Field and Stream - Ammunition RSS

The Gun Nut Nation Survey 2012

Dave_Maccar — Tue, 03 Apr 2012 12:42:59 -0400

Sound off, Gun Nuts. Tell us what you love about today’s rifles and shotguns. Tell us what you hate most about the perception of gun owners in the media. Tell us about your hopes and fears concerning a certain election this November. Tell us about what makes you a Gun Nut in the following survey—a collection of questions about the politics, economics, and state of Gun Nut Nation. The results will be published in the July 2012 issue of Field & Stream. Thank you for participating.

Polymer Casings: The Future of Ammo?

Online Editors — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 10:52:23 -0500

These rounds might mark the end of the metal casing. The polymer casing significantly reduces ammunition weight while retaining its accuracy--meaning you can carry more ammo during your next hunt.

SHOT Show 2012 From The Floor: Day 2

Dave_Maccar — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 11:34:22 -0500

Video: FPS Russia vs. .44 Magnum vs. S&W .500

Dave_Maccar — Wed, 05 Oct 2011 11:54:38 -0400

by Phil Bourjaily

A while back we talked about relative recoil of the .44 magnum and the S&W .500. Here’s a video on the topic from none other than “FPS Russia,” who has become a viral hit due to his ability to procure all kinds of weaponry (dragon’s breath, mortars, the AA12 shotgun, an APC with a M2 on it) and shoot things while keeping up a foulmouthed running commentary in a fake Russian accent.

At any rate, in this video FPS Russia doesn’t swear much, and the comparison here between the .44 and the .500 is instructive, even though you can’t actually feel the recoil. You can tell that the .500 is louder, and that a bigger fireball comes out of its muzzle.

The most telling indicator of the difference recoil, though, is the size of the two groups. The .500 group is bigger, despite being a five shot group, not a six shot group as with the .44. I would bet the difference is increased shooter error, brought about either by more recoil, or just as likely, a slight flinch in anticipation of all the fire and noise the .500 generates.

Announcing the 2011 Gun Nut Target Photo Contest

Dave_Maccar — Thu, 09 Jun 2011 13:22:42 -0400

How to Shoot a Magazine for Fun and (Maybe) Profit

Online Editors — Thu, 27 May 2010 13:20:41 -0400

We want you to take the July issue of Field & Stream out and shoot it. Well, not the whole magazine, but the target on page 49. It’s part of the special Gun Nut issue, in which DEP and I put this blog on the pages of the Field & Stream. In the section you’ll find shooting advice, lots of guns, Gun Nut rules to live by and such vital minutiae as my five favorite gun scenes in the movies and Dave’s nominations for the Three Meanest Gunwriters Ever. The issue hits newsstands on June 22nd.

Back to the target. We want you to shoot it. Really. With any gun, at any range. One shot or many – doesn’t matter – then shoot it again, this time with a camera. You can be in the picture, too. Whoever takes the photo our editors like best wins a Smith & Wesson M&P MOE in 5.56mm. And by “wins” I mean, we give it to you (via a registered FFL dealer) and you get to keep it. You can enter the contest here once your issue arrives.

I have shot a bunch of phone books (you test penetration by seeing how far in the alphabet the pellets reach) but I don’t recall ever shooting a magazine so you are on your own in your choice of guns and ammunition. My only advice is be safe, be creative, have fun, and send us your pictures.

There’s nothing in the rules that says you can’t send in pictures of more than one target. That will require buying more magazines which, of course, is all part of our insidiously brilliant plan. Magazines are supposed to be dying out, killed by the Internet as delivered on home computers, laptops, phones and iPads. Maybe someday, but for now, we are proud to say we have created an app for a magazine that can’t be replicated on a screen. Well, I guess you can shoot your laptop if you want to, but we won’t let you win a gun for doing it.

Hurteau: The Final Four of Whitetail Cartridges

Online Editors — Fri, 02 Apr 2010 16:45:12 -0400

The Final Four is finally here! On one hand, you have Michigan State vs. Butler and West Virginia vs. Duke. On the other, it’s .270 WSM vs. .270 Win. and .30-06 vs. .308. And it’s all going down over the same weekend—almost like we planned it that way.

What we didn’t plan is to have all chalk in our Final Four. (I originally started this post with a rant about all this chalk.*) But, on the upside, what we do have is a true battle of the big guns (except that they are cartridges, not guns), in terms of seeding (all one- and two-seeds), popularity (no surprise there), bullet diameter (everything under .277 inches is out), and firepower (with two of the three most-powerful original rounds still in). So we should have a couple of barn-burners. Here are the contenders, as originally seeded:

Division I:
(1) .270 WSM — By improving on the ballistics of the original .270, this could be the best deer round in the woods today.
(2) .270 Win. — The standard bearer in deer cartridges. It is cheaper to shoot than the .270 WSM, but its ballistics aren’t quite as good.

You know what to do. Vote for your preferred cartridge in each matchup below to determine which will advance to our National Whitetail Cartridge Championship game. You’ve got the whole weekend to log you votes.

Enjoy.

*More chalk?! Honestly people, you’re screwing up my bracket here. It’s almost like you believed us when we called SHOT Business’ Christopher Cogley (the one guy we could get to seed the rounds for $25) an expert. Geez!

Seriously, when the one-seed .270 WSM inched past the obviously superior three-seed .25-06 yesterday afternoon, I played it cool. I knew I could call the game at any point of my choosing and so just waited for the .25-06 to move back ahead.

What the hell happened?

Petzal: Why I Like the 7mm/08

Online Editors — Thu, 01 Apr 2010 10:18:08 -0400

In reviewing my voluminous and infallible records yesterday, I saw that I have killed a very large number of deer with the 7mm/08, never had to shoot twice at the same critter, and never had one travel more than 50 yards. This is pretty good performance from a mild-mannered, unassuming cartridge that gets less attention than it deserves.

The 7mm/08 started as a wildcat in the 1950s, and was legitimized by Remington in 1980. It is the .308 necked down to .284, and is factory loaded with 120- and 140-grain bullets at 3,000 and 2,860 fps, respectively. These velocities, from what I’ve seen, are pretty optimistic.

The virtues of the 7mm/08 include very light recoil, not much muzzle blast, plenty of bullet weight to do the job, and gilt-edged accuracy. For whatever reason, my 7mm/08s have shot rings around the three 7x57s I’ve owned, even though the cartridges are, ballistically, nearly identical. The 7mm/08 does very nicely with a short barrel; you lose very little velocity and the report won’t take your ears off.

I’ve never used the 120-grain loading. Everything I’ve shot has been with 140-grain bullets, including Winchester Fail-Safes and Ballistic Silvertips in factory ammo. I am down to my last box of Fail-Safes (which are discontinued) and am hoarding them for the Apocalypse, or something. Otherwise, I shoot handloads: 140-grain Nosler Solid Bases (also discontinued, but a very good deer bullet) and 140-grain Swift A-Frames for bigger stuff. Velocities are 2,700 fps and 2,650 fps, respectively, out of a 21-inch barrel. More than this you do not need.

Hurteau: The Elite Eight of Whitetail Cartridges

Online Editors — Wed, 31 Mar 2010 13:48:34 -0400

Now things should get interesting.

It’s been clear sailing for the top seeds so far, as the .30-06 (1), .308 (2), 7mm-08 (3), and .30-30 (4) all advanced easily in the first round of Division II. Now, with only eight cartridges left standing, the matchups get far more compelling.

Those of you itching for an upset should be salivating over this round of play, with the .270 WSM facing the .25-06 and a pair of classics squaring off in the .308 vs .30-30 matchup—which should be an absolute barn-burner. Here’s a complete list of our Elite Eight, as originally seeded by SHOT Business contributing editor Christopher Cogley:

Division I:
(1) .270 WSM — By improving on the ballistics of the original .270, this could be the best deer round in the woods today.
(2) .270 Win. — The standard bearer in deer cartridges. It is cheaper to shoot than the .270 WSM, but its ballistics aren’t quite as good.
(3) .25-06 — Gentler on the shoulder than the .270, but not quite as much energy or overall performance.
(4) .243 — It’s small. But light recoil helps you put shots exactly where they need to go.

Division II:
(1) .30-06 – It’s hard to argue against the 06 being the greatest hunting cartridge of all time. Deer included.
(2) .308 – Not quite as much speed or energy as the .30-06, but arguably more accurate.
(3) 7mm-08 – Flatter trajectory and more long-range energy than the .308, but with less recoil. Because it’s not as popular as the .308, however, ammo is slightly less available.
(4) .30-30 – Its ballistics aren’t the most impressive, but no one can argue with the historical results.

All eight teams will play in this round. Vote for your preferred cartridge in each matchup below to determine which cartridges will advance to the Final Four.

Enjoy.

Hurteau: Sweet Sixteen of Whitetail Cartridges, Division II

Online Editors — Mon, 29 Mar 2010 14:46:28 -0400

With nearly 600 votes cast, we have our first-round Division I winners. And unlike this weekend’s basketball games, the results are all chalk. The closest match (I don’t mind pointing out) was between the 1 and 8 seeds, in which the .260 Rem (claimed by one prescient commenter to be radically under-seeded) gave the .270 WSM a mild scare, but couldn’t pull out a win (with such a blatantly unfair draw).

Moving on to the Elite Eight with the .270 WSM are the .243, .25-06, and .270 Win, which pretty much embarrassed the .257 Weatherby. Now we shift to the Division II matchups, featuring some very heavy hitters in the .30-06, .308, and .30-30—not to mention the sleeper 7mm-08. SHOT Business contributing editor Christopher Cogley has seeded the contenders as follows:

Division II:
(1) .30-06 – It’s hard to argue against the 06 being the greatest hunting cartridge of all time. Deer included.
(2) .308 – Not quite as much speed or energy as the .30-06, but arguably more accurate.
(3) 7mm-08 – Flatter trajectory and more long-range energy than the .308, but with less recoil. Because it’s not as popular as the .308, however, ammo is slightly less available.
(4) .30-30 – Its ballistics aren’t the most impressive, but no one can argue with the historical results.
(5) .280 – Flatter shooting than the .06, but doesn’t pack the same punch, and can’t match the versatility.
(6) .30 Rem AR – The performance of a .30 in an AR platform. It’s not completely mainstream, yet. But watch out.
(7) 7x57 Mauser — Good ballistics make it hard to ignore, but its lack of popularity is carrying it toward extinction.
(8) 7mm Rem Mag – Generates tight groups at long distances, but might be overly aggressive for whitetails. –Christopher Cogley

You know the drill: Vote for your preferred cartridge in each matchup below to begin the first round of play for Division II. After a couple of days I will announce the winners and we will have our Elite Eight. Later we’ll move on the Final Four and National Whitetail Cartridge Championship in a couple of weeks.

Enjoy.

Hurteau: The Sweet Sixteen of Whitetail Cartridges

Online Editors — Fri, 26 Mar 2010 11:38:08 -0400

Last night, the NCAA college basketball Sweet Sixteen tipped off with Syracuse vs. Butler. Today, our own sweet sixteen gets started with .270 WSM vs. .260 Rem.

I am talking about the March Madness of whitetail cartridges. The Final Four of deer rounds. Bullet bracketology. (Okay, bullet-case-powder-and-primer bracketology, but you get the idea.)

We start with16 contenders for the title of Best Whitetail Round, which have been split into two divisions and seeded by SHOT Business contributing editor Christopher Cogley. We chose Mr. Cogley to help us because he is highly qualified and so I have someone to throw under the bus if necessary. His seeded selections (which you are free to take issue with, as my @$$ is covered) are:
Division I:
(1) .270 WSM — By improving on the ballistics of the original .270, this could be the best deer round in the woods today.
(2) .270 Win. — The standard bearer in deer cartridges. It is cheaper to shoot than the .270 WSM, but its ballistics aren’t quite as good.
(3) .25-06 — Gentler on the shoulder than the .270, but not quite as much energy or overall performance.
(4) .243 — It’s small. But light recoil helps you put shots exactly where they need to go.
(5) 6.5x55 Swedish Mauser — With larger bullets, it can outperform the .260, but its U.S. fan base is small.
(6) .257 Roberts — Light recoil and flat shooting, but factory loads are limited and can’t match the energy or velocity of the .25-06.
(7) .257 Weatherby — Great long range performance, but high prices make practicing with these cartridges costly.
(8) .260 Rem — It has the light kick of a .243 and more knockdown power, but its low popularity makes ammo harder to find.

Division II:
(1) .30-06 – It’s hard to argue against the 06 being the greatest hunting cartridge of all time. Deer included.
(2) .308 – Not quite as much speed or energy as the .30-06, but arguably more accurate.
(3) 7mm-08 – Flatter trajectory and more long-range energy than the .308, but with less recoil. Because it’s not as popular as the .308, however, ammo is slightly less available.
(4) .30-30 – Its ballistics aren’t the most impressive, but no one can argue with the historical results.
(5) .280 – Flatter shooting than the .06, but doesn’t pack the same punch, and can’t match the versatility.
(6) .30 Rem AR – The performance of a .30 in an AR platform. It’s not completely mainstream, yet. But watch out.
(7) 7x57 Mauser — Good ballistics make it hard to ignore, but its lack of popularity is carrying it toward extinction.
(8) 7mm Rem Mag – Generates tight groups at long distances, but might be overly aggressive for whitetails. –Christopher Cogley

Okay folks, check out the bracket (you can also click here to print out a larger copy if you want to fill it out). Then vote for your preferred cartridge in each matchup below to begin the first round of play for Division I. We’ll follow up with Division II in a couple of days, then move on the Elite Eight, Final Four, and National Whitetail Cartridge Championship in a couple of weeks.

Sweet Sixteen Whitetail Cartridge Tournament: Division I

Have fun!

Petzal Reviews the 6.5/284 Cartridge, Part II

Online Editors — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 11:39:01 -0500

Let’s see, where was I? Oh yes.

What brought the 6.5/284 out of the shadows and into the bright light of factory production was target shooters, and the growing willingness of Americans to try hitherto-unpopular metric calibers. There is nothing magic about the 6.5/284. It is a highly efficient load that kicks about like a .25/06 (which is to say very little) but lets you shoot heavier bullets than the .25/06, which makes it more versatile. And as my testing over the past two weeks with two 6.5/284s indicates, it is capable of the most extreme accuracy. You hear me? I said extreme. There will be more on this later. It will not, however, do anything that a good .270 won’t do.

A word about twist. The best results with a 6.5/284 are gotten with bullets of 130 and 140 grains, and it takes a twist of 1-8 to 1-9 to stabilize them. If you are a simple life form and want to shoot 120-grain bullets in this cartridge (or in a 6.5 Swede, as I have found to my sorrow and great expense) you will need a twist of 1-10.5 or thereabouts. And that will not stabilize the heavier bullets worth a barrel of old hog s**t. Maybe you can find a way around this, but I wouldn’t count on it.

And one other fringe benefit: If, when someone asks you in hunting camp what caliber your rifle is, and you say “6.5/284,” people will have no idea what the hell you’re talking about and will think you know all about guns and shooting.

I’ve been dining off this for years.

Bourjaily: Why Hevi Shot Is The Most Important Shotgunning Invention of the Decade

Online Editors — Wed, 30 Dec 2009 10:08:23 -0500

For this, my last post of the 00s, I had been trying for a while – and failing -- to think of an end-of-the-decade blog post. My “Eureka” moment came while cleaning up after cooking our Christmas goose. I heard the “tink” of metal falling into the kitchen sink. When I fished the misshapen pellet pictured above out of the sink I realized Hevi Shot is the most significant invention in shotgunning of the past 10 years.

There have been some excellent new guns introduced in the past decade, but most of them, no matter how good, are merely refinements on what came before.* By contrast, Hevi Shot changed the way we think about shotgun ammunition.

Hevi Shot wasn’t the first non-toxic pellet to try to improve on the performance of steel. When it was introduced in 2000, however, it was the first pellet engineered to improve on the performance of lead. While its competitors were almost as dense as lead, Hevi Shot was denser (lead weighs 11.2 grams per cubic centimeter; Hevi Shot weights 12 g/cc) giving it exceptional long range reach.

It was, as you can see here, comically deformed. Conventional shotgun wisdom held that the more perfect the sphere, the better the pattern. Hevi Shot looked like byproduct, not pellets, but it patterned more tightly than the best lead loads despite (some say because of) its mutant shape. Hevi Shot’s density meant could shoot smaller shot slower – with less recoil – and still outperform any steel load on the market. Or, you could drive big loads of Hevi Shot at high velocities and have the most lethal shotshells ever made for hunting. Hevi Shot’s tight patterns changed turkey hunting, too, making 40 yard guns into 50 yard guns (whether that is a change for the better or not is a different argument).
The invention of Hevi Shot prompted Remington, Federal and Winchester to develop their own similar HD, Heavyweight and Xtended Range pellets. Given the scarcity of raw tungsten, none of them are cheap and none ever will be, but all of them outperform any lead load ever made.

So, that is my nominee for most important shotgunning invention of the past decade. You may have your own ideas. Let’s hear them.

*as I am unfailingly reminded by loyal 1100 shooters whenever I write about a new semiautomatic shotgun.

Cermele: Why Your Wife Will Go to Bass Pro This Christmas

Online Editors — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 12:19:04 -0500

Thanksgiving is over. I know this because every commercial on TV is now Christmas-related. I don’t generally pay attention to these rants about sales and holiday cheer, but I noticed something interesting this year. Bass Pro Shops is running loads of commercials, and I’m not talking about just on Versus and the Outdoor Channel. I’m talking Bravo and Lifetime. Why? Because these commercials are targeted at wives who don't fish. Here’s why they’re genius.

I don’t have any kids, but know plenty of people with little ones that cough up $20 or $40 to plop them on some mangy Santa’s lap in the local mall for a photo. My wife will fish on occasion, but spending a day at Bass Pro or Cabela’s is, for her, a fate worse than death. I’m sure she’s not the only woman that feels this way. Which is why this Bass Pro commercial only highlights the “Santa’s Wonderland” display, complete with crafts for the kids, elves, and free photos with Santa. You won’t find any reference to hunting or fishing. In fact, if you didn’t know what Bass Pro sold, you wouldn’t learn it from the commercial.

What Bass Pro has done is given the man with a non-hunting or -fishing wife and kids the opportunity to say “you know honey, I know where we can get free photos with Santa this year and where the kids can make Christmas crafts and play games.” You become the hero, and once she’s through the door, you can go scope the latest Christmas tackle sales and stock up for that winter crappie and muskie action.

So as a recently married dude without kids, I ask you, the wiser married masses: would this commercial be enough incentive to get your whole family into Bass Pro Shops during the holidays? - JC

Shotgun Shell Review: A First Look at Federal's New Prairie Storm Pheasant Loads

Online Editors — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 11:10:51 -0500

The pellets you see here make up the content of a pre-production sample of Federal’s new Prairie Storm pheasant loads, a lead version of their Black Cloud. The normal looking shot is copper-plated 4s. They are mixed with “Flitestoppers,” which are also 4s but have rings around them that look like Saturn, or like WWI helmets. The white stuff is buffer, which helps the pellets keep their shape as they go down the barrel.

Both pellets and the buffer are loaded into ...

... the Flitecontrol wad, a solid shotcup that holds the pellets together for the first 15-20 feet out of the muzzle (rather than beginning to spread immediately upon leaving the muzzle as is the case with other types of shotcups), tightening patterns and increasing downrange velocity slightly. The Flitestoppers are loaded first with the copper pellets on top. That way, the round pellets can draft for the less aerodynamic ridged pellets.

The Flitestoppers are nasty little things, at least, on the basis of the autopsies I performed on a couple of roosters I’ve been able to shoot with them. The ones I have dug out of the carcasses did indeed leave larger and more ragged wound channels than did the round 4s thanks to the ridges around the pellets. Contrary to my expectations, the ridges on the pellets I recovered survived passing through to the far side of the bird fairly intact.

Prairie Storm will be available at first in 4 shot, 1 1/4-ounce, 2 3/4-inch loads at 1500 fps. They are unnecessarily fast, at least in my recoil-sensitive opinion (“Ringneck Rocket” was the other name the Federal marketing people considered), and I could certainly feel them going off in my lightweight Benelli Montefeltro. They wouldn’t be bad to shoot out of a gas gun, though. Besides, speed sells, the name is cool, and they seem to work. I suspect they will develop a cult following like the one that has grown up around the steel Black Cloud.

My standby pheasant poison will likely remain the milder-kicking yet deadly 1 1/4 ounces of 5 or 6 shot at 1330 fps, but I’m looking forward to shooting up my two sample boxes of Prairie Storm in the meantime and reporting back.

The Truth About High Velocity Hunting Bullets

Online Editors — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 15:34:46 -0500

Back in 1915, firearms designer Arthur Savage stood the shooting world on its nonfunctioning ear by introducing a cartridge that sped an 87-grain bullet on its way at the then galactic speed of 3000 fps. Called the .250/3000, it appeared in an era when the .30/30 was considered a red-hot round, and it marked the start of a craze from which we have not yet recovered. With every decade cartridges get bigger and muzzle velocities get higher. Maybe it’s time to ask why.

Sudden Death Shortly after the .250/3000 appeared, stories began to sprout in the pages of outdoor magazines about the unearthly killing power of the little cartridge. A World War I–era Field & Stream described it as sudden death on tigers and other large Indian game. You can kill a tiger with a .250/3000, or with a .22 Long Rifle (and I will come and visit you in prison), but it is a stunt. High velocity by itself does not kill anything, nor does it kill anything faster than standard velocity.

I started out believing devoutly in lots of speed, but 40 years later, having shot creatures of all sizes with just about everything that goes bang, I’ve never been able to find any correlation between bullet speed and sudden animal demise.

For 15 years I hunted whitetails in South Carolina, where you can shoot lots and lots of deer, so I had the ability to draw some valid comparisons. The smallest cartridge I used was the .257 Roberts; in other years I used the .270 Winchester, .257 Weatherby, and 7mm Weatherby. None of them killed anything any faster or deader than any other cartridge.

Same with the .338, .340 Weatherby, and .338 Remington Ultra Mag., all of which I have used a lot. The latter two give anywhere from 250 to 300 fps more than the former, which is a bunch, but the beasts do not go down any quicker.

Magnum Force Not only do super-speed cartridges not kill any faster, but there are distinct disadvantages to them as well. First, let’s consider recoil and muzzle blast. Most of my .338 loads use around 70 grains of powder with 225-grain bullets. This gives me around 2750 fps. My .338 Remington Ultra Mag., with the same bullets, swallows an appalling 93 grains and produces 300 fps more. In a 9-pound rifle, a .338 so loaded produces about 28 foot-pounds of recoil, which is tolerable only to experienced shooters and the criminally insane. The RUM churns out 40 foot-pounds, which leaves you feeling as if you’ve gone five rounds in the Octagon with Chuck (“The Iceman”) Liddell. Muzzle blast also rises proportionately. You can, of course, get a muzzle brake, but that presents its own set of problems.

Second, when you get bullets traveling at 3000 fps and over—these days, way over—even the strongest and slowest-expanding of them makes a mess of whatever it hits unless the shot is long enough to let some of the velocity drain off. If you are a trophy hunter and don’t mind an acre or so of hamburger around the entrance hole, this is not an objection. But if you like wild meat and are disturbed by the waste of same, it is a problem.

Third, barrel life for the super-speed cartridges is considerably shorter than it is for standard-velocity loads. A well-cared-for .30/06 (60 grains of powder per cartridge) will give you about 5,000 rounds of first-class accuracy. Any of the super .30s (80 grains of powder) will get perhaps 1,500 before they start to deteriorate—and the cost of a good barrel, installed, is now about $600.

Why Bother? Given all these drawbacks, why is it that high velocity keeps getting higher, and new and horrific super loads keep appearing? Because nothing makes hitting at long range easier than a good dose of feet per second. If you think you will need to take a shot at 300 yards and over, high velocity is your very best friend. Last winter, I asked Ed Brown and Mark Bansner, makers of top-level custom rifles, what their most popular chambering was. Both replied that it was the .300 Weatherby. Kenny Jarrett’s biggest seller for years has been the .300 Jarrett, a ravening beast of a cartridge, the bullets of which turn the air fuchsia where they pass. These men build guns for trophy hunters who expect to take long shots as a matter of course, and in that arena, speed is king.

In fact, if there is such a thing as the No. 1 high-velocity cartridge, it would be any of the big .30s: the Weatherby, the .300 RUM, the .300 Jarrett, or the Lazzeroni Warbird. Loaded with streamlined 180- or 200-grain bullets, these cartridges are not even getting unlimbered at 300 yards.

However, speed alone will not solve all your problems in hitting at long range. You also need resistance to wind drift and momentum, or the ability to sustain velocity way out there. The way you get it is by going not to light bullets that give the highest initial velocity—but to the heavier slugs in a given caliber, and to bullets that are streamlined.

For example, if you have a 7mm magnum, you want 160-grain bullets in preference to 140- or 150-grain, and if your rifle is one of the real 7mm monsters, you may find that 175-grainers are the way to go. In .30 caliber, you should look for nothing lighter than 180-grain, and so on. As for bullets, you want sharp points (preferably polycarbonate) and boattails, both of which increase the ballistic coefficient of a slug. For example, much as I love Swift A-Frames, they are not particularly aerodynamic, and I would prefer Swift Sciroccos if long range were in the equation.

The truth about high velocity is that it is a mixed blessing. But when your target is a dot in the distance, it is the deadliest thing since the cholera.

PETZAL'S RULES OF THE RANGE: AN UNTROUBLED MIND
Recently, I pulled targets for a women-only rifle match, shot prone at 100 yards with .22s. One of the two perfect scores turned in—a 100x4X—was shot by a competitor who had never fired a rifle before. She went into the contest with nothing to prove, no reputation to uphold, no preconceptions, and simply did what she was told, no more and no less. We can all benefit by her example.—D.E.P.

Shotgun Slug Accuracy Tips from the American Slug Shooting Association

Online Editors — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 12:04:24 -0500

In the not-so-distant smoothbore days of slug shooting, people bragged about shotguns that could hit a 5-gallon milk can at 100 yards. Now, shooters brag about shotguns that could hit a shot glass at the same distance.

The American Slug Shooting Association (slugshooting.com) does more than talk tight groups. Its members compete every month, pushing the envelope of slug performance. The format is simple: Shoot from a bench at 100 yards. The tightest five-shot group wins. The current 100-yard record stands at an astounding .787 inch; the world is full of centerfire rifles that don’t group as well as that.

Because serious slug shooters are like wild pandas—scattered so widely that they rarely see one another—the ASSA holds postal matches, allowing shooters to compete by sending in targets for scoring. ASSA president Bill Davis has scored a lot of targets in the six years of the group’s existence, and has learned plenty that can help you be a better slug shooter, whether your target is paper or protein.

Guns and Loads
When ASSA shooters submit targets, they specify which gun, ammunition, and sights they used. Here’s what performs well for them:

> Guns and Barrels: The NEF Ultra Slug Hunter is a favorite. This accurate and inexpensive single-shot features a stiff, heavy barrel and a solid lockup. It comes in 12 and 20 gauge. A Hastings rifled barrel on an 870 or 1100 is also a popular choice.

> Scopes: Nikon and Sightron scopes prove most capable of withstanding slug recoil. Many shooters choose 3X–9X scopes; some favor high-powered varmint scopes. That record .787-inch group, however, was shot with an Aimpoint red dot and no magnification.

> Slugs: Hastings Laser Accurate Slugs are top performers, but Davis says shooters shouldn’t get hung up on a particular brand of ammunition. “Many slug guns are inexpensive and not precision-built, so they vary. Three different Mossberg 500s might like three different brands of slugs.”

Davis does recommend premium ammunition. “Premium slugs perform consistently,” he says. “We’ve chronographed some inexpensive sabots and seen variations in velocity from 300 to 500 fps in the same box.”

Match the slug to the gun: The faster the slug, the faster the rifling twist you need to stabilize it. Slugs in the 1200- to 1500-fps range work best from a slower twist rate such as 1 in 34 inches. Faster 1900- to 2000-fps slugs perform better through a 1-in-30 barrel.

Winning Technique
The gear is only half the equation. “We use five-shot groups in our competitions. Three shots show what the gun and slug can do. Five shots show that the shooter knows what he’s doing, too,” says Davis. Here are his tips:

> Get a Grip: Rest the front part of the fore-end and the barrel on the sandbags. Your front hand goes on top of the barrel to hold it down; your trigger hand pulls the gun firmly back into your shoulder. If the gun has iron sights that don’t permit a top-down hold, grasp it firmly by the fore-end and pull down to keep the muzzle from rising while the slug is still in the barrel.

> Plant the Flag: “Shooting slugs is like firing beer cans. The wind can move them quite a bit,” says Davis. If your range doesn’t have flags, stick surveyor’s flags in the ground. In a crosswind, you might have to hold 3 to 4 inches off the target to compensate.

> Live With Recoil: “We see lots of targets with three shots together and two about 6 inches high. Shooters say the barrel fouled. We say you flinched,” says Davis. “There’s no easy answer. You have to toughen up.” Many competitors install a Dead Mule recoil reducer (a heavy cylinder that fits into the stock; 100straight.com) and add a soft aftermarket recoil pad. An increasing number shoot 20-gauges. Davis cautions that a sled-type rest isn’t the solution: If a gun can’t move freely under recoil, you can damage some optics.

> Keep It Clean: You should clean your barrel after every 10 to 20 shots with lead slugs, every 30 to 40 shots with sabots.

Top Shots
Between 50 and 100 members submit targets every month. You buy the competition targets for $3 apiece, which entitles you to a free annual membership. In the ASSA’s Ultra Slug Hunter Challenge, competitors submit one target a month for a year, with the winner receiving a gun.

Targets must be witnessed by a rangemaster to verify they were shot at the regulation distance—50 yards for smoothbores, 100 for rifled barrels. Groups are measured from the outside edges of the farthest holes, then the slug’s diameter is subtracted. To give you an idea of the groups to beat and what performs, here are some 100-yard results:

> Record: Mike Kingston, Arkansas, 12-gauge Remington 870, Hastings rifled barrel, Aimpoint red-dot scope, Hastings 3-inch Laser Accurate Sabot slugs: .787 inch
September Nationals

SEPTEMBER NATIONALS

> Professional Division: Mike Kingston, Arkansas, 12-gauge Remington 870, Hastings rifled barrel, Aimpoint red-dot scope, Hastings 3-inch Laser Accurate Sabot slugs: 1.235 inches

> Hunter Division: Jason Kempenich, Pennsylvania, 12-gauge Marlin 512 Slugmaster, Sightron S1 scope, Remington 23⁄4-inch Core-Lokt Ultra slugs: 2.125 inches

ASSA-NRA SUMMER SHOOT

> Professional Division: “One and Done,” Pennsylvania, 12-gauge Remington 1100, Hastings rifled barrel, Leupold 2–7x33 scope, Hastings 23⁄4-inch Laser Sabot slugs: 1.860 inches

> Hunter Division: “Slugger Two,” Georgia, 12-gauge NEF Ultra Slug Hunter, Bushnell 6–18x50 scope, STI reloaded sabot: 2.625 inches

To see how my slug shooting compares, I shot a competition target with a 20-gauge NEF Ultra Slug Hunter, a Bushnell Elite 3200 1.5X–4.5X scope, and Remington Premier Accutip Bonded Sabots. With a padded gun case between the butt and my shoulder and my front hand holding the barrel down, I hardly felt the gun go off. My best five-shot, 100-yard group measured a very respectable 2.489 inches on a gusty morning.

Never a patient person, I didn’t give the barrel much time to cool. I’m already thinking that next month I can do better.

TIP OF THE MONTH: DON'T LET THE BEAD BEAT YOU
I have written before on the evils of mounting a shotgun too quickly, as if it were a quick-draw contest between you and the bird. Here’s another reason why you’ll hit more targets if you slow your gun mount: Your eye automatically focuses on the fastest-moving object it can see. If you throw the gun to your face as fast as you can, your eye will be drawn unavoidably to the bead. When you look at the bead, the gun stops, and you miss behind, even though you were hurrying to shoot ahead of the target.

Prove this to yourself at home. Take a gun you know to be unloaded, focus on an object across the room, and mount the gun quickly. The bead will pop into your vision like a jack-in-the-box. Now try it again, moving the gun verrrry slowly, and you’ll be able to maintain your focus on the target.—P.B.

Bullets Do Odd Things at Different Ranges

Online Editors — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 10:38:32 -0400

“It’s better to go broke at the range than it is to make a fortune in the shop.”*--Christopher Self, Alabama machinist, designer and rifle nut.

Last week, I got a further lesson on the folly of attempting shots at long range without actually testing your equipment beforehand. Shooting at 300 yards, a 165-grain polymer-tipped bullet which had shot splendidly at 100 and 200 yards turned in a group with a vertical spread of 7 inches. There was no horizontal dispersion at all, but the slugs were all over the place up- and down-wise.

According to some balistically sophisticated friends of mine, there are three possible causes:

1. The polycarbonate tips melted off by the time they got to 300 yards and caused variations in the bullets’ flight.

2. The bullets were stabilized at 100 and 200 but by the time they reached 300 their loss of velocity destabilized them.

3. Satan.

I saw a similar occurrence with a .300 Weatherby Magnum which shot handloads using Norma MRP very accurately at long range. When the MRP ran out, I worked up a load with RelodeR 22 which gave about 50 fps less velocity and nearly identical accuracy. At 100 and 200, fine. At 300, all over the target. I think that missing 50 fps was responsible, or maybe it was Lucifer.

Bulllets do odd things at different ranges. I am reminded of Ross Seyfried’s .300/416 wildcat, Miss America, which was built by Ultra Light Arms. At 100 yards it was all the gun could do to shoot 4-inch groups, but at a measured mile it put five shots in a group you can cover with your hand.

*This has nothing to do with shooting at long range, but I liked it so much I pass it along to you. And of course Chris is right.

Chad Love: Locked & Loaded in Parkland

Joe_Cermele — Wed, 27 May 2009 15:28:51 -0400

There's already been a boatload of bloviation expressed on the recent reversal of the ban on loaded firearms in our national parks, some of it sensible but most of it (predictably) bordering on hysterics.

This column from the Huffington Post is a perfect example:

"In fact, the new rule is likely to make national park visitors less safe around wildlife. Packing heat could give some people a false sense of security and make them more likely to approach bison, elk, moose, and grizzly bears, rather than keep a safe distance which is better for both people and animals."

But the most certain outcome of this congressional action is that it will promote poaching. The National Park Service warned in its fiscal 2006 budget submission each year for the past several years ... The data suggests that there is a significant domestic as well as international trade for illegally taken plant and animal parts." Poaching, the agency said, "is suspected to be a factor in the decline of at least 29 species of wildlife and could cause the extirpation of 19 species from the parks."

Two points I'd like to make in response. First, poaching. When you make an argument it's generally a pretty good idea to make sure the data you use in defense of your argument actually support it. Apparently Mr. Markarian skipped that chapter in his high school debate class. There's absolutely no, none, nada, zip not a shred of evidence or data to support his assertion that allowing visitors firearms "promotes poaching." He, to be perfectly blunt, reached around his backside and pulled that statement out of his a**. And that National Park Service budget submission he quoted was published in...2006. Yes, three years ago. You know, back when packing in national parks was illegal.

Second, it's obvious the author has never visited a national park. If he had he would know that it's complete fantasy to believe that current (unarmed) visitors to our national parks exhibit good judgment and keep a safe, prudent distance from roadside wildlife. Quite the opposite. Thanks to the constant anthropomorphization we're subjected to we now believe that wild animals have a deep, intrinsic empathy toward humans. They would love us, if only we would put down our guns and let them.

In fact, if one could make a sweeping generalization about the common sense of the average American tourist by observing their behavior around national park wildlife, one would have to reach the inevitable conclusion that we're already a nation of clueless, pushy, overly-aggressive suburban jackasses. Guns certainly aren't going to change that. If you point out the obvious fact that wild animals have no interest in connecting with us on a spiritual level but if we intentionally harass them they will most assuredly connect with us on a physical level, then you're simply an unevolved lout who doesn't get it. See video below.

But I'm a pragmatist, and I think I've reached a compromise that will make everyone happy. Why don't we make loaded firearms illegal within say, 100 yards of any RV-accessible road but allow loaded firearms in campsites and on all trails? This achieves two goals: it gives backcountry hikers and campers a measure of personal protection from criminal and animal attack. It also gives park wildlife the freedom to (without the threat of being shot) continue stomping, goring, maiming and otherwise communing with the hordes of camera-wielding Animal Planet watchers who choke our national park roads every summer.

Discussion Topic: Field & Stream Wins ASME’s Highest Honor

Joe_Cermele — Fri, 01 May 2009 10:32:04 -0400

F&S is the best magazine of its size on the planet. Okay, I’m a little biased on that point--but it’s not just me who thinks so. Last night, the country’s top magazine editors representing the country’s top magazines met at New York City’s Lincoln Center for the 44th Annual National Magazine Awards. Known as Ellies, these are basically the Oscars of the magazine industry, and “General Excellence” is “Best Picture.”

The 2009 General Excellence nominees for magazines with a circulation of 1 to 2 million were: Field & Stream, Bon Appetit, The New Yorker, Vogue, and Popular Science. And the winner is, from the American Society of Magazine Editors website:

Field & Stream: Anthony Licata, editor, for May, June, December/January issues
From tips on becoming a total outdoorsman to profiles of veteran amputees reentering the world of hunting, Field & Stream respects its readers enough to challenge them. Like all great magazines, this one is much more ambitious than it needs to be and delivers the goods, but also provokes with content that is consistently savvy, witty and large-hearted. Nominated 14 times, this is Field & Stream’s first Ellie.

I know all of you have been waiting for an opportunity to heap praise on us—and who are we to hold you back? So just go for it.

A Brief Guide to Feckless* Rifles

Online Editors — Mon, 30 Mar 2009 13:18:56 -0400

*Not a typo.

The previous post elicited so many interesting opinions that I was able to get a second post out of it. Herewith:

1. The message on the Badger muzzle brake and on the Claymore mine is “Front toward enemy,” not what I had. Once more my memory has done me dirt.

2. In theory, you could take the .30/06 in question hunting and never miss a shot with it—provided you kept your shots to 200 yards or less. Beyond that, stray shots really start to wander. I myself would not hunt with such a rifle because I have other guns that don’t throw shots. Why ask for trouble? It will find you without any help.

3. A number of you suggested a ruptured scope, or parallax, or loose rings or bases. In my experience, if a scope is defective, or the bases or rings are loose, you won’t get any kind of groups at all, or you’ll get 4-inch groups. As for parallax, the scope was an American model Zeiss 4.5X-14X with dial-a-dog parallax on the turret, so that was not the problem.

4. It’s pretty hard to throw a shot from a bench rest if you’re set up correctly. The last time I did it was November 2, 1981. I do throw shots from unsupported positions, and am man enough to admit it.

5. About 15 years ago, I got hold of a very nice Mauser-action .338 that would not shoot. I spent most of a summer trying to get it to group, and in the process spent $400 for a new barrel and $2,783.22 on 250-grain Nosler Partitions plus many pounds of different powders and primers. In the end, the god damn thing still would not shoot, and I swore never again. If I can’t get a gun cooking in a couple of weeks and with a minimum of expense, away it goes.

6. The story about Kenny Jarrett cutting receivers in half is true. He told me years ago that about twice every twelve months they would get a rifle that would not shoot no matter what--new barrel, new stock, load after load, new scope. He was never able to pin down exactly what the trouble was, but he didn’t want to screw around with a hopeless project any longer.

Bourjaily: Thoughts on Lead Bans

Joe_Cermele — Wed, 25 Mar 2009 11:39:33 -0400

We never saw bald eagles when I was kid, but they’re a common sight along the Iowa River now that they no longer feed on DDT-laced fish and lead-poisoned waterfowl. While a lot of hunters will disagree with me, I really believe lead bans are not secret back-door attacks on guns and hunting but are acts of genuine, well-intentioned concern for the environment.

To the guy on the street, a lead ban is a no brainer: lead is toxic, we banned it in paint and gasoline, we may as well get rid of lead bullets, too, especially since there are green alternatives. Our guy on the street neither knows nor cares that non-toxic requirements raise the cost of hunting.

That said, any increase in price – even a $1 rise in hunting license fees – prices some hunters out of the field. Complex regulations and restrictions drive casual hunters from the sport as well.

The latest lead ban, in California, is supposed to protect the endangered California condor. As this column by Jim Matthews, who hunts all over the Golden State, points out, no matter what the intention of lead bans, they wind up forcing hunters out of the field.

Petzal: Why Life is Now More Complicated

Online Editors — Wed, 18 Mar 2009 13:08:22 -0400

As a kid in the 1950s, I was taught that the Democratic Party was the repository of all human evil, and in the ensuing half-century I haven’t seen a lot to make me change that point of view. However, this past week, a pair of Democratic senators have done shooters a great service. To wit:

About two weeks ago, the Department of Defense decreed that surplus military ammo would no longer be sold to the public. Instead, said the DoD, it would be “mutilated,” presumably chopped up and sold for scrap. It’s difficult to see what purpose this would serve from the government’s point of view, but for shooters who handload military calibers and for people who re-manufacture ammo, it would be a catastrophe.

Then, on March 17, Senators Jon Tester and Max Baucus of Montana, Democrats both, sent a FAX to the DoD stating that this would not be such a good idea, and since Senator Baucus is Chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, the DoD locked its heels together and listened. On the evening of the same day, Baucus and Tester received a reply that the decision had been reversed and mutilation was no longer an option.

So, swallowing my bile, I give thanks to these two Senators, and wonder: Where were the Republicans, who are supposedly our staunchest allies, while this was going on?

Mssrs. Baucus and Tester are not enough to make me forget about Senators Schumer, Kennedy, Feinstein, former Senators Biden and Clinton, and a long and dismal list that stretches back to the 60s, but it does complicate matters.

Bourjaily: Bucking Slug Recoil

Joe_Cermele — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 11:09:10 -0400

Judging by the number of replies, my recent rant against the painful recoil of 3.5-inch lead turkey loads touched a nerve, so to speak. Some of you wondered about the recoil of shotgun slugs by comparison. The answer to that question is, there is no comparison. Shotgun slugs kick, but they can’t touch a 3.5-inch turkey load when it comes to bringing the hurt.

Nevertheless, perhaps because we aim slugs even more carefully than we do turkey loads, we (I anyway) feel their recoil, which is not insignificant. I can remember when 3-inch slugs first came out and a friend of mine who was a recoil nut bought some. He sat down cross-legged, elbows on his knees and let fly. The first shot rolled him right onto his back. “Want to try it?” he asked with a crazed grin on his face.

“No,” I said.

Not long ago, I broke the reticle of a very nice scope with slug recoil, and I’ve been saved from a couple of scope cuts over the years only by my shooting glasses.

Since the question is, how do slugs stack up in the recoil department, I dissected a sampling of slugs, weighed the parts, and crunched some numbers with a recoil calculator. From crunching my own shoulder, I would have picked Remington Buckhammers and Winchester Partition Golds as the hardest kicking. Interestingly, they tied. Both the heavier, slower Remingtons and the lighter, faster Partition Golds generated 47 foot pounds of recoil in an 8-pound gun.

Although that’s nearly a third less recoil than a 3.5 inch turkey load, it’s a few foot-pounds more than a 300-grain bullet at 2600 fps in a 10-pound .375 H&H. The 1700 fps, 1 ounce Winchester Power Point – an Old School Foster-type slug – only managed 35 foot-pounds of recoil; a punch in the shoulder if you’re shooting from a bench but a love-tap in the field.

I didn’t have a 3-inch Lightfield Hybred to cut up, but based on its specs (1 1/ 4 ounce slug, plus sabot, at 1730 fps) it should be the slug recoil champion, kicking almost as hard as .458 Win Mag.

Since deer aren’t very big and eat only a few people a year, why put up with so much recoil to kill them when lighter, slower loads will kill them equally dead? There is the matter of flatter trajectory for “long range” shooting (anything over 100 yards is long range with a slug) but I’ll give the last word to Randy Fritz, who makes the supremely accurate Tar-Hunt shotgun and shoots Lightfields out of it. I asked him once why he felt the need to endure the recoil of fast, heavy slugs. “I hunt in Pennsylvania,” he said. “The woods are so crowded here if I have to trail a deer at all, I’ll find somebody else gutting it. I want something that knocks them flat.”

It’s hard to argue with that kind of logic.

Petzal: The Rules of Gunfighting

Joe_Cermele — Wed, 04 Feb 2009 09:05:07 -0500

Normally, this blog is dedicated to peaceful pursuits. However, SFC Frick speaks much wisdom. I am giving him a meritorious promotion to Command Sergeant Major (E-9).

(For more on this subject, visit our list of the five best gunfights of all time).

Drill Sergeant Joe B. Fricks Rules For A Gunfight

1. Forget about knives, bats and fists. Bring a gun. Preferably, bring at least two guns. Bring all of your friends who have guns. Bring four times the ammunition you think you could ever need.

2. Anything worth shooting is worth shooting twice. Ammunition is cheap - life is expensive. If you shoot inside, buckshot is your friend. A new wall is cheap - funerals are expensive

3. Only hits count. The only thing worse than a miss is a slow miss.

4. If your shooting stance is good, you're probably not moving fast enough or using cover correctly.

5. Move away from your attacker and go to cover. Distance is your friend. (Bulletproof cover and diagonal or lateral movement are preferred.)

6. If you can choose what to bring to a gunfight, bring a semi or full-automatic long gun and a friend with a long gun.

7. In ten years nobody will remember the details of caliber, stance, or tactics. They will only remember who lived.

8. If you are not shooting, you should be communicating, reloading, and running. Yell "Fire!" Why "Fire"? Cops will come with the Fire Department, sirens often scare off the bad guys, or at least cause then to lose concentration and will.... and who is going to summon help if you yell "Intruder," "Glock" or "Winchester?"

9. Accuracy is relative: most combat shooting standards will be more dependent on "pucker factor" than the inherent accuracy of the gun.

10. Someday someone may kill you with your own gun, but they should have to beat you to death with it because it is empty.

11. Stretch the rules. Always win. The only unfair fight is the one you lose.

12. Have a plan.

13. Have a back-up plan, because the first one won't work. "No battle plan ever survives 10 seconds past first contact with an enemy."

14. Use cover or concealment as much as possible, but remember, sheetrock walls and the like stop nothing but your pulse when bullets tear through them.

15. Flank your adversary when possible. Protect yours.

16. Don't drop your guard.

17. Always tactical load and threat scan 360 degrees. Practice reloading one-handed and off-hand shooting. That's how you live if hit in your "good" side.

18. Watch their hands. Hands kill. Smiles, frowns and other facial expressions don't (In God we trust. Everyone else keep your hands where I can see them.)

19. Decide NOW to always be aggressive ENOUGH, quickly ENOUGH.

20. The faster you finish the fight, the less shot you will get.

21. Be polite. Be professional. But, have a plan to kill everyone you meet if necessary, because they may want to kill you.

22. Be courteous to everyone, overly friendly to no one.

23. Your number one option for personal security is a lifelong commitment to avoidance, deterrence, and de-escalation.

24. Do not attend a gunfight with a handgun, the caliber of which does not start with anything smaller than "4".

25. Use a gun that works EVERY TIME. "All skill is in vain when an Angel blows the powder from the flintlock of your musket." At a practice session, throw your gun into the mud, then make sure it still works. You can clean it later.

26. Practice shooting in the dark, with someone shouting at you, when out of breath, etc.

27. Regardless of whether justified of not, you will feel sad about killing another human being. It is better to be sad than to be room temperature.

28. The only thing you EVER say afterwards is, "He said he was going to kill me. I believed him. I'm sorry, Officer, but I'm very upset now. I can't say anything more. Please speak with my attorney."

Finally, Drill Sergeant Frick's Rules For Un-armed Combat.

1. Never be unarmed.