king' s outdoor world - Index

king' s outdoor world - Hunting Illustrated April/May 2008 - Index

It’s all About the Shooting
First off, I would like to tell you that
you have a great magazine. Now, I
would like to comment on the article,
“Is There Life Beyond the .30-06?”
I know that the author shoots what is
best for him or what he likes best, but
his remark about WSM’s was given
without thought. If we were to stick
with what is proven, then we would
still be packing clubs and spears to
the woods. Please don’t put down
progress. That said, I would like to
know what my bullet drop would be
with a Browning 7mm WSM 160grain
Nosler partition with a zero
of one-inch high at 100 yards and,
if I set my Leupold 4x12x50 scope
at 6x for that zero, would this affect
my zero if I changed the power
setting up or down? If so, how does
shooting up or down a hill affect the
point of aim?
Jamie – Franklinton, LA
P.S. I also own a .30-06 Rem and I
love them both, although I am still
getting used to the 7mm WSM.
First of all, to determine bullet drop
for the 7mm WSM, you need the
muzzle velocity of the load you are
shooting. Once you have this muzzle
velocity, you can then get the ballistic
coeffi cient of the Nosler partition
and with these two numbers get a
perfect world, perfect weather, sea
level drop chart. As for the question
of whether zero changes when the
power level of the scope is changed…
Assuming nothing is defective
with the scope and you are using
8 HUNTING ILLUSTRATED.com
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the same center crosshair at the same
range (also assuming that the scope is
the B&C or the Varmint reticle), bullet
impact will be the same for anything
from 4X to 12X. Power level does affect
impact point if you are “holding over”
a target beyond your zeroed range.
This is the case because your fi eld of
view shrinks as you increase the power
selector therefore changing the relative
size of whatever you’re shooting at and
its surroundings. This is why Leupold
puts the small and large triangles on the
power selector of scopes with stepped
reticles. For their system to work, you
must have the scope set on one of the two
triangles (determined by what cartridge
you’re shooting). If you vary the power
selection, you vary the point of impact
(not drastically, but some).
Next, shooting up or down hills is a tricky
game. The answer to the question is
yes, it makes a BIG difference on where
you need to aim. This is even more
important out here in the West where
shooting off hills becomes shooting off
cliffs. I think in that split second before
buck fever sets in, more shots are missed
because the hunter shoots over the top
of an animal that is below him. Line
of sight distance means nothing when
shooting up or down a hill. I have
killed several deer shooting down steep
hills. In fact, my buck from 2007 was at
a line of sight range of 340 yards; yet,
to hit him, I had to use my 200-yard zero
and hold a bit low. Horizontal distance
is mainly what determines how much
your bullet drops.
As for the WSMs, I am not against them,
they have simply not proven themselves
5SOUND OFF5
to me yet. Browning/Winchester had
some serious problems when they
introduced these short magnums
- I know this because I had to send
back several of them that I had sold
to people. I do believe they have
worked through these problems, yet
some WSM rifl es still have feeding
problems, something that I don’t
want in a hunting situation. By the
way, the 7mm WSM would be my
choice of the WSM’s as it ballistically
makes the most sense. Progress is
what I am all about. Impulsive, not
so much. The 300 Win Mag came
about in the 1960s - just one or two
years before clubs and spears.
Carl Hermansen
Shooting Editor
Carl, I enjoyed your article on “The
.308 Winchester, The Cartridge of
the Century” in the Feb/Mar 2008
issue of Hunting Illustrated. Due to a
revitalized interest, use and multiple
exposure of the .308, it is only going
to gain popularity and limelight
exposure. Its accuracy, mild thump
and, as you said, “ease of reloading”
will continue to spur more active
users in all facets of shooting sports
and hunting applications. One large
disappointment in your user results
was in the provided reloading table.
If you had really delved deeper into
the offerings of projectiles available
for this marvelous caliber, you
would have wanted to experience
the Barnes Triple Shock 168-grain
match load. In my experience, this
is undoubtedly one, if not the most,
accurate fl ying rounds available