CLASSIC SOFTPOINTS FOR BIG GAME
Handloader|April - May 2022
Still Viable for Modern Big-Game Hunting
Patrick Meitin
CLASSIC SOFTPOINTS FOR BIG GAME

As a teen, I relentlessly pursued desert mule deer, aoudad sheep, elk and the occasional pronghorn with a decent degree of success. I used utilitarian rifles chambered for cartridges that would be deemed “highly marginal” by today’s standards – especially for elk. I shot a lot of generic softpoints fished from factory boxes, though I started handloading when elk entered the equation because the only rifles I owned were decidedly marginal for the species, and the outdoor magazine gospel I consumed so greedily indicated Nosler Partitions were the solution. Partitions were not available in factory ammunition in the late 1970s and early 1980s.

I’ve grown to appreciate the best examples of today’s premium bullets and use them frequently, as I’m still in the habit of using marginal cartridges on big game. This is particularly true of the wild hogs I shoot annually. But it’s also difficult to dismiss all the bull elk I witnessed being tagged during 23 years of guiding and outfitting, most felled by “plain-Jane” softpoints fired from standard-issue deer cartridges.

Denne historien er fra April - May 2022-utgaven av Handloader.

Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.

Denne historien er fra April - May 2022-utgaven av Handloader.

Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.