Innehållsförteckning för March 2025 från Sporting Shooter

TERRAIN defines most hunts, whether or not we’re conscious of it at the time. The articles in this edition of Sporting Shooter make it really obvious. The country you hunt in forms the basis of every adventure, as you will read in each of the hunting stories and several of the columns. New Zealand is as rugged and dangerous as you can get and provides one of the greatest physical challenges any hunter could find in this part of the world. As David Hughes writes in his article this issue, hunters die there. The risk of death is not what appeals, of course, but testing ourselves against that risk is an essential element of what makes us human — well, most of us, and particularly those of us who are…

THE Remington 700 has always been a favourite among hunters and shooters, with a variety models to cover any situation. The past decade or so has been shaky for Remington, and the reputation of the Model 700 doesn’t hold the same weight as it once did. However, under new owners and the RemArms name, we’re in a new era in which Remington emphasises quality, and in the Alpha 1 Remington brings to the table a souped-up version of its legendary 700 action, in a package that is ergonomic, durable, aesthetically pleasing and, above all else, accurate. The Alpha 1 is a modern take on a sporting rifle that can be pressed into target work if you desire. With chamberings being offered between .223 Rem and .300 Win Mag, there is…

WHEN the gun laws changed in 1996, power-hungry police and politicians thought it would get rid of shooters. Almost everything about the new system — registration, permits to acquire, etc — was based on the assumption that shooters would give up, go away and eventually die out. Unfortunately for them we’re a stubborn bunch and an entirely new generation has stepped up and become involved in shooting. As the media love to point out, “There are more guns in Australia now than ever before!” It also means the system that was meant to get rid of us is falling apart, because it was never designed to cope with rising numbers of gun owners. Anti-gun police and politicians know this, and know they only have two choices: get rid of the issues…

AS I’ve grown older, I have also grown less enthusiastic about charging up and down mountains while trying to sneak up behind sambar. Instead, I have opted to spend more time waiting for sambar to come to me. It suits my declining level of fitness and my increasing age-induced laziness. In what might initially seem something of a paradox, this change in strategy has led to the boys and I putting a lot more deer on the deck. The waiting game To me, sambar deer are the preeminent game species in Australia by a fair margin. With their huge, bat-like ears, their hearing is excellent, and their heightened sense of smell is second to none. Match these traits with a first-class ability to spot movement and an innate wariness and…

FOR a very long time, I never particularly worried about having pristine cartridge cases on my reloads. Hell, I’d won state and national competitions by using cases I simply rubbed over with a metho-soaked rag. I now believe that cleaning brass is a worthwhile pursuit, because it removes the built-up, crustedon propellent residue inside cases and creates a clean outside surface that allows optimum functioning of the moving parts of a firearm’s fire control mechanisms. At one time I had a tumbler for cleaning brass but quickly tired of it due to having to extricate media from inside cases and primer pockets. Then ultrasonic cleaners (UCs) snuck into the shooting market and lo, I got a neat little 2.5-litre Pro-Tactical unit and I was hooked. It came with proprietary cleaner and…

QUITE often I am asked, “You wouldn’t be doing much hunting this time of year, would you? It’s way to hot!” Well, at the moment, that’s probably right. Work and life have got in the way of any spare time to hit the hills. However, in saying that, I don’t think you can find a more reliable and predictable time of year to hunt deer, especially sambar. As smart and unpredictable as they can be, and as often as they have us scratching our heads when they give us the slip, there are two things they can’t live without. On a hot day, the first and most important thing is water. Just like us, they can’t go without a drink. I will look on maps for good, fresh water supplies like…

Nick Harvey passed away in February after almost 50 years as our Technical Editor. He left us with scores of unpublished answers to readers’ queries. To honour his memory, we will continue his column until we have run them all. LETTER OF THE MONTH Rundown on popular calibres Q How would you rate what you consider popular calibres, including the ones you have used most and found effective? Dare I ask: what’s the most impressive game bullet you’ve used on deer-sized game up to sambar and wapiti? Bill Bonham A Here goes, but not without some misgivings. For varmints, the .204 Ruger accounted for the tightest groups I’ve ever fired with any calibre. Simple country boy that I am, other favourites that I hate to leave out are: .220 Swift, which…

THE Gamo Swarm Magnum is a powerful, break-action air rifle for hunting, pest control and plinking. Unlike most break-barrel guns, it has a 10-shot magazine and a mechanism that automatically feeds a pellet into the breech when you cock the action. It’s a system that greatly speeds up your shooting. Given that break-actions are the most popular and affordable air guns, it’s a real benefit being able to get one that’s also a repeater, not a single-shot. You can get 10 shots away noticeably quicker when you only have to manipulate the barrel without having to also find a pellet and carefully feed it into the chamber. “The pellet holder does not rotate until it is tripped by the inertia generated by recoil” When the magazine is empty, it takes…

BROUGHT TO YOU BY Powered By WINNER Alan Pike acquired his old Weatherby Vanguard .243 secondhand in the early ’80s and it has been his go-to rifle ever since. “This prime boar poked its head above a creek bank during an afternoon walk in the Liverpool Ranges, NSW,” he says. “A single shoulder shot with a Fiocchi 100gn soft point had the desired outcome.” “When my grand daughter Amy is about to ask me for something, it starts with, ‘Pop, oneday’,” Barney Wyatt reckons. She’d already had her oneday red deer and oneday rusa, and recently it was oneday time for a chital. With access arranged, they headed out. “We set off up a small creek and came across a mob of 12 chital,” Barney says. “Amy picked her target…

100 yaffa 1925 - 2025 From printing to publishing, Yaffa Media has always been about its people and niche audiences. In 1969 it acquired Sporting Shooter and has been educating and entertaining hunters for over 56 years. Founded in 1925, it proudly celebrates a centenary of storytelling. Founded on Friendship Vision, strength of character and an irresistible personality enabled David Yaffa to become a key player in the media industry. Yaffa Syndicate Pty Ltd was incorporated in 1925, but it had been five years in the making for the founder David Yaffa. Born in Sydney in 1893, David Yaffa Snr was the son of immigrants from Latvia. He attended Fort Street High School and went on to be a successful salesman for an importing company. This most likely gave him…

IT’S no secret that one of my biggest motivators for hunting is filling my freezer with stacks of free-range protein. The amount of time I’ve had at different stages of my life has determined how much effort I’m able to put into the cooking of this wild game, or how many new things I’m able to learn to elevate my cooking. I find that whenever I get in a rut and find myself starting to cook the same things repeatedly, turning to experts for inspiration helps to build my knowledge base and develop more fundamental skills. My wheelhouse as a cook tends to be on dishes that are hearty, and served when the weather is cool. I love nothing more than spending all weekend in the kitchen, preparing a big slow-cooked…

“Another 10 or more reds ran out that I hadn’t seen before” I got onto a new hunting property after offering help with the neighbour’s rabbit problems. First morning hunt there, I was out just a little after first light. I checked three small gullies before walking the little ridge on the second-last gully. I sat and had a quick look before spotting a nice red hind about 60m below me. The wind was gusty over the hilltop but was constantly in my face. I moved into a better position, cracking a small stick. Another hind walked into view from the underside of the valley I couldn’t see down into. I made a pretty good shot with the .308 and she did a quick sprint before hitting a tree and…

Osprey shooting sticks Osprey’s third-generation shooting sticks are well made and very dependable. Available in bipod or tripod configuration, they are also strong and lightweight. For review I was sent the bipod sticks and found them of sturdy construction. Ideal as a steady platform when taking a shot or when hiking in rough or hilly terrain, they are a part of my hunting kit in the mountains. Unlike some models I’ve tested, these don’t rattle when walking, so you won’t spook the game, as I found on a recent sambar hunt. While the tripod model is free-standing, it’s probably more suited for a camera, spotting scope or similar, but nonetheless works well as a shooting rest also. The bipod, obviously slightly lighter in weight, is a very steady shooting platform…