Innholdsfortegnelse for August 2025 i Sporting Shooter

A small renaissance is underway for shooters in Australia, evidenced by some rational and at times sympathetic public and political discussion about the gun sports. Even the dire situation created by the new gun laws in Western Australia is tempered by the fact that even the Greens supported a parliamentary review of those laws, which apart from being virtually unworkable were introduced in some of the most undemocratic and politically disgusting circumstances we’ve seen in this country. Read Graham Park’s column on page 42 of this issue for a few insights into this subtle change in attitude towards shooting. In an update to members of Shooters Union last month, Graham also pointed out that we are at last experiencing increasing numbers of younger shooters joining us, eager to experience the…

RED Earth is a new Australian brand of American-made ammunition that has been introduced in keenly priced 500-round bulk packs of both polymer-tipped and soft-point .223. It is clearly aimed at budge-conscious Aussie shooters, yet my testing indicates it doesn’t take shortcuts on quality or performance. The accuracy and lethality are both up with the best factory hunting ammo, consistently producing tight groups and fast kills. Red Earth Distributions, a new and growing company, went to the US to specify the loads it wanted for our market. The two 55-grain bullets it uses are both well-known Hornady projectiles: the frangible V-Max in the Varminter load for smaller game and the tougher soft-point in the Razorback ammunition for more stoutly built animals. The brass is made by Armscor, according to the…

IN the space of just a month, we’ve seen two extremely surprising things happen which paint a picture that the anti-gun sentiment in Australia may be starting to wane. We may be seeing a subtle shift in the tides of public opinion as a result. In early June, NSW upper house Libertarian MP John Ruddick introduced a Right To Possess and Carry Firearms Bill, which would have altered the NSW State Constitution to include (as the proposed law’s name suggests) a right to possess and carry firearms. While everyone knows the bill has no chance of passing, it has been fascinating to observe the discussion around it, and the unexpectedly rational tone of those discussions. Even a couple of years ago, Mr Ruddick would have been howled down through the streets…

The Hunting Depot Hunter’s Diary competition is open to your hunting story of 200-400 words with at least one high-resolution digital photo. Simply send it with your contact details to mickmatheson@yaffa.com.au. PRIZES  Every published entry wins a Vanguard Scout B62 bipod worth $95! At the end of the year, the best three entries will be chosen by the editor to win first, second and third prizes of: 1 Vanguard Endeavor HD 82A spotting scope with case worth $750 2 Vanguard VEO HD 10x42 binoculars worth $699 3 Vanguard Endeavor RL 303CGM Carbon tripod with gun vice head worth $649 Find out more about the competition and the prizes at sportingshooter.com.au/win…

COMPETITION BROUGHT TO YOU BY WIN a GARMIN eTrex 22x EVERY MONTH! ENTRIES: Please email your high resolution. jpg or. png pig hunting image as an attachment to the email addressed to mickmatheson@yaffa.com.au – all images must be at least 1MB in size. For entry to be valid the following contact details must be included: First name, surname, full mail address, contact phone number and email address. A short explanatory sentence with the email is also needed. Garmin’s outdoor range features unparalleled innovation in hiking, camping and hunting tech in handheld or wearable configurations. Options span from navigation, communication, safety and tracking devices. Garmin also produces a range of bow sights with built-in rangefinder enabling better shot placement. A Garmin eTrex 22x GPS Navigator will be sent to the best entry every…

Q I like to still-hunt by pussyfooting along during midday and jumping deer out of their beds. I often have only an instant to shoot, frequently at the south end of a northbound animal. Sometimes I’m able to get a slightly angling shot so that I can miss hitting ’em up the Khyber pass. These are about the only kind of shots I get, so I want a bullet that will penetrate to the vitals, even if it has to go through the length of the animal’s body to get there. Can you recommend a good bullet which has a lot of penetration for my .30-06? Bob Martin A Mass and sectional density contribute to deep penetration, and both of these numbers improve as heavier bullets are used. All else…

A good mate bought a Buck Master when they were first released in Australia and he loves it. We went out pig hunting and flushed porkers from long grass around a dam. It was the usual chaos as they scattered. I swung my rifle one way and the other, trying to put a shot on one, without any luck, but my mate and his Buck Master drew beads on several and rolled them. I’d been out-gunned and was envious. Since then, button- and lever-release shotguns have relegated the straight-pull gun to flash-in-the-pan status. Meanwhile, the Buck Master has moved on to its second generation, an updated design that’s a bit stronger and more reliable, and it has also blossomed into a large range of variations including box-magazine models like this one.…

VORTEX needs no introduction because we’re all familiar with its range of quality optics, but it also has a fine range of tripods and accessories that are well made and well priced. The Pro Rifle Clamp Tripod Mount has recently been added to the line-up. It attaches to most Vortex tripods for a precise, stable platform when shooting. Extremely lightweight in comparison to others I’ve tested, the Pro Rifle Clamp means backpack hunters who carry a carbon-fibre tripod can further reduce their load and still make a well-supported long-range shot. “Its locking ball head provides better movement when glassing or shooting” Other very lightweight fittings are available to accommodate a spotting scope, binoculars or camera — ideal for field or range use. All this is achieved via an ARCA-Swiss quick-release…

WEATHERBY / ZEROTECH / WARNE PHOTO COMPETITION BROUGHT TO YOU BY Australian distributor for Weatherby, ZeroTech and Warne. YOUR CHANCE TO WIN A WEATHERBY RIFLE, WARNE RAIL, RINGS AND ZEROTECH SCOPE PACKAGE WITH EVERY ISSUE IN 2025 * THE WEATHERBY VANGUARD WILL BE CHAMBERED IN .223 WITH BLUED METALWORK AND SYNTHETIC STOCK With the basis of a cold hammer-forged 24-inch barrel, 3-position safety and adjustable Match-Quality Two-stage Trigger, the Weatherby Vanguard S2 Blued Synthetic guarantees sub-MOA accuracy and user safety. The Griptonite® stock and Weatherby recoil pad makes for comfortable shooting and the hinged floorplate allows instant unloading. To be eligible you need to submit your best hunting photo!. ENTRIES: please send your high resolution. jpg or. png image as an attachment to your email addressed to mickmatheson@yaffa.com.au – all…

TRAIL cameras aren’t exactly new. I should know, because my first one was an old Moultrie box-style camera I imported from the USA back in the days when you couldn’t even buy them in Australia. That would have been in around 2007. A lot of water has passed under the bridge since then and while the basics of trail cameras remain the same, there have been some pretty cool developments as well. In the USA, trail cameras are marketed as a tool for ‘patterning’ white tail deer, that is, to predict when and where deer are likely to appear so that the hunter can be there waiting at the appropriate time. I’m not so sure the same applies to Australian deer. I have never observed sambar, for example, returning to the…

IT’S no secret that I enjoy spending time behind the camera. I’d go as far as saying I sometimes, rather than hunting, I prefer following other hunters while I have a camera. This comes down to how much I enjoy going through pictures when I get back from a hunt, and editing them so they’ll be enjoyed by friends, family and readers of Sporting Shooter. Hunting with the camera is much the same as carrying a bow. The results are usually better when you get closer, and the easy part is normally the shot, having spent so long getting into position. What is refreshing about the camera, however, is that the shot itself can be a variety of things, whereas with an arrow, there is pretty much only one spot it…

.35 Whelen and 9.3x62mm comparison Q How would you rate the .35 Whelen against the 9.3x62mm for game the size of sambar, wapiti and brown bear? Which would be the most potent? Ralph Sampson A Introduced by Berlin gunsmith Otto Bock back in 1905, the 9.3x62mm accounted for vast numbers of African game back when the continent was being colonised by German farmers. The .35 Whelen came along about two decades later and may have been the American answer to the German round. Nominal bullet diameters of the two are different: .366” for the 9.3 and .358” for the Whelen. The lengths of the cases also differ: 62mm and 63mm respectively. Ballistically, they are quite similar with bullets weighing up to 250 grains, but I find the 9.3 a bit…

“I was leaning out the window, Webley .455 revolver in hand. Bam! Bam!” I shot dozens of wild pigs with the .243, but my weapon of choice for these black scoundrels was the .30-30. I had a Mossberg lever-action in .30-30, not the prettiest or most reliable rifle I’ve owned, but a real workhorse. I was shooting on a sheep property at Hatfield, in the middle of NSW. I left the shearers’ quarters before dawn and went to a dam called Twin Mills, about 8km for the homestead. I found a small mob of pigs high-tailing it for the scrub. I gunned the Maverick to make up a bit of distance then stopped to take a shot at the mob, now a bit over a 100m in front of me. I…

I was back in Victoria on break from the WA mines — a rare stretch of time off, and I was determined to make the most of it. I headed out for a hunt in the bush behind some rolling farmland. A mate had access to the property and knew it well, so it was the perfect opportunity to chase sambar. The terrain was steep, thick and classic deer country — full of hidden gullies, tricky wind and just enough open ground to make you second-guess what you thought you saw. We spent well over an hour glassing across ridgelines, patiently working the land for any sign of movement. The sun had already set and I expected to see something emerge from the hills into the open. But nothing did. Eventually,…

Vortex eyewear Well-known optics company Vortex has released a collection of eyewear that is both stylish and ballistic rated. The collection consists of two styles, the Banshee and the Jackal, which are ideal for hunting, fishing, shooting and as everyday wear. They are ANSI and MIL-PRF rated, the former being the American National Standards and the latter a US military standards certification for protective eyewear and ballistic eye protection. Both Banshee and Jackal provide a flexible fit. The Jackal sunnies offer a wrap-around fit, while the Banshee are a more traditional style. They feature a non-slip bridge and temple mat. The clarity is also excellent, as they ensure less glare through their 100-percent UV protected, polarised lenses. They are also anti-reflective. The lenses have a special smudge-resistant coating that repels…

SOME time ago I’d had some limited and unsuccessful interaction with a military rifle enthusiast who was afflicted with extreme physical disability. He had no use of his legs and one arm, with very limited use of his right hand, but his mother and he are both licensed shooters and keen as mustard. I was asked to coach him, shooting a .22 LR from an unadapted bench, so I improvised a string-and-wire trigger release which was less than ideal. He got a few rounds downrange with great difficulty and it left me feeling inadequate, immensely sorry for my incompetence in helping this indomitable little adult man on his first range outing. My angst was unnecessary as he was just ecstatic to be burning propellent for the first time in his…