Innehållsförteckning för September 2021 från Sporting Shooter

HARKING back to my June column, readers have handwritten, phoned and emailed responses to the wholesale slaughter of introduced and non-target species, verifying that it is apparent that government agencies in NSW are really on a roll. In fact, this one column has garnered more concerned correspondence than any other in my memory. This issue has distressed readers on several levels, of which the humane dispatch argument is paramount. Gunships pursuing animals, shooting them in groups greatly distresses the animals before dispatch with however many shots the professionals have to take. Consider the contrast of an undetected stalk and instant dispatch with one shot by most recreational hunters. Additionally, the use of poison baits results in many long and painful deaths for target and non-target species, like parrots, eagles and…

ANYONE who follows this column knows that I’ve been testing myself with traditional bows lately in an effort to challenge myself and scratch the history itch which is always in the back of my mind. Sometimes I think I’ve been hard on myself, when I place enormous pressure on my hunts in trying to get them done with the trad' bow. As a consequence, I’ve started not to regard the processes and small successes a hunter experiences when I get an animal on the ground. Recently, I had to talk myself into taking a rifle out on a recent hunt, partly to get some meat in the freezer, but also because I had an elbow infection which made drawing my bow almost impossible. In doing so, I was reminded that…

Send us a digital JPEG image of your favorite K9 for a chance to be featured in this space. There will be one winner per month. The winning dog image will be featured in this space and receive a FREE 20kg bag of ENDURO FULL BOAR delivered to your doorstep. Competition is open to hunting or rural working dogs. Send entries to tonypizzata@yaffa.com.au…

TOO many shooters spend too much time worrying about accuracy and not enough about the velocity and energy figures their loads deliver downrange. It may sound like heresy to some, but I would be satisfied with a rifle and load that shot 1-½ inch groups day in and day out, and carried enough power to score one-shot kills over what I consider to be normal hunting distances. For many years shooters and hunters have become so fanatical about gaining the highest level of accuracy that it has become their holy grail. It has long been the only worthwhile criterion for judging a load’s worth. Accuracy, as judged by the size of the groups shot at 100 yards, is easily seen and measured by anyone. No special equipment is necessary. But…

IT all began with a discussion with my local gunsmith about different calibres. I’m a fan of the 6 and 6.5 mm families and their ability to take most of the species that I hunt with well placed shots. I wanted something a bit more unusual and the gunsmith suggested maybe a 6mm-250 or a 6mm/223 (6x45). So, I looked for an action for a Howa/Weatherby .223 action build, deciding on the 6x45. Luckily, I spotted a nice, custom-built Weatherby Vanguard for sale at Cleavers. After a few calls getting a bit of information on the rifle I decided to take the punt to avoid the build process. Someone else had done all the hard work, making a lovely outfit, which even came with a set of dies. Once I…

NIKKO Stirling has a new riflescope that is specially designed and engineered for .22 Long rifle cartridges with different velocities as well as the welcome addition of the .17 HMR and .223 centrefire. To this end it comes with six (count 'em) ballistic turrets for elevation, each one calibrated for a different cartridge and trajectory. There's a turret for subsonic .22 LRs (40gn at 1085fps) topping out at 150yd; high velocity .22s (40gn at 1300fps) and extreme velocity .22's (33gn at 1500fps) ranging out to 200yd; the .22 WMR (40gn at 1910fps) extends the range to 250yd; the 17HMR (17gn at 2550fps) ranges out to 300yd; and the .223 Remington (55gn at 3240fps) to an optimistic 700yd. The elevation turret is graduated in ½ mil dot clicks out to their…

*AVAILABLE CHAMBERINGS TO WINNERS INCLUDE 223REM, 22-250REM, 243WIN, 270WIN, 308WIN, 30-06SPRG, 300WIN.MAG. SUBJECT TO AVAILABILITY. With the basis of a cold hammer-forged 24-inch barrel, 3-position safety and adjustable Match-Quality Two-stage Trigger, the Weatherby Vanguard S2 Blued Synthetic guarantees sub-MoA accuracy and user safety. The Griptonite® stock and Weatherby recoil pad makes for comfortable shooting and the hinged floorplate allows instant unloading. To be eligible you need to include a box of any Fiocchi ammunition in the submitted photo. ENTRIES: please send your high resolution.jpg or.png image as an attachment to your 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. PLEASE…

MANY of our organisations doggedly pursue their own aims and when brought together, their leaders can’t all sit in the same room without bickering about the 90’s or they just decline invitations and refuse to enter the room. I ask who is there to unite us, so we can fight unfairness effectively? Lately, when bringing up important issues within the hunting-shooting community that need addressing, those issues are often deflected with the side-issue of “How can we involve more women in our industry?” or “How can we get more women into hunting?” I cannot comprehend why we are so focused on such a goal when there are much bigger issues at stake. Women have already been involved with hunting practices long before early colonization in Australia, with Indigenous Australian women…

Letters containing questions for answering by Nick Harvey must be accompanied by a stamped self-addressed envelope. Mail your letters to: The Technical Editor, 3 Reef Street, Hill End, NSW 2850. LETTER OF THE MONTH The 6.5-284 Norma Superior Q I quote from an article by (you guessed it) an American gun writer who said “I am convinced that the 6.5 Creedmoor is a super effective hunting round.” I own a rifle in 6.5-284 Norma and hunt with two mates who own 6.5 Creedmoors and they both admit my rifle shoots flatter and hits harder than the over-hyped 6.5 Creedmoor. What do you think? – Roy Kellow A I owned an used a 6.5-284 for a number of years and it showed excellent long range accuracy accompanied by substantial downrange energy…

CONNECTICUT Valley Arms Co., was founded in 1971 to make affordable muzzle loaders available to deer hunters. In 1999, CVA was purchased by BPI Outdoors (Black Powder Industries), a company owned by Spanish parent Dikar, who initiated more diversity in both manufacturing processes and products. By 2003 CVA was suffering from a shortage of barrels for their muzzle loaders which they were getting from third-party suppliers, and began looking for more reliable, less expensive source. This prompted them to enter into a deal with Dikar who had a manufacturing plant in Spain to make barrels for them. Dikar invested in CNC barrel-making machinery and hired legendary American barrel maker Ed Shilen to act as an advisor and help set the operation up. What resulted was a computerised, repeatable process of…

Rigby Rifles Originally founded by John Rigby in 1775, British firearm manufacturer John Rigby & Co. produces arguably the finest selection of shotguns, bolt actions and double rifles the world has seen. Priced accordingly, they offer the very best in workmanship. For example, their bolt action rifles are available in a large selection of models and chamberings from which to choose. One of their most popular these days is the Rigby Highland Stalker, which is hailed as the traditional deerstalking rifle. The new Highland Stalker offers a grade 5 walnut stock with hand-finished checkering and original style engraving. Added to this is a round-finished grip and ambidextrous stock. Incorporating a Mauser 98 action that has been drilled and tapped for scope mounts, the Highland Stalker barrel features traditional Rigby pattern…

IT’S so quiet! That’s the real beauty of the UBCO electric bike. It’s the silent stalker of the wheeled world. The effect on game is remarkable. I whispered along on the UBCO, hundreds of metres ahead of Tony on a petrol-powered quad, and saw plenty of creatures before they saw me. When they did look up, they looked towards the roaring quad coming from somewhere else. The quad wasn’t yet in sight but the animals bolted. Tony arrived to see empty paddocks. The UBCO 2X2 WRK (or Work) electric bike cemented itself as a great hunting machine there and then. For patrolling the farm, it’d be just as good, because the effect on stock is very similar. The quiet machine doesn't attract much attention at all. This product of New…

AN IMPORTANT MECHANICAL ASPECT OF A CARTRIDGE CASE IS ITS SYSTEM OF HEADSPACING WHICH MAY BE DEFINED AS THE AMOUNT OF FORWARD-AND-BACKWARD MOVEMENT OF A CHAMBERED ROUND WHICH IS POSSIBLE WHEN THE BREECH IS CLOSED AND LOCKED. IDEALLY, THIS END-PLAY SHOULD BE ZERO, BUT THIS IS IMPRACTICAL IN FACTORY CARTRIDGES BECAUSE OF MANUFACTURING TOLERANCES IN BOTH CARTRIDGE AND CHAMBERS. THEREFORE, industry standards set allowable headspace at .004 - .006 inch maximum and more than this in chambered cartridge is considered excessive and potentially dangerous. The American National Standards Institute (ANSI) has established precise minimum and maximum chamber headspace dimensions for each calibre. Headspace is determined in different ways for various types of cartridges. In rimless cartridges and cartridges with rebated rums, it is the distance from the base of the…