Indholdsfortegnelse for March 2020 i Sporting Shooter

QUEENSLAND ADA President Adrian Filche, the Shooters Union of Queensland and other hunting and shooting groups are all frankly perplexed and frustrated by the fact that parts of their state, like national parks, state forests and reserves are overrun with feral animals and there is no scheme in place to permit appropriately licensed hunters to assist in control of their burgeoning numbers. This is in direct contrast to neighbouring NSW and also Victoria, whose governments have documented multi-billion dollar direct financial benefits accruing to their states through legitimate hunting activities on public and private land. In fact, Mr Filche has cited the exodus of millions of dollars of potentially direct economic benefit to Queensland being lost to Queensland licensed hunters taking out game licences in Victoria and NSW and subsequently…

Q I recently bought a Ruger rifle in 7mm-08 and plan to use it for all my hunting in the New England area and out west. The fallow bucks in my area generally average about 90kgs and are usually taken at maximum ranges of 200 metres. I’ll also be using the 7mm-08 on western hunts for goats and pigs. What powders and bullets do you recommend for this size game in the 7mm-08? A I’ve used a number of bullets in the 7mm-08 including the 120gn Barnes, 140gn AccuBond, 150gn E-Tip, and 140gn Woodleigh and all worked very well on deer up to the size of red stag. The best powders I used were AR2208 and W-760, but RE-15 and RE-19 work well with bullets weighing 140 and 150 grains.…

WHEN I was a kid, walking the rivers in northern New South Wales chasing Murray Cod, my only sources of information were my dad, the local tackle shop, and magazines. Now, having grown up with the internet, I am constantly amazed by what it has to offer, and also how little some people respect that fact. If it weren’t for some positive interactions with incredible people over social media, I wouldn’t be the hunter I am today; whether this be through an exchange of knowledge, experiences, or gear. At the same time, some of the exchanges I see on popular social media websites leave me saddened that in such a small, niche community, we have people who are quick to anger and judgement. This doesn’t do hunters any favours. The…

THIS mild-mannered pre-World War 1 cartridge has survived a multitude of newer and sexier cartridges that shot 7mm bullets faster, made more noise, kicked harder, raised more dust and blew the grass flatter. Despite being over 100 years old, Rigby has recently chambered it in the Highland Stalker, calling it .275 Rigby. Over the years I've owned three 7x57 Mausers and tested maybe half a dozen other rifles - mostly European. While the 7x57 had a brief run in the U.S.A it was always popular in Europe. An early smokeless powder cartridge, the 7x57was designed by Paul Mauser in 1892 for the first Mauser rifles having staggered internal magazines. The new Mauser rifle was adopted by the Spanish military in 1893 and quickly became one the the world’s favourite military…

THE lights of the RFDS aircraft was lost in the darkness as it sped towards Cairns with my husband aboard. At the time I didn't know that I was to be left to run a cattle station on my own for a month. My first problem occurred in the first week. We have a heap of large old mango trees spread amongst the houses and buildings, every year the pigs come in to feed on the fallen fruit which is a blessing as we don't have to pick up the rotting mangoes each morning so it is at times like this that the pigs are given a temporary reprieve. The lone boar that was now coming in every afternoon was becoming quite brazen but doing a great job of eating…

THE stronghold of red deer in Australia is in the ranges north of Brisbane. Deer were introduced there back in 1873 when Queen Victoria sent several animals to provide the basis for a herd for the enjoyment of the antipodean settlers. Reflecting this history, the red deer takes pride of place on the coat of arms of the State of Queensland. The small country town of Esk is close to the point of the original release, and the symbol of the stag is prominent on local signage. For many years, red deer were a protected species, and the few animals originally released gradually increased in number and distribution. Although the sub-tropical climate was markedly different from that prevailing in their native European turf, the red deer nonetheless found the valleys…

WHEN the 7mm-08 appeared in 1980 loaded with a 140gn bullet at 2860fps, it kinda set the cat among the pigeons. Compared to the newcomer, the 7x57 appeared an anaemic old has-been. Yet the 7x57 continues to be commercially loaded by most European ammunition manufacturers and is still a popular choice with jaegers for all-around use. The 7x57mm Mauser (a.k.a .275 Rigby) has proven sufficient for hunting all North American big game species, but most experts would consider it undergunning on moose and bear. A particularly good choice for a mountain rifle, it delivers good killing power with moderate recoil with precise shot placement and the proper bullet. I've tested a number of European rifles in 7x57, and had a custom rifle built on a Turkish Model '98 Mauser back…

IT was rare that Mum would buy meat from the supermarkets, apart from chicken we always had fresh game or fish for dinner. Between deer, goats, fish and bunnies there wasn’t much room for anything else in the freezer. This never bothered my siblings and me. Growing up my little brother Nathan was the fussiest eater alive. Unless it was plain rice and pasta or a peanut butter sandwich he wouldn’t eat it. Mum tried everything. Once Nathan was old enough to start going fishing and hunting with Dad his taste for food grew. Now Nathan would only eat plain pasta and rice, a peanut butter sandwich and deer, fish and bunnies. For other kids in school chicken nuggets were a treat. In my house rabbit nuggets were, and boy…

WINNER WIN a GARMIN eTrex 10 EVERY MONTH! ENTRIES: Please email your high resolution. jpg or png pig hunting image as an attachment to the email addressed to marcusodean@yaffa.com.au – all images must be at least 1MB in size. For entry to be valid the following contact details must be included: First name, surname, full mail address, contact phone number and email address. A short explanatory sentence with the email is also needed. Garmin’s outdoor range features unparalleled innovation in hiking, camping and hunting tech in handheld or wearable configurations. Options span from navigation, communication, safety and tracking devices. Garmin also produce a range of bow sights with built in range finder enabling better shot placement. A Garmin eTrex 10 GPS Navigator will be sent to the best entry every…

.308 Light Bullet Comparison Q I've been reloading my .308 Winchester with the 130gn Speer bullet to 3000fps while my mate loads the 125gn AccuBond to 3100fps. Although I can't see any difference in killing power on pigs and goats, he claims his load with the lighter bullet shoots flatter and hits harder because it has a higher ballistic coefficient - .366 against .263. Both rifles are sighted-in 2-1/2in. high at 100yd. What do you think? – Murray Cole A That’s an interesting comparison! But your mate is right when he claims an advantage for the 125gn AccuBond over the 130gn Speer. From the same zero, at 300yd., the 125gn bullet retains 2352fps, drops 3-1/2in. and delivers 1535 ft/lbs of energy. The 130gn Speer drops 3in. more, has 2012 fps…

“Three stages of vertical honing achieve a mirrorlike (barrel) finish.” THE new Bergara BPR Premier HMR Pro rifle is based on the Premier push-feed action, which was fitted with Bergara barrels to any action the customer wanted. This gave them the incentive to begin making production guns. Over the years I've tested several Bergara rifles made on the Spanish B-14 action and they were all real tackdrivers that lived up to the company’s sub-half-minute-of-angle guarantee for three shot groups. The American-made Premier action differs from the B-14 action, by combining Remington and Savage footprints. The floating dual-lug bolt-head is turned down at the back to fit into the bolt body where it is retained by a sturdy cross dowel. A heavy rotating gas baffle behind the lugs, backed with a…

Lansky Master Edge Deluxe Sharpener The new Masters Edge Sharpeners by Lansky will sharpen both serrated and straight knives. Designed to be easy, effective and attractive, this unit features a variety of technical and aesthetic sharpening advancements. The Masters Edge System includes a pair of both medium (grey-800 grit) and fine (white 1000 grit) ceramic rods for sharpening and professional grade polishing. Ideal for hunting knives, kitchen knives and even scissors, the Lansky Masters Edge Deluxe sharpener is durable, reliable and well made. Lansky offer a huge range of professional sharpening systems in their range to find out more ask at your local gun shop or visit www.nioa.com.au Harris Quick Deploy Bipods A good bipod is a necessary addition to your rifle to enhance accuracy or when long range shooting.…

EARLY one Friday I took my time slowly creeping down to the farm fringe. I had several hours before the deer would be active, so I took the a step at a time down a previously cleared track through some wattles to my very basic hide. This hide was hidden dam in the forest, complete with a small clearing full of lush grass. My rocky observation post is a low impact, easy spot to sit and wait. Eventually I got a bit sore, as I was sitting on the ground and hungry mozzies were slowly exsanguinating me. I warily stood and stretched; all was quiet so I rattled some antlers attempting to spur some action. Sure enough, within ten minutes, standing at the dam, not 65 yards away was a…