Innholdsfortegnelse for March 2018 i Sporting Shooter

A FEW WORDS FROM THE EDITOR We must all be unflagging into the future in our battle of ideologies. I had been lamenting the near misses that LAFO-friendly political parties had experienced recently in two NSW State by elections and the most recent Queensland State Election, when, in a fit of despair, I retrieved a book from my library, Jeff Cooper’s The Art Of The Rifle. Before this I had been seemingly battered about the brain by the never-ending echo chamber on Facebook, where many “gun people” were sheeting blame home to SFFP and One Nation for failing their constituents and not delivering a potential sweeping favourable change to gun laws in Australia. While I was mindful that, in electoral terms, we had “failed”, I was also mindful that we…

The Harris Bipod Is Best Q I am looking to fit a bipod to my Browning X-Bolt and asked my local gunshop for a Harris bipod, but they tried to palm off some other brand on me, and I passed it up. In your opinion which is the best bipod to get? Do you think I should hold out for a Harris? – Peter Brooks A Don’t settle for less than a Harris bipod. They clamp firmly to most stud-equippped rifles and are the result of time-proven design and quality. They are made of heat-treated steel and hard alloys. Get the Series S which tilts for uneven ground. Once I was sent another brand of bipod to test, but it was unsteady and rocked about so much that I got…

MY friend and I had unsuccessfully hunted this area before, but this time our luck was in. Josh pointed me in the right direction and off I went. A couple of k's in, I bumped two does 40 metres away behind black wattle saplings; they circled each other looking at me but no shot presented before they dropped out of sight down the gully. Heading up the gully I was confronted by five does running full pelt though the gully bellow. A dark buck with a full set of antlers trotted steadily up the other siDe disappearing in the thick scrub. Then I received an SMS from Josh saying he may have spooked some deer... We had a bit more of a look around at scrapes and rubbings and I…

RIDGELINE’S Australian Brand Manager, Jason Bryant, is a hands-on manager of this iconic hunting gear. Coming from a family of prominent Australian garment manufacturers, he has taken a very active role in developing new lines with a focus on continual improvement in highly functional garments for outdoors people who don’t need gimmicks or the latest untried fabrics, but need proven performance materials, protection from the elements and functional camouflage patterns suited to our wooded environments. So Jason travels to Asia often to refine and update this garment range’s functionality, quality of manufacture and appearance. Tony and I sat down to confer with Jason recently and we are on the same page. So Ridgeline has provided us with three jackets to review. Ridgeline Ballistic Long Sleeve Fleece Hoodie in Nature Green…

ONLY the Browning over-and-under is getting consistent work at the range, on skeet, field-and-game and other clay target disciplines. I was Top Gun in one monthly comp at my Port Macquarie club with a 20/25 score. But last week I shot a single digit low under trying conditions, my worst effort in years. That said, no one did well with a new experimental set-up… It’s hot and dry and windy with 30kmh nor-nor-easters daily. Inland hunting has no appeal at this time of year. Celebrations are the order of the day, with family and friends. The fishing rods and reels have been fine-tuned awaiting the grandkids’ invasion to “Allison Beach” over the road from my place by the lake. Here, flathead, bream and whiting are always on the bite even…

TERRITORY local Catherine Baker feels right at home running her dogs Rose and Spider on local feral pigs and is emerging as a leader in the Territory's hunting community. Ms Baker is keen to better educate people about ethical hunting. The Northern Territory Branch of the Australian Pig Dogger's and Hunter's Association admits there are a few who give pig hunting a bad reputation. "We are a tight-knit community and we do like to see other hunters doing the right thing, and we will pull them up and try and educate them into doing things the right way." Mr Lewis says the association encourages women who are interested in hunting. Read more at sportingshooter.com.au, go to the search icon and type in female northern territory.…

“1/10 MoA adjustments combine with 20 MoA full turret revolutions.” SNOW Fox Imports offers well-made riflescopes under the Arctic Fox brand name. They include scopes for airguns, hunting, target and tactical shooting and compact scopes for smaller rifles. Snow Fox Imports operates with a philosophy of offering a product representing "the best value for money." Many hunters simply cannot afford, nor want to pay a premium $1000-$2000-plus for a riflescope. They just need a well-priced dependable optic with a bright, clear sight picture. It was for these rank and file shooters that the Arctic Fox line was developed. The new R-Series has optics that are claimed match the market's premium brand scope's performance. The flagship 6-36x56 Precision Long Range (PLR) model, which sells for $690 is truly an impressive instrument…

SOME levergun owners are satisfied to use their .30-30 to hit a knothole in a tree at some unknown distance. The hunter with a bolt-action rifle, might shoot over the bonnet of his 4WD resting on a rolled-up jacket to hit a fairly large rock at an unknown distance. These guys believe "near enough is good enough" when it comes to hitting an animal the size of a deer." In the field as long as you can make the rifle land a bullet close to where you are aiming, you're going to hit game, but stand just as much chance of wounding as killing it cleanly. Most experienced hunters shoot at a target set up at a measured distance which enables them to see exactly where their bullets are striking.…

THE 7x57 aka .275 Rigby has an impressive history and has proven adequate for most big game. It's past time for someone to write a few kind words about the fine little 7mm Mauser another cartridge that was designed as a military round, but was widely adopted for sporting use. Today the 7x57mm Mauser is hanging on by the skin of its teeth in face of opposition from larger, more potent 7mms. A few gunmakers such as CZ, Steyr and Dakota still chamber rifles for it, but the majority have defected to the modern 7mm-08. Despite its age however, the 7x57 boasts a small band of loyal followers. The 7x57 has a long history and has seen widespread use for both military and sporting use all over the world. It…

INHALING three pies in Dubbo with George, we still had a seven-hour drive ahead of us. Arriving at Bob’s place, we quickly shuffled some gear into his cruiser. George was staying at Bob’s as he had a day of work at the site, whilst Bob and I had another two and a half hours of dirt to drive that night, en route to a field day that we had sponsored. We arrived at the property at 10.30 pm to a hot feed and a cold beer. Bush hospitality at its best! Bob and I were up at “sparrows” so we could have a quick look for a few pigs taking off to the field day. We managed an even dozen in a couple of hours, then put in a full…

“The front sling swivel is attached to the barrel 60mm ahead of the fore-end tip.” THE project was by no means a lay-down misere, the rifle took three years to develop with Rigby's historic partner Mauser, and features grade 5 walnut as standard, traditional Rigby pattern iron sights, an ambidextrous stock, with Prince of Wales rounded pistol grip and hand-cut checkering. Available in both men's and ladies' versions, the rifle weighs 7-1/2lbs and holds 4+1 cartridges in calibres. .275, .308, .30-06, 8x57 and 9.3x62. I requested my test rifle to be chambered in the classic .275 Rigby calibre better known as the 7x57mm Mauser. Shortly after the initial development of the Mauser 98, in 1899 the English firm of John Rigby began ordering barrelled actions chambered in 7x57mm, stocking them…

Federal Edge TLR Hunting at long range requires an extremely accurate bullet that still expands, holds together and penetrates deep. That’s why Federal premium has developed the Edge TLR. Unlike some so-called long-range projectiles that can fail to perform on impact at low velocities; the Edge TLR uses the exclusive Slipstream polymer tip to initiate expansion at long range. At close range I’m told the bullets copper shank and bonded lead core retain weight for consistent, lethal penetration. What’s more, it’s long sleek profile offers an extremely high ballistic coefficient and AccuChannel groove technology improves accuracy and reduces drag. Match-grade, long-range accuracy in a hunting bullet! They are now available in the following. .308 Win. 175gr Edge TLR .30-06 Spring. 175gr Edge TLR .300 Win. Mag. 200gr Edge TLR .300…

“Holding on to this reality keeps us grounded.” I MAKE a living talking about history. It’s another passion of mine. I believe my love of history and hunting are linked, in that I am constantly thinking about generations of people before us, and how they lived their lives. While human beings as a species are widely known as turning into an agricultural society around 10,000 years ago, the vast majority of cultures still maintain strong links with hunting, and therefore their ancestors. We also shouldn’t forget that from the dawn of humans until agricultural dependence, every single person on the planet relied on hunting as a means of gathering food. How is it then, that some people have managed to completely disconnect themselves from this reality? It’s convenient to exist…