New Zealand Trophy Hunting - front view

After realizing that SAAMI standards are not going to change to allow for increased performance we decided to make bullets that will comply with SAAMI dimensions for factory rifles. The key difference is that Bryan Litz would optimize these shorter noses by using a specially designed Hybrid shape. The other difference is that these bullets had to kill animals quickly like our current VLD Hunting bullets.

We were quick to test these bullets in media and the results were a success. However, we knew we weren’t going to sell them as a hunting bullet until we had proven them on game. We needed to go to a place where we could shoot a lot of animals at numerous different distances. One place came to mind immediately. New Zealand!

We had the good fortune of having met Gus Bisset and Carla Lucas who run New Zealand Trophy Hunting. They are wonderful people so the thought of going hunting at their place was immediately appealing. After a hop, skip and a jump over the Pacific Ocean we landed in Auckland and then took a quick flight to Queenstown on the south island.

New Zealand is as beautiful a country as you can imagine. The south island is covered in gorgeous mountains that fill your view in every direction. Gus gathered us up from the airport and we left for the lodge. The accommodations were first class with a perfect combination of classy and comfortable.

Carla greeted us at the lodge and it quickly felt like I was at a second home with both the accommodations and the people. We started hunting the following morning. In this part of the south island near Kurow, the mountains are all around but they are not quite as steep as mountains I would be hunting on later in the week.

Eric with Bob and Chris Beck of Extreme Outer Limits

During the first day I had the pleasure of hunting with Extreme Outer Limits TV Show hosts Bob and Chris Beck. This trip was serving a dual purpose in that it was a test for our new Classic Hunter bullets and the hunt was being filmed for Bob and Chris’ TV show.

Being an Extreme Outer Limits hunt meant that I was going to be able to use some of the finest hunting gear available. I am referring to the McMillan Hunting Rifle and Nightforce Scope. McMillan makes hunting rifles that are capable of winning benchrest matches. They are that good.

On this trip, I put the Nightforce scope to the ultimate toughness test. Hunting over steep mountains resulted in me taking a few unscheduled falls. One in particular resulted in the scope bouncing off a rock with a clear “TWANG!!” of the scope bell taking a direct hit on a hefty rock.

I’ve been told that Nightforce scopes are the gold standard for ruggedness so I figured my next shot would either be dead on or way off. It was dead on. The scope was later checked by Nightforce when I returned to the US and it was in perfect condition. If you don’t use a Nightforce scope on your hunt, bouncing your scope off a rock like I did would have likely been a hunt ending event. Not with a Nightforce.

I couldn’t have asked for a better situation in which to test our new bullets. First class outfitter, top notch guides (Andy, Ewie and Dave) who can run down a goat on these mountains (they made walking the slopes look like they were walking a shopping mall in Queenstown) and the best hunting gear money can buy.

I spent the first day with the Beck’s shooting anything that we found to be 400 yards or less. This new bullet is designed purposely for hunters using factory rifles and feeding through magazines. It is my opinion that these “classic hunters” aren’t prone to taking long range shots like those who use custom hunting rifles that shoot VLD Hunting, long range capable bullets. For this reason I purposefully kept all but a few shots at less than 400 yards.

Later that day, Andy and I took off for the north portion of the south island to a station (ranch) that has tons of goats and hogs. This was an eight hour drive so when we arrived we hit the sack with dreams of a target rich environment dancing in our heads. The next morning we were met at our new temporary home by Dave who would help us deal with the large volume of animals we expected to harvest that day.

Coming to this station was the right choice since a target rich environment is what we got. We’d start at the base of the mountains creeping up the river bed, bombing the goats and pigs as we went along. After a pass through the river bottom we’d spend the rest of the day crawling over the steep mountains looking for the goats and hogs that escaped us near the river.

Gus posing by the NZTH truck

I learned a few new expressions while I was in New Zealand which fit the situation perfectly. The first being, “Sweet As!” I’m not sure I understand it the way they mean it but to me everything about this trip was as “Sweet As!” anything I could think of.

After numerous animals were taken by Dave Griffith (who is a hell of a shot) and I, we called it a day and crawled out of the mountains in the dark. The next day I was getting low on ammo so Andy and I decided to keep hunting until I was down to the last 10 rounds and then we’d stop hunting here and head back to home base in Kurow.

The hunting was good and several animals were taken. This was tough hunting in that the mountains are not kind to the gravity challenged such as myself and we were examining each animal closely to see how the bullet was performing. We managed to get things sorted out by the end of the day and then spent our last night on the station.

Andy brought me most of the way back to Kurow. On the way we had lunch with Andy and his girlfriend at a place where you cook your food on an extremely hot rock right at your table. It was delicious. Shortly after lunch, I transferred into Ewie’s truck and we finished the trip back to Kurow.

Andy and Grif

The lodge was as I left it, full of fun and great food. Carla (who runs on the mountains nearly every day like they are flat) is an outstanding chef. To call her a cook would be to lessen my memory of the delicious feasts she created. We had another wonderful dinner where we told our stories about the last few days and had a few Heinekens.

It was here where I learned another expression from Ewie. “Result!” I internalized this expression shortly after I mastered the ability to open a Heineken without a bottle opener. You use another Heineken (no other beer will do because of the strength of the bottle’s neck) and specific leverage in the right place. When done right you hear the beer drinker’s favorite sound, “shhheeet!” The sound of the cap coming off, freeing the beer to hit the back of your throat. “Result!”

The last day of hunting was with Ewie who prides himself on his ability to walk up any mountain in any weather at the same pace race walkers use in the Olympics. The guy is a mountain slope scaling phenom. He walks to hunt in places where all but a rare few travel to in helicopters. He’ll shoot a tar and hall it back down the mountain. Result!!

By the end of the trip I had a mind full of wonderful experiences and memories. I will go back again and hunt with New Zealand Trophy Hunting because once you’ve found something this good you are only setting yourself up for disappointment if you go anywhere else.

Eric with two running billy goats he took.

I also had a wealth of test results on the 71 animals that were taken during the trip. The new Berger Classic Hunter bullet performed flawlessly. The following is a breakdown of the animals that were taken, grouped by animal type and within certain range values.

1 – Fallow Buck – 230 yards
16 – Goats – 62~91 yards
26 – Goats – 110~193 yards
10 – Goats – 213~275 yards
2 – Goats – 363 & 365 yards
1 – Goat – 421 yards
3 – Hogs – 27~36 yards
1 – Hog – 293 yards
1 – Hog – 449 yards
3 – Wallaby – 115~175 yards
3 – Wallaby – 215~281 yards

Ewie and Carla

2 – Wallaby – 329 & 351 yards
1 – Ram – 342 yards
1 – Possum – 130 yards

Each animal either fell where they were shot or within a short distance. 49 of the 71 animals were taken at distances less than 200 yards with 13 animals taken under 75 yards. Even at the high velocity close shots, these bullets still penetrate through tissue and bone, get deep inside the vitals to create a tremendous amount of internal damage which is quickly lethal.

I am thrilled that our test was such a success. I look forward to launching this bullet to the classic hunter and so named this line the Classic Hunter. We expect that these bullets will become very popular among those who aren’t interested in purely long range oriented hunting. They sure worked great in New Zealand. Result!!

In closing I want to give a big “CHEERS!” to my friends in Kurow. Gus, Carla, Andy, Dave and Ewie are a special group of people who made the experience wonderful from the hunts to the food and with all the laughter. I will be back in Kurow and it won’t be soon enough. If you are looking for a first class hunting experience in a gorgeous place go to www.newzealandtrophyhunting.com. I can say from personal experience, it is worth it at twice the price.

- Eric Stecker

Eric with the ram he shot in New Zealand.

Some might say, “What’s the big deal?” Well, frankly, SAAMI standard dimensions significantly limit the length of the nose (negatively affecting external ballistics performance) in two ways. First, the length from the end of the neck to the tip of the bullet of SAAMI standard ammo is typically so short that to make an ogive that will allow bearing surface to be forward of the neck it must be blunt and therefore have a low BC.

The other way SAAMI limits nose length is by calling for typically longer throats than is optimal. When you have a long throat, the nose can’t be too long or the jump to the rifling is considerable. This is typically bad for precision and accuracy. So what you end up with is stubby nose bullets with low BC and poor external ballistics performance.

We were not successful in our quest to have SAAMI standards modified to improve performance so we are forced to optimize our bullet designs to conform to these dimensions while making them as high performance as is possible under the circumstances. To this end, Bryan Litz designed Hybrid hunting bullets with noses short enough to conform to SAAMI dimensional standards. The good news is these bullets have two key characteristics that will make them popular among those who hunt with factory rifles and feed their ammo through a magazine.

The first is that the nose design is a Hybrid. This design combines the best aspects of two different shapes. As you move forward along the bearing surface a tangent curve starts the ogive. Tangent ogives are known to be less sensitive to seating depth. As you continue forward on the nose the tangent curve transitions into a secant curve. Secant ogives are known to be more efficient in the wind (VLD bullets are pure secant ogives).

When you combine these two shapes you get the best of both worlds (less sensitivity to seating depth differences and improved external ballistics performance). Since these new Berger Classic Hunter bullets must have a nose length that is short enough to comply with SAAMI standards we get the most external ballistics performance possible by making the nose with Bryan’s Hybrid design.

The second key characteristic is how Berger hunting bullets perform on impact with game. Our bullets are unique in that they penetrate through the first 2” to 5” of tissue and bone. Once inside the vital organs area, our bullets start to expand and while it continues through the vitals it will shed anywhere from 40% to 90% of its weight as fragments.

When you combine these fragments traveling in all directions away from the primary wound channel with the energy created from this action turning into hydrostatic shock you end up with massive tissue destruction deep inside the animal vital organs. The result is either the animal will drop in its tracks from the tremendous shock or it won’t go far. This much internal damage leads to rapid loss of blood pressure or organ failure which puts the animal down fast.

We know that this is how this bullet design works because we tested it not only in media but also on game. Next week we will post another blog article which tells you about how I took these bullets with me to New Zealand to test them on several animals of various sizes and at various ranges. I know from firsthand experience that hunters who try this bullet in the field will be happy that they did.

Eric Stecker

The following is a complete list of the cartridges found in our reloading manual. This book contains load data for 71 cartridges. We tried to include as many popular cartridges as possible; but due to time and size restraints, we were not able to accommodate every one. These additional loads will be listed on our website once the manual is released (along with data for new bullets, etc).

17 Caliber
17 Ackley Hornet
17 Fireball
17 Mach IV
17 Remington

20 Caliber
20 Tactical
204 Ruger

22 Caliber
22 Hornet
22 K Hornet
221 Fireball
222 Remington
223 Remington
22 PPC USA
222 Remington Magnum
22 BR
22-250 Remington
220 Swift
223 WSSM

6mm
6x45mm
6mm PPC USA
6mm BR Norma
6mm BR Remington
6mm Dasher
6×47 Lapua
243 Winchester
6XC
244 Rem/6mm Rem
6mm-284 Winchester
243 WSSM
240 Weatherby Magnum

25 Caliber
250-3000 Savage
257 Roberts
25-06 Remington
25 WSSM
257 Weatherby Magnum

6.5mm
6.5 Grendel
6.5 Creedmoor
260 Remington
6.5x55mm Swedish Mauser
6.5 Remington Magnum
6.5×47 Lapua
6.5-284 Norma
6.5mm-06
264 Winchester Magnum

270 Caliber
270 Winchester
270 Winchester Short Magnum
270 Weatherby Magnum

7mm
7mm-08 Remington
7x57mm Mauser
280 Remington
284 Winchester
7mm Rem Short Action Ultra Mag
7mm Winchester Short Magnum
7mm Remington Magnum
7mm Weatherby Magnum
7mm Dakota
7mm Shooting Times Westerner
7.21 Lazzeroni Firebird
7.21 Lazzeroni Tomahawk
7mm Remington Ultra Magnum

30 Caliber
7.5x55mm Schmidt Rubin 7.5 Swiss
300 Savage
308 Winchester
30-06 Springfield
300 Rem Short Action Ultra Mag
300 Winchester Short Magnum
300 H&H Magnum
308 Norma Magnum
300 Winchester Magnum
300 Weatherby Magnum
300 Remington Ultra Magnum
30-378 Weatherby Magnum

It is with great pride and pleasure that I announce the completion of the Berger Bullets Reloading Manual. This 829 page manual has become real and will be available to the public in the next few months. Our team worked very hard to create a thorough manual which gives the shooter everything they come to expect from a reloading manual, along with several extra items we hope the shooters will find interesting and useful.

One of these additional features is The Story of Walt Berger. Walt was born at the end of the Golden Twenties and the beginning of the Great Depression. His story is about overcoming great odds and seeing things through to success when almost everyone around him was convinced he would fail.

There are technical articles on subjects such as Powder – Lot to Lot Variation Discussed. Noted Editor John Barsness tackles this subject with skill and experience. He provides the shooter with a much greater understanding of why loading manuals do not list the same loads from manual to manual, yet are more consistent than shooters might think.

Other technical sections written by Ballistician Bryan Litz discuss G1 vs. G7 Ballistic Coefficients, Form Factor: A Useful Analysis Tool and The Effects of Cartridge Overall Length (COAL) and Cartridge Base to Ogive (CBTO) will expand the shooter’s understanding of these subjects and how they can be used to improve the shooting experience.

There is also a section for the new rifle shooter, which describes ten different ways that a rifle can be used to enjoy the shooting sports. Each section is written by an expert in their discipline. These include a section on Short Range Benchrest by Walt Berger, High Power – Across the Course by Sherri Jo Gallagher, Palma, Long Range & Fullbore by Nancy Tompkins and Precision Hunting by John Burns. Each one is meant to give the shooter a taste of these activities so that they can consider exploring them further.

There are several other sections that are included to provide the shooter with an expanded knowledge of the shooting sports. This includes everything from Handloading Basics for the new and novice shooter to an article on Basic Statistics for Handloading for the more advanced shooter who is looking to raise their ability to understand their results and influence them effectively.

At the end of the day, this is a reloading manual. We spent a considerable amount of time putting together loads for seventy-one different cartridges. The majority of powders used to develop the loads for each cartridge were selected due to the fact that they result in 90% or higher fill ratio. It is generally believed that powders which have a fill ratio over 90% will perform best in a given case, since the powder will not be moving around as much in the case.

One of the reasons it took so long to complete this manual is because we wanted to include as much good information as we could provide. It is my opinion that we have succeeded in this effort and I am proud that we are ready to provide a quality loading manual which will help rifle shooters at all levels.

We are accepting pre-orders on these manuals, and will begin shipping in Oct. The first 3,000 manuals will be signed by Walt Berger, Eric Stecker, Bryan Litz and Michelle Gallagher. To place your order, call 714-447-5422 or visit our shopping cart HERE. The retail price is $29.

Eric Stecker

The towers leading into Camp Perry are a welcome sight for shooters every year.

Saturday, Aug 11, was the first day of the Long Range matches. This is a special Nationals for two reasons. First, the America’s Match is being shot here for the first time. The America’s Match is a team event that is held every two years, and alternates between the US and Canada. Because of that match, we are lucky to have teams competing from the UK, Canada, Australia and Japan. Also, this is the first year that the Matches are open to F-Class shooters. This year was a trial run, and the F-Class shooters have been eager to experience Camp Perry.

The first day consisted of two 20-shot matches at 1000 yards, with a final shoot-off for each division within each match. These matches are called the Mustin and the Band of Brothers, and are both fairly new additions to the Nationals. The day was cloudy, cool and windy. Each match has five divisions – Any Rifle, Palma Rifle, Service Rifle, F-Open and F-TR. The high scorer on each relay qualifies for the shoot-off at the end of the day, which consists of a ten shot string at 1000 yards against the other people in each division.

Sunday was the Leech Cup, the Porter Trophy and the Andrus Memorial Trophy. We also shot a 4-man team match at 1000 yards in the afternoon. The weather was trickier than it looked, but it was a beautiful day with sun and relatively low temperatures. Tomorrow, we shoot the Wimbledon Cup, Farr Trophy and Doc Aitken Trophy, along with another team match at 1000 yards.

After the first two days, there is a five-way tie for match winner. John Whidden, Bryan Litz, Michelle Gallagher, John Friguglietti and Norm Anderson are all down just two points (out of a possible 600). There is one more 1000 yd match plus a palma course (15 shots at 800, 900 and 1000 yds each), so there is plenty of shooting left to go!

Congratulations to the winners so far! Follow the results on the NRA Website. Unfortunately, the F-Class results are not posted, but congratulations to David Bailey and Dan Pohlabel for winning Sunday’s F-Open and F-TR matches (respectively). Also, congratulations to Nancy Tompkins for her seventh Leech Cup win! I ended up pulling targets for the shoot-off yesterday, and did not get back to the line in time to hear the results of the shoot-offs. We will post that information as soon as possible. Also, read the Daily Bulletin and NRA Blog for up-to-date articles about the matches. More results to come!

Michelle Gallagher

The main road leads from the front gates to the firing lines. It's an impressive sight, no matter how many times you see it. (click to enlarge)

The competition started on Monday with the President’s Match. The President’s Match is arguably one of the most prestigious rifle matches in the United States today, and a very common goal among Across the Course shooters is to qualify for the President’s 100. Hap Rocketto wrote an article about the history of this match, which can be read HERE. The President’s Match consists of 30 shots – 10 shots offhand at 200 yards, 10 shots rapid fire prone at 300 yards and 10 shots prone at 600 yards. The top 20 shooters then shoot a 10 shot shoot-off at 600 yards to determine the final winner. There are no sighting shots allowed for these matches, so shooters must show up with accurate sight settings if they hope to do well. SSG Ty Cooper of GA and Jared Perry of CA both shot perfect scores of 300 in the President’s, but Jared won the over-all match with a shoot-off score of 98-3x.

The firing line from Viale Range. (click to enlarge)

Tuesday was the National Trophy Individual Match, which is equally significant to military and civilian competitors alike. This is also the National Championship Leg Match, where shooters earn “leg points” for placing well. You must accumulate 30 leg points to become Distinguished, which is a second goal among most Across the Course shooters. Many shooters travel to Ohio solely for the President’s and NTI Matches, sometimes spending more time traveling than they actually do competing. This is a 50 shot match – 10 offhand at 200 yards, 10 sitting rapid fire at 200 yards, 10 prone rapid fire at 300 yards and 20 prone at 600 yards. Over 1,100 people competed in the NTI, and SGT Sherri Jo Gallagher from GA won the match with a 494-15x.

The CMP Matches will continue throughout the week, and will feature mainly team events. The Nationals continue next week with the NRA Highpower Nationals, and finally the NRA Long Range Nationals. Visit the CMP website HERE to view the results as they come in. You can also read more about the history of the matches and trophies HERE.

Michelle Gallagher

Mellifont Abbey, which was built in 1157

The first time I shot in Ireland was in 2011, as a member of the US F-Class Rifle Team competing in the Creedmoor Match. I quickly fell in love with the range, the countryside and the people. So when they invited me to return this year for their Nationals, it was an easy decision. The match was to be held over a two day weekend in May. When I saw the schedule of events, I couldn’t help but wonder how they expected to fit so many matches into two days. They managed that, and much more.

I flew into Dublin, and Noel Kelly met me at the airport. I spent the rest of the day fighting jet lag while he took me to Monasterboice, Slane Abbey and many other well-known historical sights. It’s very humbling to stand next to walls and towers that were built in the 11th and 12th centuries. The gray stones and brilliant green hills go so well together. It is a beautiful country, full of history and some of the friendliest people one could ever hope to meet.

The next day, we drove down to the range. The Midlands National Shooting Centre of Ireland is located near Tullamore, in the middle of the island. The new 1000 yard range has 20 firing points and some of the most challenging wind conditions that I’ve ever shot in. The range is built over a peat bog, which means you can almost always count on seeing some mirage, no matter how cold it is! We met up with John Paul Craven and Stephen Hogan for a bit more sight-seeing and some long range practice.

Long range practice at 1000 yards.

The Nationals started on Saturday morning with the TR (Target Rifle, or sling in the US), F-Open and F-TR championships. I was told that I would be competing in both the TR and F-Open matches. When I asked how I was supposed to shoot in two matches at the same time, they smiled and told me to wait and see. The F-Open shooters shot first, and shot a straight palma course. We started at 800 yards, then moved directly to 900, and then 1000 yards for 15 shots each. When we finished that relay, they moved me down to the other end of the line, and I did the exact same thing with the Target Rifle.

Once that was over, we took a tea/lunch break before meeting at the old range for the Hunting and Historic Rifle matches. These matches were shot at 100 yards. The first three shots were fired as sighters from a supported prone position, meaning the shooters could use bags or rests to support the rifle. The shooters then walked to the targets to check their sight settings, then fired another seven shots supported prone, then five shots unsupported prone and five shots kneeling. I hadn’t planned to shoot either of these matches, but was given a Mauser rifle and had a great deal of fun shooting it in the Historic match.

2nd place F-TR Team - The Hybrids. Team members L to R - Pat Hunt, Terry McQuaid, Michelle Gallagher and John McLoughlin. Awards presented by Noel Kelly

We met up again Sunday morning for the rest of the matches. The first event of the day was a team match, which was shot at 900 and 1000 yards. I was lucky enough to shoot (and help coach) an F-TR team. Coaching at the MNCSI Range is never easy, but we had a great time and learned a lot.

After lunch, we shot the Match Rifle and Benchrest matches. The Match Rifle class is typically shot at 1000, 1100 and 1200 yards; and is shot from the prone position with a rifle and sling, but shooters are also allowed to use a rest under their hand to help support the rifle. When I finished that match, I was again moved to the other end of the line for the “Belly Benchrest” Match. This consisted of two five-shot strings at 1000 yards. The targets were pulled after the five shots and scored for group size. I’d never shot either of these before, but enjoyed them both thoroughly.

When the shooting was over, we moved back to the clubhouse for more tea and presentation of the awards. After the awards, we met up at the pub for dinner. Sitting around a table with good friends telling stories was a fitting end to a great match.

We met up at the range on Monday morning for a bit more practice. In a little over two hours, we saw everything from sunshine to hail, and the winds certainly gave us something to work with! Every long range shooter in the world could benefit from shooting at the MNSCI Range. It’s without a doubt one of the toughest ranges I’ve shot on, and I love the challenge. I learn something new every time I shoot there, and cannot wait for the opportunity to go back!

I have to thank everyone at the NRAI and especially Noel, JP and Stephen for putting this all together. I feel so lucky to have been a part of their Nationals. I couldn’t figure out how they planned to squeeze ten different matches into two days, but it was one of the most relaxing and enjoyable matches I’ve ever shot. I’d love to run a match like that in the US sometime. It was a great way to get a little taste of everything. And my hosts were wonderful. Irish hospitality is certainly second to none. These shooters go out of their way to make visitors feel welcome, and I will cherish the friendships that have developed. If you ever have the opportunity to shoot on this range, I encourage you do to so. I can guarantee you won’t be disappointed! Visit the NRA of Ireland website HERE for a complete list of the winners and more information on the Midlands range.

Visit our Facebook album to see more pictures from the match.

Michelle Gallagher

In the mountains near Tullamore. There's a reason everything's so green, but we were lucky to have such good weather for the match!

1000 yard line at Reade Range

The Remington-Bushmaster 2012 Long Range Regional Championship was held at Reade Range in Fallen Timbers, Pennsylvania on June 1, 2, and 3. We had a great turn out of over 60 shooters. Half of these shooters showed up on Friday to participate in the practice and team match. The weather had other plans for the shooters though, and the second half of the team match was rained out.

Saturday started off sunny, but cool and windy, with 62 shooters registering in Sling(43), F-TR(7) and F-Open(12). Pit service was provided by the Boy Scout Troops of the area, and had a bit of a rocky start. With the help of some shooter volunteers, the pits smoothed out throughout the day and the first three 1000 yd. matches ran without incident. The wind pretty much held a steady 2 MOA left throughout the day, and some high scores were fired

After the matches were finish and daily scores posted, Bryan Litz conducted a wind clinic for all those in attendance. Soon after, the Reade Range Staff provided a wonderful meal of ca-bobs, salads, fresh fruit and beverages. As everyone finished up their meals, it was time for the prize raffle. Over 50 prizes, including a Vortex Spotting Scope, gift certificates, and many other merchandise items worth over $6000 were raffled off. This concluded the first day of shooting with the standing as listed below. Mark Scheafer, master class, was only 1-X away from tying Jon for 3rd place.

Bryan's wind class

Day 1 Agg. Standings:
1st Sling- Bryan Litz 598-36
2nd Sling- Trevor Hengehold 594-33
3rd Sling- Jon Howell 591-25

1st F-TR- Brad Sauve 573-11
2nd F-TR- James Crofts 560-10
3rd F-TR- Ian Klemm 554-6

1st F-Open- Don Nagel 588-25
2nd F-Open- Bob Woodward 580-20
3rd F-Open- Robert Bock 579-15

Sunday morning started off overcast and the same wind as the day before. Conditions remained constant and the pits ran smoother than ever with more volunteers helping the scout troops. Rain was forecasted to start at 3:00 PM so the shooters were eager to move through the matches and beat the rain. Mission accomplished as a cease fire was call just before 3:00 ending the last match. Scores were quickly figured and awards were promptly given. Bryan Litz, of Applied Ballistics LLC, announced the winners of each individual match (see scores), Tom Ferraro announce the aggregate match winners who received NRA medals and monetary awards, and finally Ken Roxburgh presented the winners with guns on behalf of Remington-Bushmaster. (see below) The rain showed up as the final name was announced and it was time for everyone to head home.

We would like to thank everyone who participated in this match and all of those who helped make it a great weekend. We are looking forward to seeing everyone again next year, along with their friends. Let’s keep building this into an awesome match!

Thanks to all the companies who helped sponsor the match!

Final Scores:
1st Sling- Bryan Litz 1194-70
2nd Sling- Trevor Hengehold 1190-65
3rd Sling- Jon Howell 1188-60

1st F-TR- James Crofts 1141-27
2nd F-TR- Brad Sauve 1134-25
3rd F-TR- William Litz 1122-19

1st F-Open- Don Nagel 1172-41
2nd F-Open- Bob Woodward 1169-49
3rd F-Open- Jim Murphy 1159-38

Remington presented several rifles as awards to the winners.

Gun Winners:
High Palma- Bill Bowers 1180-43
Any/Iron- Bryan Litz 598-36
Any/Any- Jon Howell 597-35
Jr. Any/Iron- Tommy Ferraro 557-12
Jr. Any/Any- Joe Hendricks Jr.- 571-14
High Grand Senior- David Brantner 1164-42
High Senior- Gerry Sanders 1179-47
High F-TR- James Crofts 1141-27
High F-Open- Don Nagel 1172-41

Visit the Applied Ballistic’s Facebook page to view more pictures.

Bryan Litz

Eric with his second deer.

Brush Country Monsters is based out of the Novillos Ranch in South Texas. The Novillos Ranch is a free range whitetail hunting operation that uses methods that are necessary in conditions where the brush is so thick you can’t see more than 20 feet. They’ve set up shooting houses among wagon wheel shaped senderos. A “sendero” is a Texas-coined phrase which basically means “wildlife opening”.

The dense brush is cleared away in specific locations, allowing the hunters to observe the wildlife in every direction. Given the density of the brush, these senderos provide shot opportunities that typically won’t go past 200 yards. Since the vast majority of animals taken at the Novillos ranch are at short range, it is the perfect opportunity for us to partner with Brush Country Monsters TV show to prove how well our bullets work.

Eric with the first deer he took.

On December 6th of last year, I had the pleasure of flying into McAllen International airport where I was met by Lamar Smith, otherwise known as “Super Guide” or “Super” for short. The nickname fits well as Lamar is as knowledgeable about hunting whitetails in Texas as anyone I’ve met.

After a quick bite to eat, we were off to the lodge. The accommodations are superb. It was just the right combination of modern comfort and hunter styled accessories. They’ve got a mount on the wall which features two very large whitetail bucks locked together by their horns. I thought this was a creative way to mount two large animals; but as it turns out, these trophy sized game were found locked together. Not the end a hunter would like for them, but it makes an interesting looking mount.

Day one started with Lamar and I going out to one of the shooting houses before dawn broke. Corn is used to draw the animals into the senderos. After everything was situated, we waited while several animals came into view. I hunted whitetails only once before in the center of Texas, so I was impressed by the larger southern Texas animals. Lamar has been doing this for years, so he suggested I hold off since the animals we were looking at were not as big as we wanted.

Sometime later I saw a buck come into view that looked great. We watched it for a while and Lamar said that if I wanted that one, then I should take the shot. Eager to shoot our hunting bullets at short range, I got into position and sent a shot toward the whitetail. It slammed right into the vitals. The deer managed to run about 30 feet before it hit the ground dead. The bullet worked perfectly.

Lamar Smith of Brush Country Monsters

Having three days left to hunt allowed me a chance to go after an even larger animal. On the evening of the second day, I had another chance at an even larger buck. This animal was closer to us than the first whitetail I shot. I got into position and let the hammer fall. The bullet hit the deer just behind the shoulder in the vitals, and this deer dropped where it was hit. This was my second whitetail hunt, and each animal I took was bigger than the last.

With another day left, we decided to head to another property which is known to be a favorite stomping ground of the local wild hog population. I thoroughly enjoy hunting hogs; but on this trip, we weren’t able to flush any out of the dense brush. I spent several hours watching many Texas animals and talking about hunting and other things with Lamar.

If you are interested in going after some great-sized free range southern Texas deer, I encourage you to get in touch with the guys at the Novillos Ranch. The facilities are first class, the guides are knowledgeable and great fun to hang around and the memories will be with me forever.

http://www.highadventurecompany.com/south-texas-whitetail-hunts-at-the-novillos-ranch/

Eric Stecker

Click to enlarge

When Berger first started selling bullets, we sold Target bullets in yellow boxes. Over the years, our line has expanded to include Varmint, Hunting, and Tactical bullets. These application-based lines are designed to help shooters more easily find the right bullets for their purposes. In an effort to make this process even more straightforward, we have added two additional box colors to our line. Each bullet line now has its own dedicated box color. The only change is the box color; the bullets are still exactly the same.

The Target and Hunting lines will remain unchanged, with yellow and blaze orange boxes, respectively. Varmint bullets are now sold in burnt orange colored boxes, and Tactical bullets are available in khaki colored boxes.

“Each box color is meant to represent the specific line,” says Executive Vice President Eric Stecker. “Target is our traditional yellow as it has been our signature color for decades. Hunting is blaze orange which is commonly used by game hunters. Varmint is burnt orange which is the color of the red fox. The red fox is one of the most cunning and prized varmint trophies. Tactical is khaki or tan as a tribute to our troops who are most active in protecting our freedom in a desert environment.”

For more information, contact us at 714-447-5422.

Michelle Gallagher