Hand-Loaded Nosler AccuBond LR 142 grain in Ruger American Predator in 6.5 Creedmoor

Posted on by

The G1 ballistic coefficient for this bullet is .719. The fact that it exceeds 0.7 is world class long range capable of delivering game killing energy at over 600 yards for the 6.5 Creedmoor.

Tech Talk – It has been said that the bullet has a secant o-give and needs more room away from the lands when chambered than your normal bullet but having said that, it does not take from accuracy on bullet jump.

A few days ago, I loaded up some Nosler AccuBond LR’s in 142 grain with IMR 4350 and W760 Powder specified by Nosler in my almost new Ruger American. I used 41.5 grains IMR 4350 and 40.5 grains of W760 powder, max loads. I selected the powder because they were among the fastest at the muzzle and geared for delivering lots of energy at longer ranges.

The cases were Nosler Custom and the primers were CCI BR2’s. Cartridge overall length followed the Nosler Manual of 2.805 and they fit the Ruger magazine perfectly and fed perfectly.

First IMR 4350 cold shot with the Ruger American was 1 inch higher than subsequent  4 shots. Accordingly, I eliminated the cold barrel shot from the group. If I included it the spread was 1 1/8 inch and if I eliminated it the spread was 7/8 inch.

Estimated velocity out of the 22 inch barrel was around 2670 fps after subtracting 60 fps and the 2 more inches in the Nosler manual using a 24 inch barrel compared to the 22 inches of the Ruger.

The W760 Powder shot 1 3/16  five shot group with an estimated velocity of 2610 fps accounting for the shorter 22 inch barrel.

Examination of the primers looked normal and extraction was easy. These loads were terrific.

The results indicate that this grouping for IMR 4350 is terrific for shots in a 6 inch circle at 600 yards. Further that the energy for deer suggests 650 yards where 1000 ft-lbs was calculated and the velocity was 1802 fps. Windage at 90º moved the bullet 28 inches at 10 mph crosswind. That is a lot! Quartering crosswind of 14 inches. The shooter would have to adjust for the crosswind or get closer to the game, a much better scenario.   At half that distance 325 yds the shooter would only be off by 6 inches in a 90º wind and have elk killing energy of 1500 ft-lbs.

Below is the Ruger American Predator. A great affordable rifle for anyone!

The Scope was a Leupold VX-3. See them at https://www.leupold.com/search?q=vx3

 

In a perfect world, early morning and just before dark usually offer little wind for those longer shots.

Killing game cleanly is the name of the game!

Good Hunting!

© 2017

 

 

 

 

 

Sportsmen Never Knew there was a “Bump Stock”… What to do?

Posted on by

I have been shooting, hunting and writing for decades. I have been to several club ranges and never came upon someone shooting full auto like fire with this bump stock device. Never heard of it till the Las Vegas Massacre. Accordingly, I believe there are few of these stocks out there. It was created, I understand, for the “disabled” to be able to shoot. Sounds a bit crazy to me!

The NRA is correct to advance the review of its regulation as do most citizens.

All add-on devices should be on the table to review.

I do believe that the Bump Stock should have come to higher attention by ATF to Congress during the Obama Administration.

NH Rifleman Magazine believes that this device and any attached device that could suggest full automatic fire be scrutinized and/or regulated.

 

New Hampshire Fish and Game Clubs Tighten Member Requirements

Posted on by

Most all New Hampshire Hunting and Fishing and Shooting Clubs require NRA membership and indicate that they are in good standing as a Citizen but my Club, Chester Rod And Gun in Chester, NH has taken it further to require documentation of proof.

I am pleased with this new requirement as of September 1, 2017. It gives “peace of mind” that members are documented in good standing by a state or federal document or license. It is likely that other Outdoor Sporting clubs have now or going to have similar requirements of evidence of citizen standing and not legally prohibited from owning firearms.

NEW REQUIREMENT:  Effective September 1, 2017, all members of the club must show in person satisfactory documentary evidence that they are not legally prohibited from owning firearms by December 31, 2018.  This documentation is viewed, but not retained, by a staff member.  The acceptable forms of documentation are:

The acceptable forms of documentation are:

(1) a current, unexpired State or Federally issued firearms license,
(2) a NFA Tax Stamp,
(3) a NH armed security guard license,
(4) an active law enforcement ID,
(5) a current Active Duty, National Guard, or US Reserve Military ID card,
(6) a State Police background check from the applicant’s State of residence,
(7) a signed and notarized affidavit certifying that the applicant is not prohibited from owning or using firearms (this document will be retained)

Please share with your outdoor shooting community!

Good Shooting!

 

 

 

 

 

Sandpit Deer Tracks and Stuff…

Posted on by

Why do deer go into fields and sand pits at night? It’s a deer nightclub in October! A place to be seen and smelled. Putting face to inter-digital gland cent and track size is a tell-all about prep for mating come the end of October. The inter-digital gland is located between the hooves of deer.

Image result for interdigital gland images

 

Sandpit or gravel like open areas are places I can go in early October to see who is in the neighborhood for bucks and does. Which doe still has yearlings still tagging along can be discerned. And just how big and wide is that track, how rounded or not can tell me that a big buck is hanging around. I am no great whitetail hunter who gets a deer in NH every year but when can, I try to put 2 and 2 together.

My twin brother at left and I did just that  a while back! He was shooting a 300 Win Mag and I was shooting a .338 Win Mag, my African Safari Rifle back then. Needless to say both deer fell right there! My nephew swears that the .338 hit the deer so hard that some of its hair stuck in the tree…on end.  Maybe so!  I shoot big guns very well, besides, no one wants to borrow the .338 so I don’t have to worry about abuse. When I go north I like the hand-loaded .375 Ruger slowed down. Big 230 grain bullets in heavy brush! In open areas the 6.5 Creedmoor, or .270 works fabulous.

Last year my buck was arriving at 2 AM so that didn’t work well. And there were too many hunters pushing the deer to new areas, like behind homes.

I believe whitetail deer use these open sandy areas to leave track size/shape and an inter-digital scent to say who they are to the does and to the potential bucks competing for mating rights.

Check those sandy areas out!

© 2017

The Left Jumps Again at Gun Control in the Wake of the Las Vegas Mass Murders…

Posted on by

My sincere prayers go to all those in Las Vegas that were killed and injured by this heinous evil man.

The “left” sees this another opportunity to ban the so called assault weapons or black long guns and magazines that hold many rounds from law abiding citizens.

The simple fact is that criminals or evil doers circumvent law every single day and will get a gun on the black market or by robbery. This madman apparently found a way to make the semi-auto rifle fire as an automatic. A felony! Did he care? No! Can you legislate that? No!

Below is an interesting examination at the CATO Institute of the “Cost and Consequences of Gun Control.” I thought a good read…

https://object.cato.org/sites/cato.org/files/pubs/pdf/pa784.pdf

The article Concludes”

“Firearms in the hands of law-abiding citizens
enhance public safety.

Firearms in the wrong hands endanger everyone.

Responsible firearms policies focus on thwarting dangerous
people and do not attempt to infringe the
constitutional rights of good persons.

Background checks on firearms sales can be improved
by including more records on persons
who have been adjudicated to be so severely
mentally ill that they are a genuine threat.

Extending federal gun control to private
intrastate sales between individuals—and to
firearms loans among friends and family—is
constitutionally dubious, and imposes severe
burdens for no practical benefit. Such a system
is futile without registration of all firearms.
Gun owners have justifiably resisted gun registration
because it has facilitated gun confiscation
in the United States and other nations.

*************************

 

 

 

New: Primos Trigger Stick or Bog-Pod? Updated

Posted on by

Don’t Own one yet! Maybe today for that steady shot! This from youtube.

I examined the mono-pod, bi-pod and tripod styles at Bass Pro in Hooksett, NH. See my video below.

The Red head was light in weight but cumbersome to open each length but once set it looked solid without further tests and under $40. My primary concern was weight and not cumbersome to set up. It failed the cumbersome part.

The Bog-Pod was strong and looked durable, had a bag to put it in with large white letters saying BOG-POD so big that the shoulder bag looked as much white as black. The bag? Not good in the deer woods by my account..too much white like a deer tail.

My Choice was the Primos bi-pod Gen 3! Not heavy, easy to set up instantly.  Just pull the trigger on the bipod and your pod legs extend by gravity. Let the trigger go and the height is set. Cant mount a camera on the bi-pod at $130.00 but you can on the tripod at $160.00 and carry more weight.

You decide whats best for your hunting situation!

Good Hunting!

© 2017

Smith & Wesson Announces New M&P® M2.0™ Compact Series

Posted on by
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

 

Contact:
Matt Spafford, Smith & Wesson Corp.

1-844-772-5159

media@smith-wesson.com

 

Smith & Wesson Announces New M&P® M2.0™ Compact Series

M&P M2.0 Pistol Platform Expanded to Include Popular Compact Pistol

 

SPRINGFIELD, Mass., (September 29, 2017) – Smith & Wesson Corp. today announced the addition of its new M&P M2.0 Compact pistol series to the recently released M&P M2.0 pistol family. Available in 9mm and .40 S&W, the M&P M2.0 Compact pistol series builds upon the popularity of the new M&P M2.0 platform in a versatile, carry-size configuration. The M&P M2.0 Compact pistol is purpose-built for both personal and professional use.

 

James Debney, President and CEO of American Outdoor Brands Corporation, said, “When we introduced the M&P M2.0 pistol family back in January, we announced our plans to expand the next-generation M2.0 product platform beyond the full-size design.  Our M&P M2.0 pistols represent a growing family of products, developed through feedback from our professional and civilian customers to deliver the performance and features they desire. Offered in both 9mm and .40 S&W, the M&P M2.0 Compact pistol series features a 15 or 13 round capacity depending on caliber, and a 4-inch barrel, blending a feature set that offers both shootability and concealment. The M&P M2.0 Compact pistol series bridges the gap for those who want a single firearm for professional use, personal protection, carry, or practice at the range. We believe the new M&P M2.0 Compact series will be sought after by consumers whose purchase option in this category has, until now, been limited primarily to the Glock 19 or 23.”

 

The M&P M2.0 Compact pistol series offers consumers a reliable, striker-fired pistol that delivers a compact carry advantage with the advanced M2.0 feature set, including an aggressively-textured grip, four interchangeable palmswell inserts, and light, crisp M2.0 trigger with a tactile and audible reset.  The pistol features a solid, molded polymer frame designed for comfort and durability, as well as the optimal M&P pistol 18-degree grip angle for a natural point of aim. Chambered in 9mm and .40 S&W with a 4” barrel, the M&P M2.0 Compact pistol comes standard with a white-dot front sight and a white two-dot rear sight, and either a 15 round 9mm or 13 round .40 S&W magazine.

 

M&P M2.0 Compact pistol features include:

 

Superior Ergonomic Design
– M&P pistol’s optimal 18-degree grip angle, providing a natural point of aim
– M&P pistol’s low barrel-bore axis – more comfortable to shoot, faster aim recovery
– Four interchangeable dimensional palmswell grips for best-in-class fit: S, M, ML, L
– New aggressive M2.0 textured grip for enhanced control
– New front cocking serrations

 

Superior Performance
– New M2.0 crisp trigger with lighter trigger pull
– Tactile and audible trigger reset
– Accurate 1 in 10″ twist barrel in both 9mm and .40 S&W
– Extended rigid embedded stainless steel chassis to reduce flex and torque when firing
– Tactical white 3-dot steel sights for quick target acquisition

 

Superior Controls
– Ambidextrous slide stop, reversible magazine release, and optional ambidextrous thumb safety
– Simple M&P pistol take-down lever, for easy disassembly and maintenance
– M&P pistol sear deactivation lever – safe take-down without having to pull the trigger

 

Superior Finish

– Armornite® – hardened nitride durable corrosion resistant finish on barrel and slide

 

The M&P M2.0 Compact pistol is available both with and without an ambidextrous thumb safety, and priced at an MSRP of $569.  The pistol ships with two magazines, including two magazine extender sleeves for use with full-size magazines, as well as a limited lifetime warranty and lifetime service policy.

 

For more information about the M&P M2.0 Compact pistol series, including spec sheets and images, please click here.

For more information on Smith & Wesson products, please visit www.smith-wesson.com

About Smith & Wesson

Smith & Wesson Corp. is a provider of quality firearms for personal protection, target shooting and hunting in the global consumer and professional markets. Smith & Wesson is world famous for its handguns and long guns sold under the Smith & Wesson®, Performance Center®, M&P®, Thompson/Center Arms™, and Gemtech® brands.  Through its Manufacturing Services Division, Smith & Wesson Corp. also provides forging, machining, and precision plastic injection molding services to a wide variety of consumer goods companies. For more information on Smith & Wesson, call (800) 331-0852 or log on to www.smith-wesson.com.

 

 

Hunter’s: Practice on Paper Deer Without Bullseye’s

Posted on by

Birchwood Casey Eze-Scorer Whitetail Deer Folded 2 Targets

This is a Birchwood Casey Deer target and will show your hits as yellow as seen above. You can order on-line $12 for 2 targets with extra kill zones. Locate it with your favorite search engine.

This one comes in a 2 pack with extra vitals and should last more than one season.

Deer Vitals are outlined. A medium deer will have a 17 to 18 inch deep chest. A large deer will have an 18 to 20 inch chest. By shooting just below the midpoint and tight behind the front leg you are in the heart/lung vitals. Read the article at Chuck Hawkes below. What is missing here perhaps is that if you can see a shape or tuft of hair in the kill zone to aim at then even better, focus on it as your target. Remember, aim small miss small.

http://chuckhawks.com/kill_zone_game_animals.htm

 

Maximize your Flintlock Rifle Hunt Setup

Posted on by

Got my trusty flintlock rifle right? Flintlocks, despite all the movies that show them firing each and every time, need to be attended to in order to maximize the odds that the rifle will fire the charge in the barrel and send the round ball on its way.

I bought into that trusty stuff. Seeing a beautiful Longrifle can do that.

I have fired perhaps 60 rounds from my Lancaster Flintlock and a number of times the either the priming powder did not go off or when it did, the main charge did not. This was mostly my fault.

Since my rifle is new, it is likely my own newness too that needs adjustment.

Research on the internet has lots of advice. What I have done is located several sites that espouse the same things in the set-up of your lock in the deer woods. You only have one real chance to ensure the rifle fires and send the bullet on its way.

1. Keep your lock clean and lubricated.

2. Ensure your flint is tight in the clamp, clean and sharp and even (parallel) with the frizzen. If not you must knap the flint face with a brass rod to sharpen it and make it parallel with the frizzen face. If your leather wrap on the flint is too thick then the leather will absorb energy. Many, including me now use a lead wrap that you can hammer out of a lead round ball. The lead will conform to the flint and hold it in place just as the leather does but will not absorb the hammer energy. This delivers more energy of the flint to strike the frizzen and more sparks result.

On an empty gun, I observe the sparks from the flint to see that they are sent to the powder pan in quantity.

3. The rifle, most flintlock hunters say, needs to be shot just before the hunt and swabbed once without lubrication, maybe a little spit on a cleaning patch.  This is like shooting with a seasoned barrel and the bullet will not encounter lubricant which can change the point of impact.

4. Use a pin to clean the touchhole shaft after you load a round.

5. Don’t over fill the clean pan with powder.

If you shoot to practice it is wise to run a spit cleaning patch after every shot. I have just adopted this clean after each shot method and I like it.

And you can end up shooting like this shot below at a paper deer at 50 yards. I used a large post like tree in the woods to brace the rifle. See the 50 cal Round Ball hole dead center in the lungs just above the heart. The other holes are from different caliber rifles in a previous year. I will try to use a  monopod or bi-pod to shoot or find a good tree to brace.

This image of a deer was about 75% of life size. I do recommend buying these paper archery targets of deer and shooting them with no bullseye to focus on. I think that 40 to 50 yards is my limit without a bi-pod. This is the most common shooting distance encountered here in Northern New England and New Hampshire.

Good Shooting!

© 2017

How Much Bullet Energy to Kill Moose? Some thoughts!

Posted on by

For years I keep reading about the need for 2500 ft-lbs bullet energy to kill a Moose cleanly. I shot my moose with a .375 Ruger but it was not broadside it was face on, taking out just one lung.  The bullet traveled the whole length and lodged in the hide at his rear end.  It took another round from my partners .308 and then a finishing shot from me to the spine.

Yet there is story after story of rifle calibers in the 6mm, .270 and 7mm, .308 Winchester lower recoil class that kill cleanly every year (broadside double lung shots) with less energy than the 2500 ft-lbs that so many have fallen in line with. The key to killing a full grown moose is for the most part, accurate bullet placement and adequate penetration ,Jack O’connor and I would argue, to reach the vitals of the heart/lung area. Jack killed Moose at 200 yards with his 130 grain .270 Winchester. Others have taken moose out to 400 yards with the .270 Winchester. I would avoid that one if possible. 

Moose are slow to react even from a killing shot so an immediate follow-up shot is often recommended. 

Based on penetration, the Sectional Density of a bullet is a tell all for penetration as long as the bullet design is geared to “stay together and mushroom”. Do you need a big powerful bullet to kill moose? Some think so but I don’t, especially with today’s bonded, copper etc. bullets and the partition style. They penetrate well and stay together.  I do ascribe to the 1500 ft-lbs delivered energy for Elk but the 2500 ft-lbs is perhaps now disproven for moose.  In my opinion, deliverd energy should at least be 1500 ft-lbs or greater, ideally in the 2000 ft-lb range. After the shot, immediately reload and prepare to shoot again.

The key to remember is to try for broadside shots whenever possible and avoid quartering shots that need to travel far to vitals unless you have a 30-06 or larger caliber to break bone and push through part of the gut cavity to reach them.

A double lung hit is a sure bet on all big game.

Go shoot a big moose with your deer rifle! It’s been done for decades! Just shoot-em’ in the heart lungs area such as a double lung hit and that moose is yours. Of course if you have a bigger gun, no problem.

Good Hunting!

©Copyright 2023