As you take your seat next to the crackling campfire at elk camp, you look up as the sparks flutter into the night sky. The evening is brisk, and you are looking forward to the hot coffee that is starting to boil in the blue enamel kettle on the fire.

Your hunting buddies soon join you after a long day of stalking and regale their tales of the events that transpired. Near misses, huge bull elk sightings, and jokes about who are the worst shooters in the group pass the time as you soak in the atmosphere and scent of the forest that surrounds you.

As the evening progresses, the discussion turns towards which hunting cartridge is ideal for big game hunting in North America.

When it comes to long-distance big game hunting, the 30-06 Springfield and 300 Winchester Magnum are ever-present in the discussion around the campfire or internet hunting forums.

Many claim that the high muzzle velocity, flatter trajectory, and longer effective range make the 300 Win Mag the obvious choice. However, some contest that the 30-06 is more than sufficient for any large game, and the added recoil and hunting rifle weight of the 300 Win Mag are not needed.

But which of these 30-caliber cartridges is ideal for your next hunt?

The Difference Between .30-06 vs .300 Win Mag: Two 30-Caliber Giants

The 30-06 Springfield and the .300 Win Mag are two extremely capable long-range shooting cartridges that will serve you well when the moment arises. Both hunting cartridges fire the 30 caliber bullets accurately and it’s unlikely that we will be able to determine a winner per se.

The 300 Winchester Magnum was designed as a long-distance magnum cartridge to fire heavier bullets with extreme precision at a high effective range like that of the 6.5 Creedmoor.

The 30-06 Springfield was designed as a military cartridge that found amazing success in the realm of big game hunting. With its spectacular terminal ballistics, the 30-06 has claimed every large game animal on the North American continent and has been the hunting rifle chambering of choice for no less than 3 generations.

Each hunting cartridge has its advantages and disadvantages, and you need to be aware of these when choosing the caliber of your next target shooting or hunting rifle.

Cartridge Specs

Both the 300 Win Mag and the 30-06 fire the same diameter bullet, 0.308”. This means that they can typically fire the same 30 caliber bullets, so it makes reloading simpler for both calibers.

The first striking difference that you’ll see when comparing the .300 Win Mag and the 30-06 is the difference in case length. The 300 Win Mag is a full 0.12” longer than the 30-06 and you can easily see this when comparing them side by side. However, once loaded, both the 30-06 ammo and the .300 Win Mag will have the same overall case length.

The overall design of the 300 Win Mag also lends itself to increased case capacity. The .300 Win Mag has over 35% more case capacity than the 30-06, allowing for larger powder charges and higher velocity that lends itself to long-range shooting.

As far as pressure, the .300 Win Mag is capable of handling over 3,000 psi more pressure than the 30-06. But all of that increased case capacity and powder charge come at a price, recoil, and barrel life.

Recoil

There’s no denying that the recoil plays a key part in accuracy, and neither the .300 Win Mag nor the 30-06 is a slouch when it comes to recoil.

Recoil also plays a part in follow-up shots, as you can get your sights back on target faster with a lower recoiling rifle.

As I’m sure you have guessed, the 300 Win Mag has higher felt recoil than the 30-06. Assuming a 7 lb rifle for both calibers, the .300 Win Mag has approximately 35 ft-lbs of recoil, while the 30-06 is slapping your shoulder with 23 ft-lbs. That’s a good 12 ft-lbs less recoil for the 30-06, and that’s not nothing.

However, there is another factor that we need to consider, and that’s rifle weight. Often a .300 Win Mag will garner a larger rifle. Although this might be uncomfortable to backpack through the woods all day, a heavier rifle will reduce the felt recoil a shooter has to endure as the rifle soaks up some of the recoil itself.

With a rifle weighing 9 lbs, the felt recoil for .300 Win Mag will come down to about 27 ft-lbs of shoulder punishment.

Although this is a lot more manageable, you still must carry a 9-pound rifle through the woods all day, and that can wear on your endurance as well. In the end, it’s a trade-off, a heavier rifle recoils less but is more uncomfortable to carry while a lighter rifle will recoil more but be more comfortable to carry through the woods.

Many hunters will just say you need to “man up” because shooting the more powerful .300 Win Mag is worth it. But is it?

When shooting at longer ranges, consistency is key. Although the flat shooting trajectory of the 300 Win Mag is more favorable for long-range shots, the added recoil can add a level of difficulty focusing on the fundamentals of shooting, particularly a clean trigger squeeze.

For younger shooters, there is no question, the 30-06 with less recoil is the obvious choice. For more seasoned hunters and shooters, you need to be honest with yourself about your marksmanship skills and ability to handle the recoil.

Because a little trigger jerk at 400 yards will send that 220 gr Hornady ELD-X under the belly of that trophy mule deer. Or worse, you wound the poor animal with a shot that misses all the vitals entirely.

The simple truth is that it is easier to be more accurate with a 30-06 as it has less recoil, and you can practice with it more.

Barrel Life

This is another category that favors the 30-06 Springfield as the .300 Win Mag is notoriously hard on barrels. This is due to the larger powder charge that the cavernous case capacity of the 300 Win Mag allows.

Sure, you can send those 30 caliber bullets screaming out of the barrel at ridiculously high velocity, decidedly higher velocity than the 30-06. But those magnum powder charges are going to accelerate your barrel wear, especially in the throat where the rifling begins.

Traditional wisdom states that a 30-06 barrel is good for 3,000 to 4,000 rounds while the .300 Win Mag barrel will maintain peak accuracy for 2,500 to 3,000 rounds.

For most hunters, it is unlikely that they will ever wear out a 300 Winchester Magnum barrel.

However, for long-range shooting competitors, it is not uncommon to go through a lot of rounds in a practice session. These shooters demand the pinnacle of accuracy from their handloads and barrels, therefore barrel life is much more important for competitive shooters as opposed to hunters.

Accuracy

Accuracy is a tricky category to empirically analyze as there are factors that cannot be calculated. The rifle system being used, barrel life, consistency of ammo, the skill of the shooter, and environmental conditions all play a part in accuracy.

All things being equal, both the .300 Win Mag and the 30-06 are extremely accurate within their effective ranges and sub-MOA accuracy is achievable with match-grade ammo, proper optics, and proper execution of the fundamentals of marksmanship.

As the .300 Win Mag has a flatter trajectory, this gives it a slight edge in accuracy over the 30-06 as a shooter will need to make fewer adjustments to account for bullet drop.

Furthermore, the Army selected the 300 Win Mag as its ammo for their new Enhanced Sniper Rifle in 2010 (though the 6.5 Creedmoor is turning some heads at USSOCOM).

Effective range also plays a part in accuracy, as once a bullet goes subsonic, accuracy goes out the window.

The .300 Win Mag is rated out to a maximum effective range of 1,300 yards while the 30-06 starts going subsonic right around the 1,000-yard marker. Under 800 yards, with all things being equal, I doubt many shooters could detect any differences in accuracy. Over 800 yards it will become more apparent as the 30-06 starts to hemorrhage fps quickly and the 300 Win Mag is still trucking along.

For shots over 800 yards, the 300 Win Mag will be the better option. However, for shots within ethical hunting ranges and below 800 yards, accuracy should be equal for these two hunting cartridges.

Trajectory

Trajectory is how we quantify a bullet’s flight path to its target measured in inches of bullet drop.

For the purpose of discussion, we will look at the 180 grain bullet that both cartridges fire.

Short-range trajectory for the 300 Win Mag and 30-06 are fairly close, at -18” and -27” respectively. Nine inches is not insignificant, but the difference between these two cartridges really shows when you hit the 1000-yard line.

At 1,000 yards, the 30-06 has dropped on average -397” while the 300 Win Mag has only dropped -295”. That’s 8.5 feet difference between the two cartridges.

This is one of the main reasons that the 30-06 is not used in long-range target shooting competitions and the 300 Win Mag is often seen on the 1,000-yard firing line.

The .300 Win Mag was specifically designed to be a high velocity, flat shooting round similar to the 6.5 Creedmoor and it excels at this role. There’s no denying that for longer ranges, the .300 Win Mag is the superior choice.

Effective Range

This is another category where the .300 Win Mag runs away with the victory.

As mentioned earlier, the 300 Winchester Magnum can maintain supersonic bullet speeds out to 1,300 yards, with some match grade loads reaching out to 1,400 and even 1,500 yards.

The 30-06 Springfield will start to go subsonic right around the 1,000-yard line and accuracy will drop off significantly.

The .300 Win Mag has cornered the market in terms of effective range.

Ballistic Coefficient

When I start talking about ballistic coefficient (BC) to my shooting buddies, I often get a “deer in headlights” look.

In short, the ballistic coefficient for a given bullet is a measure of how well it resists wind and air resistance. It’s a numeric representation of how aerodynamic a bullet is, a high BC is preferred and means the bullet will buck the wind easier.

The way a bullet’s ballistic coefficient is calculated is a bit complicated, so we won’t cover that today as I don’t want your eyes to glaze over!

Generally, a heavier bullet will have a higher BC.

As the 300 Win Mag and the 30-06 Springfield fire the same bullet diameter, there is not a lot of difference in ballistic coefficients between the two cartridges.

The .300 Win Mag does pull away a little when you start to factor in the heavier 190+ grain loadings, but it is not a significant difference.

If we look at this in a hunting context, I doubt that any hunters will be able to detect a difference in wind drift under 300 yards, which is where the majority of shots will occur.

Therefore, there is not a major difference between these two rounds in terms of ballistic coefficient as most offerings stick between the 0.45-0.5 range, which is an exceptional BC.

There are a few 30 caliber bullets that break the 0.6 BC, which would be ideal for long-range target shooting for the 300 Win Mag. Those bullets would be the Nosler Trophy Grade AccuBond Long Range 190 gr (0.64 BC) and the Barnes Precision Match OTM 220 gr (0.611 BC).

Sectional Density

Sectional Density (SD) is the measure of how well a bullet penetrates a target. This is extremely important when hunting big game, as you need a bullet that can punch through thick hide, bone, and sinew.

Sectional density is calculated by comparing the bullet weight and the bullet diameter, the higher the number the more effective it will be at penetrating a target. The higher the SD the deeper the bullet will penetrate the target.

Just like for ballistic coefficient, there is not much difference between the 30-06 and the .300 Win Mag as they fire the same .308” diameter projectiles, with a slight advantage for the heavier 300 Win Mag loadings.

Another small advantage is the higher velocity that the 300 Win Mag can achieve with its higher case capacity. This added velocity over the 30-06 Springfield will allow the .300 Win Mag to penetrate just a bit deeper.

However, both the 30-06 Springfield and the 300 Winchester Magnum will give you devastating penetration that will punch through the toughest bone and sinew on any large game that dares to end up in front of your crosshairs.

The average sectional density for .300 Win Mag is approximately 0.284 vs 0.26 for the 30-06.

Hunting

Now we come to the big question, is the 300 Win Mag or 30-06 better for hunting?

And I’m going to go out on a limb here and state that the 30-06 Springfield is the ideal hunting round between the two.

Now, before all my 300 Win Mag shooters get up in arms, let me present my case.

The biggest selling point on the .300 Win Mag that I read constantly in hunting forums online is that has a flatter trajectory and longer effective range. And those are both true.

On those same forums, I see hunters justifying their purchase that they “might need to shoot out to 1,000 yards at some point…”

I have a question, have any of those forum posters actually practiced 1,000-yard shots?

I’m not talking about using reduced-sized targets to simulate 1,000 yards at 100 yards, I’m talking about an actual 1,000-yard shot.

The calculations and skills that are required to make a shot this long require years of practice and specialized training.

There are a ridiculous number of factors to consider in taking a shot this long: changes in wind direction along the flight path, bullet drop, relative humidity, temperature, the Coriolis Effect, bullet travel time, the curvature of the Earth, even the type of powder you used in your handloads.

Oh, and you actually need a shooting range that can accommodate 1,000-yard shots. In my home state of Indiana, there is exactly ONE range that allows shooters to go out to this distance and they have extremely stringent marksmanship requirements that you must meet before you can even set foot on the 1,000-yard range.

If these forum posters think they can pull off even an 800-yard shot without practicing, well I say, “Good luck to you sir!” Because you’re going to need it!

The simple fact is this, most hunters do not have the equipment, skills, time, or money to develop the ability to shoot this far. And you know what? That’s OK!

If you are an ethical hunter (which if you have read this far, I know you are), you should not even be considering taking a shot on any game animal at those distances because the probability that you wound the animal is significantly higher (if you hit them at all).

An ethical hunter will try to close the distance to a range they are comfortable taking the shot or passing on the animal altogether. Therefore, the internet group reasoning for purchasing a 300 Win Mag because of its ability to shoot out to 1,000 yards is null and void in terms of hunting.

In my experience, ethical hunting shot distances are 500 yards or less with 300 yards being the average maximum distance most hunters are comfortable with. Shot placement is always the most important thing to ethically harvesting an animal, and the closer you are the better your shot placement will be.

Bearing that in mind, what advantage does the 300 Win Mag offer over the 30-06 Springfield at 300-500 yards? The answer is not much.

Both hunting cartridges will have more than enough muzzle energy to take down a bull elk (1,000+ ft-lbs) at these distances, which means they are more than enough for Whitetail and Mule Deer as well.

Therefore, it makes logical sense that the better option is the cartridge that has less recoil (better shot placement), allows for faster follow-up shots, and is generally less expensive.

Hence my reasoning for selecting the 30-06 Springfield as the superior choice for hunting medium to large game animals across North America.

Neither cartridge is recommended for varmint hunting as they are simply too much bullet for the job. For something like this, I’d recommend using the cheaper and softer shooting 223 Rem or perhaps a 22-250.

For deer to black bear, the 30-06 loaded with quality hunting ammo like a Nosler Partition will serve you well.

Ammo Price and Availability

In terms of ammo availability and price, without question, the 30-06 is the superior choice.

As the 30-06 has been in service for well over 100 years now, the amount of work that has been done on the cartridge is extensive. Advancements in bullet technology and powders have come a long way to make the 30-06 an effective large game slaying cartridge.

Virtually every ammo manufacturer has an offering in 30-06, but the same cannot be said for .300 Win Mag.

The 300 Winchester Magnum was not released until 1963, and although it has gained a lot of popularity, not as many ammo options are available for this caliber.

You still have plenty to choose from, but overall, there are fewer options for .300 Win Mag.

As for price, cheap full metal jacket (FMJ) ammo can be had for about $1.50/round for 30-06 compared to $2/round for 300 Win Mag.

That might not sound like a huge difference, but when you start looking at premium hunting ammo from Hornady, Nosler, Barnes, Norma, or Federal, the price jumps up significantly. Premium hunting ammo for 30-06 will run you anywhere between $2-3/round. In contrast, you should expect to pay no less than $3 and up per round for the likes of Federal Premium 300 Win Mag ammo, Hornady Superformance, or Barnes VOR-TX.

With 30-06, you can practice with your hunting rifle more which means you will be better prepared when hunting season comes around.

Rifle Price and Availability

Rifles for both the 30-06 and 300 Win Mag are not in short supply.

Every major rifle manufacturer will have an offering in both cartridges.

Some popular bolt action rifle options are:

• Remington 700
• Savage 110
• Browning A-Bolt
• Ruger American
• Winchester Model 70
• Tikka T3

And although you will not lack options in either caliber, there will simply be more in 30-06 as it has been a military caliber. There are many surplus options for 30-06, like the 1903 Springfield and M1 Garand, that are simply not available for 300 Win Mag.

It was only within the last 12 years that the 300 Win Mag was adopted as a military round, and as such there are no surplus rifles available. And when there are more rifle options available, this means that the price will be lower.

In general, a rifle chambered in 30-06 will be a little cheaper than one chambered in .300 Win Mag.

Reloading

As the .300 Win Mag and the 30-06 shoot the same .308” diameter bullet, it is nothing short of a reloader’s dream as you can stock up on one bullet type for both calibers.

Furthermore, if you want to shoot long-range (and have the location to do so), handloading is the best way to tighten up your groups and squeeze every fps of muzzle velocity out of either cartridge (Warning: never load over the maximum charge listed in your reloading manual!)

The widespread success of the 30-06 (and 308 Winchester) means that you have a wide variety of different bullet weights, bullet profiles, and powders to choose from to create your ideal reload.

Reloading for both the 30-06 and .300 Win Mag is a breeze and you should not worry about any lack of components or reloading dies as these are both extremely popular cartridges for handloading.

.300 Win Mag vs .30-06: Ballistics

Below are the ballistics tables for both .300 Win Mag and .30-06 Springfield comparing multiple popular loadings for each cartridge. Here you can see how each cartridge stacks up against the other, and the differences in the ballistics are impressive.

The 300 Win Mag has a clear advantage over the 30-06 in terms of muzzle velocity and muzzle energy as we have alluded to earlier in the article.

When looking at the lighter bullet options for the .300 Win Mag, you’ll note that the 150 grain 300 Win Mag has a higher muzzle velocity than the 55 grain .223 Rem! (3,400 fps vs 3,200 fps, respectively)

Generally, the 30-06 Springfield is going to be about 800 fps slower at the muzzle than the 300 Win Mag. The same can also be said for muzzle energy as the .300 Win Mag will have about 500+ more ft-lbs of energy at the muzzle compared to the 30-06. There’s no denying that the 300 Win Mag is a high velocity, hard-hitting round!

.300 Win Magnum Ballistics

Note: This information comes from the manufacturer and is for informational purposes only. The actual ballistics obtained with your firearm can vary considerably from the advertised ballistics. Also, ballistics can vary from lot to lot with the same brand and type load.

.30-06 Springfield Ballistics

Note: This information comes from the manufacturer and is for informational purposes only. The actual ballistics obtained with your firearm can vary considerably from the advertised ballistics. Also, ballistics can vary from lot to lot with the same brand and type load.

300 Win Mag: Joining the Magnum Lineage – Go Big or Stay Home

Let’s call a spade a spade my fellow shooters, here in North America we like our Magnum cartridges!

From Dirty Harry and his .44 Magnum Smith and Wesson handgun to big game hunters in the forests of Northern Canada, many shooters like that extra stopping power that magnum cartridges bring to the table.

And the 300 Winchester Magnum steps into the Magnum Lineage like any other magnum cartridge on the market…with a deafening BANG!

Before the 300 Winchester Magnum exploded onto the shooting scene in 1963, there were several other 30-caliber options that we would classify as Magnum ammo by today’s standards.

The most prominent of these was the 300 H&H Magnum that had been on the market since 1925. However, the 300 H&H Magnum could not fit into a standard action Mauser or Springfield receiver and required a custom Magnum action, which severely handicapped its acceptance in the shooting community.

The next attempt at a magnum rifle cartridge was attempted by Roy Weatherby with the 270 Weatherby Magnum in 1943 and the 300 Weatherby Magnum in 1944.

300 Win Mag: Genesis of the Quintessential Big Game Hunting Cartridge

In 1958, Winchester figured they should probably get in on the magnum craze and introduced 3 new cartridges to their line: the 264 Winchester Magnum, the 338 Winchester Magnum, and the 458 Winchester Magnum.

Notice any glaring omission from that list? There’s no 30-caliber option!

Wildcatters (hand loaders who take it upon themselves to develop new cartridges) quickly jumped on this glaring hole in the Winchester line and developed the 30-338 Winchester. Norma Precision also took the opportunity to get in on the action and developed the 308 Norma Magnum in 1960.

It was at this point that Winchester figured that maybe they might do well by introducing a 30-caliber magnum rifle cartridge offering. And in 1963, Winchester introduced the 300 Win Mag in its long-action Winchester Model 70 bolt action rifle.

Remington quickly followed suit, introducing a 300 Win Mag offering in its popular Rem 700 bolt action rife. Since then, the 300 Winchester Magnum has quickly become one of the most successful magnum rifle cartridges on the market today.

The 300 Winchester Magnum was developed from the belted 375 H&H Magnum cartridge and sports a whopping case capacity of 91.5 gr of water and a max pressure of 64,000 psi based on SAAMI specifications.

This voluminous case capacity allows the 300 Win Mag to pack in the powder and push the .308” diameter bullet to its limits.

At the muzzle, a 150 grain bullet is screaming downrange at about 3300 fps with a back-breaking 3600 ft-lbs of energy. That is some serious power! Standard loadings for the 300 Win Mag range between bullet weights of 165 and 220 gr.

Many shooters believe that the belt around the case head is required to contain the “case-splitting” pressure that the 300 Win Mag must exude. However, this is a common misconception.

Based on the case design, the belted cartridge is superfluous. However, Winchester retained the design as a marketing strategy to link the cartridge to its heavy-hitting predecessor, the 375 H&H Magnum.

The strategy was wildly successful as the 300 Winchester Magnum has become one of the most popular magnum cartridges on the market, surpassing the 300 WSM, 7mm Rem Mag, and 270 Weatherby Magnum in popularity.

A Brief History of the 30-06 Springfield: America’s Beloved Rifle Cartridge

America’s love affair with 30 caliber rifle rounds began back in the Wild West with the introduction of the 30-30 Winchester. Later, the U.S. Army developed the 30-40 Krag to be its smokeless powder replacement for the .45-70 Government.

Around 1901, the U.S. Military started developing a new cartridge to replace the 30-40 Krag. The American Expeditionary Forces were very familiar with the effectiveness of the 7mm Mauser cartridge, suffering staggering losses at the hands of the 1893 Mauser at the Battle of Santiago during the Spanish-American War.

It was clear that the 30-40 Krag was an inferior design compared to the Spanish Mausers and the military did not want to fall behind with advancements in bolt action rifle and cartridge technology.

At the time, heavier bullet weights were thought to be the superior ballistic choice. Therefore, the initial design submitted in 1903 used the same 220-grain round-nose bullets fired by the 30-40 Krag.

The 30-03 Springfield was patterned after the famous 7x57mm Mauser cartridge, sharing identical case head dimensions.

However, it didn’t take long for the American generals to take note that multiple European nations were favoring higher velocity, Spitzer (pointed) projectiles in their new bolt action rifles.

Not wanting to get left behind, the U.S. Military was quick to adopt a similar design. In 1906, the new cartridge that fired a 150-grain Spitzer flat-based bullet was submitted and accepted. The original design for 30-06 Springfield achieved a muzzle velocity of 2,700 fps, packed 2,429 ft-lbs of muzzle energy, and a maximum pressure of 60,200 psi (SAAMI specs).

And thus the 30-06 Springfield was born. The “30” designates the bullet caliber and the “06” (pronounced: aught six) designates the year of its adoption.

Although the 30-06 initially gained popularity with the Army’s new bolt action rifle, the 1903 Springfield (which looked surprisingly similar to a Mauser…coincidence I’m sure), it truly became World Famous with the introduction of the semi-auto M1 Garand during World War II.

The 30-06 Springfield was the ammo carried by our soldiers who fought in the trenches on the Western Front in World War I, stormed the beaches of Normandy in WWII, assaulted the 38th Parallel in Korea, and saw limited use in the jungles of Vietnam.

Not only has the 30-06 seen massive success on the battlefield, but it has also seen immense commercial success in the civilian market. Big game hunters loved the amazing terminal ballistics and long-range that the 30-06 offered while having a recoil impulse that is not punishing to the shoulder.

Since its introduction to the civilian market, the 30-06 has been the de facto hunting cartridge that all other hunting caliber cartridges are measured against. The most popular loadings for 30-06 range between 150 and 180 gr bullet weights with the 180 grain bullet being the most popular with big game hunters. However, specialty ammo can go as low as 110-grain bullets and as high as 220 grain projectiles.

The 30-06 Springfield is incredibly versatile, allowing hunters to customize their loads depending on the game animals they are stalking. Lighter bullet weights like the 150 and 165 gr Nosler Partition or Accubond can be utilized for whitetail or mule deer, while you should have good luck with the 200 gr Barnes TSX when you have a vital shot lined up on that trophy elk in your crosshairs.

The 30-06 is truly a rifle cartridge of American legend and has survived the test of time, as it is still one of the most popular hunting rounds in the world over 100 years later. But does the 300 Winchester Magnum simply outclass the tried and true 30-06? Let’s compare these two spectacular long-range cartridges.

Final Thoughts on .300 Win Mag vs .30-06 Springfield

The .300 Win Mag was developed to be an incredibly accurate long-range rifle cartridge capable of shooting past 1,000 yards. And it does this extremely well.

The 30-06 Springfield was battle-tested on the beaches of Normandy and has proven to be a capable hunting cartridge in the forests across North America.

On paper, the 300 Win Mag has superior ballistics in terms of muzzle velocity, muzzle energy, trajectory, effective range, and ballistic coefficient. However, all these benefits are at the cost of punishing recoil and reduced barrel life.

But with all these advantages, should you go out and sell the Remington 700 or Browning A-Bolt chambered in 30-06 that you inherited from your grandfather and get a 300 Win Mag? Absolutely not!

The 30-06 is a versatile hunting cartridge that has withstood the test of time, claiming every large game animal from the Great Plains to the Rocky Mountains. Less recoil and faster follow-up shots allow the 30-06 to be just as potent as the 300 Win Mag within 500 yards and you should never feel under-gunned when you bring your 30-06 into the woods.

But if you can take the recoil and you take comfort in knowing you are bringing a high velocity, flat shooting cartridge to bear on that Whitetail in your sights, the 300 Win Mag won’t let you down so long as your shot placement is on point.

Hunting season is fast approaching, it’s time to get out to the range and practice with your favorite bolt action rifle and get ready. Your trophy deer or elk is waiting for you, show him what a 30-06 or a .300 Win Mag can do!

When you think about reliable handguns available on the market today, you probably think about Glock. Indeed, Glock has been among the leaders in handgun manufacturing for decades. At the same time, this doesn’t mean that Glock hasn’t stopped trying to improve their handiwork. The Glock Modular Optic System (MOS) is being rolled out for some of their most popular handguns. What does it mean for the future, and what are the advantages of using this system? If you would like to get the most out of your Glock pistol, you should familiarize yourself with the Glock Modular Optic System and some of the available modifications.

What Is the Glock Modular Optic System?

The Glock Modular Optic System has been designed to make it easier to mount optic sights on your pistol. As Glocks are becoming more popular and competitive shooting matches, many individuals are looking for a way to mount optic sights to increase their shooting accuracy. Furthermore, optic sights have also become popular during the past few years for target shooting and home defense.

A few of the most important points to keep in mind when it comes to the Glock Modular Optic System include:

• The Glock Modular Optic System makes it easy to add iron sights to the handgun, so you have a backup in case something goes wrong with the optic sights
• The Glock Modular Optic System is designed to make it easier for you to transition between targets.
• The clarity of the Glock Modular Optic System, allowing you to acquire your target faster.
• With the Glock Modular Optic System, your shooting will be more accurate

The versatility, speed, accuracy, and clarity of the Glock MOS are already popular worldwide.

How Is the Glock Modular Optic System Installed?

Thanks to the Glock Modular Optic System’s intuitive design, it is relatively easy to mount the site quickly. Using just a few tools, you can rotate the site on your pistol. All you have to do is remove the old sight, remove the adapter plate, install the new adapter plate, and mount the new sight.

All pistols that have been made using the Glock Modular Optic System come with multiple play options. Therefore, you can tailor the plate you want to fit the site you are using. A few of the most popular plates currently in use include the 00 Cover Plate, the 01 Eotech, the 02 Trijicon, the 03 C-More, and the 04 Leupold Delta Point.

What Are the Advantages of Using Reflex Optics for the Glock Modular Optic System?

If you decide to go with reflex optics, you will enjoy several upgrades over traditional iron sights. Even though iron sights can still be effective, reflex optics allow you to look through the radical and focus your target on the dot, lining it up with whatever you are aiming at.

You can also adjust the size of the., making it easier to see when you are in close combat or bright lights in the room. If the light is dim and your target is farther away, you may prefer to use a smaller one. The customizability conferred with the Glock Modular Optic System provides numerous advantages.

Other Customizable Features Are Available for Your Glock Pistol as Well

Even though the Glock Modular Optic System has gotten a lot of attention for all of the advantages it provides, you can customize your Glock pistol in other ways as well. For example, you may want to improve the safety of your Glock pistol by installing a plunger spring for Glock generations one through five. Or, if you would like to alter the trigger pull weight of your Glock pistol, you may want to install a new trigger connector for your Glock pistol. Ghost edge connectors are available for the Glock 42, Glock 43, Glock 43x, and Glock 48. Be sure to check out all of the options you have available, so your Glock fits your needs perfectly.

Check Out More Glock Options from Ghost, Inc!

Without a doubt, the Glock Modular Optic System has numerous advantages. This is just another way that you can customize your pistol to meet your needs. If you would like to learn more about the options you have available to you, check out the wide selection of ghost modifications available from Ghost, Inc. today!

Glock Parts and Handgun Accessories by Ghost Inc

Glock OEM Parts – Glock Base Plates – Ghost Parts – Glock Magazines – Glock 42/43/43X/48

The world’s best Glock triggers, Glock connectors and Glock parts and accessories

If you’ve ever been around a hardcore freshwater bass angler, you’re probably well aware that eating bass is a huge taboo. Depending on the person, eating bass can be almost as offensive as insulting their religion.

Religious tendencies aside, you’ve also probably heard that bass are just no good to eat, or even that they’re “wormier” or “muddier” than other edible fish. These ideas keep most people from ever even trying bass, so the question remains: can you eat bass?

There are plenty of myths and taboos around eating bass, but in this article, I’m going to reveal the truth about it.

First things first: can you actually eat freshwater bass?

Both largemouth and smallmouth bass (the two most common black bass in North America) are in the sunfish family, the same family that includes crappie and bluegill. These two fish are some of the most popular food fish in the country, so it stands to reason that bass should be edible too.

It turns out that not only is bass perfectly edible, but it’s just as healthy and safe to eat as any other freshwater fish. Bass don’t contain any more parasites or toxins than any other predatory gamefish, and when properly cooked, pose no risk to human health. For more health stats and information about eating bass, check out this article from Livestrong.

The only potential health risk that comes from eating bass is mercury poisoning. Mercury slowly accumulates in the flesh of any predatory fish, so this isn’t a bass-specific risk, but it’s something to consider when choosing your meals. States put out fish consumption guidelines that will tell you which fish (and how much) are safe to eat. But generally, larger and older fish contain more mercury than smaller ones.

As for whether bass taste good, part of the problem is that both largemouth and smallmouth bass are some of the most adaptable gamefish in North America. They can live anywhere from cold, clean rivers to dirty, algae-covered city ponds.

The eating quality of an individual fish has a lot to do with where it lives, so their varied habitat means their taste and texture can vary a lot. But I can say from personal experience that bass that come from relatively cool, relatively clean water taste just as good as any crappie or perch I’ve ever eaten.

Smallmouth bass and largemouth bass prefer different water conditions, with smallies generally thriving in cooler, less weedy water, and largemouths preferring the opposite. This is a big part of the reason that people generally think smallmouth taste better than largemouth. It’s not a hard and fast rule, but in my experience, largemouth bass do tend to have softer meat and “fishier” flavor than smallmouth.

Whether or not you can eat bass doesn’t seem to matter; it’s no secret that most people just don’t.

You’ll hear people say that they don’t eat bass because they taste muddy, they’re wormy, or that they just prefer other fish. But in reality, many of these folks are just repeating what they’ve heard, and have never actually tried a bass themselves (and long ago, I used to be one of these people).

The real reason people don’t eat bass is because of a decades-long catch-and-release campaign. Bass are an extremely popular sport fish for their aggression and fight, but 100 years ago they weren’t as easy to find as they are today. Overfishing and unenforced laws led these once-abundant fish to the brink of extinction.

Laws were enacted to protect them, but a huge part of the resurgence of freshwater bass is because of a widespread effort to change the culture around bass fishing. Anglers shifted the focus from food to fun, framing the bass as a fish that’s more fun to catch than it is to eat.

The campaign worked, and this idea still prevails in modern bass fishing culture. It’s a great story of conservation success, but the ideas that were popularized then don’t necessarily apply today.

There was a time when bass were more valuable if you released them, because eating them meant contributing to their downfall.

But I’m about to make a bold statement: if you want to catch bigger bass in your local lake, you should eat more bass. Eating more of the fish that you want to catch may seem counterintuitive, but hear me out on this one.

Fish aren’t like people, whose genetics ultimately determine how big they will grow. In the wild, they aren’t limited by genetics like we are; they’re limited by biomass.

Biomass is the total weight of the fish in a body of water. The amount of fish food that’s available in a body of water is what determines biomass, so lakes and rivers all have a unique biomass maximum that limits how much fish they can support.

The thing about fish biomass is that all that matters is the total weight of all the fish in the lake combined. A population of ten 5-pound fish has the same biomass as 50 one-pound fish. That doesn’t make much difference to the ecosystem, and both lakes would have “stable” populations of fish. But if a couple of those smaller fish are removed, then the rest of the fish have enough food to grow bigger.

Of course, there are a ton of factors at play. But the idea that you should release every bass you catch because “it’ll be bigger next year” just isn’t true. Removing a small bass and eating it leaves more food around for the rest of them (and more food on your dinner plate, too). And some of those bass might just get big enough to be your next personal best.

I mentioned above that smallmouth tend to be better tasting than largemouth, and that fish from cold, clean lakes or rivers are better in general as well.

Another thing to consider is size. Larger fish are usually mushier and fishier, so selecting small to medium-sized fish is the way to go. When keeping a bass for the dinner table, 12-15 inch fish are perfect. That’s the happy medium between being big enough to be worth eating without being so big that they taste bad.

Eating small fish also makes sense for population management. Studies have shown that in almost all fish species, large, old females actually produce more eggs per pound of body weight than smaller and younger ones. Leaving the old breeders around keeps the most productive fish in the water, and solid genetics will get passed on to the next generation.

Removing more small fish also leaves more food around for the big ones. It may seem insignificant, but minor changes to an ecosystem can have a big impact. So if you want to have the best chance at a new personal best, taking and eating a few small bass now and then only helps your cause.

The story of freshwater bass is a story of a huge conservation success. Black bass were pushed to the brink, and catch-and-release culture helped their populations become healthy and thrive again.

But bass are delicious and safe to eat, and their thriving populations mean there’s just no reason we can’t utilize this awesome natural resource. And in the process, we might just help create the next fish of a lifetime.

Jokichi Takamine, a Japanese chemist from a sake-making family, moved to New Orleans in 1884 to represent Japan at the city’s World Cotton Centennial, that year’s World Fair. He fell in love with a local wealthy white woman and they married, an unusual pairing for the time. In addition to his social iconoclasm, Takamine was a shrewd businessman who wanted to promote Japanese culture in the United States. His successes are too numerous to list in a story about koji: He patented the first hormone, adrenaline, which made him fabulously wealthy. With the money from that and other successful businesses, he financed the Japanese government’s gift of cherry trees, whose blossoms still grace Washington, D.C.’s tidal basin every April.

Takamine also introduced Americans to koji. In Japan, he had patented a process to grow koji on wheat bran, and he realized that koji and the enzymes it produced could dramatically speed up the whiskey-making process, its enzymes freeing sugar much faster than traditional malting. So Takamine partnered with his father-in-law in an attempt to transform the whiskey business.

Joan Bennett, professor at Rutgers University and former president of the American Society for Microbiology, believes that Takamine was not exactly welcomed into the world of 1800s American whiskey. Bennett has become somewhat obsessed with the Takamine story and has even written a short piece about him in Inoculum, the newsletter of the Mycological Society of America.

Bennett first discovered Takamine three decades ago, when she was a young scientist, writing her first review article on the genus Aspergillus. While amassing dates on great moments in the fungus’s history in microbiology, she discovered, to her surprise, that Takamine had patented the first fungal enzyme from Aspergillus. Six months later, wandering through the stacks at Tulane University’s library, where she worked at the time, Bennett randomly came across a narrow book about Takamine and wondered what could have been written about the Aspergillus patent holder. She discovered a vanity biography commissioned by his wife, Caroline, after he died.

Takamine did leave one koji-size mark on American history: The patent that Bennett discovered in her research was arguably the first biotechnology patent in the United States, given to him in 1891 for an enzyme created by koji he named Taka-diastase. This is the same enzyme that failed Takamine in the whiskey business, but he thought it could also be useful in aiding digestion, perhaps, says Bennett, due to a popular theory at the time that indigestion was caused by too much starch. Takamine used that enzyme to create and sell a popular Alka-Seltzer-like digestive aid called, appropriately, Takadiastase, which was a hit in late 1800s America and is still popular today in Japan. Bennett calls Takamine a “huge and somewhat overlooked figure in the history of biotechnology.”

The use of Aspergillus in biotech has continued since Takamine’s discoveries. The cholesterol-lowering drug Lovastatin is produced by a koji cousin. Aspergillus niger, used to ferment pu-ehr tea, is also employed industrially to produce citric acid.

But, other than the handful of companies making soy sauce and miso in the United States, koji’s potential as a creative ingredient in food fermentation and transformation has largely evaded American chefs. Until recently.

It’s always exciting when any branch of the US military starts flirting with a new cartridge, and it’s hard to think of a recent cartridge that has generated more excitement than the SIG .277 Fury.

On paper, this round has some truly staggering statistics, and there are rumblings that the Army is eyeing it to at least partially replace the much-beloved 5.56 NATO.

Today, we’re going to take a look at this new round, the guns that go with it, and what it means for us average Joes and Janes in the civilian world.

WHERE .277 FURY CAME FROM

In April 2022, the US Army announced that they’d selected SIG Sauer’s XM5 rifle and .277 Fury ammunition to partially replace the M4.

So does that mean the M4 and 5.56 are on the way out?

Not even close.

For one, the .277 Fury and the XM5 are only partial replacements.

For two, the Army has hemmed and hawed about replacing the M16/M4 off and on for the almost six decades, and nothing comprehensive has happened yet. The M16/M4 is just too hard to beat in terms of versatility, reliability, and affordability.

While the adoption announcement came in 2022, our story actually begins back in 2017, when the US Army launched the Next Generation Squad Weapon Program (NGSW) to find a common system of 6.8mm cartridges, along with arms to go with them, to replace the 5.56mm M4 carbine, the M249 SAW light machine gun, and the 7.62mm M240 machine gun.

The Army invited firearms manufacturers to submit a new cartridge and accompanying rifle system that met a few different requirements.

The rifle could be no bigger than 35 inches long and 12 pounds (with attachments), able to accurately hit targets out to 610m, able to suppress targets out to 1200m, and able to use small arms fire-control systems.

The ammo needed to match that accuracy, pierce near-peer body armor out to 500m, and use a 6.8mm projectile.

.227 Fury was SIG Sauer’s design for the program, hoping to be adopted. Clearly, that worked out. The round was accepted by SAAMI in 2020, then the round, along with the accompanying XM5 and XM250 LMG rifles, was adopted by the US Army in 2022.

But let’s talk about what the round can do.

.277 FURY CONSTRUCTION & BALLISTICS

When looking at .277 Fury’s ballistics, it’s likely that one of the first things you’ll notice is the round’s incredibly high chamber pressure, 80,000 PSI.

In contrast, the chamber pressure of 5.56 NATO is only roughly 75% of that, at about 60,000 PSI, while 6.5 Creedmoor and .308 Win have only slightly higher chamber pressures at 62,000 PSI. Even a .338 Lapua Magnum is only about 60,000 PSI. In fact, SAAMI recommends that cartridges don’t exceed 65,000 PSI.

So to accommodate for this much higher-than-usual chamber pressure, SIG had to make some unusual design choices.

At first glance, the case seems pretty normal. The body is brass, and while it’s thicker than you’d typically see, it’s not too unusual. Where things really get shaken up is the base of the case, which is made from a separate stainless steel piece, allowing the case to tolerate the higher pressure. The pieces connect with a locking washer.

But what does that higher pressure mean for the performance of this round?

Well, .277 Fury sends a 140 gr round down range at 2,950 ft/s (900 m/s). For comparison, a similarly sized 6.5 Creedmoor round will achieve only about 2,710 ft/s (830 m/s).

That allows the Fury to maintain accuracy at significantly further distances than even Creedmoor, which was specifically designed for long-range target shooting. .277 Fury has a -41 inch drop at 500 yards, compared to 6.5 Creedmoor’s -53 inch drop.

At 1000 yards, SIG says the .277 Fury will drop a whole six feet less than 6.5 Creedmoor and hit the target with 25% more energy.

The real kicker? To reach that speed at the muzzle, Creedmoor needs about a 24-inch barrel, while the Fury will come out of a barrel that’s 8 inches shorter.

If you send a 6.5 Creedmoor out of a 16” barrel you’re looking at more like 2,450 FPS Vs. .227 Fury’s 2,950.

We see higher velocity, around 3,100 f/s, from 5.56 NATO, but with a much smaller projectile, around 62 gr, and the 5.56 NATO doesn’t maintain its trajectory nearly as well either, with a drop of about -90 inches at 500 yards.

All in all, the .277 Fury sounds a whole heck of a lot more effective than 5.56, and looks to be a marked improvement over even something like 6.5 CM…but I still don’t see 5.56 getting replaced anytime soon.

Downsides?

While all that performance sounds great, it’s key to remember that a lot of it comes from the fact that the bullets are about 3 times as heavy as 5.56 NATO. From a boots-on-the-ground perspective, that weight is a lot. We’re already sending our armed forces into harm’s way, carrying a lot of weight. Equipping them with .277 FURY either means a lot more weight or a lot less ammo on their person.

This demands the question, can this really be a viable 5.56 replacement for the average infantry? The Army seems to think so. For now.

Also, the idea of defeating body armor at 500 yards is a big part of the development here, which is a need our military hasn’t really had in most recent conflicts. It’s clear with this requirement that the Army is looking ahead to modern battlefields against better-equipped opponents than what we’ve seen in the last several decades.

Then again, based on what the world has seen in Ukraine for the last year, past reports of “near-peer body armor” might be overstated.

All in all, the .277 Fury is a pretty incredible round, especially for long ranges, but it’s more of a specialty round, while the 5.56 NATO is more of a generalist. Of course, for what .277 Fury is for, it’s very, very good.

The bottom line is that .277 Fury is something of a monster. 6.5 Creedmoor is nothing to sneeze at, and .277 Fury makes 6.5 Creedmoor looks like its kid brother.

WHAT DOES ALL THIS MEAN FOR NORMAL PEOPLE?

Honestly, not much…for now.

The .277 Fury hasn’t had a huge impact in the military as of yet, and it’s certainly not going to replace the AR-15 platform for civilians. And even if you do want to replace your AR with a .277 Fury rifle, there aren’t a lot of options available.

From the time the round was first introduced for civilian use at the end of 2019, Sig had the bolt-action CROSS available for it. At around $1,600 to $1,800, it’s not outrageously priced.

If you can get your hands on it, that is, and that’s a big “if.” While researching for this article, I couldn’t find one in stock anywhere.

Then early last year, SIG introduced the MCX-Spear (SIG’s civilian version of the XM5) chambered in .277 Fury, and just this week added the .308 Win and 6.5 Creedmoor versions. All 3 have an MSRP north of $4,000.

Ammo is a bit easier to get your hands on, but it’s still pretty pricey, generally running at least $1.65 per round for the cheapest stuff. And, of course, you have to get your hands on the rifle first.

On the other hand, other similar rounds like .308 Win and 6.5 Creedmoor are much cheaper and easier to find, and the difference in ballistic performance just isn’t enough to tempt me to pay the higher price for .277 Fury.

So if you’re in the niche group of hunters pushing the 600 to 800-yard range, you might find it worth it, but personally, I’m going to hold off for a while until the price comes down (if it ever does).

Of course, we’ve seen explosions of popularity in rounds adopted by the military, and what the US Army uses has a huge effect on what other service branches pick up. If we start seeing the USMC, Navy, and Air Force picking up .277 rifles, that’s a whole different ball game.

If 6.8×51 becomes a standard NATO cartridge? Forget about. It’ll be around for a hundred years. Will that happen? SIG certainly hopes so, I’m sure, but right now, the Army has only bought into the tune of about $20 million.

Which, in terms of military acquisitions and spending, is basically the equivalent of tipping your Uber Eats driver with a stick of gum.

Still, the round definitely has potential, and it’s one of the most interesting developments in cartridge design that we’ve seen in quite a while, from the hybrid-material case to the insane 80,000 PSI case pressure that blows almost everything else out of the water.

LOOSE ROUNDS

The SIG .277 is a marvel of cartridge development and firearms engineering, but that doesn’t mean it’s a home run just yet. On paper, things look great for this round to succeed and maybe replace some issued M4s.

There are some logistical hurdles in the way of that goal, but it’s always interesting to see a major manufacturer like SIG SAUER really pushing the envelope in terms of cartridge design and putting out something completely new that we haven’t seen before.

This firearm transported me back in time and reminded me how shooting can just be plain fun.

Twenty years of law enforcement have me constantly considering how I can be quicker to the draw, faster in my reloads, consideration of cover, and issuing commands while I’m handling my firearm.

My gun is a defender of my life and the lives of others, but there was a time when things were much simpler.

In fact, they were a hoot!

The Ruger Mark IV 22/45 took me back there and I’m going to tell you how it can take you there too.

The Evolution of Fun

Ruger took me back to simpler times when the .22 long rifle was the next logical progression from a BB gun.

Young people growing up in rural areas might be called upon to save their town from the ravages of Black Bart or some other villain.

I had known about the Mark series pistols for some time but had heard mixed reviews because of the engineering behind the handguns. Things have changed significantly.

The order of business when I received the pistol was to take it apart. It really couldn’t have been easier. I made sure it was safe and empty, pressed a button, and it disassembled into four distinct parts which I could tell would be easy to clean.

The worst of my fears abated, I endeavored to see what joy might be gleaned from this modernized shooter.

Outfitting

Heading out to the range a total of five times I endeavored to put the pistol through its paces with four brands of ammo as well as a suppressor to test the gun’s versatility (Ruger makes a variant with a threaded barrel for just such purposes).

Perhaps most importantly, I mounted a Vortex Razor with a 3 MOA dot to give it that modern accuracy, and quick sight acquisition flair.

The 22/45 comes with adjustable iron sights but I wanted to plink with the greatest of ease. It also has a Picatinny rail which I mounted, then bolted on the Vortex. With just a little bit of time to get the Razor adjusted, I dialed it in and soon was plinking away like the days of old. Or wait, not like the days of old, better than the days of old!

By dialing the red dot brightness up or down depending on the lighting conditions, I was able to pull up on target, find my red dot, and start shooting. This was much easier than aligning the front and rear sights like I was used to; it was a modern marvel!

Performance

The trigger had about 1.5 mm of slack before it started to snug, then broke at an average of 3.12 lbs on my Lyman Digital Trigger Gauge. Loading the magazine was interesting too until I learned to pull down on the spring tension release button which held the follower at bay.

The controls were all easily accessible, particularly because I had selected the Ruger Mark IV 22/45. Although I wanted to get away from the responsibility-laden shooting of law enforcement, this model made for an easier bridge.

With one magazine, once you shot the 10 rounds, you were done.

No need to conduct a rapid reload, no need to seek cover or call for some! I soon began to relax and enjoy the sheer simplicities of marksmanship, sending rounds downrange with great accuracy and little regard for heavy recoil or a booming percussion.

A moment of brilliance tugged at my mind’s edge. Hey, this is good enough that my kids might like it.

Despite the attractive nature of the gaming world, most children still crave analog experiences whether they realize it or not—especially when those experiences are shared with loved ones. I took my kids to the range and let them try the Ruger Mark IV also.

My son liked it.

He was comfortable enough that neither the recoil nor the pop of the .22 LR was really an issue for him.

He was big enough to grip the pistol easily and used the Vortex red dot to narrow in on his target and press the trigger back to complete, consistently emptying the magazine, hitting most of what he was aiming for.

My daughter was a bit too small to truly get a good grip on the pistol and reach the trigger also. So, we compromised. She held the gun and aimed intuitively through the Vortex while I provided a little support and pressed the trigger when she was on and said “ready”.

The result was magnificent. Using an old west splatter target, she shot bad guys aplenty and even peppered an errant horse in the butt for being in the vicinity. Much fun was had by both and an entertaining experience was shared by all.

I eventually had to stop shooting for the sheer pleasure and needed to remember I was reviewing this pistol for you, dear reader. I took my four ammo types and set out a target 12 yards away, then carefully fired an entire magazine of each for accuracy.

It wasn’t supported but it was about as accurate a test as you’d need to utilize to measure this plinking marvel.

I used three brands and four types of .22 long rifle. First was CCI, the 40-grain gold standard of plinkers everywhere.

Next were two varieties of Aguila, both 40-grain, one being standard velocity and the other being high velocity.

Finally, I used Federal Premium, also in a 40-grain.

The last I used only during testing of the Gemtech suppressor, and this was Gemtech 42-grain subsonics.

The groupings came in as follows: CCI came in at two inches for ten whole rounds. The ammo was solid, reliable, and predictable with no failures to fire. Both Aguilas performed well, with only a slightly stronger pop distinguishing the high velocity from the standard.

With the high velocity, I achieved a 1.34-inch group and with the standard, I got approximately 2 inches. The Federal also averaged in at a group of 2 inches. All of these ammunitions were reliable and provided an economical level of fun with reasonable accuracy.

Heading to Liberty Firearms Institute on a slow day I was able to test the Gemtech GM-22 out with the Ruger Mark IV. This was a match made in heaven. Unscrewing the thread protector, I removed it and the crush washer before screwing on the suppressor.

I just so happened to be wearing a suit and tie at the time so admonishments from Q came ringing to my ears as a testy “double oh seven!”

I tried three ammo types and measured the difference in sound with a decibel meter about ear’s distance from the muzzle.

There was an ambient noise of approximately 70 dbl. in the range. Using various loads, I noticed a trend. The GM-22 took the rounds down in decibels to just above 100 decibels, removing the sonic crack one typically experiences.

Now, sound experts say 100 decibels will damage your hearing after 8 hours of steady exposure. All I noticed was a slight pop and the action of the bolt clicking.

For its diminutive size, the GM-22 is awesome.

Check out our field-strip video since there’s a few idiosyncrasies on the Mark IV.

By the Numbers

Reliability 5/5

I really racked up a tally with this pistol. Between me and my family, we ran approximately 1,500 rounds through the Ruger Mark IV 22/45. The only hiccup was shooter initiated. The base of the magazine sits deeply into the magwell and I failed to properly seat it once, causing a failure to feed. This was quickly remedied and not duplicated. The gun provided flawless performance and was only cleaned once during testing.

Ergonomics 4/5

The ergos on this pistol are wonderful. I like the slim profile of the grip, just like a 1911, and this also gives it less aesthetically in common with a Luger. The controls are all pretty easy to get to and even smaller hands can make use of them. There is a good design to the backstrap, protecting the shooter’s hand from the bolt that blows back. It is super easy to operate, from loading, firing, to cleaning.

Accuracy 3.5/5

I wouldn’t call the standard 22/45 a card splitting dynamo, but it does really well in what it is designed for. Imagine a few hours on a warm afternoon, plinking at bottles or cans set up in your favorite shooting spot. Or, perhaps you might hang a target such as Dastardly Dan, and work on fundamentals of shooting. The gun’s performance is solid and predictable. Using the Vortex Razor helped simplify things in my mind. For my children, only one address was necessary—put the red dot on what you want to hit!

Customization 4/5

There is a ridiculous amount to customization available to these guns. Ever hear the name Volquartsen or Tandemkross?

You can change out triggers, barrels, grips, heck, just about anything you’d like and upgrade this gun ‘til your heart’s content. I wouldn’t call the market robust, but there are plenty of options out these for those looking to upgrade. Having the ability to add optics like the Vortex Razor and GM-22 suppressor also widen the variety of customization possible with this gun.

Value 4/5

These little pistols are an excellent value. Listed on a few websites between $400 and $500 (depending on model) you can’t go wrong. Is this the all-time home defender pistol? No. Is this the gun you spend quality time teaching your wife or children how to shoot and have countless hours of fun? Yes.

Overall 4/5

Hats off to Ruger for bringing the joy of shooting back to me in a way that is difficult to express.

Field Strip & Reassembly

The field strip and reassembly is a little different so we made a quick video to help you out.

Conclusion

The Ruger Mark IV is fun and easy to shoot. It’s a breeze to clean, it’s economical to feed, the reliability is flawless, and we loved that this little .22LR pistol fits any shooter, even the kids. The accuracy could be tuned up a little, but for a plinker, it’s hard to go wrong.

You can spend a lot of time teaching important fundamentals on this firearm that later translate to other systems. You can bond with members of your family and have a blast while plinking away. You can upgrade it into a race gun also, but it’s simply wonderful just the way it is.

Special thanks to Liberty Firearms Institute for transfers and also for holding the Gemtech suppressor and allowing me to shoot it before my tax stamp was settled.

Do you run a suppressor on your .22lr pistol or rifle? What is your favorite plinker? Let us know in the comments or drop a review below! And if you need ammo for that .22, check out the Best .22 Long Rifle Ammo!

Or looking to mount a red dot? Check out Best Pistol Red Dots.

About 1.5 million Americans hunt rabbits yearly. If you are among these hunters who love rabbit meat or hunting rabbits for fur or sport, you will be happy to know that most states allow rabbit hunting. Some states even allow it throughout the year. However, a successful rabbit hunt requires knowing where to hunt rabbits and how to prepare for a rabbit hunt.

Would you like to learn how to hunt rabbits with a high success rate? If so, our comprehensive guide has you covered with the best rabbit hunting tips for increasing your chances of bagging a cottontail every time you go rabbiting.

Preparing for Your Hunt

Hunting rabbits is different from hunting big game or birds. For instance, unlike rabbits, big animals are easy to spot, and they cannot duck under bushes. If you want to find rabbits in the wild, you need to know the best places and times to hunt them.

Know Where to Hunt Rabbits

Rabbit hunting 101 dictates that the best rabbit hunting grounds are places with thick brush, hollow logs, or dense woods where rabbits can quickly hide if threatened. These spots are usually close to rabbit food sources, such as clover, wildflowers, alfalfa, blackberry bushes, broadleaf weeds, and garden crops. Hunting in such areas will increase your chances of finding rabbits quickly.

Since rabbits are timid herbivores, they will hide within the closest brush, hollow log, or other hiding spots if they notice you approaching. Once you find a hiding rabbit, flush it out and take it down as it flees.

Know When to Hunt Rabbits

“Rabbit hunting season” is not the best answer to when can you hunt rabbits. If you want to increase your chances of bagging a bunny, the best time to hunt rabbits is early spring. During this period, rabbits that could not find enough food in winter are on the prowl to feed on the fresh growing vegetation.

Before and after spring, you can still hunt for rabbits, but you are most likely to spot prey in the early morning and evening. Why? Since rabbits forage at night, you can catch them returning to their burrows in the early morning. If you hunt in the evening, you can catch rabbits on their way to feeding grounds.

Lastly, on sunny cold days, you can usually find rabbits sunbathing on south and southwest facing hillsides. Alternatively, hunt rabbits during the day by using a hunting dog to sniff out rabbit burrows and scare the rabbits out into the open.

Get the Proper Gear for Your Rabbit Hunt

Our how-to rabbit hunt guide would be incomplete if it did not cover correctly equipping yourself for rabbiting. Without the right rabbit hunting equipment, you could have difficulty finding and killing prey. Even worse, you could end up injured during your hunt. Avoid such outcomes by going rabbiting with these items:

Rifle Suppressor

A rifle suppressor or silencer that muffles your gunshots during a hunt can be very helpful. How? First, suppressors reduce the likelihood that you’ll scare away every rabbit within a five-mile radius, giving you the chance to bag more prey. Also, a suppressor can reduce the recoil when you fire a shot.

A reduced recoil will improve your accuracy and chances of hitting your target with your first shot. If you prefer hunting with a pistol or shotgun, suppressors are available for those as well.

Shop Suppressors

A Rabbit-Ready Rifle

You cannot hunt a rabbit with just any rifle. If the caliber of the rifle is too high, it will obliterate the rabbit and leave you with nothing.

According to many rabbit hunters, the best rabbit hunting gun is a 20-gauge shotgun with an improved cylinder choke. You can also use a 12- or 16-gauge shotgun. The best shot size for rabbit hunting with such weapons is No. 5 or 6 shells that will not damage the meat too much.

Alternatively, you could hunt with a .22 rifle. Unlike a shotgun, it has a longer range that will allow you to take down small prey from afar. Most states also permit rabbit hunting with a bow or crossbow if you have an archery license.

Regardless of if you choose to hunt with a pistol, rifle, or shotgun, avoid using lead ammo. Lead ammo can poison the meat, making it dangerous to eat.

Rabbit Call

Instead of searching for hiding rabbits, you can have your prey come to you with rabbit calls. You can learn how to call rabbits with your fingers and lips or use handheld rabbit calls. Blowing on a handheld rabbit call will emit a sound that gets the attention of nearby cottontails and lure them out of hiding. You can also find rabbit call apps that you can download on your mobile device.

Proper Clothing

As we mentioned earlier, the best time to hunt rabbits is early morning or late evening. If hunting in winter or spring, these hours can be chilly. For this reason, dress in thick clothing that will keep out the cold air while hunting. Wearing thick clothing is also necessary for protecting your skin when passing through thickets, tangles, and thorny bushes.

For extra protection, wear boots and heavy-duty work gloves. Lastly, wear a blaze orange safety vest so that other hunters won’t mistake you for prey in the low light conditions.

Hunting License

Most states require that you get a license before hunting rabbits on private or public land. You can get the necessary license by contacting the Department of Wildlife or the Department of Fish and Game of the state you want to hunt. However, in states like California, you do not need a license to hunt rabbits on your own property.

Also, verify the rabbit hunting season of your state before going hunting. Rabbit hunting without a license or outside rabbit season can lead to fines and other penalties.

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Rabbit Hunting Tips for When You’re in the Field

We asked experienced rabbit hunters to share their favorite rabbit hunting tips, and here’s what they told us:

Understand a Rabbit’s Kill Zone

The rabbit kill zone is where to shoot a rabbit to kill it quickly. If you aim outside a kill zone, your shot may only injure the rabbit, giving it a chance to escape. Aiming outside the kill zone could also lead to a messy kill that damages the meat and makes it inedible.

A rabbit has two kill zones – the head and chest. Since a rabbit is small, many hunters prefer aiming for the chest kill zone because it offers a larger target than the head kill zone.

If you are aiming for the head kill zone with a shotgun, aim towards the end of the rabbit’s nose to limit the number of pellets that enter the meat. Rifle hunters should aim behind the rabbit’s ear to increase the chances of getting a clean shot.

Call Rabbits So They Come to You

After locating a rabbit’s feeding area or burrow, lure your prey towards you with a rabbit call. The hunting tactic is effective because it helps you avoid the hassle of looking for rabbits under every rock or thicket. As we mentioned earlier, several rabbit call apps and devices are available.

Hunt against the Wind

After spotting your prey, avoid alerting it by staying downwind. When the rabbit is upwind, the wind won’t carry your scent or the sound of your approach towards the animal. If the rabbit is unaware of your presence, you can get as close as necessary to get a perfect shot.

Zig-Zag through Cover

If calling a rabbit fails, you can scare your quarry out of hiding by moving through the area in a zig-zag pattern. Moving in this manner will allow you to cover more ground and increase your chances of getting close enough to scare your prey into making a run for it. When the rabbit bursts out of cover, you will get your opportunity to shoot it.

Hone Your Accuracy and Speed

Since rabbits move fast when spooked, hitting one in the kill zone requires shooting with top speed and accuracy. If you wait too long to pull the trigger after a bunny notices your presence, the rabbit will soon disappear out of sight. However, you will miss your target if you pull the trigger without properly aiming. Avoid such issues by perfecting aiming and shooting quickly at a practice range before going rabbit hunting.

Ready, Set, Hunt

That’s everything you need to know to prepare for your next rabbit hunting adventure. All you need to do now is get your gear and head into the wild to try out our how-to rabbit hunt tips. Looking for a suppressor to make your rabbit hunt quieter? look no further, give our suppressor experts a call, and learn how the Silencer Central team makes the buying process simple! With over 10 years of experience, we will walk you through the submission process, set you up with a Free NFA gun trust, and deliver directly to your door.

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Yellow perch are a popular gamefish in their native range in parts of the Midwest and Canada, as well a wider area of North America where they now thrive.

Why not? Perch are incredibly tasty and at times can be caught in huge numbers … if you know what you’re doing.

One of the most important things you’ll need to know to catch lots of fillet-worthy perch is what to put on the hook.

This article reveals dozens of the best baits for perch we know, which at times can result in excellent catches. Some will be obvious, like the ever-effective minnows and worms. Some are a little unusual.

And a few will surprise the heck out of you but can really get the job done.

Many of these bait types can be used all year, whether under the summer sun when you might be fishing deeper water or in the dead of winter while ice fishing.

To put this article together, we consulted with Bill Janowich. Simply put, Janowich has been perfecting his fish-catching techniques longer than I’ve been alive.

“I’ve been perch fishing for over 70 years, so I’ve seen a thing or two,” said Janowich, who lives in Ohio near Lake Erie. His favorite perch bait on that Great Lake is a 2-inch shiner minnow.

“However, there are many other fisheries in the world, and many different methods of catching perch,” he told us. “Sometimes, necessity is the mother of invention.”

We already have a complete guide to yellow perch fishing on this website.

This article complements the fishing guide by going into more depth on the many baits that will have you catching these fish 12 months out of the year, whether you’re fishing them under the blazing summer sun or through the winter ice.

A variety of baits also can be used in conjunction with Janowich’s own perch-fishing kit.

“I have personally used most of these baits myself,” he said. “Live bait is usually more effective than artificial lures.”

To help you keep them all straight, we’ll divide the types of baits into broad categories.

Don’t see your secret bait for catching yellow perch? Send us a comment below.

Fishy Baits

While the smaller perch feed primarily on insects and crustaceans, the big yellow perch you really want to catch love nothing better than a meal-sized minnow or cut bait.

Often the best minnow or cut baits to use are those that live in the water where you are fishing, because that’s what the perch are already eating.

One note here is that live fish aren’t always legal baits, so check the regulations where you will fish to be sure it’s allowed. In some waters or entire states, live fish and other aquatic creatures aren’t permitted because their use can result in invasive species.

Here are some great examples of using fish as bait to catch yellow perch.

Live Minnows and Other Swimmers

Various types of shiners, freshwater shad, and other small fish are incredibly effective yellow perch baits when fished live right near the bottom.

While many perch anglers prefer small minnows, Janowich likes to fish minnows in the 2- or even 3-inch size range. While that seems big for perches’ small mouths, perch love a nice meal and larger perch will be drawn to larger baits.

In fact, Janowich caught the 14.5-inch jumbo perch pictured above on a 3-inch emerald shiner. It was certified as an “outstanding catch” in Ohio and “fought like a northern pike,” he said.

If smaller 1-inch baits are all you can get, they will work well but also will result in catching some small yellow perch, but bigger ones also will take it.

The following are some minnow and other aquatic baits that might work well, given their availability and legality where you are fishing. Other local options may also be effective.

Shiners

This is a common family of minnows with hundreds of types, and they are among the best live bait you can get.

For example, emerald and spottail shiners are native to the Great Lakes, where shiners are Janowich’s first choice for perch bait. Emerald shiners are more common, but those spot-tails can be excellent if you can find them.

Shiner numbers are down in some areas of the Great Lakes, so catching them can be more difficult.

Bait shops also will sell other small bait fish, such as golden shiners and fathead minnows. Minnow prices at bait stores have gone up in recent years, but they are still worth seeking out, Janowich said.

Dead minnows, including commercially brined or home-salted varieties, aren’t as good as the live variety and at times can be mushy, but these still can be among the best bait alternatives if live minnows aren’t available, Janowich added.

Shad (various types)

Depending on where you are, there may be some freshwater shad available. Gizzard shad are fairly common in the Upper Midwest, and thread fin shad are another variety that might be available where you are.

Herring

These are in the same big family as shad and are similarly effective bait where you can obtain them.

Mosquito fish

Often can be caught in shallow water in lakes and ponds, or might be sold locally.

Suckers

There are a wide variety of suckers across the U.S., and if they co-exist with yellow perch, the small ones will be on the perch’s menu.

Gobies

These are destructive invasive species in many waters including the Great Lakes. Turn the tables when you catch one and turn them into bait.

Crayfish

Live or dead, the soft-shelled ones are especially good perch bait.

Tadpoles

Or pollywogs or whatever you call them, the larval stage of amphibians (often frogs) make excellent bait fished live. They can be found and netted in abundance at certain times of the year, often in the spring.

Freshwater Eels

Smaller eels are excellent perch baits, if you can get them. They are favorite forage for finny fishes and also have lots of action like leeches or lively worms.

Cut Baits

The above types of fish can be used dead, either whole or as cut baits.

Simply fillet larger fish and cut them into about 1-inch long strips of about a quarter inch wide, keeping the skin on to help hold your bait to the hook.

Generally speaking, the best cut baits use fish that are available in the waters where you are fishing.

Some cut bait types to consider include:

Yellow Perch

That’s right. Yellow perch are cannibals and will eat their own. Use the first one (or maybe the first smaller one) for bait to catch more in its own school.

Catch that first perch, especially a smaller one you don’t mind sacrificing, and fillet it out. Cut the fillet into strips that are 1 inch long and about a quarter inch wide, in a pennant shape and rig it up to your hook.

Other types of fish fillets also will often work.

Bluegill

These panfish may be fished as cut baits as described for perch, or if you can catch them small enough, they also can be great live baits for perch.

Bluegill have a naturally sweet meat, and as we’ll discuss more further down in this article, perch love sweets. (Woe is the life of a bluegill, as the bigger ones not only are good eating for humans but make excellent bait for larger fish including giant flathead catfish.)

Crappie

Considered in a similar orbit with yellow perch for their fine eating, crappie cut baits (or very small live crappie) are also a favorite on the perch diet.

White Bass

These are usually larger than yellow perch, but they can be used both for cut baits or, if you catch a very small one, as a live bait for perch.

White Perch

These are often predators of yellow perch, but if you catch a smaller one you can turn the tide and turn it into cut bait or use as a live bait.

Steelhead and Other Trout

While steelhead and their trout cousins are generally too large to use whole, they can be used as cut baits, including using the intestines, fins and eyes (see more on those below).

Fish Tails

That’s right, if you want your bait to look like a fish, start with a fish fin.

Simply cut off a piece of the tail fin, hook it up and drop it down to where the perch are. They’ll pretty much fight to get to it first. And that’s no fish tale (but it is a fish tail).

Yellow perch and some of the other species mentioned above work great for this.

Fish Intestines

“This is an old Canadian charter technique. Catch a fish, cut it open, cut out the intestine, cut it into 3 inch strips and attach to your hook. They last forever and are an excellent bait for all kind of fis,” Janowich said. We’ll take his word for it!

Fish Eyes

Fish eyes, and especially perch eyes, are a tasty offering if you’re a perch.

“Best thing is they’re free and present a ‘good-looking’ choice (sorry, couldn’t resist),” Janowich said.

Worms, Larvae and Other Crawlers

This category covers all sorts of critters in the worm and insect families that fish find irresistible.

Earthworms

The old reliable worm is among the top baits for yellow perch. For one, they simply work. Also, it’s hard to beat their availability, whether from your garden or the bait shop, they are easy to get for a day of fishing.

Nightcrawlers

Buy them at the store or, in some areas, catch them sticking out of their holes at night or hiding out under a piece of wood.

Also known as Canadian nightcrawlers, lob worms and dew worms, these are a premium bait for perch and other game fish.

They can be used whole or cut into pieces, depending on your needs.

There also are African and European nightcrawlers primarily available by purchasing, but the more common North American version is all you really need.

Red worms

Have a garden compost bin? You probably have these small worms, also known as red wigglers. You also can purchase them directly for bait or to start a colony.

They are a little challenging to hook up, but their active wiggling on the hook is nearly impossible for a perch to pass up.

Garden Worms

Whatever you can dig up in the yard or find under a rock at the lake will probably get the job done.

Some types don’t hold on a hook as well as others.

Larval Baits

Mealworms

These yellow critters are beetle larvae and make excellent perch, panfish and even trout bait.

You likely can buy them at a bait shop or pet store (they are sold as food for reptiles, aquarium fish and other pets). They also are fairly easy to raise at home, as I used to do. (Pro tip: the beetles are escape artists, so make sure you have a secure container.)

You’ll use smaller hooks with mealworms than you will with some baits, due to their size.

Waxworms

These are the larvae of a wax moth. Like mealworms, look for them both in bait and pet shops.

Ice fishermen often tip their lure hooks with these or similar live baits for added attraction.

Maggots

Yes, those larvae of the pesky house fly or similar insects. Bait suppliers will carry them in some areas because they are excellent for perch and several other types of game fish, from panfish to kokanee salmon.

Squats and pinkies are generally smaller maggots from other fly species and also work for perch bait. The “caster” form of a maggot, one that is turning into a pupae, also will do the job.

Leeches

These relatives of the earthworm come many species of their own, but leeches can be broadly categorized by blood-sucking and non-blood-sucking.

If you have a choice at the bait shop or while catching your own, Janowich highly recommends the non-bloodsucking variety, and not just because you don’t want them turning the tables and making you the bait.

The non-bloodsuckers feed on lots of things perch eat, which provides a more appetizing scent from the leech.

Janowich likes to hook them right on the sucker end to allow the rest of the leech to wriggle and writhe freely in the water. Perch won’t resist it.

Grasshoppers

Switching to baits found on land, grasshoppers are fantastic baits for perch as well as bluegill, trout and other fish that commonly eat insects.

Once the hoppers come out each year, they should be easy to net in grassy fields and similar areas.

On the hook, they wiggle enticingly, and perch can’t resist.

Crickets

Fish them like a grasshopper, with very similar results.

Compared to grasshoppers, crickets are more likely to be sold in bait shops and pet stores and might be available for longer periods.

But they are a little softer on the hook.

Imitation Baits

This section is about artificial baits made to look much like the real thing, and there are lots of options here because yellow perch will bite plenty of different things.

While purists like Janowich will nearly always stick with the real thing (and the real thing really works), imitation baits have their place.

Some anglers simply don’t want to fuss with live baits or baits that will spoil quickly. Having a jar or plastic bag full of artificial bait already in your tackle box has its appeal.

Note that I’m most experienced with the Berkley line of imitation baits, but try out the ones that work for you.

Artificial Minnows

Hate messing with the real thing … or have trouble finding them to catch or buy?

Artificial minnows along the lines of Berkley’s Gulp! minnows will often do the job, even if not quite as well as an actual live minnow.

We’ve seen some ads for products such as Magic Emerald Shine Minnows that might work similarly.

Artificial Worms

Berkley has a variety of products that fall under the category of fake worms, including PowerBait and Gulp! lines of earthworms, nightcrawlers and angle worms in natural colors as well as some brightly hued options among artificials.

But you certainly don’t have to limit yourself to Berkley products, especially in this category, as lots of companies make soft plastics in worm form.

Try scented artificial worms for increased catches.

Artificial Mealworms

Berkley’s Power Honey Worm is a good imitation bait closely resembling a mealworm, if you like to fish with smaller baits but can’t get the real wiggly kind.

Artificial Maggots

Grossed out by real maggots? Or maybe just don’t have them handy? A jar of Berkley Gulp! maggots can fill that need.

These are a very small bait and often used to tip the hook on a small lure such as spoon, spinner or jig for yellow perch as well as other game fish (including kokanee salmon where I live).

You’ll find some cheaper brands online as well, but we don’t have experience with them.

Artificial Waxworms

Not everyone makes this type as they are somewhat similar to mealworm and maggot baits, but Lunkerhunt has a few varieties that are available through various retailers.

Crappie Nibbles

These tiny pre-formed dough baits work great on the tips of lures.

How do we know? When we’re crappie fishing and put these on the tip of the jig hook, if there are yellow perch in the neighborhood, they won’t stay off the hook.

Even if you’re only after perch, try tipping the hook of a small jig with a Crappie Nibble and fishing it in schools of perch.

A few other companies make similar products as well.

From the Grocery Store

These fishing baits aren’t really intended as such, but they definitely will catch yellow perch. Fresh out of worms or minnows? Stop by the supermarket on your way to the lake.

Meat and Seafood

Hot Dogs

That’s right, “tube steaks” aren’t just for baseball games and campfires. Hot dogs will catch yellow perch in addition to some other game fish (catfish, anyone?). Tear or cut them into bait-sized pieces.

Some anglers suggest that the beef hot dogs, while popular at the ol’ ballgame, are less attractive to perch than those made of chicken or turkey, Janowich said.

Also consider, “smokeys” type of franks are tougher on the hook and produce even more oily scent to attract fish.

Bacon

It’s not just what brings you to breakfast, it’ll bring perch to your fishing hook. Use pieces of bacon raw for best results, as the oily scent it sends out will get the sleepiest perch up and at ‘em. It also will stay put on your hook longer.

Chicken Liver

These little organ meats are sold both in grocery stores and some bait shops. Yes, they are often thought of as catfish bait, but their scent will bring in the perch and other types of fish as well.

Shrimp and Prawns

Though typically saltwater species are sold for human consumption, shrimp and prawns are excellent bait for quite a few freshwater fish, including perch.

Cut them into fish-sized pieces, but leave the shell unpeeled when possible, as they’ll stay on the hook better if stabbed through the tough shell.

Anchovies

If you think of anchovies only as a pizza topping or perhaps as bait for larger fish like catfish and salmon, you might be missing the boat. Or at least the perch.

Cut these oily saltwater baitfish into pieces and the perch will lining up for a salty bite.

Sardines

You know those jokes about being packed together like sardines?

Well, these oily fish sold in tins have tons fish-attracting scent that a school of yellow perch won’t ignore. These are typically labeled Pacific wild caught.

On Other Store Aisles

Candy

That’s right, just like me, perch have a sweet tooth.

While it won’t last long if you hook a Hershey’s chocolate bar square on your hook, look for chewier textures that are more likely to last in the water.

Our suggestion: Try a candy gummy bear or other shape and you’re likely to land some sweet-loving perch. Heck, there are even gummy worms, so it was made to be!

Chewing Gum

What’s even tougher than a gummy candy? How about chewing gum.

Janowich suggests you chew the gum yourself just a minute to get it the right consistency, but leave most of the flavor in the gum before hooking on a piece.

The sweetness will attract the fish, and the rubbery texture will help keep it on your hook.

Golden Raisins

The light-colored types come in various colors and will catch the fish’s attention better than your standard black raisins.

Hook them in place and they will swell up a bit on the hook while releasing a sweet scent that appeals to perch.

Sweet Corn

Buy a small can of sweet corn. The kernels are sweet, brightly colored and tough enough to stay on the hook while attracting yellow perch.

Garlic

Not a sweet or a meat, but garlic is strongly scented and for whatever reason, fish like it. Why do you think so many artificial baits are scented with it? Try the real thing if you run out of your favorite standard bait.

The Weird

Shoe Laces

Uh-huh. You’ll have to cut them up, but make them look like a worm or a leech on the hook and suddenly a day on the boat when you left the bait at home is a day you’ll probably catch a perch or two.

And it really only has to work once, because you’ve already learned that fish fillets, guts and even eyes of that first catch will bring fish to your hook.

Rawhide

Even better than your typical shoe laces is rawhide, like the ones you tie up your boots with or other types of rawhide.

Strips of rawhide not only look like a tasty worm or eel, rawhide won’t rip off your hook easily. So, cowboy up and catch some perch!

Cigarette Butts

This is the first time on this website that we’ve suggested anglers hook on a piece of trash, but you’d be amazed at how well it can work at times. And they really stay on the hook.

“They stay on the hook for a long time and have been known to produce large quantities of perch,” Janowich told us. “I learned this trick by accident while on a fishing trip to Georgian Bay in Canada. For giggles, I baited one on a hook in shallow, weedy water and the perch went crazy.”

Acknowledgements

Northern Ohio resident Bill Janowich contributed many of the yellow perch fishing bait ideas in this article. Janowich is a life-long perch fisherman and has developed a perch-fishing kit he sells online at catchperch.com.

Do you have a favorite yellow perch bait we haven’t covered in this article? Leaving a comment below gives us the permission to add it to this article and/or publish it elsewhere. Comments must be approved. Leave a name as you would like it to be published and an email we can use to contact you if necessary. Your email address won’t ever be published.

If you have decided that shooting sports are now your thing or just want to purchase a handgun for self-defense, you must have already googled something like gun store near me or where to buy ammunition. Well, the whole topic of firearms possession is complex. But while ammo is not as regulated as firearms, you still must know federal and local ammo-related laws to avoid legal consequences. That is why you should read on, as this article provides an in-depth examination of the several legal issues surrounding ammunition. But before we begin, a little disclaimer – we are not lawyers, and the information given here is only for reference. Always check current gun and ammo legislation and consult professionals.

Federal Ammunition Laws

Ammo regulation is a topic that has gained significant attention in recent years, particularly due to the increasing frequency of mass shootings in the United States. While guns are subject to federal restrictions, ammunition sales are generally less regulated. This disparity in oversight has led to concerns about how easy it is for individuals to stockpile large amounts of ammunition without raising any red flags.

Many laws apply only to guns and not to ammunition. For instance, firearms sellers must generally be licensed as dealers and retain records of gun sales, providing a paper trail that can be used by law enforcement to trace firearms involved in criminal activity. There are no such requirements for businesses selling ammo.

Another example is the requirement for people to show ID and pass a background check, intended to prevent those with criminal records or other disqualifying factors from obtaining firearms. However, typically, no such checks are required for ammunition purchases.

Furthermore, there is a law saying that handgun sales across state lines must be processed by a local seller, which helps maintain some level of control over the distribution of firearms. In contrast, ammunition can often be purchased online or across state lines with relative ease.

Lastly, high-volume handgun sales are regulated to prevent individuals from buying multiple guns at once. Ammunition, however, is not subject to the same restrictions, allowing people to amass significant stockpiles without any legal barriers.

As of 2024, federal ammo regulations mainly focus on banning sales to specific individuals and forbidding the production, import, and sale of armor-piercing rounds. Although federal law stops certain buyer categories from acquiring ammunition, it doesn’t mandate sellers to perform background checks, leaving room for prohibited purchasers to slip through.

By the way, there is a common misconception regarding green-tip 5.56 NATO ammunition closely related to .223 ammo. It has often been mistakenly labeled as armor-piercing due to its steel penetrator tip. However, it does not meet the legal definition of armor-piercing ammunition. Back in time, the purpose of the green tip was to signify a steel penetrator within the bullet (instead of a plain lead core), intended to enhance its performance against hard targets.

California & Other State Ammunition Laws

State laws regulating ammunition sales vary across the US, with some states implementing stricter regulations than others. For instance, six states – New York, California, Connecticut, Illinois, Massachusetts, and New Jersey – have enacted laws regulating ammo sales and requiring background checks. Other states impose ammunition access restrictions through age limits or by banning specific categories of potentially dangerous individuals.

Let us consider the laws of these six states. New York and California mandate point-of-sale background checks for ammunition purchases, ensuring that only eligible individuals can buy ammo. In Connecticut, state agencies issue ammunition certificates, which must be renewed every five years. Illinois takes a slightly different approach by requiring residents to obtain a Firearm Owners Identification (FOID) card to legally purchase or possess firearms and ammunition. Massachusetts necessitates residents to obtain a firearm permit or license to purchase ammunition. Lastly, New Jersey enforces strict regulations on handgun ammunition purchases. Residents are typically prohibited from acquiring any handgun ammo unless they present a valid firearm purchaser identification card or a permit to purchase a handgun.

Ammunition Serialization

For several years now, gun reform advocates have been discussing the implementation of ammunition serialization technology as a potential solution to improve firearm regulations. Ammunition serialization is a process that involves assigning unique identification numbers to individual cartridges, providing a traceable link between the ammunition and its point of sale. This system can help law enforcement track the origin of bullets used in criminal activities, potentially leading to the identification of firearms and their owners. By marking each round with a serial number, either on the casing or the bullet itself, investigators can more efficiently connect recovered ammunition to specific purchases, sellers, and buyers. While ammunition serialization has the potential to significantly improve the crime-solving process, it also raises concerns about logistical challenges, increased manufacturing costs, and potential privacy issues for lawful gun owners. Despite these concerns, the concept of ammunition serialization continues to be explored.