Cover photo courtesy of grandviewoutdoors.com

If you hunt whitetails, it should be no secret to you that whitetails communicate through scent they leave behind. Whether detecting danger, bucks seeking a breeding doe or a doe locating a hiding fawn, whitetail deer use scent for much of their survival and social interaction. Scraping behavior of whitetails, is one of the CHIEF ways whitetail bucks leave scent behind throughout the year.

Bucks work scrape’s overhanging branches, called a licking branch, throughout the year, often times more than they work the scrape itself. But their most aggressive scraping of these areas occur from October to December when testosterone levels are highest. When a whitetail buck makes a scrape he does so where there is an attractive branch hanging along a roadway, at the edge of a field, on a well-worn trail, or in a random area he’s walking through. In most cases a buck begins the scraping process by rubbing his forehead, preorbital, and nasal glands on the branch and in some cases will actually lick and chew on the overhanging branch. Once done, most bucks will paw the leaves and other debris from the ground under the branch, then urinate into the pawed-out earth.

Photo Courtesy of americanhunter.org

The process usually takes less than two minutes. During this time, however, a buck will leave liberal amounts of scent behind. Scraping, like rubbing, allows a buck to make his presence known. It’s a calling card of sorts; a post on a whitetail bulletin board. Research suggests that scraping is primarily a buck activity. Does have been known to work a scrape from time to time but they most frequently work the licking branch above the scrape. Bucks almost always work both.

Scrapes can be broken down into 3 different categories, though the names or classification of these are often debated. The are Boundary, Secondary and Primary Scrapes.

Boundary scrapes: Boundary scrapes are made by traveling bucks moving through his territory. These scrapes will show up along field edges, fence rows and roads that aren’t too busy.

Secondary scrapes: Secondary scrapes are made my bucks as more of an impulse. These are far more random and a result of the buck “feeling the need” to make a scrape. Call it impulse, hormones or whatever you’d like but these scrapes are less frequent, spiritic and typically not a good target for hunting over.

Primary scrapes: These are the scrapes that hunters need to target. These scrapes are the epitome of whitetail scrapes, with some having the potential of becoming very attractive to whitetail bucks. These scrapes can be found in strategic locations—inside corners of agriculture fields, ridge lines, pinch points and especially along well-worn trails between bedding and feeding areas during the rut. Find these primary scrapes and hang a stand!

Bucks work licking branches 365 days to leave their scent, scraping behavior peaks during the 30 day window leading up to peak rut, especially during the last 10 days. Once breeding kicks in scraping behavior drops off drastically. Scraping will continue during the post rut but at a significantly lower rate than occurs leading up to that point.

Which one is better: MOA or MRAD?

The short answer: it’s your preference. If you use the metric system (meters/centimeters) then go for MRAD. But if you measure in the empirical system (yards/inches) then MOA may be easier.

If you want a more thorough answer along with an explanation of MOA vs MRAD, then keep on reading!

MOA vs MRAD: Why do we care?

Suppose you’re headed out on a hunting trip with your buddies.

You did your research, you read the best rifle scope guide, and you’re ready to go. But then your buddy starts talking in meters and your MOA turrets are adjusting in yards.

His numbers don’t match your turrets, your turrets don’t match your reticle, and now your target has bounded off to another state.

The problem: he was using MRAD while you were using MOA.

MOA and MRAD are basically two different systems of measurement.

When sighting rifle scopes, the reticle and turrets are used together to reach the most accurate shot possible. The turrets change the position of your reticle while your reticle provides an aiming point.

Your turret clicks and the hashes on your reticle can use one of two different systems of scope alignment: MOA or MRAD.

You can have the best long range scope on the market, but if you don’t sight it in using either system, it’s useless.

If you’re looking for help choosing between rifle scopes, here’s the only guide you’ll need to read.

What’s an MOA Scope?

M.O.A. stands for Minutes of Angle; a system based on degrees and minutes. This type of angle measurement is used to calculate the distance to a target and MOA turrets correction for the bullet trajectory.

Basically the math breaks down to this: there are 360 degrees in a circle, and 60 minutes in a degree for a total of 21,600 degrees.

You can find your MOA measurement by multiplying the distance in yards by 1.047, then dividing by 100. You can thank the Ancient Egyptians and Mesopotamians later.

At 200 yards, one MOA equals 2.094 inches. Out to 1,000 yards, 1 MOA equals 10.47 inches, and so on.

For those of us who aren’t Einstein, the easiest way I’ve found is to use a quick-reference conversion chart. That way you don’t miss your prize buck while scribbling away on math problems.

MOA scopes aren’t a perfect system though.

Often calculations are made with 1 MOA at 100 yards (91.4 meters), but you need to count on 100 yards with 1.05 MOA. Up to 100 yards there will be no problem with 1 to 100 comparison, but when shooting over longer distances you’ll be 5% off base and this could mean missing a shot.

This isn’t a problem if you’re only shooting at medium ranges. Read my 4×32 scope guide for more details.

I use an MOA reticle scope on my AR-15 A2 after I removed the front sights for added cool guy points. I’ll show you how to remove the AR-15 A2 sights here.

What’s an MRAD Rifle Scope?

MRAD stands for milliradians (or MIL for short), and was originally developed for artillery in the late 1800s. It’s still the preferred method for military and police force operations to this day, where you’ll commonly here it referred to as a MIL-dot reticle.

Based on a radial line, a unit of angular measurement that is equal to roughly 57.3 degrees, a milliradian is one thousandth of a radian.

This system does not come out to make a perfect circle like the MOA system. Instead, milliradians divide the circumference of a circle into 6.28 equal sections measuring 57.3 degrees each in an MRAD scope.

Thus, every circle has a circle circumference that is 6.28 radians long. Then each radian is going to be divided into 1,000 parts more, which is called Milliradians.

When calculating MRAD in a MIL-based scope, you will be calling it MIL, which is 3.6 inches at 100 yards (91.4m using the metric system) equal to 1 MIL.

I tried an MRAD scope on my M1A that happens to have the best M1A scope mount ever.

MOA vs MRAD: Which is better?

The short answer: neither. The argument is as old as time, but it’s really just the shooter’s preference of rifle scope.

The fight between MOA vs MRAD boils down to a difference in how we format degrees of angular measure. It’s fancy math terminology that basically asks if you use yards or meters.

Technically, the 1/4 MOA clicks are slightly more accurate than the 1/10 MIL, but the MIL values are somewhat easier to communicate.

Reference cards with MIL are easier to read because they are indicated by 2 numbers only, while the cards with MOA are indicated with four numbers. We could go back and forth all day, but you get the idea.

If you like other comparisons, check out my Nightforce SHV vs. Vortex PST guide.

Which do you need?

Choosing between the MOA or MRAD system will take some self reflection, so buckle up.

If you normally think in meters or centimeters, then it is easier to calculate distance with a MOA. If you normally think in yards or inches, then MRAD should be your go-to.

And if you’re not going to calculate distances, it doesn’t matter between the MRAD vs MOA. Do your thing, both types are equally effective for medium- and long-range shooting.

Another thing to take into account is that you also have to consider your hunting partners, teammates, friends, and so on. You’ll want to have a common language so you can communicate together without having to do conversions between the two systems.

Or you could be an absolute rebel and have a scope for each system, swapping it out in the field with the best quick detach scope mounts. Live your life to the fullest.

Most importantly, choose the same system for your turrets and scope reticles. I have a guide on first focal planes vs. second focal planes to help you choose the right reticle as well.

Regardless of all the math, the decision between MOA and MRAD isn’t that important. Clicks with an MOA turret are slightly more precise than clicks with a MIL turret, but at the end of the day it’s a style choice between rifle scopes.

FAQ

Sometimes nostalgia corrupts your remembrances. Things I enjoyed in my youth are fondly remembered, but I no longer have to deal with them.

My new six-speed automatic Jeep is so much more reliable and easier to drive than my Dad’s old Jeep panel truck, but I fondly remember the old jeep.

I grew up with double-barrel and pump-action shotguns. While they were useful and still are, the Panzer Arms BP-12 Bullpup is something from a different century.

Standout Features

This shotgun is a self-loader with a five-round detachable box magazine. I have several shotguns that do not even accept a light or optics mount of any type.

The BP-12 has several inches of real estate for mounting lights or optics. The bullpup configuration was first used in rifles and only much later has it become popular in shotguns.

The design places the receiver behind the shooter’s face and the firing grip forward. This allows for a relatively long barrel in a short package.

The BP-12 doesn’t point like a standard shotgun, as the balance of the piece is very different than a standard-design shotgun. The shotgun’s natural point is quite different than a bullpup.

The bullpup must be handled like a rifle and driven toward the target like a rifle and aimed with more care than the usual shotgun.

While modern and effective, a bullpup must be learned and handled decisively to be effective.

Panzer Arms BP-12 Specifications:

Action: Self-Loading Chamber: 12-Gauge, Three-Inch Overall Length: 30.7 Inches Capacity: 5+1 (10rd Magazines Available) Weight Unloaded: 7.8 lbs Weight Loaded: 8.6 lbs Barrel Length: 20 Inches Finish: Blued

How It Shoots

When you are firing the shotgun, your cheek is closer to the receiver than with most shotguns. Muzzle signature is more evident.

The Panzer Arms BP-12 shotgun isn’t difficult to use well, but these differences simply must be understood. The person who learns to use the shotgun well will find it a very effective firearm.

Those who do not care to practice and learn should choose a simpler firearm. The primary difference between this shotgun and others is that the firing grip is far ahead of the action.

The trigger bar goes through some tangents and this means the trigger will never be as nice as a standard-design shotgun, but then a crisp trigger is part of very few shotgun designs.

Learning to use the bolt release and magazine release isn’t difficult. Simply put aside time for dry-fire practice.

A few words on the shotgun’s quality of manufacture: the fit, finish and machining impress. The hardware fits well and the finish is always even.

The shotgun is delivered with AR-15 type sights, two magazines that hold five 12-gauge shells, and a cheek riser to allow the use of optical sights.

If you are using iron sights, then remove the cheek riser. There are two adjustment rings supplied with the shotgun that must be fitted after partial disassembly in order to change between standard and high-velocity loads.

The cocking handle may be reversed to allow racking from either side. Most right-handed shooters will have the cocking handle on the left side of the receiver.

The bolt handle allows plenty of leverage, racking the bolt isn’t difficult at all.

Other Performance Notes

Simply load the magazine with shells, slipping the shells under the feel lips and pressing them straight to the rear. I always tap magazines on a boot heel or hard surface to seat the shells.

This ensures feed reliability. Then, angle the magazines in the magazine well and be certain it is properly seated. Rack bolt to load the first shell and you are good to go for firing.

The safety lever is easy enough to manipulate. When firing the shotgun, it seems recoil is easier to manage than with a standard-configuration shotgun.

Fire, get the sights back on target and hit the target again. The large peep sights make for excellent high probability. The shotgun was fired with a variety of loads.

Some did not function properly. Panzer Arms states that a break-in period of up to 100 full-power shells may be needed. This seems reasonable.

Other tightly-fitted firearms require a modest break-in. Some full-power shells did not function properly, with the occasional short cycle, while some types came out of the box running.

Fiocchi full-power Aero slugs functioned and so did Remington full-power buckshot. Reduced-recoil loads will not function, at least with the full-power ring installed and during the initial break-in period.

Incidentally, during the test, I dropped a fully-loaded all-steel magazine on the concrete walk of the firing range. The magazine was scuffed of course, but not dented and it never failed to feed properly.

After the initial test, I would load full-power Remington Power Piston loads and rest easy. The shotgun is supplied with three choke tubes for open, modified and full choke use.

I like this option in a combat shotgun. I like to have a shotgun that delivers a solid hit with the buckshot load to at least 20 yards. These choke tubes are Mobil types and are nice to have.

Conclusion: Panzer Arms BP-12

I like the Panzer Arms shotgun. It is well-made and should prove to be a formidable defender for the home or ranch.

What do you think of the Panzer Arms BP-12? Do you like bullpup shotguns? Let us know in the comments below!

(Like this shotgun? You might also like the Kel-Tec KSG Pump-Action Shotgun. Read our range report on the firearm here.)

Above are some of the old school concrete block pits at Jackie Hite’s Bar-B-Q in Batesburg-Leesville, SC. Below are plans for building your own no-frills pit suitable for a butterflied 75 pound hog, enough to feed about 35 people. It is designed so it can be a temporary structure or you can make it permanent. If you cut the head and remove the trotters at the knees and elbows, you can fit a 100 pounder or more on this rig. But don’t throw away the head and trotters. Just place them on the stretcher next to the torso. If you plan on cooking larger hogs, you can scale this plan up. You must cook with indirect heat. Click here for instructions on how to prep and cook the hog.

Materials

• SIDES: 54 concrete blocks 16″ x 8″ x 8″ (actually 15.75 x 7.75 x 7.75″). This will get your hog 32 ” above the embers, plus a course to hold the lid. Cost about $54.
• LID: 4 x 8′ sheet of 1/4″ plywood, cut down to about 44 x 60″ for the lid. Note that Hite uses sheets of cardboard for his lids as seen in the photo above, but I strongly advise against this. He is a master of fire control, and if yours burn, they could ruin the hog. And then you have no lid. Cost about $10. Usually the lid will not be a tight fit. If it is you can crack it open with a stone or make a vent by cutting a hole in it.
• HEAT SHIELD: Half of a 4 x 8′ sheet of 1/4″ plywood cut down to 20 x 36″ for the optional heat shield. Cost about $10.
• PROTECTION: 2 rolls heavy duty aluminum foil. Cost about $30.
• COOKING GRATE: 4 lengths of 48″ each of 3/8″ rebar. You can use a sheet of expanded metal rather than rebar if you wish. Cost about $5 per 10′ bar, 3 bars needed.
• STRETCHER: Non-climbable uncoated fence wire or rabbit wire at least 14 gauge, 46 x 72″. Do not use galvanized metal because it can give off noxious gases. Cost about $30 for a 50′ roll.
• STRETCHER HANDLES: 2 boards 1″ x 2″ x 6′ each. Cost about $2.
• STRETCHER HANDLES: 100 bare wire loop ties, 6″ each. Cost about $2.50.
• DAMPERS: 2 pieces lightweight sheet metal, about 20″ x 10″ each or you can use sheet pans. They will go over the openings in the sides to help you control oxygen to the coals if it runs too hot. Cost about $15.

Optional

• More rebar to pound from the top down into the ground to prevent the blocks from shifting. Cost about $15.
• Mortar to lock the blocks permanently into place. Cost about $10.
• Lightweight sheet metal for the lid, about 44 x 60″. Cost about $30.
• Lightweight sheet metal for the heat shield, about 30 x 48″. Cost about $30.
• 20 bags (40 pounds each) premix concrete for a 3″ thick slab FOR THE BASE AND BOTTOM. Cost about $40.

Tools

• Fire extinguisher.
• Wire cutter.
• Level.
• Hack saw.
• Hammer.
• Chisel.
• Utility stapler and plenty of staples.
• Wheel barrow, steel drum, or charcoal grill to start coals.
• Shovel.
• Garden hose or buckets of water or fire extinguisher.
• Good digital oven thermometer.

About the pit

Keep the pit at least 10′ from buildings and overhanging trees in case there is a grease fire. Keep a fire extinguisher rated for grease on hand. Fire extinguishers rated ABC can handle most everything except combustible metals. Beware, they contain a yellow powder that can damage electrical devices.

Start by clearing a base that is 4′ x 5′ by removing grass and prepare an all dirt or sand base at least 2″ thick. You will need to discard some of it when you are done because fat and meat drippings may get in the dirt. The dogs will roll in it and it will attract insects, mice, you name it. If needed, you can buy sand at a hardware store. I recommend lining the pit with aluminum foil.

Make sure the ground is level. Stack the concrete blocks 4 rows high, 3 full lengths and then turn one block on each course, staggering the blocks so they overlap as in the illustration. Notice that I have left out a block on the head and tail side so you can add coals and wood and rake them around. Cover these wholes with a board and a concrete block when they are not in use.

Make notches in the blocks with a hammer and chisel deep enough to hold the rebar so the next course of blocks will lie flat on the course below. Put the rebar on top of the fourth course of blocks. Don’t put the top course of blocks on yet.

The stretcher

To carry the hog and hold it in place on the pit, you need to build a stretcher. It is two poles for the stretcher bearers on either side, and a wire mesh sling in between for the hog. Non-climbable fence wire is heavier gauge and sturdier than chicken wire. You can use chicken wire for but it would be a good idea to use two layers. Make sure the wire is not coated with plastic. For something more permanent, use heavy duty expanded metal mesh. Do not use galvanized, it can create toxins.

Make the sling of the wire wide enough to rest on the rebar and hang over the edges of the pit by at least 1′ on either side. Attach two 6′ lengths of 1″ x 2″ boards for handles with staples and reinforce them with the wire loop ties. Then lay another section of mesh over the top of the first and fasten it to one of the handles, but leave the other open. Attach a handle to the open edge. You then have a reversible stretcher so you can flip the hog.

About the heat shield

I specified a sheet of plywood cut down to 20 x 36″ for an optional heat shield. If you bank your coals to the sides and corners properly you may not need it, but I recommend you have it on hand in case something starts to burn or overcook. This goes on top of the rebar and beneath the stretcher to shield the hog from direct heat. This size leaves space between the shield and the inside of the pit so hot air can rise alongside the shield and bounce off the lid. You will remove it late in the cook when it is time to crisp the skin. Wrap it in aluminum foil and staple down the foil. Don’t worry, it won’t burn unless you have a grease fire because the pig-sitter fell asleep or spent too much time in the toilet. If the pit is to be a permanent structure, make your heat shield from sheet metal, preferably aluminum because it won’t rust.

The cover

Cover the bottom of the plywood lid with foil. If you wish, you can use a sheet metal top instead of plywood.

Other designs for whole hog cookers from readers

Here’s the “Hog Cabin” built by Jacob Hanson of Tucson, AZ. Notice the innovation : He used half width blocks along the sides and put scalloped garden edging to hold the rebar. He also put an access door with an angle iron header. The wood frame holds a removable pitched roof, not shown.

James Brownfield of Kansas City built this beauty from concrete blocks. On the left is the hog pit and on the right he tacked on a separate vertical smoker. The hog pit side is a little larger than my design: 66″ long (4 blocks), 47″ wide (3 blocks) and 35″ tall (4 blocks) with a 2″ top cap. The interior measures 52″ long by 32″ wide. The cooking grate is 20″ above the coals and he has another grate 10″ under the cooking grate on which he can cover with foil and/or cheap catering pans to catch the grease. Both grates are simply expanded metal that rest on rebar. There’s some pretty nifty metalwork for the pit top, chimney, doors, and smoker shelving. The whole shebang sits on a concrete slab he poured.

Carl Herbert built this pit. The insert shows the access door on the other side.

From Jim S. This guy built a simple quick and dirty pit, below.

David Wm. Reed of Texas A&M has a good article on roasting cochon au lait, French for suckling pig, and a novel design for a pig roaster with the hog hanging by his hind legs.

Twenty years of chasing cougars with my own dogs have taught me that we in the outdoor media do a lousy job of explaining lion hunting. Even experienced hunters with good dogs finish second much of the time, a fact that too many stories ignore. Even on successful chases, magazine articles and TV programs commonly cut quickly to the tree, the shot, and the dead cat, which makes the process look pretty easy.

Now I invite you to tag along on a real-world lion chase. When we’re done, you can draw your own conclusions.

There are more late-crossing lions in the imagination than in the woods. The term refers to a cat that has crossed the road behind you after you’ve driven up a canyon, searching for a track left the night before. Sign from a late-crosser is a welcome sight because it guarantees a fresh track. Most days, the possibility of spotting tracks made behind you does little more than help you stay awake at the start of a long drive home.

But these tracks were clear, coming down off a bank we’d passed just an hour before.

First spotting them in the headlights, I wrote them off as elk tracks we’d seen on the way in. But something didn’t look right.

I stood on the brakes, and my hunting partner, John, and I jumped out. No doubt about it – we were looking at a tom’s track right on top of our tire tread.

After waiting 20 minutes for legal shooting light – a requirement for turning dogs out in Montana – we walked to the back of the truck for Robbie, John’s bluetick, and Sadie, my walker. As the pair yapped off through the gloom, I fully expected to hear them barking treed before we left the vehicle.

“This one should be about as easy as it gets,” I commented while squirming into my backpack.

Yeah, right.

Although I’d treed cats for others, I hadn’t shot one myself in five years. Now I was the designated hitter, and although I like to downplay the shooting of a cat at the end of a hunt, I confess that the hunt is always more exciting when that role falls to you. As the sound of the chase crossed a creek and disappeared over a ridge, I felt especially eager as we set off in pursuit.

More than a foot of fresh powder snow had fallen that week, and I’d thought about strapping snowshoes to my pack before leaving the truck. But not wanting to pack them through the brush on the mountainside, I decided against it, which seemed like a good idea at the time. Of course, that’s probably what Custer said about his decision at the Little Bighorn.

By the time we’d crossed the first ridge and descended into another creek bottom, the dogs were out of earshot. The track led up a steep mountainside, where deep snow wasn’t a problem under the tree canopy. However, the layer closest to the ground had frozen, and the loose powder on top of it was as slick as grease. We took two steps forward and one step back all the way to the top.

A mile down the ridge, the trail took a confusing turn as we ran into a chaotic jumble of tracks going in different directions. We did find bounding lion tracks where the dogs had jumped the cat, but rocky cliffs below made it impossible to see what had gone where, and blowing snow blurred dog and cat tracks. To complete the confusion, John found lion prints disappearing back into the timber where we’d just come out – with no dog tracks on top of them.

One possible explanation for such confusion is multiple lions. Despite inherently low population densities, cats have a way of finding each other in those lonely hills. It was also possible that a lion kill lay nearby. In any case, fresh lion tracks would do us no good without dogs. So we hunkered down in the timber and waited for them to show up.

But they didn’t. As much as we hated the thought of losing the elevation we had gained, we split up and picked our way down the far hillside, trying to work out the muddle. The blowing snow wasn’t helping, but at one point I was sure I had running lion tracks with dog tracks on top of them. At the bottom, John found the same going on up the next mountain. Although something didn’t feel right, we decided to follow the track.

The second mountainside wasn’t as demanding as the one we’d climbed earlier until we approached the top, where we encountered a maze of steep, rocky cliffs. Ascending one vertical chimney proved nearly impossible without technical climbing gear, but somehow we powered our way up through it.

Another mile down this ridge we encountered more bounding cat tracks; the dogs had caught up with the lion again. Then we entered an area of blowing snow and got separated as we tried to work out the track. By the time I finally picked it up again down in the timber, John’s boot tracks were on top of it, but we were out of earshot. We wouldn’t see each other again for hours.

The chase led back downhill in the direction from which we’d just come. If the dogs had a cat treed on the hillside, I should have been able to hear them. The track I was following led right back toward the spot where we’d first got confused.

A sinking feeling hit me in the pit of my stomach as I finally deduced what had happened. By the time we were waiting on the last ridge, the cat and dogs had already run the loop we’d just spent three bruising hours following! The lone track sneaking back across the ridge had been our cat, and the dogs were lost somewhere on the mountainside.

Back at the creek bottom we’d crossed earlier, I paused to take stock. Our lion hunt was over. I’d been on the trail for seven hours. The dogs were lost, the weather was deteriorating, and limited light remained. It was time to consider priorities. The first order of business was planning my route out of the woods. The dogs came second. I didn’t know where John was, but he would take care of himself.

The wisest choice in these situations is usually to return the way you came, but I knew the creek bottom eventually led to the road. Even though that route was longer, it would save me a long climb.

Then the faint sound of a lost dog’s barking rose above the wind down the creek. That finalized my decision, and after slogging through a mile of snow, I was overjoyed to find dog tracks. Then Robbie and Sadie appeared from the trees. The team was nearly reassembled. All I had to do was get us home, which should have been easy, given the open terrain along the bottom.

However, snow had blown, drifted, and settled on the open ground. Worse yet, the crusted snow was almost, but not quite, firm enough to support my weight. The conditions were perfect for snowshoes – but you know where mine were.

I will admit to being one tired pup by the time I reached the side road that would eventually lead back to the vehicle. Even the well-conditioned hounds were dragging, and we were still two miles from the truck.

Then the most welcome sight imaginable appeared – John had taken the shorter route out, and using the ESP that hunting partners develop after years together in the field, he had figured out exactly where I’d be. The sight of both hounds was probably as welcome to him as the warm truck was to me.

The cat may have won that chess match, but we knew we’d been on an honest lion hunt, with no help from snow machines or radio tracking collars. And that’s the simple tale of a lion chase that was supposed to be as easy as it gets.

It’s a year later now, and the new lion season has just begun. On opening day, the alternator on my truck went out in the middle of nowhere right after we spotted the first cat track of the season. Rather than risk more confusion, John and Scott, a friend visiting from Alaska, stayed with the dead vehicle while I spent eight hours hiking out of the woods to a telephone from which I could call my wife Lori to come rescue us. My 60-year-old legs were already aching, and I had yet to turn Sadie out on a cat.

But yesterday’s events perfectly illustrate the other side of lion hunting. We crossed a smoking fresh tom track right at sunrise, and the dogs were barking at the tree by the time we’d slipped on our packs. Scott drove the arrow home with his recurve, and less than an hour later we were back at my resurrected truck with Scott’s first lion.

“You’re a lucky hunter,” I told Scott as we loaded the dogs back into the vehicle. “That chase was about as easy as they get.”

“I know,” he replied. “I almost wish it had been harder.”

“Are you sure?” I asked with a laugh, and then we were bouncing back down the road looking for the next set of tracks.

Adventuresome Bowman Don Thomas lives in rural Montana with his bowhunting wife, Lori. Don’s 15 outdoor books are available through www.donthomasbooks.com.

With the popularity these days of cartridges for long-range this and long-range that, it’s surprising the .300 Blackout has become one of the more popular rifle cartridges since its commercial introduction in 2010. Timing may have played a hand in the Blackout’s acceptance, as it was introduced by Advanced Armament Corporation (AAC) and its sister company, Remington, when the trend of tactical shooting started to build. The Blackout, though, has many positive attributes. For one, the short cartridge fits in any gun design that accepts the .223/5.56, from single-shot handguns and compact bolt-action rifles to autoloading carbines, where it has been most successful. The Blackout shoots the complete range of .30-caliber bullets – from light bullets acceptably fast for hunting to 200-grain and heavier bullets plodding along at subsonic velocities. The Blackout’s story goes back much farther than 2010. AAC had been working on a military cartridge when it was bought by Remington, backed by the Freedom Group, in 2009. The following year AAC and Remington introduced the .300 Blackout. That year I toured the Remington ammunition plant in Lonake, Arkansas, mainly to observe the production of shotshells. At the nearby Remington shooting range, a couple of Remington engineers uncased an AR-15 and showed around the cartridge for which it was chambered. “It’s the .300 Blackout,” they said. “It’s the .300 Whisper,” I replied.

The Blackout is indeed the .300 Whisper designed by J.D. Jones in 1992 by necking up .221 Fireball cases to accept .30-caliber bullets. The only difference between the Blackout and Whisper is Blackout chambers have a slightly longer leade. Jones states on his website (sskindustries.com) that the “Whisper series of cartridges was developed as specific military, police, competition and recreational cartridges . . . ” The website also states, “A Whisper cartridge must be capable of sub-sonic extreme accuracy with very heavy bullets for its caliber, i.e. 240 grains in 30, as well as moderate to high velocity while maintaining excellent accuracy with light bullets for the caliber, i.e. 125 at 2300 FPS in the 30.

“. . . the cartridge was designed as a multi-purpose cartridge from the beginning. Its design parameters, in addition to the ballistics quoted above, were that it must be capable of being used in the AR-15/M16 family of rifles, contenders and bolt action rifles as well as being easily suppressed.” Quite a number of carbine bolt actions are chambered in Blackout. Most have 16-inch barrels. They range from Kimber’s Adirondack that weighs 4 pounds, 13 ounces, to the Ruger American Ranch rifle and Remington Model 700 Tactical. Pretty much every AR-type rifle chambered in .223/5.56 NATO is also chambered in Blackout. A different barrel is the only requirement to change from .223 to Blackout, as both cartridges operate at the same 55,000 psi and use the same magazine and bolt face. A SIG Sauer MCX VIRTUS Patrol was used to shoot the loads in the accompanying load table. The carbine is chambered in 5.56 or .300 Blackout. Only a barrel swap was required to change between the cartridges. Turning out two Torx screws loosened the barrel clamps, and the 5.56 barrel originally on the carbine pulled free of the upper receiver. After inserting a Blackout barrel and tightening the barrel clamp screws, I was in business shooting the Blackout.

I first shot SIG Sauer factory ammunition through the VIRTUS. Ammunition options are nearly unending, with Blackout ammunition also available from Barnes, Federal, Fiocchi, Gorilla, Hornady, HSM, Magtech, Nosler, Noveske, Remington, Silver State Armory, Streak, Underwood and Winchester. I’m sure there are others. It seems someone is always comparing the Blackout to the .223/5.56, 7.62×39 and .30-30. So, ballistics-wise, let’s measure the Blackout against these three cartridges. The .30-30 beats the Blackout every which way. The .30-30 shoots Sierra 150-grain bullets at 2,367 fps with 36.3 grains of CFE 223, and the Speer 125-grain TNT with 33.0 grains of H-335 at 2,587 fps when fired from the 20-inch barrel of my Winchester Model 94. Those velocities are an additional 300 fps faster than Blackout velocities with the same bullet weights. The Blackout is America’s version of the 7.62×39 Russian, and the tactical crowd calls the Blackout the 7.62×35. I have been able to shoot Sierra 110-grain bullets at 2,511 fps loaded with Reloder 7, and Speer 125-grain bullets at 2,500 fps with CFE BLK powder from the 18.5-inch barrel of my CZ 527 Carbine 7.62×39. Tulammo is the fastest factory ammunition I have shot through a CZ, with its 124-grain FMJ bullets registering 2,405 fps at the muzzle. Advantage for the Russian round is 200 plus fps. Ballistic charts show there is not much difference between the energy carried by 125-grain bullets fired at 2,235 fps from the Blackout and the .223 shooting 69-grain bullets at 3,000 fps, and 80-grain bullets existing the muzzle at 2,750 fps. The .22-caliber bullets carry about 50 foot-pounds of additional energy than the .30-caliber bullet by the time the three bullets have reached 100 yards. The .22-caliber bullets hang on to that energy advantage at 200 yards and enlarge the difference as distance increases. Both bullets fired from a .223 drop half the distance of the .30-caliber bullets at distances from 150 to 400 yards when all three bullets are zeroed at 100 yards. The Blackout launching 165-grain bullets at 1,850 fps does not improve on those figures. A 220-grain bullet fired at 1,000 fps from the Blackout carries only about half the energy as 165-grain bullets. The heavy bullet drops like a hand-thrown brick.

To go out on a half-sawn limb, the Blackout was never designed to improve on the .223’s ballistics. The Blackout’s value is that it provides acceptable velocity from a 16-inch barrel with bullets that carry some persuasive weight. Bullets for the Blackout run the gamut of lightweight projectiles traveling somewhat over 2,000 fps to heavy bullets plodding along at 1,000 fps. To determine how well light and heavy bullets expanded, I shot all the bullets listed in the accompanying load table into stacks of dry paper placed 35 yards from the muzzle of the SIG carbine. SIG-loaded Sierra 125-grain MatchKing bullets hit the paper at 2,080 fps, and handloaded Berger 110- and 125-grain bullets impacted at about 2,000 fps. All three bullets fragmented.

SIG 120-grain HT Solid Copper loads hit the paper at 2,150 fps. The hollowpoint peeled back into four petals to the bullet’s solid shank. The bullets expanded to nearly twice their original diameter, just like SIG advertises. The HT would make a great hunting bullet. I doubted Speer 165-grain bullets would expand with a slow impact velocity of a 1,700 fps. But the jacket of the bullets ripped apart down to the base and lost their lead core. Berger 210-grain bullets were marginally stable when fired at 1,100 fps from the SIG’s barrel with its 1:6 rifling twist. A few of the bullets hit sideways on targets at 100 yards. The Bergers hit the paper going 960 fps. Recovered bullets looked like they had immediately turned sideways when they hit. The bullets bent in half and fairly well lost their lead core. SIG-loaded Sierra 220-grain MatchKing bullets plowed into the paper at just under 1,000 fps. Their hollow points opened up, and the bullets expanded halfway down their length, doubling their initial width. The MatchKings would make a great bullet for shooting hogs. Lehigh Defense has a great selection of bullets for all uses of the Blackout. Those bullets range from a 78-grain Close Quarters bullet, with an aluminum core and prestressed jacket designed to violently expand and limit penetration no more than 18 inches, to Maximum Expansion 194-grain Subsonic Bullets. Lehigh states Maximum Expansion bullets do not expand in dry mediums like wood or drywall. Their hollowpoints are designed to expand at 750 to 1,200 fps upon contact with a fluid-based medium through hydraulic energy. I shot the bullets into the paper at 1,400 fps. The .60-inch-deep hollowpoints peeled back into four petals down to their solid copper base. It seemed only a sprinkle of powder balanced my scale when weighing charges to handload the Blackout. Powder weights for 210-grain bullets looked especially light; how could those small amounts of powder even push those big bullets out the bore?

Powders for the Blackout are relatively fast burning, such as Accurate No. 11FS, 1680, 5744, LT-30 and No. 9, Alliant Reloder 7 and 10X, IMR-4227 and 4198, Hodgdon Lil’Gun and CFE BLK. CFE BLK worked well with the 110- to 210-grain bullets I used for the Blackout. CFE BLK traded back and forth with Lil’Gun for highest velocities. Accurate No. 11FS provided good accuracy with Berger 125-grain FB Target bullets with a velocity 200 fps faster than Lil’Gun. Vertical spread of impact points of the different bullet weights was tremendous. With the SIG carbine sighted in to shoot 125-grain bullets on aim at 100 yards, Berger 110-grain bullets hit way over point of aim at 100 yards. In contrast, 210- and 220-grain bullets at subsonic velocities hit about 20 inches lower than the 125s.

Across the board, the Blackout produced low extreme velocity spreads that most likely resulted from powder charges held tightly in place by bullets in the Blackout case to promote a uniform powder burn. Over nine shots, SIG ammunition loaded with 120-grain HT bullets had an extreme velocity spread of 27 fps, Sierra 125-grain bullets provided a spread of 24 fps and Sierra 220-grain MatchKing bullets had an extreme spread of 16 fps. Handloads also produced even velocities. Berger 125-grain bullets shot with three different powders had an average extreme spread of 17 fps, Speer 165-grain bullets had a 29-fps velocity spread for three powders, and Lehigh Defense 194-grain bullets averaged 22 fps using three powders. There is some concern that the small powder charges the Blackout burns may fail to generate enough gas to cycle an autoloader’s action. The SIG MCX VIRTUS Patrol is equipped with a two-position gas valve to meter the correct amount of gas used to cycle the rifle. Adjustments are made by pushing down a lever on either side of the valve through “windows” in the sides of the handguard. The left-side lever on the handguard has a “minus” and the right side a “plus” mark. SIG suggests setting the valve on “minus” for loads that generate supersonic velocities and “plus” for subsonic loads. I left the valve on the latter setting for all shooting. Every one of several hundred loads cycled without a hitch.

Handloading the Blackout was straightforward. A few loads resulted in compressed powder charges when seating bullets. The cartridges remained the same length after sitting for a day. Some handloaders have reported the Blackout’s rather thin case necks fail to adequately hold bullets in place. A combination of compressed powder and the thrust of an autoloader’s bolt slamming closed can cause bullets to partially slide out of cases. Solutions include using a slightly narrower expander button in the sizing die, or loading bullets with a crimping cannelure to crimp case mouths. Most .30-caliber bullets, though, do not have a crimping groove. Those with a crimping groove most likely have it in the wrong place, unless they are specifically intended for the Blackout. Redding National Match dies come with a taper crimp die that solves all such problems. If I can theorize why the .300 Blackout has become so popular, it is because it’s a great informal target and everyday-shooting cartridge. Cartridges, handloads at least, are relatively inexpensive, and recoil is negligible. I shot the SIG carbine at targets, and my son shot it at ground squirrels. The back-and-forth slam of the bolt created more recoil than the actual firing of cartridges. From there the Blackout readily adapts to short-range hunting with an assortment of bullet weights and styles.