Ammunition

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.