Indholdsfortegnelse for December 2023 i Sporting Shooter

THE machinery of firearms has always interested me. My earliest retained memory of machinery is of a revolver. It wasn’t a real one but a functional non-firing replica that even had dummy cartridges that took caps instead of primers. The love for hunting came later and melded perfectly with my interest in the mechanics of firearms. I can’t tell you whether hunting is my excuse to use my firearms or using my firearms is my excuse to go hunting. I do know that I like to pick the right firearm for the type of hunting I’m doing at any time, including the calibre. That’s part of appreciating the machinery: using it as it was meant to be used. Reading Graham Park’s Straight Shooting column this issue reminded me why I’d…

THE Remington Model 700 is one of the most popular American hunting rifles of all time. Other sporting rifles may be better made, but few are more accurate and none can match the terrific volume of sales enjoyed by the Model 700. It first appeared in 1962 and is highly regarded by hunters all over the world. Among American-made bolt-actions, only the much-lauded Winchester Model 70 can equal its sales appeal. “Firing pin travel is short — just 5.4mm — resulting in very fast locktime of about 3 milliseconds” Over the years, the Model 700 has been offered with more variations and calibres than any other rifle on the market. The latest one to come my way after a long dearth in supply is the high-tech Model 700 Long Range…

I’M sure everyone reading this column missed out on hunting or outdoor pursuits during the COVID period. For me, the first big lost opportunity was a traditional archery clinic that was cancelled in late March, 2020. A friend of mine in Victoria had organised for an expert to come to Australia from Colorado and deliver instruction to a few archers, all of whom were so far down the archery rabbit hole it was potentially unhealthy. I’ll always remember reading his text message that said the clinic was going to be cancelled “until we figure out what’s going on with this COVID thing”. I’m pleased to say that in April, 2023, after a few years of chatting online and coordination, it came together. Tom Clum is an Olympic-level archery coach in…

FOR any type of hunting, the first shot is the one that counts and if you miss, you generally miss with your follow-up shots. My friend Ken Harding has always had a great liking for the single-shot big-game rifle, but most hunters I know think that a single-shot would be a handicap. Over the years I have owned and hunted with single-shots, but while I’ve never gained the least preference for them, I realise they do offer some advantages. Because a single-shot rifle does not have the long receiver of a bolt action, the barrel can be 26” (66cm) or so long without making the rifle unhandy. Decades ago I shot a mule deer in New Mexico with a rifle I borrowed from Les Bowman, a Ruger No 1 in…

THEY say a man’s best friend is a dog. It’s true. The best part is dogs don’t back chat and don’t argue. They’re obedient, and after a long day they are always excited to see you. I’ve hunted with dogs for many years now, from pig dogs to gun dogs, but never one that hadn’t heard a gun go off before. I got Rori, my kelpie cross red cattle dog, when she was five weeks old. She has been the most loyal companion ever since. She’s travelled everywhere with me, most often riding shotgun. But until the other day, she’d always waited at home for me to return from a hunting trip, eager to eat whatever meat or bones I brought home for her. As gentle as she is, I’m sure…

Q I’ve been thinking about having my Winchester Model 70 rebarrelled for a 7mm magnum and am trying to decide which one to get. What would be your choice between the 7mm Rem Mag and the 7mm STW? Why? Bob Barret A I have had quite a bit of experience with both of the magnums you are considering. A few years ago I took them to the Gulf and used them both on game. To be honest, I couldn’t see a bit of difference between the way they performed on everything from pigs and deer to scrub bulls. The criterion of what any 7mm magnum will do is with a properly constructed, ballistically efficient 160gn bullet. The 7mm Rem Mag drives this weight at 3050fps and the 7mm STW requires…

THE single most valuable advantage of having a rangefinder binocular is the ability to instantly range a game animal when you spot it, with a minimum of movement or fuss. You’ll also dramatically reduce the time between spotting an animal and taking a shot. The Delta Apex 10x42 binocular/rangefinder maintains ultimate optical quality coupled with top rangefinding ability. American and Asian companies have entered the field but most professional hunters are adamant that only the top European makers have perfected the ability to integrate a laser rangefinder into a binocular and maintain peak quality in the optics and rangefinder. There are some excellent binoculars coming out of the Pacific Rim countries but this German Alpen optic is a state-of-the-art roof-prism binocular that is trim, compact and weighs 900g (32 ounces) to…

WHEN you hear someone talk about “shooting” in a law-abiding context, what’s the first thing that comes to mind? Hunting? Competition target shooting? Plinking on a property? Feral pest control? The answer is “yes”, because all those things are very much part of the wider shooting umbrella, an umbrella that gets even wider when you include things like collecting. It’s also true a lot of shooters don’t really tend to have much to do with elements of it outside their particular interest. Someone who primarily hunts deer is unlikely to spend much time competing in matches at a range. Someone who shoots Sporting Clays probably isn’t shooting Service Rifle matches. A Practical Rifle Shooter is unlikely to compete in benchrest events. You get the idea. At first, this doesn’t seem…

Outer Edge projectiles Outer Edge Projectiles (OEP) are made in Australia by a 100 per cent Australian-owned business. OEP manufactures a wide range of CNC-machined, premium grade, high performance, copper hunting and target bullets that are machined to micron tolerance and do not vary from bullet to bullet or batch to batch. I’m also told they are extremely accurate and offer excellent terminal performance at both short and long range. Their main features include rapid and reliable expansion, retention of 95 per cent of bullet weight and ultra-reliable construction that will not blow apart at close range. This range of hunting and target projectiles is now available from .22-cal (.224) through to .416 Barrett and even an 820-grainer for .50 BMG. Ask to see them at your local gun shop.…

ONCE in a while a truly useful and innovative product shows up that makes your life easier and more enjoyable. Strange as it sounds, the Caldwell Stable Table Lite did just that for me. I first saw it in use at a NIOA demonstration day for writers. It looked like a solution for shooting in various field locations, while still providing a stable and consistent shooting platform for testing firearms in a more controlled environment. I asked for one to test. Designed to be portable and convenient, it is completely self-contained in one unit — no extra bits to carry or to lose, and no tools required. Just throw it in the back of the wagon and then unfold it when at your shooting location. With a weight of only about…

I am a pom, originally from the north east of England, a cold, wet, miserable, windy place. I was a gamekeeper in my spare time, doing endless vermin control leading up to the shooting season. I would hunt, foxes, cats, rats, stoats, crows, magpies, weasels etc. Now I live north of the river in Perth, WA, and hunt on a few properties about 1½ hours away near Calingiri. One farmer asked if I could clear the cats off the property. The farm backs on to the army training area (forest) which I know is riddled with cats. I spent two days there for a total of 21 cats. I have never seen so many cats in my life. They just kept coming. The first day, when I pulled up on…

WINCHESTER introduced the .458 Win Mag in 1956, and the .264 and .338 Magnums came along in 1958. All were based on the .300 H&H belted case, shortened to 2.5” (63.5mm) but with an overall loaded length of 3.34” (84.84mm), allowing them to function in a standard .30-06 length bolt-action. It was clear that Winchester needed a .30 calibre to fill the obvious gap in its line of cartridges. Fred Huntington, founder of RCBS, had already necked down the .338 Win Mag to .30 calibre in 1958 and although the .30-338 gained a moderate amount of acceptance in the hunting field, most of its successes were gained in long-range target shooting. Two years later in 1960, the Swedish munitions company AB Norma Projektilfabrik entered the market with the .308 Norma Magnum,…