Issue link: http://ssaansw.uberflip.com/i/646314
Sporting Shooters Association of Australia (NSW) Inc. 13 Andy's Hunting Guide I was on a buffalo cull hunt, and our guide, George Stewart, instructed me to shoot a fleeing feral cat. At 120m, the 9.3, 286 gr protected point projectile, dispatched the cat. Needless to say, I was dubious about the same bullet's ability to knock over a buffalo bull. My fears were unfounded, as two days later, at 120yds, a trophy bull was flattened in its tracks while departing at a full gallop. It was an ideal shot, with the bullet travelling 40"through the body, it was dead before it hit the ground. On the same trip, a member of our group was able to take an even older bull, at very close quarters, with his Merkel in 500 NE. The 570 RN killed the bull but the FMJ that instantly followed was good insurance. I have hunted in Australia extensively over the last 40 years and more recently I've had the opportunity to hunt overseas. Hunting can become very expensive, with travel, trophy fees and hunting guide costs. Why then, do we go to all this trouble and reduce our chances of success with a poor bullet choice. In my line of work I meet hunters obsessed with bench rest accuracy goals for their hunting rig. They tend to choose the most accurate bullet instead of the one that will kill target species best. My message to them is firstly to find a bullet that will kill the target species from just about any angle. Next, develop a load that will shoot into a tea saucer at 200m. Job done, there is little need for fancy plastic tips or homogenous, velocity critical bullets. Look closer to home and you'll see we have the best powder in the world and also the very best, bonded core, controlled expansion bullets that money can buy. Granted, not all these bullets will consistently shoot under the magic 1 MOA, but most will. If a good hunting bullet will hold to 3 MOA under all conditions, it will do the required ob for you. The false economy of using cheap projectiles on a trophy hunt can destroy years of planning. On two recent guided hunts, my wife Margie and I only fired 40 rounds of ammunition. Even at $3 each for a quality bullet, this $120 expense is miniscule compared to the thousands of dollars spent overall. See you at the Range. Cheers, Andy Mallen "Conway's Station", Northern Territory changes