Category Archives: Big Game Hunting

Articles about Big Game Hunting.

Nosler AccuBond 130 grain; 6.5 Creedmoor vs .270 Winchester

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Just for fun and comparison purposes I decided to do some ballistic comparisons using the Nosler AccuBond™ in this article as I am such a believer of Nosler bonded (welded) lead to the copper jacket for big game hunting. The 130 grain bullet was used and made so famous in the .270 Winchester by Jack O’connor.

Below you can see the significant differences in the cartridge size.

 

It is simple amazing that the smaller than .308 cartridge size of the 6.5 Creedmoor verses the 30-06 size of the .270 parent Cartridge can launch Nosler AccuBond bullets that at 400 to 500 yards are essentially equals.

Max Point Blank Range for 130 grain .270 is 301 yards w muzzle velocity of 3100 fps

Max Point Blank Range of 130 grain 6.5 Creedmoor is 286 yards with muzzle velocity of 2900 fps

MPBR Difference: 15 yards. Not much!

At 500 yards the .270 has around 50 ft-lbs more energy than the 6.5 Creedmoor. Not much difference.

At 575 yards both max out deer killing energy at 1000 ft lbs according to JBM Ballistics comparisons.

At 325 yards the 6.5 will deliver elk killing energy of 1500 ft-lbs where the .270 delivers the same energy at 50 more yards of 375 ft-lbs. Again not much difference

The recoil of a .270 Rifle is around 19 ft-lbs and the 6.5 Creedmoor is around  4 ft-lbs less  at around 14.5 to 15 ft-lbs. 4 pound less is a big difference that is near 30% in favor of the Creedmoor.

The .270 Winchester is not as inherently accurate as the 6.5 Creedmoor.

Last but not least, my  Ruger American Predator in 6.5 Creedmoor costs under $400 dollars. Wow! and shoots 1/2 inch groups at 100 yards.

Nosler introduced the AccuBond Long Range bullet  few years back. I just purchased the 142 g version with a G1 BC of .719. The 142 grain being heavier shoots around 2700 fps at the muzzle but the BC is so high that it cuts the air like a razor delivering over 1000 ft-lbs at nearly 700 yards for deer.

© 2017

 

 

 

 

 

 

Time to Prepare for Hunting Season – Now!

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If you are a bow hunter, August is a must for practice and tuning your bow, arrows and razor sharp broad-heads, especially if you haven’t been shooting all summer long like at a 3D shoot.

Check out your tree climbing stand and safety harness gear to ensure you have all the parts and practice with a climbing stand to be safe. Try to practice in the dark to strap on your stand making as little noise as possible and climb a few feet up and mount your stand and pull up your bow. A clanky/noisy set up sends the message of warning to deer.

Avoid trees that have smooth bark, like birch and beech as your stand can slip.

Now is the time to put up ladder stands and begin to scout. I made the mistake of hunting in an area that had more ladder stands than deer. Once the deer get the idea there are hunters, paint the deer very wary and will often leave the area. You won’t see those adult deer in daylight either.

Muzzle Loader hunters clean your barrel again! By this time most barrels from muzzle loaders need attention and cleaning to prepare for the deer season. I like to pre-load my bullet and powder if possible in small containers you can purchase. I find in modern muzzle loaders such as my T/C Encore that PowerBelt™ Bullets seem to load easier (even with a barrel that has taken several shots already)  and are very accurate. I have used saboted bullets but find them a pain to load as the plastic does not go down the barrel easily. If that is all you’ve got then it works.

I will surely hunt with my newly created 50 Cal Pennsylvania Flintlock and 44 inch barrel I will stick with round balls from Hornady .490 with .015″ patch and are very accurate as well. Keep shots under 100 yards and preferably closer to 50 yards.

The time for scouting can begin but remember that food sources will shift to acorns and other mast such as beech or apples. Find the does and you will find the bucks.

Practice at the range, after sighting in should be standing, kneeling or using a tree for rifle support.

Good Shooting!

© 2017

Best Deer, Bear, Moose, Bison, Cartridge for Handloaders with .375 Ruger in a Ruger M77 Hawkeye

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Years back  I needed a versatile reloadable cartridge for all game, at all distances and all conditions for that someday hunt for brown bear, or a cape buffalo or bison yet can hunt deer too.  If you are not and have not dreamed of a brown bear hunt then this article is not for you.

If you have, then I would consider the .375 Ruger to be such a reloadable cartridge in a Ruger M77 Hawkeye rifle made here in New Hampshire. The new African model comes with a removable muzzle brake. Check it out.

 

http://ruger.com/products/HawkeyeAfrican/models.html

It is a hunters gun with a soft less reflective finish that will not spook game. I have killed moose and bison as well as red stag with this cartridge and the African model rifle.

It shoots 1/2 inch groups at full power and 1 inch groups with most all other bullets down to 220 grain and loading’s for deer. With a Pachmayr Recoil pad I can shoot it in my t-shirt while standing as it cuts felt recoil in half. A full power load with 260 grain Nosler AccuBond bullets out of the barrel at 2615 fps produces almost 4000 ft-lbs at the Muzzle and 2500 ft-lbs for Moose at 275 yards at a velocity of 2100 fps for perfect mushrooming. For an elk it can reach 450 yards with 1800 ft-lbs at the bullets mushroom design speed. It is a CXP4 cartridge with CXP2 and 3 capability if handloaded.

http://www.chuckhawks.com/cxp4_safari_cartridges.htm

If you are traveling far, check that the local shop’s where you hunt have 375 Ruger rounds in case you loose your baggage. It is the main reason for years that hunters used the 375 H&H because it was like dirt, it was everywhere. But the 375 Ruger has made some dents in that theory.

If I was hunting a  really large Wild Boar up close, I would use the .375 Ruger as they have been known to charge when wounded and it is very difficult to take away its credit card with those 5 inch tusks sticking out of its mouth.

Check out my other .375 Ruger Hawkeye article

http://www.nhrifleman.com/2013/09/20/hand-loading-the-375-ruger-for-deer-bear-moose-and-cape-buffalo/

© 2017

Good Hunting!

 

Things I Learned From Just One Season of Long Range Competition that can be useful as a Hunter and Reloader by Ed Hale

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Is LR competition easy? No! It is a fun challenge however and that makes it worth while for many. But it can be expensive the more you get into it. Most any rifle can be good starter but once bitten it is hard to stop. As a result, I know more about quality hand-loading bullets, powder, brass and primers. So it was a valuable experience of calculating my bullet’s Standard Deviation and Extreme spread. What I found was that my brain was becoming its own calculator of holdover in minutes, and how that translated to inches of crosshair movement. I deepened my wind knowledge to predict lateral bullet placement and when to let game pass by because I could not predict the proper bullet placement for a clean kill.

Most of all I was more confident in my rifle and how to dial up my scope…a key ingredient in long range hunting.  Also use of on line software to determine the ballistic profile based on bullet velocity via a chronograph and the BC of your bullet. So competing can be helpful as a hunter by deepening your knowledge. Truth is, to win you need to spend time shooting and money.  For those like me that are hunters, it is a great learning experience to have competed. I am better for it! Who knows you may get bitten by long range F Class Rifle Competition or use of Military 308 or .223 competition such as F-TR (target rifle). My son Jason is really into it as you can see from his writing.

The key to hunting is to become more of a woodsman knowing your quarry and how to read sign and food sources and ways that your game may react. Just don’t get cocky in the deer woods because you shoot well in the prone position at 600 yards.Eh!

There are trees and the animals move you see and don’t wait for you to breath and squeeze forever. If you can, get closer to your game animal? Do it! If you are strictly a competition type you will have much to learn to be a good hunter.

© 2017

 

 

 

The .270 Winchester vs the 6.5 Creedmoor- by Ed Hale

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Rifle manufacturers over the years knew that there were few calibers that can perform at the mild recoil/increased accuracy level of the .270 Winchester for hunting with 130 grain bullets (reduced recoil). It was Jack O’Connor that made the .270 Winchester as famous as it is but it was time in the hands of a broad spectrum of hunters that continuously prove that.

The .270 Winchester is not a target rifle cartridge as it has more recoil than the 6mm/243. Its parent case is the 30-06 Springfield designed for the WW I battlefield and the .270 Winchester was designed for hunting, from varmint to big game which delivers high energy at long range.

But the new kid on the block is the 6.5 Creedmoor can deliver high energy too and is a CXP3 cartridge (Controlled eXpantion Performance) like the .270 Winchester and capable of killing up to and including moose size game with excellent shot placement due to low recoil.

For my son Jason, I took the .270 to Africa years ago and he shot my hand loaded 150 grain Nosler Partition in the Ruger M77 rifle… all one shot kills on CXP2 class game but had potential to kill CXP3 like Kudu.

I keep mentioning the CXP nomenclature as I am trying to imbed/educate it in hunter lexicon as it aids in hunting cartridge classification.

I believe the 6.5 Creedmoor will likely never supersede the .270 Winchester as a hunting cartridge but future “new rifle sales” for accuracy and long range hunting at the 500 yard level will likely go to the 6.5 Creedmoor for the target shooter and their great extremely low drag bullets that hold their energy equal to the .270 at long range.

I believe the competitive target shooting market is driving sales and innovation of the 6.5 Creedmoor cross-use bullets such as Hornady’s 143 grain ELD-X Match grade Hunting Bullet and Nosler’s 129 grain long range AccuBond hunting bullet. But manufacturers are increasing catching on the hunting rifle sales in 6.5 Creedmoor to a younger and recoil sensitive hunter market.

If the 6.5 Creedmoor ammo is made available at the local sporting store as is currently, it will increase in popularity but the .270 Winchester ammo and existing rifles will always be there. The .270 Winchester is like comfort food, it satisfies the nostalgia in many older men hunters but the rifle buyers are younger and women are increasingly in the market for a new all around hunting rifle.

The 6.5 Creedmoor is rapidly earning a new well deserved place in the hunting community! Cheers!

Good Hunting!

© 2017

 

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

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

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

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

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

See the Chuck Hawks website below on Sectional Density

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

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

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

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

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

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

© 2017 All Rights Reserved.

 

 

 

Highlight- The Remington 783 Rifle comes with a Scope for How Much?

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Since 2013 the Remington Model 783 has come down in price and includes a 3-9x40mm Scope ready to shoot. Price – around $340.00 to $400.00 with scope. Can you say Wow! Just several years back you’d pay $800.00 to $1000 or more for the Rifle alone…And for a bit more it comes in Camo too!

I have not shot this rifle but coming from Remington you should have great aspirations for at least 1 MOA or better if you hand load. It has so many features that I get dizzy reading about them all for that price! A new hunter has only to buy his ammo and head to the range! An exceptional value for a budget conscious hunter! Read more at the Remington site below.

https://www.remington.com/rifles/bolt-action/model-783/model-783-scoped

Adjustable Trigger

Great Recoil Reduction 54% Super Cell

Dual Pillar Bedding

Free Float Barrel

Cartridges – Just about anything up to 300 Winchester Magnum.

GOOD HUNTING! GOOD SHOOTING!

 

Russian Boar Forensic Lung and Heart of Nosler E-Tip 30-06 168 grain

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This video is a Forensic exam ( I use that term loosely)  as I recorded on video, demonstrates for the hunter first and foremost that the  Nosler E- Tip was devastating on this 350 pound Russian Boars lungs and heart.  Second that hitting the heart for me was a testament to study of wild boar anatomy before the hunt as I wrote in articles more than a month ago. As you can see it was a perfect double lung hit with the reward of striking the heart as well making for a fast clean kill.

© 2017

 

Why Hunt Russian Boar?

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Why hunt Russian boar in Maine woods, like I did at Skinner Bog Hunt Park? I answered that when I put 100 pounds of the best meat I have eaten, in my freezer and to provide for my family and friends.

This high fence hunt is a way to keep interest in the ability to kill for food and understand that someone must kill for you to live. Might as well be me! And I love to cook and eat what I catch too! Skinner Bog has deer and elk too.

http://www.skinnerbogdeerfarm.com/russian-boar-hunts/

I prefer to hunt deer, bear, turkey and other large game but when my budget and time off work are meager, I will do what I love best, one way or another. I just love to Hunt!

I like to eat what I kill, my dad taught me to garden and to hunt to self provide. He and his parents lived through the depression and the protein menu was often beans and what game you brought home of any and all types.

Russian Boar hunting in a high fence hunt often provides an opportunity to shoot but, in my opinion, it is not a guarantee. You, the hunter, must have a measure of skill. It can be harder or easier to kill your boar depending on how you like to hunt such as stand hunts over food where you wait for the boar to come to you. Still Hunting in the dead of winter is my favorite time and method because you are using your senses of sight, sound and smell. It takes more skill to still hunt in thick cover where you have to read sign and determine the age of the tracks and droppings. I hope to hunt them next with my bow to up the challenge.

The chances of getting a  shot at these boar are extremely good in high fence hunting because of forage and silage provide to feed these boar create windows of going to or coming from a feeding area in the deep woods.

Ok, so why high fence hunt these animals at all? Why not just get your pork at the supermarket? First of all the meat is darker and redder than pork so you can’t get it at the local store.  It is for the same reason that a hunter hunts deer. Hunters like me like to hunt and they like to eat and cook (chef) what they catch or harvest and I like to know what my animal ate, how it lived in a wild setting, and see that this animal was harvested and utilized fully for its nutrition. I was doubly rewarded when I decide to butcher the animal at home and cut it up to my liking and of course I learned so much about the meat and use of the fat.

I highly recommend a hunt of this type if you want to provide for yourself instead of the supermarket because your chances of bringing home the some of the best meat you will ever eat are so terrific.

Good Hunting!

© 2017

Skinner Bog Maine Russian Boar Hunt:TC Pro Hunter with Nosler E-Tips and a Leupold Scope by Ed Hale

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It was Monday February 6th, 2017 at near noon when I left for my Maine Russian Boar hunt. It took me a bit over 3 hours to get to Dixmont, Maine, were Skinner Bog Hunt Park is located. I promised my friends at Nosler that I would “take” a Russian boar with Nosler E-Tips and gave me a chance to shoot the TC Pro Hunter Single shot rifle in 30-06 Springfield with my favorite scope, a Leupold VX-6 3-18 x 44mm

Skinner Bog Hunt Park

http://www.skinnerbogdeerfarm.com/russian-boar-hunts/

Skinner Bog Hunt Park is owned and operated by Jeremy Bilodeau who has a passion for hunting Whitetail deer as well as his hunt park operation which has game animals such as the Russian Boar, mixed wild boar breeds, Red deer, Sika deer, Fallow deer and Elk. Give Jeremy a call at the website if you want more info or to book your own hunt.

When I arrived, I was greeted by Jeremy at the main camp and taken to my bunk area where I spread out my gear and relaxed before dinner.

Here is a shot of the living area wall back at camp with all of the family whitetails taken.

All deer on the walls were taken by Jeremy and his 2 sons. Food and drink was provided for by the lodge and was treated to a first night steak dinner and some grilled wild pig along with Asparagus and Scalloped Potato. The wild pig was a cross breed from the park and delicious.

I was to hunt the larger 400 acre park in the morning for a long standing wild group of very wary Russian boar. We got out to the park on his large side by side 4 wheeler. Temperatures were hovering in the 12 to 16 degree range so we bundled up. I was shooting the TC Pro Hunter Single Shot in 30-06 Springfield with Nosler E- Tips, the E is for Expanding. An all gilding copper bullet that Expands on contact and stays together.

I thought I was well prepared until we started “still hunting” on a fluffy 3 inches of new snow on frozen compressed ice snowpack underneath, except I was not very still. My boots were not able to grip the snowpack and it was like I was on an undulating skating rink where I slipped and fell many times. Just a week earlier Jeremy and his client put up a nice Russian boar in the same area we were hunting, hoping to cut fresh tracks. We covered many acres of what should have been prime bedding area and came up with not one new track. But there are at least 25 animals in the half square mile park. Of course we could see where the animals had been just days before, but you can’t eat tracks as my dad used to say.  Jeremy suggested we take a break, concerned for my slipping and sliding and I said directly; “I’m fine…don’t need a break.” I was determined to not let the slipping get the best of me and continued our hunt in hopes seeing new sign. My pride was perhaps bruised more than I was.  We stopped off at the deep woods guest cabin that sleeps 6,  to see inside it and make sure the scope was still on.

Sure enough it got banged enough to shoot 9 inches to the right, at 100 yards. A few adjustments and we were back on target.

Ok, nuf’-o-that,  we decided to have some lunch and shift gears to a different spot in the park. Jeremy rustled up a pair of Trex™ Ice traction slip-on’s (below), and that did the trick.

Trex™ Ice Traction Device (05831)

Renewed and refreshed Jeremy led me to a different area. It wasn’t long as we pushed through the spruce, we could see legs of animals ahead of us. Jeremy said “Red deer” as they melted into the backdrop. I heard them but did not see them.  As we moved along we heard a grunt, then another; a parade of Wild boar, both large and small were moving away at about 50 yards. Jeremy, earlier stated that several Russian  boar are here as well as mixed breeds. I wanted a Russian boar to write about and serve to my friends and family for dinner!

Jeremy and I followed from a safe distance and the boar began to root around oblivious to us. We got into position for a shot in the first available opening but all we could see was the back end of the boar. Then the big Russian swapped ends and headed straight at us. We froze momentarily in hopes it would not see us, then like a dart the boar went left quartering away at 35 yards but the smaller boar were milling around, and the equally large boar was nearby making a shot impossible.

Then, two more small inquisitive boar came up behind us so we gave them plenty of room, knowing we would end up in a better shooting position anyhow.

The smaller boar were bold as all get-out, not sure what they would do, so we move away.

Finally in the thick spruce the Russian boar was alone and we were in  position just 15 yards away and was broadside. Jeremy whispered; “Clear!” I was already aiming and ready. Boom! I could see the tissue tight behind the boars shoulder give a puff and ran away to the left and down an opening where, in just 30 yards, it collapsed. Perfect Shot Ed!, said Jeremy! We high fived a few times as she collapsed just 30 yards down a small hill. It was a mad house of all the boar grunting that stood around it and in a protection circle and the other big Russian was popping his teeth as a warning.

We stayed at a distance to ensure the boar was indeed dead for a few minutes and then went into recovery mode back at camp with a 4 wheel vehicle and a plastic toboggan. We got the big Russian all loaded up and away from the other boar and found a spot for a photo shoot with the boar, my TC Pro Hunter Rifle, Leupold VX-6 Scope and the Nosler 30-06 with 168g Copper E-Tips that brought this Russian boar down in a hurry.

Now the process of skinning and quartering is underway below. Look at all that fat!

Here is where the Nosler E-Tip, (E for expanding) all copper bullet did on entrance. The bullet encountered the thick skin on the shoulder called the “shield” and the E-Tip opened (expanded) on the shield as it punched through the ribs with a quarter size hole on entry. The bullet shredded the lungs and took a chunk from the heart and exited with a golf ball size hole. And not a trace of the copper to be found!!! Wow! Now that is a bullet! I will be feeding some of this to my little grandkids and feel confident that there are no lead fragments as it is all copper and resists fragmentation.

Jeremy suggested we leave the halves to cool in the 16 degree weather.

I used a power reciprocating saw with a new blade they call the Ax. Did a fine job cutting bone! Look at that fat marbling will ya!

It is Thursday, I killed the boar on Tuesday afternoon.  I cut up half of the boar during the Northeaster Blizzard we were having here in New Hampshire. In the blizzard I heated up the grill and barbecued these puppies in Balsamic and Fig Vinegar, salt and pepper till crispy and about 140 or so internal temp. Look at those snow flakes!

So after all those  driven miles, all the falls in the snow and slick ice woods at Skinner Bog in Maine, here is the dinner I created;

Grilled Balsamic Russian boar chops with Broccolini , Crisp Apple and Bread Stuffing and Newfoundland Partridge Berry /Blueberry Jam on the side. Wow! And a Stella Beer to wash it down. Magnificent!!! The fat was blackened and crispy, meat tender and very flavorful and non gamey. Restaurant quality!

Thanks so much Jeremy, It was a blast! I will be back!!!

A big hat tip to my friends at Nosler and the E-Tip, Thompson Center for such a fine rifle and Leupold for its famous VX-6 3-18x44mm scope.

Good Hunting!

Copyright © 2017