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TABLE OF CONTENTS 6
FROM THE EDITOR | R3 - Recruitment, Retention and Re-Activation
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FROM THE PRESIDENT | Our New World
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CONSERVATION POLICY COLUMN
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ACCURATE HUNTER | Dial or Hold?
THE OFFICI A L PUBLICATION OF THE BOONE A ND CROCK ETT CLUB
Volume 36
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Number 2
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Summer 2020
Doug Painter
Timothy C. Brady
Congressional Sportsmen's Foundation Turns 30 James L. Cummins
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GOING LONG
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MONTANA MASTER HUNTER
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AN INTERVIEW WITH AURELIA SKIPWITH DIRECTOR–U.S. FISH AND WILDLIFE SERVICE
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A RAM FROM POP
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WILDLIFE MANAGEMENT INSTITUTE'S GRINNELL AWARD
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THE CLUB EMBARKS ON A NEW STRATEGIC PLAN
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SINCE 1887
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A DALL’S DOMAIN
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Craig Boddington
Wayne van Zwoll
Everett Headley
James L. Cummins and Tony Schoonen
Alexander Sharif
Kendall Hoxsey-Onysko Anthony J. Conte
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SCIENCE BLASTS | Conservation Without Conflict: Saving Species and Livelihoods John F. Organ
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EDUCATING THE NEXT GENERATION OF CONSERVATION LEADERS
B&C Fellows at the 85th North American Wildlife and Natural Resources Conference
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BOONE AND CROCKETT CLUB LIBRARY
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MONTANA MULEY
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Byron Kibby
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BOOK REVIEW | Saving Species on Private Lands Unlocking Incentives to Conserve Wildlife and Their Habitats by Lowell E. Baier James L. Cummins
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DIY - MAINE MOOSE
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IN THE NEWS | Mississippi State University’s Deer Ecology and Management Lab Honored by the Boone and Crockett Club
Justin Spring
64 JOHN SEEREY-LESTER | Top Hunting Artist Receives NRA Hunters’ Leadership Forum Award Erin C. Healy 67
BEYOND THE SCORE | Double Celebration
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TROPHY TALK | Scoring Season
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GENERATION NEXT | 31st Awards Youth Trophy List
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RECENTLY ACCEPTED TROPHIES AND TROPHY PHOTO GALLERY 31st Awards Program Entries
COVER: Desert sheep in Southern Nevada. ©L. Victor Clark @BooneAndCrockettClub #BooneAndCrockettClub
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Richard Block Justin Spring
CAUGHT ON CAMERA
Photos from the Theodore Roosevelt Memorial Ranch FAIR CHASE | SUM M E R 2 02 0
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ABOUT THE BOONE AND CROCKETT CLUB MISSION STATEMENT
It is the mission of the Boone and Crockett Club to promote the conservation and management of wildlife, especially big game, and its habitat, to preserve and encourage hunting and to maintain the highest ethical standards of fair chase and sportsmanship in North America. VISIONS FOR THE CLUB n
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We envision a future in which the Boone and Crockett Club continues to be an internationally-recognized leader in conservation, especially in research, education, and the demonstration of sustainable conservation practices. A future in which the Club continues its legacy as a key leader in national conservation policy. A future in which the Club continues to be North America’s leader in big game records keeping as a conservation tool. A future in which the Club’s members continue to be respected and commended for their individual and collective contributions to conservation. A future in which the Club’s leadership and management continue as examples of excellence, and programs remain balanced with financial capability. A future in which the Club’s activities continue to be highly-focused and effective, and as a result, natural resources sharing, wildlife populations, habitats, and recreational hunting opportunities continue to improve through, and beyond the 21st century.
VISIONS FOR WILDLIFE AND CONSERVATION n
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We envision a future in which wildlife and its habitat, in all their natural diversity, are managed and conserved throughout North America. A future in which hunting continues to be enjoyed under rules of fair chase, sportsmanship, and ethical respect for the land. A future in which all users of natural resources respect the rights of others in the spirit of sharing. A future in which the value and conservation of private land habitat is respected and supported. A future in which North Americans are committed to the principle that their use of resources must be sustainable both for themselves and future generations. A future in which hunting opportunities exist for all desiring to participate.
Club President – Timothy C. Brady Secretary – Mary Webster Treasurer – Marshall J. Collins, Jr. Executive Vice President – Administration James F. Arnold Executive Vice President – Conservation James L. Cummins Vice President of Administration Paul V. Phillips Vice President of Big Game Records Richard T. Hale Vice President of Conservation Anthony J. Caligiuri Vice President of Communications CJ Buck Foundation President – R. Terrell McCombs Class of 2020 John P. Evans Class of 2021 Tom L. Lewis Class of 2022 Steven Leath
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Editor-in-Chief – Doug Painter Managing Editor – Karlie Slayer Conservation and History Editor Steven Williams Research and Education Editors John F. Organ William F. Porter Hunting and Ethics Editor Mark Streissguth Assistant Editors CJ Buck Kendall Hoxsey-Onysko Kyle M. Lehr Marc Mondavi Jack Reneau Tony A. Schoonen Justin Spring Julie L. Tripp Editorial Contributors Richard Block Craig Boddington Timothy C. Brady Anthony J. Conte James L. Cummins Everett Headley Erin C. Healy Kendall Hoxsey-Onysko Byron Kibby John F. Organ Doug Painter Alexander Sharif Justin Spring Steven Williams Wayne van Zwoll Photographic Contributors Donald M. Jones Tony Bynum
Fair Chase is published quarterly by the Boone and Crockett Club and distributed to its Members and Associates. Material in this magazine may be freely quoted and/or reprinted in other publications and media, so long as proper credit is given to Fair Chase. The only exception applies to articles that are reprinted in Fair Chase from other magazines, in which case, the Club does not hold the reprint rights. The opinions expressed by the contributors of articles are their own and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the Boone and Crockett Club. Fair Chase (ISSN 1077-3274) is published for $35 per year by the Boone and Crockett Club, 250 Station Drive, Missoula, MT 59801. Periodical postage is paid in Missoula, Montana, and additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to: Fair Chase, Boone and Crockett Club, 250 Station Drive, Missoula, MT 59801 Phone: (406) 542-1888 Fax: (406) 542-0784
BOONE AND CROCKETT CLUB BOARD OF DIRECTORS FOUNDED IN 1887 BY THEODORE ROOSEVELT CLUB
FAIR CHASE PRODUCTION STAFF
FOUNDATION
Foundation President – R. Terrell McCombs Secretary – Jeffrey A. Watkins Treasurer – C. Martin Wood III Vice President – John P. Evans Vice President – Paul M. Zelisko Class of 2020 Remo R. Pizzagalli Edward B. Rasmuson Benjamin A. Strickling III John A. Tomke Jeffrey A. Watkins Class of 2021 Gary W. Dietrich B.B. Hollingsworth, Jr. Tom L. Lewis Michael J. Opitz Paul M. Zelisko Class of 2022 John P. Evans Steve J. Hageman R. Terrell McCombs T. Garrick Steele C. Martin Wood III
NATIONAL ADVERTISING Danny Noonan Danny@Boone-Crockett.org Phone: (406)542-1888 ext. 205
B&C STAFF Chief Executive Officer – Tony A. Schoonen Director of Big Game Records – Justin Spring Director of Publications – Julie L. Tripp Director of Conservation Programs – Luke Coccoli Controller – Abra Loran Creative Services Manager – Karlie Slayer Development Program Manager – Jodi Bishop Digital Strategies Manager – Mark Mesenko Office Manager – Sandy Poston Sales Manager – Danny Noonan TRM Ranch Manager – Mike Briggs Assistant Controller – Debbie Kochel Assistant Director of Big Game Records– Kyle M. Lehr Shipping and Administrative Support Specialist – Amy Hutchison Customer Service/Receptionist – TJ Gould
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R3 - RECRUITMENT, RETENTION AND RE-ACTIVATION There’s no doubt that the readers of Fair Chase are well aware that most all wildlife in America, not just our big game species, faced a daunting and bleak future around the turn of the 20th century. We are also familiar with the story of how the Boone and Crockett Club spearheaded a range of early conservation efforts that ultimately helped to spawn the science of wildlife management which, in the decades ahead, played a key role in restoring many native species to healthy and abundant numbers. I’m sure, as well, that we all know that the lion’s share of conservation funding has come from the hunting com mu n it y, pr i m a r i ly through license fees and excise taxes paid through the Pittman-Robertson Act. In recent years, however, a gradual but persistent decline in hunter numbers has impacted state wildlife agency budgets and constrained a number of their programs and projects. This fact is gaining public attention. A February, 3, 2020 story in The Washington Post by Francis Sellers was headlined, “Hunting is ‘slowly dying off,’ and that has created a crisis for the nation’s many endangered species.” As the historical funding model for wildlife conservation in America is challenged, it may well be argued that the next species most in need of saving is us. Is the shoe now on the other foot?
Read about the Montana Master Hunter Program on page 24.
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A number of social and demographic trends have for some years undermined the “natural growth” of our hunting population. In my view, however, that does not mean that the decline is inexorable. Not 20 years ago, there was hardly a state that made any effort to promote or market the sale of hunting licenses. That’s changed in a big way. Today, most all states have a dedicated hunter recruitment specialist and/or department that is increasingly active in R3 (recruitment, retention and re-activation) efforts. The modernized Pittman-Robertson Act will now give states greater discretion in their use of federal dollars for recruitment. I’ve hunted or fished in six states over the past several years and now receive from each of those wildlife agencies a regularly published email newsletter that provides upto-date information on hunting/angling opportunities in the state. I suspect most every state agency now has its own online outreach. This morning I received an email from
Mississippi’s agency full of information about turkey hunting and places to hunt turkey in the Magnolia State. What a great way to incentivize current customers and cultivate new ones. New efforts are also springing up from the private, nonprofit sector as described in this issue’s story on the Montana Master Hunter Program. While the effort describes itself as, “primarily an education program,” it is spinning off a number of hunting-related benefits, not only by opening new areas to hunt and building positive relations with private landowners, but also in creating a network of Master Hunters who can serve as ambassadors and mentors to newcomers. The Boone and Crockett Club is a proud partner of this innovative program. The few examples I’ve touched on in this column are just the tip of the iceberg. Whether at the federal, state or local level—and among non-government organizations both large and small— there is a growing movement
Doug Painter EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
throughout the country to bring newcomers into our ranks, to expand activity among current hunters and to get “dropouts” to drop back in. Admittedly, this is no easy task. Most in our younger generations have far more likely grown up with a basketball court in their neighborhood park than with a “back forty” on a family farm. Yet from the accounts I’ve read, most all novice hunters come home with a smile on their face. The best news is that the R3 locomotive seems to be building a good head of steam. In the years ahead, we’ll have to continue to pour it on. No one else is going to shovel the coal for us. Hope to see you—and lots of you—down the trail. n
Three generations of hunters. B&C Professional Member Jim Heffelfinger (far right), with his father and two sons enjoying the tradition of hunting together. Levi Heffelfinger (second from right) is a Boone and Crockett Fellow in ungulate research at Texas A&M University-Kingsville.
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OUR NEW WORLD Who would ever believe that a purveyor of live exotic animals in Wuhan, China could initiate an event that would impact billions of people and devastate the world economy? Who would ever believe that a quick trip to your local grocery store to pick up a loaf of bread could place your life at risk? As difficult as it is to comprehend, this is our new reality as our country and others around the globe attempt to deal with the COVID-19 outbreak. We are learning new terms like “shelter in place” and “social-distancing” that were totally foreign to us only a few short weeks ago. Businesses, small and large, that were thriving just a month ago are now wondering if they will survive this crisis. Contracts are being cancelled, agreements postponed, and longterm employees are being laid off as our bustling economy comes to a halt. As I write this on April 1, the news is bleak. The president said this morning that following the social-distancing guidelines is “a matter of life and death”. Health experts are saying that even if we follow the current restrictions, models are showing that more than 100,000 Americans could succumb to this deadly virus. More than 80% of our fellow citizens have been instructed to stay home. Yet many in our society are not heeding the directives initiated by local, state, and federal officials. This is difficult to fathom when you watch the news of overwhelmed hospitals in New York City. Seventy-nine years ago, my father, two uncles, and sixteen million of their peers answered the call to serve in World War II. In this
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fight, all we are being asked to do is stay at home and take care of our families and neighbors. We should be able to manage that. NGOs are not immune to the economic carnage that is taking place. The leadership of the Boone and Crockett Club is in the midst of redefining budgets and eliminating costs wherever possible. We know that our annual earnings allocation from our endowment will be significantly diminished and that revenue-generating programs currently scheduled for this spring and summer at the Rasmuson Wildlife Conservation Center will most likely be cancelled. We also recognize that as our membership watches their personal portfolios shrink, contributions will decline. Our colleagues at organizations such as Ducks Unlimited, Safari Club International, and Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation are reeling as this is the time of year when they usually schedule their local or regional fundraising events that generate much of their revenue. With the $2 trillion stimulus and aid package recently approved by Congress and the president, many of us believe funding for conservation initiatives will be severely impacted. Recently, while at the North American Wildlife and Natural Resources Conference, several members of the Boone and Crockett Club were asked to join President Trump and Secretary Bernhardt at a round table discussion to help secure passage of the Great American Outdoors Act. The meeting was postponed due to the emerging pandemic. This bill combined the Restore Our
FROM THE PRESIDENT
Parks Act (ROPA) and the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) and had significant bipartisan support in both the House and Senate and was expected to become law. Specifically, ROPA would commit $9 billion over the next five years to address the significant deferred maintenance backlogs that exist within our National Parks, the Forest Service, BLM, and USFWS Refuges. The LWCF was created in 1964 and uses the revenues from the depletion of one natural resource such as oil and gas to support the conservation of other resources such as land and water. Over the years, LWCF has evolved to include grants to protect working forests, wildlife habitat, and increased use of easements. Funding has been subject to annual appropriations and generally been between $200 and $500 million annually. The Great American Outdoors Act would authorize mandatory and full funding of $900 million for LWCF in perpetuity, an effort many in the conservation community have been trying to accomplish for over 20 years. At this point we have no idea what outcomes we will see with this and other conservation related legislation and funding. COVID-19, like 9/11, will result in significant changes within our society. Most certainly, we will be much better prepared to deal with the next outbreak. After 9/11, our security and law enforcement agencies quickly recognized the futility of turf wars and lack of communication between organizations. My guess is hospitals around the country, while still being competitors, will understand the importance of sharing
Timothy C. Brady PRESIDENT
information instantaneously regarding capacity, equipment, and staff available to deal with a crisis and better serve their communities. America has an inspiring history of our citizens coming together to overcome whatever obstacles are laid before us. This crisis in no different and we will prevail. Every day we hear about individuals and companies figuring out how to contribute whether it be personal protective equipment, ventilators, food, lodging, vehicles, or anything else that will help. Perhaps the most stirring example is the more than 70,000 medical professionals who have come out of retirement to assist on the front lines of this fight. Many are in the most vulnerable age group but have decided the need outweighs the risk. Hero is a term bandied about too easily in our society. But in the midst of this pandemic, and in archetypal American fashion, all you have to do is look around and you will see plenty of them. By the time this magazine reaches our constituency I hope and pray that we have returned to a significant degree of normalcy. In this pandemic, it really is up to us and how we choose to conduct ourselves, and we really are all in this together. n
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CONGRESSIONAL SPORTSMEN’S FOUNDATION TURNS 30 With this issue of Fair Chase, we celebrate the 30th anniversary of the Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation (CSF), established in 1989. CSF’s mission today is to work with Congress, governors, and state legislatures to protect and advance hunting, angling, recreational shooting, and trapping. It is one of the Boone and Crockett Club’s most valued partners. Seven of CSF’s members—Simon Roosevelt, Richard Childress, Paul Babaz, Jim Baker, Walter McLallen, Lindsay Thomas, and I, James Cummins—are Regular or Professional Members of the Club. It is the goal of CSF to provide scientific research, wildlife management guidelines, public education materials, conservation information and offer non-partisan advice, support and information to sportsmen’s caucuses and governing officials. Today, the CSF is one of the most respected and trusted sportsmen’s organizations in the political arena. CSF provides support and guidance to three caucus networks operating at both the state and federal levels: Congressional Sportsmen’s Caucus (CSC) The bipartisan CSC boasts of nearly 250 members and has grown into one of the largest and most competent caucuses in the US Congress. The CSC is an ally to all sportsmen and women and one of their first lines of defense in protecting hunting, angling, recreational shooting and trapping. Governors Sportsmen’s Caucus (GSC) With 26 members today, the GSC assists in the progress of information and communication exchanges between governors in support of legislation and regulations that protect and promote hunting, angling, recreational shooting and trapping. National Assembly of Sportsmen’s Caucuses (NASC) Over 2,000 state legislators and 49 state caucuses are consolidated under the NASC umbrella. This caucus is instrumental in promoting the interaction and idea exchanges between the outdoor community and the state caucus 10 FA I R CH A S E | SU M M E R 202 0
leaders. The Boone and Crockett Club works primarily through NASC in developing and passing state policy. This unique and collective force serves as a vital network of pro-sportsmen elected officials across the country working to advance the interests and necessary protections of America’s hunters and anglers. The significance of CSF as the sportsmen’s leader on policy issues has continued to grow through active involvement within the hunting and fishing conservation community. This involvement includes staff leadership and engagement in organizations such as American Wildlife Conservation Partners, the Alliance for America’s Fish and Wildlife, and the Council to Advance Hunting and the Shooting Sports at the national level, and, at the state level, the Sunday Hunting Coalition and Families Afield. CSF is also represented on federally chartered advisory councils that deal with hunting, wildlife management and recreational fishing, including: the Hunting and Shooting Sports Conservation Council, the National Wildlife Services Advisory Committee, the Marine Protected Areas Federal Advisory Committee, and the Sport Fishing and Boating Partnership Council. In an effort to further ensure inclusivity, CSF is governed by a board of directors comprised of leaders from the sportsmen’s community and allied industries. Each individual serving on the board is dedicated to the commitment of service to the mission, objectives and goals of the Foundation. I am proud to be a part of this board. Sportsmen and women across the country have benefitted from the work of the CSF. Here are some examples of the policy advances at the federal level made possible by CSF in the 30 years since it was founded: Mason Neck Wildlife Refuge Vote (1992) The first real test faced by the CSC and CSF. A clash between animal rights advocates and sportsmen ensued over a whitetail deer hunt on the Mason Neck Wildlife Refuge, a site overrun by deer.
CONSERVATION POLICY COLUMN
Animal rights groups were able to include a provision to stop the James L. Cummins hunt in an Interior B&C REGULAR MEMBER appropr iations CO-CHAIR, CONSERVATION bill. The CSC and CSF were instruPOLICY COMMITTEE mental in obtaining an amendment to support the hunt which passed the house in a bipartisan vote. With this achievement, the CSC and CSF were able to demonstrate that sportsmen could effectively unite on conservation issues. Recreational Hunting Safety and Preservation Act (1994) Due to an increase in harassment from anti-hunting groups, this act was passed, allowing for penalties to be brought against individuals who purposefully disrupt hunting activities on federally-managed lands. Magnuson-Stevens Act Reauthorized (1996) A key federal law governing marine fisheries management, the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act was overhauled. This resulted in significant changes with the goals of conserving fish stocks and restoring overfished populations. Disabled Sportsmen’s Access Act (1998) This bill was passed, which made it easier for disabled sportsmen to hunt on Department of Defense (DOD) lands. This also allowed for the DOD to accept donations and volunteers in order to increase safety and access. This resulted in over 25 million acres of DOD lands being opened to the public for hunting purposes. State Wildlife Grants Program Established (2001) Born out of the Conservation and Reinvestment Act (CARA), the State Wildlife Grants Program became a core program for keeping wildlife from becoming endangered by providing much-needed funding for conservation projects in every state and territory. Electronic Duck Stamp (2006) The E-Duck Stamp Act was passed and was
It is the goal of CSF to provide scientific research, wildlife management guidelines, public education materials, conservation information and offer non-partisan advice, support and information to sportsmen’s caucuses and governing officials. For more information about the Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation, please visit congressionalsportsmen.org
pivotal in launching a program to make it easier to obtain a Federal Duck Stamp online. This change resulted in the online sales of 250,195 Federal Duck Stamps, producing $3.7 million towards waterfowl habitat restoration. Increased Funding for Wetlands Conservation (2006) The reauthorization of the North American Wetlands Conservation Act (NAWCA) was signed into law. Passage of this act resulted in the conservation of more than 20 million acres of wetlands and associated uplands in over 1,600 projects across North America. Conservation Stamp (2010) Known simply as H.R. 1454, the Multi-National Species Conservation Funds Semi-Postal Act, became public law after CSF and 40 other conservation organizations signed a letter sent to the House Natural Resource Committee supporting the act. This legislation allows the public to purchase a conservation stamp that generates funding for conservation without costing the taxpayers money. Billfish Conservation Act (2012) H.R. 2706 became public law. This was passed to reduce overfishing by prohibiting the sale of Pacific-caught billfish, except for Hawaiian traditional fisheries. The passage of the Billfish Conservation Act of 2012 was considered a huge victory for sportsmen and the economy as it fought to support conservation efforts and healthy ocean ecosystems. Permanent Electronic Duck Stamp Act (2014) H.R. 1206 allowed states to participate in an electronic duck stamp program so hunters can purchase their duck stamps by using a personal computer. Modern Fish Act (2018) H.R. 200 was included in the Magnuson-Stevens Act reauthorization, which gives recreational anglers a more prominent seat at the table for fisheries management.
The Farm Bill (2018) The 2018 version of the Farm Bill included a robust conservation title by allocating funding to provide conservation incentives on agricultural land. It promoted partnerships between state and local governments and private landowners, among other provisions that promote wildlife and land conservation. John Dingell Conservation, Management, and Recreation Act (2019) S. 47 became the largest sportsmen’s package of legislation signed into law in over a decade, including several provisions for sportsmen’s access and opportunities across the country (state level). National Assembly of Sportsmen’s Caucuses is Formed (2004) With the inception of NASC, an umbrella organization was established for sportsmen’s caucuses across the country that created a network of state legislators working together, sharing information and creating pro-sportsmen’s legislation. There are currently 49 states that have a legislative sportsmen’s caucus totaling more than 2,000 state legislator members across the country. No-Net-Loss Catches On (2005) This legislation was introduced in Illinois as a means to prevent state lands open to hunting and fishing to be arbitrarily closed without an equal amount of suitable lands becoming available for hunting and fishing access. This idea was shared at the initial NASC meeting in December 2004. As a result, Arkansas and Maryland were successful in advancing the issue in the 2005 legislative sessions. Mississippi and Florida followed in 2006.
Advancing Hunter Recruitment Programs (2009) Members of CSF’s state caucuses across the country introduced several pieces of legislation dealing with the recruitment of new hunters through apprentice hunting license programs and college student hunting licenses, among other promotional items that have since been passed into law. Advancing hunter and angler recruitment, retention, and reactivation has been a continued goal of NASC and the state caucuses. Right to Hunt and Fish (2007 - present) In order to establish in perpetuity what has been assumed for centuries, several states have sought amendments to their state constitutions that give their citizens a right to hunt, fish, and harvest wildlife and to continue a consumptive, yet responsible, use of natural resources. Currently, 22 states have enacted legislation or amended their constitution to protect the right to hunt, fish, and harvest wildlife. The Mississippi Legislature passed legislation that put this question to the voters of Mississippi on the November ballot in 2016, where it passed overwhelmingly. These achievements represent a small portion of the work done by CSF. However, the immense impacts on conservation with these alone are immeasurable. After 30 years, there have been many goals accomplished, yet there is more work to be done. Thankfully, CSF is always working to advance and promote conservation efforts on the state and federal levels. The Boone and Crockett Club is proud to be a part of such a great organization, and we congratulate CSF on 30 years of great work.
First Sales Tax Holiday on Outdoor Gear Established (2008) South Carolina was the first to create legislation that suspended taxes for a day on outdoor gear, including firearms.
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©TONY BYNUM
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Both hunts were exciting and success was only achieved after long hours of glassing and long, exhausting stalks on the steep slopes.
The entire experience was magical and rewarding.
A Dall's Domain page 44
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CRAIG BODDINGTON PROFESSIONAL MEMBER Photos Courtesy of Author
ACCURATE HUNTER DIAL OR HOLD?
Only practice makes the system perfect!
This Custom Dial System (CDS) turret on a Leupold VX6 3-18X is calibrated for Boddington’s 6.5/.300 Weatherby load. The “zero stop” is positive and effective, but this is the turret that inadvertently spun on Josh Mayo. Stuff happens, so it’s important to check constantly.
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I am not convinced
that the extreme-range folks are a large segment of the overall hunting/shooting market. However, they are stridently outspoken—and highly visible. A good analogy might be with the serious benchrest competitors. They have never been a large group, but benchresters pioneered many improvements we take for granted today: synthetic and laminate stocks; efficient case designs; faster lock times; more accurate projectiles. Similarly, by both demanding and developing extreme-range performance, the long-range precision crowd has expanded our capabilities.
Perhaps their greatest contribution has been in improved optics. It’s axiomatic that if you can’t see it, you can’t hit it! Today’s optics are clearer and brighter than ever, thanks to better glass and improved lens coatings. However, there’s more to it than that. It wasn’t so long ago that riflescopes with consistent adjustments were as rare as unicorns. It’s not enough to just zero the rifle and obtain some good groups; shoot enough so that you know your adjustments move the strike consistently—and then can move the strike right back. Even today not all scopes will do this; it isn’t unusual to find one click moves the strike more or less than it’s supposed to, and the next click does something else.
Josh Mayo (left) and his dad, Pete Mayo, with an awesome barren ground caribou taken with Boddington’s 6.5/.300 Weatherby. Despite an effective “zero-stop” on the scope, the elevation turret spun while negotiating brush, a good example of Murphy’s Law in action!
This common malady does not render a scope useless. However, if you are going to use the elevation turret to “dial” your holdover adjustment at longer range, then the adjustments must be precise and repeatable. Don’t take this for granted; verify the consistency and accuracy of your scope’s adjustments first to save yourself a lot of frustration! No matter how high you sight-in at short range, or at what distance your rifle is zeroed, beyond that zero range you must start to compensate for the dropping trajectory of your projectile. The two primary ways to adjust for bullet drop are to hold higher or to dial the correction with the elevation turret. With either method, there’s more than one way to skin the cat. If you’re holding, you can estimate the required holdover (based on the size of your target and your trajectory) and aim accordingly. This is sort of the old-fashioned way; better and more precise is to have additional aiming points within your scope reticle. However, you must know at what distance those marks are valid with your load.
With dialing you must have precise knowledge of your trajectory and understanding of and confidence in the adjustments of your scope. It really doesn’t matter whether the adjustments are quarter-inch (quarter MOA), centimeter (about one-third inch), or whatever. It only matters that you understand them and have proven their consistency. At practical hunting ranges, the trajectory and click adjustments can probably be captured on a fairly simple range card. At extreme ranges this may not be enough; you may need pages of printouts or a laptop or smartphone with a ballistics program. I am absolutely convinced that dialing the range is the most precise method. It is also the most time-consuming and, quite honestly, the most fraught with operator error! Today, with long-range shooting so popular, every hunting guide the world over has stories about hunters mis-dialing their scopes or forgetting to dial back down. This past fall, Aussie Josh Mayo came into my caribou camp just in time to help pack my bull! When we got back to camp and dropped our loads,
Josh and his dad, Pete Mayo, headed back out. Left-handed Josh had our left-handed outfitter’s .375, but I offered him my “dialed-in” 6.5/.300. They hadn’t been gone a half-hour when I heard the first shot. And then more, the reports shifting direction. Obviously, they were in a running gun battle of some kind, and I was trying to remember how many shells I’d handed over. Skirmish long over, we found them at sunset standing over the most perfect caribou I’ve ever seen. The bull didn’t drop to the first bullet, and in order to get another shot they needed to go through some thick willows. While fighting their way through, the scope’s elevation turret had spun, so most of the shots I heard went into outer space. That particular rifle wears a Leupold VX6 with CDS (Custom Dial System). That turret has a very positive zero stop. Even then, combining excitement with thick brush, the turret got turned haywire. I am leery of hunting with any scope lacking a zero stop; I’ve seen turrets spin against a jacket or daypack while carried slung. It’s sort of Murphy’s Law in
action: Whatever can go wrong, surely will! That said, dialing is the most precise. So, I practice dialing the range a lot—but I don’t often dial in the field. Mostly, this is because I rarely shoot game far enough for dialing to offer significant advantage. But I surely have— and will again. I dialed the range on the caribou that Josh helped pack, and just last week I dialed 16 clicks up to take a mexicana whitetail down in Zacatecas. More frequently, however, I hold—because holding is faster, the vital zone of big game animals is not a small target, and there is less risk of human error! Thanks to the laser rangefinder, these days we usually have near-perfect knowledge of range, and we must also have knowledge of our trajectory. With a 200yard zero, let’s say my bullet drops 10 inches at 300 yards. This is not rocket science! Even with all the modern tools, for such a shot I’m probably going to use the main reticle and hold a bit below the backline. However, I like reticles that have additional aiming points, also called stadia lines or “hashmarks,” varying from quite simple to very complex. I prefer simple! Leupold’s Boone and Crockett reticle is about as simple as it gets, with two longer stadia lines and a short hashmark below the main reticle. More complicated are the “Christmas tree” type of reticles. It depends on what kind of shooting you want to do and how much you’re willing and able to practice. FAIR CHASE | SUM M E R 2 02 0 15
No matter what, you cannot take the scope out of its box and the trajectory off a ballistics program and expect you will have a workable system! Whether you intend to dial or hold—or keep both options in your toolbox (which is what I recommend)—you must verify your data and the values of your adjustments or aiming points by shooting at actual distance. Typically, you’ll wind up with oddball data. For instance, for mountain hunting, I set up my Blaser with .300 Weatherby Magnum barrel and Zeiss scope with ZBR-2 reticle, a reticle with multiple stadia lines below the main crosshair. With a 250yard zero, the first line was “on” at 350 yards. That’s a nice, even number, which is lucky, but after that it was more random: The second aiming point was on at 440, the third at 515, the fourth at 590, and so on. The exact distance at which the aiming points are valid doesn’t matter. On a setpiece range, it’s nice if they line up at even distances (300, 400, 500 yards, etc.), but in the field, it’s not important because animals stubbornly refuse to stand at even distances. You have to extrapolate, holding the correct aiming point slightly high or slightly low. The buck I want to shoot is standing at 420 yards. If I want to hold, I can use my 440-yard aiming point and hold it low on the chest. Or I can dial, at this
distance definitely more precise—but it takes more time to count clicks, and I’d better get it right! My range card for that rifle, scope, and load from the SAAM shooting school captures reticle values and clicks. With the same 250yard zero, I need to come up 20 clicks at 400 yards; and 25 clicks at 450 yards. My buck is still standing patiently at 420 yards. I need to extrapolate, but I’m guessing coming up 22 clicks will be fine for a center-of-chest hold. It takes a lot of shooting to validate all the data and to gain confidence, skill, and speed. And guess what: all that hard-earned data is valid for only one load, and realistically, one set of atmospheric conditions! Change the load and you need to start over! But the tools we have today are amazing: a good chronograph yields your bullet speed. Add your bullet’s ballistic coefficient (BC) and atmospheric data, and any ballistic program will yield your approximate trajectory. These are starting points, but you still need to verify at actual distances. Make a substantive change in elevation, temperature, or barometric pressure, and data must be adjusted. As range increases, so does required precision and effect of all variables. There’s a lot of work to do before going afield or on the range until you are ready to make that “dial or hold” decision! n
TOP TO BOTTOM: 1. “Dialing the range” is almost certainly the most precise method, but it takes more time than “holding” with a reticle, and takes a lot of practice to gain speed and reduce operator error. 2. This copyrighted range card from the SAAM shooting school captures most data needed for practical field shooting. This card, for a Blaser .300 Weatherby Magnum with Zeiss scope and ZBR-2 reticle allows both dialing and holding depending on range and circumstance. 3. I’m set up on a mexicana whitetail in Zacatecas, range a bit over 300 yards. With plenty of time, I elected to dial the range using a Blaser in 6.5mm Creedmoor with Zeiss scope. Provided good data, relatively slow cartridges like the Creedmoor are conducive to dialing because the bullets start to drop quickly as range increases. 4. This Swarovski Z8i 3.5-28x50mm scope is a good example of state-of-the-art riflescopes inspired by today’s interest in long-range shooting: Eight times zoom, illuminated reticle, turret calibrated to the load. It is shown on a Remington 700X Custom in 7mm Remington Magnum.
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Going Long WAYNE C. VAN ZWOLL
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When they caught up with the injured elephant, a right and a left from the client’s .600 double—7,500 foot-pounds each—had no effect. Quickly he reloaded, sent two more 900-grain bullets, then another pair, all into the head. By then, the fusillade had severely punished both elephant and hunter. Neither was yet prostrate when the professional hunter triggered his .450 No. 2. The elephant collapsed just four steps away. The .303 British, circa 1888, went smokeless in ‘92. In the SMLE rifle, it first used 215-grain bullets.
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Length makes bullets heavy. And deadly. Does a pointed nose help or hinder?
Many bullet weights have served the .30-06. From left: 220, 200, 180, 165, 150 and 125 grains.
The .600’s solids had flattened on bone and stopped shy of the vitals. These days, high-velocity bullets that disintegrate on moose, elk, even deer before penetrating yield the same unsatisfactory result. A hunting bullet has two tasks: to hit and to kill. Target bullets need only hit. Since rifled barrels appeared in the 16th century, accuracy standards have tightened. Shooters expect ever-smaller groups on paper, and hits at greater distance. But for stopping elephants—or tumbling deer or elk—good accuracy is often just hitting a melon as far as you can throw it. Bullets that fly flat and nip tight knots far away gain you nothing in cover. They may even cost you kills. During the 1830s, when percussion ignition began to replace flint and short, big-bore plains rifles edged out the elegant Kentucky beyond the Missouri, conical bullets became attractive for their ballistic properties. But these “picket” balls were difficult to load and sensitive to loading technique. Alvin Clark invented the false muzzle in 1840, enabling competitive riflemen to start bullets square with the bore. On the prairie and beyond, hunters stayed with the more forgiving, and available, patched ball, famously in rifles by Jacob and Samuel Hawken. Francis Parkman, a B&C Honorary Life Member and Harvard Law graduate who traversed the West at age 23 and published The California and Oregon Trail in 1840, told of killing a pronghorn with a Hawken at 204 paces. He saw another hunter drop a bison at nearly 300. Long shots indeed! In 1849, a basic Hawken rifle cost $22.50. On the other side of the world, hunters were hurling heavier balls to kill beasts much bigger than bison. After the Dutch settled the Cape of Good Hope in the mid-17th century, explorers venturing into the African interior carried ponderous
Match bullets and some pointed game bullets can leave cartridges too long for the magazine or port.
rifles. A 4-bore launching a 4-ounce (1,750-gr.) silk-patched bullet in front of 16 drams (437 gr.) black powder served Sir Samuel Baker, who commissioned it from George Gibbs in 1840, when Baker was 19. It had a 36-inch barrel with 2-groove rifling and weighed 21 pounds. In 1869 Baker ordered a 3-bore from Holland & Holland. It fired a 5-ounce (2,187 gr.) bullet. Baker died in 1893, age 72. His well-publicized exploits helped Harris Holland and his nephew Henry grow Holland & Holland, the gun-shop that Harris, a tobacconist, had established in 1837. The ivory trade fueled demand for lighter but still deadly rifles. Velocity limits imposed by black powder and lead bullets—and barrel steels of the day—put those two requisites at odds. To kill big beasts, hunters had to send balls the size of voles. Elephant hunter William Finaughty peddled his rifle following an 11-year career that ended in 1875. After it had changed hands three times, the fourth owner added a 3-pound weight to keep the muzzle down in recoil. Seeking more effective ammunition for its troops in 1854, the British government contracted with Joseph Whitworth and funded a 500-yard range for his experiments with bullets and spin rates. Standard rifling twist in military rifles (for patched balls) was one turn in 78 inches. Whitworth found a better spin for short conical bullets was 1-in-20. Skeptics thought this relatively sharp pitch would retard bullets, but those of FAIR CHASE | SUM M E R 2 02 0 19
Spinning it Until quite recently, standard rifling twist rates worked for any hunting bullet because the heaviest were all blunt. Fast-twist barrels appeared for the .223 when shooters began using it at distance with 60-, 70-, then 80-grain match bullets. I have a box of early Sisk 70-grain .224 hunting bullets. They’re semispitzers, not much longer than the 52- to 55-grain bullets common for centerfire .22s in the ‘50s and ‘60s. But target bullets with long noses soon followed, and the standard 1-in-14 pitch in .223 barrels has been joined by twist rates as sharp as 1-in-7½. Long-range bullets for bigger bores do not get asterisks in loading manuals, indicating they beg fasttwist rifling for best accuracy. Indeed, you may need steeper pitch just to keep those leggy, sharp-nosed bullets from tumbling! A .338 Norma I was handloading with long spitzers sent all of them through 100yard targets sideways!
Whitworth’s design flew flatter than, and doubled the penetration of patched balls. At distance they punched groups a sixth the size of those possible with balls! Whitworth inspired William Greener’s narrow-land rifling, pitched 1-in30. It stabilized bullets to 2,000 yards. In 1856, gunmaker James Purdey used Greener-style barrels on his brilliantly named Express Train rifles. This nod to speed and implacable blunt force would bless a host of British hunting cartridges. Breech-loading mechanisms eliminated the need for an accurate bullet that could be loaded from the front. Bullets inserted from the rear could be made harder and longer and cast to full groove diameter. Hard bullets could be stabilized with shallower grooves and thus driven faster. In the American West, as in Africa, powerful hingedbreech, rolling- and dropping-block rifles took full advantage. Buffalo hunter Frank Mayer favored Sharps rifles, primarily a .40-90 for which he’d paid a staggering $125. “It had a 32-inch barrel, weighed 11 pounds. On it I mounted a f ull-length one-inch tube [20x] telescope….” That rif le and
This Trophy Bonded bullet shows excellent expansion, weight retention. Note its semi-spitzer shape.
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another like it were made for 370-grain bullets. Mayer later switched to a 420-grain load, which gave superior results on long pokes. Smokeless powder didn’t turn hunters from the long blunt bullets popular in breech-loading rifles. Straight shanks and short, round noses packed great mass into any given length. Mass meant momentum. While speed trumped it in calculations of bullet energy and yielded flatter arcs, “fast” was relative. Mass, diameter and penetration figured heavily in killing power. In African colonies, the British came to think velocity of around 2,150 feet per second (fps) ideal for big-bore loads. Almost all double-rifle rounds developed in England during the first quarter of the 20th century hewed close to that mark. So did military loads for most of the industrialized world. Hunting bullets from the U.S. and central Europe followed suit. The 6.5x54 Mannlicher-Schoenauer chambered in 1903 Mannlicher rifles earned plaudits as a big-game cartridge worldwide. Ivory hunters liked it because its mild report didn’t spook herds, and its 160-grain solids drove through elephant skulls. Charles Sheldon used it in Alaska for sheep, moose and bears. The great African explorer F.C. Selous brought his 6.5x54 to hunt in North America’s Rockies. Loaded stateside until 1940, the 6.5x54 is still on Norma’s roster, 156-grain softpoints clocking 2,460 fps. It’s a ballistic match to the 6.5x55 Swedish, designed for the 1894 Swedish Mauser. As 6.5x54 M-S carbines have gone the way of pterodactyls, the 6.5x55 is now the more common of the two. Norma offers both of these cartridges with its 156-grain Oryx and Hornady’s 160-grain round-nose bullets. Paul Mauser’s 7x57 was
developed in 1892 but not introduced until 1893, when it appeared in an improved Mauser rifle. Snapped up by Spain’s government, the “Spanish Mauser” sent 173-grain bullets at nearly 2,300 fps. During the U.S. assault of San Juan Hill in the Spanish-American War, this 7mm load would inflict some 1,400 casualties on the 15,000 troops, dislodging 700 Spaniards. As with the 6.5s, most hunting loads for the 7x57 came to feature pointed, midweight bullets. Norma lists the 160-grain Swift A-Frame and its own 170-grain Vulkan. Great Britain’s .303 appeared in 1888, sending 215-grain .311-diameter bullets at 2,150 fps with a compressed charge of black powder. It made the switch to smokeless in 1892, as the U.S. armed its troops with the very similar .30-40 Krag, firing 220-grain .308 bullets. George Rushby, famous for killing man-eating lions in East Africa’s Njombe District, started his career with a well-used .303 he got “for clothing and cash.” F.C. Selous carried a .303 on both his hunting trips to North America and used it extensively in Africa. Old Short Magazine Lee-Enfield rifles remain a staple on farms there. Trailing a cattle-killing leopard once, I was accompanied by the stockman and his battered .303. I felt overgunned with my .375. Germany broke from traditional bullet design in 1905, a 154-grain spitzer at 2,880 fps, replacing the blunt 226-grain missile at 2,090 in its 7.9x57 cartridge. Bullet diameter was changed too, from .318 to .323 (8mm). Because both the 7.9x57 and later 8x57 have been called the 8mm Mauser, letter designations were added. The early .318 cartridge has a “J” suffix, for “infanterie” (the German J and I interchange); “S” means a .323 bullet. In response, the
U.S. ordered up a new cartridge .07 inches shorter than the .30-03’s. With 150-grain bullets at 2,700 fps, it became the .30-06, lethal beyond ranges doughboys could keep bullets on the side of a boxcar. But as artillery fire cratered battlefields farther and farther from the cannon’s mouth, the U.S. Army changed its infantry bullet again, to a 173-grain boat-tail spitzer with a long, 7-caliber ogive (curvature between shank and tip). Issued in 1925, this “M1” bullet clocked 2,647 fps. Its stellar ballistic coefficient carried it 5,500 yards! Oddly enough, the stiff recoil of M1 loads prompted a 1939 shift back to a lighter 152-grain spitzer at 2,805 fps. Given the current fever for long-range shooting, it’s little wonder hunters now adore the likes of the long, heavy M1 bullet the Army once found so enchanting. Such bullets scribe the flattest arcs and best retain speed and energy downrange. Their sleek shape sheds drag. Shorter, lighter bullets launched faster yield their giddy-up to the air resistance imposed by their own velocity. But while heavy, pointed bullets are ballistic champs, they can’t match the sectional density of blunt bullets of the same length. Sectional density (SD) is a number achieved by dividing the bullet’s mass by its cross-sectional area. (SD = M/radius squared x pi). It’s often expressed, even in loading manuals, as mass divided by diameter squared (M/diameter squared). This formula yields a different value; it’s still useful for comparisons because area and diameter squared have a constant relationship. Using diameter squared to calculate SD, you get numbers 78.6 percent of SDs calculated using area. SD is a component of ballistic coefficient but is not itself affected by bullet shape.
Let’s get out of the weeds. Blunt bullets have higher SDs than pointed bullets of the same length because nose taper exacts a high cost in weight. The only way to add weight to a pointed bullet is to make it longer. If the blunt bullet is as long as practical, given the rifle’s action, magazine and rifling pitch, adding length isn’t an option. The blunt bullets favored by hunters using the first smokeless cartridges were effective all out of proportion to how they compare ballistically with popular modern loads. Even Elmer Keith, an outspoken proponent of big-bore bullets, had a kind word for 160-grain missiles in the 6.5 bore, “because they have such high sectional density.” Most hunters used iron sights, and ammo was often a precious resource. So shot distances were modest, and bullets landed with a good share of the pop they had at the muzzle. Quick kills resulted. But even today, bullets of high SD have much to recommend them. Reliable upset, for example. “In general, it’s harder to make a pointed bullet expand predictably than it is a blunt softnose,” confided an engineer who acknowledged a market in love with boat-tail spitzers. “Broad lead-noses, with jackets tapered to control upset, are proven winners—especially when impact velocities stay between 2,000 and 2,500 fps. You could expect that terminal speed at ordinary ranges before, say, the 1930s.” (see chart at right). All are round-nose or semi-spitzer in shape. You’ll find few pointed hunting bullets with SDs of .300 or above. A few “long-range” bullets qualify. Hornady’s 212-grain .308 ELD-X has an SD of .319. That of Berger’s 195-grain 7mm EOL Elite is .345.
ABOVE: Since 1905, the 9.3x62 has claimed Africa’s biggest beasts with blunt 286-grain bullets, SD .305. RIGHT: The .325 WSM with the 220-grain .323 (8mm) bullet here (SD .301), is a great big game cartridge.
But what is “high” SD? And what must you give up to chase it? Arbitrarily, I’ll use .300 as the threshold for high SD. You get it in these common bullet weights: Bullet diameter:weight
Sectional Density
.264 (6.5mm): 160-grain
.328
.284 (7mm): 175-grain
.310
.308: 200-grain
.301
.308: 220-grain
.331
.311 (.303 British): 215-grain
.316
.323 (8mm): 220-grain
.301
.338: 250-grain
.313
.338: 275-grain
.348
.366 (9.3mm): 286-grain
.305
.366 (9.3mm): 300-grain
.320
.375: 300-grain
.305
.416: 400-grain
.330
.458: 450-grain
.307
.458: 500-grain
.341
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What you want in regards to bullet flight and terminal performance in game depends a great deal on how far you’re willing to send that bullet and the shot angles you’ll accept. For many bores, you have no pointed-bullet option in the top weight range. Choose speed and flat flight or mass and momentum. (see chart at right). Killing bison in America’s frontier West with a .40-90 Sharps, Frank Mayer chose high SD over velocity, shifting to heavy 420-grain bullets with an SD exceeding .330! Given top launch speeds, solid bullets of high SD drive deeper than bullets of low SD. Of course, that prediction holds true with softpoints only if bullet construction is the same. In penetration tests with .375 bullets, a 270-grain Nosler Partition (SD .274) powered 33 inches through water. A 300-grain Sierra (SD .305) went exactly half as far. Is the Sierra less effective? Not necessarily. Only the Partition’s heel reached the furthest point. The 16 ½-inch channel plowed by the Sierra would have destroyed the vitals of most animals on most shots. Another thing to ponder while you’re in a math mood is the stability of bullets after the hit. Ivory hunters favored heavy blunt bullets not just for their penetrating power, but because they stayed on course through tough-going better than pointed bullets. That’s still true—albeit bullets with flat noses drive more reliably straight than either, which is why Woodleigh and Swift solids for heavy game now resemble soup cans more closely than they do rockets. Softpoints, of course, change shape as they penetrate. Bullet stability depends largely on spin 22 FA I R CH A S E | SU M M E R 202 0
Yes, pointed bullets shine downrange. Consider 175-grain 7mms, round-nose and pointed, each with an SD of .310, fired from a 7mm Remington Magnum rifle at 2,900 fps: Muz. 100 y. 200 y. Hornady 175 Roundnose, BC .285 velocity, fps: 2900 2579 2279 energy, ft-lb: 3267 2583 2018 arc, inches: +1.9 0
300 y. 2000 1554 -8.6
400 y. 1742 1180 -26.0
Hornady 175 Spire Point, BC .462 velocity, fps: 2900 energy, ft-lb: 3267 arc, inches:
2322 2096 -7.2
2146 1789 -20.8
2699 2830 +1.6
2507 2441 0
Sacrifice SD with a lighter bullet, and you can hike velocity. Given that same 7mm rifle: Hornady 154 Spire Point, BC .433 velocity, fps: 3100 energy, ft-lb: 3286 arc, inches:
imparted by rifling. But the correct spin for stability in air is not adequate to ensure stability in a denser medium. The difference is startling. A 300-grain .375 bullet from 1-in-14 rifling is stabilized at a rate of 2,229 rotations per second (rps) through air. Entering water, it must turn 66,870 rps to maintain stability! Muscles, organs and bones in game aren’t uniform, so ideal spin rate changes constantly as a bullet penetrates. Charitably, bullets become shorter as they expand, reducing the spin rate needed for stability. So does weight loss, albeit losing material also trims momentum. Not good.
2876 2828 +1.4
Eerily, the SD of a fully expanded (but still intact) jacketed softpoint in game closely matches that of a lead ball! n
In the .30 magnums, the 220-grain Nosler Partition excels for deep, deadly penetration in tough game.
Wayne shot this bull at 80 yards with a double rifle in .375 Flanged. A blunt bullet at modest speed.
2663 2424 0
2460 2069 -6.3
2265 1755 -18.3
CAUGHT ON CAMERA TRAIL CAMERA PHOTOS FROM BOONE AND CROCKETT CLUB’S THEODORE ROOSEVELT MEMORIAL RANCH Dupuyer, Montana
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