitetail, a bullet may have the necessary energy at impact and placed with precision, BUT IF IT’S THE WRONG BULLET the outcome may even be worse than a clean miss!

So what do I now look for in a bullet before it gets to the game fields?

The final answers will take another blog: P3

Shalom

BOB MITCHELL

Worst Case Scenarios vs Best Case – P1

In hunting there is always the possibility of a worst case scenario or a best case… or more likely a “normal” scenario. But, like Bob Hagel, I like to go prepared for the possibility of the worst case because that does happen if you hunt long enough and for a variety of game from small to large, and even dangerous, under diverse conditions. And we rarely know in advance with 100% certainty what we may be facing in a single day of adventure afield.

Yet we’re not true adventurers if we’re fearful of what MIGHT happen before we close the door behind us, get into our vehicles and head for the mountains or plains. And we’re not wise adventurers if we leave home without much thought of the weather, clothing, boots, compass or GPS, cell phone, fire starter, extra ammo AND the right rifle. PLUS knife, axe (or chain saw) rope, tent or tarp, backpack, flashlite, fresh batteries, emergency kit, food and water, etc. That’s if we’re hunting alone, and it could happen, even if we are with some others, to get disconnected in a storm or unfamiliar territory. We can’t carry it all if we’re walking it up, but I try to keep in my vehicle anything needed for contingencies.

< This so-called “mini-van” was anything but “mini”. It was capable of toting everything I needed for the hunt, plus bear bait and dead bears. It was only 6k/4miles from our summer residence, a park trailer. I took three good bears from this private property, plus two others by my young friend, Ben. The rifle is my 9.3 x 62. Ranges were anywhere from 68 yards to 85, with one site at 135 yards. Ben shot his second bear from there using his .300 Win Mag.

Just recently I received this communication from a long-time follower of my blogs:

He and two friends were hunting a mountain where they had left their truck near the bottom. They planned on camping on the mountain and had received a weather report of an impending storm later that day or the following. In going up the mountain they were separated by about 100 yards between each of them to cover as much area as possible without losing visual or voice contact with each other. But the storm arrived sooner than planned for and with great intensity of lightening, heavy rain and gale force winds. They lost contact with each other and, yes, they were lost! The rain changed to a blizzard; he had the tent and they the food and water. He prayed they would make it safely back to the truck while he tried to set up the tent on knees and elbows with frozen fingers in the powerful wind and snow. Some how, by the grace of God, he managed and crawled into a wet sleeping bag with wet clothes, had a conversation with God over what to do and passed out. Sometime in the morning he awoke with the tent in his face and a foot of snow on top — but that saved his life… the blanket of snow kept him from freezing to death! The storm had passed and he managed to crawl out and started the walk down the mountain to the truck. There he found his two friends safe, warm and with lots of food! He gave thanks to the Father above!

“All’s well that ends well”, and there are no “worse case scenarios” when we trust the “Everlasting Father” with the outcome!

Bob Hagel’s comment and advice was in regard to firearms and ammo in particular: “Don’t use the rifle that will get the job done under ideal conditions, but the one that will under the worst conditions.” While I know from an official report that a native girl (some claim an “old woman” because of the photo of her many years later with the same rifle in a photo op) in Alberta once killed a record-book grizzly with a single-shot .22LR in self defence while grouse hunting, that incident has never been regarded as a standard operational procedure! My oldest son has also been found alone in African bush in pitch darkness with only his single-shot .22LR and lions roaring within range that would have been considered “dangerous” in the full light of day and a .375 H&H in hand! They — he and family — were living in a remote African village and in need of some protein. Usually he would shoot a warthog coming for water to a pond while he was in a tree nearby. His .22 worked very well on them from a few yards with a .22-cal hole to the side of the skull. He was out of Brennekes for his 12ga and got caught out late from the village when the batteries died in his flashlight. Without much doubt that would qualify as a potential “worst case scenario”!

None of us live in an African bush village, nor remote Alaska, with a .22LR as our only option! While a semi-auto .22LR with solids would certainly be better than hand-to-hand combat with a charging bear, yet the likely outcome would be the same! A best-case scenario in that kind of encounter might be one of these loaded with Brennekes!

If bird hunting in brushy country where bears like to feed on succulent wild berries, a face-full of 6.5 shot will surely discourage any bear from eating me alive! If the season was on for each at the same time — which it is here for the fall hunt — and a licence for each in my pocket (which I do insure) then if primarily hunting grouse in bear country I’d have a 6.5 load in the barrel followed by two slugs for smooth bores — the 12ga Challengers in particular. They are out of Quebec and incorporate the DGS slug from Italy — essentially a Brenneke-type.

In a case of whitetail hunting in mixed terrain where any legitimate shot could be somewhere from 20 yards to 400 or more, my rifle and load would have to insure success if I, personally, qualified for a shot to 400 yards. In just such a situation I found myself for a few seasons on private property in Nova Scotia in the mid 1980’s. With permission on a 400 acre property, about 1/2 of which was wooded, I had my Winchester M70 in .30-06 loaded with 165gr Sierra BTs leaving the muzzle at about 2800 fps. As I recall, it was sighted +3″ at 100 yards. On an old woods trail that traversed the property, I took up position on a corner behind a deadfall that permitted a view on my left to 165 yards, somewhat uphill, and to my right slightly more than a flat 400 yards. Would that have been an ideal load and sighting for any size whitetail?

Rifle: M70 Winchester in .30-06 Springfield

Load: 165gr Sierra BT @ 2800 fps/ 2872 ft-lbs; BC = .465; SD = .248; Zero @ 250 yards

50 yds = 2699/ 2668 ft-lbs

100 yds = 2600/ 2475 ft-lbs/ +3.02″

200 yds = 2408/ 2124 ft-lbs

300 yds = 2224/ 1812 ft-lbs

400 yds = 2048 fps/ 1537 ft-lbs/ -17.7″ — plenty for a big buck that could go 400 lbs — and there was one reported on that property of that size that I saw a year later.

Recoil = 21 ft-lbs (Weight of rifle ready with ammo and scope = about 8.5 lbs.

Scope: 3 – 9 x 40mm Bushnell Trophy

It turned out that I shot a good buck that first year at 65 yards on that trail with the 165gr Sierra BT, and it worked excellently.

That was as close to a Best Case Scenario as it gets. What would a Worst Case Scenario have been? The wounding and loss of that 400 lb buck the following season!

Same rifle, same load except the bullet was a 165gr Nosler SB. The Nosler broke up on the shoulder at 152 yards to the left and somewhat uphill of my blind. That massive buck was finally shot on the other side of a swamp, on another property by other hunters. I felt sick, literally.

What happened?

The bullet… A 165gr, .30-cal Nosler Solid Base of the era had a very thin jacket at the nose to aid expansion. Also the plastic tip was added for the same purpose, plus slightly improving downrange ballistics. I’m sure that would have worked fine on a typical Texas whitetail, but this one was a “for sure” 400 lb buck that only gave a quarter-on presentation which meant a heavy shoulder bone encounter for the very frangible bullet. I heard the “wack” of the bullet… the buck abruptly turned to its right and with one bound was gone into the thick bush. I took my time and did a thorough followup to the swamp, but when I heard shots from the far side I knew he was a “lost buck” to me. I’ve never been an “antler hunter”, but that one had a mammoth rack. That deer would have been nearly twice the size of the one I’d shot the previous year from the same spot, and that one had 9 points (for those who like trivia).

Had I used what’s available in .30-cal, 165gr bullets today, I entertain few doubts of a clean kill had I used a Partition or TSX for examples. The .30-06 was a great choice for such a deer but my bullet choice was not for a “Best Case” scenario. The ballistics were equal but the terminal effect was not!

The size of the animal… as stated, about 400 lbs. I’ve seen a few, and one was on the back of a pickup in New Brunswick that son Brent had shot with his .356 Winchester. Another was running about 25 yards in front of Ken and I as we were delivering bear bait to a site across a private open field. Less than 10 seconds later another buck crossed the trail in front of us. That was a good buck at about 275 lbs and a nice rack, but it seemed puny in comparison to the one that only seconds before was running ahead of the pickup. A 400 lb whitetail buck with a good rack appears to be from another world.

And where it was hit in solid bone… A few bone fragments were found where it stood in a small pool of blood. I expected to find it dead about 20 yards into the woods. Instead, I found a few small droplets of blood for about 100 yards to the swamp. In the process it had bounded over mounds of thick brush and deadfalls. A second shot was fired as it’s hind quarters were quickly disappearing into the thick woods. I simply could not conceive of such a scenario. Even the buck of the previous year, that was outweighed by approximately 150 lbs, was hit too far back with the same load, but using the 165 BT Sierra. It never saw me while sniffing tracks in the freshly fallen snow. When I turned from my right (watching the 400 yard straight-away) to my left and saw the buck, aimed and fired, it had already seen me and was swapping ends to bound back into the bush from which it had emerged only seconds before. It was hit midsection in a quartering away motion and went down heavily on it’s left leg and hip. It “bounced” back up and sort of hobbled into the bush. I had plenty of time to hit it again but decided not to. My wife with me said “You missed it!” I said: “No! It hasn’t gone far.” I found it 20 yards inside the tree line and gave him a finisher between the eyes. But that bullet — the 165 Sierra had traversed the gut and went into the opposite ham, hit the heavy hip bone, turned down to the knee joint where it made exit in several pieces. The Sierra proved to be much tougher than the Nosler of the era.

So the lesson learned is this: Take a suitable rifle for the job — under all possible contingencies — but in the final analysis, not only bullet placement BUT bullet CONSTRUCTION is the KEY to a “Best Case Scenario”… I firmly believe that! Today, under the same conditions using a 165gr from a .30-06 it would be this: The 165gr Partition.

And a 180gr Partition or AccuBond wouldn’t be out of place either! I was putting confidence in the authors of the day who advocated a 150 to 165gr in .30-caliber for “deer”. Obviously, they hadn’t hunted our Northern whitetails or those from Saskatchewan!

So, KNOW YOUR BULLET!

Next: P2

Shalom

BOB MITCHELL

So it was NOT the best choice of bullet for the largest buck in that country when solid bone was met! That can mean, and did, a Worst Case Scenario for ANY hunting expedition, no matter the cost, IF the wrong bullet is used! And how do we determine that?

P2 – By 1) thorough investigation and evaluation before the hunt, and 2) experience.

CLASSIFICATION of Rifle Cartridges

This will be neither from an historical view nor a modern one, but from a general perspective of how each is used and in what context from my own generation onward for at least two more generations. I’m a father, a grandfather and a great-grandfather — that’s four generations: my own, our children, grandchildren and great-grand children. I won’t include the fourth generation as they are yet too young to hunt with firearms. But my oldest grandson has hunted with me being fully authorized as a graduate of a Canadian military college to handle any small arms. So, he borrowed one of my rifles for a bear and deer hunt. Our three sons have all hunted and two are still active in that sport. So, I have a general idea of at least what three generations see and prefer for sporting purposes, as well as those in-between generations of which several have been my partners in hunting activities. Then, of course, I’ve had correspondence with dozens more as well as observing the preferences of fellow club members at the range. Thus, the full range of rifle cartridges that have been, and are being, employed for handloading, hunting and shooting would cover the full gambit of rifle cartridges in use today. That is also reflected in most modern handloading books.

< A couple of my cohorts, Brian and Ken, in hunting bear on private property. They represent the “in-between” generation, between myself and my sons. Ken – on the right – was using a .270 Win with Federal factory 150gr Partitions, and Brian a .54-cal BP. Here they are putting up their own tree stands.

.

So how do I break all those classes of rifle cartridges down into meaningful categories? Of course, there are many that reach across several classes of game, but this is a general perspective of where they might normally fit, though many are capable for most, if not all, popular game hunting: The .30-06 as one example has successfully been used on anything from varmints to brown bear, though those would generally be considered an extreme use for that popular cartridge.

Despite arguments for and against particular rifle cartridges for this or that level of game animals — including DG and predators — I’d consider it a sane practice to view any particular cartridge as fitting best into a certain group. Hence, my divisions appear in the following list based on caliber and level of energy at suitable ranges:

Class 1: BIG BORES, .40-cal on up to about .50-cal producing at least 4500 ft-lbs at the muzzle — suitable for the largest and most dangerous game.

Class 2: SUPER-MEDIUM BORES, .338-cal to .375-cal producing +5000-ft-lbs at the muzzle – suitable for large game at long ranges.

Class 3: MEDIUM BORES: .338-cal to .375-cal producing +3500 ft-lbs at the muzzle – suitable for large game at normal ranges. There are a few others that fit in the .338 to .375-cal that make less than 3500 ft-lbs, or even 3000 ft-lbs, that are worthy cartridges in their own right, such as my son’s .356 Winchester, .358 Winchester and the .338-06, plus others based on the .30-06 case, which are good for soft-skinned animals to moose size but limited in range. I’d class them as REGULAR MEDIUM BORES for BG that make less than 3500 ft-lbs. They are not “all purpose” because of the restriction of distances where they could be effective on BG, such as moose. My son’s .356 is an effective “moose gun” to about 150 yards; the .358 to about 250 with their usual short barrels — and depending on other variables such as bullet employed and shot angle. “Moose size” is any moose at any potential range under all conditions. That could be a 1400 lb bull at 400 yards with a single well-placed shot. Two shots, or more, are not guaranteed.

Class 4: SUB-MEDIUM MAGNUM: .264-cal to .323 (8 mm) cal producing 3500 ft-lbs at the muzzle – suitable for medium to large game at normal ranges.

Class 5: SUB MEDIUM BORES: .264-cal (6.5 mm) to .323-cal (8 mm) producing up to 3000 ft-lbs at the muzzle – suitable for big game at normal ranges. (Normal range for a .30-30 might be 50 to 100 yards for a big whitetail buck, for instance)

Class 6: DUAL PURPOSE BORES: .243-cal to .257-cal producing from 2200 to 2600 ft-lbs, and 3000 ft-lbs from a .257 magnum. Suitable for varmints, some predators and deer species to 400 lbs. The .257 Wby has been used on larger game.

Class 7: SMALL BORES: .17 to .223- cal suitable for varmints, smaller predators and small deer.

Class 8: BIG BORE HANDGUN cartridges in rifles: From about .41-cal to .50-cal. Some are obviously better than others for big game. However, several can and have been used on anything from varmints to bears and moose. And a couple or so on Cape buff and elephant.

As previously stated: These are general categories with, in some cases, apparent overlapping. However, those would still be viewed as their major roles in the hunting fields of the world.

< A 200gr, .35-cal Rem CorLoc taken from a good black bear by friend Dave.

Some further observations and comments:

I’ve had experience in all off those categories of rifle cartridges, though, obviously, not with every cartridge, but with some more than others. In Class 7 I’ve had considerable experience with both the .22LR and .223 Remington which I handloaded. In Class 6, I owned and handloaded a Winchester M70 in .25-06 which I liked very much. In Class 5, a total of eight in a couple of 6.5 x 55 Swedes, a .270 Win, a 7 – 08 Rem, 7 x 57 Mauser, two .30-06 Springfields and a 7.62 x 54R. Class 4 (SUB_MEDIUM MAGNUMS) saw more rifles in my ownership than any other single catergory: three 7mm Rem Mags, a 7mm Wby Mag and ten .300 magnums, eight of which were the .300 Win Mag. Class 3 also bulged my cabinet by times with the presence of a .35 Whelen or .350 Rem , .375 H&Hs, and my favorite a 9.3 x 62 Mauser. CLASS 2: SUPER MEDIUMS was in a single .340 Wby. However, CLASS 1 (BIG BORES) is one shy of CLASS 4 (SUB_MEDIUM MAGNUMS) with 13 BIG BORES; ten in .45-70 and three .458 Win Mags. CLASS 8: I also owned and used a handloaded Ruger 96/44 in .44 Rem Mag which I considered adequate for wolf/coyote and even bear and moose at relatively close quarters. Handloads for all the centerfires were tested and used except the 7 x 57 which I owned prior to making my own loads.< A huge 7-point bull elk taken by friend Roger in northern Alberta.

I’m fully in agreement with the dictum that every hunter should own at least one .22LR and a shotgun, preferably in 12ga. If he/she owned nothing else they would not be poorly armed for most hunting. Yet knowing what I do at this late stage, and if being somewhat younger, what would I choose from each class in addition to a .22LR and a shotgun?

My picks:

Class 8:, a .44 Rem Mag with which I’ve had considerable experience over a decade of use.

Class 7, a .223 Remington. Without going into too many details, I’d choose it for the same reasons I chose it in the past: small game, varmints, groundhogs or anything less than whitetails or wolf.

Class 6, a .257 in .25-06, again for the same reasons I chose it in the past: deer and long-range shooting of wolf.

Class 5, a 7mm-08 Remington. I’ve owned one and have carefully studied current ballistics from handloads and it will do with less fuss and bother what the .30-06 was capable of 20 years ago, except for the heaviest bullets. Perhaps the ideal Northern whitetail buck cartridge in most venues. And, yes I made handloads for the M70 Featherweight from 139gr to 175gr.

Class 4, a .300 Winchester Magnum… what else?

Class 3, a 9.3 x 62 Mauser. Too good in this class to ignore, and it will do whatever the others can do including the .375 H&H.

Class 2, a .340 Wby Mag. Again too much experience to want something else that does the same basic stuff. Wouldn’t a .375 “Super Magnum” be better? A 300gr w. SD=.305 at 2700 to 3000 fps vs a 250gr w. SD =313 and 3000 fps/5000 ft-lbs? Maybe, but with a LOT MORE recoil! Nah, think I’d stick with the .340. If I needed more than a .340 Wby for anything it would be a .458 Win.

Class 1, a .458 Winchester Magnum. Did you really think I might choose a .460 Wby.?

There you have it… my view of rifle cartridge classifications. Choosing rifle cartridges, and their rifles, for me was a matter of keen interest, handloading adaptability, testing, hunting and shooting satisfaction with particular combinations of rifles and cartridges.

But, I’ve never needed 8 different rifle cartridges in the past, and certainly not at any future date. My two current BG rifles will easily handle any chores in that regard… in fact any one of them could with good handloads — that’s along with a .22LR and a 12ga Still, a flat shooting number for wolf under particular conditions (the far side of a lake or bog) could be a likely addition. I once wrote a document (never published) on a trio of rifles for everything. While my 9.3 x 62 could handle that job, yet something with less recoil and flatter shooting would be ideal. Shots could be called for at up to 400 yards or so. As I described above, timber wolves can attain 150 lbs… I’ve followed a couple of those and seen a couple more. My choice would be a so-called “dual-purpose” cartridge, ideal for wolf (or “brush wolf”) at up to 400 yards or so, and anything closer that could be classed as big game. Certainly, a .270 would do, as well as some of the 6.5s, or 7-08, and even a .308 Win. In my view, however, this would be a dedicated timber wolf/brush wolf cartridge, not for big whitetails in the brush at 50 yards. And I don’t, from a ballistics standpoint, see any real advantage to the 6.5 Creedmoor over the 6.5 x 55. So I’ve compared cartridges in five calibers as possible contenders: The .25-06; 6.5 Swede or Creedmoor; .270 Win, 7-08 Remington and .308 Winchester, all shooting Nosler AB bullets intended for predators and smaller big game. In .257-cal it’s the 110gr AB at 3260 fps; the 6.5 a 130gr AB at 2900 fps; the .270 a 140gr AB at 3000 fps, the 7-08 160grAB at 2800 and the 308 a 150gr AB at 3000 fps.

The .25-06 has the best trajectory at long range, followed by the 270, the .308, the 6.5 and finally the 7-08 because it’s shooting the heaviest bullet Though the difference isn’t enough to really matter. Similarly, the recoil, based on an 8 lb rifle in each, is within a single foot-pound for the .25-06, the 7-08 and .308, at 19, 18 and 19 ft-lbs. The 6.5 is slightly better at 15 and the .270 at 21.

Having experience with four of the five cartridges, if I were to choose one today over the others it would depend on availability and costs. In handloading, I have no experience with the 6.5 Creed, but I do with the 6.5 Swede which is nearly identical. The .25-06 is less popular today and less available — and perhaps more costly. Knowing the Swede and it’s ballistics, I can’t get excited over the Creedmoor. So that leaves the .270, 7-08 and .308. My choice, therefore, among those five would be the 7-08 Remington for which I have immense respect as a handloader. I’ve owned one in a Winchester M70 in the Featherweight and it exceeded expectations from handloads. The upside is the vast array of excellent bullets available in 7 mm all the way to 175 grains. But because of demand, they tend to be expensive off the shelf. It can do anything a .270 can, and perhaps more from the heavier bullets. 150gr Partitions in Federal factory loads in .270 make about 2800 fps. I’ve fired enough of those to be quite sure of results. I also know that some rifles and loads will make 3000 fps from 150s. The .270 Win I owned (a SS Mountain with a 22″ barrel) was quite remarkable with handloads, but for some unknown reason I’ve never been “turned on” by one.

The 7-08 has the best KE and TE at 400 yards. If I chose just two bullets for the 7mm they would be a 139-140gr and a 160-162 gr. I’ve had excellent results from the 139 and 162grs from Hornady in my former M70 Featherweight at 2958 fps from the former into 3/4″, and 2795 from the latter into 5/8″, both shooting sub-moa. The powder of choice was IMR 4064, and primers were WLR.

First of all, I liked the M70 Featherweight over the M700 SS, and secondly, the action was shorter on the Featherweight and the case was more efficient in 7-08 than in .270 for basically the same results. Then… there were those 160-162gr and 175gr bullets with higher SDs and BCs. On average, I used 45-46 grains of IMR 4064 in the 7-08 vs 60-62 grains of RL-22 in the .270. Yet both have worthy reputations with the .270 being around much longer. Neither are going away anytime soon.

Additional comments: The barrel lengths for the personally owned 7mm-08 and .270 Win were 22″. My .25-06 would shoot a 120gr Nosler at 3185 fps, and the 117gr Hornady at slightly over 3200 fps from its 22″. The 110gr load was selected from Nosler’s manual #6 which had a 24″ barrel. Also the velocities from the 6.5 x 55 and .308 Win were from the Nosler manual and 24″ barrels. Some criticise Nosler’s manuals but I’ve generally found them very close to my experiences, except in some cases there’s an apparent under-loading.

Hoping you have good success and enjoyment in your choices of rifles and their cartridges…< Three wolves had passed this way moments before. That’s a NEF .45-70 single-shot over my shoulder loaded with the 325gr Hornady at about 2400 fps. Is all that power needed for wolf? No… but I wanted to see how that bullet would work on a 100 to 150 lb wolf, which are as large as some smaller deer, and much more powerful and dangerous. Ranges here could have been up to 250 yards at which distance velocity would be about 1570 fps/ 1778 ft-lbs, which is more than enough for deer size game, or even moose but that bullet isn’t designed for large-tough game. 2400 fps was to flatten trajectory enough for a reasonable hit at up to 200 yards. That would have been across the corner of a frozen lake or bog that was nearby. On the trail, not far away, I could have had a straight-on shot to 165 yards.

Til the next:

Shalom

BOB MITCHELL

Resisting Changes… are You?

< June 28/2017 was our 60th wedding anniversary. To celebrate we went down east to our roots. In returning we stopped in the Montreal area to visit the French Canadian couple I’d discipled, married, and trained the husband, Pierre, to replace me as pastor of a French congregation in Montreal. I had to learn a second language, and by God’s good grace I became as fluent in French as in English. (I’m the guy on the right for those who don’t know.)

I’ve been a student of practical psychology… of personalities in particular. Both my professional life and interests demanded it. Then, early on in Christian ministry I studied “Unnatural Psychology”, you know the stuff about diseased minds. Those studies pointed out that everyone, as the famed British pastor Charles Spurgeon (1834 – 1892) of the London Tabernacle put it: “Everyone is just a little off the balance” – in his weekly lecture to his seminary students he made that memorable statement. But in practical psychology a normal person is “one who can function in society in a productive way”, no matter their temperament or circumstances. I’ve basically endorsed that view in what will officially soon be 64 years of marriage and ministry as husband, pastor, teacher and missions leader. As one M.D., whom I got to know as organist at a church where I was preaching in the Montreal area on an interim basis in English, said to me and my wife at their home for lunch after the Sunday morning service, “There are people of whom we should not have unwarranted expectations.” That was said in reference to a particular woman in that congregation who had obvious emotional and mental problems, but was also very outgoing and friendly.

Where am I going with this? Over those nearly sixty-four years of marriage and ministry, I’ve had to mature in understanding and growth in knowledge and its practical application to not just survive as a married man, father, teacher and model for others, but as “one who can function in society in a productive way”, to show that I’m “a normal person” both to myself as well as to those who knew me. But that wouldn’t or couldn’t have happened if I’d resisted changes in attitude and behaviour.

Having said that, I must add there are some matters that remain non-negotiable: I still believe The BIBLE is God’s word to humans in the original texts. Of course, we don’t have those but we do have honest translations from Hebrew and Greek in all common languages that are reliably based on thousands of ancient manuscripts in those languages plus Chaldean. Then there are several other ancient translations based on copies of the original texts that are available to honest scholers to such an extent that 99.9% of the original texts can be verified. But we don’t worship “the Ark” (the Bible) but the ONE and ONLY of whom it speaks! And who speaks out of it! I also honor marriage, as it was ordained by the Creator. Christain VALUES as taught in the New Testament, and practiced by the early, first century church, is both taught and expected in practice by today’s true Christians. Where REAL Christians live today in hostile cultures and environments, they do so with potential loss of their lives. And many, even today, pay that price! And you will not learn about that in today’s media outlets that generally consider “Christianity” non-relevant… and of course, “Christianity” as a huge umbrella includes atheists and others who deny The Scriptures and both the God of the Bible and the Christ of whom both the Old and New testaments bear witness. < For a better view, right click on images, then left click on “open in new tab”, finally left click on “new tab”.

So, while I reject the idea of “Christianity” as a united witness to the Gospel, I am a Christian who has hope for eternal salvation in “The Jesus Christ”, son of God, who died on a Roman cross as Redeemer and an atonement for MY sins, past, present and future, assuring forgiveness and the hope of eternal life! (The Gospel of John ch 3, vs 16). And there are, even today, countless millions who still hold firmly to that “Faith once for all” time delivered to His people! And that number is growing rapidly in places like China, the Middle East and in other hostile environments… you’ll not hear about that either on CNN or the CBC, both atheistic, secular-humanistic channels of “truth” according to their gods of humanism and materialism! I’m human and live in a material world, but it’s another matter entirely to be “humanistic” and “materialistic”! That’s to live as if the Eternal God doesn’t matter or exist… and to worship material things as though they were gods!

So there are “matters” that matter most! My personal trust in the Creator and sustainer of life itself, and his love for me is the primary reason of living. And my response to that? Should it be anything less than total trust in and surrender to Him? That’s true worship: To love God above everything else! That’s not only a commandment, that we in ourselves cannot keep, but the supreme reason for doing so is because He alone makes that not only possible but real in the lives of those who fully trust Him no matter their external circumstances! And that’s been proven too many times to be anything but truth and reality. 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, vs 6).

If I testified to many personal experiences where God himself has showed up in my mundane life, yes even in handloading and hunting, many would say “Bob has lost his marbles”, or “he has become like one of those he just wrote about in ‘Unnatural Psychology'”! But explain to me how my requests (prayer) for help in handloading and hunting were precisely fulfilled immediately. And it was NOT just a random or occasional thing… or ONLY in that aspect of my life? If I didn’t know what I had experienced, knowing only human psychology as I do, I’d only try to give a “human” or rationalistic answer! And I’ve already experienced that, even from some “Christians” who say they pray! Now “prayer” according to Jesus and the prophets and apostles who wrote the Scriptures, is NOT mumble-jumble repetition of a religious mantra! Jesus spoke against that! But prayer is part of fellowship with God and His Son by the Holy Spirit… Jesus said so! It’s talking with God, thanking Him, confession of need, petition for others and making requests. If we don’t expect anything to happen… well, it probably won’t! There are physical laws and spiritual laws, the ONE who made both lets the laws of gravity do its work (unless he intervenes) and has established this law: “He who comes to God must believe that He exists and rewards those who earnestly seek Him”. “Earnestly” = honestly and sincerely. If we don’t think (believe) there’s anyone “up there”, we won’t get help or answers from “up there”! Unless we admit: “I just don’t know!” – and sincerely ask if there’s anyone “there”… and search for answers — but, oooops, “That’s against my religion!” is all that some can come up with! Do we really want change in society? And where does that begin? Or with whom? Who discovered the Newtonian laws? Did they come by night in a vision to Sir Isaac? Jesus said “So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks the door will be opened.” So let’s not blame “Christianity” if we don’t hear from God!

I was in a tree stand watching a bear bait at 125 yards. I’d been there alone for a few hours on a very nice afternoon, but was bored. It so happened that I didn’t necessarily want to shoot a bear but was having quiet communion with my Father above. I simply mentioned in this fellowship with him that “It would be nice to see some wildlife…” In less than a minute or two at the most, two deer walked out of the trees, to midway across the old farm pasture directly in front of me at about 100 yards — a doe and a buck. Luck? Chance? Whatever you might like to think or say about it, in my place what would you be inclined to think? Especially in light of this fact: I’d been bear hunting those pastures on this farm for several years and that was a first! First sighting of any whitetails on that farm! But that’s not all: There was another first! Less than 1/2 hr later I had an urge to turn to my blind right side where a trail went between tree lines down to a lower field… I rarely ever did that, and there broadside stood a coyote about fifty yards to my right! Not only was that a first but also the last sighting of a coyote in that location. All that in mid-day!

< These are pics I took on that occasion. There is a buck following the doe but partially hidden by brush near the mid-left side of this pic.

So, change for its own sake is not a part of my psyche! I’ll not subtract or add something different or new tomorrow because its different or new, but only because it’s better or best! My Creator knows me better than I know myself, since He made me, and knows what’s best FOR ME! (Psalm 139). As a result, I’ve gotten to know Him better in the last few years of my life than ever from preaching or teaching about Him only… Many supposedly know theology (the study of God) but don’t therefore of necessity know Him! (Matthew’s Gospel, ch 7, vs 22 – 23). They may be so-called “scholars”, but after these many years of experiencing God, I’m certain that my mother knew him better than most “scholars” with their PH’Ds.

What does all this infer? If that were the only such encounter in real life, before or since, I might be inclined to dismiss it as coincidental, but there are two compelling factors for not doing so: First, that was far from the only personal involvement in and observation of events as they occured, and secondly, even if it were the only one, I’m accountable for what I learned from that one test of reality. Faith (trust) was involved — I KNEW God hears me when I call on Him or talk to Him! That’s the key – “Without faith it is impossible to please God” — in that same scripture quoted above from the 11th chapter, verse 6 of the Book of Hebrews in the New Testament.

Not only does that (those) experience(s) confirm the Scriptures to be true, but that God Himself, the Creator of all that exists, is eternally committed to those (individuals) who believe in Him. (John’s Gospel ch. 17). That in turn means that God is sovereignly and directly involved in the day to day (mundane) affairs of those who by faith depend on Him. They know they are not “God” or gods who believe they can do-it-all by themselves. That’s why Jesus said “Blessed are the poor in spirit for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven”. And “Unless you become as little children, you cannot enter the Kingdom of Heaven”. And to one of the Jewish members of the Sanhedrin (The ruling council that condemned Jesus to crucifixion) named Nicodemus: “Very truly I tell you, no one can see the Kingdom of God unless they are born again.”

So, I expect God to “be there” when I call on Him!

When I started to reload my 9.3 x 62, using a new powder and bullet in it’s second year, very inconsistent muzzle velocities (MVs) were showing on my Chrony from week to week in May, 2012 from the same loads. Serious tension was being experienced as I’d published the first results from RL-17 in combo with the 286gr Nosler. I still vividly recall the angst of possibly getting others into serious trouble as a result of publishing those initial results. Sitting at the dining-room table, after dinner, I silently cried out to the LORD “Please show me what those results should be”. That was from the same load that was all over the map but showing no signs of extreme PSI. The early spring weather was very variable, and I was going to the range early mornings when the sun was barely above the horizon, and often cloudy that would later change to clear skies. The answer was given clear as a bell: 2546 fps for the 286gr Nosler. I was previously getting numbers as high as 2700 fps! The following week I went to the range with the same load under clear skies, and here are the results: 2543, 2514, 2535, 2544 and 2552 = 2537.6 +9 for correction to MV =2546.6 fps. That was May 14/12, Temp @ 15*C/60*F. On July 3, temp @ 18*C/64*F, the same load averaged 2549.6 fps corrected to MV.

Because that load of 68 grains of RL-17 showed no signs of excess pressure, but was consistent even though the Chrony was not, under variable physical conditions, I upped the load by two additional grains and have safely used that load since. God knew what I didn’t at the time — that the load of 68 grains at 2546-2549 was completely safe and a good load, and He wanted me to know it to.

I involve God, the Lord of Heaven and earth, in all my thinking and doing. I’m wrong sometimes but He never is! I’m learning to trust HIM in everything! That has brought about changes in everyday thinking and living no matter the context.

If you’re content without God in your life, then the most meaningful changes will not happen, and you will never know what you’re missing!

On a lovely early-fall evening there were a group of men sitting outside on the front lawn of one of the elders of our church. We were discussing some Scriptures from the Bible. In our midst was an atheist friend of the host. He politely listened to the friendly discussion until he felt it necessary to declare his unbelief in the Bible and God. We all previously knew who he was and his beliefs. At that point I interjected by stating we were cognizant of his beliefs, and I added: “So you don’t believe in God and therefore I assume that you believe no prayer addressed to him in Jesus name has ever been answered over the ensuing millennia, and precedent to Abraham, til today. You don’t look like God to me, and you would have to be God to know that no prayer has ever been answered by the millions who have called on Him. Since you’re not God, you’re quite arrogant in stating that you know such and such about God, who doesn’t exist in your experience…”

We need to be very careful as to what we think we know…

< In adding 12 fps for correction to the muzzle of my Ruger No.1 in .45-70 LT, the 500gr Hornady was leaving the muzzle at 2210 fps/ 5422 ft-lbs

In 2008 I knew that my .458 Win Mag could fire the 500gr Hornady at 2200 fps because of two facts” 1- I’d experienced it in my Ruger #1 in .45-70 LT with a 22″ barrel at safe psi using H-335 powder; and 2- I’d experienced it again in my CZ550 .458 Win Mag with it’s 25″ barrel using the same gun powder. Not only that, but it achieved 2283 fps from the same 500gr using H-4895 powder. At the time (2008 – 2013) there were more nay-sayers than yea-sayers! Today (2021) I know that a 24″ barrel in a Ruger No.1, .458 Win will surpass 2300 fps from the same bullet as well as some other 500s. < In late May, 2019, this was recorded from a 500gr Hornady fired from my Ruger No.1 in .458 Win Mag at 15′ from the Chrony. Corrected to MV = 2317 fps/ 5960 ft-lbs. The load was 81 grains of H4895 in Winchester brass, ignited by a WLRM primer. Temp was +12*C/ 59*F. COL = 3.56″

I know that from my own experience as well as from the prodigious work of Dr. Ron Berry. And now others are doing the same! The witness of one or two counts for truth! “One with God is a majority” – said by the original Martin Luther. But before Luther ever decided to step out on that truth, Jesus said the same in the Gospel of John: “I and my Father are one”. “He bears testimony of who I am, and the works that I do bear witness to the same truth.”

Do you really believe what you think you believe because you want to be seen as right based solely on a majority opinion, or because it’s TRUE?

Pilate, the Roman Governor, who twice stated in the public trial of Jesus that “I find no cause for his judgement”, then asked “What is truth?” when TRUTH was staring him in the face! Pilate then handed Jesus over to the religious leaders of a mob to be crucified because he feared the people. If you’re not aware, that’s a most significant part of the Easter message! The rest is the resurrection of the One crucified! God vindicated the One who was TRUTH!

What does the world, it’s culture and ethics, look to for vindication? God? “Nah, he’s a relic of the past, away with him, crucify him! Who needs him?”

I DO! And, just like the historic Martin Luther of the sixteenth century, if I were the only one, with God I’d still be in the majority!

A veteran missionary from Toronto, Canada, was on one of his many trips to India via an ocean liner. Each morning, as the sun was rising, he was on deck taking his daily exercises in a brisk walk. A lady was also on deck in a deck chair, watching him go by she abruptly stopped him with this spontaneous explosion of words:”Mister, who do you think you are anyway, walking on this ship as though you owned it!” His energetic and spontaneous reply was, “Lady, my Father owns the water this ship is sailing on!” He was known as the “Billy Graham of India”. He was fluent in several Indian languages and experienced many miracles during a lifetime of ministry there. For added interest, and fitting for a blog that shares hunting stories, his last name was “FOX”. My fiance’ and I were Bible college students at the time when he preached to us in chapel and shared stories of his adventures in India. He was energetic, joyful, praiseful, and a lover of his wife! He was sure of being in the majority when his Father owned the water the ship was sailing on! “He owns the cattle on a thousand hills and the wealth in every mine” — the BIBLE.

ALL OF THE ABOVE, WITHOUT APOLOGY, IS A PRACTICAL APPLICATION OF THE TRUE EASTER MESSAGE — GOD, THROUGH CHRIST, INVOLVED IN THE EVERYDAY LIFE OF ANYONE WHO TRULY BELIEVES HIM. AND THAT’S A STEP BEYOND MERELY BELIEVING THAT HE EXISTS!

Til the next… Rifle cartridge classifications.

Shalom

BOB MITCHELL

CONFUSED over what Rifle and Load to take…?

“Happy is the hunter with only one rifle and knows how to use it”; that’s a saying worthy of some informed consideration! Many hunters of the past have been there mostly due to economics, but not so much from the 1960’s til today. There’s also this similar proverb: “Beware the hunter with one rifle who knows how to use it!”

In addition, there are those who believe that concept works best with multiple choices of the same or similar rifles. Not sure if that implies if one is adequate then four (or more) of the same means “adequate x 4 = a “fourfold adequacy”? Anyway, most of us own more than one rifle. Why?

On a bear hunt with outfitter Norm Easto in Northeastern Ontario — myself with three others (eldest son and two friends) were “loaded for bear”, but each of us had his own idea of “adequacy”. Two of us owned more than a single rifle for big game – the fellow on my immediate right brought his .308 Win along in a BLR, plus myself. The two others owned single BG rifles: my son’s .356 Winchester on far left of the pic (my far right), and my close friend on far right of pic with his .270 Win. Mine, of course, was a favorite at the time, an 1895 Marlin in .45-70. All were capable for black bear with well placed shots, and all were loaded with handloads. We were hunting over baits in different locations, and none were more than 100 yards distant from our blinds. We rented two rooms in the Algonquin Lodge behind us. To top it off, there was an American (we were the only Canadian hunters among about a dozen others) from Upper New York State that had won a lottery prize of a free hunt at that location. He brought two lever-action rifles chambered for the same cartridge as my son’s rifle, one a Winchester identical to Brent’s (my son) and the other a Marlin. Each day he had a dilemma over which to take! And each day he would discuss it with us in trying to make up his mind!

Confusion over rifles and loads — how do WE make up our minds for particular hunts? If, like my son and my friend, they had a single choice – an advantage of owning one BG rifle! While I owned at least two other BG rifles at the time — a .338 Win Mag in a SAKO FS being one — I purposely chose an 1895 Marlin Classic with handloads for this hunt — why? That’s a very good question as I had no doubts over the abilities of the SAKO FS in .338 Win Mag for which I’d already developed several good handloads. As I’ve thought about that question a few times, both before and after choosing the .45-70, it was because I’d WANTED a .45-70 for some time and this up-coming bear hunt seemed like reason enough. By then I was a serious handloader and student of ballistics and “knew” that a .45-70 in a Marlin with “best loads” would equal or surpass the effect of the .338 at bear ranges.

Consider the following as one way of making such a choice: Kinetic energy at impact X cross-section-area of bullet X sectional density = terminal effect; or KEI x CSA x SD = TE.< My last 1895 Marlin in .45-70

As an example: my bear load was a 400gr Speer at about 1538 fps and 2100 ft-lbs at bullet impact at 100 yards, times cross-sectional area of bullet (.165 sq-in. for .458″) times sectional density of a 400gr (.272) = 94 TE. With a tougher bullet than the Speer, I’d consider that adequate for a big Brown Bear with the same shot at 100 yards!

But here’s another load that came much later:

Rifle: 1895 Marlin Classic 22″ barrel

Bullet: 470gr hardcast

SD = .320

BC = .365 (Based on Lyman’s manual)

CSA = .165 (cross-section area)

MV = 1900 fps

200 yards = 1550 fps/ 2506 ft-lbs = 132 TE (adequate for a large bison).

250 yards = 1472 fps/ 2260 ft-lbs = 119 TE

Rifle: SAKO FS in .338 Win Mag

Bullet: 250gr Nosler

MV = 2650 fps (limit for that rifle with a 20″ barrel)

200 yards = 2311 fps/ 2965 ft-lbs = 83 TE

250 yards = 2237 fps/ 2778 ft-lbs = 78 TE

In using that means I knew I’d not be far off in practical expectations. Of course there are others, such as the TKO, but the point is: We need to have some knowledge and experience as the basis for our choices.

But no matter how we do the math, the momentum from the 400gr at 100 yards was equal to the SAKO’s .338 load at 100 yards, as well as 83% larger cross-sectional area of the bullet which affects the outcome. Of course, none of us want to take a shot on a big bear at more than 200 yards or so, but the 2nd load from my Marlin using the 470gr at 1900 would have far out-classed the .338 load. The above numbers reveal something I intuitively “knew” 33 years ago! Any advantage in trajectory favors the .338 Win of course, but at 200 yards or less, a .45-70 doesn’t need “holdover” on large game.

My basis for making such decisions over what rifle and load to take for a particular hunt also includes:

<(On a moose hunt to Northern Ontario we came to this branch off the main trail that continued on to the left. That’s about 200 yards to the corner. There were moose, wolf and bear scat within thirty yards of where I took this pic.)

1.Physical conditions of the hunt: Central and Northern Ontario are similar to most of the northern regions of the Canadian Provinces, Eastern Canada, Northeastern U.S., Michigan and any other Northern States with relatively natural landscapes and geology. Of course, Southern Ontario is where most of the nearly 15 million people live. That leaves the central and northern regions quite natural and free of densely populated areas, and were most fauna thrive. The geology includes multiple lakes and rivers, streams, bogs and swamps, high ridges and valleys, mixed forest and most any other undeveloped region where wildlife makes their living. Our big game includes moose, elk, black bears and white-tailed deer. Wolf and coyote are also targets of opportunity, though the wolf is very secretive. Beaver and other fur bearers are trapped, and abundant fish are caught in the thousands of lakes. And let’s not forget the birds: ducks, geese, grouse and crows; and small game: rabbits, fox, skunk, groundhogs, etc. And yes… we have wild hogs! Then no one admits the presence of cougar… but they’re here and off limits for hunting should you run into one?! Ontario is a veritable Paradise for the outdoorsman! It borders on three of the Great Lakes and five of the United States of America. It’s southern border not only includes the waters of the Great Lakes but also the St Laurence River that flows past Quebec and into the Atlantic Ocean. And to the far north Hudson Bay and James Bay grace its shores. In land mass, Ontario is smaller than Alaska but the same size as Texas and Montana combined — which are the second and fourth largest States of the USA. Montana is also a hunter’s Paradise with its mountains and sparse population of about 1 million. If I could live in the States, that’s where I’d go. Texas has about twice the population of Ontario, being somewhat crowded with only 2/3 its size. Alaska is 1.63 times the area of Ontario but most of that is uninhabited or uninhabitable with a population of less than a million.

The point being that within an hour from home I can enjoy wildernesses, since we live in Central Ontario and I’ve often hunted Northern Ontario. Each year I’ve purchased small game licences, wolf/coyote tags, and BG licences for deer, moose and bear! Why would I want to go elsewhere? And why not try various cartridges, rifles and shotguns? Unfortunately, we’re not able to purchase handguns for hunting, but I would if I could! So variety is part of the pleasure of not only investigating various habitats but also in trying different weapons for the hunt. And then? Discovering the full aptitudes of one rifle today is a near-limitless challenge considering all possibilities!

So the idea of a hunter with one rifle today has far greater possibilities than a hunter of the 1950’s with one factory load … There are more choices and better bullets than ever for that One-Rifle-Man, whatever that One Rifle might be!

A .300 magnum (not one of the “super” magnums that burns out barrels) is regarded by many so-called experts as a good candidate for “a-one-rifle-do-anything for all hunting” in North America, and much of the world — and I’d agree! The .300 “Super-Magnum” of the pre-WW2 was the H&H out of Britain. A 180gr was advertised as leaving the muzzle of a 26″ barrel at 2880 fps/3315 ft-lbs. (Yeah, I know others give a number exceeding 3000 fps but that was much later.). To give an example of what is being conveyed in this piece… today’s ammo (factory and especially handloads) is significantly better than a couple of generations ago. For illustration purposes, the .30-06 with good handloads is fully capable of duplicating the original ballistics of the .300 H&H! At the time, the .30-06 was shooting a 172gr at less than 2700 fps! While I’d choose (and have) the .300 Win Mag or Weatherby over the famed .30-06, even with today’s ballistics, I don’t think any knowledgeable handloader could legitimately claim that a 24″ .30-06, with today’s top handloads would be insufficient for anything in North America — given an able hunter/shooter! And that would be my minimum for any North American game under specific conditions. Ergo: a one-rifle sportsman who knows and understands handloaded ballistics is not poorly armed with an accurate .30-06 Springfield. But he should be aware that at whatever extreme range his .30-06 could be effective on large game, a properly loaded .300 Win Mag can do at 150 yards farther. Or, another way of stating it is that at whatever that extreme range for a .30-06 might be, a hit from a .300 Win at the same range would have the same effect of a .30-06 at 150 yards closer. For example: The .300 Win will fire the same 200gr at 300 fps faster at the muzzle that a .30-06, other matters equal. 300 fps is the loss of speed from a 200gr Partition from the muzzle to 150 yards, meaning that at 150 yards the 200gr Partition will equal the velocity of the same bullet from a .30-06 at the muzzle.

The two centerfire rifle cartridges that I’ve owned more rifles for than any others are the .45-70 and .300 Win Mag… ten in .45-70 and eight in the .300 Win Mag (then there were 2 other .300s, a Norma and a Weatherby). If push came to shove to chose one over the other today, there’s one .45-70 that I’ve owned longer than any centerfire rifle I’ve ever owned, that being my Ruger No.1 in .45-70 LT. And that speaks volumes for those who don’t want to read all that it could tell.< Identical to the .458 Win Mag on the header, except for a 22″ lighter barrel chambered in .45-70. But it was capable of pushing a 500gr at 2210 fps/ 5422 ft-lbs at the muzzle using H335, due to its long throat (LT) permitting long bullets to be seated long. As pictured, it weighed 8 lbs.

2. Size, disposition and location of the animal: All of that has already been implied, but lets consider potential specifics of what I’ll refer to as CASE A vs. CASE B. These are simulations which are also credible:

CASE A: a bull Woods Bison will be hunted in Northern Alberta on a private ranch. My permit allows a bull up to 2000 lbs. The ranch is in the foothills of the Rockies where elevation could be up to 3500 ft. I’ve been informed that shooting ranges will likely be somewhere between 50 and 350 yards/meters. In my gun cabinet I have the following rifles chambered for big game in .308 Winchester, .338 Win Mag, .375 H&H and a 9.3 x 62. So I’d have to consider the possibility of a shot to 350 yards even though the averages would suggest a closer range. The .308 Winchester would be ruled out without a second thought. That would leave three: the .338 Win Mag, .375 H&H and 9.3 x 62. I’d need to know the handloaded ballistics of each to 350 yards which would be quite simple using an external ballistics program… but what bullet? Nosler makes Partitions for each, and for really big, tough game I’d tend to choose the Partitions over the AccuBonds, having more experience with them.

Having done the ballistic profile charts on all three, I’d choose the heaviest for each: the 250gr for the .338 Win, the 286gr for the 9.3 x 62 and the 300gr for the .375 H&H. I also know what each of those rifles would be capable of in terminal energy at 350 yards when started at 2800 fps from the250gr in the .338 Win; 2650 fps from the 300gr in the .375, and 2630 from the 286gr in the 9.3 x 62. In addition, trajectory, recoil and TE would inform me in the decision making process. Then, of course, accuracy from the individual rifles would enter somewhere into the final choice. Since all three would be capable from an objective standpoint, then subjective likes and dislikes (if any) often has more influence than we might like to admit! The weights of the individual rifles would have an influence on both felt recoil and other aspects of comfort. So would the shape of the stocks. Another matter might be: Do I want to try something I’m more familiar with or something different?

All those matters are factors that enter the picture and in the end help us in the choices we make if we have three rifles that are as capable as the three in CASE A. It turns out that at 350 yards from a ballistics standpoint you’d might want to pick straws as any real life advantages of one over the other would depend more on bullet placement than anything else. The results are: 2554 ft-lbs/ 72 TE for the .338 Win; 2604 ft-lbs/ 83 TE for the 9.3 x 62; and 2558 ft-lbs/ 86 TE for the .375 H&H. The .338 might come a little short on 2000 lbs, but the other two make the cut at the extreme range. At 300 yards the .338 Win is in the ball park if not playing on first base. But as the sayin’ goes: ” You can always get closer”, sometimes, but not all the time or 350 yard shots wouldn’t have been mentioned as “up to”.

<That’s about 400 yards to the far corner, and a 94 km drive plus a 10 minute walk from my home. Within a radius of a few kilometres, I’ve hunted moose, deer, coyote, wolf and bear.

CASE B: We might want to use something “traditional” in taking a bison — after all that seems more appropriate. But conditions are the same as well as the terms, except the rifle is distinctly different: It’s a single-shot Ruger in .458 Win Mag firing a 475gr Lyman cast at 15 BHN from their mould #457671 at .460″, over 40.5 grains of A-5744, @ 1623 fps/ 2778 ft-lbs, and has a BC of .477. Let’s have a look at that at 350 yards. Yes, I know, it would have a rainbow trajectory, but’s it’s very doable!

MV = 1623 fps/ 2778 ft-lbs

350 yards = 1255fps/ 1662 ft-lbs/ 87 TE. Good enough for a 2000 lb Bison at 350 yards. And slightly better than either the 9.3 x 62 or .375 H&H in momentum and bullet cross-sectional area. That’s why it has a better TE number. Recoil = 23 ft-lbs, and with the MAG-na-ports on my rifle = 19.5 ft-lbs. Hey… Think I might give that a try with my 470gr cast bullets when I get some Accurate 5744!

Those are some real-life examples of how I think and act as an adventurer, hunter, handloader and investigator of what works and why. Did you really think I’d rather retire to enjoy Shuffle Board in Florida?

Til the next…

Shalom

BOB MITCHELL

Pushing your Luck…

Jack O’Connor, being a celebrated big-game hunter, especially enjoyed the challenge of hunting Alaska’s Great Bears. He killed several employing some of his favorite cartridges: the .270, .30-06, and .375 H&H… maybe even the .416 Rigby. But in later life he wrote these words: “Yet later on I had a confrontation with a big bear that frightened me. After that I became cautious”. That may not be an exact quote but precise enough as I recall it. I have a pretty good memory for recalling something that impressed me, even though I may not have the text in front of me. I’ve never forgotten that one as I was getting into some pretty heavy bear hunting… the black kind.

While Jack didn’t give the details of that encounter in that article, I also learned from experience that taking things for granted in dealing with dangerous critters is NOT the best policy! I’m not suggesting we should be fearful, as that may turn out to be more “dangerous” than the dangerous critter itself! But what I am suggesting is that we should not be pushing our luck under certain conditions that may turn out to be more perilous than anticipated — especially in DG country if we break a leg with a grizzly in the area!

The context of the article by O’Connor led me to believe that either he had wounded a grizzly or brown bear, and had to go “in” to find it, and finish it with a “minimal” cartridge, or he had been charged by a big grizzly while carrying his beloved .270. While he didn’t specify the cause of fear and future caution, no doubt was left in my mind that an over-abundance of confidence is unsuitable for dangerous game hunting, especially in hazardous conditions! Though it was not mentioned, I’m sure Jack had a guide who was likely armed.

< I was solo when I shot this 240 lb bear with my NEF single-shot in .45-70. The load was a 465gr semi-hard-cast at 1900 fps MV. Range was 70 yards. It dropped at the shot. There, it was pulled to the trail and gutted.

In a charge by any menacing game, which could be even a bull moose, or cow with a calf, a second hunter or guide on the scene isn’t always a blessing — especially if they get frantic or in the way! So in any scenarios, I’m assuming it’s going to be a one-on-one confrontation where there’s none to bail me out if I get into trouble that would initially appear too deep for me to handle! I’ve watched enough African hunting of DG videos to conclude that the last thing you or I want is confusion and fear amongst an entourage of six or eight others (government scout, cameraman, wife, trackers, PH or guide — AND self) when charged by a lion, elephant, Cape buff, bear, moose or pack of wolves, etc! Here, I’m appealing especially to the do-it-yourself hunter for elk in the Rockies, grizzly in the Yukon, or the “Bob Mitchells” for bear in Ontario — or any other such circumstance.

What are then the perils of “pushing our luck” in various hunting situations where caution should be foremost in our attitude? While there are unquestionably others, I believe the following two are the most obvious and significant:

1.Hunting alone: While I’ve just stated that having others along as guide, helper, friend, or co-hunter has it’s own contingencies, hunting alone — especially in a remote wilderness — has more potential risk! Hunting/shooting magazines in particular often appeal to the solo hunter with ads on equipment, while hunting alone in rough wilderness areas, that will enhance his safety and enjoyment. Often this involves solo camping or canoeing in a remote area, along with hunting activities. That picture appeals to something inside many hunters with an adventurous spirit — and I among them, having done a full share of hunting and exploring alone. But it potentially has several hazardous physical conditions associated with it. Not the least of which is a bad fall! That might be the result of tripping over an unseen broken branch hidden beneath fresh-green brush, or a slippery rock resulting from wet moss from a recent rain fall… In fact there are many unknown or unforeseen physical conditions that can cause a fall resulting in anything from a bruised ego to a broken rib or leg.

< I was alone here, 90 km from home and 16 km from civilization. Don’t do this without a rifle big enough for any situation and a cell phone! That’s my former CZ550 in .458 Win in hand – just some added insurance!

Then, of course, running into a bear with a bruised ego, while hunting deer isn’t beyond the realm of possibility either… Or any other creature with ill intent that isn’t on our bucket list! An experienced male hunter in a remote area of Quebec was killed by a black bear while two sons were also in the same general area but not close enough to save his life though they heard his cries! What were they hunting? We were not told. A mature hunter of “whatever” gets suddenly killed by a marauding black bear… how could that happen?

I too was quite confident in my solitary hunting expeditions until one winter as I was hunting coyotes over a frozen lake when suddenly, without warning, I broke through thin ice that surrounded a bush, and my left side went in up to my crotch! The temp was at least -20*C! I laid flat on the ice, pulled out my left leg, squirmed to the shore line, pulled off my boot, dumped the water, rung out my sock, put sock and boot back on and beat a hasty retreat through woods, up hill to my vehicle. The motor was started and warmed up till there was heat. The boot came off with the soaked sock, trying my best to not get hypothermia! When I stopped shaking, sock and boot went on and I drove one hour back home. My drawers and pants were still soaked. Off they came and on went some warm-dry ones. I have not forgotten that fearful experience! And I’ve not ventured onto a “frozen” lake alone since!< Yep, this one’s frozen in late November, and the ice is very thin. The experience given above was in February with lots of snow on the ground, but the frozen lake was bare ice!

I’ve read stories of hunters leaving home or cabin early morning, ALONE, and never returning! In one such case it involved a hunter in mountains after elk or sheep. He never returned, so a search was made. His body was found at the bottom of a cliff with the animal still attached to his back pack! He was following a narrow trail above, slipped and fell to his death! Another involved two hunters for elk in the mountains. They didn’t return. A search was made by helicopter and their two bodies where partially buried in the snow on the side of a mountain, as well as a partially consumed elk. Also, a female grizzly with two cubs were present. A search team was notified of the location, went in and had to shoot the bears before recovery was made. How could a sow grizzly, accompanied by two cubs, sneak in and kill the two armed hunters?

And this from a correspondent in Alaska; Glen Urquhart wrote: “Deer hunting on Baronof, Kruzof and other surrounding islands where there were plenty of brown bears was somewhat nerve wracking until I got my .458 and got to be friends with it. Plenty of people I knew had deer taken away from them by Brown bear. A couple while packing the deer out. The .458 Win is a great deer round with the standard old factory load of a 500 or 510 grain bullet @ around 2000 fps. Aim just behind the shoulder or head shot. With a behind the shoulder shot the deer usually run 20 to 30 yards. A big brown bear smashed in the chest by that load just goes straight down. Bang. Flop.”

This was the only rifle Glen owned at the time, and wasn’t “sport” hunting, but hunting deer for meat. Great choice in hunting alone in conditions where bears may want what you have just shot! In a case of baiting ’em, dominant bears are frequently known to claim that area as their own, and don’t move off very far from the bait site when resting.

These real-life hunting scenarios should teach all of us, and cause us to consider how we need to be more thoughtful and less cocky when hunting, especially where any potentially dangerous game might be in the vicinity.

As we age, as in O’Connor’s case, we tend to be more cautious anyway. We SHOULD pay attention and heed any such messages heard from others or learned from our own experiences.

2. Poor health or poor physical conditioning: That could be at any age… it’s not reserved for those in their seventies and eighties! At any stage of life we could be recovering from some illness or accident.

It’s also quite common that just before or during a hunt one of the crew falls ill from appendicitis, the flu, or any other ailment that might turn out to be personal! And it could also be depression! It’s not wise to be hunting in a potentially demanding situation when we’re not well — especially if we’re seriously depressed!

If we are “gung-ho” anyway, we should check in with a wife, doctor, friend or associate! That would show a measure of caution at least.

“Pushing our luck” is not always the best response, and by times it’s not only not “the best” but may very well be “the WORST” !< To be walking this remote trail alone without a weapon would be “pushing your luck” in my estimation! That was the paw print of a sow bear, nearby was a smaller print of a cub. When I went “in” they were not there! When I was coming “out” on that trail (familiar to me), I soon realized I was following those bears! Since I couldn’t hunt a sow with a cub, I became very cautious and waited a bit before proceeding down the trail. Later I saw where they’d wandered off the trail and back into the woods.

I believe the adage re: handloading, that we shouldn’t do it if “not feeling like it, or if distracted”, should be mercilessly applied to all hunting activities… PERIOD!

REASON? We will not be at our best! Pushing our luck could result in serious hurt to others and/or death to self!

CAUTION!, if you’re not “feeling like it”, or distracted, or depressed, just don’t “Push your Luck”…

“Pushing your luck” is a saying that suggests: “Going to and even beyond your limit”; taking unnecessary or unwise chances; it may be gambling with your life or the life of someone else! In hunting, relationships and just living, pushing our luck and we may too late discover that we have none! It’s been spent!

Satan tempted Christ with that philosophy : “Jump off the highest point of the Temple and wow the crowds, for it’s written ‘Angels will take care of you.'” Christ’s reply? “It is also written, you are not to tempt the LORD your God”. Good advice for all of us!

Shalom

BOB MITCHELL

The .458 Winchester Magnum – achieving any hunting demands – P3

Have you taken your .458 Win Mag pig hunting? I would…

We now have ’em in our Province (Ontario). It was merely a matter of time. I’ve seen them a couple of times at the same location, about a 1/2 hour drive from our residence. And they are now officially recognised as having moved into Ontario. But hunting them, or shooting them is a matter of personal discretion, which is discouraged by the MNR. Why? Don’t expect the MNR to show smarts in this, but it’s “because they might go into hiding”!

I saw them on the same farm, twice, but not since. There were about 1/2 dozen and coal black. It was obviously a “family”. Sizes varied somewhere between 40 to over 100 lbs in my estimation. So, currently, there’s no law in regard to hunting or shooting them, but it is strongly recommended not to shoot them!! I’ll use my own judgement in that regard.

But it seems to me that the very adaptable .458 Winchester would be an ideal choice in using a 400 – 405gr FP at around 1800 – 2000 fps. Sure, 1200 fps would do an excellent job at close range, but those that I saw were about 150 yards away on the first sighting and closer to 250 yards distant on the second event, so it would depend mostly on the terrain. So being prepared for whatever the situation is the best policy. If wild pigs could be hunted on private farms (which they mostly are) with permission, then ranges could be past 300 yards, though most are found on the fringes of wood lots and in thicker brush. If opportunities could come at 50 yards to 350, then I’d choose the 300gr BARNES TTSX or TSX at 2700 to 2800 fps. If, before the hunt, I knew opportunities would be reserved to less than 150 yards — as where I hunt deer and bear on Crown Land — I’d use a good 400gr – 405gr FP at the above mentioned speed. If there was the possibility of a big hog of 300 – 400 lbs, I’d go ready with a hard-cast 470gr or 450gr A-Frame or TSX at around 2200 – 2300 fps.

Those are some current thoughts on using the BIG-BORE .458 Win for black hogs! (I’m secretly hoping that when I bear hunt in May/2021, that a big-black pig might show up!)

Though they are invasive and can do a major amount of damage to crops and farm land, the best method for control is to shoot them on sight, in my view.

That was merely another example of where the .458 Win could be profitably employed.

Having recently mentioned Dr. Ron’s use of a 400gr GS Custom for deer hunting to a friend, under physical conditions that resemble my deer and bear hunts, it was with emphasis on the resourcefulness of a .458 Win Mag. Leaving the muzzle at nearly 2600 fps it hit a running doe through thick hardwood at 150 yards. The whitetail left a massive blood trail for a short distance with a silver-dollar size hole through its chest! Not many could make that shot even in the use of a .270 Win.

<ALDERELLA is the name for that particular .458.

These photos can be found on 24hr Campfire, Express Rifles and Big Bores, .458 Winchester Magnum thread. (Right click on pics for “Open image in a new tab”, then left click on “open in new tab”, and left click on “new tab” for a better view.)

Shooting at a range for development of loads and practice should be supplemented by simulated hunting conditions. After a load has been developed to my satisfaction for both velocity and accuracy, it is sighted-in depending on ranges anticipated. That might be +1.0″ at 100 yards for example, as the distance to game will usually not be more than 150 yards. Once sighted, I’ll fire some rounds from offhand at 50 and 100 yards. That’s more important than endless practice from a bench.

Something else that I regularly do during the development and practice process is intersperse .458 Win shooting with a .22LR, my CZ455 in particular. I’ll shoot a minimum of 30 – 50, some at 50 yds, 100 yds and even 200 yds if the wind is relatively calm. It’s a very accurate rifle with hunting rounds — the CCI MINI-MAGS and 40gr HP Velocitor in particular. The Velocitor leaves the muzzle at +/- 1400 fps, and I’ve found that they group well enough at 200 yards to be able to hit the head of a coyote with a rest and calm atmosphere.

But more importantly, it is excellent practice in hitting small targets at 50 and 100 yards. It’s a teaching tool for marksmanship in breathing, holding steady and squeezing the trigger. Such experience can be transferred to big guns. But is a .22LR a potential defensive weapon against bears? Look at this bait barrel and that might help in shedding some light on that matter.

Those holes were not made by a .45-70 or 9.3 x 62, but by my Rem M597 semi-auto in .22LR. They were 33gr Yellow Jackets that easily penetrated the one side and left bulges on the far side (The barrel was empty at the time.) I was carrying that rifle while baiting for bear, and still own it, and wouldn’t hesitate to tote it again while baiting. It’s not as accurate as the CZ 455, but plenty accurate for that kind of work in close quarters. At the range I use the 5-shot clip but for hunting the 10-shot. It will soon be wearing my 2 – 8 x 32mm World Class Tasco, which is a VERY good scope for that kind of action. At 2x it is more than capable of poking holes in barrels!

This is a CZ 455 – it also has a 5-round clip plus one for 10 rounds. Mine carries a 2.5 – 10 X 42mm Target/Varmint Tasco Scope.

THE POPULARITY OF THE GREAT .458 WINCHESTER MAGNUM

While we’re all getting older, weaker and more sensitive to recoil, the .458 Winchester Magnum is becoming more popular than ever! Why is that? Handloaders/shooters/hunters want a break from “sameness” all the time. The .270 Win, as one example, has that “sameness” no matter what load is chosen — and that’s mostly a 130gr at +/- 3000 fps from whatever iteration, and mostly for whitetails. A good hunting buddy of years past has a custom .270 Win, and it’s his only BG rifle in which he uses the Federal Premium 150gr Noslers. It’s effective within it’s range of use — but very boring to those who want to experience a wider range of shooting/hunting activities. This is where the .458 Win Mags shine and come out of their closets! Also, the .45-70 is still very popular and useful in Alaska, Africa, Canada and some Lower 48 States! The .458 Win Mag is a step up from them — as in my own case. When I say the .45-70 is still very popular, our main source of supply, EPPS in Orillia, can’t keep them in stock! They order 200 and get 50 that are gone within a week! Those are mostly various iterations of the 1895 Marlin, and they’re not cheap anymore — more $$ than many bolt-actions! Plus, EPPS usually has a few 1886 Winchesters which are typically twice the cost of a Marlin! So I’m not alone in my affection for and addiction to BIG BORES!

My handloading manual on the .45-70 was developed over several years and included loads for Marlins, NEFs and Ruger No.1s. I couldn’t print enough from 1997 through 2008. So — in part — blame the .45-70 for the unforeseen surge of growth in the popularity of the GREAT .458 WINCHESTER MAGNUM! <That’s my Ruger No.1 in .458 Win, ready for bear in November, 2020. The load is the 405gr Remington over 75 grs RL-15 at 2083 fps (avg). That same load will be used in the spring of this year, not more than 100 yards from this location. God willing.

And, there’s no question that the work of Dr Ron Berry has caused many owner’s of the great .458 Win to come into the open. During a number of years when the .458 Lott was all the rage, and the .458 Winchester Magnum was ignored in the press, and even lied about, mostly due to ignorance, owner’s of the .458 Win Mag would hardly dare reveal themselves in a public forum… I know that from experience on the AR forums! But I stuck my nose in anyway, and continued to publish what I knew to be the truth! Ron’s first Big Bore was a Ruger No.1 in .458 Winchester Magnum, and that was long before I owned my first, a bolt-action M77 Ruger in 1993. It got traded, and that was a mistake. My second came in 2007, a CZ 550 which became the basis for my manual. And the Ruger No.1 was traded for in 2018. It’s currently the one that has been used as a testing platform as well as seeing a few hunting adventures. God willing it will see more hunting action this spring.

That’s it for this time on the GREAT .458 WINCHESTER MAGNUM.

Coming up…. “Pushing your luck!”

Shalom

BOB MITCHELL