January 05, 2009
Home » Information » Newsletters » Bullet-N Archive » May 2007 Barnes Bullet-n
May 2007 Barnes Bullet-n
| Randy Brooks Message: |  |
|---|
Varmint season is already well underway. Hunters are reloading batches of cartridges and planning trips to prairie dog, marmot and ground squirrel territory. These small targets can really improve your long-range shooting skills, but I have a suggestion. Bring your deer rifle along and shoot rabbits with it.
Running jackrabbits (don’t shoot cottontails—they’re protected until upland game season begins) make very tough targets, particularly when you’re shooting offhand. Just like deer or antelope, jackrabbits move out! They change direction as quickly as an NFL quarterback, and can challenge both your reflexes and offhand shooting skills.
Being a good hunting shot takes regular practice. Bird hunters stay sharp in the off season by powdering flying targets. Like Sporting Clays, jackrabbits are fair game at any time of the year—but you’ll have better things to do when deer and elk season rolls around. Spring is the ideal time to blow the cobwebs from your rifle and find some rabbits to hunt.
I’ve killed a lot of jacks with my .300 Weatherby Magnum deer rifle. I’ve also hunted rabbits with everything from a .375 H&H Magnum to the .505 Barnes Supreme I’ve used for elephant. Learning to hit running rabbits with a .416 can help boost your confidence on Cape buffalo hunts.
Marksmanship isn’t the only skill rabbit hunting can help. Most hunters never learn to cycle their rifle’s bolt immediately after taking a shot. While not always necessary in the deer woods, fast follow-up shots can prevent wounded game from escaping. When you hunt animals that can bite, stomp or claw you, reflexive, speedy bolt operation is a skill you vitally need to learn.
Don’t grasp the bolt knob with your fingers. Practice cupping the handle in your open palm, then slamming it up, back, forward and down until this becomes a continuous, automatic operation. When this maneuver is properly executed, the handle will be hooked by your little finger during the opening stroke, then pushed forward by the heel of your open hand. Keep the rifle in shooting position, and fire again as soon as you can bring the sights back on target. This is a skill that can really pay off, whether you hunt deer or dangerous game.
I enjoy shooting ground squirrels and prairie dogs—but I get more practical gun-handling practice hunting jacks with my centerfire rifles. Both kinds of shooting will pay dividends next fall.
Randy Brooks
|
|---|
We’re greatly saddened by the tragic incident at Virginia Tech, and express our sincere sympathy for those affected by this senseless tragedy. Inevitably, this brings up the issue of gun control. “Do we need more gun control in this country?” is a question some people are asking. We cannot blame this incident on guns. Without guns, the deranged student would have undoubtedly found some other way to inflict pain and death. Consider the suicide bombers we hear about almost daily in the news.
I was impressed by a statement that appeared on the internet. I have copied it below. Dr. Lester Dyke is a 51- year-old surgeon who lives in South Texas. He has been a hunter all his life, and his five children are active shooters.
“Yes, we are a violent country, there are a lot of guns, there are a lot of people, there’s a lot of strife in this country. But you know, we’re a free country, we’re pretty much the last free country in the world, and whenever you have a lot of freedom you’re going to have a lot of people that abuse that freedom,” he says. “You have to ask yourself as a society, ‘Are we willing to give up a lot of freedoms and become pretty much of a watchdog state, in order to try to prevent most of these?’
“We’re a people who defend themselves and don’t take any guff off anybody,” Dyke says. “That’s what founded us and that’s what kept us free. And I’m kind of proud of that heritage.”
I couldn’t have said it better.
On a lighter note:
Thank heavens the weather is finally warming up! I, for one, am looking forward to Spring. We’ve just returned from the N.R.A. Show in St. Louis, and what a terrific show it turned out to be! It was probably the best show, ever!
This is one show that allows us to hear first-hand what folks like yourself think. We talked with a lot of terrific people, and paid real attention to what they had to say. Thanks to all those who stopped by our booth.
At the N.R.A. show we were awarded the 2007 Golden Bullseye ammunition product of the year award for the MRX Bullet. We are very proud of this accomplishment. This is our second year in a row to win such a reward. Last year we received the Golden Bullseye Award for the Triple Shock Bullet and we’re working on winning another award next year in 2008.
I wanted to give you a heads-up that our MRX bullets in .270 through .338 calibers are now shipping. Most dealers, chain stores and mail-order distributors should have them available to sell or ship to you. You can also order these new Delrin- tipped bullets from our website store.
The new Varmint Grenade bullets are getting great attention, and we are shipping them now. Varmint season is here, so give them a try! We offer 36-grain .22 caliber Varmint Grenades in 100- and 250-bullet packs, along with the new 62-grain 6mm version we introduced in April.
If you’d like to see for yourself how these new bullets perform, click here or visit our website at www.barnesbullets.com. Click on “technical - high speed video,” and then on “Varmint Grenade video clip” to view a high-speed video showing the explosive performance of these bullets when they hit a small, purple grape. While you’re there, you can see how quickly a 180-grain .308 Triple-Shock expands when fired into a block of ballistics gelatin.
One final note—by late May we will be shipping our new Barnes DVD, “Bullet Myths Busted.” To order your free copy click here or visit our website at www.barnesbullets.com. You should receive the DVD in 4 to 6 weeks after the release date of the DVD. Those living outside the continental U.S.A. will be charged a nominal US $7.50 to cover shipping.
We hope you’ll check these new items out and give them a try.
Barnes prides itself on being the leader in innovative products. A few companies have copied—or tried to copy—our ideas, but we feel imitation is the greatest form of flattery. We have worked many years on perfecting our products, and will continue to produce new, innovative products in the future. That is our promise.
My warning to our competitors—watch out, ‘cause we’re not done yet!!! Remember the Barnes motto: Unleaded, Unfailing, Unbeatable!
Coni Brooks
Hallelujah! My favorite time of year has come again! It’s prairie dog season!
I’ve been assigned to report on the accuracy of our new varmint bullet. Yeah, it’s a rough job—but someone’s gotta do it!
If you haven’t already heard, Barnes has introduced a new bullet called the Varmint Grenade. This bullet features a copper-tin powder core made with new technology developed for the military. It also incorporates a scored jacket for immediate fragmentation. No more ricochet worries! This bullet literally explodes on contact. We’ve seen it disintegrate completely in targets as small as a grape. See our website for high-speed footage.
Let’s start by looking at the accuracy we can achieve with this bullet in the Barnes ballistics lab. We do things differently in the lab than you or I would do in the field. First, we eliminate the human factor by shooting from a machine rest. Second, we use barrels that are a full 1-1/8 inch in diameter along their entire length. We have the ability to test pressures and shoot at extreme velocities. We can also test bullets in barrels with various rifling twists. See photo below. Note: these are 11-shot groups fired from a 1 in 14 (1:14) twist barrel locked in a machine rest from 100 yards.
AR-style rifles with barrels having fast 1:7 through 1:9 twists can accurately shoot very heavy bullets that won’t stabilize in bolt-action rifles with standard 1:12 through 1:14 twist barrels. There’s a myth that 1:7 through 1:9-twist barrels can’t shoot lightweight bullets well. Some claim these bullets fragment in mid-air. (This is true with some of our competitors’ bullets). Others say the fast twist causes lightweight bullets to give poor accuracy. I’ve proved this is only a myth by shooting fantastic groups with Barnes 36-grain Varmint Grenade bullets fired from a 1:7 twist AR rifle resting on a sandbagged bench from 100 yards.
Customers have been calling with great comments and target photos. I’m attaching one of the better ones I’ve seen. This group rivals those produced with Barnes machine rest!
Bottom line? The Varmint Grenade is a bullet everyone can use with great results!
Happy Hunting!
Ty Herring
I was on a North Texas mule deer hunt when I took a 5X5 buck with my .270. I handloaded the cartridges with your 130-grain Triple-Shock X-Bullet, which left the muzzle at 2950 feet per second (fps). The deer was 182 yards away on a rock ledge on the side of a canyon. He was standing about a foot in front of a vertical rock wall. The bullet entered directly behind the deer’s shoulder. The bullet hit a front-side rib before penetrating completely through the animal to exit the far side.
After the shot, I climbed up the canyon wall to where the deer was standing and found where the bullet had hit the rock after exiting. It left a two-inch diameter, two-inch deep hole in the rock.
I found the bullet on the ledge where the deer had been standing! The bullet’s four petals were all intact, and the bullet looked like the bullets shown in your advertisements! The bullet still weighed 129.9 grains.
Thanks Barnes!
—Hal Gooding
Antelope Steak Pie
Crust:
1 cup Flour
½ cup Shortening
¼ tsp Salt
½ cup Mashed potatoes
1 tsp Baking powder
1 cup Water
Filling:
1 ½ lbs Antelope steak
1/3 tsp Freshly-ground black pepper
2 Tbls Flour
1/8 tsp Ground cloves
1 tsp Salt
Water as needed
Sift together the flour, salt and baking powder; cut or rub in the shortening, add the mashed potato and mix to a dough with the water, then chill while preparing the meat.
Cut the steak into thin strips, dip each in the flour, salt, pepper and cloves which have been stirred together. Put a small piece of fat in the center of each strip of meat, roll up and place in a deep baking dish or casserole. Half fill the dish with water, cover closely and bake in a slow
oven for one hour, after which remove the cover, roll out the crust and put it in place over the meat; return to oven and bake twenty-five minutes longer.
A few small pieces of kidney, or oysters or mushrooms may be cooked with the meat to give variety in flavor.
Recipe by Jacqueline E. Knight
Question: I’ve noticed the data for the .500 S&W were pistol loads. I have pistol reloading info, but as with most rounds that can be used in both rifles and handguns, there are differences in reloading data. I’m having trouble locating data for rifle reloads. Is there no new info available?
—Shane M. Forest
Answer: For a given cartridge, pressure limits for pistols and rifles are the same. However, velocities can differ greatly with barrel length, but the load data itself won’t change. Some powders are better suited to either a rifle or a pistol, but data and pressures will remain the same.
After checking the Nosler, Speer and Hornady manuals, it would appear they recommend basically the same loads. The Nosler manual lists exactly the same data for both rifles and handguns. Hornady and Speer pistol and rifle data are very similar (within .5gr), if not identical. I suspect the small variation noted is due to component and chamber variations.
Thanks for the great question.—Ty
Question: I am booked to go to Newfoundland to shoot a moose this fall. I will be using a Ruger M77 chambered for the .300 Winchester Magnum.
After doing my research, I have purchased Federal Premium ammo with 180-grain Barnes MRX bullets. My question is, if I have a quartering-on shot, can I take it and be assured of penetration through the shoulder–or should I pass if I don’t get a broadside or quartering-away shot. If I take a quartering shot, how far can I shoot at that angle?
—Larry Godwin
Answer: The MRX bullet gives you the ability to shoot through the shoulder of large animals like moose, and feel comfortable knowing it will provide the penetration you’re after. This bullet commonly exits at 400 and even 500 yards, even after penetrating both shoulders. The .300 Winchester Magnum cartridge you selected will provide enough velocity for good bullet expansion beyond 500 yards, but this is where I’d draw the line. Your guide should be able to get you much closer to a moose for the best possible shot placement.
Congratulations! I’m happy to hear you’re planning a hunt of a lifetime, and wish you the best of luck.
—Ty.
We aim to please. Reloading is a great hobby—enjoy it.
 |
 |
 |
||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 |
 |
 |
He won the Cold Steel Pendleton Hunter.
This mountain lion was taken with a Steyr Scout in .223 chambering. The bullet was a Barnes Triple-Shock, and the lion was dead when it hit the ground. We were hunting in Idaho with the Flying B Ranch, and were on this lion for about eight hours before finally treeing him just before dusk.
I had only moments to get to him before having to take the shot. I’ve been hunting for about 10 years now, and have my family with me at every available opportunity. On this particular hunt, my wife went along. She got to see the lion the first time we had it treed after four hours of hard hiking. She was unable to complete the remainder of the hike to where the lion treed again, but she had a very memorable time. It was both our eighth anniversary, and Valentines Day.
I hunt primarily in Idaho and Oregon, although we live in Washington State. While my family didn’t hunt when I was younger, I now have another brother hunting with me, as well as my wife and our 7- and 18-year-old boys. Many thanks for the great bullets.
—Miles Jackson
Caldwell™Lead Sled DFT
The best recoil reducing rest in the shooting sports industry just got better! The original Lead Sled has taken the shooting industry by storm and revolutionized the way shooters approach shooting a firearm with heavy recoil. And now, we have improved the Lead Sled through our dual-frame design, making it even better. The Lead Sled DFT (Dual-Frame Technology) provides shooters with the industry’s best recoil reduction system and the versatility to fit virtually any shotgun or rifle, all built around a precision shooting platform. Whether you are trying to shoot the very tightest possible groups with your rifle or patterning your favorite shotgun, the Lead Sled DFT provides an optimal platform for shooting without nasty recoil. • Dual frame design disperses recoil energy even better than the original Lead Sled • Dual frame alignment system adjusts 22” to fit rifles and shotguns of virtually any size • Extremely fine windage and elevation adjustments with finger tip control • Improved weight dispersion through our unique baffle and tray system • Stay in optimal shooting position by making elevation corrections using the rear elevation collar • Prevent stock shift between shots with the stock-stabilizer rear bag • Multi-surface rear foot provides correct contact on all shooting surfaces
Retail Value $261.37
For more information, visit the company’s website at www.battenfeldtechnologies.com.
