Book Chapter 20-Home

Hunting Bullet Metrics

Apply Terminal Performance Truth

AFRICA HUNTER QUEST©

Chapter 20 - THE PILGRIM’S HUNTING PROBLEM DEFINED

“GG is right,” thought Donny. “$#!+ happens.”

The simple sentence resonated with him. He thought of all the things that could go wrong during the upcoming planting season that could severely affect his crop yields. Poor crop yields could mean having to go to the bank to take out another loan simply to make payments on the loans he already had for the equipment necessary for no-till farming. He could install the wrong seed calibration for his planter; he could botch the concentration and/or application of his herbicides and fertilizer; he could dial in the wrong tillage depth; in short, his decisions could be responsible for a problematic, even disastrous harvest.

But he could control those things. The one thing he couldn’t control was the weather. Too much rain at the wrong time of year, not enough at the right time of the year. “Yes, ##!+ does happen,” thought Donny. “But I can prevent most of it.”

Donny had finally settled down. The reality of the evidence pointing to the potential marginal performance of his 270 Winchester was formidable, regardless of any empiricism’s veracity. The PHs in Harrisburg and Robertson all indicated ill-defined potential issues that his system and any selected, off-the-shelf ammo would be challenged to overcome. These were true expert opinions. Expert or not, GG had made a good-faith effort to identify and quantify those issues. Damn it, the Old Man’s reasons and rationale were compelling, even though there was no substantive mainstream validation.

And then there was his dad. His dad hadn’t criticized him or told him no; he had simply and subtlely pointed him in the direction of a heavier bullet. All were politely saying “Reconsider”.

Donnie began to mentally scroll through the line items of GG’s advice in consideration of using his 270 Winchester and a 150-grain bullet in off-the-shelf ammo. He could define his hunting problem; he could limit his shot distances and shot angles; he could practice with his rifle to improve his marksmanship skill; and he could study Robertson’s book and identify where the heart was. All easily done

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and all contributing to lowering the risk of a lost animal. Any $#!+ that could happen would have to come from somewhere else.

Although he didn’t want to, he could select an alternate system and bullet. He could potentially abandon his 270 Winchester and borrow either his dad’s 30-06 Ackley or his father-in-law’s 35 Whelen, both with significantly heavier and bigger diameter bullets. But it was a pride thing, a last resort if he couldn’t figure out a reasonable scenario where he could use his 270 Winchester.

Heavier bullet. One of the things that had become very clear in the discussion of the empiricism was the significant effect that the bullet weight had on the estimated plains game weight. Because the bullet weight was squared in GG’s empiricism, even a small increase in bullet weight resulted in a significant increase in the estimated game weight. What was it his father had said? The manufacturer of his 30-caliber bullet made a 180-grainer in .277 caliber? An increase in weight from 150 grains to 180 grains could potentially yield about a 30 to 40% increase in estimated game weight, even with the reduction in impact velocity associated with a 180-grainer vs 150-grainer.

Donny got on the internet and found the website of his father’s 30-caliber bullet. He clicked on the ‘bullet list’ tab and then scrolled down to the .277 caliber bullets. Sure enough, it manufactured a bonded-lead core bullet that weighed 180 grains. He saw that it has a surprisingly high BC of .513, in the ballpark of the 150-grainers from other manufacturers he had researched. But the real stunner was that the manufacturer actually gave recommended impact velocities! He stared at the published values between 2000 and 3000 fps. “A 1000 fps difference,” he thought. “That’s a potentially fat sweet-spot and might provide plenty of shot flexibility, even at a low muzzle velocity.”

Donny resisted the urge to start crankin’ numbers. He recognized that he hadn’t even started to define his hunting problem, so any numbers generated would not be focused on resolving a specific scenario. “Duh,” thought Donny. “I haven’t even decided which outfitter I want to use. The vegetation and terrain of properties they hunt are going to identify typical shot distances.”

He thought back about his encounters with the PHs in Harrisburg. He pulled out the literature he had been given and brought up the websites of each. He found out that three were located in the Limpopo province of South Africa, with the remaining one located in the Orange Free State of South Africa. The facilities for all four looked absolutely fabulous. It didn’t look like he could go wrong with any of them in that

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regard. Fees were about the same, so there really wasn’t one that commanded specific attention because of obvious hunt economy.

He thought back on his encounter and conversations with the PHs at the show. The PH with which he had been the most comfortable was the one where he had talked to him only in English. There had been no sidebar conversations with colleagues in a foreign language. His facility was in the Orange Free State. He was the PH that had recommended a 7-millimeter Remington magnum with a 175-grain bullet for a kudu. “Hmmmm,” thought Donny. “.284 vs .277. 175 vs 180. Fast vs slow . . .”

The 7-mag chambering had a caliber only slightly bigger than his 270. He could potentially use a .277-caliber, 180-grainer that was heavier, but that would require that he hand load. Using his dad’s or father-in-law’s rifles meant he had to hand load anyway. If he had to hand load, he preferred that it would be for his 270 Winchester.

Donny decided to contact the PH personally at the email address he had been given. He stated the animals he wanted to hunt with his preferred hunting method of either walk and stalk or spot and stalk. He asked about available dates in late June to early July, indicating he would like at least seven full days for hunting. He asked for confirmatory pricing for daily accommodations, PH fees, and trophy fees. Finally, he asked what shot distances were typical during most hunts for the animals he had selected.

The next day he was gratified to see a response to his correspondence. Dates were still available in the time interval he wanted, and the pricing was in line with what he had been told in Harrisburg and what had been presented on the web site.

The shot distances that this PH furnished seemed to be on the long side. Typical shots taken from walk/spot and stalk ranged from about 150 to 300 meters. If shots from blinds were required, they typically ranged from about 150 to 200 m. GG’s average shot distance of 135 yards was apparently not applicable. “Meters,” he thought. “Damn metric distance.” He knew a meter was longer than a yard, but close enough that most folks simply called both the same distance. Still, as long as he was in his hunting-problem-definition mode, he would cinch any numbers as tight as he could, and let the final one speak for itself.

He knew from GG’s advice that the maximum distance was the one he should focus on in terms of game weight. The minimum distance identified should be used to determine the maximum likely impact velocity. This likely maximum impact

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velocity must be used as a first cut to assess which generic bullet would likely be preferable.

He found the conversion from meters to yards online and determined that his maximum shot distance was about 328 yards. His minimum shot distance was about 164 yards. He conservatively rounded up to 330 yards and 165 yards. “Hmmmm,” he thought. “330 yds are within spittin’ distance of my minimum 340-yard shot at the farm. That’s quite a poke!”

He sat and contemplated the maximum distance of 330 yards. He needed a bipod and benches in his blinds to make shots at that distance. The classic Africa shot was off of sticks. What was it GG had said? The average accuracy off of sticks was likely 2 to 3 MOA, and that didn’t include the accuracy of his rifle and ammo. Even if he practiced on sticks and got the wobble down to 2 MOA, that was still over 6 inches of sighting orbit and potential aiming error at 330 yards. That implied the lungs as a target, even with good accuracy of off-the-shelf ammo. That also implied he needed a bullet that expanded well to max out a wound cavity in the lungs, yet could penetrate beyond stout shoulder bones to get into the boiler room, a bullet with balanced performance.

Donny could see his hunting problem becoming more defined. Shooting position mattered at the maximum distance of 330 yards. If he wanted any chance of actually hitting the shoulder for the high percentage shot, he needed to be prone, or at worst, seated with a bipod.

The vegetation and terrain had to accommodate a shot position such as seated off a bipod. He then realized that he didn’t have any idea of what the typical vegetation and terrain of the Orange Free State was like.

Beyond the issue of shooting position, the actual accuracy of his combined system and ammo was also now important. GG hadn’t given any actual numbers for hunting accuracy, other than his eye-popping 3-shot group less than ¾ inch as his personal criterion at 200 yards. “Shooting seated from a bipod will be less accurate than shooting seated from a bench with a bipod,” thought Donny. “Actual ammo accuracy is a major consideration if a shot is available at 330 yards.”

Indeed. Donny had finally recognized that his 130-grain cup and core ammo really wasn’t going to pass muster, regardless of shot distance. Considering actual ammo accuracy had brought the issue into way sharper focus. It was virtually a given that he would be shooting different ammo, reloaded or otherwise. He recognized that

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his system ‘liked’ his current ammo, yielding performance at 100 yards that was beyond typical. What if the accuracy from alternative 150-grain ammo or any different chambering and system was way worse? All of a sudden, actually limiting the shot distance in order to achieve a high-percentage shot on the shoulder was a very real prospect. “Nuts,” thought Donny. “Once again, I’m chewing on raw squid.”

The prospect of having to limit his shot distance was like a cold-water blast from the shower. “Before I get any further into this, I need consult my notes to see if there are any other tripwires that are going to cause serious, maybe even fatal- flaw limitations on going to the Orange Free State to hunt with my 270 Winchester,” thought Donny.

He found the hunting-problem-definition list of factors he had written down at the range. He mentally checked off the items:

- Hunting method: spot and stalk

- Shot distance: 165 to 330 yds

- Impact velocity: yet to be determined

- Scope zero: don’t know, determined based on chambering, bullet, and any imposed limitations on shot distance

- Vegetation and terrain: need to research

- Accuracy of the system: must be determined based on ammo selected, potentially very important based on 330 yd maximum shot distance; could be a limiting factor

- Target size: heart preferred; lungs okay with right bullet

- Shooter skills: steep learning curve; bipod or seated with bipod could be required

- Shot angle: broadside; others to be determined

- Animal: don’t know weight ranges; must research

- Risks from wounding: don’t know; must research

Donny sat back to assess the progress he had made in defining his hunting problem. He had to admit he was both surprised and pleased with how easily he had thus far navigated the maze of interrelated factors, drawing focus on key areas of concern. Shooting position issues produced almost cosmic revelations about their interrelations with the vegetation and terrain compatibility, system accuracy, shooter skills, target zero, and potentially having to limit shot distance. He was a tad uncomfortable and apprehensive because he didn’t know any outcome ‘answers’.

Regardless, he had newfound confidence that whatever he decided would help limit his risk for potentially losing an animal.

He looked at the ranking of problem definition factors he had made on his note from the range. Third in line was impact velocity. Impact velocity presumed he knew what chambering and bullet he was going to use. He now knew what he should have said was ‘trial impact velocity’. How he fully defined his hunting problem would actually dictate chambering and bullet weight. Several bullet weights in the same chambering may have to be considered in order to be responsive to the hunting problem definition. If the selected chambering with a maximum bullet weight represented a solution with unacceptable risk, a different chambering with heavier bullet weights would need to be considered. Fully defining the hunting problem was fundamental before any realistic assessment of a proposed chambering and bullet could be made.

Donny again eyed his list and started with his next unknown: scope zero. Once he identified the chambering, bullet, and any self-imposed shot distance limitation, he could study trajectories with the aid of a ballistic software program. He could then decide if one scope zero realistically worked for an ideal ‘point and shoot’ scenario, or such things as multiple scope zeroes or one zero with scope come-ups needed to be considered.

The next unknown category was vegetation and terrain. He found online videos of hunts in the Orange Free State. Conditions were highly variable. Some conditions looked like western Kansas or eastern Colorado: flat to gently undulating terrain with short to knee-high grass. Putting the sneak on a herd of anything would be tough. He envisioned any hunt in those conditions would tend to resemble an antelope hunt here in the U.S. Shots would be relatively long. Wind could be a factor. Prone or seated with a bipod would likely be necessary and appeared feasible for long shots.

The ground condition for easily identifying animal tracks could not be determined. Donny conservatively assumed that those conditions would be poor, and that a good blood trail would be preferable for any required tracking. The good news was you could almost see forever in some locations, aiding in determining where a wounded animal actually went. The bad news was there were some conditions where you could lose sight of the animal if it escaped into the brush on the adjacent hillsides.

The open grassy areas could be characterized as valleys with gently rolling hills between prominent hills with relatively steep slopes. The slopes appeared to have abundant cobble-size rocks on the surface. The vegetation on these adjacent steep hills appeared to be brush ranging from sporadic and widely spaced to thick and seemingly impenetrable. The rocky nature of the ground surface suggested that following animals’ tracks would be tough, and that a good blood trail again would be desirable.

The steepness of the hills and their rocky surface also suggested two factors he hadn’t yet considered, both falling under the heading of hunter skills. The first was his own physical stamina, being able to effectively traverse the terrain. He didn’t know the actual ground surface elevations. If it was on the order of 1000 feet above sea level, Donny figured he was in fair enough shape that the terrain would pose no mobility problem. However, if it were, say 7000 feet, he would be huffin’ and puffin’ like a steam engine. Regardless, he made a mental note to increase the intensity of his gym visits and evening runs under the assumption that the ground was 7000 feet above sea level.

The huffin’ and puffin’ thought reminded him that he had no field-craft skills associated with walk and stalk. Picking his steps to avoid making noise would be mandatory. It would require focus and likely more stamina than simply walking with an evenly spaced foot placement.

The next item requiring research on his hunting problem definition list was animal weight. Donny went online to find representative maximum and minimum weights of the animals he had selected to hunt. He had initially decided to take the average of these extreme weights, but then reconsidered. As GG had said, these animals would all be mature males, considered to be of ‘trophy’ status, selected by a knowledgeable professional. The weight of the animal he would shoot would likely be shy of the typical maximum animal weight under consideration. Donny decided that 90% of the maximum referenced weight range would likely be a better estimate rather than an average. That weight would also result in a more conservative assessment of required chambering and bullet weight. He tabulated the 90% weights he decided upon:

- Springbok – 85 pounds

- Blesbok – 160 pounds

- Black wildebeest – 360 pounds

- Gemsbok – 475 pounds

- Kudu – 540 pounds

- Zebra – 630 pounds

The last item on his list of unknowns was potential personal danger from a wounded animal. He thought he remembered GG saying something about a gemsbok being dangerous when wounded.

He went to Robertson’s book to research that topic. He found words like “tough”, “super-tough”, “tenacious”, and “knock-down power” were used to describe most of the animals. In researching the gemsbok, he found an additional word: “aggressiveness”. He really didn’t appreciate nor understand its use until Robertson described approaching a downed gemsbok carefully. He talked about making a finishing shot from a “safe distance”. The implication was that a wounded gemsbok was capable of potentially life-threatening whup-a$$.

Donny again looked at his list of hunting definition factors. As he scrolled down the list with his recently-acquired data and preliminary assessments, he felt he had a clearer understanding of the issues and their interrelationships. He had identified strategic aspects of system accuracy that could fundamentally affect how he structured his hunt. He had also identified peripheral issues, such as his physical condition, that could contribute or impinge on his hunt’s success. He felt he was finally ready to tackle answering the question that had started all this: could he reasonably use his 270 Winchester to take a kudu? He now knew he was going to find out on his own terms, one way or the other.