Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Africa ENOUGH CALIBER

You have a LARM 500 NE? I am in awe.

Hi Mike, Over the last 6-7 years, I have accumulated a Armeria de Madrid (LARM) 500NE back action, sidelock, and a vintage 1892 Charles Osborn, boxlock, 450 .400 3-1/4. I really have taken a liking to the Charles Osborne. It's lighter than my other two and I probably shoot it better? My Krieghoff hasn't seen much duty since I've had the other two. I shot a Javelina with it out here in Arizona a few years ago

I heard you were part of the Cajun Navy? Good on you and God Bless America.




Hi Jorge, I do. Funny story. At the 2006 SCI show, I walked by their booth. I immediately lost my control of space and time and my ability to reason. They handed me one...It was left handed, Big 5 engraved. I am also a southpaw. The rifle fit me well. I t was a clients gun, so not for sale. They were expensive but not outrageously so. My wife and I walked around and she said I looked like a smitten school boy, as she would know, we went to grade school and high school together. We went to bed that night and she told me to go ahead and buy one...wow, what a wife eh?

Next day, I wandered back by the booth. Correo saw me coming and had that same rifle in his hands, waiting to go in for the kill. I had my mind up that I would not spend that amount of money on a rifle. BUT..I decided to let them fit me since I was there, they were there and it made sense. They fit me, I shook Correo's hand and successfully walked away.

The next hour my wife just wouldn't stop and literally insisted I go back and write them a check, which I did.

Fast forward one year. The rifle was shipped as they promised. While the rifle was in a customs warehouse in Houston (ironically) at least I think it was Houston, the rifle got involved in a flood. The presentation case was sitting on its edge and the barrels were on the bottom. They were wet for a long time and rusted. We turned the rifle around, shipped it back and they disassembled and repaired the barrels (perfectly) The action and fore end were never wet. Received the rifle back in about 4 months and never looked back.

If you've looked at these things you know the quality. Spanish steel has historically been outstanding. At the time, there were just three guys that did it all, they were all at the shows. The engraving is as good as any I've seen anywhere (Lion, Leopard, Buffalo). The wood to metal fit is so good, you simply cannot tell where one ends and the other begins. The stock is proportional quality as well. The only negative is, it only weighs 10# and is like getting hit in the side of the face with a steel bar. Hunting, it fine but shooting for fun, well, isn't fun.

They have since OVER doubled in price. A new bespoke fully engraved is now 68-70K. Can't really claim it as a good investment as I never plan on selling it.

Also, sent you a PM.

Regards,

Steve

Hard to improve on this!

Well, I hear you on the time issue... if you're a bicycle racer, I have a hard time imagining you have time for anything else! I agree on the reloading/storebought price issue, and although I was a handloads-only guy for many years, I've softened my stance somewhat in the past few years. Since I got my first (and second, and now third) .243 I've not handloaded a single round and half a dozen Texas whitetails have been rendered into tasty steaks, chops and burgers thanks to excellent factory ammo.

I envy you the close proximity to a shooting spot. I used to have the same access when I still lived in West Texas, literally 5 blocks from the gun range. Now it's only 15 minutes, but it still ain't what I really want... I want a place where I can step out on my back porch in my boxer shorts and flip-flops and light off a dozen rounds with my morning coffee, or any time. Maybe some day.



My experience with AB's is equally good. I've shot (or my family members have shot) 17 white tailed deer, 5 pronghorn, and 1 nilgai cow with AB's and so far I've only recovered one bullet (the nilgai). All the rest were pass-throughs. But all 24 animals were killed quickly and cleanly, with the exception of the nilgai, which I hit too far back. The bullet broke her offside shoulder, though, so she went down quickly and was dispatched in short order thereafter. I have to really wonder about the guys who claim AB's break up or fail to penetrate.

The FBI has NOT in fact studied "shock" against humans. I have no idea where that idea may have come from, but the FBI is not a medical/physiological research organization.

Furthermore, the "FBI" standards for bullet performance are not even the FBI's. The gelatin performance standards were decided upon by a committee of experts, which included highly respected ballisticians like Dr. Martin Fackler, in 1987. It was Dr. Fackler's research that primarily led to the adoption of the 12-14" penetration standard for handgun bullets, and the FBI was given the charge of testing ammunition for the good of the law enforcement community (and since then, the non-LE self-defense shooting community).

Since then, there have been a lot of data accumulated by various agencies on the actual performance of service caliber handguns and ammunition. These databases basically support the idea that rounds that meet the "FBI" gelatin standard perform well in actual shootings. But no one has actually done any laboratory studies of the effects of bullets on live human beings, which would be needed to "study shock against humans"; in fact, it's almost impossible to get ethics approval to do any ballistics testing against animals. So let's not perpetuate that myth, shall we?

As for the "2000 fps" threshold you mention... I'd like to know where you got that figure. Fackler, McPherson, and other ballistics researchers have noted that bullets with velocities greater than roughly 1000 m/s (about 3240 fps) seem to have greater destructive capacity than bullets travelling slower than that, but this has never actually been quantified. It's really just an opinion, and one which I happen to share. But it's hardly "proven", scientifically speaking. In any case, 2000 fps is not a threshold I've read anywhere in the terminal ballistics literature.

"A knife in the heart is better than 10,000 ft/lbs in the ass."

JD Jones

What side of bed did you get out of today, Doc?

OK. The FBI didn't do the study. They merely supported the conclusions.

My bad for not remembering where I read this in 2012 when picking a CCW handgun. (I picked a 9mm.)

As for the 2000 fps, I read that in2012too. I foeget where.

Thanks for the PM. I too handled them at DSC and was VERY impressed. VERY. Unfortunately, a bit outside my paygrade, but in my opinion they are the equal of a any British double.

Yeah, Indy, I was cranky yesterday. Sorry it came out. I'm still interested to know where the 2000 fps deal came from. I wasn't just being pissy, I'd like to look more into it.

Finally............u do that.

Moral of that story...when your dear wife says "Write a check", write a check!!

I used Barnes .375 250 gr TTSX on my only eland

Bang, flop

You could use that very same combo on virtually anything but elephant and see those same satisfying results over and over. Good recipe.

Good to see the 250 TTSX getting good press.

Mostly we hear about 270 TSX exploits. I was beginning to think the 250 TTSX was a red headed stepchild

DF

A lot of talk about the 375 here.

This is an interesting Video of a 'non stop' on a Buff at full charge with a 375/300 grain bullet.

Cool video! Thanks!

Speaking of enough caliber, I'm typing this with a 40-65 Shiloh Sharps across my lap and a 50-90 Sharps leaning on the desk, I'm by God tired of brush hogging, mowing, weed eating and spraying pastures, hays in the barn, gardens tilled under, I'm ready to shoot some game damnit!

Bring on the dead frosty fall leaves please!

I agree!

Aye!