Tuesday, September 05, 2006
Magnum Rifle Cartridges
MadOgre is an extremely astute commentator, and one I probably should have added to my blogroll a year ago. He rants and I like rants.
Noticibly, I've been a bit out of sorts of late. I missed this really great post that the Old Man emailed to me over the weekend. The Ogre doesn't have permalinks, so scroll down to the Thursday 8-24 post and find the magnum comments.
First off, I think Ogre is a hunter. Most of his examples and anecdotes are in reference to hunting. Outside of quail/shotgun/Cheney-style lawyer shooting, I'm not much of a hunter. I try to hit an 8' by 11' piece of paper at 400 yards, not elk vital zones. I study ballistics and try to load the best match ammunition I possibly can.
What I assume Ogre is referring to is lazy hunters. I don't like them either. This time of year, if you hit the range, you're guaranteed to find some asshole that hasn't touched his rifle since the beginning of last hunting season. He's just verifying his zero so he can do a depradation hunt, where he can bench his rifle off of the hood of his truck. Fuck sport.
In addition, Ogre is correct that extreme magnum cartridges, that shoot so flat one doesn't have to understand trajectory, takes a bit of the art out of rifle shooting. I try to have ballistic models for every cartridge I load (Huffman helps out.) In the end, primarily I am a long range target shooter. Bullet drop is still extreme with a magnum at 600+ yards.
I also know enough decent hunters who would never take a shot where the probability was that it would hit the haunches. That's up there with spotlighting and the like, in my opinion. Know what the fuck you are doing before you enter the field.
In any case, I think Magnums especially have their place if you want to shoot long range. I found out that AMU is slowly adopting the .300 WSM I have been so endeared with. It's a good long range rifle.
Let me state, that if I had an offer to hunt, I have a .308 and a .30-06 that I would pick up before any Magnum rifle.
Update: Apparently some guy died over the weekend. He made his living by wrestling crocodiles. Karma's gonna get you. And, really, I don't care.
Noticibly, I've been a bit out of sorts of late. I missed this really great post that the Old Man emailed to me over the weekend. The Ogre doesn't have permalinks, so scroll down to the Thursday 8-24 post and find the magnum comments.
First off, I think Ogre is a hunter. Most of his examples and anecdotes are in reference to hunting. Outside of quail/shotgun/Cheney-style lawyer shooting, I'm not much of a hunter. I try to hit an 8' by 11' piece of paper at 400 yards, not elk vital zones. I study ballistics and try to load the best match ammunition I possibly can.
What I assume Ogre is referring to is lazy hunters. I don't like them either. This time of year, if you hit the range, you're guaranteed to find some asshole that hasn't touched his rifle since the beginning of last hunting season. He's just verifying his zero so he can do a depradation hunt, where he can bench his rifle off of the hood of his truck. Fuck sport.
In addition, Ogre is correct that extreme magnum cartridges, that shoot so flat one doesn't have to understand trajectory, takes a bit of the art out of rifle shooting. I try to have ballistic models for every cartridge I load (Huffman helps out.) In the end, primarily I am a long range target shooter. Bullet drop is still extreme with a magnum at 600+ yards.
I also know enough decent hunters who would never take a shot where the probability was that it would hit the haunches. That's up there with spotlighting and the like, in my opinion. Know what the fuck you are doing before you enter the field.
In any case, I think Magnums especially have their place if you want to shoot long range. I found out that AMU is slowly adopting the .300 WSM I have been so endeared with. It's a good long range rifle.
Let me state, that if I had an offer to hunt, I have a .308 and a .30-06 that I would pick up before any Magnum rifle.
Update: Apparently some guy died over the weekend. He made his living by wrestling crocodiles. Karma's gonna get you. And, really, I don't care.
Comments:
<< Home
about not really caring?
He isn't the only. Karma is a bitch and it does come round from time to time...
He isn't the only. Karma is a bitch and it does come round from time to time...
# posted by 
: 3:19 PM
: 3:19 PM
can you gun toting geniuses define how karma applies to this situation? I don't ever remember the stabbing his spike into the hearts of animals?
# posted by : 11:52 PM
: 11:52 PM
Who gives a shit. That wasn't even what this post was about.
If you wrestle crocodiles and fondle stingrays, eventually something bad might happen.
I think life is dangerous enough when you drive a car, date a chick, or go out in public where there are psychos galore.
The comment wasn't supposed to be witty; the comment was to suggest that those who live by stingrays die by stingrays, to borrow a phrase from my father.
Post a Comment
If you wrestle crocodiles and fondle stingrays, eventually something bad might happen.
I think life is dangerous enough when you drive a car, date a chick, or go out in public where there are psychos galore.
The comment wasn't supposed to be witty; the comment was to suggest that those who live by stingrays die by stingrays, to borrow a phrase from my father.
<< Home
