Hello all,
My Father introduced me to shooting and hunting at the age of 12. I learnt the basic skills of firearm safety, cleaning and shooting with an Anschütz 22LR fitted with an aperture sight. From there I progressed to Trap and Skeet shooting with the local Gun Club and Big Bore rifle shooting (.303 & 7.62x51mm) with the local RSL Rifle Club.
My Uncle got me addicted to hunting with centrefire rifles and introduced me to the fine art of hand loading ammunition. He was an avid Tikka man and had a pair of M55s; one in 222 and the other in 308. Both of which I was fortunate to hunt with under his supervision. It was these experiences that lead me to getting my first centrefire, a Tikka M55 in 22-250.
Since 1985, I've hunted nearly all species of game animal or vermin in Australia with a variety of calibres and action types. By far the most thrilling and rewarding hunting are pig and deer.
I thoroughly enjoy all types of pig hunting whether it's laying into a mass of pigs on wheat stubble with a 243, or 6.5x55mm, or 270, or 7mm-08, or 30-06, or 375 H&H; or in thick marsh country with a 12g or 45-70. Pig hunting can get the bristles up on the back of my neck. Unfortunately the drought in NSW has dramatically reduced the pig numbers; where I would shoot 40+ pigs in a weekend, now I'm lucky to find a pig in a week.
Deer hunting is an exhilarating experience, especially hunting the mighty mountain monarch, the Sambar. My first experience with Sambar was a huge adrenalin rush as a 24+" Stag "honked" and exploded from the nearby brush, as he was darting through the timber in a flash with the 30-06 crosshairs hastily bearing down on him, a 200gr Woodleigh killed a tree, with the Stag giving me the parting Sambar salute as he disappeared in the foliage. That was my first shot at a Sambar, but I go each year. Although I'm still hunting for that big Sambar Stag, I have taken an eater with my Remington 700 SPS-S in 358Win.
To date I have taken a decent Red Stag, a Sambar Spike, quite a number of Fallow (does & bucks), a Rusa hind and two Chital (stag & hind). My old Ruger KM77 all-weather 223 used to be my "venison rifle" and has shot more Fallow (does/spikers) than all my past and present calibres put together. Nowadays I use a Remington 700 BDL-S in 7mm-08, an extremely accurate and ethical cartridge for deer.
I get out on a regular basis to knock over a fox or three with my Remington 700 VSSF II in 204. This would have to be the most accurate, flattest shooting and enjoyable rifle I've ever had.
From time to time I shoot the occasional social Military Rifle match. In the past I have borrowed a mate's P-14 or No.4 in 303. In early 2009 I found a Mauserwerke M1898 chambered in the magnificent 7x57mm. The restoration process took a few months, but the rifle looks spectacular and is superbly accurate. The 7x57mm has been out a number of times and has successfully taken various species of game.
My latest acquisition is a Ruger No.1H Tropical rifle in the classic British .450/400 Nitro Express 3". I'm planning to get up to the Northern Territory to hunt Buffalo and Scrub Bulls within the next few years. However, in the interim I'll hunt the occasional western NSW Wild Boar with it.
Since 1985 I have reloaded and developed accurate loads for numerous rifle/calibre combinations from .17 Rem to .45/70 for myself and a few good friends.
Enough babble from me,... time to plan that next hunt!
