Innehållsförteckning för December 2025 från Sporting Shooter

NICK Harvey’s point about accuracy being nebulous (Ask the Gun Editor in this issue) is so true. I sometimes wonder why I spend so much time and money testing rifles for accuracy when I know every barrelled action is unique, even with identical models. But I also know that if you do a decent job of methodically logging results with a variety of ammunition, it’s possible to glean a good idea of how most examples of that model should perform. In the process, you need to give a rifle a chance to show its best by doing your best to find ammo that works well in it. Handloading will usually do it, but decent factory loads should also manage it. I opt for factory ammunition mainly because I don’t have…

THE tradition is strong in this one. The Sako 90 Hunter is the classic sporter, reminiscent of the L461, L61 and others that established the brand’s excellent reputation in Australia. The walnut stock and blued metalwork combine in the rifle’s clean lines to look exactly like a rifle should, if that’s the way your taste runs. And beneath that conservative exterior lies the kind of quality and dependable design that we invoke when we complain that they don’t make ’em like they used to. Sako makes the Model 90 Hunter like we wistfully recall they always did. The thing is, it’s that much better, not just for modern tolerances and manufacturing quality, but because Sako has continued to refine its superior concepts and has not given in to the temptation…

TOM, my brother-in-law, is 81. He lives in Dingley, Victoria with his wife. They also own a unit at Rhyll on Phillip Island, in the complex where my wife and I live. Tom loves to go for a shot. So, whenever he comes to the Island, I arrange hunting permission with one of the property owners I know. We are after rabbits. The Island is now officially fox free, so feral cats are the predator problem for our small mammals and birds. Over the past couple of years, thriving colonies of eastern banded bandicoots have been established on the Island. Some of these are on the properties I shoot on; you need to be particularly careful before shooting that the rabbit you are looking at is not a striped one with…

MY two sons, Luke and James, come out for their first shooting trip on a winter hunt with my mate, Paul. Both had acquired their shooter’s licence and both purchased a Vanguard in .308. They were both so keen as they had heard lots of stories of previous hunts Paul and I had done together. The first hunt began in the cold, frosty pre-dawn. Paul suggested we walk up towards a timberline as the pigs would still be out feeding in the freezing cold. We spread out about 100m apart, keeping a keen eye out for any movement of black objects in the knee-high grass. As usual, Paul looked backwards every couple of hundred metres. He whistled and indicated he had seen a pig behind us. I had no idea…

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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 month, thanks to the enthusiastic support of Garmin. TO SEE…

Nick Harvey passed away in February 2024 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 Accuracy is nebulous Q Can you give me a good reason why accuracy results are not published in reloading manuals? Nosler is the only one that lists a number of loads — from starting to maximum — and even indicates the charge which proved most accurate. Personally, I believe that the list of loads in a test report gives the reader a false sense of what can be expected of a like firearm. Could you let me have your opinion about this? Robert Wayne A…

THE original Savage Axis was one of the first firearms on the market to be built to a very low price point, but perform to a standard that most shooters would be happy with. Savage described the original as a pared down Model 110 — its flagship action — without the AccuTrigger, and it came about because of competition among firearms manufacturers to build the most affordable rifle possible. The new Savage Axis II has many of the same features that made the original so popular, as well as upgrades in important areas that add even more value for money. “The rotating bolt head allows enough wiggle that it always seats flat against the locking surfaces” There are a few different models within the Axis II lineup, and the one…

WE’VE all heard the humorous aphorism, “It’s not paranoia if they are really out to get you,” but the joke is falling flat in Western Australia, where the police (WAPOL) openly, publicly confirmed that yes, they absolutely are coming to take guns from people who haven’t committed any crimes. You will no doubt recall that in early October, WAPOL launched a series of raids on so-called sovereign citizens, which resulted in at least 70 people getting a knock on the door and 44 of them losing their gun licences either temporarily or permanently. Their crime? Having opinions, views and associates the government doesn’t like. I’m not exaggerating. I’ve seen the seizure notices. The authorities explicitly say the people issued with the notice are having their licences suspended or cancelled, and…

WHEN the echoes of the shot have faded and you stand over your fallen game, that’s when the hard work really begins! Caping, skinning and butchering the game are time-consuming processes that are essential to getting the meat and trophies back home in good condition. After all, that’s the primary objective of going hunting in the first place. Field preparation of game can only be achieved with the use of one of the hunter’s most important tools: the hunting knife. The type and quality of the knife chosen has a direct bearing on the speed at which game preparation can be completed and the quality of the job that results. But how do you choose a suitable knife? There are so many on the market these days, all with different features,…

Bushnell Match Pro ED 5-30x56 The Bushnell Match Pro ED is built from the ground up for precision competitors who demand reliability under match-day pressure. With a 34mm tube, first focal plane design and ED Prime glass, it delivers edge-to-edge clarity and exceptional low-light performance. The 5-30x magnification range offers the versatility to engage near or far targets with confidence, while the DMX reticle provides a refined holdover system for fast corrections. Tool-free locking turrets control 30 MIL of elevation adjustment, all crisp and repeatable, and the removable Throwhammer lever allows smooth magnification changes on the clock. Fully waterproof and nitrogen-purged, it’s rugged enough to take the knocks of competition and hunting alike. Whether you’re running PRS stages or stretching distance at the range, the Match Pro ED packs high-end…

I’M the sort of person who fixes on something they find interesting, and then hyper-focuses on everything about it, much to the annoyance of everyone around them. Lately, I’ve been evaluating my marksmanship skills and trying to improve them in a manner that makes me confident my tests convey an accurate representation of what the rifles are capable of. I’ve always been a ‘good shot’, in that I can confidently sight in a rifle for my intended purpose and take game reliably in the field, but I felt I needed to work on building consistency from the bench and different shooting positions to squeeze as much potential out of test rifles as possible. Thankfully, the world of shooting and shooting media is huge, so there is an endless range of websites,…

HARRY IS nearly 14 and has spent so much time riding bikes around the family property and looking for deer that he has become somewhat of an expert on finding them and knows all the little spots they seem to hang out. He’s the son of my mate Shane, and was there to greet me when I arrived at their farm. He had a plan. I QUICKLY unpacked and set up my cot and swag under cover. Shane had been doing even more work around the cabin. Between he and I and a few of his mates, it’s turning into a proper home away from home. I didn’t get much time to contemplate the progress, though. “Do you want to go for a hunt this afternoon, Ted?” Harry asked. “I…

PEOPLE are increasingly finding reasons to take pictures and video of their hunts. Social media is obviously the main driver, but other reasons are extensive and varied. Having the option to use a phone camera combined with good optics eliminates the need to carry extra camera gear, and is something that might appeal to plenty of hunters. Magview gear lets you attach your phone securely to the ocular of your optics via a magnetic mount, so you can view scenes or targets on your phone’s screen, and to take pictures and videos without clumsily trying to hold the phone in the sweet spot. Magview attachment options are available for binoculars or spotting scopes. You can still look through the optics normally while the adapters are attached. All Magview gear is…

Australian distributor for Weatherby, ZeroTech and Warne. YOUR CHANCE TO WIN A WEATHERBY RIFLE, WARNE RAIL, RINGS AND ZEROTECH SCOPE PACKAGE WITH EVERY ISSUE IN 2025 * THE WEATHERBY VANGUARD WILL BE CHAMBERED IN .223 WITH BLUED METALWORK AND SYNTHETIC STOCK 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 submit your best hunting photo!. VALUED AT $1799 ENTRIES: please send your high resolution. jpg or. png image as an attachment to your email addressed to mickmatheson@yaffa.com.au – all images must be at least 1MB in size.…

THE problem? It’s not that old crick in the neck we are exploring here. The tightness of the interference fit between the bullet and the case neck is commonly referred to as ‘neck tension’. Maybe this is not the best technical descriptor, but here it will suffice. So, using this definition, if I seat a 0.224” diameter bullet in a case with an internal neck diameter of 0.221” the result is 0.003” neck tension. Who will potentially run into issues caused by uneven neck tension? The likely victims are long-range target shooters and maybe long-range hunters, as well as other disciplines requiring absolute consistency in their ammunition just for precision’s sake. These are people who can make the average factory ammo user’s eyes roll back in their head. How do…