Category Archives: Recoil and Flinching

Great Deer Cartridges for New Hampshire Deer

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Here in New Hampshire we have a variety of fields and forests. There are southern zones that do not allow rifle hunting however with that said, calibers such as the 243 Winchester to 300 Winchester Magnum and everything in between are great choices. Young and women hunters are often seen with the 243 Winchester and 6mm as they has very low recoil and great deer killing energy with a well placed shot. These are not ideal for heavy brush. Next is the 7mm-08 (based on the .308 Winchester case and necked down) and all the new and old 6.5mm cartridges but still not great for heavy brush. These are also easy on the recoil and bullets weigh more and have better penetration with a bit more recoil.

The 7mm cartridge’s are geared for longer range and higher energies, such as the well known 7mm Remington magnum.  Perhaps one of the most often used cartridges is the .308 Winchester, hard hitting and medium recoil. Northern hunters opt for the .270 Winchester, 30-06 Springfield, and 300 Winchester Magnum because of their fire power. But these aforementioned cartridge’s come with lots more recoil. Recoil sensitive shooters should stay away from these cartridges unless hand loaded down in power, something I am very good at.

As far as bullets go, I prefer bonded bullets, where the copper jacket is bonded to the lead, which makes for a bullet that mushrooms correctly and stays together. If you hand load your cartridge then the world is your oyster for bullet choices. My favorites are the Nosler Partition and the Nosler AccuBond. The latter is my go-to big game bullet. Veteran hunters who prowl in heavy timber use larger calibers in the 40 or 50 caliber class. My brother’s thick timber rifle was the venerable 444 Marlin and others shoot the 45-70. Both great cartridges. Often flat points or the newer rubber tipped 240/260 grain heads. Again, if you shoot regularly, consider loading your own ammo as I do. It is great fun and you get to customize the load and bullet for the rifle, the game, and the hunter too.

Good Hunting!

© Copyright 2020

More 375 Ruger Reduced Load data for Deer and Black Bear – Updated

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These websites below offer experienced hand loaders more research options for powders that provide reduced loads in the .375 Ruger for deer and black bear. I use magnum rifle primers in load development to ensure complete ignition. Carefully work up new loads inspecting each case after firing. I do not advocate the data in these websites but provide them for your information and fun to read articles.

https://www.ballisticstudies.com/Knowledgebase/.375+Ruger.html

I do read that A 5744 works well in the .375 Ruger for reduced loads though I have not loaded or shot it.

375 Ruger Reduced Loads from Chuck Hawkes with A5744 Powder below and grain weight loads.

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

IMR 4227 used in Handloader Magazine for 375 Ruger

https://www.handloadermagazine.com/reduced-rifle-loads

Hodgdon Reduced Rifle loads below using the 60% rule with H4895 powder below.

https://hodgdon.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/h4895-reduced-rifle-loads.pdf?_ga=2.52837998.715241781.1595099969-1370190430.1595099968

I am lucky to have purchased one of the last cans of SR 4759 powder and am successfully using that for my deer hunting load development for .375 Ruger.

Good Shooting!

 

Rifles: Want to improve your field hunting accuracy?

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Experienced and successful hunters will tell you, It is not the accuracy at the bench rest that ultimately brings home the wild game.  It is how you and your rifle work together in the field and forest.

Are you training for a field match or to shoot at a game animal.

Photo above, I took this South African SCI Gold Medal Kudu with a Ruger M77 with VX III Leupold scope with .338 Win mag and 250 grain Nosler Partition bullets.  My training paid off, big time! I practiced in the field, off-hand, and could fire and keep 4 rapid shots on a pie plate at 80 yards. Of course plains game was often at 200 plus yards and may be out to 300 and 400. Your Professional Hunter – PH will tell you if your up for the shot or get you closer. Most opt for closer, say 200-250 yards.

It is very often the case that you will only get one shot.

Make it count!

First, bullseye targets do not move, but wild game does! Yes it sounds intuitive but it is often overlooked. Over the years I believe, the key to shooting accurately in the field is to know when your trigger will break and what clothes/jackets you will wear for hunting so that you will know in advance if you need to adjust “length of pull” to prevent snags. And finally to “understand” the felt recoil of your rifle.  That  comes with shooting and practicing in field conditions at the distances you expect to shoot. Are you using a tripod, bipod, shooting sticks or your backpack to use as a rest? If so, then practice with it. So many variables, right? 

Length of Pull -The top of your list should be length of pull (LOP), trigger break in pounds, and having an adequate recoil pad and cheek weld.  Most rifle hunters today use a scope, If the scope is too high then your cheek weld will float around and so will your shots. Typical LOP for a rifle is around 13.25 to 13.75 inches. Again, what clothing jacket are you wearing? 

Triggers today are often adjustable in the 2.5 to 6 pound range. Most experienced  hunter like a trigger at around three to four pounds. Having too light a trigger with cold fingers can cause you to not feel the trigger very well and result in accidental discharges. Conversely, a heavy trigger can cause you to miss game that is moving, by not knowing when the trigger will break. How to determine what is right for you… takes some shooting awareness when you “think” the trigger will break and fire but doesn’t. The closer you and your trigger agree is where you want to set your trigger. Keep in  mind that you are hunting, not target shooting. Many gun-shops will often have a trigger scale to test the break point of your trigger. I own a digital scale and use it regularly. 

Recoil Pads today on newer rifles are better than a decade or two ago. Most can reduce felt recoil by half. Older rifles often need harder rubber pads replaced. Why? Less recoil translates directly to improved accuracy. Shooting a .375 H&H with a state of the art recoil pad is like shooting a 30-06 or .270. Shooting smarter not harder! 

Cheek weld for scopes is vital and often overlooked. If your cheek does not make solid contact with the comb of your rifle then your eye is floating as it looks through a scope.  At 50 yard that may still work for you but at over 100 yards it can mean a clean miss. There are many devices out there as add-on’s for bringing your cheek higher and allow ideal eye alignment with your scope. 

These variables are just a few of the vital aspects of good accuracy. Then comes breathing, trigger squeeze and understanding recoil. 

Even the best game shots stay the best because they practice. 

Good Hunting!

© Copyright 2020

Cold Bore or Just the Shooter?

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Many of us have experienced the first shot of your rifle prints a little high and the rest settle into a group. Part of it is perhaps a cold shooter too. I have experienced this but I do not believe that I am the cause, all the time. New shooters more than veteran shooters experience lots more variation in shot placement on cold shots. Do you have a flinch? Some do! Do you know on the first shot where your trigger will break? Did you yank the trigger? No!

Some rifle barrels do this high and right thing, again in my 50 years of shooting, particularly thinner barrels. Call it what you want, temperature can change harmonics of a thin barrel more so than a thicker one on the first shot. Further that cleaning and shooting that first shot will go through the barrel faster and differently, hence it is wise to fowl your barrel with a few rounds. An article suggested running a bore snake before shooting or to run an alcohol patch. I don’t think that is necessary and neither do those that depend on the first shot.

Know your rifle on first shots and if necessary and adjust accordingly by adjusting your aim point on that shot. If you are shooting a 600 yard match and you are off by an inch (1 moa) at 100 yards then you are off by 6 inches at 600 yards. adjust the aim point for it without touching your scope. Again, know your rifle and ammo diet. That means putting shots on the target regularly. Every rifle is different…

Dry firing practice helps before shooting for groups! It aids in knowing where your trigger breaks. If your trigger is heavy, think that a new trigger can help!

Good Shooting!

© 2018

Prediction – 6.5 Creedmoor Cartridge will overshadow the .243 Winchester by Ed Hale

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I owned a .243 Winchester and tested a few Rifles in that Caliber for my New Hampshire Rifleman Magazine. I loved the accuracy and low recoil but it always nagged at me that bullet weight and CXP Criteria Limited the Cartridge to deer size game. Hornady’s HIT’s Calculator does the same. I entered 110 grains bullet, .243 diameter and velocity 2700 fps at impact and got a HIT value of 790 making it a medium game deer cartridge or smaller.

http://www.hornady.com/hits/calculator

On the other hand with the 6.5 Creedmoor at 129 grains and Impact at 2700 fps it puts me into large game for 100 yard impact velocities with very similar low recoil. Further, that the sectional density SD of the .243 Winchester is .242 or less and does not have enough weight for its diameter to “reliably” penetrate sufficiently on larger game such as elk.

I tested rifles with 6.5 Creedmoor and found them easy to shoot and low recoil yet todays bullet advances make it ideal for both target and hunting with the 140 to 143 grain bullet on big game above deer. But I still consider it for thin skinned game like elk and big black bear and close-up, under 100 yards for big moose broadside only. Where it shines is long range! With an extremely low drag bullet it is fantastic for energy retention. I own a Ruger American Predator in 6.5 Creedmoor and simply love its accuracy and low recoil yet can take a broadside moose in the right hands with good shot placement. Accordingly, I sold my .243 Winchester.

See the Chuck Hawks website below on Sectional Density

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

In the case of the 6.5 Creedmoor the SD is .287 with a 140 grain bullet providing ample penetration for its weight vs diameter on CXP 3 size game and the 143 grain Hornady ELD-X nearly places it in the Winchester CXP-4 category.

The 6.5 Creedmoor was created for Target and beats the .308 round in long range competition but with Low Drag Ammo the 6.5 Creedmoor shines in Long Range Hunting for Big Game like Elk and African Plains Game like Kudu and game under the Eland.

Recommended Energies for Moose are 2500 ft-lbs but that hasn’t stopped the .270 and 30-06 hunters from using these rifle cartridges on Moose at over 100 yards and believe the 6.5 Creedmoor will kill moose cleanly at 100 yards or less with a well placed broadside shot.

There is one attribute that Jack O’Connor, a great hunting mentor,  would be greatly pleased with, and that is low recoil, thus allowing for very accurate bullet placement. This he discussed this incessantly in regard to the .270 Winchester with 130 grain bullets.

In conclusion the .243 Winchester’s recoil as compared to the 6.5 Creedmoor is a little less but so is its limit on game hunted. Thus I predict over time the 6.5 Creedmoor which is supremely accurate and delivers CXP3 energy and high SD for deep penetration will overtake the .243 in future sales but will not erase the  millions of rifles chambered in 243 Winchester for CXP2 or less size game.

© 2017 All Rights Reserved.

 

 

 

New Hampshire Rifleman Magazine winning Ruger, Hornady and Leupold Combination by Ed Hale

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New Hampshire Rifleman’s winning combination is the Ruger American – Predator Rifle in 6.5 Creedmoor winning Hornady bullet and winning Leupold VX-6 3-18x 44mm CDS scope.

The Rifle

The rifle that won my value driven pocket book is the Ruger American for under $400 dollars yet shoot sub-Minute of Angle at 100 yards as my Test Rifle. Not long ago it took a few thousand dollars to shoot groups like that. Adjustable Trigger, floating barrel and so much more that you have to read the spec sheet below. http://ruger.com/products/americanRiflePredator/specSheets/6973.html

In particular I have tested two of the rifles, one in 243 Winchester and the other in 6.5mm Creedmoor in the Predator series. Both shot sub MOA out of the box and both were in the $400 price range. Exceptional performance from these rifles was uncanny. I bought them both but later sold the .243 as recoil was similar to the 6.5 Creedmoor and it delivered more energy punch hands down. Wow! Accuracy? We got it!

The Cartridge

The 6.5 Creedmoor Cartridge is just slightly smaller than the .308 Winchester yet with a 143 grain bullet at 1000 yards it beats the long standing military champ .308 or 7.62 NATO in both trajectory and wind deflection. As a first time 1000 yard shooter, I was able to break 8 inch balloons at 1000 yards. If you couple that with an Extremely Low Drag Bullet you have a fabulous combo for Target, as that was the original intent of the cartridge, but what about Hunting? The 6.5mm Creedmoor can handle a wider array of big game bullet weights than the 6mm/243 Winchester. I suspect the 6.5 will in time overshadow the 6mm at least as a big game hunting round as it delivers a bullet in the .270 Winchester class with the mild recoil of a 6mm. Of course bullet velocities are a bit slower. The .270 Winchester is still a faster bullet as is the 7mm Remington Magnum but at a higher cost of recoil as well.

The Bullet

Hornady Precision Hunter ELD-X™ in 143 grain with new Heat Shield™ Tips Patent Pending with AMP® Advanced Manufacturing Process. Mushroom design as low as 1800 fps and stays together out of the barrel. ACCURATE-DEADLY-DEPENDABLE

In testing by Hornady, the Hornady Precision Hunter ELD-X™ Extremely Low Drag Bullet has a very impressive G1 Ballistic Coefficient of .625/ G7 BC .315 for hunting at any distance within the delivered Energy Envelope for the game hunted such as 1000 ft-lb for deer 1500 ft-lb for Elk size game. Click the video below.

 

The Target

 

The Scope

Leupold VX-6 3-18x44mm Side Focus CDS see the VX-6 video below

 

https://youtu.be/t9ocquk0m7Y

The most expensive item was the scope. The VX-6 is unparalleled in quality and zoom and has dual erector springs that are vital in a far off hunt. This scope raises the bar in optical quality. You can spend more, but you will likely not get more dollar for dollar.  It is a scope for all time, near or far it is my best scope to date. It’s versatility, reliability was nearly unimaginable just a few years back.  Retail $850 to $1430 and worth every penny. Leupold Scopes are All American Made!

A perfect 10 combination for a big game hunter for deer, elk and African Plains game with low recoil. And my grandkids can shoot it!

Put a Ruger American-Predator Rifle Combo under your Christmas tree!

Good Hunting!

© 2016

 

 

 

 

Best Handloaded 30 Cal Picks for Deer and Bear

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What is best in 30 cal for deer and bear depends on your likes and dislikes. Likes would be a round that has ample penetration and energy at ranges out to say 300 yards. That would be the 30-06 and .308 Winchester.  At less distances the 30-30 Winchester is a low recoil rifle that often is in a lever action model such as the Marlin 30-30.  From a reloading perspective, brass from any of these 30 calibers is readily available. Bullets range in weights from 110 grains to 220 grains for the .308 and 30-06 and best of all you get to choose the bullet like the Nosler AccuBond or the Hornady InterBond that are so well constructed. Other manufacturers are aplenty so there are more choices. For years I shot game with Nosler Partitions a great choice! The AccuBond and IB from Nosler and Hornady respectively have a high ballistic coefficient (BC) for long range use. If shots are under 100 yards then a round nose will act more like a hammer as it enters the vitals. I shot a buck with a round nose at 25 yards and it collapsed and the deer fell stone dead, not taking a step so pointed bullets are not always the norm here in the northeast.

On the Magnum side is the 300 Winchester Magnum, .300 H& H Magnum, the 300 Remington Short Action Ultra Magnum, .308 Norma Magnum and the .300 Winchester Short Magnum to name a few. They can be hand loaded up or down to mimic the .308 or .30-06 energies and velocities and when needed to shoot further at say 600 yards. Most popular of these is perhaps the .300 Winchester Magnum. Most all 30 Cal rifles have the blessing of a wide range of bullets, weights and powders.

If you are not a hand loader then I would stick with cost effective off the shelf ammo and rifles in .308, 30-06 and 30-30. You can go into any store that sells ammo and find these cartridges cost effectively anywhere.

Tips for new shooters and veterans alike  is to make sure that the recoil pad is one of the newer high tech recoil pads that absorb up to 50% of felt recoil. Simms SVL and Pachmayr Decelerator sell slip on pad and mounted pads that will be sure to make you smile instead of wince at the shot.

In closing, I have opted to shoot magnum calibers that I can hand load down to .308 or .30-06 or even the 30-30 level as long as accuracy does not suffer.  If you wish to compete at long range then the .308 Winchester is widely available and a best choice for brass availability.

Make every shot count!  ©2015

A Box of Gold – The Leupold VX-6

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cropped-a-box-of-gold.jpg

This is a rifleman’s “Box of Gold.” Inside this box is a device known to rifle hunters World Wide. It contains a Leupold Gold Ring Scope arguably one of the finest rifle scopes on planet earth with its Quantum Optical System. NH Rifleman will test it!

Leupold VX-6 3-18x50

 

This scope is in 3 -18x44mm CDS riflescope with an Illuminated Boone and Crockett Reticle. (Photo from Leupold.) CDS stands for Custom Dial System and a dial can be created free that will be for your best bullet and with a twist dial your yardage. More later.

 

Above is the Boone and Crockett reticle (image from Leupold) and power selector values for cartridges (more on that later). Also visible is the 10 mph shift posts we will use in testing

The Box of Gold also contains an instruction guide, Scope caps and a neoprene cover are the other gems included.  When I was a kid, most hunters that had a scope shot 3 power or 4 power fixed. Then the industry produced a 3-9 power that was affordable, and filled the tube with nitrogen, an inert gas to prevent internal fogging. Today, Leupold uses second generation waterproofing exclusively using a blend of Argon/Krypton gas. Now with supreme engineering and optical know-how Leupold offers hunter the power of close hunting at say 30 yards with the 3x all the way to 600 yards up to 18x. A new way to sing “You Got The Power”, a scope that is best of both short and long-range hunting and target shooting. In the coming months we will talk again and again of our experience with this world-class scope on the Ruger and Savage rifles.  In my testing will include the internal twin bias erector system that can handle most any caliber in the field or in the African bush. Look for more on this scope soon!

 

 

 

Taking the Rifles for a Walk at the Range.

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Its early spring, March 25, 2015, the weather is sunny at 40 º F and the wind is 5 to 10 mph, a great day either walk your dog or take your rifles to the range. Today I am taking two rifles out for a walk as it were. These rifles sat in silence for a few months while old-man-winter dumped a record amount of snow on us here in southern New Hampshire.

First Rifle out, is my Ruger American in .243 Winchester.

ruger american bench rested

The Ruger American is a highly cost effective solution for deer and bear hunters. At last look it was under $400 bucks. It has a Leupold 2-7 power VX-3 on it. I really like these scopes as a long term investment!  Also, I like my Ruger American in .243 Winchester too as recoil is very light and delivers lots of accuracy and energy for the investment. Over the last fall I have worked up hand loads shooting Sierra 100 grain spitzers that are just tack driving accurate at top speeds for deer hunting out to about 300 yards (for a southern bean-field deer hunt)  keeping the long range 300 yard energy near to 1000 ft-lbs for adequate penetration and velocity in the 2000 ft-sec for mushrooming of the bullet on impact. This I know because I used JBM Ballistic Software on the web at http://www.jbmballistics.com/cgi-bin/jbmtraj-5.1.cgi

So I shot a three shot group at 150 yards at bench rest and kept the groups at 1 inch. Wow! Very Impressive! Two of the shots were clustered at 1/4 inch. These are near max loads and were shot at a temperature of 40 degrees F. As summer comes on and temperature rises I need to pay closer attention to case inspection for signs of slight over pressure, though I think the loads will be fine, it is best to be a good observer.  In the fall when temperatures drop back to 40 or below this load will bring meat to the table and with some luck, something with antlers too. Little wind and the kind of steady rest are critical for shots beyond say 150 yards. My trigger breaks at just under 3 pounds on the Ruger American so I can more easily predict near the break of the trigger.

 

Next Rifle out is my M77 Ruger African in .375 Ruger with a Leupold VX-3 in 3×9 with a Pachmayr Decelerator® slip on recoil pad. http://www.pachmayr.com/home/deceleraton-slip.php . With this Pad, the rifle shoots like a 30:06 instead. Very nice indeed.

375 Ruger and Leupold VX-III side view

I knew that it was shooting the 235 grain Speer Hot Core well at just over 2400 fps as I chronographed them this past fall.

I took a shot and made a slight adjustment and then two more shots nearly overlapping placing them at 5/8 inch apart at 150 yards a half inch above the bullseye, looking like a pair of eyes and smiley face with the bullseye looking more like a mouth just below the eyes.

 

This is a deer, bear or moose load, a light load for this cartridges capability.

This rifle is sub-moa accurate for many of my pet hand loads.

Ok, nuff of a walk and very happy. © 2105

Calculate Your Rifle’s Recoil

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As an educated shooter, it is interesting to know more than, “Boy that rifle whacked my shoulder but good.” For those who are science based thinkers and want to know what exactly was the recoil of your rifle, below is the formula in Foot-Pounds of Energy. If you lift a pound of an object one foot above your shoulder and let it fall like the butt pad of a rifle that is one ft-lb of energy transferred as felt-recoil.

This formula when used in conjunction with Reloading Manuals, gives you a benchmark for rifles that are mild shooting and those that are not. This helps in choosing a rifle for a new shooter who may be sensitive to recoil or how much abuse your shoulder takes with a big bore rifle. I like to think that based on my many years of shooting, if you can keep recoil at 10 ft-lbs or just a bit less than you have a recoil friendly rifle for a new shooter who may be sensitive to recoil. Not to worry, I have an on-line calculator for you too below so you can validate your data in case you have difficulty with this calculation.

Recoil Calculation Formula

Recoil in Ft- Lb  =    ((((Wb+(Wp x 1.75)) x Vm)/Wr)/7000)^2 x Wr  / 64.4

 

Where:

Wb = Weight of Bullet in grains

Wp = Weight of powder in grains

Vm = Muzzle Velocity in fps

Wr = Weight of Rifle in pounds

Ga = Acceleration of gravity 64.4 fps/sec

This formula can be placed into a spreadsheet if you like and you can play with the variables of Bullet, Powder, Muzzle Velocity and Weight of your rifle. Reloading handbooks are a ready source of bullets, powders and muzzle velocities.

Here is an example for a 243 Winchester:

Wb=100 grains

Wp=43 grains

Vm=2900 fps

Wr=8 pounds

Take the weight of the powder and multiply by a factor of 1.75 = 75.25.  Add this to the weight of the bullet 100 + 75.25 = 175.25. Now multiply this by the muzzle velocity 175.25 X 2900 = 508225. Take the 508225 and divide it by the weight of the rifle in pounds. 508225/8 pounds = 63528.125. Now divide this by 7000 grains per pound. 63528.125/7000 = 9.075. Ok, we are almost there. Now square this result 9.075^2 = 82.355. Multiply this by the weight of the rifle in pounds, 82.355 x 8 = 658.845. Finally divide this by the acceleration of gravity 64.4 fps/sec = 10.23 ft-lbs Recoil. I rounded these numbers a bit in my spreadsheet and got 9.9 ft-lbs recoil, a tenth of a pound difference. Or use this calculator below which does it easily and includes products like recoil velocity and recoil impulse. This is a great way to validate the formula findings. If you round your intermediate data it may vary slightly from the on-line calculator.

http://www.shooterscalculator.com/recoil-calculator.php

Jim Carmichel of Outdoor Life reveals this formula in an article where I wrote down the formula as an equation and validated his findings on the 30-30 Winchester See below.

http://www.outdoorlife.com/articles/guns/rifles/2007/09/calculate-recoil-energy

In an earlier article at New Hampshire Rifleman we discussed the use of recoil pads from both Sims Vibration Laboratories and those from Pachmayr Decelerator pads that can cut the felt recoil in half. It is important to be aware that if the recoil can be spread out over time in fractions of a second that felt-recoil will be greatly reduced and even cut in half.  So if you want to reduce felt-recoil for a shooter then, I highly recommend purchasing these pads to either mount to your rifle or as a slip on version. I own these pads for  my rifles. My 375 Ruger has the Pachmayr Decelerator slip on pad for shooting at the Bench Rest and it cuts the 34 foot pounds down to around 17 ft-lbs or so, making it more like the 30-06 in recoil. See your local retailer to purchase these pads.

Good Hunting! © 2015