SAKO 85 CARBONLIGHT .

308
WE TEST MOUNTAIN RIFLE IS ALL CLASS
AUSTRALASIAN

P. 34

WWW.SPORTINGSHOOTER.COM.AU JUNE 2017

MEAN SCRUB
LURING BULLS
RUTTING How Much Gun?

REDS
Nick Tells How

HOW TO
Clean a Seventeen
Handload the .308
Make Buff Jerky

REVIEWED
ATHLON Hunting ‘Scopes

MYSTERY DEER OF GIPPSLAND

From The Swamps Of The Subcontinent
 Vital-ShOk
HOLLOW POINT

AUSTRALIAN
MARKET EXCLUSIVE
Federal, the world’s most prolific producer
of ammunition has specifically designed the
new Federal Premium Vital-Shok
Hollow Point ammunition for the Australian hunter.
Loaded with tried and proven Speer Varmint
Hollow Point bullets, the new Vital-Shok produces
explosive performance and is offered in Australia’s
four favourite calibres - .223 Rem, .22-250 Rem,
.243 Win & .308 Win.
The cavernous design of the Speer Varmint Hollow
Point bullets supports rapid expansion, explosive
performance and impressive accuracy.

AVAILAbLE IN ThE foLLowINg

bULLET wEIghTS & CALIbRES:
.223 Rem – 52gr HP
.22-250 Rem – 52gr HP
.243 Win – 75gr HP
.308 Win – 130gr HP
NMD168

www.federalpremium.com www.nioa.com.au
IN THIS
ISSUE JUNE 2017

Satanic Bulls 70
12 70 Ben Kleinig teaches school in a 20
remote North Australian
community and he has learned
not to take hunting of scrub
bulls lightly.

Water Buffalo Jerky 84

David Hughes repates the hunt,
dispatch, butchering and
eventually the jerkey-ing of the
delicious water buffalo. A
useful How-To which imparts
handy transferrable skills.

64
HUNTING
Roaring Reds 12
Ken Harding recounts a
sometimes frustrating, but in
the end rewarding guided
hunt for a mighty stag.
DEPARTMENTS
The Coat Of Arms 28
The magnificent Oryx is the OPENING SHOT 8
antelope that adorns Namibia’s WEB NEWS 10
coat-of-arms and is the subject ASK THE GUN EDITOR 20
of Tim Blackwell plains hunt.
SHOOTER’S SHOWCASE 52
Mulga Monster 42 GAME TRAILS 68
The cryptically-named “Mick GUN LORE 78
o” tells of a day’s fencing which PRACTICAL RELOADING 90
turned into a hunt for a
PARTING SHOT 98
monster boar.

MAIN FEATURE
The red stag is the archetype of
game deer and its range is
spreading in Australia. Hunt them
To Clean A Seventeen 46
The editor’s lately vexed journey
with the .17 Hornet caused him
to analyse and improve on his
rifle cleaning regime. A
revealing How-To for all shooters
keen on effective maintenance.
Mysterious Deer At
Eagle’s Peak 58
Many years ago, a stag of a
species foreign to Australia
was shot in Gippsland. Has it
interbred with sambar since?
Nick explores this enigma.
REVIEWED ON THE COVER
The roar is the best time to hunt
Athlon Hunting reds. They lose their inhibitions and
‘Scopes 64 come to calls … sometimes.
The Athlon Talos 1-4x24 and
Neos 3-9x40 are eminently
suited to stalking rifles.
TEST REPORTS
Sako 85 Carbonlight 34
A Mountain Rifle par
excellence in the journeyman
.308 Winchester chambering.
THINKSTOCK.

wild or with an outfitter and they

are great sport.
34
WWW.SPORTINGSHOOTER.COM.AU | 3
 ANY PLACE
ANY TIME!
Editor: Marcus O’Dean
Email: marcusodean@yaffa.com.au

DIGITAL FACEBOOK
Technical Editor: Nick Harvey
Contributors: Nick Harvey, Marcus O’Dean,
Tony Pizzata, Col Allison, Reid Hjorth,
Michael Gibson, Ken Harding, Tim
Blackwell, Mick-”o”, Ben Kleinig,
David Hughes

search Sporting Shooter facebook.com/ ADVERTISING

National Sales Manager: Tony Pizzata

in Zinio sportingshootermag Tel: (02) 9213 8263

Mobile: 0411 592 389
Fax: (02) 9281 2750
Email: tonypizzata@yaffa.com.au
Advertising Production:
Michelle Carneiro
Tel: (02) 9213 8219
Yaffa Custom Content Director:
Matt Porter
Tel: (02) 9213 8209
Email: mattporter@yaffa.com.au
Marketing Manager:
Chris Hamilton
Tel: (02) 9213 8245
Marketing Executive:
Jasmine Gale
Tel: (02) 9213 8242

SUBSCRIPTIONS
WWW.GREATMAGAZINES.
COM.AU
Call: 1800 807 760
Email: SUBSCRIPTIONS@
YAFFA.COM.AU
Subscription Rates:
1 year / 13 issues $109
1 year PLUS (print + digital) $119.90
Overseas 1 year rate NZ A $115.00
ASIA $120.00
ROW $160.00

ONLINE E-NEWS
Customer Service Manager:
Martin Phillpott
Subscriber Enquiries:
Regan Boff
SPORTING SHOOTER

sportingshootermag. sign up to our is published by Yaffa Media Pty Ltd,

17-21 Bellevue St, Surry Hills, NSW 2010
Tel: (02) 9281 2333

com.au weekly e-Newsletter Fax: (02) 9281 2750

ACN 54002 699 354

Publisher: Chris Yu
Production Director: Matthew Gunn
sign up to our free e-newsletter Art Director: Ana Heraud
WIN A SAVAGE .223
Studio Manager: Lauren Esdaile
AUSTRALASIAN

*AUSTRALIAN READERS ONLY, CONDITIONS APPLY FEDERAL PHOTO COMP P.88

First name
Designer: Ruby Ren
WWW.SPORTINGSHOOTERMAG.COM.AU DECEMBER 2014

BOARS UP
NORTH
HOW TO
Use Scotch

Last name
Predator Calls
TESTED Choose A

Freelance submissions should be addressed to:

LITHGOW ARMS Rifle Stock
CROSSOVER .22 Make A Knife
The Wait Is Over! From Scratch

HUNT
The Editor, Sporting Shooter GPO Box 606, Sydney,
FALLOW
Gear Up, Learn
& Prepare Email address NSW, 2001. Photographic material must be good
$7.95 / NZ $8.20 (incl GST)
PRINT POST APPROVED 100005341
ISSN 1835-6923
12
Vortex Razor Spotting Scope
Federal Aussie Varmint Ammo
REVIEWED
quality JPEG digital photos, slides or prints. Stories
REGISTER
Lyman Gen 6 Dispenser

should be saved on a compact disk or memory stick

9 771835 692005

636B'HFHPEHUBBFRYLQGG 30

as a Microsoft Word document. No responsibility

can be accepted for freelance material.
While the publishers exercise every care with
respect to published figures relating to propellent
powder, loads etc, no responsibility is accepted
for any errors and/or omissions which arise
during the publishing process, or for any damage/
injuries suffered by readers as a consequence.
Reloaders are advised to consult at least two
reputable manuals to cross-check reloading
information before proceeding. Further, neither
YAFFA 05969

the publishers nor the editors accept

responsibility for the accuracy of statements or
opinions expressed by freelance writers.
ISSN 1835-6923
INTRODUCING THE NEW

RIDGELINE
Since its release date, the Ridgeline has quickly became one of our best-selling firearms. It features a
signature, Christensen Arms carbon fiber-wrapped barrel, a spiral-fluted bolt, scalloped bolt knob, and
a carbon fiber composite stock. In addition, the Ridgeline utilizes a bedded recoil lug, invar pillars, and
carries the Christensen Arms Sub-MOA Guarantee.

MADE IN
THE USA
6.3-6.7 LBS SUB MOA GUARANTEE

UNIQUE FEATURES
Barrel Action
Christensen Arms 416R Stainless Steel STD Rem 700 Optics Base Compatible SHOOTING INDUSTRY FOUNDATION OF AUSTRALIA

Aerograde Carbon Fiber Wrapped Barrel

Stainless Steel Radial Brake (Removable)

CHAMBERINGS
22-250 REM 308 WIN 270 WSM 30 NOSLER
243 WIN 28 NOSLER 280 ACKLEY 300 RUM
6.5 CREEDMOOR 7MM-08 30-06
6.5 × 284 NORMA 7 MM REM 300 WIN
26 NOSLER 270 WIN 300 WSM

Find your local Christensen Arms Stockist at: Follow us on Facebook

www.osaaustralia.com.au www.facebook.com/aussiehunters
 OPENING
SHOT A FEW WORDS FROM THE EDITOR
The Tide Is Turning
The face of THE face of politics is looking
different with the increased
politics is support for LAFOs due to their
looking different growing political clout.
I have been talking regularly
with the with the redoubtable Ron
increased Owen, of Owen Guns in
Gympie. He has been tireless
support for in fighting injustice against
legal firearms owners in
LAFOs due to Queensland and more recently
their growing he has been upbeat about the
way grassroots voluntary
political clout. organisations and political
parties are gaining traction
because they are a huge voting
block in Queensland and they
are mobilising through social
media and pressuring
governments. In Queensland
the fledgling SFFP is working
in cooperation with the
established and very effective
Queensland Shooters Union to
wind back regressive,
repressive and just plain
ON THIS PAGE vindictive regulation of law
Image from the foyer of the abiding shooters.
brand new Owen Guns Museum Back in NSW, Victoria and
in Gympie. WA, many of the inner-city
8 | SPORTING SHOOTER _ JUNE 2017
elites think the Shooters
Fishers and Farmers Party
(SFFP) are hamstrung by a
base of gun politics, but
nothing could be further from
the truth for Robert Borsak
MLC and our new MLA for
Orange, Phil Donato. The
quote, “All politics is local,” is
attributed to US House
Speaker Thomas P. “Tip”
O'Neill, Jr. (1912-1994), who
used the saying in his first
political campaign, in 1935.
Yes, it is in regional NSW,
where the NSW Government'
foray into council
amalgamations and greyhound
racing bans that SFFP has
gained a toehold and coming
rural by-elections may well
echo the Orange experience,
yielding more widespread,
grassroots support for the
party founded on shooters'
rights post '96.
The SFFP has learnt Tip
O'Neill's lesson well and is
exerting pressure on
governments in three states
with Upper and now Lower
House representatives, who
champion the cause of
commmonsense in legislation
around a whole raft of issues
that have ramifications at
“small town Australia” level.
It does not hurt that SFFP has
attracted the support of the
highest rating radio
personalities in their quest to
insulate the average,
hardworking individuals and
families “west of Parramatta”
and their equivalents in WA,
Victoria and NSW, with a
growing swell of support in
Queensland with the
reformation of the party there.
This groundswell has gained
momentum world-wide with
“the common people”
emboldened to make their voices
heard through growing minor
parties like SFFP, One Nation
and KAP, against a backdrop
of the until now effectively
disenfranchised who voted for
Trump, Brexit and Orange.
Media outlets who tout political
correctness above truth and
free speech, in bed with their
political apparatchiks, watch
out. Your days at the top of
the heap looking down on us
are numbered.
PS If you wish to help your
own cause, get onto websites of
the Shooters Union, Owen
Guns Bulletin, SFFP, KAP and
others working for your good.
You will learn about how all
governments are trying to
tighten the NFA on you and
not the criminals. Then start
writing letters and meeting
with your local members and
putting them on the spot.
Better still, go in numbers.
MARCUS O’DEAN
Editor
 Unbelievably
ACCURATE

NEW!

OSA Buffalo River 308 WIN 135GR HOLLOW POINT

Australian hunters are always looking for the next generation of hunting and sporting ammunition and OSA Buffalo River ammunition has delivered it
(again), with the introduction of a 308Win round using the new Sierra 135gr Hollow Point Varmint projectile. This new 308Win round is manufactured here
in Australia and is designed to suit the extreme hunting and game species that we encounter. Buffalo River 308Win is manufactured using the highly
acclaimed and time proven ADI propellants; this round exhibits consistent velocity across the Australian extreme temperatures both hot & cold, whilst
delivering accuracy and an explosive performance to eclipse the game.

10 SHOT AT 100 METRES

ON AN OPEN RANGE.
GROUP SIZE LESS -0.5 OF MOA

New from OSA, Buffalo River ammo in 308 WIN.

Made in Australia! Designed for Australian conditions with quality Sierra projectiles.

Find your local OSA Ammo Stockist at: Follow us on Facebook

www.osaaustralia.com.au www.facebook.com/aussiehunters
SHOOTING INDUSTRY FOUNDATION OF AUSTRALIA
 WEB
NEWS FROM MICHAEL GIBSON – WEBSITE EDITOR

GO TO www.sportingshooter.com.au
This month’s story The Spartans Had The
on gun control and Right Idea In 480 BC
The battle of Thermopylae
passive resistance. stands proud in Greek history.
From Marcus The Persian King Xerxes asked
the Spartan's King Leonidas to
O’Dean. get his army to lay down its
arms, he replied "Molon Labe",
which means "Come and take
them". The Greeks were wiped
out to a man after an epic battle
against 150,000 Persians.
THE NFA - AUSTRALIA 2017.
So now Australian legal
firearm owners,
supposedly "free", having
been metaphorically
violated by power-hungry
bureaucrats who would not
know one end of a lever-action
shotgun from another, are
being primed to have more
restrictions placed on our
firearm ownership to
ostensibly "make the
community safe". This
perverted rationale has come
out of the Martin Place Siege
Enquiry, which actually called
for considering only further
measures to deal with illegal
firearms, but bureaucrats are
using it to further restrict and
punish law-abiding firearm
owners through subtle wording
changes that have the potential
to severely restrict target
shooters and hunters even
further that we currently are.
THE PROBLEM - OUR TENDENCY
TO OBEY THE LAW. No matter
how bad the law or how valid
our protests, Australian
LAFOs will eventually obey
the will of our public
"servants" as we mostly have
too much to lose by defiance.
It is i this way, piece by piece
that pollies, media and police
will eventually disarm us all.
A LONGER TERM SOLUTION -
SUBLIMINAL SUGGESTION.
American 2nd Ammendment
proponents have used Molon
Labe as a clarion call to keep
their freedoms when
threatened. It may be time in
Australia to quietly introduce
the same saying and graphics
to permeate our wider culture
and let everyone eventually
realise we number over a
million and will not go away.
Read the full story and
upload a copyright-free
graphic Spartan helmet to use
as you wish at http://www.
sportingshootermag.com.au/
in-australia/molon-labe

Receive your FREE e-Newsletter and go

in the draw to WIN a great Opinel Knife
Be informed about all things hunting & shooting + go in the draw to
WIN 1 of 10 Opinel Number 8 Carbon folding knives

Opinel folding knives are made in the Savoire region,

WIN! a French knifemaking hub. The No 8 Carbon Opinel features:
• Carbon steel blade, beechwood handle and stainless steel locking collar
• Easy to use, foldable blade design, safe to use, locking collar prevents
accidental opening or closing
• Blade length of 8.5cm, it weighs a tiny 45 grams.

GENEROUSLY And the Grand Prize Winner will receive

SPONSORED BY a new-to Australia Opinel No 12 Explore
which features a sturdy clip point 10cm
Sandvik stainless blade, fire starter,
pealess whistle and gut hook.

TO ENTER, VISIT www.sportingshooter.com.au/opinelcomp

Conditions: This competition is only open those with an Australian postal address. Competition closes midnight 14/07/2017. Competition winners will be drawn 17/07/2017 at 12:00pm
(AEST) and notified within 2 business days. Entrants agree to have their email address added to the Sporting Shooter eNewsletter mailing list. Personal data will not be shared with
any third parties and entrants can unsubscribe from the mailing list at any time. Customer enquiries to subscriptions@yaffa.com.au.

10 | SPORTING SHOOTER _ JUNE 2017

Ken Harding is a consummate rifleman and keen deer hunter. Here he

Roaring Reds

T
HE ALARM woke me at 3.30 am to start
on what was to become a 14 hour trip
interstate. My hunting companion was
Greg Carson, a newly-acquired friend
whom I had recently met through the sale
of a riflescope. Greg mentioned that he had hunted fallow
back home and that he wanted to try his luck on red deer.

12 | SPORTING SHOOTER _ JUNE 2017

 RED
reports on a successful guided red stag hunt in the rut. DEER

Greg captured this great

distant photo of a rutting stag.
INSET: Ken with his hard-won,
beautiful thick-antlered red
stag. It ain’t no elk, but it’s
magnificent just the same.

WWW.SPORTINGSHOOTER.COM.AU | 13
1
We were travelling to South
Australia to hunt with guide Ian
Hindrum. Ian was recommended to
me by my good mate and hunting
companion, Nick Harvey. Nick was
also going to accompany us on the
hunt, but he'd only just returned
from hunting reds in Queensland
and had further plans to pick up
heads that had been recently
mounted down south. So it was just
Greg and myself along on this trip.
Finding ourselves at a road house
refuelling the Amarok after six
hours travelling, we refuelled on the
truckies' big breakfast and were soon
on the final leg of the journey along
2 through Balranald and Hay Plain.
On arriving at the farm house we
14 | SPORTING SHOOTER _ JUNE 2017
discovered that there were already
three hunters in camp, Kane,
Stefan, and Josh from Melbourne.
Ian would be guiding Greg and me
while Shaun, Ian’s keen support
guide would look after the three
Melbourne boys.
The smell of hot coffee and toast
coming from the kitchen woke us.
Sitting around the dining table at
5.00am we were soon discussing the
day's plan of attack. I was after an
elk or as close to a true blood as
possible. Ian had informed me that
over the years three bulls had been
sighted in the area that ticked all my
boxes, so this was to be my main
quarry during my stay.
The hunting landscape consisted

A small herd of hinds
was soon spotted
milling around a
cluster of trees.”
of large open flats surrounded by
rolling hills with spasmodic patches
of trees. Ridgelines were also
covered with long strips of timber
thinning out as the slopes fell away
to the creeks and valleys below. It
was challenging stalking country
offering long shots most of the time,
but if the wind was right and ridges
offered cover one could stalk to
within one hundred metres. The
vastness of the property dictated
driving to different locations, then
glassing the hills and slopes. If
something interesting showed up,
out would come the spotting scope
for a better look before any stalking
began. If things looked good and the
animal had all it’s points and wasn’t
damaged from the current rut we
would then proceed on foot.
It was the afternoon of day three
of our four day hunt when our luck
improved. A morning search for
the elusive elk had as much success
as finding “Bigfoot”, so we went
looking ellsewhere for reds. A small
herd of hinds was milling around a
cluster of trees half-way up a dried
valley. It seemed odd that that there
wasn’t a big boy looking after them
during the roar; he had to be there
somewhere. Well, it wasn’t long
before Ian’s trained eyes spotted
him coming out of the timber; his
interest was focused on a particular
young hind who was having
nothing to do with his advances.
The range through my Leica 8x56
bino was 410 metres. With the stag's
interests elsewhere, we decided that
Greg and Ian try close up by stalking
to a small group of trees some 80
metres to our front. Crouching down
low and hugging the ground so as to
not alarm the watchful eyes of the
watchful hinds, the boys covered
RED
DEER
the gap. Greg was carrying his Sako
85, the laminated stainless variety ON THIS
in the hard hitting .270 WSM. On SPREAD
top sat a 2.5-15 BT Swarovski, a
perfect combo for long ranging reds.
Greg had positioned himself
1 A stag is
normally
secretive, but
behind a fallen tree, offering a steady
rest for the 330 metre shot while the
during the rut he
loses his
old boy was still in hot persuit of his inhibitions and
young lady friend in and out of the looks to challenge
interlopers more
tree line. At the sound of Ian
often than not.
breaking a branch the stag froze side
on in his tracks. Then there was the
roar of a 140gn Nosler Accubond on 2 A lesser buck
on the run
after winding
its way. Through the Leicas I could
the party.
see the bullet hit home as the buck
hunched up for a second then
disappeared into the scrub.
We scurried to cover the distance
3 Ken’s trophy in
beautiful pink
light.
to where the old stag once stood,
the hinds, unsettled, were still
milling around until they saw us
approach and quickly vanished
back into the trees. I was looking
for signs of blood when Ian called,
“There he is, standing deep in the
Mallee cover some 30 metres away.
Greg threw up the Sako and fired
WWW.SPORTINGSHOOTER.COM.AU | 15
 RED
DEER
4 there was the distant high pitched
5 standing silently out in the mist only
again, this time the bullet shattered
ON THIS a small tree branch. At the blast of
PAGE splintering timber the stag took a
dozen or so steps, then crashed to
4 Greg’s nice
even 6-by-6
red stag.
the ground.
On dragging him out into the open
we then realised how magnificent he
5 Ken and guide
Ian Hindrum
on “a trail to
truly was. A classic royal twelve
pointer, just what Greg was after and
his first red too. On examining the
nowhere”,
attempting to
bullet wound it appeared that the
glass in thick fog. 140 gr Accubond, after smashing
through the branch had separated
leaving three holes in the left side of
the stags chest. The first bullet had
been the killing shot, but it was a
16 | SPORTING SHOOTER _ JUNE 2017
I could see the
bullet hit home
as the buck
hunched up.”
spectacular way to end the hut.
Day 4, our last, started out with
light rain falling in the early
morning, the presence of a low
misty fog hugging the ground made
glassing very difficult, but a sudden
drop in temperature and moist
conditions really set the reds off; at
one point the foggy valleys sounded
more like a feed lot. We struggled
through the morning; occasionally
amongst the multitude of red roars
bugle of an elk.
More of the same crappy weather
persisted late into the evening and
after seeing some lovely big reds and
not a sign of my white-arsed quarry, I
decided that if I came in range of a
certain monstrous red I had seen
earlier I would have a crack at him.
With only one hour of shooting light
available we headed back to where
he was last seen. The fog was getting
thicker as we neared the timber-
covered ridge, I thought that with
the rain carrying our scent to the
ground and the poor visibility it just
might work both ways.
All of a sudden there he was,
100 metres away. My luck was
changing as I searched to find a
clearing to shoot from. He must have
spotted our movement in the trees,
but instead of heading away he came
straight at us, maybe thinking I was
another stag coming to challenge
him. He was only 40 metres away
when he stopped behind a bush.
My Blaser K95 single shot, was
ready; I silently set the trigger as Ian
told me to wait until he walked out
in the clear. The stag then started to
slowly walk around in front of us
keeping his cover, trying to get our
scent. Clearly he had no intentions
on stopping until he knew what we
were. That’s when Ian shouted out,
hoping to startle him enough to give
me second for a still shot. At the
exact time the shout came so did our
scent and he took off quartering
away for the deepest cover.
I swung the cross hairs on the
fleeting stag only to see his rear end
and stomach come into view at such
close range, instinctively after
years of shooting field and game
I followed through and fired just
centimetres in front of his sternum
and that’s exactly where the shot
went. I wasn’t shooting a 1200 fps
28 gram shotgun load but a magnum
travelling three times that speed.
The stag was now more confused
than ever, but he wasn’t running
hard and I guess didn’t really know
what had just happened. He turned
and headed back out into the inky
darkness from where he had come.
I must have been in a more
confused state than the deer,
thinking I still had a chance. After
running some 300 metres in the
slow drizzling rain, dark shapes
of animals were vaguely visible up
ahead. My intrepid guide Ian was
there standing beside me. “Ha!”,
I thought - he’s worth more money.
It’s times like these where only the
best of optics come into their own.
Ian was using a pair of 10x42
Swarovski’s and around my neck
hung my old faithful 8x56 RF
Leica’s. The distance to the animal
we thought was “the” stag was 174
metres. I dropped to the wet ground
and unfolded the bipod steadying
myself for a quick shot if Ian called
it. Through the 3-12x50 Schmidt
and Bender I could make out the
outline of the deer, but the reticles
were disappearing on its dark wet
body. It was then that I used a
feature of the scope I had never
used before; I turned on its
illuminated reticle. A fine red dot
glowed in the centre of the
silhouette ahead of me. Wow! Even
under these adverse conditions the
clarity and light gathering ability of
this scope was amazing - I was
confident about taking the shot.
The call never came as Ian wasn’t
100% it was the same stag, so
reluctantly we just watched him
standing there till he silently
turned and walked away dissolving
into the foggy drizzling rain. Just
riflescope vs Red dot sight
AIMPOINT micro H-1
The Aimpoint® Micro H-1 was designed with the hunter in mind. These sights
are the lightest red dot sights tough enough to carry the Aimpoint name.
Since its introduction in 2007, the Micro H-1 has become a very popular
hunting sight worldwide due to its size, light weight and robust build quality.

MAIN FEATURES OF AN AIMPOINT SIGHT

• Lightweight – 84 g without mount and 105 g with mount
• ACET technology allows 50,000 hours of operation on one battery
• Available in 2 dot sizes (2 and 4 MOA)
• Patent pending mount is keyed to the sight body to absorb recoil
 RED
DEER

There he was, standing

silently out in the mist
only 100 metres away.”
valley, some 500 metres up to the tree
covered ridgeline where we hoped to
start glassing out onto the open slopes
on the other side. The ground, still
damp from last night's rain, helped to
quieten our approach in the still
morning air. Quietly we entered the
100 metre thick timberline, which
thinned out on the downward side.
We hadn’t gone far when Greg called
out, “I think that’s him.” Turning to
the right, we saw a large stag running
along the ridge heading south out into
the open. Ian confirmed that it was
our boy as we made a dash in his
back at us, confirming a solid hit, but
the stag did not flinch, taking off
like it was never hit and clearing
another fence before entering up into
another valley. A little shocked at
what had just happened, we started
running back towards the track
where the vehicle was parked. We
crossed the two fences and another
ridge about a kilometre from where
the shot was taken. This brought us
to overlook the valley where we last
saw the stag heading.
There, on the other side was
another herd of reds and in amongst

A rub tree in the height of the roar. 6 direction trying to reach the edge of
before the stag disappeared on
turning his head I caught a glimpse
of the heaviness of his antlers and I
knew in my heart he was the one.
Sitting around the dinner table
later that night relating our story to
the other lads they decided for me
that I had to give our departure
morning one last quick chance. Next
morning started in the usual way, a
slice of toast washed down with hot
coffee. Bundling our gear into the
Cruiser we headed off into the
darkness for the half hour trip back
to where our story left off.
On arrival the vehicle was parked
off to the side of the track, low in a
the timber. When we got there the
stag was running flat out downhill
away from us. Ian had him in the
binoculars watching, he’s coming up
to a fence and might stop for a few
seconds before jumping it. This could
be your only chance. I unfolded the
bipod and quickly found a prone
position from which to fire.
Through the scope I watched him
clear the fence like it wasn’t there,
then once over the wire he pulled
up. Ian said that’s a hell of a long way
as I slid the cocking lever on the
Blaser’s tang. The scope was on 10x
as I centred the cross hairs high on
his right shoulder. Then I touched off
the .300 Weatherby sending a 168gr
TTSX Barnes travelling at 3320 fps
on its way. A loud whack echoed
them was our wobbly stag. This
time he was a lot closer and I had
the opportunity to range him at 264
metres. There was no mistake with
the second shot blowing him
sideways off his feet. On examining
the animal I discovered that the
first shot had dropped some forty
five centimetres hitting him low in
the right leg passing through both
the leg and brisket. The second shot
had taken his square on the left
shoulder breaking both shoulders
and leaving a 20-cent sized exit
hole. Gotta love those bullets.
He was a magnificent animal,
very heavy in the antlers and
thirteen long points. I’d like to
thank Ian and Shaun for guiding
Greg and me on a very enjoyable
and successful hunt.

FAST Normally, only male deer grow antlers. white. By winter, after breeding season, the

FACTS
Why Do Deer Rub
Their Antlers?
Deer rub their antlers up and down on trees
and bushes once the antlers are fully grown
to remove the hair-like membrane known as
velvet from the outside. The antlers then dry
and harden and are used as weapons in fights
with other males to assert dominance during
breeding season.
Females grow them only if they have a rare
testosterone imbalance. Every year in spring,
deer shed their old antlers and almost
immediately begin to grow new ones. Antlers
are bone growths that start at the skull base. As
antlers grow, they have a high blood content
and are susceptible to injuries, such as bruises
and cuts. During spring and summer, antlers
grow rapidly, but by late summer, growth slows
as they begin to harden. If deer do not rub the
velvet off when growth stops, it sheds on its
own. The rubbing, along with blood residue,
makes the hard antler bone brown instead of
antlers usually drop off completely.
Male deer, known as bucks or stags,
develop antlers after their first year. Each
subsequent year, their antlers grow larger
until they are several years old and antler
growth maximizes. A factor affecting antler
size is nutrition, as the growing of antlers
requires substantial amounts of protein and
other nutrients. Deer need high-quality plant
matter for optimum antler growth.
Note that some species, like chital and
sambar, may grow antlers at any time of the
year and can rut outside of normal seasons.

18 | SPORTING SHOOTER _ JUNE 2017

YOU CAN FIND OUR PRODUCTS
AT EXCLUSIVE SPECIALIST
RETAILERS AND ONLINE AT
WWW.SWAROVSKIOPTIK.COM

BY APPOINTMENT TO
HER MAJESTY QUEEN ELIZABETH II
SWAROVSKI OPTIK
SUPPLIER OF BINOCULARS

STX with TLS APO

CAPTURE WHAT
MOVES YOU
Are you ready for a new kind of hunting? Take impressive snapshots using your
digital camera and capture unique moments from your hunting grounds that will stay
with you forever. With SWAROVSKI OPTIK’s digiscoping equipment, you can now finally
confirm the presence of the long sought-after roebuck, or capture the wonderful colours
of a fox in winter. Whether you’re capturing these unique experiences to share with friends
and family, or simply because you want to document the game population in your grounds,
digiscoping is always a particularly enjoyable experience. This is thanks to our light,
easy-to-use equipment. When seconds are crucial – SWAROVSKI OPTIK.

SEE THE UNSEEN

WWW.SWAROVSKIOPTIK.COM

SWAROVSKI AUSTRALIA PTY LTD

1 / 4D Huntley Street, Alexandria NSW 2015, Australia
Tel.: +61 (02) 8345 7228, Fax: +61 (02) 9313 6506, optik.sia@swarovski.com, www.swarovskioptik.com
 ASK THE
GUN EDITOR
Letters containing questions for answering by Nick Harvey must be accompanied by a stamped self-addressed envelope.
Mail your letters to: The Technical Editor, 3 Reef Street, Hill End, NSW 2850.
LETTER OF THE MONTH
Uberti .44-40
Q I have a Uberti replica of
the Winchester ‘73 in
.44-40 calibre that I’d like to
reload for. I have looked in
my manual and it loosely
covers the subject saying it is
a little trickier to reload than
other straight-cased
cartidges. I am sure your
reloading column has
covered it in detail at
sometime or another, but am
only a recent buyer of
Sporting Shooter. Can you
give me any useful
information? Also, do you
think the Model 73 in .44-40
is a good pig gun?
– Roger James
A Chambers can vary so I
recommend you load a
dummy round first and see if
Sighting In His .22-250
Q I bought a Howa .22-250,
mounted it with a Meopta
Meopro 6- 18x50mm scope
and bought a Bushnell laser
rangefinder to measure the
range to each rabbit. There are
lots of rabbits on the property
where I hunt and I intend to
have some good sport
reducing their numbers. What
distance should I zero my
scope for? I am using Hornady
factory ammo loaded with the
55gn V-Max at 3680fps. The
guy in the gunshop said if I
sight in 1" high at 100 yds., the
bullet will drop about 5" at
300yds. Do you think this is
good advice. Will the outfit
I've got make it easy to kill
rabbits out to 350yds?
– Jacob Flynn
A You have a good outfit for
the job, but things aren't as
cut and dried as they might
seem with long range varmint
20 | SPORTING SHOOTER _ JUNE 2017
TECHNICAL ADVICE FROM THE GURU – BY NICK HARVEY
it works easily through the
magazine and chambers
freely before you make up a
batch of reloads. Cast bullets
are generally sized to .428”
but take care when crimping.
Seat the bullet first and then
crimp as a separate operation.
The necks of .44-40 brass are
so thin you can easily crush
the case during crimping, or
bulge the case slightly so it
won’t chamber. The brass can
bulge if you try to use bullets
larger than .429”, too, and in
that case you should buy a
bigger case neck expander.
Use the powders recommended
in your manual and don’t
exceed the charge weights
listed for the weak toggle-link
Winchester ‘73 action.
Personally, I’d reload for
sniping, and even a
rangefinding gadget small
enough to be carried around by
a varmint hunter is about as
useless as mammary glands on
a boar pig. Varmints like
rabbits don't come in the right
sizes and shapes to lend
themselves to laser
rangefinding techniques. The
best solution is to sight your
rifle to take full advantage of
the cartridge and load you are
using. Forget what the gunshop
guy said, as with the 1" high
sighting at 100yds. zero will
come at about 220yds. There
are no hard and fast rules that
apply to all loads and all bullet
weights, no matter what the
velocity. I can tell you how to
come close to knowing where
your bullet will land at a given
range, but not exactly, and
neither can anyone else.
Ballistic tables that give you
bullet drop figures in factions
of an inch are calculated with a
Western Action using Trail
Boss. However, the Uberti
.44-40 loaded with a 200gn
lead bullet at and 6gn of W-231
churns up close to 1100fps in
the long barrel of the Uberti
rifle and is deadly medicine
for hogs at close range.
The velocity
may differ as
much as 50-
100fps either
way.”
certain bullet with a known
ballistic coefficient and known
muzzle velocity, is fired from a
test barrel under assumed
atmospheric conditions at a
certain elevation above sea
level. And ballisticians who
calculate the ballistic
coefficients of various bullets
don't agree, either. First, unless
you own a chronograph you
won't know what the exact
muzzle velocity of that load is
in your rifle. The velocity may
differ as much as 50-100 fps
either way from the figure in
Uberti’s replica of the
Winchester Model 1873
lever-action rifle proved
deadly on pigs in bush where
shots are taken at distances
closer than 100 yards.
the Hornady table. However,
for consistent hits, you should
have your rifle sighted so the
bullet at the height of its
mid-range trajectory will stay
within the vital area of a
rabbit. A rabbit feeding will
offer no more than a 4" vertical
target. I'd suggest you sight in
1-1/2" high at 100yds. The
bullet will land nearly that
much high at 200, be right on
the point of aim at 250 and
about 2-1/2" low at 300. On a
mature rabbit, a centre hold
will wreck his libido right out
to around 300 yds. But the
only way to find the real
trajectory is by actually
sighting in on a range and
checking the point of impact
at different distances.
.17 Remington
Versus .22-250
Q I own a Remington Model
700 in .17 Remington that
has been rebarreled with a
 $75
II
CASH-BAC *

VIA REDEM
PTION
K
V IS IT W W W
.N IO
FO R M O R E A .C O M .AU
D ETA IL S

I ES
SER

II
NOW WITH
Blued Hardwood Stock
ACCUTRIGGER
The New Axis II package rifle is the perfect way for
a new hunter to go from the store to the field. It is
Blued Synthetic Stock built on the popular AXIS rifle platform with a couple
significant tweaks.
First, the legendary AccuTrigger has been added for
optimum accuracy, and then it is topped with a factory
Blued Synthetic Youth fitted and bore-sighted 3-9x40 scope.
All that’s left to do is fine tune the zero and go hunting.

*Conditions apply. See website for terms and conditions.

Muddy Girl Youth
NMD189

www.nioa.com.au www.savagearms.com
 ASK THE
GUN EDITOR
Maddco barrel 600mm long
and shoots groups averaging
.25". I was handloading the
25gn Hornady V-Max bullet
over 27gn of W-760 which has
been chronographed at 3989fps
but recently changed to 24gn of
W-748 which gives 3960fps
with slightly better accuracy. I
think that the .204's higher
velocity makes it shoot flatter
and easier to hit with, making
it a much better varmint
cartridge than my mate's
.22-250? I've heard it said that
the .17s are very poor in the
wind. What's your take on this?
– Roland Cartright
A Alas, I never could see pie
in the sky. The fact is that
while the velocity of the
factory load with 25gn bullet is
listed at 4020fps, it clocked
only 3946fps in my Model 700
rifle with 24" barrel. A M-700
rifle in .22-250 loaded to
maximum will do about as
well with a bullet twice as
heavy, and the Swift will beat
it by quite a margin. I've
handloaded that 25gn V-Max
bullet with a variety of
powders to all the pressure
they would stand for a
troublefree maximum varmint
load, and very few powders
will deliver more than 4000fps.
I did succeed in driving 20gn
bullets at over 4200fps, but on
rabbits and foxes they were not
as good as the various 25gn
bullets. As for the .17 being
easier to hit with because of its
high muzzle velocity, the fact is
that the .25gn .17 bullet has the
low ballistic coefficient of only
.230 for the well-shaped
Hornady V-Max, while the .224
50gn V-Max shows .242 and
the 53gn goes .290 - better than
the 55gn V-Max which lags
behind with .255. Start them
all at similar velocity and
whatever advantage there is
lies with the larger calibre. My
testing did not reveal, that .17
bullets are poor in the wind,
but they are no better and not
much worse than
.224 bullets.
22 | SPORTING SHOOTER _ JUNE 2017
How Good The
7.62x39mm?
Q I was going to buy a CZ
527 in 7.62x39mm, but
the “expert” at my local rifle
range told me that the 7.62x39
is a short range, inaccurate
cartridge. So I decided to put
things on hold until I asked
for your opinion. How well
does the CZ 527 shoot? Is the
7.62x39 capable of taking
goats and pigs and maybe
fallow deer?
– Barney Williams
A The Russians did a good
job when they designed
the 7.62x39mm as the cartridge
for their AK47 assault rifle. I
tested a CZ 527 in this calibre
and found it to be surprisingly
accurate especially with my
reloads, but a little shy as a
hunting round. It gives
ballistics similar to the .30-30
Winchester when handloaded
with a 150gn bullet and is just
as suitable for taking deer as
that oldtimer. The standard
123gn soft-point as loaded by
Winchester and others leaves
the muzzle at 2,365 fps with
1527 ft/lbs of energy. It should
be adequate for fallow deer out
to 100yds or so, at which
distance it drops off to 2000fps
and 1100ft/lbs of energy. One
reason it never gained much
popularity is because it uses
.311” bullets rather than .308”,
despite suitable bullets being
available from Hornady, Sierra
and others.
Ruger’s Mini 30 and the
Thompson Contender used a
.308” barrel assuming that
owners would handload.
Maybe your local “expert”
based his conclusions on the
AK 47 which is pretty much a
spray and pray proposition,
Is the 7.62x39 capable of
taking goats and pigs
and maybe fallow deer?”
particularly with poorly
performing surplus
ammunition? But as we know,
whatever the AK47 lacks in
accuracy it more than makes
up in durability reliability and
simplicity. No matter how
badly you treat ‘em, you just
can’t kill ‘em!
Bigger Calibres
For Varmints
Q The author of an article
on varmint cartridges in
a Yank magazine stated that
the .243 and .25-06 with light
bullets are a better choice for
varmint shooting than the hot
.22s. But what about the .257
Roberts and the .257
Weatherby? Surely they'd
be even better?
– Manfred Kurtz
A One of the best 6mm
bullets I have used in the
.243 is the Hornady 75gn
HP,but more recently I've been
using the 75gn V-Max which
has the slightly better B.C of
.330 compared with .294.This
bullet is highly explosive at all
reasonable ranges on the
smallest varmints at velocities
obtainable from the .243 Win.
The heavier 80 and 87gn 6mm
bullets proved more effective
in my 6mm Ackley Imp. and
.240 Weatherby than the
smaller cases. The extra
200fps the .240 will push
these bullets over the .243,
with barrels of the same
length makes makes it better
suited to the heavier varmint
bullets. Much the same applies
to the .257 Roberts and .25-06.
My long-throated Ruger M77
Hawkeye with 22" barrel,
starts the 75gn V-Max out at
3500fps with full throttle
loads and the best powders.
The .25-06 adds another
200fps comparing quite
closely with the performance
of the .240 Weatherby with the
75gn bullet at 3500fps. The
larger calibres show no
advantage whatsoever over the
.22-250 and .220 Swift as far as
long range hits are concerned,
although they do drift less in
the wind. On the debit side,
the larger cartridges have a
louder report, more muzzle
blast, and kick harder which
makes them difficult to bear
for long sessions of varmint
shooting. It has been claimed
that the big advantage of these
so-called dual- purpose
cartridges lies not in their use
on varmints, but in their
effectiveness on medium-size
game like deer. A lot of use on
varmints would result in a big
reduction in barrel life.
Most Effective Bullet
For A .300 Win. Mag.
Q After much studying of
ballistic charts and
reading stories by some
famous American big game
hunters, I've decided that my
one and only hunting rifle
will be chambered for one of
the .30 calibre magnums,
probably the .300 Win. Mag. I
think the .300 WSM is limited
by being chambered in a
short action, and the .300
Weatherby is too expensive
for ammo and cases. In
considering the .300 Win.
Mag. for long range shooting
rangefinders
MORE PRECISION - LESS GUESSWORK

REDFIELD RAIDER 650A

• Affordable performance
• Angle/Inclination compensation
• 6X magnification
• Ranges to 650 yards

AVAILABLE IN MOSSY OAK & BLACK

NEW
AUST FOR
RALI
A

REDFIELD RAIDER 650 LOS

• Line of sight measurement only

SHOOTING INDUSTRY FOUNDATION OF AUSTRALIA

NMD240

www.redfield.com www.nioa.com.au
 ASK THE
GUN EDITOR
of heavy game I feel that
anything less than 165gn
bullet is inadequate. True the
150gn at about 3300fps shoots
very flat and is easy to hit
with, but its B.C is less than
the 130gn .270, which causes
its retained energy to sink
pretty low by the time it
reaches the 400yd mark. This
eliminates its ability to smash
through heavy bone and
muscle even if expansion is
fully controlled as with the
Barnes TSX. This limits my
choices to three bullet
weights that are better suited
for long range work on heavy
game - the 165, 180 and
200gn. Which would be your
choice and why? Can you
suggest a good reload for the
.300 Win. Mag. with
Woodleigh's Hornady 165gn,
180gn and 200gn bullets?
– Ray Harris
A Anything less than the
165gn bullet is inadequate
in the .300 Win. Mag. because
even though you can start it
about 100 foot- seconds faster
than the 180 gn. there is so
little difference in drop at
400yds. that you'd never notice
it in the field. Also, the 165gn
delivers around 200 ft/lbs less
energy at 400yds. than the
180gn., because of its lack of
sectional density - .247 against
.271. A sleek 180gn spitzer
bullet in a controlled
expansion design gives deep
penetration and is considered
optimum in the .300 Win.
Mag. for all around shooting of
heavy game. A couple of
handloads I've found excellent
24 | SPORTING SHOOTER _ JUNE 2017
are: Woodleigh 165gn PP SN
and 78gn of Supreme 780 for
3176fps; Woodleigh 180gn PP
SN and 75gn of Supreme 780
for 3004fps; Woodleigh 200gn
PP SN and 73gn of Supreme
780 for 2910fps.The
Woodleighs perform well with
no problems, because having
no relief grooves or cannelures
lengthens the amount of
bearing surface so they will
hold tighter in the short neck
of the .300 Win. Mag.
Compact .375 Ruger
Q I own a Ruger M77 Mark
II Hawkeye African
model built on a standard
length action which is lighter
and less expensive than
Ruger’s .375 H&H on a
magnum action. It is mounted
with a Trijicon AccuPoint
3-9x which I found fast to aim
with in poor light when
chasing sambar in the
Victoria alps. I like the
walnut stock on this model
better than the Alaskan
version with a Hogue stock,
even though it kicks a bit
harder. I bought 40 rounds of
Hornady ammo loaded with
270 and 300gn bullets. What
are the velocity and energy
figures? Also I intend to start
reloading once I’ve fired all
the factory ammo off. Can
you suggest a couple of good
loads for Woodleigh 270gn PP
SN and 300gn PPSN bullets
using ADI powders?
– Jack Holt
A Hornady factory ammo
for the .375 Ruger lists
the 270gn Interlock at 2840fps
with 4837 ft/lb of energy; and
the 300gn DGS at 2660fps
with 4715 ft/lbs.
Capacitywise, the .375 Ruger
duplicates the .375 Weatherby
Magnum. The standard .375
H&H case holds about 96gn of
water and the .375 Ruger
about 101 grains. The .375
H&H case is 2.850” long
against 2.580” for the .375
Ruger which means the Ruger
can be housed in a standard
length action while the .375
H&H requires a long magnum
action. But they both use the
same .532” head size. The .375
Ruger case is more modern
looking having greater body
diameter and less taper. The
Woodleigh Bullets Loading
Manual lists from 78gn to
83.5gn (compressed) of
AR2209 with the 270gn PP SN
for velocities from 2600 to
2780fps; with the 300gn PP
SN from 76gn to 80.5gn of the
same powder for 2510fps to
2650fps. These velocities were
taken in a 20” barrel and you
could exact about 100fps
more from a 24” barrel.
Capacitywise,
the .375 Ruger
duplicates the
.375 Weatherby
Magnum.”
Grandad Swore By
Remington Core-Lokts
Q My deer rifle is a
Remington Model 700 in
.280 Remington. I've been
loading for it with various
bullets including the 140gn
Barnes and Nosler AccuBond,
but recently my granddad
gave me some 150gn
Remington pointed Core-
Lokts that he used in his 7x57
Mauser for many years. He
swears they are the best deer
bullets he ever shot and that a
hit anywhere in the chest
cavity almost always drops a
deer on the spot. I'd
appreciate your comments
about these Core-Lokts and
also a load for them in my
.280 for red stags?
– Adam Wright
A Mate, I agree with
everything your
granddad said about the
150gn 7mm pointed Core-Lokt
bullet, as I've used them in
my 7mm Harvey Magnum and
the 7mm Remington Magnum
with great success. I've said it
before and I'll say it again: "
The Core-Lokt is an oldie, but
a goodie." It dates to 1939 and
was similar to the Peters
Inner- Belted which foaled it.
The Core-Lokt has a very thin
jacket at the point that has
small notches to facilitate
expansion. The jacket
gradually grows thicker near
the middle and then thins
down in the rear section of
the shank. This gives an "hour
glass" shape to the tightly
swaged core and helps hold it
in place in the jacket when
expansion takes place. These
inexpensive bullets give the
best all-around performance
of any other deer bullet I
know. The pointed shape has
good B.C, they expand well at
all normal shooting distances,
and expansion is very well
controlled by the thick centre
jacket portion. The pointed
150gn Core-Lokt performs
well on the largest deer and
unless the bullet strikes a
 by

BECOME PA R T O F S OMET HING GREAT ER.

THE ALL ROUNDER

You will live in our MICROFUSE Tracker Long-

Sleeve and Pant as it is a hunter’s staple
garment for all hunting adventures. The highly
durable MICROFUSE fabric has a DU PONT®
Teflon treatment which makes water bead up
and run off its surface whilst also reducing
moisture absorbency. The Tracker range with its
hydrophobic qualities mixed with its quiet and
durable camo exterior makes it the ultimate all
year round camouflage choice.

Discover the full range of hunting gear at spika.com.au

1 H-105 Tracker Long-Sleeve

2 H-205 Tracker Pant
 ASK THE
GUN EDITOR
large bone and splits the
jacket beyond the heavy
section, the core stays locked
into the jacket, something
essential for deep penetration.
Improved .338-06
Q I have a Mauser .338-06
with which I've taken
four red stags over a period
of four years. I would like to
get a bit more velocity out of
my gun with the 225gn bullet
which I am loading ahead of
58gn of W-760 for 2515fps. A
local gunsmith told me that I
can gain 150 fps by having
him rechamber to .338-06
Improved claiming that
will make it a vastly
superior deer rifle. What
do you think?
– Andrew McLeish
A I think business is slow
and your gunsmith is
looking for work, and that he
has never chronographed a
SERIOUS OPTICS FOR SERIOUS FIREPOWER.
NEW! ATACR™ 7-35x56 F1
Our ATACR™ series were originally
designed for military, law enforcement,
and other tactical applications. They
are the basis, in fact, for our Mil-Spec
riflescopes available to military customers.
They will meet or exceed the capability
of any known rifle cartridge. ED glass
produces brilliant images, color contrast
and resolving power. First focal plane
reticle placement excels in high-stress
situations and when encountering
different targets at multiple ranges.
These are serious riflescopes.
Now the question is, how serious are you?
FIRST FOCAL PLANE
11 Manton St. n Hindmarsh, SA 5007 n Australia: 1 800 03 03 08 n Intl: +61 8 8440 0888 NightforceOptics.com
26 | SPORTING SHOOTER _ JUNE 2017
.338-06 Improved, but I have.
The increase in case capacity
averages about 5 grains over
the standard .338-06, an
increase of 8 percent. The
.338- 06 case holds 63gn of
water with a 225gn Hornady
spire-point bullet seated to
the cannelure; the improved
case holds 68 grains. Thus,
the gain in muzzle velocity
is going to be 1/4 that of the
gain in powder capacity
everything else being equal.
This sounds like a lot until
we divide 5 by 4 and find the
potential increase in muzzle
velocity is only 1.25 percent,
or about 40 foot-seconds
seeing you are already
getting a muzzle velocity of
2515, improving the chamber
will get 2555fps. The reality
is, your present load will
vary that much in velocity
from shot to shot with
changes in the ambient
temperature.
Extreme range,
extreme performance.
ATACR™ 5-25x56 F1
ATACR™ 4-16x42 F1
Powder Space Not
An Issue
Q I always thought that
decreasing powder space
in a cartridge by seating the
bullet deeper increases
pressure, but you wrote that "
any increase in seating depth
reduces pressure". This is the
exactly the opposite of what
I've always believed. Don't
tell me I've been wrong all
these years?
– Brett Hansen
A In rifles, seating bullets
deeper decreases peak
pressure because the bullet
makes a longer jump before it
reaches the chamber throat.
Thus, the bullet is traveling
faster before it makes contact
with the rifling, and the
increased momentum
reduces any increase in
pressure caused by the
bullet being engraved by
the rifling.
It puts the “long”
in “long range.”
Massive performance,
minimal package.
 FIND A STORE OR SHOP ONLINE @

Follow us on facebook
facebook.com/RidgelineAustralia

TORRENT II
JACKET & PANT
IN EXTREME ENVIRONMENTS Quiet-Tex™ Outer Shell
Ultimate wet weather protection in silence

The Torrent II range is designed for whatever mother nature throws at you.
Lightweight, waterproof Quiet-Tex™ outer shell combines with a unique design
to maximise smooth full range movement. Fully seam-sealed with internal
plush lining ensures comfort on long hikes.

The Torrent Jacket has a fully adjustable hem with longer scooped back.
Waterproof underarm zippers and storm flap with channel. Vented back with
heavy duty hanger. Three-way adjustable and totally removable hood.

Trust Ridgeline. Choose Torrent II

• Available in sizes XS - 5XL

• Pant available in Buffalo Camo & Olive
• Jacket available in Buffalo Camo, Navy & Olive

Proudly distributed by Outdoor Sporting Agencies

www.osaaustralia.com.au SHOOTING INDUSTRY FOUNDATION OF AUSTRALIA
 NAMIBIA Tim Blackwell is in Namibia after oryx,
SAFARI a beautiful antelope for the trophy room.

The Coat of Arms

F
OR ME and many others, the gemsbok antelope, or oryx as they are
called locally, typify Namibia. The West-African nation’s coat of arms
features a shield with its national colours, flanked by an oryx on
either side. Such is the importance of this species to the country and
its people, and numbers are thriving thanks to a well-managed
hunting industry. With its stunning sabre-like horns, and striking
black and white facial markings, the gemsbok is certainly one of the most iconic of
the African plains game species; and Namibia is the place to go to hunt them. Here
they graze in large numbers; and in this semi-arid fringe of the Kalahari desert,
some of the biggest oryx trophies in all of Africa grow, and often die of old age, too.

28 | SPORTING SHOOTER _ JUNE 2017

 MAIN: Hunter and
guide approach the
fallen oryx trophy.
They have a
fearsome
reputation in Africa
when wounded -
happily this one
wasn’t an issue!
INSET: The author
with his majestic
oryx bull, taken
after a text-book
stalk. To me, these
awesome animals
epitomise Namibia.

WWW.SPORTINGSHOOTER.COM.AU | 29
 NAMIBIA
SAFARI
I was mid-way through a hunt
with Kowas Adventure Safaris and
my mate, Mark Rohde, had already
cracked a massive oryx bull on the
first day. With super-heavy 38”
horns, he was the trophy of a
lifetime. This morning, my PH
Jacques Strauss had declared that
the time was right for us to go and
stalk some oryx ourselves. He had a
favourite area which contained
good numbers of both oryx and red
hartebeest, and both were on the
menu. In the crisp morning air we
crept the Landcruiser up a rocky
ridge and continued on foot to a
windmill look-out point; the perfect
glassing position overlooking the
plains below.
It didn’t take long to spot our first
game. A lone red hartebeest bull
meandered across the plain below,
towards the very hills we were in.
He was a good one too, but after a
30 | SPORTING SHOOTER _ JUNE 2017
look through the spotting scope
Jacques declared we would do better.
Further across the plain, on the
other side of a gravel road but still
well within our huge concession, a
larger herd of Hartebeest grazed. On
the far left was a big old bull, so off
we headed in his direction, with a
plan to slowly circle around
downwind of the herd. There was
just enough cover on the plain to
conceal our approach and in
crouched single file, Jacques, Nikki
and I all snuck to within 140 metres
of the unknowing old bull, a
comfortable shot over the shooting
sticks. Steadying my breath and
waiting for the bull to turn
broadside, I stroked the crisp trigger
of my A-Bolt .30/06 and sent a 180gn
Woodleigh Protected Point on its
way for a rapid one-shot kill.
He was a great old bull, dark in
the face with heavy, broomed off
horns 24 inches in length; and his
beautiful red coat reminded me of
a thoroughbred. We loaded him
into the ‘Cruiser and headed back
to a local farmhouse to cape him
out and butcher him for the
owners; we would take a few of the
best cuts and the rest would stay
behind to feed their workers.
With a great hartebeest in the salt
and another amazing lunch
courtesy of our chef Selma under
our belts, we headed back to the
same area to try for an oryx. As we
walked through some thickly
vegetated country at the base of the
mountain, Jacques explained that
there were many oryx in this area
and they often died of old age. I
remember thinking that I bet he told
that to every client; that was until
we walked another few hundred
metres where the sun-bleached
skull of a large oryx lay in the red
desert sands. Our driver, Becks,
took the spotting scope and radio to
a high point to do a little glassing,
leaving the three of us to continue
on. Before long oryx were spotted, a
large herd spread out feeding,
probably 50 strong. And better still,
the wind was perfect for us to work
our way along and check out each
animal as they slowly moved from
right to left in front of us. But it
would not be a walk in the park, I
had been told many times how good
an oryx’s eyesight was, and for three
of us to close in together would
require extreme caution.
A pair of fighting bulls caught my
attention, kicking up dust in the
background. Jacques never gave
them a second look, explaining that
we are not interested in silly young
bulls, and that a big old loner was
what we needed to find. Slowly
creeping along, a huge cow came
into view. Oryx cows have the same
body size as bulls and also carry
long horns; often longer than the
bulls and sometimes exceeding 40”
in length. However, they don’t have
the horn weight that the mature
bulls do. We spent some time
glassing this old cow as she bedded
down at close range. She was a great
trophy and I was almost ready to seal
the deal right there; but with more
animals left to look at and time on
our side, Jacques rightly wanted to
press on. And I’m very glad we did,
as further on my PH quickly
dropped to the ground down behind
a small bush and gestured for us to
do the same. Peering over the top, we
laid our binos on a very nice oryx
bull, feeding alone near the rear of
the herd.
As the three of us huddled
behind that bush, only 60 metres
from the unaware bull, Jacques
outlined his plan. “I already know
he is long and even”, he whispered.
“But I need him to look at us, so
that I can check his horn bases to
make sure he is mature enough. I’ll
make a noise to alert him, and
when he looks I’ll either say yes or
no. You be ready to shoot quickly”.
Ultra slowly, I stood and slipped
the A-Bolt over the sticks, taking a
bead on the bull’s shoulder and
thumbing off the safety as my
guide rose behind me, binos to his
2
I stroked the
crisp trigger
of my A-Bolt
.30/06.”
eyes. Jacques let out a gentle ‘mew’
sound and the bull lifted his head
and craned his neck around to our
direction. My finger found the
trigger, Jacques whispered “Yep”,
and I reckon that Woodleigh was
3
on its way before he had even
completed the word. My oryx The only trophy I had to show
trophy hit the deck with a thud, for all my zebra hunting was ON THIS
right where he stood and it was all something at the other end of the SPREAD
over. The perfect hunt! At a very size scale, a steenbok ram. We had
even 36.5” long with a beautiful
cape, he would make a magnificent
seen plenty over the trip but
nothing big enough, well this day
1 The crew with
the author’s fine
old red hartebeest.
trophy, not to mention more we lucked onto a great ram as we From left; Jacques
delicious oryx fillets for camp and headed back to camp for lunch. Strauss (PH), Becks
more meat for the locals. After a quick stalk, the ’06 made (Driver), Author,
With a few days still left on safari, short work of him and I had one Max (Trainee PH).
A quality team of
there were a couple more iconic of the “Tiny Ten” antelope to my
guys to hunt with!
African animals I wanted to name. While he may seem tiny
experience hunting. Topping the list
was the beautiful Hartmann’s
to the untrained eye, he was
a fantastic trophy with very 2 This great
warthog made
for a challenging
mountain zebra, endemic to heavy 5” horns, and I was a very
stalk in long grass,
Namibia; and of course no-one could happy hunter.
and was a
leave Africa without a Warthog! We spent so much time stalking fantastic hunt to
Long story short, we hunted hard for zebra that we almost missed out on end the trip with.
mountain zebra over the next few the warthog. We’d seen plenty over
days without luck. These wary game
animals surprised me and certainly
the week, passed a few up with
broken tusks, and stalked in close 3 He may be
small, but this
heavy 5” steenbok
gained my respect; they are super to a few nice boars that were good,
ram was probably
switched-on, take notice of every but not quite good enough for the trophy of
other animal on the veldt, and are a Jacques’ liking. “We’ll find better”, the trip!
real challenge to stalk as a result. he would say. When we finally
WWW.SPORTINGSHOOTER.COM.AU | 31
 NAMIBIA
SAFARI
I had one of the waved the white flag to the zebra
with only a couple of hours of
‘Tiny Ten’ antelope daylight left on the final evening of
to my name.” the hunt, I was starting to think
we’d left our run too late. But of
course, Jacques had a spot in mind.
Some open grassy farmland
4 country, full of oryx, steenbok, and
as it turned out, warthog!
We were driving along a
two-wheel farm track when
Jacques clicked his fingers for
Becks to stop, the now-familiar
sign that his sharp eyes had found
something. “There’s a good boar”,
he declared as I looked out over
the paddock full of knee-high dry
grass waving in the breeze. And
eventually I picked it up, about
three hundred metres out, the top
couple of inches of a warthog’s
head was just visible above the
grass. Trusting in my guide, we
grabbed our gear and headed off in
pursuit. We soon lost him in the
heavy cover, and even Becks
standing back on the top of the
vehicle couldn't see him. That
was, until a convenient warthog
sow came cruising through the
grass, 80 metres to our left, and
the old boar stuck his head up.
Jacques set the sticks and gave a
low whistle, this made him sit up
just a bit higher again and it was
all I needed to send a bullet
quartering through his shoulders
for another on-the-spot kill.
32 | SPORTING SHOOTER _ JUNE 2017
As we walked over I wondered
what I’d shot, as I hadn't even had
a chance to size him up. Jacques
assured me that he was a very
good boar with nice ivory; he
could see it though the grass he
said. I’m not sure how, all I could
see through my Kahles 10x42’s
was a wall of grass, but I’d learnt
by now to trust my guide’s
excellent eyes and judgement!
Once again my PH was right; he
was a fantastic boar with even,
heavy tusks. As the sun dipped in
the African sky we quickly set him
up for photos on a patch of sand
alongside a nearby warthog hole.
Then we headed back at a rate of
knots as we had a special
rendezvous planned with the rest of
the group – traditional
‘sundowners’ on the plains, where a
lavish spread of champagne and
finger foods awaited us. It was a
fitting end to a fantastic adventure,
with good friends, great hunting,
beautiful country, and the good
folks at Kowas Safaris.
ON THIS PAGE
4 The author’s well-travelled
Browning A-Bolt .30/06 did an
excellent job on a variety of plains
game, loaded with Aussie 180gn
Woodleigh bullets.
5 Glassing at sunset over the
beautiful Namibian veldt.
5
 TEST
REPORT BY NICK HARVEY
Sako 85 Carbonlight
Mountain Rifle
Sako has
combined
lightweight
components
with a classic
stock to create
a stylish, easy-
to-carry, nicely-
balanced and
accurate
mountain rifle.
SUPERLIGHT is a label some
shooters sneer at, but in the
case of the new Sako 85
Carbonlight, a petite little rifle
weighing a scant 2.38 kgs,
mountain hunters who tackle
steep, rough terrain burdened
with a rifle and pack, are
simply going to rave over it.
Add a low-range variable scope
with one-inch tube, a 2-7x or
2.5-8x and you're all set for the
steep stuff with an outfit that
will weigh less than 3kgs.
Sako rifles are famous
worldwide for their
performance engineering and
workmanship, attributes that
have ensured their lasting
popularity and justified their
continuing success in the
marketplace. The company
has always placed placed a
high priority on building
good-looking rifles with
smooth-cycling actions and
functional stocks that have
good lines and dimensions.
Accordingly, the new
1 Carbonlight is a welcome
extension of Sako's Model 85
34 | SPORTING SHOOTER _ JUNE 2017
2
line which boasts six action
lengths tailored to suit
different lengths of cartridges.
It isn't a fancy gun, it's a
synthetic-and-stainless
short-action rifle chambered
(initially) in .308 Winchester
with a fluted 514mm barrel.
Both action and barrel are
stainless and bead-blasted to
give exterior metal surfaces a
frosted non- reflective finish.
The stock is slim, trim and
ideally proportioned for scope
use with a high, straight comb.
The tightly curved pistol grip
has a slight palm swell, and
the forend is flat on the bottom
with sides that curve inward
toward the upper edges. The
stock is strictly utilitarian,
lacking the kind of molded-in
checkering that graces the
majority of injection-molded
synthetic stocks, and I think it
looks all the better for it. It
also lacks a grip cap which
would serve no useful purpose
and be superfluous in any
case. Stock furniture consists
of a pair of sling swivel bases
and a firm black curved
one-inch recoil pad.
The Soft-Touch surface
texture has a discreet
herringbone pattern all over it,
something I really like the
look of. There's also a slightly
raised hint of a cheekpiece on
the left side and a swelling on
the heel of the stock that I
really can't see any use for.
Alas, there's a fly in the
ointment with the carbon fibre
stock that may concern
mountain hunters whose rifles
are prone to rough treatment
commonly receiving scratches
and gouges through being
dropped or knocked against
hard objects. The slightest
damage to its exterior surface
can cause this stock to lose its
structural integrity. The
owner's manual that
accompanies each rifle issues
a warning: "Any scratch,
gouge, dent, or any other
surface damage may cause
catastrophic failure, which
could result in serious
personal injury or death."

It also says: "Carbon parts
that have been damaged may
not bend, bulge and deform, a
damaged part may appear
normal at a glance. If you drop
your firearm or it is hit by
anything, thoroughly inspect
all components. Before
starting to use the rifle,
inspect carbon composite
components."
This may sound dire and
make the mountain hunter be
wary of having a carbon fibre
rifle stock. Still and all, the
advantages of carbon fibre
probably make it worthwhile,
despite all the extra care
needed and the frequent
inspection it requires.
The basic action of the
Carbonlight is essentially a
revamped version of the
push-feed Sako 75 (circa
1997), which underwent major
revision in 2006 before being
reissued as the Model 85. The
most obvious difference
between the Sako 75 and later
85 is the shape of the
buttstock and the checkering
... a discreet
herringbone
pattern all
over it,
something
I really like
the look of.”
patterns. Whereas the 75 had
a reverse drop Monte Carlo
cheekpiece, the 85 has a
straight comb. Other
mechanical changes
occurred: a problem with the
magazine catch was rectified
to prevent the box falling out
and becoming lost in the
field. The latch on the 85
won't disengage unless the
front of the magazine is
pressed inward to trip the
latch. But I seldom removed
the magazine during testing
because the large ejection
port of the action made it easy
to top-load the magazine
while it was left in the rifle.
Also, the box itself was
changed to hold cartridges in
a staggered column instead of
a single column. The trigger
guard/ magazine frame is
alloy for lightness.
More importantly, however,
was the change from push-
feed to controlled-round
feed. The conversion to
controlled-round feed was
accomplished by machining
away part of the lower
section of the counterbore
rim to allow the rim of a
cartridge to slip beneath the
extractor as it was pushed off
the magazine follower.
Some aficionados question
whether the 85's claim to
having controlled-round feed
is valid. By flaring the bottom
lugs 0.140" wider (than the 75's
lower lugs) and machining the
bottom half of the counterbore
rim away, a cartridge being
pushed out of the magazine is
flush against the bolt face
WWW.SPORTINGSHOOTER.COM.AU | 35
3
allowing it to gripped by the
extractor. But this is not
instantaneous, first the bottom
righthand lug contacts the
cartridge and pushes it free of
the magazine lips, but the
cartridge is not gripped by the
extractor until the bolt
advances to within an inch of
the chamber. Only as the case
cams upward on the feed ramp
does the rim lock under the
85's narrow extractor.
To me, the controversy
makes little sense because in
my opinion, controlled-
ON THIS SPREAD
1 The Sako Carbonlight naked
shows clean lines, excellent
form and excellent function.
2
The Sako Carbonlight shot
economically price
ammunition, like Federal
Powershok, as well as any,
proving its quality of manufacture.
3 Burris Fullfield E1 2-7x36 was
a perfect match for the petite
Sako 85 in .308 Win.
 TEST
REPORT
round feed means the
extractor grips the cartridge
rim as it is leaving the
magazine and is not affected
by the size and shape of the
extractor. Sure, the broad
Mauser claw is stronger and
grips more of the cartridge
rim, but exerts no influence
on how the rifle feeds. The
system has been called
"positive" feed and "positive
chambering" in recognition
of the fact that only during
the final stage of the
chambering process does the
extractor claw actually grip
the round.
In every other respect the
bolt in the 85 Carbonlite
resembles that of the 75, since
5 6
36 | SPORTING SHOOTER _ JUNE 2017
it retains the same three
front-mounted locking lugs,
copying the latest short
bolt-lift trend. The bolt body is
round and smooth and lacks a
guide rib. It measures .630"
from front to back. The bolt
handle is angled to the rear
and finished off with a
pear-shaped bolt knob.
The safety button is behind
the bolt handle and has twin
levers. The big lever locks both
bolt and sear to prevent the
rifle from firing, but if a
loaded round is to be removed
in safety from the chamber,
pressing down on the smaller
lever allows the bolt to be
opened while still on safe.
The single-stage trigger
4 ON THIS PAGE
The single-
stage trigger
came with a
trigger pull
of 1.36kgs.”
came with a trigger pull of
1.36kgs which is the weight all
my personal rifles are set to
let-off at. In operation the
trigger is crisp with no creep
or take-up or overtravel. It is
one of the best I've ever
encountered.
4 The Sako 85 Carbonlight was
tested with four factory load
and three reloads. Three of these
groups are SUB-MOA.
5 The Sako 85 is equipped with
the company’s integral
dovetail bases with recoil stop and
has a pear-shaped bolt knob.
6 A small tab at the front of the
Model 85’s safety allows you
to cycle the action with the rifle
on safe.
Over the years the style of the
bolt shroud has been changed
every time the model changed,
and the 85 has twin flutes with
machine checkering on a
small flat on top. The
checkering matches that on
the integral scope bases and is
there to prevent glare. When
the 85 is cocked, an indicator
with a red dot protrudes from
under the shroud.
The two bottom lugs are
scalloped to ride rails along
the receiver sidewalls, then
mate directly with the receiver
ring's machined inner profile.
To facilitate greater ease of
lockup, most fore-and-aft
surfaces on all three lugs have
been bevelled. The rim of steel
that encircles the case head is
interrupted in two places, one
for the spring-loaded pivoting
extractor and again at the very
bottom with a narrow slot for
the ejector housed in the floor
of the receiver bridge.
 27 BEACONSFIELD STREET
MARGATE QLD 4019
BRISBANE’S BIGGEST GUN STORE!!
Ph: 07 3883 1733
Fax: 07 3284 6611 Mobile: 0419 644 269
www. cleaverfirearms.com

WALKERS Game
Ear Razor
Electronic Ear Muff
Available In: Black,
FDE, Pink
SIG SAUER & Teal
Romeo 5 NEW $89.90
Red Dot Sight
SPECIAL NEW
$285
CATEGORY A- SHOTGUN
C-MORE M26 Sporting 12 Gauge
5 Shot, Straight Pull Shotgun
Detachable Magazine
Adjustable Gas Strut Stock
NEW $3495
SIG SAUER Whiskey 5
3-15x44 with
Illuminated Hellfire Reticle
NEW $909
BERETTA Neos 22lr
10 Shot BCM Gunfighter Stock
Blued Finish Adjustable LOP/Collapsible
Semi Auto, Available In: Black Or FDE
Cased Two Mags NEW $115
SIG SAUER Whiskey 3 NEW $379
3-9x40 Quadplex Reticle
SPECIAL NEW $229

BERETTA Neos 22lr

10 Shot
Stainless Steel
SIG SAUER Whiskey 3 Semi Auto, Cased With
4-12x40 Quadplex Reticle Two Mags
SPECIAL NEW $275 NEW $449

NEW FEDERAL AM-

MUNITION
Federal Power Shok BCM MOD O Grip
223rem 55gr SP Available In: Black Or FDE
360 Rounds NEW $51.95
In FREE Military
Ammo Can BCM MOD 1 Grip
SPECIAL $269 Available In: Black Or FDE
NEW $51.95
Federal PowerShok
308win 150gr SP BCM MOD 2 Grip
VORTEX Viper HS 4-16x44 Available In: Black OR FDE
BDC Reticle, SFP, Side Focus 240 Rounds
In FREE Military NEW $59.95
SPECIAL NEW $610
Ammo Can
Australian Outback SPECIAL $285 BCM MOD 3 Grip
Ammunition Available In: Black Or FDE
223rem 69gr HPBT NEW $35.95
Match
Loaded with Sierra www.cleaverfirearms.com
Matchking $$$ Monthly Prizes !!!
SPECIAL
$13.99 /per 20
See The Specials First
VORTEX Copperhead 4-12x44
BDC Reticle, SFP $69.95 /per 100 & Subscribe Today
SPECIAL NEW $235 $139.90 /per 200 EXCLUSIVE WEB DEALS !!!
 TEST
REPORT
My sample 85 Carbonlight
shot exceptionally well
for an ultralight.”
SPECS
Specifications Sako
85 Carbonlight
Manufacturer:
Sako 11100 Riihimaki, Finland
Type: bolt-action repeater
Calibre: .22-250, .243 Win.,
.260 Rem., 7mm-08 Rem.,.308
Win. Capacity: 5 round
detachable box
Barrel: 514mm, 1:11” R/H twist in
.308 (tested)
Overall length: 1035mm
Weight: 2.38kg
Stock: carbon fibre
Finish: natural stainless steel
Trigger: single-stage,
fully adjustable.
Price: $4700
Trade enquiries:
Beretta Australia.
38 | SPORTING SHOOTER _ JUNE 2017
7 would be required. On the
The receiver from the barrel
juncture to the rear tang
measures 212mm and has a
width of 33mm. The top of the
receiver has Sako's trademark
tapered integral scope
mounting system, which is
proprietary. So you will
probably use Sako Optilock
rings which is no real hardship.
Sako receivers have always
had flat-bottoms that bed
squarely into precisely
inletted stocks. The
Carbonlite has the lower
sidewall edges bevelled to
45-degree angles and there's
been other changes involving
metal removal to shave
weight. The 85 has a larger
magazine well opening, a
rounder exterior profile above
the flat sides and a narrower
tang. There's a transverse slot
on the underside of the
receiver ring which in
previous models was
intended to accept a
rectangular recoil lug made
integral with a bedding plate
held with screws in the
walnut stock. The 85's
receiver retains the transverse
slot in case farther down the
track, the rifle is chambered
for calibres larger than
current offerings which top
out with the .375 H&H. At that
point additional lug strength
Carbonlight, a recoil lug on
the receiver just behind this
slot fits tightly into a molded
platform in the stock and
is threaded for the front
action screw.
The barrelled action is pure
Sako. Fit, finish and final
assembly are well done, and
the joint between barrel and
receiver ring is so hard to
detect that it looks to be made
integral. The barrel is 500mm
long, and on the .308 test rifle
measures 29mm at the receiver
ring, and doesn't vary that
diameter much over the
chamber, before commencing a
straight taper to reach 14.60mm
at the dished muzzle. Weight
was shaved by giving the barrel
five deep lightening flutes
measuring 330mm long.
Sako barrels are cold
hammer-forged and machine
lapped and my .308 had a
1:11" righthand twist. Other
Carbonlight chamberings
and their rifling twist rates
are: .22-250 (1:14), .243 Win.
(1:10) .260 Rem. (1:8), and
7mm-08 (1:9.5).
Separating the stock from
the action is easy thanks to a
T*-wrench Sako includes with
the rifle. On the inside
8
inletting is neat and close and
is a snug fit around the action
and barrel. The carbon fibre
stock adds a mere 567 grams to
the weight of the rifle. Also
included with the rifle is a
tool to help disassemble the
bolt. Put it over the shroud,
turn, and the bolt comes apart.
For accuracy testing, a
Burris 2-7x36 Fullfield scope
was mounted in Redfield
bases and rings. Beretta sent
Tikka mounts with the 85
which won't fit tapered
dovetails. A certificate
included with the rifle
certifies it was proof-tested
with two cartridges loaded to
25-percent higher pressure
than standard factory ammo,
at a CIP proof house (CIP being
the European counterpart to
the American SAAMI).
Light rifles are much easier to
carry up a mountain, but you
still need them to perform when
you get up there. When I was
young and knew no better, I
humped a lot of heavy rifles in
steep terrain because I believed
they gave better accuracy. Since
ON THIS PAGE
7 Carbonlite’s receiver is
flat-bottomed but has slimmer
exterior profile above flat sides
and narrower tang for lightness.
8 Bottom metal and detachable
magazine including box walls
and follower are all made of alloy
for lightness.
MAX-HUNTER SNAP CAPS MAX-CLEAN SUPER VICE

Assorted Rifle,
Pistol & Shotgun
Calibres from
22Hornet to 20Ga

$25! CV-810

$139!
LAX12 LEVER ACTION SHOTGUNS

AVAILABLE FROM

$799!

CALIBRE - 12 GAUGE | 20”/28”/18” BARRELS AVAILABLE | 3” CHAMBER

SHORTEST LEVER THROW ON THE MARKET!
MODELS AVAILABLE: WALNUT, SYNTHETIC, MARINE, CAMO & PATROL

MAX-GUARD HARD BR10-GT

PLASTIC SHOTGUN CASE GUN MOUNTED LIGHT
PT-HH175-100HAL $109 $149! • Includes Scope, Bike
and Weaver Mounts
• 100w Halogen • 900 Lumens!
• 1000 Lumens
• USB Rechargeable
• Dimmer Switch
• Lightweight
• 14hr Battery
Life (Max)
• Waterproof
Int Dimensions • 160m Beam
85cm x 30.5cm x 12.5cm PTSC003 $79 Distance

DEALER ENQUIRIES ONLY – please contact Tom, National Sales Manager, via email tom@protactical.com.au or call 0457 760 822.

WWW.PROTACTICAL.COM.AU
 TEST
REPORT

that only rarely is a second

finishing shot required, and
seldom is a third shot fired.
Even so, I fired two five shot
My sample groups which weren't all that
much bigger, and the Sako 85
shot showed no sign of the vertical

exceptionally stringing that is common to

well for an
ultralight.”
then I learned that it is not true
that light barrels aren't as
9 accurate as heavy ones, but they
do vibrate more, and can be
extremely fussy about what
loads group best.
My sample 85 Carbonlight
shot exceptionally well for an
ultralight and was in no way
finicky, but it did show a
liking for certain loads and
accuracy varied accordingly.
Beretta Australia sent me a box
of Sellier & Bellot ammo
loaded with the 150gn SPCE
bullet, and I tried three other
factory loads and three of my
handloads in it. The results are
shown in the table.
Aware of how fast the slim
barrel would heat up, I settled
for firing three shot groups
which is plenty for such a
light rifle. When deer hunting,
10 I have found the animal
usually falls to the first shot,
light barrels.
With loads it didn't like, it
threw the third shot
horizontally both high and
low of centre, but most groups
were round. The rifle lived up
to the factory guarantee of
Sub-MOA but with two of the
factory loads tried, and only
one of my handloads.
Sako is cutting match-
grade chambers and they're
famous for the quality of
their barrels. This shows in
Carbonlight's performance
which is aided by a crisp,
clean trigger that makes
shooting tight groups easier.
One can expect some
velocity loss due to the short
500mm barrel, but this is
offset by providing the hunter
with a lightweight rifle that's
capable of more than adequate
downrange performance
on deer-size game. The
Carbonlight doesn’t
compromise on weight,
balance or handling, and
recoil is surprisingly mild.
This gun,the latest rendition
of the Sako 85 is an absolute
joy to shoot.

ACCURACY RESULTS SAKO 85 CARBONLIGHT .308 WIN. ON THIS PAGE

Bullet Powder Charge Velocity Accuracy 3-shot groups
(gns) (type) (gns) (fps)
Smallest Largest Average 9 Model 85 bolt has the lower
portion of its counterbore
milled away to enable the rim
HANDLOADS of a cartridge to slip beneath
Lapua 125 Re-15 49 2948 0.815 0.980 0.945 its extractor for controlled
-round feed.
Speer 130 AR2206H 47 2950 0.987 1.115 1.100
Speer 150
FACTORY AMMO
AR2208 48 2725 0.936 1.125 1.115
10 Bolt has smooth, round
body that cycles very
smoothly. The two bottom lugs
are scalloped to ride rails along
Sellier & Bellot 150gn SPCE 2712 1.125 1.175 1.550 the receiver sidewalls.
Highland AX 150gn SP 2668 0.895 1.117 1.00
Federal Power Shok 150gn SP 2819 0.916 1.00 0.949
Federal Premium 168gn MatchKing 2564 0.647 0.949 0.830
Accuracy results are average of four 3-shot groups at 100 yards from a benchrest.
Velocities are averages of 12 shots measured at 3 metres with a Chrony chronograph.

40 | SPORTING SHOOTER _ JUNE 2017

 BIG BOAR

Repairing fences was never this

exciting in the main, as told in
this nice short tale from Mick O.

The Mulga
Monster
W
ITH TEMPS hitting 50°
out here the past few
weeks its hasn’t been hard
finding some good boars
laying up in the dams.
One particular boar had been sighted by the
station manager who informed me of him. So,
after a short discussion I made plans to hit the
dam in the late afternoon of the following day.

1
I'd packed my thermal setup in
the hope that I'd be able to walk
in, sit in the dark and pick him
up under the cover of darkness!
Now it's nearly an hour's drive
out to this dam from the
homestead and on arrival the
wind was howling and blowing all
over the place. Nevertheless, I sat
by the gate for a bit and waited,

2 but didn't think this wind would

give up any time soon.

42 | SPORTING SHOOTER _ JUNE 2017

 As it happened, I had a job to do
not far from the watering hole the
next day clearing some fallen trees
and straining a couple of wires. I
threw in my faithful Marlin .30-30
and set off early the next day, and
as I arrived on the dam I spied a
mob of sows and suckers drinking,
but no boar, so I headed over and
way to the shade of the trees
around the troughs and dam
to have some smoko before I
headed back.
Anyhow, as I poked in I pulled
up and watched the same mob
depart the dam and as the cattle
slowly scattered away, I made out
what I first thought was a log half
ON THIS SPREAD
1
Author Mick with the old boar who
“succumbed to the heat” ... and a
.30-calibre pill through the bonce,
incidentally.
2 That entry wound ruined his day.
Well placed that man.

started work. in the water. I quickly realised it

Once the heat started to kick was the big fella punching out
in I called it quits and made my ZZZZeds in the cool water.

WWW.SPORTINGSHOOTER.COM.AU | 43
BIG BOAR

I made out what

I first thought
was a log half in
the water.”

I opened the door slowly and

grabbed the .30-30, cocked it and
lined the top of his head up in the
Redfield, and resting on the door I
shot him.
As the birds took off and
the cattle made a run he kicked
a few times and lay motionless.
I hopped under the wire fence and
walked to the water's edge to drag the
brute from the water. He was a lot
larger than I had thought but not
sporting very big tusks! I managed to
drag him to a broken trough and set

3 him up for a photo! He's a good solid

hog for this country out here, an old
Front, on, the old warrior’s tusks have worn right back, battler no doubt, who succumbed to
but he is a “Mulga Monster” nonetheless. the heat!

VORTEX VIPER PST GEN 2 RIFLE SCOPES

Features:
• Improved vision quality
• 5 times zoom ratio
• New RZR Zero- stop
• Laser edged precision reticles
• Large elevation/ windage range
• Integrated Illumination

Viper PST 55-25x50i

-25x50i with MOA or MRAD/ SFP or FFP with EBR2C re�cle
Ul�mate value tac�cal rifle scopes packed with features needed by tac�cal
shooters and
shooters and LR
LR hunters.
hunters. Designed
Designed byby LR
LR shooters
shooters to
to help
help you
you con�nuously
con�nuously
achieve
achieve be�er
be�er groups
groups at at longer
longer ranges.
ranges.
Accurate,
Accurate, rugged,
rugged, fast,
fast, reliable,
reliable, intui�ve,
intui�ve, and
and forever!
forever!
Vortex
Vortex –– famous
famous for
for great
great op�cs,
op�cs,
high value
high value and
and true
true life�me
life�me warranty!
warranty!

44 | SPORTING SHOOTER _ JUNE 2017

 GUN
CLEANING
Extra care needs to be exercised when you clean a rifle
that shoots the proverbial “grammophone needle”.
To Clean A
Seventeen
1 rifling on the way through the
I
N the Army, we “never let the
sun set on a dirty rifle” and
early experience I had as a
fullbore shooter using 7.62
Omark target rifles, using only
Sweet's Solvent and Sweet's oil on
4x2-inch flannelette – we never
saw a bore brush – was to clean at
the end of every day's shooting.
More lately I have had a
relationship with the diminutive
.17 Hornady Hornet for a few years
now, having had a magnificently
accurate Savage Model 25 Walking
Varminter and a CZ 527 American
more recently. Both have had their
foibles but a better fox-specific
cartridge would be hard to find. I
have also had a very long time to
46 | SPORTING SHOOTER _ JUNE 2017
refine my rifle cleaning methods,
but the .17 calibre has forced me to
reconsider techniques somewhat.
Why? Because the tiny bore has
tiny, more sensitive rifling, a tiny
chamber and tiny muzzle crown,
and the need to eliminate fouling
from very high velocity bullets has
led me down a path (which I have
now adopted for larger
chamberings) as it just makes sense.
I'll explain the process for you.
Gear Required
These methods are just as
applicable shooting a .17 Mach 2
right through to a .17 Remington as
the bullets are all copper jacketed
and they lay down the same metal
fouling to a greater or lesser degree.
Cleaning Cradle. Either
home-made or commercial. There
are many to choose from and
they are the best way to
regularly clean rifles. If you don't
have one and you own one or
more rifles, why not?
The Cleaning Rod. I started my
.17 journey using an Otis “flexible
rod” (pull-through) and while
effective, it was fiddly and time
consuming. But it still sits there in
my field kit if needed. I have used
Parker Hale coated spring steel
rods and brass jags since I was a
boy but they were unobtainable in
.17 calibre. So I then moved on to a
stainless steel rod and because I
used just a bit too much force on
the rod in its initial outings, it
developed more than one bend in
it. No attempts to straighten it
were successful enough to not
feel the rod bearing on the
bore, no matter how gently I used
it. This was unsatisfactory.
So, I duly obtained a really nice
GUNSLICK carbon-fibre .17-.20
calibre 36-inch cleaning rod that
will not bend, carbon-fibre having
the characteristic of maintaining
its straight-line integrity until
eventual snapping failure if over
compressed or badly shocked.
The Business End. Over time I
have adopted the practice of
“letting the chemical do the work”
more so than endless bore
scrubbing. Therefore, I never use
bronze brushes any more,
preferring to use bristle or nylon
brushes and cotton flannelette
patches cut to size (I get mine from
Spotlight by the metre). I prefer a
long Parker-Hale-style brass jag,
but they are like unobtainium, so I
wrap a thin patch around a worn
bristle brush and load it up with
chemical or use it to patch out dry.
I do not use bronze brushes
because there is a remote but real
possibility of damaging fine
crowns with them if you withdraw
them back through the bore, unlike
a bristle brush when you wish to
assist chemical to work in the bore
2
by a few passes up and down.
Chemical Assistance. Now with
any high intensity modern
4
cartridge, you sometimes need
more than just a patch of Hoppe's
No 9 through the tube to cut
through metal fouling, particularly
when there have been more than a
few rounds down the bore since
the last clean. I mostly shy away
from Sweets Solvent these days, 3
preferring to leave a non-corrosive,
ammonia-free copper solvent in the

6
bore for longer and letting it work
overnight in a secure location. My
solvents of choice nowadays
include GUNSLICK Foaming Bore
Cleaner and Wipe-Out Patch-Out,
so the rod gets minimal use. More
barrels have been ruined by
overzealous cleaning than
shooting, according to the experts,
and that makes sense to me.
When I put a rifle away, I tend to
use Sweet's Oil, because it gently
works on copper fouling when
stored. When you push a dry patch
through prior to shooting, more 5
often than not, you will find it
discoloured green – and that was ON THIS SPREAD
the remaining copper from the last
time you “cleaned” it.
I also use methylated spirits to
1 This .17 is a sweet little cartridge,
but cleaning it can be a chore. 4 Tools to clean a 17 from 11
o’clock clockwise, light and
heavy-duty solvent, ruler and bulk
brush and patch-wrapped brush
for use as jag.

clean out any chemical prior to

shooting and to inspect for copper
streaks on the lands at the muzzle.
A torch helps with this also.
Keeping It Straight. I know so
2 All laid out for a backyard
.17 cleaning session.
flannelette, GUNSLICK carbon
fibre .17-.20 calibre cleaning rod,
sharp knife to cut measured
5 Improvised bore guide
components that make a very
effective expedient to keep the rod
3 A patch-wrapped bristle brush
shows deep blue from cleaning
patches, improvised .17 bore
guide, cut-to-size cleaning
perfectly straight and aligned.

many old-and-bold shooters who

never use a rod guide and I think
out copper solvent left to work
overnight. A check at the muzzle
revealed no visible copper left.
patches, bronze brushes
(not used any more), and 6 All small parts of the .17
cleaning kit fit easily into
an old projectile container.
centrespear-tip jag, bristle

WWW.SPORTINGSHOOTER.COM.AU | 47
 GUN
CLEANING
7 8
9 they are frankly doing their
chamber throats more damage than
they realise, particularly if they
use abominable aluminium-
sectioned rods or coated rods with
imbedded crud in them. If you
overwear the thoat, you ruin
accuracy sooner rather than later
and it is such preventable damage.
I have used a rod guide since
I started fullbore shooting in 1974
and my barrels last a long time
with good accuracy.
A MISER’S HACK. Having said that,
I have been making do with a non
calibre-specific wooden model for
too long and when I ordered the
carbon-fibre GUNSLICK cleaning
rod, I plumb forgot to ask for one of
their excellent rod guides also. As I
had a deadline for this article, I
decided to “hack” a rod guide for a
few dollars out of a metal-bodied
felt pen that neatly fits through the
rear of the receiver and ensures
10 very straight alignment on the
approach to the bore, negating any
possible damage to bore or rod.
Here's how to do it:
• With a hacksaw, remove the
closed back end of the pen.
• Then screw off the plastic nib
holder and enlarge the nib hole
with a battery drill, so it gives
a little clearance for the rod.
• Then take the removable cap and
drill a similar size hole in its top
centre, afterwards placing it
firmly on the non-nib end of the
pen metal body. Make sure
drilled holes are neatly
countersunk.
48 | SPORTING SHOOTER _ JUNE 2017
The below steps are optional and
maybe overkill-your choice.
• Take a full length sized .17
Hornet or other .17 Calibre
cartridge case and saw off the
solid case-head end of the case
and chamfer the inside and
outside of the cut. A Dremel or
similar tool is best for this.
• Sand down the last ¼ to 1/2-inch
of the nib holder end, so you can
firmly seat the sawn cartridge
case over the nib end. You may
wish to glue it on when it is
dead-straight.
• When it is assembled, you can
pass the rod through it, place
your brush or jag on it and run it
up into the receiver to seat the
cartridge end in the chamber.
• This setup, if properly sized and
aligned will do the job very well
and is simple to pull apart and
clean out by dunking in soapy
water, dried and reassembled in
a trice, but I'd advise buying a
commercial one, for the long
term, like I have done by the
time this goes to print.
Cleaning Method
I have devised this procedure
specifically for .17 calibre rifles,
but having done so, there is no
reason it won't transfer quite
happily to larger bores. You will
have to work out cotton patch sizes
as per the calibre you clean though.
1. Run a medium-loose patch
(2.5x0.25 inch) wrapped spirally
around a worn bristle brush
saturated with non-ammonia-
based copper solvent from the
 chamber out through the muzzle,
then remove the brush-jag and
withdraw the rod.
2. Run a new solvent-soaked
bristle brush from chamber to
muzzle and back 5-15 times, not
allowing the brush to fully exit
the muzzle. This measure
loosens powder fouling and
increases the effectiveness of
the solvent.
3. Wash your bristle brushes in hot,
soapy water and dry. Also, wipe
down the rod and clean out the
bore guide.
Note: 1 and 2 above can be
replaced by spraying GUNSLICK
Bore Foam into the bore. With my
bore guide, I remove the back cap,
insert the Bore Foam nozzle into
the back of the bore guide and
spray through the liquid-tight bore
guide straight into the lead rifling
and up the barrel.
4. Put the rifle, horizontal on its
cleaning cradle, aside overnight
or for as long as your secure
situation allows, if less. After a
few hours, turn the rifle upside
down to allow solvent to fully
coat inside the bore.
5. Arise, scatch your nether
regions, break wind, have a
brew and breakfast, then
return to your self-cleaning
rifle. Run a dry patch-wrapped
brush (see 1 above) from
chamber out the muzzle,
unscrew the brush and
withdraw the rod. It should be
blue or green or whatever
indicator colour your solvent
of choice makes on contact
with copper.
11
I obtained a
really nice
GUNSLICK
carbon fibre
cleaning rod.”
6. Run a loose-ish metho-damped
patch-wrapped brush through
the bore once. Allow a minute to
dry and inspect muzzle crown
with a torch. If there is only a
trace of copper, or none, (the
most likely outcome) on lands,
the cleaning process is complete.
If not, repeat all six steps.
7. If storing, run a bore mop or
patch-wrapped brush soaked
with preservative oil, like Sweet's
Oil, Vaseline or whatever you
commonly use and you are done.
Cautions
With chamberings from .22 caliber
and up, with spring-steel coated
rods, you can exert significant force
on the back of the rod by rapping it
with the heel of the hand to push a
tight patch through. You do not
have that luxury with a .17 calibre
as you will:
a) damage, snap and or bend the
thin rod and
b) have an immovable object stuck
a few inches up in the leade area
where ham-fisted attempts to
remove the obstruction will
damage that important area
where accuracy begins.
12
Do not drag the join area, where
the jag or brush screws onto the rod
ON THIS
end, back inside the muzzle, as this SPREAD
muzzle crown area is very easily
damaged. Use only bristle bushes, 7 To make
calibre-specific
patches you just
not bronze, and if that join exits
the muzzle, remove the brush or jag need a sharp knife,
bulk flannelette,
and carefully draw the ferrule at
a breadboard and
rod's end back through the crown. a ruler.
If you absolutely must use
bronze brushes (aarrrgghh!) and
you want to do several passes 8 Two .17 bristle
brushes. Left, a
new brush used to
through the bore, remove the
run solvent up and
brush at the completion of every down the bore to
pass and reattach it at the chamber loosen fouling and
end. Never attempt to draw a right, a patch-
partially lodged bronze brush wrapped worn
back through the bore. bristle brush. Note
When you wrap the flannelette the wrapped patch
does not overlap,
around the brush, do not overlap
thereby keeping it
it as it spirals down its length. If the correct size to
you can just see black between easily push through
the spirals, using a 2 1/2x1/4- to dry the bore.
inch patch, with any small
surplus wrapped below the
bottom of the brush, you will not
9 If using a
spear-tipped
jag, the right patch
jam it in the rifling. When you size is around a
start using this method, start half-inch square.
cutting the cloth small, until you
get the feel of the consistent,
light pressure you will need to
10 Spear-tip
jag exiting
the muzzleafter a
push the patch through. drying pass using
If you are using a carbon-fibre mild solvent.
rod, keep it in a long plastic
tube made for the purpose
or inside an Australia Post 11 If your
rod's end
join (marked in red)
poster tube, to prevent them
exits the muzzle,
being damaged. remove the brush
or jag before
A FINAL WORD. If you take one withdrawal as that
concept away from this how-to join can easily
article, take it from someone who damage the
muzzle crown.
has done a lotta shooting and a
lotta rifle cleaning, “Let the
chemical do the work!” and
“push easy, not hard.”
12 When
running a
solvent-soaked
bristle brush up and
down the bore, do
not allow the brush
to fully exit. This is
a great way to
impregnate the
bore with copper
destroying
chemical to work
overnight.
WWW.SPORTINGSHOOTER.COM.AU | 49
 WIN A
AMERICAN PREDATOR .223
PLUS LEUPOLD ACCESSORIES!

Ruger American
Predator Rifle:
◗ Ruger Marksman Adjustable™ trigger
offers a crisp release with a pull weight
that is user adjustable between
3 and 5 pounds
◗ Offers minute-of-angle accuracy that
can make every hunt a success
◗ Features ergonomic, lightweight,
synthetic stock designed for quick,
E
TOTAL PRIZ easy handling
VALUED AT
$1,525
◗ Features a soft rubber buttpad, crafted
for maximum recoil reduction

Prize Package Includes:

◗ Ruger American Predator Rifle in .223 worth $870 Prizes generously
sponsored by
◗ Leupold VX-2 3-9x40 Rifle Scope worth $550
◗ Leupold PRW Ring Mounts worth $105

Already subscribed to Sporting Shooter?

You can still take advantage of this great offer by extending your subscription.
 VISIT: www.greatmagazines.com.au
SELECT: Sporting Shooter

WIN & SAVE

ENTER: promo code
OR

CALL: 1800 807 760

QUOTE: promo code

UP TO 50%
OR

POST: the completed form to

Yaffa Media: Reply Paid 606, Sydney NSW 2001
OR

FAX: the completed form to 02 9281 2750

YES! I would like to subscribe to Sporting Shooter

PLUS for (please select):
1-YEAR for $82.95 ADV/17061
2-YEARS for $142.95 ADV/17062
3-YEARS for $179.85 ADV/17063

MY DETAILS

THIS IS AN EXTENSION OF MY EXISTING SUBSCRIPTION

A NEW SUBSCRIPTION

FULL NAME MR/MRS/MS

EMAIL

ADDRESS

SUBURB

STATE POSTCODE

DAYTIME PHONE ( )

PAYMENT
Stock the odds in your favour with a longer
PLEASE FIND ENCLOSED A CHEQUE/MONEY ORDER PAYABLE
subscription, the more you subscribe the TO YAFFA MEDIA

more chances you get to win! PLEASE DEBIT FROM MY

• 1-year / 13-issues of Sporting Shooter for ONLY $82.95

SAVE 30% PLUS 2 entires to WIN PROMO CODE: ADV/17061
Normally $119.90, SAVE 30% EXPIRY DATE TODAY’S DATE

• 2-years / 26-issues of Sporting Shooter for ONLY $142.95 CARD HOLDER’S NAME

SAVE 40% PLUS 4 entires to WIN PROMO CODE: ADV/17062

SIGNATURE
Normally $239.80, SAVE 40%

• 3-years / 39-issues of Sporting Shooter for ONLY $179.85
SAVE 50% PLUS 6 entires to WIN PROMO CODE: ADV/17063
Normally $359.70, SAVE 50%
Conditions: This offer is only open to readers with an Australian postal address and expires
14/08/2017. To enter, subscribers will need to provide their email address upon subscribing
and respond to a game-of-skill question to be emailed by 16/08/2017. Answers will be
accepted for 2 weeks from the date the email is sent. The winner will be contacted directly
by 01/09/2017. To win the gun, entrants must be at least 18 years of age, able to provide
proof of age, be appropriately licensed for Category B firearms in their state, will need to
nominate their preferred transferring dealer for transfer of the firearm, and arrange for a
permit to acquire the firearm through their state firearms registry office. The sponsor and
Yaffa Media will contact the rifle winner to initiate this process.
YAFFA 07195

Customer enquiries to subscriptions@yaffa.com.au.

 SHOOTER’S
SHOWCASE WHAT’S NEW IN THE MARKET – BY TONY PIZZATA

Tango Sports Lid By ARB

For dual cab utility owners looking for
an alternative to a traditional canopy,
ARB has released a new Tango load
system. This system is made up of
three main components: The Tango
Sports Lid, Tango Mount System and
Tango Loadmaster Cargo Organiser.
Firstly, the Tango Sports Lid will
provide secure storage space and
protection from the elements, as
well as incorporating a clever new
hinge system that allows the fitment
of OE sport bars. The lid attaches to
a mount rail, so this clever system
allows for quick and easy install or
removal of the Sports Lid to cater for
large loads. The lid also incorporates
central locking via the vehicle key
fob, as well as an emergency key
should the vehicle battery fail.
Next is the Tango Mount System.
These cleverly designed mounting
rails are made of extruded aluminium
and bolt directly to the inside edge of
the tub using existing mounting holes,
so there’s no drilling required. Adding
to its versatility, the side rails also
incorporate a T-channel within the top
face. This has been designed to be
compatible with a range of Thule and
Rhino accessories.
Last but not least is the Cargo
Organizer which fits across the back
of the tub separating contents and
preventing cargo from sliding around.
Take a look at the entire Tango Load
system at your nearest ARB outlet or
visit www.arb.com.au

CCI Copper
.22 Ammunition
Get accurate, reliable performance on targets and small
game in a non-lead bullet with new CCI Copper -22.
The projectile is constructed of a unique mix of copper
particles and polymer, compressed into a potent
21grain hollow point bullet. Combined with CCI’s
reliable priming and propellant, Copper -22 loads
achieve a muzzle velocity of 1,850 fps and provide
superb accuracy.
Whether you’re target shooting or out bustin’ bunnies,
CCI’s Copper-22 ammo is well worth trying. To find out
more visit www.nioa.com.au or pick up a few boxes at
your local gun shop.

Leupold VX-3i
For hunters, shooters and precision rifle competitors, Leupold’s new VX-3i (Long Range
Precision) eliminates almost every element of chance possible in long range shooting. Just as
important it’s made to fit the way you shoot. Choose first or second front focal plane reticles in
MOA or MIL with matching adjustment increments to match your specific shooting style.
The re-designed adjustments match reticle increments and track precisely. The VX-3i LRP
Travel indicator is easy to read and it’s adjustable zero stop prevents over rotation. Leupold also
include an optional throw lever and windage dial thread protector so you can run your
VX-3i LRP your way.
Other features include Twilight Max Light Management System, 30mm
main tube construction and Leupold’s Full Lifetime Guarantee. The VX-3i
LRP is available in 4.5-14 x 50mm, 6.5-20 x 50mm and 8.5-25 x 50mm.
Ask to see them at your local gun shop or visit www.nioa.com.au for
more details.
NEW
52 | SPORTING SHOOTER _ JUNE 2017
 SHOOTER’S
SHOWCASE

DVD-N.Z. Hunter Adventures Season 2

Father and son team, Greg and Willie Dooley
produce NZ Hunter Magazine, which is arguably
New Zealand’s premium hunting publication. In
recent years, however, they have also branched
out into the digital world of media and some three
years ago started their own T.V. show known as
NZ Hunter Adventures T.V.
The show airs on Choice TV in New Zealand but
unfortunately hasn’t made it to our shores as yet.
As a matter of fact, I’ve watched a couple of their
shows while in New Zealand and was very
impressed with the quality. For us Aussies and
for those locals who have missed episodes, the
team recently released a DVD entitled NZ Hunter
Adventures Season 2- as seen on T.V.
Season 2 features five episodes with some five
hours of non-stop action and adventure. Filmed
on both the North and South Island of New Zealand,
you’ll see chamois, Tahr, Elk, Red Stag, Sika Deer and much more. These
guys are hard-core and extremely dedicated to hunting and the
outdoors. In fact Greg’s mountaineering skills are also second to none. In
one episode he and his son Willie take Fi (mum) on an epic adventure to
the West Coast and the trio trek their way to the summit of Mount Sefton,
some 3151 meters above sea level. During the adventure mum takes a
couple of huge bull tahr and tackles the elements
demonstrating loads of experience. As Greg has
mentioned on many occasions, hunting and the outdoors
is in their blood and passed down from generation to
generation. Another enjoyable episode entitled Ruahine
Crossing with Grandpa Duley depicts just that and a
family outing on the North Island, again with mum,
shows just how talented she is when she
successfully calls in a sika stag for herself and
later one for Willie, her son.
Fiordland for Wapiti and some valuable
information on their history in NZ is also
excellent viewing as is some red stag hunting
in the Canterbury Alps on the South Island.
Without giving too much more away on NZ
Hunter Adventures- Season 2, I believe this DVD
is a must see for those who have hunter there or
those contemplating a trip to the Shaky Isle. In fact I
can’t wait for season 3 to come available on DVD. To get your
copy of Season 2. (approx 5 hours viewing time) for $29.95 plus P&H
simply go to www.nzhunter.co.nz
While you’re waiting for the DVD to turn up you might want to
check out their facebook page for a few teasers on Season 2 and 3 it’s
excellent viewing.

NEW Spika Range

Spika have added to their range of Hunter-
camo clothing with an excellent selection of
olive colour apparel. Take for instance their
Basecamp Jumper. It’s made of high
performance 200gsm HeatFleece fabric
designed to insulate the body in cold weather
yet remain breathable. Featuring a high-
zipper neck, secure zip-up chest pocket and a
relaxed fit, the Basecamp Jumper can we
worn out bush or as casual wear.
Spika also produce the Highpoint jumper
in a slightly heavier 330gsm Heatfleece
fabric, however, this model also features a
Hydroshield weatherproof membrane. While
the Highpoint is highly water resistant, it’s
also 100% wind proof thanks to Hydroshield
and its internal fleece lining. Other features
include adjustable cuffs, high zippered neck
for added protection, YKK zip-up pocket,
secure chest pocket and a semi-relaxed fit
for ease of movement.
The Buckland Rain Shield is another great
product from Spika.
This jacket is lightweight, easy to
store and designed for emergency
weather protection. Made of a
NEW
lightweight fabric that’s bonded
to Spika’s Hydroshield
weatherproof membrane, it’s
completely waterproof,
windproof and most importantly
breathable. The jacket actually
compacts into it’s own front
pocket when not in use for easy
storage, I have one thrown in
the bottom of my back pack for
use when glassing for extended
periods of time in drizzle or windy
conditions.
Other features include adjustable cuffs,
tape sealed seams for waterproofness, DWR
outer coating which repels rain on its
surface, adjustable and removable hood and
adjustable bungee chord collar for a snug fit.
To find out more visit www.spika.com.au or
ask at your local gun shop.

54 | SPORTING SHOOTER _ JUNE 2017

 EXTREME
PERFORMANCE

3 YEAR
LIGHTWEIGHT WATERPROOF

HALOGEN & HID MULTIPLE LED CORDLESS

TECHNOLOGIES COLOUR OPTIONS OPERATION

MULTIPLE BEAM 140, 170 & 240 VARIABLE POWER /

PATTERNS REFLECTOR SIZES DIMMING MODELS

lightforce.com cdf
 SHOOTER’S
SHOWCASE

Kingsley Winchester AUS Value

– Side Steps Pack – .223 Rem 55gr PSP
This Winchester ammunition was
Kingsley side steps offer form and function to developed to provide excellent
your vehicle while also providing easy access performance at an affordable
for young or old. Kingsley side steps also feature a price for the high volume
rear kick board on the step which is contoured to match shooter or pest
the sill panel and remove the risk of injury by closing this gap controller. In fact the
and providing a full six-inch stepping surface. Side steps will also editor’s son has
assist in protecting your vehicles lower body against bitumen, mud knocked a few solid
and stone chip damage. billy goats off their
In addition, their engineering team have designed their steps perches with this very
specifically for each vehicle, this means that the steps fit snug to your ammo. Featuring high
vehicles sill panel, maintain ground clearance and most importantly, quality Winchester
they are SRS side curtain airbag compatible. Kingsley Enterprises components, this
offer a number of different models to choose from including the ammunition delivers
Integra Step, Blade Runners and their new Black Integra. Some of outstanding reliability. In cartons
their different features depending on the model you choose include a of 200 rounds, this staple .223 Rem.
durable AkzoNoble Powder Coated non slip step pad with stylish ammunition line features a 55gn Pointed Soft Point projectile at
moulded end caps, full length grip strip, matt or bright-anodised finish 3215fps MV, a ballistic coefficient of .197 packed in 50-round boxes
and lots more. - four to a case.
To find out more visit www.bushranger.com.au Contact Winchester Australia. www.winchesteraustralia.com.au

Lee .17 Hornet Dies

Lee Die Sets come in several different
combinations and configurations but until now I
don’t believe they ever offered dies for .17
calibre centrefire reloading. Those familiar with
our editor Marcus know he is a fan of Lee
reloading gear from the basic Lee Loader kits
through to the Deluxe Rifle Die Sets which
include the incomparable Lee Collet Neck dies,
which result in minimal accuracy destroying
runout of loaded ammunition. Unfortunately Lee
has not yet produced a Collet die for the .17
Hornet, but this Pacesetter set is the next best
thing for now as it includes the Lee Factory
Crimp die, which also minimizes variation in shot
start pressure, which consequently enhances
consistency at the target. Marcus always
factory crimps his target and hunting
ammunition as it not only aids accuracy, but in
rapid magazine feeding it adds a degree of
ruggedness to the cartridge whereby your
seating depth and runout will not be upset by
rough handling or recoil.
The die set also includes a dead length bullet
seater. The seating plug floats within the die
body, allowing the bullet to naturally align
straight with the case neck upon seating. The
Full length dies in Lee sets have for many years
had the “Easy-X” Expander Plug, which is
more gently tapered in an elliptical shape,
which results in less neck deformation than
competitors’ dies when the plug is withdrawn
from the case neck on the upstroke of the
press. They also include a shell holder, powder
dipper, load data and are packed in a newly
designed, very practical and attractive
storage box.
Now while Lee Reloading Gear is very
competitively priced, and well below deluxe
die brands which tout superior loaded
ammunition, Lee reloading gear produces
highly accurate and consistent ammunition,
as evidenced by our concentricity tests over
years and on target. Marcus has won
innumerable matches, state championships
and still holds a 15-year-old national record
and all of those results were produced with
ammunition loaded exclusively with Lee
gear. Every Lee die comes with a 2-year
guarantee and guarantee of accuracy or
• Shell Holder
• Powder Dipper
NEW
your money back. • Load Data and Instruction
The Pacesetter Set includes:
• Full Length Sizer Lee Reloading products are distributed in
• Dead Length Bullet Seater Australia by Herron’s Security and Sport.
• Factory Crimp Die www.herrons.com.au

56 | SPORTING SHOOTER _ JUNE 2017

STRANGE This story should have been written nearly
DEER SPECIES

The sound was loud

and unlike anything
I’d ever heard emitted
by any kind of deer
anywhere I’ve hunted.”
50 years ago, but for some reason it never got into print.

Mysterious Deer
At Eagle’s Peak

I
T CONCERNS my experience
with an unknown species of deer
(a stag) I encountered in the
Victorian Alps back in 1971. In an
area high above the Howqua, that
Len Richardson called Eagle’s
Peak. On a number of occasions Len and
I camped in the Howqua and I drove up
a steep mountainside in my old short
wheel-base Tojo for a few miles and hunted
all along the ridgetops. I also climbed up
there on foot at different times on my
lonesome. It was one helluva drag, but in
those days I was a lot younger and very fit.

WWW.SPORTINGSHOOTER.COM.AU | 59
 STRANGE
DEER SPECIES
There was a wallow up there that I
used to stake out, and adjacent to
which I bagged two sambar stags.
But in mid-1971 some time in late
July, as I can best recall. I set up
camp in the same spot and hiked "up
top." It was a nice sunny morning
and I circled a steep little gorge and
sat down to rest and look and listen.
Suddenly I heard a flock of white
cockatoos squawking and carrying
on somewhere on the other side of
that rocky little gorge. Obviously
something - animal or human - had
caught their attention. The birds are a
darn nuisance when you are stalking
sambar for if they spot you they'll
raise a harsh cacophony of noise
alerting every deer within hearing to
your presence, spooking them.
To my great surprise, no sooner
had the cockatoos started up, than I
heard a deer start roaring from
across the gorge. The sound was loud
and unlike anything I'd ever heard
emitted by any kind of deer
anywhere I've hunted. I tried to imitate
the sound made by the deer, and we
kept roaring forth and back for
1 several minutes. Suddenly, he
stopped roaring and didn't reply to
my next roar. By now I was intrigued
and wanted to discover what kind of
deer he was, The little gorge between
us was too rocky and steep to cross
so I decided to work around the top
of it and get closer. I started pussy
footing up the slope, but had only
covered about 50 metres when I
caught a whiff of strong scent,
looked up and saw the deer, a stag,
walking around the side of the slope
above me. We were both caught by
surprise. He stopped standing
side-on and looked at me. My rifle
was slung on my shoulder and I had
no time to get it into action, in any
case I was too busy eyeballing the deer.
I'd never seen a deer like this one
before, but got a good look at him
before he turned and went
bounding away. He was out of sight
over the ridgetop before I could
react. The large dark stag was
stockier than a sambar, but the
same dark brown colour shading to
yellowish brown on the lower
parts. But the strangest thing was:
he had a mane like a horse and a
2 tail more like that of a donkey than
a deer. The antlers were of the
60 | SPORTING SHOOTER _JUNE 2017
Liberations took
place in the
mountainous parts
of Gippsland.”
sambar type, yet the conformation
seemed somehow different.
Not long after I first met him, Len
Richardson had often spoke about
the "big black rusa" he'd hunted in
the country "back of Mount
Torbreck". He said that during the
rut they made the mountains ring
with their loud roars and how
unlike sambar they gathered large
harems of hinds. He had a set of
antlers on the wall but they didn't
resemble any rusa antlers I'd ever
seen. They were more like sambar
except that the inner tines at the top
were longer than the outer tines. He
also showed me a photo of one of
the "rusa" stags he'd shot and it had
a long mane and a long tail. The
antlers resembled those of the deer I
sighted on Eagle's Peak.
Not many months before I saw this
mysterious stag I returned from
hunting in India where I'd seen
Barasingha in the Central Provinces.
When I got back I drove down to
Victoria and hunted Eagle's Peak
before returning to Len's home in
Violet Town. When I told him I'd seen
and heard one of his big black rusa
stags, and that I held the opinion that
it was either a Barasingha or a hybrid
Sambar-Barasingha. He agreed that it
might be possible.
After I returned home I set out to
find out as much as I could about
Barasingha. I remembered
something I read in Arthur Bentley's
book "An Introduction To The Deer
Of Australia" In chapter 7 on page 97
he states: " An unknown number of
swamp deer were presented to the
Victorian Acclimatization Society
by Mr. A. Grote of Calcutta and in
1867-68 they were reported to be
breeding in the Society's grounds,
and in 1871, there were seven at
Royal Park. Only one was listed in

1885 and no further mention is made
of them in subsequent reports, the
liberation is likely to have been
made between 1871 and 1875."
"The only additional detail
discovered was a statement to the
effect that ... liberations took place in
the mountainous parts of Gippsland
and that some years later they had
penetrated deeply and thrived to a
limited degree. And: "The possible
survival of this deer in Victoria , in
some remote area cannot be
discounted entirely". Therefore, I
was convinced that the Barasingha
had survived, bred up, and became
Len Richardson's "big black rusa."
Research I carried out later seemed
to confirm this and during the
process I learned a lot about this
little known deer species.
First I collected as much
information as I could about Indian
Barasingha, a.k.a the Swamp Deer
because in some areas the animal
inhabits grass lands, islands, river
banks, swamps and the vicinity of
swamps inside forest. But in the
Central Provinces, notably Uttar
Pradesh where I first saw them, there
are no swamps. Barasingha roam
large grassy plains or maidans on
which they can graze and only
penetrate the jungle-clad hills to a
short distance. They are found on
the Terai, the marshy plains
bordered by low hills in northern
India south of the Himalayas where
they are at home in high grass, reeds
and jungle. These "mountain
Barasingha" are the same animal,
but differ somewhat in appearance.
Instead of the whiteness and
smoothness of the antlers, which are
common feature of the swamp-
dwellers, dark, almost black antlers
with white tips are found on master
stags in the Central Provinces. The
ordinary colour of the animals is
said to be brown, shading to
yellowish brown on the lower parts
which agrees with the stag I saw.
Indian stags are described as having
necks that are maned. There is also a
darker dorsal line and it is common
for master stags to be so dark all over
that they appear to be black. In India
as the hot weather grows hotter, they
3
change colour with the stags
becoming reddish brown. ON THIS
A mature Barasingha weighs an SPREAD
average 180kgs, but in some areas
exceptional animals have been
known to reach 227 to 272kgs and
1 File photos of
Barasingha
stand about 1.2 metres at the
shoulder, but the most interesting 2 A Barasingha
spiker alerted
to noise to hs flank.
fact is that they have two types of
antler - the curved Barasingha type
and the Sambar-type. Some antlers
are very wide spread and have 10
3 Len
Richardson
with a stag - one
to 14 points, but heads having 18 of his “black Rusa”
and 20 points have been taken. or a Sambar?
Again in India is is not uncommon
to see a large dark stag with antlers
very much resembling a sambar's
sometimes to the extent of having
one more point. The possibility was
raised in India back in the early
1900s (it also occurred to me) that
these animals could be the result of
hybridisation. But the habits of both
species seemed to rule out this
supposition and the conclusion was
that it was mere coincidence.
Certainly the stag I saw on Eagle's
Peak didn't look like a hybrid.
The stags of both species find an
WWW.SPORTINGSHOOTER.COM.AU | 61
 STRANGE
DEER SPECIES

RIGHT: The great abundance of hinds to satisfy all
variation in
their desires. But the rut of the two
Barasingha heads.
(Top) two species does not coincide, although
Barasingha heads it may overlap. In country inhabited
from the Central by both Barasingha stags are more
Provinces; numerous, and their breeding season
(centre) Terai extends over a longer period.
type; and bottom Moreover, sambar hinds have been
Barasingha head
of the Sambar type.
seen associating with a herd of
Barasingha, whereas Sambar stags
never do this. In addition, there are
said to be other reasons for thinking
that if any interbreeding took place,
it would be between a Barasingha
stag and young Sambar hind. But
most early experts discounted this,
and offer a theory that the Sambar-
type heads evolved as a result of the
animal no longer living in
swamplands, and that, as his mode
of life and the country he lives in
differ but little from that of many
Sambar, the same influences which
produced the antlers that animal
carries may eventually have
produced a change on the Barasinga.
The rut in their homeland is ill
defined, and one hunter wrote of
seeing a stag jump a hind in
December and also in March: but the
chief breeding period is between
mid-December and mid- January,
and the majority of fawns are born in
hot weather, shortly before the rains.
From what Len Richardson told me,
the rut of the Black Rusa he hunted
(Barasingha?) was late July, about the
same time as Rusa. At Woburn Park
in England, the rut takes place
between August and early October,
the fawns being born in May or
early June.
The master stags collect a herd of
hinds and fight for possession of
their harem in the same way as a
European red stag. A big stag may
gather more than thirty hinds, far
more than he can possibly look
after. Hence he'll be surrounded by
a number of young stags and every
time he chases one away, the
others will run in and jump some
of his hinds.
The "roaring" of the stags is a
sound which cannot be compared
with any other deer; it has been
likened to the hee-hawing of a
donkey, but this is an inadequate
description. The noise is
unbelievably loud and
penetrating and repeated with
increasing volume. What I heard on
Eagle's Peak reminded me of an elk
bugling mixed with a rusa stag
roaring. No wonder Len Richardson
said the loudness and strangeness
of the sound made the mountains
ring during the rut. It echoed and
re-echoed through the gullies and
could be heard for long distances.
Indian Barasingha are noisy
animals, and on being alarmed
scream loudly; the noise is a shrill
bray and they utter this while
trotting away from the cause of
alarm. In common with most deer
they issue a "coronach" or death
call when seized by a tiger or some
other predator.
By March the big master stags will
have tired and joined up with small
herds of 8 or 10 other stags satiated
with the rut, and leave the rest of the
breeding to smaller animals.
There are no records listing
where the Barasingha were
released in Victoria; it simply
doesn't exist, nor does anyone have
any knowledge about Barasingha
having survived in the Victoria's
alpine region. However, a few
stalkers must have taken maned
sambar over the years without
knowing what they really were.
However, this is understandable
when you consider that the area
where I saw my mystery stag
doesn't get dogged because the vast
area beyond Eagle's Peak has no
trails. I'd love to be able to pick Len
Richardson's brain to learn more
about his big black rusa, but he's
long since gone to that great big
hunting ground in the sky.
Whether any of the mystery deer
still survive after all this time, is
open to question. My sighting was
about 45 years ago, but my memory
of that experience is still clear in
my head. If any reader can offer any
insight or information to support
my theory, I'd love to hear from
them. Surely there's somebody out
there who has a photo or a mounted
head of a "maned sambar"?

The Sharpener Butchers Use

NOTHING SHARPENS LIKE A
ELECTRIC KNIFE SHARPENER
� A sharper finish in seconds

� Quick, easy and safe to use

From
�
�
No set up necessary
Maintains the same angle, every time
$
19900
� Proven reliability

� Low maintenance,built to last � ALL THE BOXES.

ORDER YOURS TODAY
FOR YOUR NEAREST STOCKIST w nirey.com.au e info@nirey.com.au p 1300 650 656
62 | SPORTING SHOOTER _ JUNE 2017
 DELUXE SPORT
MK10 Deluxe Game Scene Engraving (Detail Above)

SPORT
MK10 Sporting Clay Engraving

SPECIFICATIONS
STOCK SPORT: Drop at Comb 36mm / Drop at Heel 50mm / Length of Pull 368mm
With Palm Swell / (Left Hand Version Available)
FOREND: Schnabel
BARREL: 76cm 30” / 81cm 32” / Rib Floating Type 13mm-10mm
Centre Rib Vented / Bore Size 18.9 / Hard Chrome Lined
SIGHTS-Deluxe MK10: White Mid Bead / White Bead Front Sight
SIGHTS-MK10: White Mid Bead / Hi Viz Front Sight
CHOKES: Briley Thin Wall C300 - (4 chokes supplied)
TRIGGERS: Inertia 3 Position Adjustable - (2 spare Triggers Supplied)
FEATURES
• Improved stock design: increased stock height for faster target acquisition
• Improved relaxed pistol grip design
• Less drop on Sporting Guns only 10mm to stop errors in miss mounting
• Wood upgrade Turkish wood for Deluxe Guns Grade 3 wood for MK10
• Jewelled monoblock on MK10 Deluxe
• All guns oil finished
• All MK10 Guns now fitted with 15mm Decelerator Recoil Pad
• All guns come standard with a custom Negrini Gun Case
• 5 year Mechanical Warranty

Find your local Miroku Stockist at: Follow us on Facebook

www.osaaustralia.com.au www.facebook.com/aussiehunters SHOOTING INDUSTRY FOUNDATION OF AUSTRALIA
 PRODUCT
REVIEW

Athlon Riflescopes
ALTHOUGH their name may
not be well known to the
majority of hunters and shooters,

Offer Many Choices

Chinese riflescopes have finally come of age, and
today there is a model to suit every kind of hunting/
varmint/target use. By Nick Harvey.
1 two riflescopes for evaluation
C.R Kennedy Co Pty, Ltd, offers
one of the most comprehensive
lines of hunting optics that I
know of, including such
brands as Kowa, Minox,
Vanguard, Ultradot, Vixen,
Pentax and not but not least
Athlon who offer affordable
riflescopes, binoculars and
spotting scopes for the average
hunter/rifleman. They sent me
- an Athlon Neos 3-9x40 and a
Athlon Talos BTR 1-4x24.
Both are built on heat treated
one-piece tubes of aircraft grade
alloy for strength and durability
fora lifetime’s use. The 1-4x24
tube is 30mm in diameter
compared with one-inch for the
popular and versatile 3-9x. The
1-4x24 has 4 times zoom which
is nothing new. I am perfectly
happy using a straightforward
scope with 3-times zoom. Let's
look at each scope separately.

Athlon Talos 1-4x24

A low-range variable-power
scope normally belongs in the
"dangerous game" category, but
the illuminated mil-dot reticle
sees it cross over into the
close-quarter combat, tactical
section. It is being fitted to
AR-type rifles, mainly in the
U.S. This magnification range is
suitable for large dangerous
game which is seldom shot at
ranges over 100 yards. Often
shooting is measured in feet
rather than yards and the low
1x (no magnification) allows
quick aim, often at a charging
animal. The multi-coated lenses
provide a bright image and a
much clearer view when
looking toward the sun.
Short and compact, at
248mm long and weighting
500 grams, that weight is not a
consideration on most target or
dangerous game rifles. They
are made solidly enough to
soften the recoil of big bore
cartridges that shoot heavy
bullets, at high velocity. With
a thick-walled 30mm alloy

64 | SPORTING SHOOTER _ JUNE 2017

tube and extras - such as an
illuminated reticle with
battery turret set at an angle
atop the eyepiece
The 1-4x24 sure as hell lacks
power for the 1000yd shots loved
by sniping theorists, and its
adjustments, most unusually for
a scope of this type, have
exposed knobs which may make
it vulnerable to knocks afield.
But the scope's adjustments are
dependably consistent, and it's
nitrogen purged to be waterproof
and fog proof. It also features a
shockproof mechanical system
with a control and erector
system designed to withstand
1000kg recoil for up to a
thousand shots. This ensures it
will withstand the rough
conditions of the hunting field.
Rating very importantly on
hard-kicking big bores is eye
relief, since that's what keeps a
.460 at bay. The Athlon 1-4x
has eye relief of 6.26 inches on
1x shrinking to 3.5 inches on
4x. Not only is the eye relief
much longer than that of most
modern scopes, but you can
move your eye back and forth
and still see the full field of
view. Latitude of eye relief is
paid for, however, in field of
view at 100 yards which is
shrinks from 24.6 feet at 1x to
9.2 feet at 4x. This is obvious
the first time you try to aim at
a distant target at 4x.
A bit of extra field doesn't
matter much in a low powered
scope which can and should be
used with both eyes open, the
bright red-lit reticle floating
the a field of view as wide as
your eyesight. For all practical
purposes, parallax doesn't exist
even at the highest 4x setting
in such a low-powered optic.
Set to eliminate parallax at 100
yards, at other ranges it
amounts to less than an inch.
The complex AHSR SFP 14
SFP IR-MIL tactical reticle in
the Athlon is flat glass etched
offering greater durability and
ensuring subtension is always
accurate with much higher
shock resistance to recoil.
Recoil causes most scope
2 ON THIS SPREAD
The Athlon
1-4x24 was
mounted on
a Winchester
Model 70 in
.325 WSM.”
breakdowns, and its effects are
cumulative. One good rule of
scoping hunting rifles is that
the bigger the cartridge, the
smaller the scope should be.
There's little sense in mounting
a 4-16x on a .375 or a .458
anyway. But the heavier a
scope, the more likely it will
eventually fall apart during
recoil due to inertia. This is
problematic with some tactical
scopes and range-estimation
reticles. The problems with
such scopes include: first
increased complexity, which
tends to invoke Murphy's Law;
second sheer size and weight
since these are big heavy
scopes; and third most shooters
who want these scopes will put
them on hard kicking rifles.
The click values are 0.2 MIL
and the adjustment range per
rotation is 12 MIL with a total
adjustment of 40 MIL (137
inches) for both windage and
3
elevation. Athlon offers many
different tactical scopes that in
recent times have been seeing
increased use atop expensive
competitive tactical rifles,
using innovative reticles for
holdover as well as wind and
moving target holds. The AHSR
in the 1-4x24 has four thick
side bars that draw the eye to
the centre allowing it to double
as a dangerous game scope.
When lit up the centre
crosswire stands out boldly
and is easy to see in poor light.
Unlike the Argon model, it is
a second focal plane (2FP) scope
which I prefer over a first focal
plane (FFP) scope. There are
advantages and disadvantages
to each. In a FFP scope the
reticle has no chance of
changing point of impact as the
magnification is varied, and
you can still range and use the
hash marks at any power. But
the reticle becomes very small
WWW.SPORTINGSHOOTER.COM.AU | 65
1 Athlon scopes are rugged and
reliable, and can be found to fit
all requirements. The .325 WSM is
mated with a 1-4x24 Talos, while
the .223 Marlin XS7 is well served
by the 3-9x40 Neos.
2 Eyepiece on the Talos 1-4x has
battery compartment set at an
angle making it bulky, the Neos is
slimmer and trimmer. Both scopes
have European-style focusing.
3 Adjustment knobs on the 3-9x
are large, easy to grasp and
are capped to prevent
unintentional movement.
at low powers and sometimes
too big at high powers. The 2FP
does not not change size, but
you can become confused and
miss a target because the hash
marks change with different
power settings. One thing I
don't agree with in the User's
Manual is that with the 2FP
reticle, ranging is only accurate
at the highest power stated for
the subtension given at 100 yards.
One little known fact about
2FP reticle is that you can
change the hash mark
subtension by simply changing
power. If the standard is .2 MIL
per hashmark on maximum
power it is .4 MOA on half
power, (if a MOA reticle is
2MOA per hashmark, it will be
4 MOA on half power) which
offers flexibility. The Athlon
Argos BTR can be had with a
FFP Centre-X Duplex-type
reticle with MOA or MIL
adjustments, and the more
 PRODUCT
REVIEW
upmarket Midas has a 2FP
tactical reticle in MIL or MOA.
These tactical models all come
with illumination set rearward
of the power ring, and adjusted
via an 11-position rheostat
rotated 45 degrees clockwise.
The Athlon 1-4x24, mounted
on a Winchester Model 70 in
.325 WSM, proved to have
excellent optical design.
Curvature of field was minimal
with no detectable barrel or
pincushion distortion on any
power. Resolution and contrast
were excellent with sharp, clear
images with no colour fringing.
I saw no apparent astigmatism
at any power. Better still, it "shot
the square" accurately with the
last bullet landing close to the
first in the centre aiming mark.
This scope because of its
compact nature, can be
mounted very low on most
rifles. But on those with a high
comb, medium height rings
are recommended.
ON THIS PAGE
4 With long eye-relief of 6
inches and wide latitude in
eye placement there’s no chance
of the shooter getting a
“Weatherby eyebrow.
5 The Athlon Neos 3-9x40
makes an ideal combination
on this Marlin XS7 .223 whether
hunting by day or with a spotlight.
66 | SPORTING SHOOTER _ JUNE 2017
4 hard to manipulate the light,
Now a straight objective
cannot transmit as much light
as a scope with large objective,
thus image brightness is
reduced, making this kind of
scope rather specialised; a poor
choice for hunting in low light
conditions and for most deer
hunting, the Athlon Talos
3-12x40 with Centre-X or BDC
500IR reticle is preferable.
Athlon Neos 3-9x40
The average shooter likes a
simple hunting scope and
3-9x40 is a very popular and
extremely versatile model,
despite lacking all the bells
and whistles of the Tactical
1-4x24. Realistically, he is well
served by a good 3-9x and
needs no more magnification
to take precise aim at the vital
chest area on a deer out to 400
yds. - maybe farther. It is the
right scope for those who want
quality while staying on budget.
It has sturdy construction
like the 1-4x24 Talos sans the
Tactical reticle and battery
compartment. The larger 40mm
objective and wide band, fully
multi-coated lenses have an exit
pupil of from 13 to 4.2mm,
yielding improved resolution
and brightness in poor light
conditions. The 315mm
one-inch tube has a 50mm gap
between the objective bell and
the turrets and from the
3-9x40 is a
very popular
and extremely
versatile
model.”
eyepiece allow plenty of fore
and aft movement in the mount
rings. The length means the
lenses don't have to work so
yielding better image quality.
Parallax is factory-set at 100yds.
This is the variable that
I have on most of my own rifles.
I leave it set on 4x nearly all the
time, and only crank it up to 9x
for big game at distances
beyond 200 metres. The Neos
3-9x has a 37.8 foot field of view
at the 3x setting shrinking to
12.6 feet at 9x. This wide field at
4x allows you to find game
quickly and to lead running
game more easily.
Eye relief averaging 3-inches
across all powers is adequate
for all but the hardest kicking
super magnums. The turrets
are capped and adjustments
are 1/4" at 100yds. Clicks are
crisp with no play felt between
settings. Total elevation and
windage adjustment is 80
MOA. Both of the test scopes
had European-style focus by
turning the rear rim of the
eyepiece. The eyepiece itself
remains stationary while the
ocular lens cams in and out;
the scope can be instantly
focused for different shooters.
When you shop for a new
scope, brightness, resolution,
a flat field and precise,
repeatable adjustments come
first. Much of what you pay for
in high-priced scopes is better
glass and more sophisticated
coatings that enhance
brightness and sharpness.
You get improved optics in the
upmarket Athlon Midas and
Chronus Tactical lines which
feature HD glass and XPL
coatings. In the field of
affordable hunting scopes
with one inch tube and Plex
reticle, you can choose from
the Japanese Vixen ultra-
compact Traditional line
ranging from 2-8x32 to
4-16x44. Just as affordable is
the Minox ZV series which
includes a 3-9x40 and 3-9x50.
Athlon scopes can be had
with fancy complex graduated
reticles for help with
rangefinding and windage in
long range shooting. While
they excel for tactical and
even varmint shooting, I find
such reticles too cluttered for
big game. The standard Plex
seems to work just fine for me.
All this is good. Today's
scopes help us place our shots
more precisely for higher
scores, cleaner kills and more
humane hunting.
5
 GAME
TRAILS BY REID HJORTH
Rut Fever vs Rut Rage
The rut can
be tough on
relationships,
but when the
hunter’s rut
blood is up,
it’s no contest.
SORRY if I bang on about the
rut all the time, but it really is
the best time of the year to be
out and about in the bush. No
other animal that is readily
accessible for Aussie hunters
gives you the excitement and
anticipation that is the deer
rut. For me, it is a very long 12
months between ruts and the
highlight of my hunting year.
Much talk about different
bucks and stags between mates
goes on in the off season and
we all hope that the big one
that we let walk the year before
is still out there with an even
bigger set of antlers on its head.
Scouting takes place prior to
the season (quite easy when
you live in the country),
rostered days off work are
sorted and annual leave taken
if I have to, different
properties are organised as
some areas generally start
earlier than others. Rifles are
checked for accuracy plus all
the other gear is organised for
a trouble free 4-6 weeks of
hard hunting.
68 | SPORTING SHOOTER _ JUNE 2017
All of this adds up to a fair
amount of time and energy
and my wife refers to all of the
above as “Rut Fever”. The
“Fever” lasts for many months
and there are probably too
many conversations about deer
with a non hunter, that it all
becomes a bit too much for her.
I even made sure our Wedding
day and Honeymoon, despite
her best efforts for it to be in
April, did not interrupt my rut
- there’s plenty of other
months to pick, in my opinion.
Early wake ups during the rut,
long days out looking for deer
and late nights getting home
way after dark, day after day,
takes its toll, so I am told.
Each day in the bush means
more pictures of deer, stories of
deer, deer that got away and
deer that I want to shoot. While
I revel in my daily pictures and
videos and show her, she
doesn’t really care. I
understand it now, because
really, when she shows me
wedding dresses and shoes, or
some stupid video on Facebook
etc, I couldn’t give a toss either.
“Yeah darl, that’s great,” we say
to each other.
Now, the constant “fever”
leads to something else – Rut
Rage. The “rage” is certainly
“fever” related, but comes in
different levels. These levels, of
course, are all my doing or
what I am NOT doing I have
learnt. Leaving all household
chores up to the missus for 4-6
weeks each year while I hunt
and work (as I am away from
home 14 hours a day when I
work) apparently isn’t the done
thing these days. Maybe I was
Game Trails is proudly sponsored by:
Shop now at: leatherman.com.au
Despite the rage, my wife
still comes out for a walk
every now and then.
born in the wrong era, haha.
I know of two guys who’s
marriages have split due to
obsessive deer hunting, the
fever no doubt taking over
their world and the wife
just can’t take it any more.
I don’t want to end up that
way myself and need to
learn to take my blinkers
off sometimes.
My trophy room has a sign in
it that sums it all up very well,
“We interrupt this marriage to
bring you hunting season.”
And while the “rage” is strong,
I reckon the “fever” is stronger.
Rage is gotten over quite
quickly in her case, while
the fever hangs around for
months and months and nearly
morphs into the next season.
Fever beats Rage
every time.
Visit a dealer near you. herrons.com.au
 SCRUB
BULLS

Amongst big
Australian
wild bovines,
the scrub bull
is considered
by far the most
dangerous
to hunters,
according to
Ben Kleinig.

MAIN: A young scrub bull.

INSET: Alex with the old,
funky-horned bull that fell to one
solid from the double .500NE

70 | SPORTING SHOOTER _ JUNE 2017

Satanic Bulls
S
CRUB bulls have caused me more concern over the years than buffalo have, and I’ve
shot far more buffalo. When a buffalo bull lifts his head and looks at you, it’s mostly
just curiosity. When they actually have a go, it’s for good reason. I guess scrubbers
have their reasons, too, but they react to them more often! If wounded, they’re far
more likely to make an aggressive last stand than buffalo. This doesn’t mean that
buffalo are to be taken lightly, but I believe that scrubbers will try to kill a fellow more often,
provoked or not. I’m a pretty safe operator, and I don’t have many tales of “death at my feet” charges
from buffalo, scrubbers, boars, camels, one of each. But add the sudden attacks that don’t develop
into full-blown charges due to quick shooting, and there are a few more stories – and a few more
trips to the shop for new jocks. Anyway, scrub bulls aren’t usually that bad given you’ve got a
proper rifle and have your wits about you. Mostly, worry results when you look down at your rifle
and realise that it’s not a stopper. And then, as you look at that mad scrubber walking toward you,
with his evil-looking light-skinned eye patches, the thought crosses your mind that he might look
satanic. Dramatic? Yes. But you can be forgiven for just a little drama pumping through your veins!

WWW.SPORTINGSHOOTER.COM.AU | 71
 SCRUB
BULLS
1
My first and only actual charge
from a scrub bull was an
unwounded fellow who wanted to
defend his mate. It was coming for
us flat-out, but in a slight arc to get
around the body of the one we’d
already killed. I shouldered Tony’s
.375H&H and dropped the bull
with a 300 grain Woodleigh soft,
no problem. The distance was
about forty yards, maybe fifty. It
happened too quickly to get really
anxious about it. That was a long
time ago. Since then I’ve had some
exciting hunts, but thankfully no
real problems.
72 | SPORTING SHOOTER _ JUNE 2017
The October heat beat down and
the fine dust rose in gentle clouds
with each weary footstep. The
parched savannah and thin
bushland was in an oven of
granite rock hills that reflected
the heat straight in to the wild
cattle and the foolish doggers
looking for bait. The bulls were
switched-on, and all morning they
led the hunters on a wild goose
chase through that hell, and they
vanished. We turned back for the
bull catcher miles away, dreaming
about the cold water back in the
esky. The flicker of an ear through
the scrub snapped us back to
reality, and we crouched to study
ahead with the binocular. There
were several cattle, but we weren’t
sure if they were good bulls or not.
Edging closer, slowly, we soon
caught them unawares and
realised that one was indeed a
bull worth shooting. He was
immense and ragged and old and
mostly screened by brush as he fed
over the rocky ground. The scrub
worried Alex, so he passed me his
double 9.3x74R, and I passed him
my double .500NE. From just forty
yards, the right barrel sent that
 2 ON THIS
SPREAD
1 The author’s
father with the
first of the pair of tin
cup bulls taken on
the same afternoon,
using his Remington
7mm STW.

2 This scrub bull

gave the author
a few tense
moments as it
walked toward him
in thick bush, but
was sorted-out with
the vintage Rigby.

3 The author
with his
personal favourite
scrubber, killed
with his preferred
dangerous game
rifle, the Merkel
double. 500NE

3
I shouldered
Tony’s .375H&H
and dropped the
bull with a 300
grain Woodleigh.”

WWW.SPORTINGSHOOTER.COM.AU | 73
 SCRUB
BULLS
5 heavy solid through the
obstruction and collapsed the old
warrior in an instant, so that he
never knew a thing.
As much as I love it, and as
nifty as it is punching way above
its weight, my old Rigby .275 –
117 years-old this year, in fact –
doesn’t exactly fill me with
confidence when facing
something immense, grand and
potentially troublesome. It’s a
killer, but not a stopper. And
there I was, foolishly closing-in
through the thick scrub on the
bellowing I’d been following for
the last fifteen minutes. I was on
one of those lovely little trails
that lead to water – and from
water. It was April, and things
were green and dense. Of course,
the first I saw of the bull was his
satanic and ugly head about fifty
yards away, wandering along the
very same track toward me. “Oh,
dear,” I thought to myself. There
was nothing to lose, so I
shouldered the rifle and began
74 | SPORTING SHOOTER _ JUNE 2017
popping slow, little Woodleighs
into where I thought his heart
might be, hiding as it was behind
the leaves. It was like the little
old Mauser-actioned Rigby was
an automatic, and it all turned-
out very well indeed. That little
Rigby worked its magic once
again a month later, on an old
black-and-white bull with
marvellous horns that are now
gracing my wall. That one wasn’t
as nerve-wracking to begin with,
as it was more of a game of
cat-and-mouse through the
timbered hillsides. But once the
long-range shooting did the trick,
the approach and insurance, with
a rifle that can’t stop anything big
and devout, was something that
had to be carefully and safely
done – and was.
A proper professional usually
guides would-be scrub bull
hunters with a suitable rifle, but
nobody ever accused me of being
proper. And so it was that I
guided my dear old Dad onto two
 usefulness of the tin mug in my
hand, reassuring myself that my
Dad could shoot reasonably well
due to a misspent youth and
My old Rigby plagues of rabbits that, according
to Dad, were just as ferocious as
.275 – 117 years- any bulls! But, realistically, Dad’s
old this year, in rifle was another non-stopper – a
zippy 7mm STW. As we finally
fact – doesn’t closed on the first elusive bull,
with a small herd of buffalo just
exactly fill me to our left, I mentally calculated
with confidence.” the Taylor knock-out values of my
tin mug, hefting it in my right
hand in readiness as Dad got a
rest on a tree and took the poor
bull by surprise. It might’ve
grand old bulls armed with looked satanic, but in a nice way
nothing but a tin mug full of tea! this time, as it really had no idea.
We were camped by the river, and On the way back we ran into the
I was already exhausted from a other old bull the first one had
big morning. As evening been swearing at, crossing a dry
approached, the bellowing bulls creek bed. As a huge old buffalo
lured us away from the comfort of
the chairs and the fire, telling us
bull looked on, Dad got another
deadly rest on another tree, and
lies about how close they were. the quick seven worked again.
They were not close, and after the From our experience, on big
first mile I began to ponder the animals, quick rifles really do
85TH MELBOURNE ARMS
& MILITARIA FAIR
Antiques & Modern Sporting Arms, Militaria
Shooting Accessories, Knives, Edged Weapons, Knives,
Medals, Books, Antique Collectibles & Related Memorabilia
(obsolete antique firearms do not require police licencing)
WESTGATE SPORTS COMPLEX
CORNER GRIEVE PARADE AND DOHERTYS RD, ALTONA NORTH
**FREE PARKING**
SATURDAY & SUNDAY
1ST & 2ND JULY 2017
Saturday 9.00 am to 5.00 pm, Sunday 9.00 am to 3.00 pm
Adults $15, Children under 16 FREE accompanied by an adult
For information or table bookings contact:
Jeff and Jill Pannan Mob: 0412 561 243
Email: blackjck@bigpond.net.au www.facebook.com/melbarmsfair
need all-metal bullets, and Dad
believes in those little Barnes
jobbies. That really was a good
cup of tea.
A year later, that bloody
October sun was back, surprising
as that may seem. The usual
suspects – heat, sweat, dust – that
tropical gun-writers like to
overdo were back in force. I was
searching for the ever-elusive
hundred pointer, and Meg was
being a wonderful girlfriend by
just spending time with me in the
wilderness that I love so much.
We sat down in the shade to open
the water bottles and to forlornly
scan over the hundreds of buffalo
and dozens of scrub cattle that
were all too small, too young, too
ON THIS SPREAD
4 The author and a gnarled old bull
spotted by Meg.
5
The author’s father with his first Top
End scrubber, killed with the
author’s Sako .375H&H
RIFLE BARRELS AUSTRALIA
Chrome Moly .22RF to .50 Calibres
Stainless Steel .17 to .50 Calibres
Ph. 07 33 555 824 Fax 07 3355 6776
PO Box 72 Everton Park Queensland 4053
info@tsengineering.com.au
www.tsengineering.com.au
ALSO AVAILABLE
fluting, spiral fluting of barrels and bolts, octagonal barrels
and custom muzzle brakes and bolt knobs.
CUSTOM RIFLES BUILT.
WWW.SPORTINGSHOOTER.COM.AU | 75
 SCRUB
BULLS

I passed him my
double .500NE.”

alert and just out of reach on a bit thick in the introduction.

the floodplain. Where were the
monsters? I don’t know how
I missed him, but I did, and it
was Meg who drew my attention
to the scarred-up old brute of a
thing trailing the younger cattle
as they drifted past us. Using the
only stand of tea tree, I closed the
distance on the unsuspecting
bull, and the double rifle starting
bellowing at him, with the heavy
solids melting through. His horns
were old and worn, cracked and
broken. He’d fought a lot of
battles, and that day he turned
his toes up and went where all
Perhaps not. It might depend
on whether you’re typing a story
from the comfort of your lounge
chair, or out in the scrub making
the story happen. It always
seems more troublesome out
there, more dangerous. And so
it should. Because they’re not to
be taken lightly. They’re not to
be overdone, either, providing
you’re sensible. I’m not always
completely sensible, but I do
try to be sensible about whatever
foolishness I’m up to, and it’s
worked so far. But as I gradually
become more wordly wise,

6 good scrub bulls go, despite the

Meg looks on while the guys cut an older
bull up for several different families.
nasty, irreverent labels that some
writers give them.
So, perhaps I did lay it on
I do find myself reaching
for the big double more-and-
more when it comes to these
angelic bulls.

100% DIGITAL
HEADMUFFS.
WITHOUT THE MUFFS.

FOR MORE INFORMATION VISIT

ENHANCE
UP TO

NORMAL HEARING

76 | SPORTING SHOOTER _ JUNE 2017

 LA102 Polymer

LA102 Walnut

LA102 Laminate

CALIBRES: .223REM .243WIN .308WIN

WEIGHT: 3.5 kg (Polymer) 3.7 kg (Timber) OVERALL LENGTH: 1067-1087 mm (Polymer adjustable) 1077 mm (Timber)
BARREL: Proprietary, military grade steel, cold hammer forged. Medium varmint weight, target crowned. Coated in Cerakote™
BARREL LENGTH: 560 mm MUZZLE THREAD: M14 x 1 Right Hand
RECEIVER: High tensile steel with plate recoil lug. Picatinny rail. Coated in Cerakote™
STOCK: Floated design with three sling studs, available in polymer, walnut and laminate
LENGTH OF PULL: 337-357mm (Polymer Adjustable) 347mm (Timber)
TRIGGER: Single stage, three way adjustable for weight, sear engagement and draw length. Factory set at 1.5 kg release
ADJUSTMENT RANGE: Approximately 0.75 kg – 1.9 kg
SAFETY: Three position, bolt shroud mounted, rotating safety catch with indicator. Safety catch over-cocks and blocks the firing
pin and disconnects the trigger
MAGAZINE: Removable, single stack box magazine, polymer construction.

Find your local Lithgow Arms Stockist at: Follow us on Facebook

SHOOTING INDUSTRY FOUNDATION OF AUSTRALIA
www.osaaustralia.com.au www.facebook.com/aussiehunters
 GUN
LORE AN ASSORTMENT OF HUNTING FACTS & FIGURES
Ye Olde Hunter tells you how to go about
Decoying Rutting Red Stags
The best time to THIS period can vary from
mid-march to mid-April in
hunt red stags is different years, the time
during the rut, when the stags are generally
at the peak of their mating
when they’re season which usually lasts
from a month to six weeks.
roaring. If you On occasions, however, I've
wnat to know heard a stag roar during other
months in Queensland. And
how, read on. although stags may not decoy
or even reply to a call during
the tail end of the rut, they'll
often stop when they hear a
roar, offering the hunter a
standing shot.
The best times of the day
for the hunter to listen for
78 | SPORTING SHOOTER _ JUNE 2017
roaring stags or to try and
decoy them within range, is
from daylight to mid-morning
and again in early evening up
to dusk. But when the stags
are really into the rut, you'll
hear them roaring on and off
all day long. Sometimes, stags
will even call at midday and
if you know of a waterhole
they are using, it often pays to
stake it out at that time of day.
My favourite time to decoy
stags is just a daybreak after a
cold, frosty night. When light
rain is falling, don't expect to
hear much roaring, and heavy
rain usually silences all deer.
A storm also causes them to
shut up altogether.
Some hunters maintain that
they can tell the ages of red
stags by the quality of their
roars. They claim that if the
roars are tone-deep, hoarse
and short, it's more'n likely an
old trophy bearer. Young stags
are supposed to have high-
pitched squeaky voices and
often their roaring is
abbreviated and terminates
without any grunting. A fred
stag's full blown roar has been
described as being like a
medley between a bull
bellowing and a lion roaring.
2 the hunters unskilled at
Do cows roar? I've heard cows
being vocal, but they bark - a
sound not unlike a dog. I don't
know of anyone who tries to
call up hinds - if indeed they
can be called. I've often
barked replies to cows, and
generally after identifying
what I am, they've stretched
out their long necks and
bounded away.
To watch a mature stag
roaring at close range is an
unforgettable experience,
particularly when the stag is
being answered by another
bull or even several. One
friend of mine seldom fails to
produce a response in good
deer country. He uses a 30cm
section of black polythene
pipe with one end closed and
a plug of soft wood in the
other end. The tone quality is
rather deep, even hoarse, but
the volume is rather low. Still,
it nearly always gets a stag
answering the challenge.
I bought a battery-powered
Graf Boys Stag Call at the
Wild Deer show in Bendigo a
couple of years ago and tested
it in the field. It has five
different red stag calls -
Locator single; Aggro;
Violence; Spiker and Moan.
I always got an answer from
the Locator call which
enabled me to pin-point
the location of a roaring
stag, and work towards it to
size up the trophy potential
of his antlers.
Most stags are The Violence and Aggro
calls usually get a response
so excited while from stags without any hinds,
but while the Moan call
mating that doesn't alarm the other stags,
they aren’t too it often causes them to go
silent and sneak away. I've
alert or greatly found that good polythene
pipe callers outperform most
concerned of the expensive commercial
about a sour callers. Some home-made
callers produce hoarse,
note.” guttural roars, but contrary to
general belief, most rutting
stags aren't too particular
about the quality of the
sounds you produce. Stags
generally reply to calls even
though the tones are poor and
3 ON THIS SPREAD
WWW.SPORTINGSHOOTER.COM.AU | 79
calling. Over the years I've
called in numerous stags by
roaring vocally through my
cupped hands, but they were
all either immature spikers,
or poor trophy heads.
Once I heard a self-styled
deer hunting expert say that a
hunter should try to imitate a
stag looking for a harem. The
man doesn't live who can
manufacture or buy a caller,
or blow one, to differentiate
between the voices of
harem-calling stags and
challenging stags. If you make
or buy a caller that gives a
deep roaring sound you'll be
well equipped.
And I've heard it said that
one sour note will alert the
animal (stag) and it will sneak
away without an answer. And
that one should never call as
often as the stag. Such advise
is questionable, but much
depends upon circumstance,
such as the phase of the rut.
Generally, I've found that
most stags are so excited
while mating hinds and
fiercely rebuffing other stags
that they aren't too alert or
greatly concerned about a
sour note.
Once I answered two
roaring stags I spotted across
a wide gully. Immediately one
of the stags returned my call
at intervals and began
1 A red stag in the rut, makes a
sound like a mixture of a bull
bellowing and a lion roaring.
2 The harem stag is meeting a
challenge from a mature stag,
while a hanger-on waits his
chance to run off with some hinds.
3 Stags roaring at daylight from
a high ridgetop can be heard
by the hunter from a distance of
several kilometres.
 GUN
LORE
walking toward where I sat on
the hillside. I replied to him
five or six times as he got
closer. All my calls were done
orally through my cupped
hands. Nevertheless the stag
kept coming until he got
within about 40 yards and
spotted me. He was a double-
four hellbent intent on
robbing a big stag by running
off a few of his hinds.
Standing up I shouted at him
to scram and startled him
into taking flight.
While trying to locate a
stag, a hunter generally
should call at five to ten
minute intervals as he sits on
a vantage point or slowly
hikes across country. To call
more frequently, I believe is a
waste of breath.
When I'm seriously hunting
I seldom imitate a stag's
grunting, but some hunters
and guides do grunt, and in
addition may rustle brush or
scrape a tree trunk with a dry
branch. I feel that such
movements increase the
chance of spooking the
animal into seeing you. I have
80 | SPORTING SHOOTER _ JUNE 2017
Often he won’t
roar much but
just lie down,
worn out from
serving his
harem.”
always been more successful
by remaining motionless
while watching all around.
Some hunters call chiefly to
locate a stag with a deep,
hoarse voice from the other
shrill squeaky ones. When
they hear a long, hoarse reply,
they pin point the sound and
start stalking the animal
immediately to lessen the
chances that another hunter
may have heard the stag and
get to him first.
In an area where there are
no other hunters, if you get a
quick reply to your call, and
then the animal goes silent.
4 yards or more away.
You should remain on the
spot until you've determined
what the stag is doing: staying
where he is, or slowly walking
away. If he starts roaring
again in the same spot, you
should respond to his calls.
Then do what you think is
best. A stag can be killed
more easily when he decoys,
but probably the greatest
thrill comes when you pit
your skills against his in a
stalk - when you find him by
5
ON THIS PAGE
4 Hinds forming a protective
shield around the stag have
already been spooked and he’s
taken flight up the gully behind.
5 This stag has a classic,
mature head.
sneaking through the cover
and the protective shield of
his hinds and lesser stags
hanging around the outskirts
of his mating stand.
If the stag is definitely
moving toward you, listen
intently and answer his calls.
But don't overdo it. Stags that
decoy rapidly are often angry
and belligerent, and they may
thrash the ground and brush
with their antlers. You can
hear them coming from 100
A decoying stag may move
in slowly or at a trot. While
you are waiting for him you
should make sure you are
concealed inside the edge of
brush or trees. You previously
should have noticed the wind
direction, but be doubly alert
for a breeze shift. In the
mountains too, air movement
carries your scent. On a fine
day, after the sun has been up
for several hours, the air
warms up and starts to rise.
By mid-morning, the warm
air in the valleys is flowing
 PACK HEAT

NO PACK IS COMPLETE WITHOUT LEUPOLD’S NEW LTO-TRACKER™.

With this compact, handheld thermal tracker, hunters can clearly SHOOTING INDUSTRY FOUNDATION OF AUSTRALIA

see the heat signature of game at up to 600 yards, day or night.

Steep terrain, thick cover, or even pitch black darkness won’t stop
the LTO-Tracker from finding your game. Just like a good knife,
binoculars, and a rangefinder, the LTO-Tracker is essential gear. www.nioa.com.au
NMD257
 GUN
LORE

During the morning hours you’ll

often find the stag lying down tired
from mating with his harem,
6
emitting a low moaning sound.

gently but steadily up the

gullies and slopes, away from
the valley floor.
The thermal currents
reverse direction in the late
afternoon when the sun is
dropping low on the horizon
and the heavier, cooler air
flows down from the ridgetops
into the valleys, reversing
hunting conditions. Unless the
hunter takes these thermal
movements into account, he's
not going to enjoy a very high
degree of success.
A slow approach means the
stag is highly suspicious and
watchful. Big old trophy
bearers don't get that way by
being careless. He may have
gotten wary by being shot at
before, or been beaten up and
had his harem stolen by a
younger, stronger stag. He'll
circle your position, and come
sneaking in from the rear
trying to catch your scent or
size up his prospective
opponent. A deer's nose is
very sensitive. If he scents
you he will quietly sneak
away, and it is unlikely you'll
ever see him again.
Remember that a stag may
not always be where the
sound of his roaring seems to
indicate, Mountain winds are
tricky and change direction
frequently. Make a habit of
checking every few minutes
and try to adapt your stalk to
keep it always blowing in
your face.
Stags that decoy are more
often spikers or challenging
studs, not master stags.
Challengers are mature stags
that haven't attained
sufficient strength or fighting
skills to displace most harem
masters, or they are old stags
past their prime, that have
been evicted by more vigorous
stags. These disgruntled
oldsters wander around
Hinds are
especially
alert, moreso
than rutting
stags.”
during the rut seeking
unclaimed, receptive hinds or
a harem stud that they can
battle to try and steal his herd
of females.
A challenging stag may
have antlers as large or larger
than a harem stud and be a
better trophy than any of the
harem stags in the area. After
more than six decades
hunting red stags, I've learned
that stags past their prime
often carry heavy racks with
numerous points.
Spikers and immature
youngsters generally aren't
sexually active, but the herd
master generally drives them
out of the group. These stags
then hang about the fringes
unwilling to leave their
family units. Consequently,
during the rut they spend
most of their time at the edge
of the herd.
A harem stag is a contented
animal who usually doesn't
decoy to a hunter's roars. He
has collected some hinds and
instinctively knows that if he
ventures out to answer a
challenge, he will likely lose
some of his wives to one of the
other stags lurking about the
fringes. Often he won't roar
much but just lie down, worn
out from serving his harem,
moaning quietly to himself.
Stalking a harem stag can
be difficult. He may have a
dozen or more hinds nearby,
often in a shielding circle,
plus one or several hangers
on. Hinds are especially
alert, more so than rutting
stags. So sneaking in close
enough to take the shot
requires the utmost stealth,
patience, and cunning - plus
a lot of luck - particularly if
you come at him through
dense cover.
Let's imagine you've
completed a successful stalk
and there, standing stands a
magnificent stag, facing you
with his head raised, and you
can see his long, wide rack
with 12 even points - a classic
trophy. You think: at last,
there you are, you beautiful,
smelly, randy old stud.
You nervously suck in a
mouthful of cold air and hold
your breath as you thumb-off
the rifle's safety and slowly
raise the rifle to your shoulder.
You align the crosswires on
the centre of his reddy-brown
chest and press the trigger.
With the shot the rifle barrel
flips up and the stag drops to
the ground, gives a few
spasmodic kicks and then lies
still. He's yours, and it's all
over bar the caping out.
Don't be discouraged if the
stalk is long and arduous; later
when you reminisce about
your successful hunt, the
difficulty you experienced
will be the most memorable.
You've taken him under the
terms of fair chase and that's
something to be proud of.

82 | SPORTING SHOOTER _ JUNE 2017

 hONda $ 400 Off!
*

dOllars

rrp $2099

*Limited Stock
*While stocks last *Conditions apply
$
1699
after hONda dOllars

plus bONus:
• Vinyl Dust Cover • Free Delivery
• Security Cable • Extended Warranty to 5 Years
5
year
war r a nty
extended warranty
tO 5 years FAST free delivery
australia wide
bONus
value
$
260
available online or at your state Generator Place specialist in
nsw - VictoRia - QUeensland - soUth aUstRalia - westeRn aUstRalia

GENERATOR PLACE www.generatorplace.com.au

call NOw: 1800 221 110 24 / 7
NatiONal
dealer hONda’s ONly NatiONal dealer 100%
guaraNtee
100% mONey back guaraNtee that any eu20i
purchased from us will run any caravan air-conditioner
5
365 call ceNtre OpeN 365 days of the year year
a
war r nt y
5 year warraNty supported by national coverage

Number ONe hONda dealer iN australia fOr 10 years iN a rOw!

limited stock . only while stocks last!
 EAT THAT Come on a journey from buff to beer snack
BUFF

84 | SPORTING SHOOTER _ JUNE 2017

with David Hughes.

Water Buffalo Jerky

A
WAY in the distance, the dark silhouette
of a Water Buffalo bull’s head stood out
against the yellow dry-season grass
which obscured the rest of the animal.
We had just pushed the Hilux across a
rough, dry creek bed. As we eased up the far bank onto
the level ground, Neale’s superhumanly keen eyes picked
out a tiny shape that wasn’t ‘right’. We reckoned the
distance at over 500m. Halting the vehicle, we watched
through our binoculars. We didn’t dare move as the bull
seemed to be staring right back at us. The sweep of horn
looked impressive, although at that distance it was
difficult to judge the length.

The minutes ticked-by without any 155m. Very conveniently, nature

movement from the bull. Meantime we
discussed the stalking options. The
grassy floodplain was devoid of cover
between us and the bull, except for a
couple of spindly trees. All of a sudden
the bull stood up! We hadn’t realised it
was in the reclining position because
of the grass and the intervening
distance. It started to feed. Quickly the
stalking strategy was hatched. I would
walk in slowly, keeping the trunk of
the biggest tree between myself and the
bull. When the buff raised its head,
Neale watching through his binoculars
would give a click on the UHF radio in
the vehicle, giving me a halt signal on
the unit in my pocket. Two clicks
would mean the feeding had resumed,
and prompt the resumption of my
steady approach.
In this fashion I eventually
reached the tree. I ranged the bull at
had provided a fork at just the right
height for me to position my
.375H&H Magnum Sauer rifle for a
rock-steady aim. I took my time
preparing for the shot. I’d come a
long way to the Northern Territory
for this hunt and it was easily the
best bull that I had come across. I
didn’t want my excitement to affect
my shooting. The bovine was
presenting broadside and was
stationary when I finally let the
hand-loaded 270gn Barnes TSX
projectile on its way.
With an audible whack, the bullet hit
home. The massive beast barely
reacted. It hardly moved, just ambling
about slowly, but looking decidedly
wobbly. I thought to myself, ‘it’s going
to go down with one shot!’ A minute or
so ticked-by. The bull stood like a
statue. I decided to wallop it again.

The bull sported a fine set of unbroomed horns. According to the author’s field
measurements, the SCI score was 99 - marginally short of the magical 100 which
is regarded as a serious trophy head.

WWW.SPORTINGSHOOTER.COM.AU | 85
1
And again. Ever-so-slowly it keeled
over, not having moved more than a
few metres from the first shot. I
shook my head in disbelief at the
way it soaked up the punishment.
The shots were from a steady rest
and right in the boiler room,
assuming that my aim was true.
I made my final approach on foot
and put a final round through its
spine, just make sure it wasn’t able
to get up again.
Meat Recovery-Preservation
With the beast on the deck, I put my
mind to recovery of the back-straps
for my intended jerky-making
endeavors. Having zero prior
experience in butchering something
as massive as a buffalo, I followed
the same process as I had done
many times with deer. However
even the first step represented
something of a challenge! Causing
the 700-odd kg animal to lie stably
on its stomach for the surgery
3 required some serious heaving and
pushing for a couple of aging
86 | SPORTING SHOOTER _ JUNE 2017
hunters. Once I was happy with its
position, I made an incision up the
spine, then flayed away the thick
hide to expose the muscles of
interest. My hunting knife had only
a 100mm blade and required
insertion right to its hilt to run along
the backbone to free-up the
back-straps (known as ‘strip loin’ if
using the official Australian
terminology for beef primal cuts).
The temperature was in the
mid-30s, so the recovered meat
would spoil quickly if not properly
treated. I was extra conscious of
hygiene and storage conditions. I
had surgical gloves in my backpack,
and the back-straps went straight
into new snap-lock bags; the biggest
I could find in the supermarket.
Back at camp, the meat was placed
into the Engel fridge which was
running off the generator. I was
careful to regulate the temperature
well above freezing so the meat
could age properly yet not ‘go off’.
Having ‘died hard’, with lots of
adrenalin pumping, the bull’s meat

I’d come a long
way for this
hunt and it was
easily the best
bull that I had
come across.”
would already be tough enough, so
inducing extra toughness due to
over-quick chilling was the last
thing I needed.
After much coddling during the
five remaining days in the field, and
the drive back to civilisation, the
buffalo meat duly boarded the
return flight to Brisbane. The empty
esky that I had brought as checked
baggage on the inbound leg
accommodated the buffalo meat.
The airline’s only concern about
shipping chilled goods in eskies
relates to ice in non-watertight
containers. Sealed ice-bricks with
packaged meat are fine.
Once back at home, I cut the
meat in pieces of about one kg each
which suited me for making
batches of jerky. These I vacuum-
packed using a kitchen Cryovac
machine of the type readily
available from department stores.
I’d done some internet searching
for jerky marinades and
preparation techniques. The
common ingredients amongst the
various recipes seemed to be soy
sauce, Worcestershire sauce,
pepper and chilli. Beyond these
core elements, the other additives
were many and varied. Brown
sugar, honey and garlic are other
popular components.
Preserving your Jerky
Storage of jerky presents some
challenges. Devotees of store-
bought jerky will note that the
packets are hermetically sealed
EAT THAT
BUFF
ON THIS SPREAD
1 Running the blade along the spine to
start the back-strap-recovery process.
2 After peeling back the hide, the
target area for surgery became clear.
3 Jerky – here we come! A prime piece
of strip loin ready for the camp fridge.
FAST
FACTS
Tasty Hunter’s Buff Jerky
INGREDIENTS
• Approximately 1kg of buffalo
back-strap
• 1 spirit measure (40ml) soy sauce
• 2/3 measure of Worcestershire
sauce
• 1 healthy grind of mixed
peppercorns
• 1 healthy grind of black peppercorns
• 1 dried chilli, finely chopped.
METHOD
• Slice the meat to about three mm
thickness (easiest if the muscle is
still semi-frozen)
• Mix all the marinade ingredients in a
medium-sized bowl
• Stir the sliced meat into the
marinade, ensuring it is all
well-coated
• Cover with Gladwrap and store in
the fridge overnight
• Pour off any excess liquid
• Lay out the cured
pieces one-by-one onto
the trays of a kitchen dehydrator
• Run the dehydrator at low-medium
heat, testing every half hour or
so until
the desired texture is obtained
(this may take several hours,
depending
on the thickness of the slices and
the heat of the dryer)
• Open a stubbie and undertake
quality control testing.
WWW.SPORTINGSHOOTER.COM.AU | 87
 EAT THAT
BUFF
ON THIS PAGE
4 Jerky-making in full swing –
slicing and marinating.
5 Marinated pieces of meat
being loaded into a common
domestic dehydrator machine.
6 The end product is light,
tasty and highly nutritious.
ed
Certifi5 protectoarrds AS/NZS1270-2
002
Claslisan hearing stand
Austra
on
rotecti
i n g p
inhear
aders
The le
CENS Digital
Evolution in Electronic hearing
protection continues with the
CENS® Digital electronic modules.
Combining unique multi-softness
silicone custom-fitted earpieces
that enhance the sounds around you but
close off when detected sounds of above
81db. This unique design combines superb
functionality and this latest development
leads the trend towards comfortable custom
noise suppression for today’s shooter.
CENS Digital
Class 5 Protection, work place approved
Agents located throughout Australia and NZ
EARMOLD AUSTRALIA® P/L
Online store
Web www.earmold.com.au
88 | SPORTING SHOOTER _ JUNE 2017
Earmold 90 x 121 Shoot QP.indd 1
5
and often contain a sachet of thing happens in the fridge fridge or freezer and opened
drying agent such as silica gel. because even in a sealed when the boys drop by for
The ingredients of the marinade container, the fridge a ‘sherbet’.
will kill most bacteria on the
surface of the meat; in effect
condenses moisture from the
air as it cools. Higher moisture
Many hunters are motivated
primarily by the prospects of
pickling or curing it. But being
a naturally dried product, it has
content means faster spoilage. harvesting wild animals for
food. Preserving wild game
a tendency to reabsorb moisture Some Extra meat by salting and drying has
Jerky Notes
from the atmosphere under
room conditions. If you live in a
humid environment such as
After a while the jerky can
grow lots of white spots, which
been practiced for centuries,
and still represents an
interesting way to supplement
Brisbane, this effect will be are similar to the bloom often the modern household diet.
more noticeable. The same evident on salami and cured Even the meat of a Water
meats. This white coloration Buffalo bull can be converted
can be caused by a harmless into yummy savoury fare in
mould called Penicillium the form of jerky. The same
nalgiovense. Cultures of this techniques can also be used for
mould are intentionally used other game meats. Since jerky
88
ters s ince 19 for the maturation of fermented is a chewing proposition in any
fo r Shoo
salami and ham. In this event, some of the tougher cuts
NYX Glasses process it prevents the meat can be used. Meat that is
from spoiling by other strongly flavoured, or for other
undesirable moulds and reasons not too popular on the
bacteria. It won’t do you any family table, can also be
harm, but the appearance may converted into jerky. For
be somewhat off-putting. The instance, I have made it from
only way I have found to hare and stag venison with
NYX Glasses
guarantee the same appearance pretty good results. But
NYX Pro Z17 adjustable nosepiece with
heat fused non-slip flexible durable of the jerky as it was in the remember that it takes a lot of
frame and provides a comfortable dryer is to use the Cryovac. If fresh meat to generate a small
lightweight style for active users. The the jerky is portioned into amount of dried jerky - but at
ProZ17 also has a safety rating so are small ready-to-use packets least that means extra
also great for work as well!
then vacuum sealed, these can motivation to get outdoors and
Comes with frame, three coloured lenses,
soft carry case and cleaning cloth. be conveniently stored in the do more hunting!
Earmold Australia custom “On
the Spot” hearing protection
offers the ultimate comfort in
shooting protection. Made on
the spot and ready to use the
same day in a range of colours.
PHONE
(07) 3820 2533
Email info@earmold.com.au
6
10/11/2015 10:02 pm
 INTEGRATED
VIDEO
RECORDING
includes
4GB SD CARD

SHORT RANGE STRIKE NITESITE

100m identification
One high power IR Diode
2Ah scope mounted battery
Viper RTEK is designed to be the most affordable, high quality night
vision system on the market for short-range distances. Perfect for the
up-close and personal hunter.

MEDIUM RANGE STRIKE NITESITE

300m identification
Three high power IR Diode
4Ah scope mounted battery

Wolf RTEK is the perfect product for any hunter, delivering high
quality,clear night vision for your rifle scope. Provides maximum
versatility and a huge advantage to the night hunter.

LONG RANGE STRIKE NITESITE

The NiteSite RTEK range features advanced functions over the
existing range and incorporate integrated video recording at
the touch of a button, screen brightness adjustment, on board
intelligent camera focusing system, and Wi-Fi connectivity to
share your view to a friend's smart phone or iPad in the field.
Quickly and easily convert your day riflescope into a powerful
night vision system with integrated video recording at the
touch of a button to capture high quality imagery to micro SD
card for sharing online and playback at home.
500m identification
Five high power IR Diode
6Ah stock mounted battery
Eagle RTEK is for the hunter who wants a product without limitations. The
Eagle RTEK is a force to be reckoned with. Much like nature’s eagle, this
NiteSite will spot and identify quarry so far away it almost seems unfair.
• 640 x 480 VGA Video Recording
• Remote viewing via iOS or Android app
• WIFI sharing via NitePlayer app
• Integrated video recording to 4GB SD card.
• External camera focus for crisp imagery.
• Adjustable screen brightness control.
• Wi-Fi connectivity to share screen view on any
Android/ISO device.

Find your local NiteSite Stockist at: Follow us on Facebook

www.osaaustralia.com.au www.facebook.com/aussiehunters SHOOTING INDUSTRY FOUNDATION OF AUSTRALIA
 PRACTICAL
RELOADING TECHNICAL TIPS & INFO – BY NICK HARVEY
Reloading The Versatile
.308 Winchester
The hunting and IF SOMEONE asked me to
pick the most accurate and
target world has versatile cartridge suitable for
had a love affair light to medium big game, I’d
have no hesitation in
with this pocket nominating the .308
powerhouse Winchester. While I must
confess a personal preference
thirty-calibre for a longer cartridge – the
venerable .30-06 – when
for 65 years. accuracy is the most important
Here’s why. factor for deer-size game, the
.308 is without question the
cartridge to select. There are
several reasons for the superb
accuracy of the .308, but the
relative shortness of its case
is foremost.
Benchrest shooters have
favoured short cartridges ever
since they discovered their
match winning ability.
90 | SPORTING SHOOTER _ JUNE 2017
Cartridges such as the .222
Remington, .22 PPC and 6mm
PPC al have the short case
feature as a common factor.
The reason short cases are
so accurate has to do with the
uniform ignition and burning
as much powder as possible in
the barrel. The PPC cartridges
are near 100 percent efficient
in this last trait. The .308
Winchester became quite
popular with certain
benchrest shooting groups and
is favoured by many big-bore
shooters, and it sees
widespread use by hunters.
Despite being ballistically
unspectacular, it has proven to
be adequate for most
Australian big-game animals.,
and ideally matched to our
1
various deer species.
Moreover, it offers excellent
field performance with very
mild recoil so that even
relatively inexperienced
hunters can shoot it accurately
with little discomfort.
Another plus: it has been
and still is being chambered
in just about every popular
model of big-game rifle made
all over the world, being
chambered in a variety of
action types. The latter point
is worth considering, since
more good cartridges have
become moribund in the
marketplace because they
were never chambered in a
popular rifle than vice versa.
You can find a .308 I a
bolt-action, semi-automatic,
 PRACTICAL
RELOADING
slide-action , lever-action and
single shots in various price
ranges, and the .308 is the only
big-game rated cartridge (for
game larger than deer) which
can be had in all these types.
Accuracy was not
considered a design
parameter when a short
cartridge was being developed
for the U.S Military to reduce
the overall weight burden
carried by their troops. The
.308 then, is hardly a
newcomer on the hunting
scene since beginning life as
the T-64 cartridge back in the
late 1940s. However , it wasn't
until a subsequent
modification, renamed the
T-65 became the 7.62x51mm
NATO and was adopted as the
official US military cartridge
in 1954. Two years before
Winchester-Western, who had
been involved in developing
the cartridge stole a march on
the industry by attaching the
Winchester name to a round
that was virtually guaranteed
to achieve popularity, the
same way all military
cartridges had done in the
92 | SPORTING SHOOTER _ JUNE 2017
past. But not even the most
astute of the Olin team could
have guessed how big a
winner they had announced.
Today, 65 years later, the
.308 has become one of the
most popular game cartridges
of all time, despite the fact it
has to compete with a host of
cartridges in the “magnum'
category. Amazing? No. it's
downright miraculous.
With a match-grade rifle and
carefully assembled
handloads 1/2-inch 10-shot
groups are not at all
uncommon with the .308. I
have personally managed
quite a few smaller 5-shot
groups using my Lithgow
Arms LA 102 target rifle and
components selected to suit
the rifle.
There are really light .308
bullets available that make a
very efficient rifle for
conventional varminting such
as Speer's 110gn SP and
Nosler's 110gn Varmageddon
which can be driven at over
3300fps making them potent
varmint medicine out to
300yds, but every one of the
2 .308 proved capable of ½-minute
The .308 has
become one
of the most
popular game
cartridges of
all time.”
.308's I've loaded for has
delivered better accuracy with
bullets of 125 and 130 grains
which are a lot more effective
on goats and pigs at modest
ranges. Accuracy is the name
of the game when it comes to
hitting small pest birds and
rodents and a speed of 3100fps
is p The 130gn HP produces
trajectories flatter than most
.222 Rem. Factory loads,
which means that it must be
taken seriously as a varminter,
in an accurate rifle, of course.
The 150 and 168gn bullets
are ideal for deer and other
light game and also for more
demanding target competition.
This heavy-barreled Savage in
grouping with Buffalo River
factory ammunition.
The 180gn weight has been
promoted as being a proper
choice for medium big game
and for long range target
shooting. In my book,
however, heavier bullets are
not ideal performers in the
relatively small-cased .308.
A few shooters and hunters
have been satisfied with both
190 and 200gn bullets, but
velocity is comparatively low
and their curved trajectory
doesn't satisfy most hunters.
My first .308 was a Brown
Precision High Country rifle
built on a modified Remington
Model 600 Mohawk barrelled
action fitted with a Burris
compact 2-7x scope. I used
only one load in that rifle for
everything – the good
Remington 150gn Core-Lokt
over 48gn of W-748 powder
sparked off with the
Remington 9 ½ primer.
Muzzle velocity was nothing
to celebrate in song and story
– shy of 2700fps – which
duplicated the RWS 150gn
factory load in that stubby
barrel. Weighing 2.7kgs all up
with scope, it was my deer
rifle for a number of years and
accounted for more than a few
fallow and red deer and two
sambar. One sambar shot on
the run did a complete
somersault after a 150gn bullet
hit him through the lungs.
This is my general-purpose
big-game load and any good
controlled-expansion bullet
weighing 150 gn turns up
over 2850fps in guns with a
22-inch barrel. Some hunters
swear by the 165-grainer
travelling 100fps slower, but
the 150gn shoots a little
flatter , while the 165gn bullet
hits a little harder at all
ranges. I've tried 'em all and
keep coming back to the 150
grain bullet as the best
all-round .308 deer bullet. But
AUSTRALIA’ S BIGGEST SHOOTING SPORTS EVENT

JUST KEEPS GETTING BIGGER!

SSAA
SH T EXPO
20 & 21 May, Melbourne Showgrounds- VIC
26 & 27 August, Brisbane Showgrounds- QLD

Find out what’s on @

www.shotexpo.com.au
Proudly Sponsored by:
 PRACTICAL
RELOADING
3 .30-06 is superior for larger
if I wanted to wallop
something the size of a
sambar, or a wapiti or moose,
then a strongly structured
165gn bullet like the Barnes
TSX, Nosler E-Tip, Hornady
GMX and Speer Bear Claw
would give more reliable
expansion in heavy muscle
and bone.
Originally conceived as a
half-inch shorter version of
the .30-06 for military use the
far greater practical advantage
has been the decreased case
capacity bore-to-ration of the
.308, which makes it possible
to use powders of medium
burning rates in charges that
give it a high loading density
– substantially fill the smaller
case to the bottom of the
bullet leaving little if any air
space. This absence of air
space is said to produce more
uniform ignition and
94 | SPORTING SHOOTER _ JUNE 2017
4 short of 200gn bullets in
longer heavy
bullets project
further into
powder
space.”
pressures, hence more
consistent velocities and
increased accuracy. Full
density loading may be fine,
but try to avoid heavy
compression of charges,
and of course longer heavy
bullets project further into
powder space.
As a hunting cartridge,
I would rate them equal where
deer are concerned, but the
game because its longer neck
and larger powder capacity
allows it to better handle the
the heaviest 200, 220 and
250gn bullets.
With 165gn bullets,
slightly;y slower burning
powders come into their own
in the .308, and the best loads
may be found with W-760,
Re-15 and AR2208. The 180gn
class of bullets is in the kind
of in-between category, failing
to equal the 165s in trajectory
and energy delivered
downrange, and falling well
bone-smashing performance
up close. Its are of usefulness
in this cartridge is rather
limited, covering only very
large game at distances not
over 150yds or so – sambar in
heavy cover, for example.
The niche of the heaviest
practical bullets in the .308
– the 200gn Noslers and
Woodleighs – is even more
limited for Aussie hunting.
I've heard of them being used
for buffalo in the N.T, but
their performance is quite
modest, with velocities
barely exceeding 2400fps
with the slowest powders,
not with standing their heavy
punch in the field. They
should be used in situations
where their tremendous
penetration is required and
not out of any misconception
that they buck brush any
better than the lighter
bullets. They don't. Muzzle
energy is high – about 2550
ft/lbs – but no higher than
that of 150 or 165gn bullets.
For target shooting, most
experts load one of the
match-grade boattailed
bullets from Berger, Hornady,
Sierra or others in 155 though
190gn weights. The 7.62
metal-cased military bullet
weighs in the region of
144-150 grains and works well
for mid-range target loads, the
Australian 144gn ADI bullet
is very consistent in batch
lots. I have used them in
military ammo to bag a
number of buffalo with
head shots.
I should mention that the
most accurate .308s I have
used have been those with
1-in-12” twist as opposed to
the 1-in-10s. My superbly
accurate Lithgow LA102 has a
560mm barrel with 1:11” RH
twist which seems ideal.
For all this amazing
versatility, the .308
Winchester falls short of being
a handloader's dream. The
neck is too short by any
standards and the powder
capacity limited when the
heavier bullets are seated to be
within the Maximum COAL of
2.810 inches, as must be done
in most short-actioned .308
magazines. Once I had a rifle
built on a Mauser 98 action
that allowed heavier bullets to
be seated to a very long OAL
so they did not encroach on
powder space . It was then
possible to gain a bit of
velocity. Overall, though, the
effort turned out to be
impractical, for if one needs
more velocity, it makes more
sense to simply use the .30-06
or go up to the .300 WSM.
While making comparisons,
the .308 does have one other
advantage over the .30-06 –
less felt recoil. In rifles of
equal weight the .308 delivers
around 10-15 percent less felt
recoil. This can be important
in an ultralight rifle. As for
trajectory: there is less than
one half inch difference in
mid-range trajectory over 300
yards between 180gn factory
ON THIS PAGE
3 The .308 sired a family which
includes the .243 Win,, .260
Rem., 7mm-08, .308 Win., .338
federal and the .358 Win.
4 Bullets that allow the .308 to
handle a variety of big-game.
L to R: Lapua 125gn HP, Speer 130gn
HP, Sierra 150gn Spitzer, Barnes
MRX 165gn BT, Sierra 180gn Spitzer
and Speer 200gn Bear Claw.
 ®

y y

y y

y y
y
 PRACTICAL
RELOADING

loadings in the two cartridges,
while the .308's striking
energy is 7 percent less.
While standard large rifle
primers work well in the .308
expansion between 0.4735”
and 0.4720” were considered
to be safe maximum (working)
loads, and all those exceeding
Every 0.4740” were rated as excessive
well for literally everything
from mice to moose, and it's
even available in some
excellent economy-class
firearms that are a real

cartridge has
I have gained my best results, and reduced by one or two bonus on today's expensive
particularly with ball full grains. firearms market.
powders, using a magnum
primer. But I would caution
its little Certainly these drawbacks
do not detract from the
Few cartridges have
attracted a following equal to
handloaders that if you've
worked up loads with
foibles and exceptional versatility of this
compact thirty calibre, a
the .308 Winchester. While it
does not churn up the high
standard primers and want to traps for the versatility often overlooked, velocity and flat trajectory of
switch to magnums, they do
tend to raise pressures
unwary.” because it isn't a glamorous
beltless magnum. It may not be
its smaller-bore sibling – the
.243 – or have the long-range
excessively before optimum the best choice for the hunter capability of a 7mm Magnum,
velocity can be reached. While discussing pressure, who wants to make one rifle and lacks the smashing power
Competition shooters have I found the case head expansion do for every game animal on of the .300 Magnum, it does
reported good results with method to be a reliable this continent (and who offer the one-gun rifleman a
Federal match-grade primers indicator of relative chamber handloads), but the .308 must better balance between
when the ammo loaded is pressures, Winchester factory be considered as one of the ballistic extremes, especially
used in extremely accurate loads fired in a Mark X four or five best such for deer hunting or target
target rifles. Mauser rifle I used to develop chamberings available – and work. Sure, it won't handle the
The .308's vital; statistics data for my reloading manual it's appealing because you can really big stuff like a .375
are: maximum case length measured from 0.4730” to buy in such a wide choice of Magnum, nor is it the equal of
- 2.015”, trim-to length – 0.4738” across the bases, and action types and rifle weights. the .22-250 on varmints, but in
2.005”, maximum loaded this was considered to be the The canny handloader can live the right hands it will handle
round outside neck diameter normal range. Handloads up to his Scottish ancestry by both of these jobs in a
– 0.343”, normal maximum which produced case making his .308 serve him satisfactory manner.
overall cartridge length –
2.800” (to ensure reliable
feeding and functioning in
short length actions). SELECTED .308 WINCHESTER HANDLOADS
These dimensions pose no Bullet Powde Charge Muzzle Velocity
problems for the experienced (Wgt/Brand/Style) (type) (gns) (fps)
handloader who is inclined 110gn Varmageddon AR2219 46 3277
to err on the cautious side, BM2 48 3328
but every cartridge has its
little foibles and traps for the W-748 53 3175
unwary – and the .308 is no 125gn Nosler Accubond AR2208 49 3080
exception. The loads listed in W-748 51 3155
this column were developed
130gn Woodleigh PP SN Re-15 49 2965
using standard commercial
brass. Military brass has less AR2206H 47 3000
capacity because of its AR2208 49 3110
heavier construction, BM8208 46 3050
yielding higher pressures at
similar charge weights. 150gn Nosler Partition AR2208 45.5 2820
Therefore start at or below Re-15 45 2899
starting loads when working W-748 48 2785
up loads in those cases.
165gn Woodleigh PP SN Re-15 43 2795
Some military brass can
weigh up to 30 grains more AR2208 45 2788
than some lots of commercial W-748 46 2724
brass in batches I have W-760 49 2638
weighed, so differences of as
much as 10,000 PSI are 180gn Speer Grand Slam Re-15 42 2633
certainly possible for the AR2208 44 2610
unprepared. This is a very W-748 45 2560
good reason why reloaders
W-760 48 2516
should stick to one headstamp
and not mix 'em up. Velocities average of five shots measured with a Chrony chronograph at 3 metres. Rifle Ruger M77 Mk II with 550mm barrel.

96 | SPORTING SHOOTER _ JUNE 2017

 TRADING POST

FIREARMS LAWYER “We test our bullets”

Simon Munslow
Specialist firearms, prohibited
weapons & game lawyer.
Wide technical knowledge,
passion & experience
T: 02 6299 9690 F: 6299 9836
E: solicitor@bigpond.com W: firearmslawyer.com.au
Gun Law Info http://www.sportingshootermag.com.au/gun-law

C&J Tanning Mr. Rhys Thatcher and Buffalo shot with

550 grain round nose bullet out of a custom
CZ 550 Safari in 450 Rigby.

For all your tanning needs.

From deer capes and skins
to fox skins. Woodleigh
For Further Details
Call Chris on 0418 360 126
Bullets
Contact us or your local gun
shop for a free brochure
PO Box 15, Murrabit, Victoria 3579

Don’t miss
J-tanning.indd 1 30/05/12 10:30 AM Ph. 61 3 5457 2226 Fax. 61 3 5457 2339
Email: zedfield@iinet.net.au
www.woodleighbullets.com.au
Buy Australian

any issues.

FOR
Call 1800 807 760 to order ADVERTISING
your subscription. ENQUIRIES CALL
TONY PIZZATA
ON (02) 9213 8263

WWW.SPORTINGSHOOTER.COM.AU | 97
 PARTING
SHOT NEWS, VIEWS AND INSIGHTS – BY COL ALLISON

… And Yet Again

The cardinal Big Red and farmer
owner, parted by a
sin in the world poacher’s bullet.
of Nimrod has
to be the sneaky
shooting of
someone’s
pet deer.

OVER THE YEARS I’ve seen

it all. A monster pet rusa stag
shot behind a South Coast
hotel and later, its head
submitted to a club annual
trophy competition. When
discovered, the pet-killer was
ostracised and expelled from
several hunting groups.
Large tame deer of every
variety shot in the night by
cowardly thieves lacking the
skills to track down a wild
animal. I always wanted to
own a small deer herd, but
decided against it because of
the loopy losers who target
pet animals. They’re
everywhere.
My most embarrassing
column featured a huge
fallow buck supposedly shot
in the wild many years ago.
Turns out it was South
Australian Hall of Fame
horse trainer, David Hayes’
pet buck on his Lindsay Park
stud! The poacher was
publicly shunned.
In a recent column, I wrote
of the big red and rusa stags
poached from breeding pens
on a deer farm in Port
Macquarie on the NSW North
Coast. No arrests have been
made to date, despite an
untoward $5,000 reward,
perhaps indicating the
conspiring nature of grubby
game thieves.
And now another blot on
the sport - the cowardly
shooting of a farmer’s pet
deer in the New England area
of NSW.
My childhood friend John
Denman, with whom I
reconnected a few years
back, had been hunting this
property for some time and
knew the stag simply as
“big Red.”
“That stag was a big pussy
cat and enjoyed being fed
scraps from the kitchen and
in my case, the occasional
apple,” John recalls.” He was
a trusting animal that would
come sauntering over to the
wire if you stopped, knowing
there would be a little treat
in store. In essence, he
trusted you.
“This trust was brutally
betrayed by an act of
complete and utter bastardry
recently. Some bottom-feeder
had obviously seen Red as he
grew into a big solid deer,
and the rack he sported was
pretty good too.
That stag was
a big pussy cat
and enjoyed
being fed
scraps from
the kitchen.”
“Red had barely come out
of velvet when he was shot.
Possibly more than one
moron was involved as Red
was a big animal and what
was left of his body was
found out of his enclosure
- the head skin removed, the
rest left to rot.”
As John observed
somewhat wryly on our
reunion, when we were late
teenagers I went off to New
Zealand to hunt wapiti and
he went to Vietnam! Later,
he became a four-wheel
drive magazine writer;
I became a shooting scribe
and news journalist.
Of the loss of his farmer
mate’s pet stag, he said:
“There are no suitable words
to adequately describe
something this vile. It bore
none of the ethics of the fair
hunt, and betrayed the trust
of an innocent beast.
“If the coward happens to
be reading this, assuming
that you CAN read, I hope
you enjoy hanging the head
of this magnificent animal on
your wall, at least until you
are caught, lose your license,
and hopefully a fair amount
of your future freedom. For
you have no honour. Your
kill was not won in the hunt,
it was a cheap shot in the
dark." Says it all, really.

98 | SPORTING SHOOTER _ JUNE 2017

FACE THE
DARKNESS

With uncompromising quality and class-leading

technologies, the German engineered Outdoor
series from Ledlenser provides the light you need
to challenge the darkness. ledlenser.com.au