45-70 Govt. Versus Warthog
From Ron Spomer Outdoors The 45-70 Govt. carries a powerful mystique. Big bore. Heavy hitter. Knockdown power. A favorite of commercial bison hunters in the 1870s. So how do you think it performed on this 90-pound African warthog? Fort Richmond Safaris PH Geoffrey...
The Day They Took My Guns Away
Originally published in Field & Stream, this article also appeared in the Sept./Oct. 2000 issue ofSporting Classics.
Guns of Late Winter and Early Spring
I live for the “season of the painted leaves,” but for the time being, those crisp days of fall and early winter are precious memories to remember and to anticipate in a few months. With the closing of deer and other big game seasons, it’s time to switch to late...
Reticles That Help You Hit
When I fired my first shot with a centerfire rifle, only about half of all hunters used scopes. Offhand, squinting down the Krag’s long barrel and struggling to hold it up, I tugged the trigger. The report savaged my ears, the steel butt my clavicle. The oil can on...
Herb Parsons: The “Wizard of Winchester”
Standing before an audience seated around him in an open field was a stout middle-aged man wearing a shooting vest and a white flat cap emblazoned with a big red “W.” In his left hand he held a Winchester Model 63 autoloader .22 rifle and in his right hand, a small...
Rifle Cartridges: All in the Family
The old, plodding 30-’06 Springfield, for instance, is not just yesterday’s news; it’s moldy, too, and so is anyone who hunts with one, according to millennials or whatever they call the most recent come-of-age generation. In contrast, the 6.5 RPM from Weatherby is a...
Robert Churchill: Ballistics Expert & Bespoke Gunmaker
Think of the name Churchill and Churchill Downs might come to mind with mint juleps, outlandish women’s hats and sleek Arabian steeds or perhaps Winston Spencer Churchill who guided Britain through some of the darkest days of World War II. His quotes are many, but...
Springfield’s Emissary: Shooting Chocolate Cake
Amazon got its start in a garage. Google was started in a dorm room and eventually upgraded to a garage. Today’s Springfield Armory beats them both— it got its start in a corn crib before eventually upgrading to building M1A rifles in a former diner. The original...
Elmer Keith: King of Gun Cranks
One doesn’t have to dig deeply into the career of the “little man with the big Stetson,” Elmer Keith, before realizing that he was a fascinating character in a universe—that of hunting and shooting writers—generously populated by highly unusual individuals. Outdoor...
The 270 Winchester: A Very Fast Ball
The Model T, Coolidge, then Depression defined the 1920s. Winchester added the 270. It alone endures. Night’s chill lies late in Spoon Creek. I slipped into cold wool and left the tent before dawn was a pale smudge. Breath white, I climbed through the timber to a bald...