GunHunter

The .30-06 Cartridge Family

The .30-06 Cartridge Family

By Ron Spomer

Offspring of the .30-06 are popular and effective, just like their Ma. Most hunters know that the .30-06 Springfield, now 105 years old, has proven to be one of the most versatile hunting cartridges in the world. It’s been used to take everything from elfin squirrels to enormous elephants. Many hunters might not know that the .30-06 has also ... READ MORE

This Thing Called Eye Relief

This Thing Called Eye Relief

By Ralph M. Lermayer

Perhaps no part of a riflescope’s specifications is less understood than eye relief. Many hunters don’t have a clue what their pet scope’s eye relief is, nor do they care. As long as they can bring Ol’ Betsy to the shoulder and instantly find hair in the scope, it’s perfect. Eye relief is the distance from the rear le... READ MORE

The .30-06 Just Plain Works

The .30-06 Just Plain Works

By John Barsness

Many of us know intellectually that the .30-06 is a good all-around big game cartridge, but explanations are not experience. The .30-06 was the most common chambering for big game rifles when I started hunting in Montana in the mid-1960s, though some hunters thought it was unnecessarily powerful. My father did, which is the reason I took my first ... READ MORE

The Overlooked .22 WMR

The Overlooked .22 WMR

By J. Wayne Fears

Often misunderstood, the .22 Mag is a serious stopper of small game up to 20 pounds. I never told my hunting companions the caliber of the Henry lever-action rifle I was carrying. They just assumed it was a .22 Long Rifle. We were on a mission for a church wild game supper. Thanks to its many members who were hunters, the church had a wide variety ... READ MORE

The .308 Family

The .308 Family

By Ron Spomer

Offspring of the .308 are accurate, compact and easy to shoot. Rifle cartridges may be inanimate, but they do have families. One of the more prolific is the .308 Winchester family, a well-rounded line of nicely balanced cartridges that are fast, powerful, easy to shoot and justifiably popular. The clan currently consists of the .243 Winchester, .26... READ MORE

Sure Cures for Wrong-Eye Dominance

Sure Cures for Wrong-Eye Dominance

By Ralph M. Lermayer

There is a surprisingly large number of people with eye complications, the kind of problems that make the act of shooting a rifle awkward or near impossible. The most commonly affected shooters are those who are right-handed but left-eye dominant. Although these shooters instinctively mount a rifle or shotgun to the right shoulder, their left eye i... READ MORE

The Amazing .375 H&H Family

The Amazing .375 H&H Family

By Ron Spomer

Dozens of rounds have been carved from H&H’s magnum opus. Photo: The  .375 H&H and its .300 H&H offspring (far left) were too long to function well in standard-length action. Brass was shortened to make the .264 Win Mag, 7mm Rem Mag, .300 Win Mag, .350 Norma Mag and .458 Win Mag. No centerfire rifle cartridge has spawned a la... READ MORE

The Unappreciated .260 Remington

The Unappreciated .260 Remington

By Jon R. Sundra

Although 6.5s have been dominating long-range shooting, hunters still think of the .260 Rem as a kid’s cartridge. I’ve read a number of articles in which the author, believing a particular rifle or cartridge deserves to be more popular than it is, uses Rodney Dangerfield’s line about getting no respect. It’s far from origina... READ MORE

Barrel Fluting: What Does It Do?

Barrel Fluting: What Does It Do?

By Jon R. Sundra

Fluting makes a barrel distinctive, but there are other benefits, too. Photo: Fluting usually does not extend the entire length of the barrel. One of the most distinctive options available to anyone contemplating the purchase of a rifle is a fluted barrel. It can be a sporter-weight hunting rifle or a varminter. It doesn’t matter. Fluting set... READ MORE

The Forgotten .264 Win Mag

The Forgotten .264 Win Mag

By Richard Mann

This 50-year-old round has .270 Win power and even better long-range performance. For the most part, the .264 Winchester Magnum has gone the way of the pet rock, but as a young hunter growing up in West Virginia, I always wanted a rifle in this caliber. Visions of traveling to Montana to hunt mule deer in the wide open spaces made the .264 seem lik... READ MORE

Are You Using Too Much Scope?

Are You Using Too Much Scope?

By Clair Rees

Winter was setting in along the Utah-Colorado border. It was two days before Thanksgiving, and I was slogging slowly through a foot of snow blanketing the Dolores Triangle. I’d drawn a late-season permit for the area. Hunting had been spotty here during Utah’s 10-day October deer season, when only “so-so” bucks were in resid... READ MORE

Hunting Accuracy: How Much Do You Need?

Hunting Accuracy: How Much Do You Need?

By Jon R. Sundra

Ever been at a shooting range prior to the season opener and overhear someone say, as they’re looking at a retrieved target, “That’s good enough for hunting” or “More than minute of deer”? Those and similar comments suggesting pinpoint accuracy isn’t really needed for hunting are voiced at shooting ranges a... READ MORE

Shotgun Choke Designations

Shotgun Choke Designations

By John Haviland

Other factors besides choke constriction influence pattern size, and only through testing can you learn how a load performs in your gun. Just because your shotgun choke is labeled modified doesn’t mean it will shoot a modified pattern. Modern barrels contain longer forcing cones and chokes that treat shot tenderly to keep it flying straight. ... READ MORE

Which .22 Centerfire?

Which .22 Centerfire?

By John Haviland

It’s hard not to like cartridges with names like Swift, Hornet and Fireball. Here’s what they do best in the field. Photo: The .22-250 Rem and .220 Swift have the reach when shots are long. There really are only a few popular .22-caliber centerfire cartridges, and each one covers only a certain range of bullet velocities. That makes try... READ MORE

Are Wildcats Worth It?

Are Wildcats Worth It?

By Ron Spomer

Your heart palpitates for a custom chambering, but think before you leap. Forty years ago, as a new shooter and handloader, I was wild about wildcats. Not the furry, spotted kind. The mysterious, esoteric, hot-shooting, custom-formed brass kind. Cartridges like the .22 Varminter, the .224 Clark, the .243 Page Pooper and the .219 Donaldson Wasp soun... READ MORE

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