roysclockgun
Handloader
- Dec 17, 2005
- 736
- 0
I suppose that after over 50 years of hunting, one's opinions can go through any sort of changes. In the 1960s, I got a rather bad opinion of the .243Win. as a deer killing cartridge. I had a Ruger Model 77, bought in 1968 that killed uncounted numbers of groundhogs, but when I used it on deer and made what I thought were good hits to the heart/lung area, the deer were still able to run, sometimes 100 yards, or more. In failing light, finding a deer in a grown over field or thick cover can be daunting, if not impossible. At the time, I was not a reloader and was using factory 100 gr. bullets for deer hunting. Since I was taking groundhogs at 200+ yards, with that rifle, I went to shooting deer only in the neck and that did drop them on the spot. When I began to get enough money aside to begin gathering a battery of hunting rifles, I acquired an old Model 70 Winchester in 270Win. That was a supreme cartridge/rifle combo and cleanly killed white tails, muley and pronghorn. Then I got the Magnum mania and acquired a Browning B78 falling block rifle in 7mmRemMag. Since I bought that rifle, I have used nothing else on any sort of deer hunt. The added range that the flat trajectory provides is worth every bit of the additional recoil, which is not noticed when I bring game under fire anyway.
Now to my change in beliefs: Wife, Storm, is only 5'2" tall and weighs less than 120 lbs. The rifle that she settled on as hers turns out to be a New England Handy Rifle in .243Win., which she has learned to shoot very well! Before this past summer, Storm had never fired any high powered rifle. The Youth Model fits her perfectly, after I added a slip on Decelerator recoil pad to the already effective recoil pad that came on the little rifle. Now, she has no problems with recoil, shooting off the bench and genuinely enjoys shooting her rifle. The newer bonded bullets are providing much better results on game than did the older bullet designs. My belief is that I can now expect the same or better performance from a 100 gr. bonded bullet, as I used to get out of a 130 gr. old design bullet. I believe this because the bonded bullets retain weight, for better penetration and mushroom more dependably with sharp petals that cause more tissue damage, shock and bleeding. Do you agree?
Steven A.
Now to my change in beliefs: Wife, Storm, is only 5'2" tall and weighs less than 120 lbs. The rifle that she settled on as hers turns out to be a New England Handy Rifle in .243Win., which she has learned to shoot very well! Before this past summer, Storm had never fired any high powered rifle. The Youth Model fits her perfectly, after I added a slip on Decelerator recoil pad to the already effective recoil pad that came on the little rifle. Now, she has no problems with recoil, shooting off the bench and genuinely enjoys shooting her rifle. The newer bonded bullets are providing much better results on game than did the older bullet designs. My belief is that I can now expect the same or better performance from a 100 gr. bonded bullet, as I used to get out of a 130 gr. old design bullet. I believe this because the bonded bullets retain weight, for better penetration and mushroom more dependably with sharp petals that cause more tissue damage, shock and bleeding. Do you agree?
Steven A.