Category Archives: Hunting thoughts

Bullet Stability/Barrel Twist – Browning X-Bolt 7mm Remington Magnum – UPDATED

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I purchased a Browning X-Bolt for Christmas. Hurray! But bullets are a bit harder to find. I did find a 175grain Nosler ABLR bullet that I liked and purchased it but later calculated the bullets stability to be 1.37, just below the 1.5 military stability criteria in my 1 in 9.5 twist rate barrel. Bullet length included the polymer tip in overall length. Without the polymer tip as part of the bullet length, the formula now says the bullet is very stable. 

Experts argue about including polymer tips or not.  I will load some in a week or so.  

Lets take a look at this imperfect science…

It is known that barrel twist rate and a given bullets size, length, BC and velocity effects bullet stability. As a general rule bullets that are exiting the barrel have some yaw or as some say “yaw spiral” or gyroscopic effect.

It is the bullets “yaw” that can affect the grouping of a bullet, but yaw diminishes as it travels down range making groups tighter..

Calculators

You will need the length of the bullet below to enter this in the stability formula. Some folks subtract the polymer tip from bullet length. The JBM formula below takes the polymer tip into account. Measure the bullets overall length and measure the polymer tip length. 

https://www.jbmballistics.com/ballistics/lengths/lengths.shtml

https://www.jbmballistics.com/cgi-bin/jbmstab-5.1.cgi

At typical 100 yard ranges your bullet may exhibit some yaw thus grouping may be somewhat larger than expected. I ran into this with the .243 Winchester and my former 338 Win Mag where yaw was pronounced with heavy, longer bullets. 

The good news is, this minor yaw will disappear at longer distances and stability and grouping improves, 

The only way to know how stable your bullet is, is to shoot some at temperatures and distances your going to hunt in.

Accordingly, I would fire them at 100 and 150 yards and then shoot out to my max hunting distance of say 500 to 600 yards for group. 

UPDATE

I had some Nosler 140g E-Tips and 7mm brass in my cupboard and eagerly loaded and shot them at 100 yards with 62g IMR 4831 powder clocking an estimated 2900 ± fps at the muzzle. Yes, that is a bit slow, but Nosler recommends working up loads with gilding copper E-Tips.

Below is the very first 100 yard 3 shot bench rest group. It measured 3/4 inch. Sub-MOA! Luckily there was no measurable wind and I used a COL of 3.24 inches where my bullets had at least 0.05 inches off the lands.

 

Can’t wait for my heavier bullets to arrive. 

Good Shooting!

 

Making A Field Hunting Ballistic Card for Long Range

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Making a pocket field card for a specific load and bullet will aid in improved vital zone bullet placement.

The card is really a drop or trajectory table with wind and energy at a specific laser rangefinder game distances your looking to shoot.

I used my Nosler 300g AccuBond to create the table below for my moose hunt with the .375 Ruger. There are many ballistic calculators on the market. I use JBM Ballistics Trajectory calculator (free on-line). It works great!!

The pocket card you take into the field will look like the card above. Wind drift is in inches with a 10 mph 90 degree crosswind. I zeroed for 250 yards. Go to the website below and experiment.

https://www.jbmballistics.com/cgi-bin/jbmtraj-5.1.cgi 

You can select your bullet from this software’s drop down menu, enter the bullet muzzle velocity, zero-range, wind, elevation, vital-zone radius and many other parameters for the table you will create.

 

Trajectory
Input Data
Manufacturer: Nosler Description: Accubond™ Spitzer
Caliber: 0.375 in Weight: 300.0 gr
Ballistic Coefficient: 0.473 G1 (ASM)
Muzzle Velocity: 2550.0 ft/s Distance to Chronograph: 10.0 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: 40.0 in
Temperature: 40.0 °F Pressure: 29.92 in Hg
Humidity: 50 % 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: 7.540 MOA Windage: 0.000 MOA
Atmospheric Density: 0.07925 lb/ft³ Speed of Sound: 1095.8 ft/s
Maximum PBR: 302 yd Maximum PBR Zero: 255 yd
Range of Maximum Height: 136 yd Energy at Maximum PBR: 2658.9 ft•lbs
Sectional Density: 0.305 lb/in²

I found that my rifle zero is best set for 250 yards as it allows for max point blank range with a vital zone radius for moose at 5 inches. Basically the size of a ten inch pie plate. 

Here is a printout of the calculation.

 

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 -0.7 *** 0.0 *** 2556.6 2.333 4353.2 0.000 0.0 ***
25 1.1 4.2 0.1 0.2 2507.4 2.288 4187.4 0.030 0.0 0.0
50 2.6 4.9 0.2 0.4 2458.8 2.244 4026.5 0.060 0.0 0.0
75 3.7 4.7 0.5 0.6 2410.7 2.200 3870.6 0.091 0.0 0.0
100 4.4 4.2 0.8 0.8 2363.2 2.157 3719.4 0.122 0.0 0.0
125 4.7 3.6 1.3 1.0 2316.1 2.114 3572.9 0.154 0.0 0.0
150 4.7 3.0 1.9 1.2 2269.6 2.071 3430.8 0.187 0.0 0.0
175 4.2 2.3 2.6 1.4 2223.7 2.029 3293.2 0.220 0.0 0.0
200 3.2 1.6 3.4 1.6 2178.2 1.988 3159.9 0.254 0.0 0.0
225 1.9 0.8 4.4 1.9 2133.2 1.947 3030.8 0.289 0.0 0.0
250 -0.0 -0.0 5.5 2.1 2088.8 1.906 2905.8 0.325 0.0 0.0
275 -2.4 -0.8 6.7 2.3 2044.9 1.866 2784.9 0.361 0.0 0.0
300 -5.2 -1.7 8.1 2.6 2001.5 1.826 2668.1 0.398 0.0 0.0
325 -8.7 -2.5 9.6 2.8 1958.7 1.787 2555.1 0.436 0.0 0.0
350 -12.7 -3.5 11.2 3.1 1916.4 1.749 2446.0 0.475 0.0 0.0
375 -17.2 -4.4 13.0 3.3 1874.7 1.711 2340.7 0.514 0.0 0.0
400 -22.4 -5.4 15.0 3.6 1833.6 1.673 2239.2 0.555 0.0 0.0
425 -28.3 -6.4 17.1 3.8 1793.1 1.636 2141.3 0.596 0.0 0.0
450 -34.8 -7.4 19.4 4.1 1753.2 1.600 2047.1 0.638 0.0 0.0
475 -42.0 -8.4 21.8 4.4 1713.9 1.564 1956.4 0.682 0.0 0.0
500 -50.0 -9.5 24.5 4.7 1675.3 1.529 1869.3 0.726 0.0 0.0

 

13-Oct-22 13:46, JBM/jbmtraj-5.1.cgi

 

By experimenting with muzzle velocity, wind, altitude parameters in the JBM software, you will better understand how your bullet will perform as it speeds its way to the intended game.

 

Good shooting!

©Copyright 2022

 

 

 

Perfect Rifle Cartridge for Big Game?

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Is there a perfect rifle cartridge for big game? Great Campfire fodder sure to keep you up at night.

Big Game Cartridges are purchased and used for many different reasons, thus for some big game animals, they are better and sometimes… they are not.

The distances we encounter and hunt big game like deer, bear, and moose as well a bullet shape and construction play a large part of a big game cartridge.  And whether the game you are hunting can be dangerous, like a brown or grizzly bear.

I believe the vast majority are deer hunters like myself , who, on occasion hunt bear, wild boar, elk, moose and such.

Many cartridges were originally designed as a target cartridge like the recent 6.5 Creedmoor. The .308 Winchester and 30-06 Springfield were designed as a cartridge used in battle in WWI, WWII, Korea and Vietnam, later valuably used as a target round and hunting round.

It was the ballistics data experts and students that realized that surplus ammo was used inexpensively for both target and hunting. Most were of spitzer bullet design for longer range.

Later post WWII hunters learned that a round nose bullet at shorter ranges inside of 200 or so yards were like the hammer-of-thor thus dropping game pronto. Lever guns like the 30-30 and 35 Winchester as well as the 45-70 cannot use pointed tip bullets and were terrific game stoppers.

Today many hunters like long range hunting and go west or south to prairies and bean fields thus spitzers are the bullet of choice for 300 to 800 yards or more.

Or some believe the use of light copper spitzer bullets at high velocities of over 3200fps with 100% retained weight to deliver hydrostatic shock and a lights out punch to game like black bear at close range. 

Here in New  Hampshire, most game like deer, bear and moose are harvested at around 40 to 50 yards or so. Spitzers are not necessary here but if you do not reload or hand-load, then spitzers are what you will find on store shelves these days.

Bore sizes like .22, 6mm/.243, 6.5mm, 7mm, .308, .338 and .375, 416, 45, and 50 caliber are common but are used on certain game for reasons of killing capacity(aka energy delivered) and distances encountered. Yes, I missed a dozen other less common calibers, but you get the idea.

The key to any big game cartridge really is the bullet and its construction, like bonded, A-frame or copper for the task desired. Coupled with this, and equally important is sectional density. It is the ratio of bullet weight (M) to the square of bullet diameter and is very important for penetration. (SD= M/D²). If you are a student of ballistics and killing power the following website will add to your knowledge for winter reading.  

https://www.chuckhawks.com/sd.htm

So in the end, if you know distances to deer for example and the terrain and forest type you are hunting them you can gear your rifle cartridge and bullet to the game,   thus making it more ideal.

 

You guessed it, there is no perfect big game cartridge. To maximize your cartridge, include the size of game, terrain, distance, bullet construction including sectional density in your calculations. Below is another website for your winter reading.

http://www.chuckhawks.com/rifle_bullet_killing_power.htm

Good Hunting!

© Copyright 2022

 

 

 

Traditional Archery: Winter 3D Fun

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In New Hampshire, Granite State Bowhunters we call GSB, forms club shoots across the state for compound bows and traditional bows of just stick and string.  GSB had its first shoot at Lamprey River Bowhunters on January 2nd 2022. It was great fun! See the 3D Schedule below.

http://www.granitestatebowhunters.com/3d-schedule/

I grew up on stick and string and find that it is very rewarding even today.

It is a small but re-growing cadre of bowhunters that simply like stick and string traditional archery. It is part comradery, part hunt, and tests your shooting skill at unknown distances. Below my archery friend and national long bow champion,  Jacques Bonin. He is taking aim at a 3D pronghorn foam antelope. Here Jacques shoots a 78 lb pull Howard Hill long bow at shorter draw length thus it is casting the arrow at 72 pounds. Most of us can’t even draw his bow, never mind shooting it. I am happy shooting 50 to 55 pounds right now.

 

Traditional bowhunters are restricted to shorter ranges to maximize heart/lung hits on 3D animals like deer, bear, elk, turkey and wild boar. Whereas Compound shooters shoot at longer distances. But all of us must deal with one earthly constant. Gravity! Even a fast bow shooting 300 fps must deal with gravities downward pull of 32 fps per second.

These 3D shoots are excellent preparation for bowhunting and creating lifelong friendships with other like-minded bowhunters. The comradery on a 3D course can be the highlight of your day and a great way to introduce young hunters to archery and hunting.

Learning shooting and distance judging from those around you in these 3D shoots are vital in our quest to bow-hunt wild game – and place your arrow in the vital zone for a quick humane harvest.

Enjoy the Winter Outside!

Good Hunting!

© Copyright 2022

 

 

 

Ballistics for Elk: Ruger African 375 Ruger – Speer 235 grain Semi-Spitzer vs 260 grain AccuBond Spitzer

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These days, purchasing hand-loaded bullets for an Elk Hunt is like looking for a needle in a haystack. The .375 Ruger is a “one rifle for the world” kind of gun, and my Ruger African shoots more accurately than any rifle I own with a broad range of bullets.  I don’t have a 300 Win Mag rifle in my safe either, as the .375 covers it well.

 

Even some veteran hunting folks have a tough time mentally (fear) when they think of the heavy felt recoil from some so-called Magnum rifles, but with a state-of-the-art recoil pad that reduces the recoil up to 50%, they tame well.

It has been established, as a guide, that delivered energy to kill elk be in the neighborhood of 1500 ft-lbs. Here we easily exceed that terminal/delivered energy with the .375 Ruger.

I have two boxes of .375 bullets in my cupboard for hunting elk. I have Nosler 260 grain AccuBond bullets and Speer 235 grain Hot-Core semi-spitzer bullets seen below. I think both are good choices. But is one just a bit better?  Sure, I might try some other bullets before my hunt this next fall if they can be purchased,  but here is some data on these choices.

 

Both are sub-MOA accurate at 100 yards. My goal is to harvest a bull elk with ranges near 300 to 400 yards. The 260 grain Nosler AccuBond has a muzzle velocity of 2800+ fps and at 400 yards (7000 ft altitude).  Its terminal velocity on elk is 2178 fps and 400 yard energy is 2740 ft-lbs with a 90 degree wind deflection of 17 inches. It drops 16.5 inches with a 250 yard zero.

The Speer 235 grain Hot Core has a muzzle velocity of 3000 fps and at 400 yards its terminal velocity is 2064 fps and 400 yard energy is 2224 ft-lbs with a 90 degree wind deflection of 17 inches. I drops 16.5 inches with a 250 yard zero. Same drop and wind deflection as the Nosler.

The Ballistic data confirms that the Nosler AccuBond has 516 ft-lbs more terminal energy than the Speer bullet. At over 2700 ft-lbs of delivered energy the Nosler will easily open-up and mushroom yet still penetrate likely with a substantial exit wound on a broadside shot. I am a proponent of exit wounds for blood trailing.

Note: I did book an elk hunt and later cancelled after making several calls to many experts and doing a Satellite image review with Google Earth Pro. It was a featureless flat dessert landscape and I wanted more photogenic landscape with hills and trees for the many thousands of dollars it would cost.  I’ll keep looking.

Good Hunting!

©Copyright 2021

 

 

 

Is The .375 Ruger A Good Brown Bear Gun?

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A search on the web by a hunter asks;

Is the .375 Ruger a good brown bear gun?

The .375 Ruger is used world wide to take many dangerous and non-dangerous game species. Here in North America, I believe it excels at taking giant Kodiak brown bear.

It has 6% more powder case capacity than the mighty .375 Holland and Holland Magnum, made famous in Africa. The .375 Ruger is not a belted cartridge and easily feeds in a standard length bolt action. Racking a second round is faster perhaps than the Holland round. And you just may need it. 

I have owned and hunted with this rifle caliber in the Ruger M77 African for several years. I love it!

Below I was in training for my Newfoundland Moose Hunt with it in my Bog Death Grip. I was shooting 300 grain Nosler AccuBonds at 150 yards. 

It did the trick with one shot on this smaller antlered adult bull moose at 100 yards in a 20 -30 mph snow squall. He stood bewildered for a moment and fell dead right there (DRT as they say). With a Pachmayr Decelerator Recoil Pad, its like shooting a 30-06. Free standing the recoil is more of a hard push. Accuracy? It shoots sub-MOA, less than an inch at 100 yards.

Shot placement, is key.

On brown bear I would opt for a Hornady DGX (Dangerous Game Expanding Load). It costs about $70 dollars for a box of 20 rounds. I shot some DGX while testing the Ruger African at 50 yards on a bench rest. All three rounds in the same hole. That put a smile on my face!

https://www.hornady.com/bullets/rifle/375-cal-.375-300-gr-dgx-bonded#!/

Remember, A bullet in the foot of a brown bear will just enrage him. You have to place that bullet in the heart/lung area. Head brain shots are not recommended. Besides, you can’t enter a blown apart skull in Boone and Crocket record book. Practice with at least 3 shot fast groups to learn to work the bolt. If the bear is closer than 50 yards, you may likely need that skill. 

Below are some questions the experts in Alaska answer.

http://www.adfg.alaska.gov/index.cfm?adfg=kodiakbear.ko+

iakfaqs#shoot

Hope that helps!

Good Hunting!

©Copyright 2021

6.5 Creedmoor: Hand-Loaded Nosler 129g ABLR and Hornady 160g Round Nose Deer Hunt Combo? Update at 150 yards

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On my northern Maine deer hunt this fall,  I want options.  I am sold that my Weatherby Vanguard 6.5 CM with my Hornady 160 grain round nose is great for a shorter range woods hunt. The round nose has more knockout punch inside of 100 yards and is not as deflectable in brush as a spitzer. However, it limits me to just short range of say 150 yards.

Ok, suppose I am in an elevated stand that overlooks a clear-cut that is 300 yards of open stumps and out walks a wall hanger buck at 280 yards.

With just the 160 grain set-up, I would not be able to attempt a  shot.  Accordingly, I loaded up some 129 grain Nosler AccuBond Long Range bullets that I had in my cupboard to see where they would impact my 160 grain round nose scope set up at 100 yards. Guess What? The 129 grain heads hit the exact same spot as the 160 grain heads. What? Yes they did! What does that mean? It means that I can use either bullet at closer range but, more importantly, it means that I can use the 129 grain Nosler ABLR for longer range open shots with minor elevation adjustments. Wow!

I hand loaded the 129 grain Nosler ABLR’s with a near-max load of Hodgdon H4350. COL was set at 2.75 inches.  The bullets exit the barrel at just over 2800 fps and group at 1 MOA at 100 yards. I put the data into JBM Ballistics Trajectory calculator. And if I adjust the elevation to 1.8 inches high at 100 yards it is basically zeroed for 200 yards. My maximum point blank range (MPBR) is 280 yards. At 280 yards, as seen below, that 129 grain bullet delivers 1500 ft-lbs of energy. Plenty for a big whitetail deer.

UPDATE: After writing this article, I bench-rested one cold shot of each load at 150 yards with a 100 yard zero waiting 10 minutes between shots and degreased the already clean barrel at each shot. The 129 grain Nosler ABLR was dead center low by 1 inch. The 160 grain RN Hornady fell just over 2 inches from dead center. Both bullets were just over an inch apart.

Honestly, I think it is astonishing that both a light and heavy bullet of different head designs and loaded with different powders, different speeds/ballistic coefficients and cartridge overall lengths can be so close to one another, essentially striking the same spot out to 150 yards. I think a clean barrel that has been solvent degreased contributed to the accuracy of these cold shots as well and eliminated a barrel cleanliness variable. Gravity and the aerodynamic drag (BC) of the round nose beyond 150 yards will make it fall faster (19 inches) and lose deer killing energy at 300 yards. The 129 grain Nosler ABLR will lose little energy, and drop 7.5 inches at 300 yards. And can reach beyond 400 yards with sufficient energy as seen in the 129 grain data below. Which bullet do you think, inside of 100 yards will deliver more energy inside the deer? I think the round nose wins that one. But from say beyond 150 yards the 129 grain Nosler takes over the most energy delivered inside the deer. 

See the JBM Ballistics Output Data below. https://www.jbmballistics.com/cgi-bin/jbmtraj-5.1.cgi

 

Output Data
Elevation: 5.314 MOA Windage: 0.000 MOA
Atmospheric Density: 0.08269 lb/ft³ Speed of Sound: 1073.7 ft/s
Maximum PBR: 280 yd Maximum PBR Zero: 239 yd
Range of Maximum Height: 135 yd Energy at Maximum PBR: 1549.1 ft•lbs
Sectional Density: 0.264 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 *** 2810.0 2.617 2261.4 0.000 0.0 ***
25 -0.2 -0.9 0.0 0.1 2764.4 2.575 2188.6 0.027 0.9 3.6
50 0.7 1.4 0.2 0.3 2719.3 2.533 2117.8 0.054 1.9 3.6
75 1.4 1.8 0.4 0.4 2674.7 2.491 2048.9 0.082 2.9 3.7
100 1.8 1.7 0.6 0.6 2630.6 2.450 1981.8 0.110 3.9 3.7
125 1.8 1.4 1.0 0.8 2586.9 2.409 1916.6 0.139 4.9 3.7
150 1.6 1.0 1.4 0.9 2543.7 2.369 1853.1 0.168 5.9 3.8
175 1.0 0.5 2.0 1.1 2500.9 2.329 1791.3 0.198 7.0 3.8
200 -0.0 -0.0 2.6 1.2 2458.6 2.290 1731.1 0.228 8.0 3.8
225 -1.3 -0.6 3.3 1.4 2416.6 2.251 1672.5 0.259 9.1 3.9
250 -3.0 -1.1 4.1 1.6 2375.1 2.212 1615.5 0.290 10.2 3.9
275 -5.1 -1.8 5.0 1.8 2333.9 2.174 1560.0 0.322 11.3 3.9
300 -7.5 -2.4 6.1 1.9 2293.2 2.136 1506.1 0.355 12.5 4.0
325 -10.4 -3.1 7.2 2.1 2252.9 2.098 1453.5 0.388 13.6 4.0
350 -13.7 -3.7 8.4 2.3 2212.9 2.061 1402.5 0.421 14.8 4.0
375 -17.5 -4.4 9.7 2.5 2173.4 2.024 1352.8 0.455 16.0 4.1
400 -21.7 -5.2 11.1 2.7 2134.2 1.988 1304.5 0.490 17.3 4.1

 

22-Jul-21 07:55, JBM/jbmtraj-5.1.cgi

Even if I don’t make any adjustment to the scope for the 100 yard zero using 160 grain scope setup , I am only 3.5 inches low at 200 yards with the Nosler, still in the kill zone, but I need a steady field rest to make those distant shots. I have a walking stick with a pop up V  rest that I have used before from an elevated stand that works well. I used it similarly from an elevated stand to take a lone spike buck at near to 300 yards a few years back. It looks like I will take both bullets on this hunt. Brush hunt with the Hornady RN and Clear-Cut hunt with the Nosler.

Good Hunting!

©Copyright 2021

Hunter Value of Hornady 6.5mm 160 grain InterLock Round Nose Loads in Forest Terrain

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This 6.5mm InterLock® Round Nose was designed for shorter ranges say under 150 yards in forest terrain on deer, bear and even moose. This round nose, maximizes delivered energy (like a hammer) more so than a spitzer for the same distances.  With some luck,  I did find some bullets on-line and made a purchase. One of the outstanding attributes of heavy 6.5mm bullets is that the Sectional Density (SD) of say 160 grain 6.5mm bullet is about 0.328. It translates to bullet penetration, in spades. Couple that wallop of penetration at the get-go with a round nose and you get a huge mushrooming bullet that acts like a plow that resists deflection and exits leaving a significant wound channel and blood trail that is easy to see.

I endeavored to find an accurate load for the Hornady 160 grain for my 6.5 Creedmoor rifle. I worked up and hand loaded 43 grains of WIN 760 powder per the 8th Edition Hornady Manual. and achieved a one inch group at 100 yards delivering over 2635 fps. This powder produces one of the fastest and accurate loads.  This is slow compared to say a 130 grain spitzer traveling at 2900 fps but the slower, heavier 160 grain has far more penetration on larger big game. The Swede’s use it on their moose in the 6.5×55 Mauser cartridge that is very similar to the 6.5 Creedmoor! Just keep your shots short to say 150 yards.

This bullet fills a niche for shorter range big game and I hope it stays. It is a great New England round in the northern spruce of New Hampshire or Maine for those who hand load the 6.5, like myself.

I have found that Hodgdon has a helpful on line load listing for Pistol, Rifle, and Shotgun by going to the reloading data center at https://imrpowder.com/

Below is an article I have written on Flat Nose and Round nose bullets that adds to your understanding.

Flat Nose and Round Nose Bullets for Big Game

There are new powders to try too. Have fun!

Good Shooting!

©Copyright 2021

 

 

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

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As I have written in recent articles, round nose and flat point bullets in short range thick brush environments, can deliver more immediate impact energy to the big game you are hunting at shorter ranges under 200 yards than with some of the long range designed spitzer bullets. The reloading issue is, to get a round or flat nose bullet in a bottleneck cartridge, you must find the bullet and hand load it. Sadly, many round/flat nose bullets are no longer manufactured or are reduced to special manufacture runs. The Lapua Mega 155 grain flat points have a brass jacket and are very hard to find, if at all. The Lapua Reloading Manual is no longer available.

Accordingly, I had to determine the cartridge overall length – COL to the lands in my rifle,  which are 2.68 inches and then I back off the lands to 2.64 inches. I used a spent case and pinched the opening to hold a bullet marked with black magic marker and loaded it in the rifle and closed the bolt. Note: Hornady says COL Max is 2.8 inches for the spitzers. My max COL is much less. Caution: Each rifle may be different. These calculations and data are for my rifle only, a Weatherby Vanguard Weatherguard with a 24 inch barrel topped with a Leupold VX-3. 

My research of reloading data found that Sierra and Hornady had some data for 150, 153 grain and 160 grain bullets. Powders were typical, such as IMR 4350, H4350, IMR 4831 but one powder stood out, it was Hodgdon’s Superformance powder. The powder was published by Hornady for the 153 grain A-Tip Match up to 42. 9 grains max load providing 2650 fps. Superformance allowed me to work up a load safely to higher energy than the other powders but not at max load. 

I did so in half grain increments beginning with 39.5 grains and looking for any signs of overpressure like a really flat primer or gas leaks. I did so with 2 shots for each 1/2 grain increment followed by case and primer inspection, all was normal. I stopped at 41 grains and loaded three rounds for group. I did not chrono these but based on the 153 grain data by Hornady I was in the 2550 fps range. The primers were still rounded and not flattened.  Here is my group at 41 grains of Superformance at 75 yards, no wind. Looks like 1/2 inch group. Nice!

Below is the Trajectory and Energy table at 2550 fps. Delivered energy for elk is said to be 1500 ft-lbs, thus we are good for elk at 180 yards. 

This load is for Northern Whitetails with a flat-point, should mushroom very well. It will be devastating on a 300 pound whitetail buck at under 100 yards at 1800 to 1900 ft-lbs,  A Hammer in anyone’s book!

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 *** 2550.0 2.375 2237.6 0.000 0.0 ***
25 -0.3 -1.2 0.1 0.2 2487.5 2.317 2129.2 0.030 1.0 4.0
50 0.5 1.0 0.3 0.5 2425.9 2.259 2025.1 0.060 2.1 4.1
75 1.0 1.3 0.6 0.8 2365.2 2.203 1925.0 0.092 3.2 4.1
100 1.1 1.0 1.1 1.0 2305.3 2.147 1828.8 0.124 4.4 4.2
125 0.8 0.6 1.7 1.3 2246.3 2.092 1736.4 0.157 5.5 4.2
150 -0.0 -0.0 2.5 1.6 2188.1 2.038 1647.6 0.191 6.7 4.3
175 -1.2 -0.7 3.4 1.9 2130.8 1.985 1562.4 0.225 7.9 4.3
200 -2.9 -1.4 4.5 2.2 2074.3 1.932 1480.6 0.261 9.2 4.4

 

I compared this Energy data to my earlier article on my downloaded .375 Ruger. See below. 

Speer Hot Core Semi-Spitzer 235 g 375 Ruger Downloaded for Big Northern Whitetails Or…

The 6.5 Creedmoor with the Lapua Mega 155 grain Flat Point is the clear winner for energy, and will mushroom on the entrance of the hide, but either cartridge and bullet will do the job well for the loads discussed. 

Good Hunting!

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Lost in Deep Woods or Just Turned Around – You Need to Think Clearly

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I was hunting deer with my brother and a friend in New Brunswick, Canada, up near Plaster Rock, years ago ( before Cell phones and GPS) along a logging trail the had ribbon marked offshoots. I found buck tracks crossing the logging trail and followed them beyond the ribbon marked trails. It was late afternoon, the terrain was mixed forest with small hills and hummocks. I prided myself in the past for memorizing my backtrail, often making it easy to find my way back. But here, I was interested in finding that buck.

It was getting dark and I had to call it quits when my nose detected tarsal gland scent. He is here, I thought. I stood looking at every bush, tree, sapling to find an antler, a nose, a tail but found none. Thoughts of getting out were taking over my deer focused brain, so I backtracked some and thought I recognized the small hillside. So I went over the hill. On the other side I did not recognize the terrain. What? It was at that moment when it dawned on me that I was turned around, lost my trail etc.

I could have kept going but I realized that I could easily parallel the logging trail and never cut it. Was I too far off the logging trail? No, I thought, but how best to get out?  My brother and friend were likely headed back to camp just 500 yards up the logging trail. I decided to stop and make a campfire as darkness fell. Luckily, I had a knife and camp hatchet and plenty of matches with me. Making the fire was easy with paper birch bark every where. I thought that guessing the direction to go was not in my best interest. I was thinking clearly. Sit tight, I thought, they will come and find me soon.

I was hunting with a 30-06 and had several rounds. One of the signals of a lost or turned around hunter is 3 spaced shots in sequence. I had a nice fire going and let off a single round at first. Then I heard a round fired in the distance. I returned fire. After several minutes I heard another round and I returned firing in the air.  It wasn’t long when I saw some flashlights and a lantern. All the while they  must be thinking I am sitting on a huge buck, but no, just enjoying my large campfire. You ok? “Yes, but I got turned around is all, and thought it best to just sit tight.” Good for you, we were not far from the logging trail.  All was well and some hot food. I was good to go.

Epilogue

I wasn’t lost but was feeling that creepy lost feeling even knowing I was not far off the trail. Staying calm was my priority. It is amazing how building a nice fire lifted my spirits, like having a friend.

I didn’t know it but I was using the STOP Method.

When you’re in a panic, your brain stops working, too. Thus, fear sets in and you can’t help making bad actions and judgment.

Stop what you’re doing at the moment and on that note, the acronym STOP really works well.

  • Sit. Stop what you’re doing and have a drink because a refreshing drink will help calm you down.
  • Think. Evaluate your situation so you can determine if you’re really lost or only feeling lost.
  • Observe. Look around you and evaluate the treats in your surroundings.
  • Plan. After determining your situation, you can now plan your next move or action.

On a deep woods hunt, plan first as if you are going to get lost or turned around. Others should know where you are. Carry enough ammo to use as a signal. Space Blankets and water will keep you warm by a fire and hydrated. For arguments sake lets assume no one is coming, because of poor planning. What do you do? Build a fire and a survival shelter nearby. Can you build a survival shelter, lean to, spruce bow tent?

If not I would read up on shelters…

Good Hunting!

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