Bangbangman

The .45 pistol bullets don't have great ballistic coefficient, limiting practical effective range. I have cast .45 hollow-point but discarded the idea of hunting with them (big meplat does the job anyway.) They do look like their nickname "the flying ashtray"! I've played with .308Win subs: Hornady 180gr RN SP was the bullet I chose (easier to stabilise than longer boat-tail profiles). Accuracy was OK for close range (<70yd) but I never used them on live quarry. More recently I've been developing a 300Whisper/Blackout load using a 240gr cast bullet (NOEmold). This produces about 600ftlb. Long, slow boolit will rely on tumble and shank breakage for wound channel but risks "ice pick" punch-throughs if it remains stable in tissue: I've only done initial tests to check bullet is stable enough not to clip moderator and to check velocity (working downward in charge!) Accuracy may be a problem; I have rounds loaded but not tested yet. The "heavy-and-slow cast" approach may not be as effective for live targets as the newer subsonic expanding options (which are pricey). I believe there are some of these in the UK: Facebook group for 300Blackout in UK has featured these. Bullet manufacturers are beginning to produce bullets catering for subsonic expansion in .30 Cal: 194grn "maximum expansion" from EPA and Lehigh Defense offer a "controlled-fracturing" 168gr round (I don't know if bullets available for Reloading.) Sierra's #2124 135gr Varminter was made with 300Blk in mind (though not specifically subsonic) I'm going to stick with cast for now. I think I've got a .30 Cal hollow-point mold somewhere. I'm sure the right alloy would allow subsonic expansion but BC would still be a compromise and I'm sure it would have to be single-fed in my "AR". This YouTube chap shows his load dev for 240gr SMK in 300Blk. Reasonable accuracy achieved, given the limited expected range at which quarry might be taken but big SMK hardly frangible! https://youtu.be/29QFrw37jKQ I'm not yet sure whether centrefire subs offer much of a practical advantage over a .22LR on live targets. I've not had a problem headshooting fox with .22LR so may be I'm trying to fix a problem that doesn't exist. Ricochet risk will always be a concern with heavy, slow, non-frangible projectiles so a good backstop, as always, is crucial. Please share your experience/findings.

I wouldn't bang out a batch without shooting several 5shot groups to confirm what the 3shot groups hint at (but they sometimes lie!) If you don't have time before PW w/e and you don't mind (potentially) wasting ammo then bang out a batch and hope for the best.

I had a 45-70 Marlin 1895 and currently stalk with a Ruger no.1 in 45-70. Great guns, capable of taking anything on land, see Big five with Marlin 45-70: http://www.leverguns.com/articles/lupo/lupo.html You need to know your drop and drift as those big, slow bullets are like mortars! Meat damage is entirely reasonable, bit messy on smaller quarry: Barnes list a "Ruger 1 only" load that is velocity-legal in Scotland (not an issue in England and Wales.) For boar, the Marlin 1895 makes more sense than my single shot Ruger. The same in 444Marlin also a good option. Try and get a pre-Remington rifle (JM stamped) as QC dropped off afterward. My old Marlin Cowboy: The BC of the "flying ashtrays" probably not great! I doubt you'd regret it, I haven't.

Just googled it- 15 "producers" listed! Andrew de Lotbiniere is the one I meant. What do they all do anyway?!

I think he was also my sister's mate- they used to call him Andrew "lob-it-in-ere" or something!

I replaced my 17HMR with 17Hornet for longer range bunnies (my most used perm does not allow close approaches) and to avoid problems with 17HMR ammo. If you reload, the 17Hornet is economical and the 25gr Vmax can be loaded to surprising velocity; it's better in the wind than 20gr Vmax, of course. 0.230 v 0.185 BC (G1). The .22Hornet has a G1 BC of 0.221 for 40gr Nosler ballistic tip (my program auto-selected this bullet for "best wind drift") but initial velocity much lower than its 17 Cal brother, so drop and drift are worse but minimally so at 100yd (see below). Slightly better energy at these ranges but this is irrelevant to the decision. .204ruger (and others) will obviously eclipse the above at any range but seems excessive for 100yd rabbits! You could use a .243, if you already had one. My .243Win is very accurate, fast and flat with 55gr pills and could be used to head shoot rabbits but barrel life could be an issue if you shoot a lot. Some numbers (100yd zero, 1.5" sight height, 10mph wind Drift at 100yd, Drop at 150yd): .22LR 40gr subs: Drop 14", Drift 4.9" 17HMR 17gr Vmax: Drop 2.5", Drift 3.3" 17Hornet 20gr Vmax: Drop 0.5", Drift 1.3" 17Hornet 25gr Vmax: Drop 0.7", Drift 1.17" .22Hornet 40grNosler: Drop 1.3, Drift 1.5" .204ruger 39grBlKing: Drop 0.36", Drift 0.8" Some points about the above: 1. 17Hornet 25grVmax results are using an MV of 3300fps. My homeload clocks 3430fps and gives drift of 1.13" but this is over book max 2. The 17HMR result uses "factory-quoted" MV; my chrono results suggest this is optimistic. 3. Likewise.22LR subs and 17Hornet 20gr Vmax (Slower over chrono than claimed). However, 17Hornet 20gr Vmax homeloads can equal or exceed the factory-quoted 3600fps MV quite easily. My choice was 17Hornet; fits my medium range rabbit-rifle needs perfectly; I have other options for fox Etc. However, if fox was a consideration and if you don't mind the extra expense for bunnies, a .20cal is clearly superior by the numbers.

I haven't had any problems with 40gr subs. However, if you have a problem, the 42gr subs (and now even 45gr subs) have a bit more recoil to cycle semi-autos and more energy, of course. Lots of tuning options that can also help.

Done

Enjoy. I'm still recovering from our victory in Cardiff last night! Took my Dad, son and some mates. Cracking atmosphere.

My gf was 8.5 months pregnant, which I thought improved the odds of a "yes" I got a letter off her GPS (in secret- they were surprisingly helpful) saying she was fit to fly, packed her bags and drove her to the airport. We had a long weekend in Prague: good food, opera and a proposal up a tower on "Lover's Hill". She said yes, happily married since.

Yes please.

Internal battery.

I have used Vit N140 for 308Win, 223Rem and N160 for 243Win. All good. However, it's good to have options so I have Varget, CFE223, Benchmark, TR140, etc loads, too.

I, too, made the switch from 17HMR to 17Hornet. Very happy so far, though it's early days for me yet. I reload for a number of rifles, so the Hornet made sense for that reason alone. Setting up to reload is probably only worth it if you will be shooting a lot. It saves money per round eventually and can have other benefits (accuracy and velocity) but it also takes time (to load develop as well as the reloading itself.)

Some of you may remember a thread a few months ago, in which Adge Cutler offered a pigeon-decoying equipment package, complete with gun, for free to someone with youngsters interested in getting into the sport. Walker570 kindly added cartridges into the offer. My kids were the lucky lottery winners and I met-up with Paul today to pick up the kit. What a sound bloke. I notice that there is another thread running of a similar nature, which is brilliant. When the time comes, I'll pass on the kit, or equivalent, to a keen young shooter-to-be (or his/her parents.) Can't be a bad thing when shooters help get youngsters into the sport (and the fresh air!) Thanks again, Adge Cutler and Walker570

Payment sent

Assuming it's Hornady, I'll take it please.

Ditto. Close shave and last ages. The modern multi-blade, lubri-strip designs are marketing-led. Can't reinvent the wheel.

Would you sell the night master rail mount separately? If so, what tube size torch does it take and how much would you want? Would you sell the night master rail mount separately? If so, what tube size torch does it take and how much would you want?

10/22 off quad sticks, thanks.

I have shot fox with .22LR (it's conditioned for this on my FAC), while rabbiting as per the video below- skip to 2:10 or watch and laugh as I try and get reloaded in the dark! This was with subs. I wouldn't use .22LR out of choice but at a range where you can put the bullet where it's needed it will be ethical.

You are correct but I think you may have misinterpreted his comment. I thought he was pointing out that "disarming" law-abiding shooters does not protect us (the public) from terrorism.

Incredibly naive and dangerous stance. This is death by a thousand cuts. Just because your shooting discipline isn't being targeted doesn't mean it won't be banned next. Your attitude of "it won't affect me so I don't care" is not only selfish but wrong. It may well affect you. If magazines are "licensed", the added bureaucratic burden for police and RFDs may mean the already shaky system grinds to a holt. I employ 30rnd mags in the sporting use of my firearm and I use AR-lookalikes. What logic is there to ban them. The criminals and terrorists won't care. United we stand, divided we fall. As shooters, we are a minority group and must come together to defend our sport, in all its wonderful variations. The antis will come after each of our disciplines, be it driven game or target. Don't bury your head in the sand; help us. We will be there when they come after YOUR sport.

Thanks. I've been offered some Lovex DO63 to try so I'll give it a go before buying. Incidentally, are you a fan of Phineas, Franklin and Freddy?!

Take care when reloading 45Colt: they have thin ankles that can be easily torn or broken. Yep, this'll work.