My African safari hunt utilized all my custom handloads.
Not only have I saved thousands of dollars over the years but customized loads to accurize my guns. I started with this RCBS kit above. At just over $500 dollars, you also need cartridge dies, powders, primers bullets and brass.
Midway USA sells all you need.
https://www.midwayusa.com/product/1023389781?pid=345426
Check it out!
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Yes, sometime I run out of something but more than not, I have it before the big stores have your pet load.
Beyond that, my cartridges are customized to my rifle thus increasing accuracy.
A sense of accomplishment? You bet!
Many years ago I purchased an RCBS Reloading press and never looked back. Reloading your own cartridges are a cost effective solution too, if you shoot regularly. I load pistol cartridges too.
There are other reloading press companies and beginner kits out there to get you started.
RCBS offers the Explorer Reloading Kit for just $339.99.
https://www.rcbs.com/rcbs-kits/explorer-reloading-kit-2/16-9288.html
Or
Hornady Reloading Equipment
https://www.hornady.com/reloading/getting-started#!/
Go Hornady reloading with Rosie to get going!
Great fun this spring!
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I can hear my guide excitedly shouting; “Put another one in him!”
My Browning X-Bolt has a 60 degree bolt lift thus shortening the bolt throw time significantly and is a smooth push-feed.
Below, I shot a string of 2 fast shots, after my first and best shot (three total shots off my Bog Death Grip) at a paper target with no bullseye but shooting for the center of the 15 inch paper target at 150 yards.
If you look hard, you can see the target below. I used 8x to see the target face.
Veteran moose hunters suggest using just enough magnification that also allows a field of view for reacquiring the target after the first shot.
Your hunt guide can also help to see the con-trail of your bullet hit with his binoculars.
Below is the 3 shot string target. Shot #1 is at the paper crease. Rapid Shot #2 is below shot #1.The third rapid shot went left 4 inches. The outer cardboard is close to the overall chest height of a moose at around 30 inches or so.
Many big game animals such as moose often don’t fall at the shot. And likely, are not really sure what just happened to them and can move quickly making a follow-up shot more difficult.
I believe the hunter should be practiced for follow-up shots to drop the animal as fast as possible. Bench rest shooting does not qualify here.
In Africa, close big wounded dangerous game require, for your life’s sake, to drop the animal before it drops you.
On that note, you should also chamber and cycle your ammo in the rifle you hunt with, especially if it is hand-loaded. We don’t like surprises!
It can be just as dangerous to have a 1000 lb. bull moose shot at less than 30 yards and he decides to charge and give you some smack-down with his massive antlers. Yea, a follow-up here, for sure as an 8 foot giant frontal moose image appears at 20 feet or less.
More Soon!
© Copyright 2023. All Rights Reserved.
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I received this tip from Hodgdon.
WHICH DATA DO I USE WHEN MY SPECIFIC BULLET IS NOT LISTED? – Hodgdon
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Even some veteran hunting folks have a tough time mentally (fear) when they think of the heavy felt recoil from some so-called Magnum rifles, but with a state-of-the-art recoil pad that reduces the recoil up to 50%, they tame well.
It has been established, as a guide, that delivered energy to kill elk be in the neighborhood of 1500 ft-lbs. Here we easily exceed that terminal/delivered energy with the .375 Ruger.
I have two boxes of .375 bullets in my cupboard for hunting elk. I have Nosler 260 grain AccuBond bullets and Speer 235 grain Hot-Core semi-spitzer bullets seen below. I think both are good choices. But is one just a bit better? Sure, I might try some other bullets before my hunt this next fall if they can be purchased, but here is some data on these choices.
Both are sub-MOA accurate at 100 yards. My goal is to harvest a bull elk with ranges near 300 to 400 yards. The 260 grain Nosler AccuBond has a muzzle velocity of 2800+ fps and at 400 yards (7000 ft altitude). Its terminal velocity on elk is 2178 fps and 400 yard energy is 2740 ft-lbs with a 90 degree wind deflection of 17 inches. It drops 16.5 inches with a 250 yard zero.
The Speer 235 grain Hot Core has a muzzle velocity of 3000 fps and at 400 yards its terminal velocity is 2064 fps and 400 yard energy is 2224 ft-lbs with a 90 degree wind deflection of 17 inches. I drops 16.5 inches with a 250 yard zero. Same drop and wind deflection as the Nosler.
The Ballistic data confirms that the Nosler AccuBond has 516 ft-lbs more terminal energy than the Speer bullet. At over 2700 ft-lbs of delivered energy the Nosler will easily open-up and mushroom yet still penetrate likely with a substantial exit wound on a broadside shot. I am a proponent of exit wounds for blood trailing.
Note: I did book an elk hunt and later cancelled after making several calls to many experts and doing a Satellite image review with Google Earth Pro. It was a featureless flat dessert landscape and I wanted more photogenic landscape with hills and trees for the many thousands of dollars it would cost. I’ll keep looking.
Good Hunting!
©Copyright 2021
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https://www.hodgdonreloading.com/reloading-data-center
The second site is Alliant Powder and similarly has rifle, pistol and shotgun load data. https://www.alliantpowder.com/reloaders/index.aspx
Nosler has a load data site too for rifles that has great data for Nosler bullets. Click the Load Data below.
https://load-data.nosler.com/
Speer also has rifle load data for Speer bullets below.
https://reloadingdata.speer.com/SpeerReloading/Rifle
Hornady has load data that has not been published in their handbook yet so it is limited. In fact, the Hornady handbook #11 has loads and powders not shown even in their limited load data site. Note: Hornady’s 11th Edition Handbook is specific to Hornady bullets.
https://www.hornady.com/support/load-data/
There may be other sites I have not highlighted here but these sites cover much of the rifle load data except for companies that will not fully publish and desire you to purchase their handbook.
Sierra has a limited load data site.
https://sierrabullets.wordpress.com/category/load-data/
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