Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters "Panache VS. Practicality" Sports Afield by Mule Deer

Same here. Love those two, and they're both great shooters, too. .30/06, 7x57, .257R and .250 Savage, .220 Swift, and .222, as well as a 6.5x55 make up my collection. I will confess to a .25/06, which I really like, and two (gasp) Creedmoors, though.

I like the look of Sports Afield when I see it on the newsstand. I haven't bought a copy for quite some time. Perhaps I'll pick this one up.

I must admit to just reading the article l over the weekend while at camp. I'll address Mule Deer's friend who claims the 7MM-08 has no panache. I love the cartridge and have two, a Weatherby Ultra Light (no panache here but very practicable) and this custom #1. While maybe not the most practicable gun in the world to some it sees a lot of field time.


I'm currently waiting on two rifles both #1"s a 35 Whelen and a custom in 300 H&H. I considered a 300 WSM but it has no panache compared to the Super 30 LOL

Sports Afield finally made it to Alberta. Here is an Alberta buck taken with the 7X57. But, if I want “panache” going forward it will be a 30-06 or 270! :-)

Sports Afield is about the only magazine I pay for. J. Barsness has a very good article in every issue. The whole thing is a quality read. I also like Sporting Classics.

I started taking a Sports Afield again since I found out you are writing for them. I bet others have too. They need to give you a raise!!!

Great buck! Dang, I need to slip across that border more often. Great picture too!

I need some panache.

g

Flyboy Flem,
A bolt action .405 WCF? Interesting! Have you published details on that rifle and if so, where?

I am a bit of a .405 enthusiast and have three rifles in that caliber. All plain old Winchester 1895 .405 s and all very effective on medium and large game. The only one with even the least "panache" (as used in this thread ) is my Simson &Co Suhl .405 double rifle. However my plain old 1895 .405 has earned street creds on dangerous game:

John, I don’t know if you’ve ever taken any flighted, feathered game with that drilling or if you even intended to but I’ve wondered how that would work with a scope. It looks like it could be a low-range variable. But maybe not the most practical gun for that purpose.

Now a pic of a brace of grouse and a mule deer buck with that piece front and center would certainly say panache.

George,

That drilling is not the only one I own. Have been hunting with them for close to 20 years, but even before that I learned that non-magnifying optics work great for wing-shooting. They're not considered "classic," but they work very well.

Have not taken anything with the Sauer 16x16/7x57R yet, but may this fall, as have the rifle load all worked up. But have owned a 16x16/6.5x57R for a decade. It came with a 4x Hensoldt, but did not particularly like the reticle, a heavy German #1, partly because the rifle barrel was very accurate, and the reticle covered up too much of an animal for shooting much beyond 150 yards.

So I had local gunsmith John McLaughlin machine the bases of Talley steel detachable rings to fit the claw-mount bases. I then could use any scope desired, and chose a 1-4x Leupold, BECAUSE at 1x I could easily wing-shoot birds flushed while hunting big game. And at 4x could easily kill big game at 300+ yards.

That's also part of the reason I purchased the 7x57R: I didn't need to change the mounts or scope. I could turn the 1.5-6x Zeiss to its lowest setting to wingshoot bird encountered while hunting big game--or turn it up if the big game was far enough away to need more magnification.

John,

Very nice! As to the 7x57R, I had one in a Blaser K95 for awhile. It had panache but there’s always something about a gun that one actually uses that brings surprises, either pleasant or disappointing.

With the K95, it was the latter, as instead of an ejector it had an extractor, which I knew, but the placement of it proved a real inconvenience for a lefty as it was directly in the way of my plucking out the case with my left hand.

Not terrible, but a rather cumbersome and slow process to reload. Loved that cartridge and otherwise the rifle was pretty nice also.

My problem is that, particularly with rifles, I’ve been gatherer and then a dispenser, sending them down the road for something new..or two.

"My problem is that, particularly with rifles, I’ve been gatherer and then a dispenser, sending them down the road for something new..or two."

Yeah, I know that syndrome well! In fact, have sold more drillings than I now own....

But one thing I have discovered in my time with them (and European break-action single-shots without ejectors) is that if another shot's needed it's far faster and easier, even for a right-hander, to turn the opened rifle upside-down after a shot, allowing the empty to fall out. And they will, unless you're one of those handloaders who always "needs" another 100 fps or more.

In fact, the 7x57R drilling functions fine with standard American 7x57 rimless ammo, because the pressure is relatively low. Just open it, turn it over, and voila!

John;
Good evening to you sir, I hope the day's been a good one for you and you're keeping a tad less smoky than we are here.

If I'm recalling correctly your good wife wouldn't like the smoke much - not that anyone does really I suppose.

My copy finally made it into southern BC as well and as mentioned by others I enjoyed both the shooting bench write up and the panache vs practicality.

The results from the shooting bench with regards to it's accuracy are interesting for sure to me and would be interested in any further thoughts you have on it. There's always something to learn in this game somehow.

As well in the panache article I'm now officially envious of you with the .260 and it's 1:8 twist!. When I had my last 6.5x55 done, I couldn't find Creedmoor brass - then - and the smith didn't have a .260 reamer but did have a 6.5x55, so that's what we did.

Lastly, that gorgeous little Merkel of yours somehow "does it" for me, though I've got to say that GW's full wood in the same model might "do it more" but then my Teutonic ancestry likely has something to do with my love of Stutzen stocks and Schnabel fore ends too...

Oh - last, last - thanks again for the chronograph advice, I very much appreciate it. The new one showed up today even though Canada Post wasn't supposed to be delivering because of the smoke. I had to try it on a couple pellet rifles, figuring if it reads pellets it'll be good to go on most other stuff.

All the best to you all this season.

Dwayne

Ha, upside down to get rid of the case. So true! I discovered that also but it struck me it was rather an undignified treatment of a classic, continental, break-open gun that was the price of a good used car (at least in my day). 🙄 😀

GSPfan, beautiful #1!

pathfinder,

I also have taken mule deer in Alberta with the 7x57:



This was in 2009, the second time I hunted mule deer in your fine province. The range was about 275 yards, the load a 160 Partition at around 2700 fps. It was the first week of November, and the buck provided 130 pounds of delicious boned meat! Have killed cow and spike elk that weren't as big-bodied.

I like panache, but the core of my battery is practicality. I’ve battled with a 1984 vintage .30-06 since it was brand new. It is picky and prior to free floating the barrel and it regularly shifted POI several inches. I then went for what I thought were sure things; a Tikka T3x Lite 6.5 CM and a Tikka T3x Superlite .308. I mounted Burris FF2s on them. They are very accurate and consistent. Since I have 2 rifles that are very practical and dependable, I can have some less than perfect peripheral panache; my Ruger .30-06, a JM stamped Marlin .30-30, a Savage M24. Form follows function.

Is this article available online for purchase? I have searched all over town with no luck trying to find this volume. Isn’t carried here. I know I can go online and subscribe to SA and probably will but that won’t get me this edition.

philgood80,

I don't think SA sells individual articles on-line, but they do publish some on-line from past issues--for free. But usually not really recent articles.

You might try purchasing the issue: https://sportsafield.com/back-issues/