My best memories cover hunting with a firearm I built, handloads I developed, with friends and family along for the experience.
June 2017, wife and I are in RSA at the huge Rooiport Game Preserve with 10 friends for 8 consecutive days of plains game. Except for some boar, bison, some exotics, my wife's first major hunt.
Handloading played a major role in making this a great memory. Cartridge of choice was 445SM parent case necked to .410" with a Montana Bullet Works 240gr. hard lead (BHM 22) and a large meplat over a generous charge of 4227. Firearm: T/C G2 single-shot, 16.125" barrel and a Leupold 2x7. Cartridge was designed/built by Gary Reeder of Flagstaff (41GNR#2).
This cartridge setup killed way beyond all expectations. 10 game animals taken, 5 each, with six 1-shot kills.
My reloading has changed from 45-70 (leverguns), 45LC & 44M (revolvers) in the mid/late 70's & 80's to various wildcats and now, at 68 years young, to tactical (basically 300 Whisper/AAC Blackout) in short-barreled AR builds. Love the variety of bullets weights and pistol powders I can bring to bear in feeding barrel lengths of 4.75", 8" and 10". Super & Subsonic, suppressed/unsuppressed. Like many others, my game animal of choice is boar: plentiful, tasty, pure fun to stalk and easy kills with 1 behind the ear. Just mixed up a batch of "boar" burritos this morning!
June 2017, wife and I are in RSA at the huge Rooiport Game Preserve with 10 friends for 8 consecutive days of plains game. Except for some boar, bison, some exotics, my wife's first major hunt.
Handloading played a major role in making this a great memory. Cartridge of choice was 445SM parent case necked to .410" with a Montana Bullet Works 240gr. hard lead (BHM 22) and a large meplat over a generous charge of 4227. Firearm: T/C G2 single-shot, 16.125" barrel and a Leupold 2x7. Cartridge was designed/built by Gary Reeder of Flagstaff (41GNR#2).
This cartridge setup killed way beyond all expectations. 10 game animals taken, 5 each, with six 1-shot kills.
My reloading has changed from 45-70 (leverguns), 45LC & 44M (revolvers) in the mid/late 70's & 80's to various wildcats and now, at 68 years young, to tactical (basically 300 Whisper/AAC Blackout) in short-barreled AR builds. Love the variety of bullets weights and pistol powders I can bring to bear in feeding barrel lengths of 4.75", 8" and 10". Super & Subsonic, suppressed/unsuppressed. Like many others, my game animal of choice is boar: plentiful, tasty, pure fun to stalk and easy kills with 1 behind the ear. Just mixed up a batch of "boar" burritos this morning!