Innehållsförteckning för February 2025 från Sporting Shooter

WE’RE going for glory with our main hunting stories in this issue — they’re all about dream animals, about trophies. I know, this is happening at the expense of small game and ferals — no rabbits, no foxes, no goats etc — but I think this is a good time of year to sit back and think about the kind of hunts you might really, really want to do during the coming cooler months. I knew Tom Auger had been out on a buffalo hunt so hounded him for the article on page 12, and I appreciate him putting it together because it gives us a glimpse into home-grown high-end guided hunting. Funny thing is, if you’ve read any of Mitch Basile’s exciting articles about NT Back Country hunting, there’s…

IN MY LINE of work, I’ve been lucky enough to go on a number of hunting trips all over the world, both with my mates, my old man and with clients who, after a few sessions around a campfire, I now call friends. Out of any hunt there are always some wonderful stories and life-long memories to go along with it. Sitting very high on the list of those stories are buffalo hunts that I’ve had the honour of being a part of in the Northern Territory. THOSE Territory hunts were so good that I felt compelled to share a few of the yarns and hope to encourage those who are thinking of going on a buffalo hunt to take the plunge and just do it! Our inspiration for beginning…

MALCOLM Drinkwater is a history buff. He runs the historic History Hill gold mining museum in Hill End, NSW, and he likes guns. He has released The Long & the Short of Firearms on DVD, providing a uniquely Australian perspective on the history of guns, shooting and the culture that surrounds them. It’s not Hollywood slick, but is instead a refreshingly straight, honest and personal video full of information and anecdotes. The basis of the video is simple. It begins with a very short history of the development and evolution of guns before expanding into other topics including the Rum Corps, bushrangers, the Battle of Beersheba, .22 single-shots, the .303, shooting black-powder rifles and lots more interesting stuff. But what stamps this production as unique is the living history it…

MAKING that shot on the trophy of a lifetime can be tough at the best of times. Field shooting is never as easy as it was back on the range. Those who pursue mountain-dwelling big game such as sambar, chamois, tahr or even goats often find that hilly conditions provide particular challenges. The angle of attack Most shots at game in the mountains involve at least some uphill or downhill angle. If that angle is steep, the trajectory of the bullet can be different to what you might think. At steep angles the effect can cause you to completely miss your target. A bullet has a curved trajectory because of gravity pulling it downwards. As the bullet fights against the resistance of the air it loses energy and speed, and…

THE OFF season always seems to drag on endlessly. After many months of waiting and planning the time had finally arrived for a scouting trip before the hunting season started. PARKING the truck at first light, I headed into the slight breeze. I returned to the truck a couple of hours later with little to report. I’d come across a couple of does but there was very little sign of bucks being in the area. I also come across a bit of pig sign which surprised me as I had not seen pigs in this area for a long time. Pig numbers were booming in other parts of the state but it was the opposite here. I can only put this down to the pigs moving down to the lower…

Maximum overall cartridge length Q I’ve had my Zastava Mauser rebarrelled in .284 Winchester and asked the gunsmith to lengthen the throat, like your BSA Royal’s chamber. I used a Stoney Point/Hornady overall-length (OAL) gauge to check maximum length with a given bullet and found the distance to the rifling to be about .050 inch (1.3mm) longer than the listed maximum OAL in my reloading manual, but this is not a problem with my rifle which has a .30-06 length magazine. My queries are: Can I use heavier than maximum loads because of the additional case capacity I gain by seating bullets farther out? Will being free-bored affect accuracy much?  Paul Michaels A Reloading for my old BSA, the maximum cartridge OAL was 3.1 inches (78.7mm) and my favourite deer…

SAKO has been producing varmint rifles for decades, offering shooters smart, functional firearms that perform well at the range or in the field. The 75 and 85 model varmints were popular among target shooters, professional shooters and enthusiastic hunters. The new 90 Varmint Laminated Stainless follows the same trajectory of previous models, with some useful upgrades that I think shooters will be pleased with. It is described as a classic rifle model with advanced features for varminting. First impressions show the rifle looks like previous models, and that’s not a bad thing. There have been some changes in the factory chamberings; the .204 Ruger is no longer available and the .260 Remington has been replaced with the increasingly popular 6.5 Creedmoor. Besides this, the same chamberings are on offer, between…

I’M starting to take my trad bows out hunting again since I’ve found more confidence with my shot process. It’s been frustrating, though, as I’ve been watching game from distances that would be a chip shot with my wheelie bow and are too far for the stick. If it were easy, everyone would do it. Other animals have been off limits for other reasons, but networking and being friendly have opened the door for next time. One recent afternoon I headed to some rough country that normally holds goats at this time of year. Goats are usually a more forgiving stalk than other animals. I came across a good mob and after watching them through my glass for five minutes I spied a decent billy. To cut a long story…

I had been hunting since 6am on a crisp winter morning, working my way between two hills along a small stream flanked by dense blackberry bushes. Animal trails crisscrossed the area, making it easy to move. Signs of pigs were everywhere — scat, tracks and rub marks on tree bases. I reached a clearing that offered a view stretching 600m up the hillsides. Scanning the terrain, I spotted a mob of pigs, their noisy commotion catching my attention. Ranging them at 450m, I focused on a large, grey, mud-covered boar. The challenge was clear: I had to take this one. Between me and the boar’s mob was a smaller group of pigs, just 200m away. I knew startling them could ruin my hunt by sending them crashing into the larger…

IS THERE a greater feeling of excitement and anticipation than embarking on the pursuit of a new species in a new environment? Not knowing what to expect, the often-unjustified optimism and the mental image we usually create of our dream animal … all too frequently to return home suitably humbled. HOWEVER, every now and again, the stars seem to align and we find ourselves in our perfect situation. The greys of the morning began to lighten just enough to make out the dark silhouettes of deer in our optics. One, two and three, we slowly counted — the same mob of hinds and yearlings as the morning prior, grazing on their same little flat. Where was my stag? Had he turned his attention to a hind that was seductively calling…

Berger Bullets Berger Bullets is renowned for its top-quality bullets and ammunition. Used by competitive long-range shooters and outdoorsmen who require accuracy and stopping power, Berger projectiles and factory ammo are well known for their excellent performance. Whether you reload or buy ammo off the shelf, Berger offers a select range of tactical, target, varmint and hunting ammunition and projectiles to suit your needs. For the reloader, projectiles start from the popular 25-grain .17-caliber through to a range of weights and styles to suit the .375s. Factory-loaded ammunition starts at .223 Rem and also includes 6mm Creedmoor, .260 Rem, 6.5 Creedmoor, 6.5PRC, .308 Win, .300 PRC, .300 Win Mag, .300 Norma Mag and .338 Lap Mag. Well-known Australian distributor Outdoor Sporting Agencies has recently partnered with Berger Bullets to provide…

BACK in 2017, I had not long been given access to an awesome chital property. I decided to take two very good mates, Aaron and Beau, up to chase some of these deer. I’d been there once before and the property was so big that there was a lot of ground I hadn’t explored, so we decided to do a two-week hunt. We hot-seated the drive and in less than 24 hours we were there. We found many chital and big ones too, Aaron securing his on the first day. Beau passed up some beauties in velvet before taking a beautiful rutting stag. But I’m not here to talk about deer. It was also a pig hunt that will go down in the ages as a highlight of mine. Beau…

GOVERNMENTS love to use divide-and-conquer tactics on the shooting community. You only have to look at what happened in WA, where primary producer representatives were offered concessions which meant they didn’t kick up a fuss about hunters and target shooters being shafted by the new laws. Even in the other states, it’s clear there’s often a lack of familiarity with aspects of shooting outside what someone does themselves. For example, from what our members say, most hunters don’t go anywhere near a rifle range except to occasionally sight in their rifles. It means they have no idea of what happens in shooting competitions, many of which involve a lot more than firing one shot at a time slowly at a paper target a long distance away! Meanwhile, people who shoot…

PRIZES Every published entry wins a Vanguard Scout B62 bipod worth $95! At the end of the year, the best three entries will be chosen by the editor to win first, second and third prizes of: 1 Vanguard Endeavor HD 82A spotting scope with case worth $750 2 Vanguard VEO HD 10x42 binoculars worth $699 3 Vanguard Endeavor RL 303CGM Carbon tripod with gun vice head worth $649 Find out more about the competition and the prizes at sportingshooter.com.au/win…

MATT AND I were driving into torrential rain that turned the usual 15-hour trip into a 22-hour ordeal. We had to pull in under a tree and sleep at one stage. I love my Triton, but sleeping in a front seat that I couldn’t recline because the back was chockers wasn’t real good. We both woke up feeling like cripples but made it to Charters Towers and met up with the third part of our team, Ken. AT THE property, James, who was going to look after us the first two days before Dan arrived, took us all in the buggy on a trip around the property, showing us a few spots we had never been before. Someone spotted a wild dog, so Ken, using his Jim Shocky tripod, lined…

IF you ever saw an old British black-and-white movie of soldiers coming home after World War II, you’d be familiar with the term “to demob”. This was an abbreviation for demobilisation. It placed returned soldiers — some traumatised — back into useful civilian life by pretty much chucking them onto the street and forgetting them; a grateful nation, eh? They were classically issued a “demob suit” to symbolise freedom from war and optimistic beginnings. Like most things military, the demob suit was mostly of an unstylish cut with a lot of room in it, instantly identifying its wearer as a soldier. My wife accused me of marching for years after I left the Army. At 66, I think I am now a more slovenly individual. Recently, my gunsmith mate Tom…

COMPETITION BROUGHT TO YOU BY WIN a GARMIN eTrex 22x EVERY MONTH! ENTRIES: Please email your high resolution. jpg or. png pig hunting image as an attachment to the email addressed to mickmatheson@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 produces a range of bow sights with built-in rangefinder enabling better shot placement. A Garmin eTrex 22x GPS Navigator will be sent to the best entry every…