January 05, 2009
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April 2007 Barnes Bullet-n
| Randy Brooks Message: |  |
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Last February, I flew Rulon Gardner, who’d won the Gold Medal for wrestling in the 2000 Olympics, and my brother Les on a sightseeing trip to southern Utah. When we reached Lake Powell, I piloted my Cirrus SR-22 through the canyons, giving my passengers a bird’s-eye view.
The water below us was glassy smooth. With no waves for visual reference, I lost my depth perception—and unexpectedly found myself landing on the water. We were in the middle of the lake, more than a mile from the nearest shore. We all got out of the airplane okay, but it sank before we could get the survival gear from the rear compartment.
The water temperature was 44 degrees. Water that cold really shocks your system! Your muscles tense up and you’re gasping for breath. Fighting panic, we began swimming for shore. Rulon was on his back, paddling with his arms and hands. Les and I swam face-down, using a modified dog paddle.
Fifty yards from shore, I completely ran out of steam. I started to sink, and could feel water entering my lungs. I kicked hard to the surface, where I tried to expel the water I’d breathed in. I remembered watching a running lioness and hearing the mighty grunts she made every time her right foot hit the ground. I tried making those same, deep grunts from the very bottom of my lungs. After repeated efforts, I managed to cough up most of the water. That scare gave me a fresh shot of adrenaline, and I made it the rest of the way to shore.
It took us an hour and a quarter to swim to shore. The ranger later told us we should have been unconscious from hypothermia before we’d spent 30 minutes in the water. When we finally reached land, we were totally, falling-down exhausted. The swim took every last ounce of our physical and mental strength.
That’s when the real challenge began. We each wore only shirt and pants. I wasn’t able to get my cowboy boots off in the water, so I still had them on. Les and Rulon had kicked off their shoes before leaving the plane. The few clothes we had were soaking wet, and there was no way to dry them.
We’d landed on a remote rocky beach that was completely barren—no trees, brush or shelter of any kind. The temperature fell to 28 degrees, and a canyon wind was blowing. We survived by huddling together, trying to conserve what warmth we could. Rulon was the largest—he would lie on his side, while Les and I lay pressed against him. Les wore an oversized nylon jersey, and he and I both managed to crowd inside it. Les and I took turns lying on top of each other, while Rulon switched sides every 30 minutes or so.
We spent the coldest night of our lives huddling and talking together. Taking turns, we allowed one person at a time a five-minute catnap. We knew it would be fatal to fall into a deep a sleep, so we kept each other awake. We prayed for rescue, but things didn’t look hopeful. We were in a remote canyon, and at this time of year very few boaters were on the lake.
In the morning, we heard a motorboat enter the bay just over a half-mile away. Our prayers had been answered. A fishing tournament was underway, and the two top competitors had a strong hunch they should come to this canyon. They did this knowing they’d find few fish there.
I ran down the shore, frantically hoping to get the fishermen’s attention before they decided to leave. When they were in sight, I jumped up and down and finally waved them over. They gave us what dry clothing they had, and rushed us to the marina.
While we were all in good physical condition, I credit my survival to extreme conditions I’d encountered in a lifetime of hunting. It wasn’t the first time I’d suffered from hypothermia. I’d never been close to drowning, but once had serious trouble breathing the oxygen-poor air at 17,000 feet during a Marco Polo sheep hunt. Ten years earlier, my brother wasn’t in the excellent physical condition he now enjoys. Thanks to serious exercise, he’d become strong enough to survive the swim and a freezing night on the beach. Except for slightly frostbitten feet, he’d suffered no ill effects.
Rulon had previously been stranded overnight in subzero temperatures. A few years ago, he’d lost a toe to frostbite after his snowmobile plunged through the ice of a frozen Wyoming stream. A professional athlete, he’d kept himself in great physical shape.
This life-threatening experience emphasized the importance of physical and mental conditioning. If you’re a hunter, you learn to keep going, no matter what happens. Keep at it, and you’ll learn to take extreme temperatures in stride. I’ve hunted elephants in 128-degree African heat and followed polar bears across Arctic sea ice. Hunting toughens you up and teaches you to keep going—even in extreme circumstances. I’m convinced the experience I gained while hunting was the key to my recent survival.
Randy Brooks
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Early this May, I will be visiting a new Barnes distributor in Australia and meeting some of the dealers from that country. I am very excited because, first, I know our business will grow in Australia as a result of this visit, and second, I’m taking some time to go hunting with a few of my friends from our industry, our new distributor, and some Australian dealers.
We plan to hunt water buffalo—and if time permits, Rusa deer, Axis deer and whatever else we can manage in three short days of hunting. On this hunt, we plan on using .375 H&H Weatherby rifles supplied by the distributor, Nioa Trading. Many of the hunters, including me, will be using Federal factory ammunition loaded with 270-grain Triple Shock bullets. That ought to get something down!
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| Water Buffalo | Rusa Deer |
I’ve never been to Australia, but not for lack of trying. I have had numerous invitations—but sometimes other things get in the way of doing everything you want to do. I’m sure you can all relate to that.
Shortly after I get home from this hunt, I’m supposed to go turkey hunting here in Utah. However, I return on the 11th and turkey season ends the 13th, so I don’t know if I can make that happen. Hopefully, I’ll be able to put it together.
This September I’ll be off trying to get a mule deer in Utah. We’ll be hunting while the deer are in velvet. Hopefully, we won’t get a 9-inch snowstorm like we did last year on the 13th of September. This will be a joint hunt with Federal and Kimber.
Along with building a new plant this year and the tremendous growth we’re experiencing, I’ll be pretty busy just keeping caught up. But one must work, and one must play. Lately it’s been mostly work and very little play. Still, I’m having a wonderful time and in general just enjoy living.
I’m very proud to be a part of hunting and wildlife conservation. I hope others will work hard toward making sure we’ll always have wildlife to enjoy, and that it will flourish for many years to come.
Coni Brooks
What can we do to keep our shooting and hunting heritage alive and well for the following generations?
As my two boys get a bit older each year, they’re becoming more interested in girls than guns. Over the years I’ve devised new methods to pique and hold their interest in shooting and hunting. It’s your job to educate and train these youngsters. They are the next generation that will follow your footsteps—teaching subsequent generations, and so on. Here are a few suggestions to help keep your kids in the sport.
Shooting at the range is always fun, and it’s a great way to hold kids’ interest. Take two-liter water jugs, balloons or other items that show a dramatic impact when hit. Make sure they take turns hitting them, not just shooting at them. My oldest likes to shoot all the targets before anyone else has a chance. Paint cans obtained from the local automotive paint store, then filled with water produced dramatic and colorful explosions when hit by a high velocity bullet. Swinging targets and empty shotgun shells add challenge. Make a game of it. Take turns to see who can hit the targets first.
There are several hunting and shooting clubs you can join. These include skeet, trap shooting, cowboy action shooting, black powder, and even some long-range shooting clubs. You should find one (or more) that fits the bill for your family.
I’ve found my kids become very interested when a new handgun or rifle enters the house. Take the time to introduce the new member (gun) to the family. They become especially interested when they are the direct recipient of that new rifle or handgun. Do you remember your first rifle? Yeah, it’s like that. If you want your offspring to follow in your footsteps, a new rifle is in order. Chances are it will be handed down to their children, along with the hunting and shooting heritage they value.
Schedule hunting opportunities that include the whole family. Varmint hunting is an inexpensive pastime that affords lots of hands-on experience, and helps boost skills and confidence.
When I was young, I recall my dad telling me stories of his hunting adventures. One still stands out very strongly in my mind. I can almost picture myself there. I’d like to share it with you.
In his day, he and his friends hunted a lot of jackrabbits. They used primarily .22 rimfire rifles and 12 gauge shotguns, but any gun was allowed if you had the ammo to go with it. One time when he and his school buddies were hunting rabbits, one raced out in front of them and into the firing line. Rifles and shotguns opened fire! Guns everywhere were blazing as the panicked rabbit weaved and dodged bullets. Eventually every gun ran out of ammo—and the rabbit hadn’t taken a single hit. When everyone quit firing, the rabbit stopped. It just sat there watching them all load up. Finally one of dad’s buddies got his .22 rifle loaded and dropped the rabbit with a single shot.
The hunters hurried to the rabbit to make sure it was dead. After close inspection—including prodding it with a stick—everyone agreed the rabbit was thoroughly, irretrievably deceased. Before lining up for another march through the desert, the boy nearest the dead rabbit picked it up, tossing it high in the air toward its final resting place. When the rabbit hit the ground, it sprang to its feet and darted away. The hunters stared at each other in amazement. They were so stunned none of them fired another shot as the rabbit hot-footed it through the sagebrush.
To this day, I can still picture the stunned look on the faces of those young boys as they watched that “dead” rabbit run off.
Such memories last a lifetime. Your kids can pass them on the next generation as you teach them to follow in your hunting and shooting footsteps.
Happy Hunting!
Ty Herring
Thought you’d enjoy some photos of a nice mule deer taken with your .25-caliber 115- grain TSX bullet.
The deer was taken southwest of Wheatland, Wyoming. I used your 115-grain Triple-Shocks in a Custom Remington 700 .25-06 (26-inch stainless fluted barrel with a 1:10 twist), and shot the deer at about 100 yards. A classic Elmer Keith “raking shot” traveled from the quarter into the left flank, then into the right shoulder, holing both liver and lungs. The bullet was recovered under the hide during caping. It weighed 114.7 grains after some 27 inches of penetration.
I’ve switched my big game bullets to the TSX. After I fiddled with seating depths, both my .25-06 and my wife’s .243 (85-grain TSX) shoot three rounds into .6-inch. Can’t ask for much better than that!
Thanks for a great bullet!
—John Jerkins
Hunter’s Style Rabbit recipe
1 rabbit
1 cup olive or vegetable oil
1 clove garlic
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons dry mustard
1 teaspoon curry powder
1 teaspoon powdered thyme
2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 cup light cream
Cut the rabbit into pieces; rub all over with olive oil, and leave in the refrigerator overnight.
The next day, rub the pieces with a cut clove of garlic.
Put flour in clean brown paper bag and to it add the mustard, curry powder, thyme, salt and pepper. Shake the pieces of rabbit in the bag until well coated, then fry them to a golden brown with olive or salad oil. Watch the rabbit carefully because it burns easily. Turn it over and over until golden brown and crisp.
Reduce heat to simmer and pour cream over rabbit. Cover and allow to simmer for 1 hour, or until rabbit is tender.
Serve on hot platter and pour cream sauce over rabbit.
Serves 4 to 5
Question: When reloading magnum calibers with TSX Bullets, do I need to set up my die to add a factory-style crimp to prevent cartridges in the magazine from losing their grip on bullets under recoil? I have loaded short-action and long-action rounds without placing a crimp on the bullet, and have never had a problem. I have been told that reloading magnum cartridges is a whole new ball game. Any information you could give would be appreciated.
Keep turning out those TSX Bullets and I will keep loading them. Thanks for the help.
—Randall Miles
Answer: In the past Barnes has recommended not crimping anything smaller than .375 caliber if proper neck tension is applied. However, there are exceptions to this rule. Cartridges used in autoloaders should be crimped to prevent bullet movement as the action cycles. Some of the light-for-caliber TSXs require crimping due to their short bearing surface. Sometimes a light or Lee factory crimp will improve accuracy in a standard or magnum cartridge. Finally, with some of the extreme magnum cartridges (e.g. .30-378, .338-378, etc.) it is a good practice to always crimp.
Ultimately, it is up to the shooter to determine what will yield the best results in his or her rifle.
Thanks for a great question.
—Ty
Question: I’m trying to knock some sense into a hard-headed “armchair” ballistician regarding seating depth vs. pressure.
I maintain that seating a rifle bullet farther off the lands (giving the cartridge a shorter OAL) reduces pressure somewhat due to the bullet having a greater “run” before engaging the lands, even though the available powder space is reduced by the shorter OAL. True? (Thanks for a great product!)
-Joe Johnson
Answer: Yes, you are correct. Seating farther off the lands does reduce pressures. In addition to that, we have found that experimenting with seating in a range of .030″ to .100″ off the lands –sometimes even greater with TSX and MRX bullets– will normally improve accuracy.
Look at it this way: Put your fist against the wall and try to punch a hole in it. It’s going to take some serious pressure behind your fist to put a hole in the wall. Now back your fist up and give it a good swing. You’ll easily make a fist-size hole that will need repairing. This small amount of “jump” helps reduce the initial starting pressures. The practice of seating bullets off the riflings is especially critical when loading maximum charges.
Thanks—Ty
We aim to please. Reloading is a great hobby—enjoy it.
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He won the Birchwood Casey Targets.
JP says, “I live to hunt”. JP builds his own loads using Barnes bullets. He shoots at least two to four times a week, and loves any and all hunting.
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