About Ed Hale

I am an avid hunter with rifle and Bow and have been hunting for more than 50 years. I have taken big game such as whitetail deer, red deer, elk, Moose and African Plains game such as Kudu, Gemsbok, Springbok, Blesbok, and Impala and wrote an ebook entitled African Safari -Rifle and Bow and Arrow on how to prepare for a first safari. Ed is a serious cartridge reloader and ballistics student. He has earned two degrees in science and has written hundreds of outdoor article on hunting with both bow and rifle.

Browning X-Bolt Speed and Cartridge Overall Length Surprise

Hand-loaders love to experiment with bullet seating depth to increase accuracy.  In a new rifle, I sometimes discover that the magazine length or clip is the limiting factor for OAL and not the bullet distance to the rifling. This can be disappointing as it limits bullet OAL and can affect best accuracy. 

Pleasantly, I have been surprised to find the clip length for my Browning 7mm Rem Mag is 3.57 inches.

X-Bolt Rotary Magazine – Burnt Bronze Cerakote

 

SAAMI lists the max overall cartridge length OAL at 3.29 inches for off the shelf ammo. The chamber and magazine in my Browning allows me to hand-load longer than published OAL, thus leaving room for accuracy experimentation we hand-loader often do.

The caveat here is that the bullet must contact the case neck at least to bullet diameter. In my case that length is .284 inches. 

OAL can vary from spitzer to round nose.  I measure max OAL for each cartridge and bullet and subtract 20 thousandths (give or take) for spitzers and 50 thou or more for round nose.

Experimentation will tell where your best accuracy is.

I find that in my 7 MM Rem Mag, I’m not be limited by SAAMI OAL of 3.29 inches. I can use OAL’s out to 3.4 inches with my Nosler 175 g ABLR. Very nice indeed!!

Good Shooting!

©Copyright 2023

 

 

Reloading: 6.5mm Lapua Mega 155 bullet now in stock at Midway

May 2, 2023 In stock

One of my favorite New England deer/bear hunting 6.5 mm bullets for my Creedmoor. It hammers them and puts brown to the ground in brushy terrain. 

Lapua Mega Bullets 264 Caliber, 6.5mm (264 Diameter) 155 Grain Soft Point Box of 100

Quote from Midway-

“Mega soft point bullets are constructed to be an ideal hunting bullet. The bullet’s flattened nose causes a powerful shock immediately after impact. The jacket extends all the way to the tip of the bullet, protecting the nose both in the rifle and flight, if it hits a branch or twig. The crown-headed jacket tip is thinned toward the point and deliberately folded to ensure even opening and mushrooming on impact up to 2.5 times the original diameter.

The jacket is substantially thickened at its middle section which arrests the mushrooming at precisely the right stage. The “step” farther inside the jacket holds the lead core within the jacket. This construction combines maximum weight retention (averaging 90%) and ideal penetration with superb accuracy.”

See my article below using Superformance powder.

6.5 Creedmoor Superformance Load Data with Lapua Mega 155 grain Soft Point Flat Nose

Another article on round nose bullets below.

Round nose bullets drop them faster! Hornady makes round nose for 6.5mm too.

Round Nose Bullets, Too Often Overlooked

Good Hunting!

Reloading and Shooting 7mm RM 175g ABLR 150yd Sub MOA Max Load

Reloading and Shooting Thoughts for Long Range Hunting.

It is important to recognize that there are significant differences from hunting vs target reloading/shooting.

Hunters want a light rifle, (6 to 9 pounds) that shoots accurately out of a cold barrel.

It is the first cold barrel shot that really counts to anchor your big game, not the second, third or fourth shot.

Sure, a follow up shot is also important in the case that your game is still on its feet, but that first cold barrel shot is key.

Shoot for 3 shot groups not 5 shot groups.

Below from my new Browning X-Bolt Speed 7mm Rem Mag  at 150 yards at 7/8 inch group at 3000fps. I will practice out to 600 yards.

Nosler 175g ABLR 3 shot
group RL 22 at 150 yds 2975 fps
7/8 inch

Target shooters on the other hand want a heavy rifle and  heavy barreled rifle (often well over 10 to 20 pounds to absorb heat from the barrel and reduce felt recoil. Best target groups are from a warmer barrel not a cold barrel. And the bullet is chambered to engage the rifling thus increasing chamber pressure.  

Hunter’s who reload, prefer to reload to around 15 to 30 thousandths off the rifling lands and often can shoot a hotter and faster bullet to maintain more delivered energy to big game. My 7mm Rem Mag Browning X-Bolt delivers 2000 ft-lbs. of energy at 550 yards. 

By reloading for your hunting rifle, you can customize case, powder, bullet and primer, save cost, get more satisfaction,  while increasing long range accuracy from a cold barrel.

Since preparing to hunt moose this fall, at long range, I pay more attention to case concentricity, seating depth and neck tension. It has helped greatly.

l_749007305_1.jpg

One final thought, I swab the bore at the end of cleaning with a degreaser solvent to remove any lubricant or cleaning agent to improve the first cold shot.

KG KG-3 Gun Cleaner-Degreaser 19 oz Aerosol

It works great!

Good Hunting!

©Copyright 2023

 

 

 

Redding Competition Bushing Neck Sizer Die for 7mm Rem Mag

For Long range shooting I need consistent neck tension on my bottleneck bullets. I ordered this Redding Bushing Neck sizer die from Midway for $148 dollars and a Titanium Nitride Bushing $34 below for my 7mm Rem Mag.

Do you need this special neck sizer for hunting here in New England? Not really, unless you shoot beyond 200 yards or are strong on the details side of things. 

Redding Competition Bushing Neck Sizer Die

Below: Titanium Nitride Bushing

Redding Neck Sizer Die Bushing

Reading the instructions, I had to unscrew the micrometer and spring/shaft portion from the body and place the bushing into the main body tube where the micrometer came out.

This die comes with a primer-remover-shaft that allows you to use the primer remover, or not, by adjusting the shaft in or out. I did not want to de-prime, as my brass was full length sized, confirmed concentric to 0.003″ or less on my Sinclair gage, and then primed.

My already loaded rounds measure 0.311″ Outside Diameter.  My neck bushing has a 0.309″ opening will now size the empty primed and full length brass to 0.309″ to grip the bullet by 0.002″ tension.

Here is a photo and Stat’s of the latest Nosler 175g ABLR 3 shot Nosler 175g ABLR 3 shot 7/8″ group RL 22 at 150 yds.

 

Stats – Average 2964.82 fps
Stats – Highest 2975.04 fps
Stats – Lowest 2953.98 fps
Stats – Ext. Spread 21.06 fps
Stats – Std. Dev 10.55 fps

Primers and case look normal. I could punch the 3000fps mark but with this really tight 150 yard 7/8″group, I am very happy here with an SD of 10.

Good Shooting!

© Copyright 2023 

 

 

Reloading: Cartridge and Bullet Concentricity Tests for Hunting

 If you hunt and shoot beyond 200 yards, bullet and brass concentricity (wabble) can matter. Experienced long range shooters call it “runout.” I have shot at 600 yards at targets on occasion but rarely checked for concentricity/runout till prepping for this falls moose hunt. 

Accordingly, I just purchased a Sinclair Concentricity gage to check for runout and to see groups improve. The idea is to eliminate fliers! But that required me to do more brass case prep too. That must have helped as well. Some swear by it, some don’t.

l_749007305_1.jpg

First tests were for the case neck on those I had already full length resized a week earlier.

 

After checking 30 cases, half were at .003″ or greater runout (wobble), half were less.  Some long range hand loaders suggest that 0.003″ is the max runout.

What to do?

I ran these .003 cases back through my full length sizing die a few times, rotating 90 degrees and retested. Runout (wobble) improved to .0015″ or less.

Next is to load some bullets and retest for bullet runout.

All bullet retests for runout were 0.003″ or less. Nice!

Doing this test suggests that the bullet is better aligned to enter the rifling nearer to parallel. So lets see some targets…

Below this Nosler 168g ABLR group shrunk from 2 inches to 1 1/8 inch group at 150 yards  is an example of what the Sinclair Concentricity Gage did for me.  Sub-MOA groups below!

 

The next picture below is of the same 168g ABLR bullet at 150 yd distance but the OAL was longer (0.020 off the lands).

The 1/4 inch difference in grouping photos was probably me. But you can see these are both sub-moa groups.

Lesson learned! To establish a best in class reloading process with or without the gage.

Good Shooting!

 

© Copyright 2023 All Rights Reserved

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Nosler AccuBond Long Range for 7mm Rem Mag

I have been a Nosler fan since my African Safari some years back and have taken two bull moose and whitetails with AccuBonds from 140 grain up to 300 grains with great success on big game.

Accordingly, I have written extensively about Nosler bullets in my New Hampshire Rifleman Magazine using AccuBonds, Partitions as well as E-Tips. All world class hunting bullets that hit hard, stay together and penetrate deep. Handloading my own bullets are key to my satisfaction and success.

The AccuBond Long Range ABLR bullet is in a class all by itself, providing very low drag, a bonded bullet that can mushroom as low as 1350 fps and stays together up to 3000 fps. No other bullet can make that claim.

https://www.nosler.com/products/bullets/product-line/accubondr-long-range.html

 

The ABLR is offered in 150g, 168g, and 175g bullets for those who may encounter long range shots. In my case, I will be hunting Newfoundland Moose among the myriad of bogs that can span many hundreds of yards.

Below is the Trajectory Chart and Delivered Energy. See the 500 Yd data in bold for 2100 ft-lbs delivered energy.

 

Trajectory
Input Data
Manufacturer: Nosler Description: Accubond Long Range Spitzer (G7)
Caliber: 0.284 in Weight: 175.0 gr
Ballistic Coefficient: 0.364 G7 (ASM)
Muzzle Velocity: 2974.0 ft/s Distance to Chronograph: 0.0 ft
Sight Height: 1.50 in Sight Offset: 0.00 in
Zero Height: 0.00 in Zero Offset: 0.00 in
Windage: 0.000 MOA Elevation: 0.000 MOA
Line Of Sight Angle: 0.0 deg Cant Angle: 0.0 deg
Wind Speed: 10.0 mph Wind Angle: 90.0 deg
Target Speed: 0.0 mph Target Angle: 90.0 deg
Target Height: 50.0 in
Temperature: 48.0 °F Pressure: 29.92 in Hg
Humidity: 40 % Altitude: 0.0 ft
Vital Zone Radius: 5.0 in
Std. Atmosphere at Altitude: No Pressure is Corrected: Yes
Zero at Max. Point Blank Range: No Target Relative Drops: Yes
Mark Sound Barrier Crossing: No Include Extra Rows: No
Column 1 Units: 1.00 in Column 2 Units: 1.00 MOA
Round Output to Whole Numbers: No
Output Data
Elevation: 3.368 MOA Windage: 0.000 MOA
Atmospheric Density: 0.07799 lb/ft³ Speed of Sound: 1104.6 ft/s
Maximum PBR: 373 yd Maximum PBR Zero: 315 yd
Range of Maximum Height: 172 yd Energy at Maximum PBR: 2393.8 ft•lbs
Sectional Density: 0.310 lb/in²
Calculated Table
Range Drop Drop Windage Windage Velocity Mach Energy Time Lead Lead
(yd) (in) (MOA) (in) (MOA) (ft/s) (none) (ft•lbs) (s) (in) (MOA)
0 -1.5 *** 0.0 *** 2974.0 2.692 3436.3 0.000 0.0 ***
25 -0.7 -2.8 0.0 0.1 2939.7 2.661 3357.5 0.025 0.0 0.0
50 -0.2 -0.4 0.1 0.2 2905.6 2.631 3280.0 0.051 0.0 0.0
75 0.0 0.0 0.2 0.3 2871.6 2.600 3203.8 0.077 0.0 0.0
100 -0.0 -0.0 0.4 0.4 2837.9 2.569 3128.9 0.103 0.0 0.0
125 -0.3 -0.2 0.7 0.5 2804.3 2.539 3055.3 0.130 0.0 0.0
150 -0.8 -0.5 1.0 0.6 2770.9 2.509 2983.0 0.157 0.0 0.0
175 -1.7 -0.9 1.3 0.7 2737.7 2.479 2911.9 0.184 0.0 0.0
200 -2.8 -1.3 1.7 0.8 2704.7 2.449 2842.2 0.212 0.0 0.0
225 -4.2 -1.8 2.2 0.9 2671.9 2.419 2773.7 0.239 0.0 0.0
250 -6.0 -2.3 2.7 1.0 2639.4 2.390 2706.5 0.268 0.0 0.0
275 -8.0 -2.8 3.3 1.2 2607.0 2.360 2640.5 0.296 0.0 0.0
300 -10.4 -3.3 4.0 1.3 2574.9 2.331 2575.8 0.325 0.0 0.0
325 -13.1 -3.8 4.7 1.4 2542.9 2.302 2512.3 0.355 0.0 0.0
350 -16.1 -4.4 5.5 1.5 2511.2 2.274 2450.0 0.384 0.0 0.0
375 -19.5 -5.0 6.3 1.6 2479.7 2.245 2389.0 0.414 0.0 0.0
400 -23.2 -5.5 7.3 1.7 2448.4 2.217 2329.1 0.445 0.0 0.0
425 -27.3 -6.1 8.2 1.9 2417.4 2.189 2270.3 0.476 0.0 0.0
450 -31.8 -6.7 9.3 2.0 2386.5 2.161 2212.8 0.507 0.0 0.0
475 -36.6 -7.4 10.4 2.1 2355.9 2.133 2156.4 0.538 0.0 0.0
500 -41.8 -8.0 11.6 2.2 2325.5 2.105 2101.1 0.570 0.0 0.0
525 -47.5 -8.6 12.9 2.3 2295.4 2.078 2047.0 0.603 0.0 0.0
550 -53.5 -9.3 14.3 2.5 2265.4 2.051 1993.9 0.636 0.0 0.0
575 -60.0 -10.0 15.7 2.6 2235.8 2.024 1942.0 0.669 0.0 0.0
600 -66.9 -10.6 17.2 2.7 2206.3 1.997 1891.2 0.703 0.0 0.0

 

04-Apr-23 13:05, JBM/jbmtraj-5.1.cgi

 

© Copyright 2023 

 

 

Reloaders- Smokeless Powder Burn Rate Charts Aid in Alternatives

Not finding your favorite powder for sale?  This chart can help find powders closest to yours. I did that with my alternative to Reloader 22 and found Viht N560 and it worked great. Nosler listed it in their manual. 

Reloading safety is of prime importance thus you must begin a new powder at starting loads and work up. The internet should give some start load data sources if you search your caliber and alternative powders.

All reloading manuals list alternative powders but there are some older reloading manuals that are not current in new state-of-the-art powders. 

IMR published a burn rate chart PDF below and includes many brands.

Check it out.

 

https://imrpowder.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/burnratecolor.pdf

 

Browning X-Bolt Speed- Testing with Vihtavuori N560 Smokeless Gun Powder and Nosler 175g ABLR’s-Updated

In prep for my 7mm Rem Mag cartridge custom loads and my fall Newfoundland Moose hunt I had some difficulty getting Reloader 22 powder for reloading my 7mm Rem Mag.

Accordingly, I purchased some available Vihta. N560 Powder that Nosler had listed for 7mm Rem Mag with Nosler 175 grain ABLR’s with a 24 inch barrel and 9 twist.

Vihtavuori N560 1 Pound of Smokeless Powder

Its burn rate is near to RL 22. My rifle is a 26 inch barrel and 9.5 twist. Subtle differences in length and twist can shift ideal powder burn rate preferences to one side or another. You just have to find the sweet spot and the powder. 

Early N560 Powder results showed extreme spread (ES) and standard deviation (SD), at lower velocities, were excellent, thus I continued working up the load. 

Many handloaders have found that some rifles with 9.5 twist rates do not like the 175 grain bullets’ accuracy but so far my rifle likes them with this N560 powder.

As those who experiment with loads are aware, powder, can and does vary from lot-to-lot, thus backing off to starting loads and working up slowly is best. Observing the cartridge case and resulting primer can tell quite a bit as you approach a max load. As you incrementally approach hotter loads, the primer will begin to flatten into a pancake.

I try to avoid what some call “sticky bolt”, a term for supposedly “manageable” over pressure. So far so good.

As I load each round, I use a sharpie pen to write the powder name, grains, and bullet type/weight used on the brass.

I have achieved the near to 3000 fps under preliminary testing at an outside temperature of 45ºF and cartridge and primers look flatter but normal. First 3 shot group was just 1.0 inches at 100 yards. 

Next is to check for Extreme Spread and Standard Deviation below with Labradar data.

Browning X-Bolt Speed 175g ABLR w/Viht N560 Powder 65.7g OAL 3.440                                      
Outside Temperature 48F
Total number of shots 3                                 
Group 1 inch
Units avg  velocity fps                                         
Units distances yd                                         
Units weight grain (gr)                                    
                                                             
Stats – Average 2974.61                                 
Stats – Highest 2987.57                                 
Stats – Lowest 2961.27                                  
Stats – Ext. Spread 26.3                               
Stats – Std. Dev 13.16                                  
Shot ID V0 V25 V50 V75 Proj. Weight Date Time
1 2961 2925 2889 2851 175 4/2/2023 11:28:09
2 2975 2934 2896 2859 175 4/2/2023 11:28:39
3 2988 2945 2905 2866 175 4/2/2023 11:29:17

JBM Ballistic Data indicates 1891 ft-lbs delivered at 600 Yards, 10 mph crosswind moves the bullet 17 inches left or right. At 500 yds delivers 2100 ft-lbs and 11 inch crosswind. At 400 yds delivers 2330 ft-lbs and 7 inch crosswind.

Next is to practice at those distances and collect real field data to see what limitations surface. More to come!

Good Hunting!

© Copyright 2023 

Adding a Timney Trigger to my Browning X-Bolt Speed

Removing the two mounting bolts, you can pop out the barrel and action with some finagling and prying. It is a tight fit. 

Here is the Timney Trigger below.

Below there are 2 pins that hold the trigger in the half moon cutouts in the barrel. Use a 1/16 punch to remove the two pins and the trigger will come off. 

The part I did not expect is that the Timney did not just drop in. The forward slot was too narrow to fit in the half moon cutout. I had to grind off a few thousandths from the trigger housing to widen the slot with a Dremel tool. 

Below you can see my Dremel tool that I used to grind the forward pin housing a bit. Took me 20 minutes to grind and fit it. Not overly hard with the right tool. Some triggers drop in to those slots in videos. 

Below is the Timney trigger installed. The whole process took me about an hour or less.

I put my Lyman Trigger test gauge on the Timney and as expected it measured 3 pounds almost. Two pounds fifteen point nine ounces. I tested again at 3 pounds exact. Test the safety slide to be sure it works. Mounting bolts need torque to 35 inch-lbs.

Below is a video that helped me.

 

Good Shooting.

©Copyright 2023 

 

 

 

 

Hunting and Buck Fever

Buck Fever is when the hunter sees wild game, such as deer, and has intent to harvest/kill, your body releases adrenaline which readies us for what is immediately about to unfold as a fight or to get away… flight.

Adrenaline comes from our ancestral protection mechanism biologists and anthropologists call “fight-or-flight”. 

Adrenaline provides a heightened-state -of-being and is an essential element veteran hunters seek. The moment of truth is exhilarating for many, me included.

Buck Fever can often come with nervousness, heavy breathing, elevated blood pressure, and the shakes known as “buck-fever.” Hunter’s have even fallen from their tree-stand from uncontrolled shakes. 

Some of this heightened state is good, however, too often, new hunters and some older hunters lose the ability to control it during the shot sequence.

I was reminded of the story of the hunter who aimed and working the bolt emptied the cartridges, where, nary a shot was fired, yet later swore he or she shot the rifle 5 times.

Recently a guide recalls a bear hunter who shot a bear, and the guide said; “Shoot him again” and the hunter did not completely eject the round. Some guides call it short-stroking the bolt”.

Even veteran hunters who do not practice multiple shots experience this if not practiced. 

Adrenaline is an essential part of hunting, but, to be successful, the hunter must control the adrenaline.

I find that hunting where there is abundant game like bird hunting for example, allow us to experience it.

Accordingly, after repeated exposure to, say a bird flushing or ducks coming to your decoys, yes, you missed, but another chance and you are successful.

Your brain learns adrenaline control over time.

Deer hunting here in New Hampshire you may not see game that often, thus adrenaline can be less controlled as say hunting deer in a state that has many deer and many hits of adrenaline. 

My hunt in Africa was a prime example of my guide/professional hunter (PH), got me to harvest lesser game animals while observing my buck fever.

Where game is aplenty, hunter learn to control the so-called “Buck Fever. ” 

Make the first shot count!

Aim small miss small!

Good Hunting!

© Copyright 2023