Making your own gaff is a fun and relatively inexpensive project that almost anyone can do with basic tools and components. It allows for personal customization, and the satisfaction of sticking a fish with a gaff that you made is second to none!

Materials

• 

  Handle

• Gaff hook
• Paracord, hockey tape, or heat shrink for grip
• Electrical tape
• Wire (Like the type to hang pictures)
• Two-part epoxy
• Drill and various drill bits
• Spray paint

First thing is to choose what size gaff hook would be best suited for the type of fishing. For smaller fish like bluefish, mahi, false albacore, or bonito, a 2- to 3-inch hook would be more than adequate. If you’re building something bigger strictly for tuna, shark, and other large offshore species, a 3- to 4-inch hook might be better. That said, a good all-around size is 3 inches which can be purchased at most tackle shops for between $5 and $10. Choosing the best material for the gaff handle is also important. Some people prefer bamboo since it is flexible and strong. Others like rigid handles like broomsticks; hockey sticks, broken rods, or almost anything else can be used as a handle, as long it is durable. The length can be customized, anywhere from a 1-foot lip gaff to an 8-foot reacher is possible. I believe 3- to 5-foot is a good multi-purpose length handle.

Hold the hook up against the handle and determine where the barb is going to be stuck into the handle. Mark it on the handle; then drill a hole in the handle so the barb fits in there and then outline the shank of the hook on the handle. Remove the hook; then, while holding a drill bit or routing bit on top of the handle lengthwise (parallel to the handle), burr out the outline of the hook shank so that way there is a channel where the shank will sit. Be careful if using bamboo or a somewhat hollow material not to go all the way through; just a little indentation will work fine. Mix some two-part epoxy and put some in the hole for the barb and channel for the shank. Lay the gaff hook in its place and wrap tightly with wire. Epoxy should also be added on top of the wire and hook for extra durability. Let the epoxy cure and harden fully. Once the epoxy is fully dried, it is time to wrap the shank and wire. Before doing this, it might be a good idea to hit the area with a quick coat of spray paint to seal up any exposed wire or hook shank that is showing. This will help prevent corrosion to those areas. The color doesn’t matter since it will be covered up anyway. Depending on the handle material, that could also be painted; it is good to paint wooden handles in particular as a sealant and to prevent the wood from getting waterlogged.

After the paint dries, it’s time to wrap the epoxy, wire, and hook shank. For this, electrical tape, heat shrink, or even paracord/string works fine. This is mainly for aesthetic purposes and doesn’t add too much support. The epoxy, wire, and barb are what mainly holds the gaff hook. Having some type of grip on the handle is important, especially if the wood is painted or the material is slippery. Remember, the user’s hands will most likely be wet. Figure out where the gaff handle is naturally gripped when you’re about to stick a fish and add the grips there. The grip can be anything from paracord wrapped around, hockey tape, or heat shrink rod grips; all work great! If using paracord or some sort of rope/string to make a grip, it is important to wrap it tight and finish off the ends with epoxy, so they don’t come undone. What’s nice about this gaff is that it’s something you made and is completely tailored to your liking. Next time NOAA’s offshore forecast leaves you stuck at home, give it a shot!

It’s been quite a journey watching Travis “T-Bone” Turner on Bone Collector but it seems like this is the end for this extremely talented hunter. In late 2021, Travis was diagnosed with an extremely fast-growing malignant cancer, and the only way to get rid of it was to amputate his leg!

Keep reading this Travis “T-Bone” Turner Bio to learn more. 2222

What Happened To Travis “T-Bone” Turner From Bone Collector?

It was February 1, 2022, when Travis “T-Bone” Turner first revealed the devastating news via IG and FB that he was having a leg amputation surgery.

According to him, he went to a hospital in July 2021 to treat an infected tick bite. And while he was there, the star also asked an ER doctor about the knot on his right shin. Since the knot was roughly the size of a grape, the doctor told him it was likely nothing but to keep an eye on it.

By next month the knot had grown to the size of a golf ball, and he was immediately referred to a general surgeon. Furthermore, when the turn for his examination arrived, the knot was even bigger with two additional knots beside it.

And when the knot finally grew to the size of a tennis ball and was “busting through the skin and bleeding,” the doctors knew they needed to perform a biopsy.

10 days after the biopsy, Travis was informed that he had fibrosarcoma, a rare form of extremely fast-growing malignant cancer. In addition, it was so larger and intertwined that it was impossible to remove all of cancer by removing the tumors.

Thus, he was prompted to amputate his leg.

The surgery then took place on the first week of Feb 2022, and by the second week, Travis was on the recovery road. “Just a quick update. The surgery went well. My leg stump is sore. But still in great spirits and feel good other than that,” Travis updated his fans on Feb 9, via FB post.

Travis “T-Bone” Turner Weight Today

Travis “T-Bone” Turner was reportedly over 136 kg (300 lbs) as of 2022. However, after the leg amputation surgery, he must have lost a certain amount of weight.

If you don’t know, this isn’t Travis’s first surgery. Back in late 2004, he underwent stomach bypass surgery, after which his weight steadily declined from 247 kg (544 lbs) to 227 kg (501lbs) on Oct. 20, and down to 172 kg (379 lbs) on April 30, 2005.

Who Is Travis “T-Bone” Turner Wife?

Travis “T-Bone” Turner’s wife Michelle Turner is a teacher who reportedly worked at Coweta County School in Coweta County, Georgia.

The two were married back on December 23, 2003, after dating for over 2 and a half years. And even as of 2022, the lovebirds were still going strong, with Travis never shying away from flaunting her over his socials.

On Michelle’s 39th birthday (i.e on June 8, 2019), Travis took it to his FB to write, “Happy Birthday to my lovely wife Michelle. My ride or die, a partner in crime, baby mama. Main squeeze, better half, anchor of the homestead.”

Talking about their kids, Travis and Michelle welcomed their son named Archer on September 28, 2005. And yes, the name “Archer” comes from their obsession with the archery thing.

Travis “T-Bone” Turner Net Worth

Travis “T-Bone” Turner garnered a net worth of under $700 thousand by 2022.

An archery guru and hunter, Travis first made his mark in the hunting world after winning the 1991 ASA Archery World Championship. At the time, he was also working as the owner and manager of one of the largest archery shops in Georgia. And with the win, he was able to make long-standing relationships with companies such as Realtree, Hoyt, Bone Collector, and Whitetails Unlimited.

The guy then went on to work as a bow technician for national celebrities and pro athletes. Finally, in 2008, he received an invitation from Michael Waddell to join his dream team of Bone Collector and got shot to the international limelight.

Besides these, Travis also was working as a spokesman for Whitetails Unlimited.

To mention his qualifications, Travis is an ASA and APA certified professional archer who is a 4-time Georgia State Cham. He is well-versed in wildlife management, has a great reputation in the outdoor industry, and owned “TboneOutdoors.com.”

Travis “T-Bone” Turner Age

Travis “T-Bone” Turner was 41 years of age when he had his leg amputated in 2022.

He receives his birthday wishes on August 8, making him of the Leo zodiac.

Who Are Travis “T-Bone” Turner Parents?

Travis’s parents were hunters too. His dad was a fireman in Dayton, but the family then had to move to Atlanta when he was transferred. And that was where Travis learned how to hunt.

Out of all the people that influenced him, Travis said that his dad was his number one icon. “He took me squirrel hunting and fishing when I was 4 or 5 years old. He bought me my first bow for getting good grades when I was 9 or 10,” the star explained.

Unfortunately, Travis’s lost his mother to cancer in 2020.

Related FAQs

• Where Is Travis “T-Bone” Turner From?

Travis was born in Dayton, Ohio, and grew up in Atlanta.

As of 2022, he resided in Hogansville, GA, with his wife and son.

• Is Travis “T-Bone” Turner On Instagram?

Yes, here’s his IG @tboneoutdoors.

Also, find him on FB @tboneoutdoors, Twitter @tboneoutdoors, and Youtube @tboneoutdoors.

• How Tall Is Travis “T-Bone” Turner?

Travis is a 6 feet 3 inches (190 cm) big-framed guy.

Hunt #1

I was halfway down the long ridge when a bugle erupted to my right. Far below, a 300-inch 6×6 was chasing cows in a timber-dotted draw. I craned my neck to locate the new bull in the dim predawn light. What I saw sent a shiver down my spine.

A wide, massive rack floated above a ridge 400 yards to the south — a rack I thought I would never see again. Days earlier, I had dogged that very bull from dawn till dusk as he pushed three-dozen cows and calves across deep canyons and near-vertical slopes. When the sun finally sank, the large Wyoming six-point was still beyond bow range, surrounded by his harem and posing on a rugged point of rock. He bugled, grunted, and plunged out of sight.

Hard hiking across miles of terrain had failed to show me that elk again. There would be no mistaking his wide-flung antlers with the broken left brow tine. After searching till my eyeballs ached, I figured he was gone for good.

Then, miles away from where I’d chased him, here he was again. A parade of cows and calves trotted across a knob and dipped out of sight. Ears and antlers followed, also sinking below the horizon.

I forgot the smaller bull below me, trotted into a deadfall-littered ravine, and hustled up the other side. I had barely reached the top when cow elk began filing across the main canyon 600 yards below. They joined the bunch with the other bull, creating a massive herd. I stopped counting at 60 elk.

Last in line was the heavy-antlered bull. As I watched through my 10X binoculars, he charged through the milling cows — screaming like a banshee and pacing back and forth. The smaller bull turned and fled. That 300-incher looked like a baby compared to the big guy.

A coulee angled steeply downhill toward the herd, and I ducked into it. Twenty minutes later, I crossed the main canyon and crept uphill through stunted evergreens. Elk were chirping and crunching in a meadow above the trees.

I slipped between two pines and peeked uphill. Cows and calves were feeding in an old burn, and several drifted within 15 yards. I eased an arrow from my hip quiver, nocked the shaft, and waited. The herd bull was nearby, hidden beyond the grassy folds. A stiff morning downdraft blew in my face.

Minutes passed before the bull bugled again just out of sight. I gripped my bow as cows trotted downhill toward me. Instantly, tall antlers rose above the slope.

The bull swaggered out and stopped barely 30 yards away. One cow nearly stepped on me as she scooted away from the rut-crazy male. I drew as the bull nosed another cow, planted my 30-yard pin behind his shoulder, and released.

The cow squirted ahead, the bull lunged forward…and the G5 Striker V2 broadhead smacked him dead-center with a “plop” no bowhunter wants to hear. Elk scattered in giant clouds of dust. The bull walked 100 yards, bedded, stood again, and trudged over a ridge. I backed away immediately. Gut-shot animals always die, but you should never push them.

The cool, sinking breeze had started swirling as the morning air heated up. I hoped the bull would not smell me and go on high alert. That hope was wrong.

Hunt #2

I’ve never lost a gut-shot animal. This happens to every bowhunter sooner or later, but unless spooked, a paunch-hit critter normally travels less than a half-mile. If you wait several hours before following, the result is usually good.

Midafternoon found me snooping along the likely path my bull had taken. Two spots of dark blood on a log and fresh tracks in the dust confirmed his path down a timber-choked draw. Another spot of body fluid 300 yards farther along proved the bull had continued downhill to the bottom of the ravine. I could not find another speck of blood, and the ground in the bottom was hard as a rock.

By dark, I’d scoured every slope and ravine within a half-mile. An old burn dominated the area, and it was mostly open enough to see a downed animal. Next morning, my friend Tommy Moore and I strapped on our hiking boots and continued the search. By midday, we were certain my bull had traveled farther than a half-mile. I suspected the wounded elk had smelled me on shifting air currents before I was able to leave. Juiced up on adrenaline, it was hard to say which direction he’d gone, or how far.

Deep canyons fanned out to the north, east, and south. Tommy and I canvassed the country within a mile, slowly hiking ravine bottoms and slopes in a grid pattern. It was too early for birds to find the carcass or death odor to set in. A tough situation. The sun set on that first full day of searching.

Tommy had to work the next day, but my wife, Greta, drove from home to help me. We searched from daylight till dark over the next four days, fanning outward across vast expanses of terrain within one to two miles. An animal can always crawl in a crack or stop in thick cover, where you might walk past and miss it only feet or yards away. But daytime temperatures were climbing into the 80s. Ravens, eagles, and magpies lived in the area, and such scavengers always descend on a carcass within a few days. After five days, the stench of decay should be detectable for several hundred yards.

The key was getting close to where the elk had dropped, and we certainly had not done that. Greta and I began calling my bull “Needle.” The haystack we were searching was incredibly big and rugged.

Day Six dawned warm and clear. Miraculously, Greta spied a dry, matchhead-sized drop of blood on a tree branch nearly one mile from where I had hit the elk. My wife’s eyes are incredible.

The bull had left the ravine and headed south. Two long, narrow, and fairly open canyons sliced the country even farther in that direction than we had looked — two to three miles away and a greater distance than I had ever seen a paunch-hit animal go.

Greta drove our pickup to the top of the first draw and dropped me off. Two hours later, I met her at the bottom. No birds, no coyotes, no smell. The place I’d hit the elk was 1¾ miles to the north.

Greta left me again at the head of the second canyon — 2¾ miles from impact.

“This is crazy,” I muttered, as I dropped into the narrow cut. I was beginning to believe we might never find Needle.

Halfway down the ravine, something white flashed to my right. A lone magpie sailed across a draw 100 yards above me and vanished beyond a ridge. The bird was alone, but it was the only one I’d seen that day. I decided to investigate.

As I crested the ridge, the bird flew from a tree and floated into another draw.

What the heck, I thought. Might as well follow.

I reached the top just as the bird dove into a clump of densely packed evergreens. As I eased ahead, four magpies erupted from the same spot. The Wyoming breeze fanned my face, carrying the faint smell of decaying carcass. I trotted down the hill as more birds scattered from the thicket. Seconds later, a fat antler tine appeared through the screen of limbs.

Not much later, Greta and I did a happy dance on the upwind side of the elk. Coyotes and birds have to eat, too, so nothing goes to waste in the woods. Selfishly, I was sad about all that ruined meat. But hairy and feathered scavengers had already polished off most of the bull’s rear end, and I knew not one scrap would be left when they were done.

I removed the head with knife and rubber gloves. A generous sprinkling of borax, salt, and baking soda on the de-fleshed skull cut the odor to nearly zero. I had gorgeous antlers to remind me of both hunts — the challenging sneak, and the taxing recovery. My 2021 Wyoming bull later scored a touch over 360 record-book points, in spite of two battle-broken tines on the left side. Intact, he would have scored over 370…one of my best-ever elk.

According to my GPS, Needle traveled just over 2¼ miles before he dropped. Our smartphones confirmed that Greta had walked over 30 miles looking for that bull, and I had walked over 50 miles. If you search hard and long enough for a mortally hit animal, you will almost certainly find it eventually. The double-hunt process might not always be fun, but the conclusion will be thrilling for a number of reasons!

Following Up a Center Hit

An animal hit solidly in the paunch with a sharp broadhead requires patience. It will always expire, but you must wait at least six to eight hours before beginning the search…preferably more if daylight allows. If it is pushed or smells you, it might travel much farther than the normal 400 to 800 yards.

After waiting, you should look for blood, body fluid, and tracks. Try to predict the most likely travel routes, and remember that gut-shot animals sometimes move uphill. Proceed slowly with eyes peeled, in case you need to take a finishing shot.

Beyond 24 hours, you should grid-search terrain, preferably with the help of friends. It is your responsibility to recover the animal, even if you lose the meat. Keep looking — it’s the ethical thing to do — and the critter will almost certainly be yours.

Far too many bowhunters target practice the exact same way every time. I don’t know about their shots on game but I know that mine rarely involve standing flat-footed at exactly 20 yards while repetitively taking aim at the same spot. This type of shooting has its time, and that time happened weeks ago.

At this point of the summer, with antelope season a mere month away in many states and bigger game opportunities not far behind that, it’s time to get creative with your practice sessions. How you challenge yourself throughout the summer will make you a better shot come fall, I promise.

And it all starts with simple variations on the practice style I knocked just a few sentences ago. It really doesn’t take much to try to get better, but it takes some effort. So, take note of the following 10 steps to make yourself a more lethal shot in the deer or elk woods.

Representative Species

This is an easy one, but it makes sense. If you’ve got a bear hunt planned, or perhaps cashed in your 401K and decided to try your hand at mountain goats, it only makes sense to invest in a 3D target that represents the species you plan to hunt.

I realize this isn’t realistic for some folks because of cost; however, even if you never plan to hunt anything other than backyard whitetails you should still purchase a whitetail target. There is something different about shooting at a 3D target versus a typical block-style target, and it will better prepare you for the real thing.

Odd Angles

Bowhunting is a game of angles, which is obvious if you’ve ever hunted around a newbie to the sport. Neophytes often don’t understand how point-of-impact should change every time a deer or other critter moves. Realizing a true shot angle is often the difference between a carcass-less blood trail and a grip-and-grin photo.

Because of this, take your 3D target and shoot at it from multiple angles. Pay attention to how your point-of-aim differs when dealing with anything other than a broadside shot. Better yet, watch every live deer you can and think about how their vitals are positioned and where you would have to shoot to take them out. This kind of practice is invaluable.

Low Light

It’s easy to step outside after work and fling a couple of dozen arrows when the light is perfect. Unfortunately, unless you’re hunting low- or no-pressure game animals, it’s not likely that you’ll get tons of high light shooting opportunities.

Instead, the deer you wait diligently for are far more likely to show up at dawn and dusk. Shots in the gloaming are extremely common; therefore, you should make it a point to practice during those times. You’ll not only gain a better understanding of how accurate you truly are, but how far you can ethically push it as shooting light wanes.

Piggybacking on the low light target shooting sessions is the reality that you should try to shoot in all possible weather conditions. Windy conditions are pretty easy to come by on the target range and in the deer stand, and you need to know where your effective range sits when the wind is really huckin’.

All Weather

It’s also a good idea to shoot in the rain, extreme heat, or my personal favorite as a Minnesota native – cold. Being truly cold does weird things to bows and shooters’ muscles.

I prefer to see if anything is going to go wrong while I’m shooting in my backyard as opposed to sitting on a late-season food source watching my last chance to fill a tag feed his way toward me.

Fully Clothed

I’ll admit I wear shorts and a t-shirt most of the time I target shoot during the summer. However, as the season closes in and I’m getting ready to actually hunt, I always shoot a few sessions with my entire setup on. This goes for an early season antelope hunt and the outfit I’ll wear, or my opening bell whitetail suit complete with a safety harness. The more realism you can add to the mix, the better.

I spent a harrowing minute of my life on a whitetail hunt one time trying to find my anchor point at full draw while fighting a new face mask. Suffice it to say, I choked the shot in a fit of panic and vowed to avoid that situation at all costs.

Long Range

There has been a pretty good push in the last few years concerning longer-range shooting. Whether you agree with taking long shots at game animals or abhor it, you should consider long-range practice sessions for two reasons. The first is that a lot of time shooting at 50 to 100 yards will make you a much deadlier shot at 20.

The second is that you never know when you’ll botch a close-range shot and get a redemption shot at a gut- or liver-shot buck at three times the original shot distance. That has happened to me twice in my bowhunting career, and both times I made good on the follow-up. That’s incentive enough for me to keep pushing my target shooting distance to the max.

Elevated Shots

If you’re a whitetail hunter and primarily sit in treestands, you owe it to yourself to shoot from an elevated position. This doesn’t mean that you have to set up a backyard stand to shoot from, although if you can, do it.

Otherwise, find a deck that you can safely shoot from and work on your elevated game. This solidifies the necessity of bending at the waist and fosters confidence in shooting that differs greatly from flat-footed, even ground practice.

Real Broadheads

While you’re trying to find ways to take your practice to the next level, don’t forget to shoot real broadheads if at all possible. I say this because some companies provide practice heads, which aren’t a bad idea but don’t necessarily fly the same way as an actual hunting head. Because of this, I take a broadhead from a package and color the blades black.

That becomes my practice head, and although it sucks to sandbag a $15 broadhead, I take comfort knowing that my arrows will fly perfect with an actual broadhead. This goes for both fixed-blade and mechanical broadhead shooters, because even if a company promises field-tip accuracy, that doesn’t make it so.

Small Targets/Consequence Shots

It’s easy to shoot at a great big target because the odds of missing completely are pretty slim (hopefully!). As you pare down the size of your target, you increase the odds that you might miss.

This can lead people to lose their cool and actually miss, which is no different than when buck fever kicks in as an actual buck walks toward your stand. Taking long shots at small targets will teach you to aim small and miss small, which is something we should all strive for in the field.

Coached Shooting

Okay, this isn’t exactly the same as changing up your shooting routine but it is beneficial. If you want to be a better shot, find someone who is a better shot to help you. They can watch your form for flaws from your stance to your release and evaluate your overall shot execution.

If they know what they’re doing, they’ll be able to offer tips on how to shore up your game and be a better shot. If you take their advice and follow it through, you’ll hit more bulls-eyes the summer and more beating hearts in the fall.

If you have ever spent time in a big sporting goods store, like Bass Pro Shops, then you surely have noticed all the incredible fish mounted on the walls. Most anglers gaze up with envy at everything from huge marlin to jumbo bass, but have you ever wondered if those shiny mounts are real fish?

So, are fish mounts made from real fish? Taxidermy mounts made from real fish usually only contain the skin, teeth, head and fins. The body portion consists of a light weight foam mold on which the skin and other fish parts are mounted. Most fish mounts are actually painted fiberglass replicas.

There are some important things to know when the opportunity to catch a trophy fish comes knocking. Read on to learn more about taxidermy options, costs, fish preparations, and other important information to keep your fish looking as beautiful as the day you caught it.

How is a fish mounted

One of these days, you could very well catch the fish of a lifetime. Pictures are great, but sometimes they just don’t do the size of a fish justice. If you want to really show off your fishing prowess to your buddies, consider making your trophy a permanent mount on the wall.

Skin mounts

Using actual fish parts for mounting is slowly becoming a thing of the past. As anglers become more aware of the importance of fishery conservation, catch and release practices make real fish mounts impractical. Even so, taxidermists still get clients insisting on live mounts.

Live fish are mounted using the skin, fins, parts of the head and sometimes the teeth. Fish are far more delicate than most animals when it comes to mounting. Proper preparation is essential to ensure a high quality result. The taxidermist will skin the fish and use a preservative on the fish parts to be saved. Once the skin and other portions of the fish are dry, they are added to a foam mold that makes up the main body of the fish.

The next steps are where the taxidermist’s artistic ability really shines. Life like poses and painting a fish to mimic true-to-life colors is no small feat. Usually only one side of the fish is painted for wall mounts. Pedestal mounts will have both sides painted. Once painted, a clear coat layer is applied to protect it for years to come.

Replica mounts

If releasing the fish back to the water is your aim, then consider a fiberglass replica instead. It may not be the real thing, but it just might look better anyway. Here are a few things to consider when deciding between taking a fish to the taxidermist or releasing it to fight another day.

The modern day fiber glass reproductions are truly life-like. They are molded from real fish so all the details are present. If the paint job is done by a skilled taxidermist, you will never be able to tell the difference between a skin mount and a replica.

Many taxidermists have access to a large number of custom sizes from fish mold suppliers. This makes matching the exact size of your fish easier than ever.

It may not be the real fish you caught but it sure is a great way to commemorate the catch. It is also a much faster time to completion. A picture of the fish at the time you caught it is key to getting an accurate recreation of the fish. A good taxidermist will work with you and your picture to recreate the memory of your fish.

Regardless of the type of mount you get, it is important to do your homework when selecting a taxidermy shop. All taxidermy requires skill and artistic abilities. Don’t trust your dollar or trophy to someone without hearing feedback from actual customers.

5 easy steps to prepare a fish for taxidermy

Okay, you decided to keep the fish and take it to a taxidermist. Now what? To make sure your mount is as pretty as can be, follow these five simple steps.

Step 1

Take a good picture as soon as possible. Fish begin losing their best colors within two minutes. Snap a picture as soon as you pull it from the water to give the taxidermist the best chance at painting the exact colors. Limit how much you handle the fish to prevent damage to the scales and do not gut the fish.

Step 2

You never know when something could go wrong. If for some reason the fish is lost or damaged before getting it to a taxidermist, taking a few measurements if possible is a good idea. First, measure the length from nose to tail. Then, take a girth measurement around the fattest portion of the body. If you have a scale, weigh it too. Now you can get an accurate replica made if need be.

Step 3

Freeze your fish as soon as possible. Choose which side is best and remember to always keep that side up. This will be the visible side of the mount. Place it good side up on a flat surface in the freezer and leave it until it is solid throughout. This takes about three days. Do not put the fish in a bag or wrap it in newspaper.

Step 4

Even though the fish is now frozen, it can still be damaged by rough handling. Some taxidermists recommend misting the fish with water to form an ice coat. Several applications of water will provide a protective jacket when transporting it to the taxidermy shop.

Step 5

Now you are ready to take it in to a taxidermist. Once the fish is frozen, it is okay to put it in a bag for easy carrying. Take it in a cooler to prevent it from thawing out. After you select a local taxidermist, I recommend contacting them to see if they have any additional instructions.

How much does it cost to mount a fish

Getting any animal or fish mounted is not going to be cheap. You are paying for the skill and artistic talent of the taxidermist. The old saying, “you get what you pay for” rings true. Even so, if it is truly a trophy of a lifetime, it will be worth every penny.

After a little research, I found that the going rate for both replica and live fish mounts is about $16 per inch of fish for one side. To give you some perspective, the average sailfish is over 9 feet long and will cost roughly $1500. A trophy bass, on the other hand, may be only 24 inches long and cost around $400. Some taxidermists offer discounted prices for longer fish species.

Obviously, if you want both sides of the fish mounted and painted for pedestal mounts, you must double the price. Also, these costs do not include plaques or other mount décor.

How do you clean a wall mounted fish

Over time dust, sunlight and smoke can impact the life of a mount. Skin mounts generally do not last as long as replica mounts because of the fragile nature of the thin skin. Either way, regular maintenance can keep your mount in tip top shape for years to come.

Dust regularly with a slightly damp, lint free cloth. Air dusters work well for loose dust and will reduce the risk of damage. Be careful around the delicate fins. Sometimes it is easier to remove the fish from the wall and lay it on a flat surface.

To make the mount last even longer, avoid hanging it where it receives direct sunlight. The damaging UV rays will fade the colors overtime, especially on skin mounts.

Fire place smoke or cigarette smoke will slowly discolor fish mounts as well. Smoke build up cannot be removed by wiping or cleaning the mount. Take it into a professional taxidermist to be stripped and refinished.

Final thoughts

Fish mount are a great way to share your adventure of a lifetime with friends and family. A fish on the wall means proof of a catch and bragging rights to go with it. Getting a skin mount from a real fish or a replica mount is a personal choice. The replica mounts available now days offer the ability to exactly match your fish’s size and look. They also last longer and in most cases look better too.

Local chefs are hunting mushrooms for Lowcountry restaurant menus.

Story by Robyn Passante

When Red Fish sous chef Josh Goldfarb spied a 7-pound Chicken of the Woods mushroom growing high on a tree earlier this year, the avid mushroom forager made a mental note to return soon with a way to retrieve it.

Unlucky for him, fellow forager Chaun Bescos spotted it too — and he keeps an extension ladder in his car all winter for just such an occasion.

“It adds to the fun of it, the treasure hunting feel,” says Bescos of the camaraderie and competition among the handful of certified mushroom foragers in the Lowcountry. Bescos, chef at WiseGuys, helped teach Goldfarb about foraging when Bescos was executive chef at Red Fish, and now the two share information — and occasional, good-natured ribbing — regarding their lucrative pastime.

Locally sourced mushrooms, prized for their flavor and their health benefits, are popping up more and more on menus across the Lowcountry, thanks to the hard, hot work of Bescos, Goldfarb and a few others.

How lucrative is it?

Chanterelles are probably the most popular and most plentiful wild mushroom in the area, and Goldfarb says a little hard work can yield a sweet paycheck. “During summertime if the weather’s right, we can pick up about 100 pounds a week if the conditions are right, and sell them for 20 bucks a pound retail,” says Goldfarb, who spends about 15 hours per week foraging in the summer, and sells first to Red Fish and then to a handful of chefs at other restaurants. “It’s hard, but it’s worth it.”

Why is it hard?

“It’s a mosquito and tick battlefield,” says Bescos, a Hawaii native who has spent time living and foraging in the Pacific Northwest and in upstate New York. “I’ll come home and have 30 ticks on me. It’s no joke. It’s hot, and you’re dripping sweat when you’re out there in the woods but you gotta dress up in full pants, long underwear, you gotta wear long-sleeved shirts. I wear two to three shirts, I tuck ’em in, long snake boots and then I put on that DEET and go.”

Goldfarb, who moved here from Dallas in 2014, agrees on the relative misery of the conditions in the South. “I come back and even after wearing 100 percent DEET, I’m covered in mosquito and chigger bites. It’s very miserable. But we enjoy getting out in the woods. And I enjoy the check that comes with it.”

OK but otherwise, how hard is it?

“I wouldn’t recommend anybody go out in the woods and try to pick mushrooms unless you absolutely know what you’re doing,” says Goldfarb, who along with Bescos had to go through a two-day training and test to become a certified forager in the state. It’s illegal for those who aren’t certified to forage and sell wild mushrooms — mostly because there are toxic lookalikes out there that can seriously harm or kill those who eat them.

“When I pick, I separate my mushrooms. I don’t put them together,” says Bescos, explaining that if he were picking chanterelles and mistakenly picked a jack-o’-lantern mushroom, the poisonous chanterelle lookalike, even if he realized his mistake and threw out the jack-o’-lantern before preparing the rest of the bunch, “that one jack would make everybody that had that dish sick, just from getting some pieces (of it) mixed in with the chanterelles.”

Where do you forage?

The guys are secretive about their specific hot spots, but Goldfarb has one prime plot in Ridgeland that isn’t technically his but has become his through the generosity of a stranger.

“We were out pickin’ and this guy drove up on this little 4×4 and said, ‘Hey, this is my land.’ We said, ‘Oh, we’re sorry, we didn’t know.’” He asked Goldfarb and his friend what they were doing and when they told him about mushroom foraging, he was intrigued. “He’s given us permission to keep returning to his land, and we’ve found lots of beautiful mushrooms — lion’s mane, Chicken of the Woods, chanterelles — over the seasons. And we invited him to come eat at Red Fish and we made him a mushroom-themed dinner for him and his family. It was really cool.”

Local ‘shrooms

There are 20 wild mushrooms now approved for certified foragers in South Carolina, North Carolina and Georgia. Three of the most common wild edibles on local menus:

Fun facts

•Mushrooms are also called toadstools.

•Unlike plants, mushrooms do not require sunlight to make energy for themselves.

•A single Portabella mushroom contains more potassium than a banana.

•Mushrooms are made up of around 90 percent water.

•China produces about half of all cultivated mushrooms.

•Mushrooms spores repel over 200,000 species of insect.

•Mushrooms have fewer calories than a rice cake.

•Ancient Egyptians referred to mushrooms as the plant of immortality in hieroglyphics.

•Mushrooms contain more protein than most vegetables.

•Mushrooms are an awesome source of vitamin D.

Here’s what you need to know about the 280 Ackley Improved and how it stacks up against the 270 Winchester, 280 Remington, and the 7mm Remington Magnum.

Most hunters and shooters in North America are probably familiar with the venerable .270 Winchester and 7mm Remington Magnum cartridges. However, while those two rounds are very popular for a reason, they are far from the only high quality choices in that size range.

Indeed, the .280 Ackley Improved (280 AI) is one of the newest SAAMI standardized rifle cartridges on the block. The .280 AI was developed by modifying the case from the .280 Remington. Both of those cartridges are very capable performers, though neither is as well known or as widely used as the .270 Winchester or 7mm Remington Magnum.

What do the .280 Remington and .280 AI have to offer hunters, particularly compared to the .270 Winchester and 7mm Rem Mag? Why did the .280 Remington struggle to initially gain traction in the commercial shooting and hunting market? Can the .280 AI really live up to the claim made by some that it can do everything the 7mm Mag can do, but with less recoil?

In this article, I’m going to do a detailed comparison of the 270 vs 280 Remington vs 280 Ackley Improved vs 7mm Remington Magnum in an effort to answer the above questions and parse out the differences between those four cartridges so you can make an informed decision regarding which one will work best for you.

Before we get started, I have an administrative note:

Some of the links below are affiliate links. This means I will earn a small commission (at no extra cost to you) if you make a purchase. This helps support the blog and allows me to continue to create free content that’s useful to hunters like yourself. Thanks for your support.

270 vs 280 Remington vs 280 Ackley Improved vs 7mm Rem Mag: History

As is the case with many other cartridges developed in the United States, the story of the .270 Winchester, the .280 Remington, the .280 Ackley Improved, and the 7mm Remington Magnum starts with the .30-06 Springfield.

The US Army started looking for a new service rifle and cartridge after being on the receiving end of a deadly demonstration of the capabilities of the revolutionary new Mauser rifle and 7mm Mauser cartridge in the hands of Spanish troops in Cuba during 1898. They eventually chose the bolt action 1903 Springfield rifle chambered in the new .30-06 Springfield cartridge.

Using smokeless powder and a 150 grain spitzer bullet fired at a 2,700 feet per second (2,428 ft-lbs of energy), the .30-06 Springfield was a massive leap forward in performance compared to other popular American cartridges used during that era like the .45-70 Government.

For this reason, the .30-06 Springfield was an almost instant success in the civilian market.

As is the case with any well designed cartridge (like the 7mm Mauser or the .30-30 Winchester), wildcatters also quickly started modifying the .30-06 Springfield to accomplish a variety of different tasks. Some gun designers necked up the .30-06 to develop bigger cartridges like the 338-06 and the .35 Whelen.

Others opted to neck down the .30-06 case to use smaller diameter bullets (like the .25-06 Remington), which is what the folks at Winchester did when they modified the case to use .277″ instead of .308″ bullets. The result was the .270 Winchester cartridge, which they released in 1925 with the Winchester Model 54 rifle.

The original .270 Winchester load shot a 130 grain bullet at a velocity of 3,140 feet per second (2,846 ft-lbs of energy). This was an incredibly high velocity for the 1920s and was a tremendous speed improvement over the .30-06 Springfield, which was itself considered a very high velocity cartridge for the day.

If you’d like to learn how the .270 Winchester compares to its parent case in the .30-06, read the article below:

270 vs 30-06 Debate Settled Once And For All

While the .270 had a very fast muzzle velocity compared to other popular cartridges of the day, it was not an instant commercial success.

This was due to a number of reasons, one of which was the fact that the .270 Winchester fired unusual size bullets. Instead of using the much more commonly used .284″/7mm bullets like the 7mm Mauser (and many newer cartridges like the 7mm-08), for reasons that aren’t clear today, the .270 Winchester used .277″ bullets.

This very likely hampered adoption of the cartridge to a certain degree.

However, the .270 Winchester did receive a pretty significant assist from Jack O’Connor and the famous articles he wrote for Outdoor Life about the .270 over the years. Some were reluctant to adopt the cartridge, but many American hunters eventually came to appreciate the flat shooting characteristics of the round as well as the fact that it was so effective on thin skinned game. It didn’t take very long before the .270 Winchester was firmly entrenched as one of the most popular hunting cartridges used in the United States.

Remington made an attempt at knocking the .270 Winchester off its perch when they rolled out the .280 Remington cartridge in 1957.

Also developed by necking down a .30-06 case, the .280 Remington offered hunters a slight ballistic edge over the .270 Winchester and also utilized the more popular .284″ bullets. All things considered, the .280 Remington had a lot of potential and should have been a big success, but the company made a couple of major blunders when they rolled out the new cartridge.

First, they introduced the .280 Remington in their Model 740 autoloader. Later, they also offered it in their Model 742 autoloader and Model 760 slide action before finally offering it in the Model 721 and 725 bolt-action rifles. They eventually got around to offering it in their legendary Model 700 bolt-action, but dropped it after a couple of years before finally reintroducing it in the Model 700 in 1979.

During many of those critical early years, the cartridge was only available in the Model 742 autoloader. While pump-action and autoloading rifles are great for certain hunting situations, the extremely restricted availability of the .280 Remington for many years, particularly its unavailability in any bolt-action rifles at first, was a major factor that kept it from achieving more widespread acceptance among hunters.

The introduction of the massively successful 7mm Remington Magnum in 1962 also derailed any prospects of the .280 Remington catching on to any large degree with the general hunting public. As you’ll see in a minute though, Remington didn’t give up on the .280.

Remington made a massive splash in 1962 when they rolled out their new Remington Model 700 rifle along with the brand new 7mm Remington Magnum cartridge. Using a shortened .375 H&H Magnum case necked down to use a .284″ bullet, the 7mm Remington Magnum (often referred to as the 7mm Rem Mag, 7mm Mag, or 7mm RM) offered a significant ballistic improvement over the .30-06 Springfield, the .270 Winchester, the .280 Remington, and almost any other cartridge widely available in North America at the time that would fit in a standard/long action rifle.

Since it uses a larger diameter case derived from the .375 H&H, the 7mm Magnum has a very large powder capacity and is capable of shooting the same weight bullet faster than the .30-06. Additionally, those smaller diameter .284″ bullets used by the 7mm Rem Mag have a higher ballistic coefficient and more sectional density than .30 caliber bullets of the same weight used by the .30-06 Springfield.

For those reasons, most 7mm Remington Magnum loads have more energy remaining downrange, a flatter trajectory, and (all other things being equal) will penetrate better than .30-06 Springfield loads using the same weight bullets.

And to top it all off, while a few older cartridges like the .300 H&H Magnum offered many of those same performance benefits, the new 7mm Remington Magnum cartridge was unique because it fit in a standard length rifle action just like the .30-06 and similar cartridges like the .270, .280, etc.

With all that in mind, it’s easy to see why lots of hunters and shooters in North America quickly got behind the flat shooting and hard hitting 7mm Rem Mag.

It’s also easy to see why the 7mm Remington Magnum quickly pushed the .280 Remington even further out of the limelight at first. However, the management at Remington gave the .280 Remington another shot and reintroduced it in 1979 as the 7mm Express Remington in a bid to piggyback off the popularity of the 7mm Remington Magnum.

Though dimensionally identical to (and thus completely interchangeable with) the original .280 Remington, Remington claimed the new 7mm Express loads had a tiny velocity advantage over the original .280 Remington factory loads when using the same weight bullet. As you can imagine though, the name change resulted in a lot of confusion between the 7mm Express and the 7mm Rem Mag, which are NOT interchangeable.

So, Remington renamed the cartridge AGAIN after a few years and went back to the .280 Remington, which is what it’s called today.

So, if it wasn’t bad enough that the management at Remington didn’t fully get behind the cartridge and offer it in a bolt-action rifle from the start, they also kept changing its name. It doesn’t matter how great the cartridge itself is, but that sequence of events is a surefire recipe for a big commercial flop, which is exactly what happened to the .280 Remington.

Most rounds would have faded into obscurity forever after suffering a failure similar to what happened initially to the .280 Remington. However, the fact that it’s still hanging around even after experiencing a bunch of marketing fumbles from corporate management is a testament to the inherent strengths of the .280 Remington.

In fact, though nowhere near as commonly used as the .270 or the 7mm Mag, the .280 Remington is much more widely used today than it ever was.

Interestingly enough, the .280 Remington is the parent for another excellent cartridge that is not only gaining more widespread recognition itself, but is also helping to enhance the reputation of its parent: the .280 Ackley Improved.

Parker Otto Ackley, better known as P.O. Ackley, was very well known for developing wildcat cartridges in the latter half of the 20th Century. Among other things, he’s particularly well known for his series of “Ackley Improved” cartridges. Ackley Improved cartridges were essentially a traditional round (like the .270, .30-30, .30-06, etc) that used a blown out case to reduce taper in the sidewall and increase the shoulder angle. The result was a new case with slightly more (usually around 4-5%) powder capacity.

Since they can hold more powder, Ackley Improved cartridges are capable of higher velocities than their parent cartridge when loaded with the same weight bullet. However, the reduced body taper and sharper shoulder can sometimes cause feeding issues with certain rifles.

The actual performance difference between Ackley Improved cartridges and their parents varies, with some realizing a much bigger jump in velocity than others. For example, when using the same weight bullet, .280 Ackley Improved factory ammunition typically shoots 50-150 (usually around 100 fps faster) than most .280 Remington factory ammo.

That might not seem like much, but the .280 Ackley Improved (also known as the 280 AI, 280 Remington Ackley Improved, or 280 Rem. Ackley Improved 40 degrees) hit something of a sweet spot between the .280 Remington and the 7mm Remington Magnum. Not only does the .280 AI offer a noticeable ballistic advantage over the .280 Remington, but it’s also capable of performance nearly on par with the 7mm Remington Magnum.

Additionally, since it has such an efficient design, the .280 AI doesn’t use as much powder as the 7mm Remington Magnum to achieve nearly the same level of performances. For this reason, the .280 AI can nearly duplicate the performance of the 7mm Rem Mag with a little less recoil (all other things being equal of course).

This is why the management at Nosler decided to standardize the .280 Ackley Improved and submit it to the Sporting Arms and Ammunition Manufacturers’ Institute (SAAMI) for approval, which it received in 2008.

270 vs 280 Rem vs 280 AI vs 7mm Rem Mag: Cartridge Sizes

The unique roots of the 7mm Remington Magnum and the shared heritage of the .270 Winchester, .280 Remington, and the .280 Ackley Improved are all obvious in the photo below.

First, the .270, .280, and .280 AI are all very similar in appearance: they have the same rim diameter as well as very similar case lengths. However, there are some important differences that set them apart from each other.

As you can see, the .280 Remington and .270 Winchester are identical up to the shoulder and have the same 17.5 degree shoulder angle, but the shoulder of the .280 Remington is moved slightly forward. This prevents .280 Remington ammunition from being chambered and fired in a .270 Winchester chamber.

The shoulder of the .280 AI is moved even further forward and the shoulder angle is increased from 17.5 degrees to 40 degrees. The .280 AI also has a less tapered case than the .280 Remington and the .270 Winchester.

With a completely different lineage than the other three cartridges, the 7mm Remington Magnum has a unique look as well. Not only is it a belted magnum cartridge, but it has a larger rim diameter and a 25 degree shoulder.

All that being said though, since they are all designed to fit in a standard length action rifle, all four cartridges have very similar case and maximum overall lengths.

Not surprisingly, the .270 Winchester and .280 Remington have very similar case capacities while the .280 AI can hold a little more powder because of its less tapered case and steeper 40 degree shoulder. Even so, the 7mm Remington Magnum can hold significantly more powder than the other three, which is due in large part to its larger diameter case.

Additionally, the .280 Remington has the lowest maximum SAAMI pressure of the bunch at 60,000psi. The 7mm Remington Magnum comes next at 61,000psi and is followed by the .270 Winchester and .280 AI, which both have a maximum SAAMI pressure of 65,000psi.

Finally, bullet size is other big distinguishing factor between them. The .270 Winchester also uses .277″ bullets while the .280 Remington, .280 AI, and 7mm Remington Magnum all use .284″ bullets.

270 Win vs 280 Rem vs 280 AI vs 7mm Mag Ballistics

Those differences in the external dimensions of the .270 Winchester, .280 Remington, .280 Ackley Improved, and 7mm Remington Magnum do translate into differences in ballistic performance, though probably not quite as much as you’d initially expect.

This is illustrated in the table below comparing Nosler Trophy Grade and Hornady Precision Hunter factory ammunition loaded with 130gr AccuBond (.435 BC) and 145gr ELD-X (.536 BC) bullets in .270 Winchester, 140gr AccuBond (.485 BC) and 150gr ELD-X (.574 BC) bullets in .280 Remington, 140gr AccuBond (.485 BC) and 162gr ELD-X (.631 BC) bullets in .280 AI, and 140gr AccuBond (.485 BC) and 162gr ELD-X (.631 BC) bullets in 7mm Rem Mag.

All eight loads used a 200 yard zero.

Interestingly, the 130 grain .270 load has an almost identical trajectory to the .280 Remington 140 grain Accubond load. The same goes for the 145gr .270 Winchester vs the 150gr .280 Remington load. In both cases, the .270 Winchester has a slightly flatter trajectory, but the .280 Remington has a tiny bit more kinetic energy at all ranges (about 5-10% at 500 yards).

The three .284″/7mm 140gr Nosler loads all use the exact same AccuBond bullet, just fired at different velocities: the 7mm Rem Mag is 50fps faster than the .280 AI, which is in turn about 150fps faster than the .280 Rem. With that in mind, the minor differences in trajectory and retained energy between the three are not at all surprising. The results are also about what you’d expect for the Hornady Precision hunter loads for those three cartridges.

That being said, the .280 AI is clearly a little closer in performance to the 7mm Rem Mag than it is to the .280 Remington.

The chart below compares how much a 10 mile per hour crosswind impacts those same .270 Winchester, .280 Remington, .280 AI, and 7mm Remington Magnum loads out to 500 yards.

As you can see, even though they have a very similar trajectory with both light and heavy for caliber bullets, the .280 Remington has a clear advantage over the .270 Winchester in terms of wind drift. Once again, the 7mm Remington Magnum has the least wind drift. It’s followed closely by the .280 Ackley Improved and there is a slightly larger gap between the .280 AI and the .280 Remington.

Now lets talk about recoil.

The table below compares the recoil produced by the Nosler loads compared above for those cartridges when fired from a 7.5 pound rifle. I used Nosler’s own reloading data published online (available here, here, here, and here). I’m not aware of any rifles that are currently manufactured in all four cartridges, so in the interest of making as close to an “apples to apples” comparison as possible, I just decided to make the comparison with a hypothetical rifle that weighs exactly the same for each cartridge.

Felt recoil will vary from shooter to shooter and rifle to rifle, but free recoil energy is still a useful way to compare cartridges.

As you can see, the .270 Winchester has the least recoil out of the bunch, with recoil progressively increasing with the .280 Remington, .280 Ackley Improved, and 7mm Remington Magnum.

This is one of the most interesting points of comparison between the 7mm Rem Mag and .280 AI though. As you can see, that particular 7mm Mag load has a little more free recoil energy than the .280 AI when used in the same weight rifle, but is shooting the same bullet only 50 feet per second faster.

This is because it takes an additional 3.5 grains of powder to produce that additional 50fps of velocity. In this case, it takes about 6% more powder to produce about 1.5% more velocity and this results in about 6-7% more recoil. In other words, that extra powder is resulting in diminishing returns in terms of velocity, but still producing more recoil.

Interestingly enough, Nosler also publishes a .280 Ackley Improved load with a 140gr bullet at 3,222fps that slightly exceeds the velocity of that particular 7mm Rem Mag load above. However, since the .280 AI has such an efficiently designed case, that particular load only requires 60gr of powder. The 7mm Rem Mag load above still has about 3% more free recoil energy than the faster .280 AI load.

That’s not a gigantic difference, but it’s also not nothing either.

So, does that mean the claim that the .280 Ackley Improved can do everything the 7mm Remington Magnum can do, but with less recoil is true?

Well, sort of.

It is true that certain factory loads and handloads for the .280 AI can come very close and even exceed the performance of typical 7mm Remington Magnum factory loads. It’s also true that those .280 AI loads generally require a little less powder and thus produce less free recoil energy (all other things being the same). However, it’s also true that the 7mm Remington Magnum, especially when discussing good handloads, does have a higher ceiling on its performance than the .280 Ackley Improved.

So, yes, it’s easy to find examples of .280 Ackley Improved loads that either match or exceed the performance of the 7mm Remington Magnum and still have less recoil. However, the 7mm Remington Magnum is still capable of greater velocities overall.

Barrel length is another thing you should keep in mind. Nosler used a 24″ barrel for the .270 Winchester and 7mm Remington Magnum, but a 26″ barrel for the .280 Remington and .280 Ackley Improved in their published reloading data I used above. This undoubtedly has an impact on bullet velocities.

Remember: the gap in performance between many .280 Remington, .280 Ackley Improved, and 7mm Remington Magnum loads (especially the latter two) is pretty small. Indeed, depending on the exact barrel length of the rifles in question, the real world advantage one cartridge may have over the other may narrow considerably, disappear, or even flip in favor of the other cartridge.

Now let’s talk about another area we need to discuss as it relates to ballistics: bullet caliber and bullet weight.

The .270 Winchester uses .277″ bullets while the .280 Remington, .280 Ackley Improved, and 7mm Remington Magnum all use slightly larger .284″ bullets.

Since they use larger diameter bullets, the .280 Rem, .280 AI, and 7mm Rem Mag all have about 5% more frontal surface area (also known as cross sectional area) than the .270 Winchester (.0633 vs .0603 square inches). All other things being equal, a bigger bullet will make a bigger hole, cause more tissue damage, and result in more blood loss.

Once again, that’s not a gigantic difference, but it’s a slight advantage in favor of the .284″/7mm cartridges.

With regards to bullet weight, the majority of .270 Winchester factory loads shoot bullets in the 120-150 grain range. 130 grain and 150 grain bullets are by far the most common.

On the other hand, the .280 Remington is normally offered with 139 grain, 140 grain, or 150 grain bullets, but it’s possible to find a few loads with 156 grain, 160 grain, and 165 grain bullets as well. The .280 AI is similar, with 140 grain, 150 grain, and 162 grain bullets being the basically only choices at this time in factory ammo for the cartridge.

Finally, the majority of 7mm Remington Magnum factory loads shoot bullets in the 139-175 grain range. Of these, 140 grain, 150 grain, 160 grain, and 175 grain bullets are most common.

Here’s one last thing to consider when comparing these cartridges: magazine capacity.

Since it uses a much larger case diameter, most rifle magazines will hold more .270 Winchester, .280 Remington, or .280 AI cartridges than 7mm Remington Magnum cartridges. Typically, a rifle magazine that can hold 4-5 .270 or .280 cartridges will only be able to hold 3 7mm Remington Magnum cartridges.

So where do we stand with each cartridge?

Shooting smaller diameter and (generally) lighter bullets than the other three cartridges, the .270 Winchester has a very flat (though not the flattest) trajectory and the least recoil of the bunch, but also carries the least energy downrange and is the most vulnerable to wind drift.

Typical .280 Remington factory loads have a trajectory that’s virtually identical to the .270 Winchester. However, the cartridge shoots larger diameter bullets that are generally heavier. Those bullets are much more resistant to wind drift and retain much more energy as they travel down range. However, that comes at the expense of a little more recoil than the .270 Winchester.

The .280 Ackley Improved offers a modest ballistic improvement over the .280 Remington in terms of trajectory, wind resistance, and retained energy. Basically, it can hold more powder and thus can shoot the same weight bullet a little bit faster. This comes at the expense of more recoil though. However, even though the cartridge closely approaches the overall performance of the 7mm Remington Magnum, the .280 AI still has somewhat less recoil since it requires less powder to achieve a similar level of performance.

Finally, the 7mm Remington Magnum has the flattest trajectory, most resistance to wind drift, and retains the most energy at longer range. It’s also better suited to using heavier bullets than the other cartridges. However, that comes at the expense of more recoil and the larger diameter case of the cartridge results in a reduced magazine capacity in most rifles.

270 vs 280 vs 280 AI vs 7mm Rem Mag Ammo Selection

While all four are pretty commonly available, the .270 Winchester and the 7mm Remington Magnum are by far the most popular out of the bunch. In fact, those two cartridges are likely among the Top 10 best selling rifle cartridges in the United States each year. I’d wager that the .270 Winchester is a little more commonly used than the 7mm Rem Mag.

Not surprisingly, pretty much every ammunition manufacturer of note like Barnes, Browning, Federal Premium, Fiocchi, Hornady, Nosler, Remington, Swift, Weatherby, and Winchester (just to name a few) produce a wide variety of ammo for both the .270 Win and the 7mm Rem Mag.

The .280 Remington is somewhat less common, but still pretty easy to find with Barnes, Federal, Hornady, Nosler, Remington, and Winchester all producing good quality .280 Remington hunting factory ammo.

The relatively new .280 AI is nowhere near as common as the 270 or 7mm Rem Mag. At this point, only Federal, Nosler, and Hornady make .280 Ackley Improved factory ammo. For this reason, the .280 AI is best suited for handloading. It’s now possible to buy .280 AI brass (Nosler brass is a particularly good choice), but you can also make your own by fireforming .280 Remington brass.

Additionally, it’s possible to safely (and often relatively accurately) fire .280 Remington ammo in a .280 AI rifle. However, the brass is then fireformed to .280 AI after doing so, which is yet another reason why it’s a good idea to handload if you like the .280 AI.

BUY SOME OF THE BEST 270 WIN HUNTING AMMO HERE

BUY SOME GREAT 280 REM HUNTING AMMO HERE

BUY SOME EXCELLENT 280 ACKLEY IMPROVED HUNTING AMMO HERE

BUY SOME QUALITY 7mm REM MAG HUNTING AMMO HERE

Read the articles below if you’d like to learn more details about some of the various hunting ammunition choices for the 270 Winchester or 7mm Remington Magnum.

Best 270 Ammo For Hunting Elk, Deer, And Other Big Game

Best 7mm Remington Magnum Ammunition For Hunting Deer, Elk, & Other Big Game

Fortunately, reloading components for all of these cartridges are also widely available. Since the .280, .280 AI, and 7mm Rem Mag use the very popular .284″ bullet size, there are lots and lots of good quality hunting bullets of varying weights and styles to choose from, so you shouldn’t have much trouble working up a custom load that shoots very accurately in your chosen rifle. Though only a few cartridges (like the 270 WSM, .270 Weatherby, and 6.8 Remington SPC) use .277″ bullets, the fact that the .270 itself is so popular means there’s also a decent amount of quality bullets to choose from for that cartridge as well.

Regardless of the cartridge you choose, you’ll have a gigantic bullet selection consisting of virtually every major style of bullet to choose from like the Barnes TTSX, Berger VLD, the Hornady ELD-X, GMX, InterBond, InterLock, and SST, the Nosler AccuBond, AccuBond Long Range, Ballistic Tip, E-Tip, and Partition, the Remington Core Lokt, the Swift Scirocco and A-Frame, and the Winchester Power Point (just to name a few).

270 vs 280 Rem vs 280 AI vs 7mm Mag: Rifle Selection

The rifle situation is very similar to the ammunition situation with these cartridges: .270 Winchester and 7mm Remington Magnum, in that order, are the most popular, followed by the .280 Remington and .280 Ackley Improved.

Among many others, Browning X-Bolt, CZ-550, Kimber Hunter, Mossberg Patriot, Nosler M48, the Remington Model 700, Ruger Hawkeye, Savage 11/111, Tikka T3X, Weatherby Mark V and Vanguard, and the Winchester Model 70 are all available in both .270 Winchester and 7mm Remington Magnum.

The .280 Remington is currently manufactured by Browning, Remington, and Winchester in their X-Bolt, Model 700, and Model 70 rifles.

Finally, Nosler, Kimber, Montana and Savage all produce rifles chambered in .280 Ack Imp. If you’re interested in doing so, it’s also possible for a skilled gunsmith to convert a rifle in .280 Remington over to the .280 Ackley Improved chambering with a chamber reamer.

Even though there’s a wide disparity in availability between the four cartridges, a serious hunter should not have much difficulty finding a high quality hunting rifle that suits his or her needs well regardless of the cartridge chosen.

BUY A NICE 270 WIN HUNTING RIFLE HERE

BUY A REALLY GOOD 280 REMINGTON HUNTING RIFLE HERE

BUY A GREAT 280 ACKLEY IMPROVED HUNTING RIFLE HERE

BUY AN EXCELLENT 7mm REMINGTON MAGNUM HUNTING AMMO HERE

Read the article below if you’d like to learn more details about some of the various hunting rifle choices for the 270 Winchester.

Best 270 Rifles For Hunting – Ultimate Guide

270 vs 280 Remington vs 280 Ackley Improved vs 7mm Rem Mag: Which Is Right For You?

Do you primarily hunt medium sized game like deer, feral hogs, or black bear at ranges within 200 yards? The .270 Winchester, .280 Remington, .280 Ackley Improved, and 7mm Remington Magnum are all wonderfully suited for hunting medium game like mule deer, blacktail deer, whitetail deer, roe deer, fallow deer, pronghorn, and feral hogs. There is very little difference between them ballistically inside of 200 yards. Go with the .270 Winchester if you want the cheapest or easiest to find factory ammo or if you’re sensitive to recoil.

Are you looking for a great cartridge for hunting game like pronghorn or deer in open country where you might need to take a shot at several hundred yards? Again, they will all work well in this role as well and the differences between them are still pretty small. With typical hunting factory loads, the 7mm Remington Magnum and the .280 Ackley Improved have a slight advantage over the others in this regard with a flatter trajectory and the most resistance to wind drift. Of the two, the .280 Ackley Improved has a little less recoil, but ammo is easier to find for the 7mm Mag.

Are you sensitive to recoil? The .270 Winchester has by far the least recoil of the bunch. The .280 Remington and .280 Ackley Improved (especially the Ackley Improved) are both pretty good alternatives to hunters who want a little more powerful cartridge than the .270 Winchester, but with less recoil than cartridges like the 7mm Remington Magnum and .300 Win Mag.

Are you looking for a great cartridge for sheep, mountain goat, or tahr hunting where you need a heavy hitting cartridge with manageable recoil in a lightweight and easy to carry rifle? All will certainly work to one degree or another. Thanks to Jack O’Connor, the .270 Winchester is considered a classic sheep hunting cartridge if there ever was one. However, the larger .284″ cartridges have more resistance to wind drift and either a similar (in the case of the .280 Rem) or flatter trajectory. This is an area where the .280 AI really shines because it has a similar or slightly superior trajectory and resistance to wind drift when compared to the 7mm Remington Magnum, but less recoil in a lightweight mountain rifle that’s easy to carry in rough country.

Are you a handloader? If not, then you should probably stay away from the .280 Ackley Improved (unless you’re fine with just 1-2 brands as factory ammo options) and go with either the .270 or the 7mm Mag. If you are a handloader, both the .280 Remington and (especially) the .280 AI have outstanding potential. That being said, all four cartridges are generally good options for reloaders.

Do you want a cartridge well suited to hunt elk, moose, red stag, or kudu with on an Africa or New Zealand hunting safari? In addition to all being excellent choices for deer sized game, these cartridges are also suitable for bigger creatures under the right circumstances. Many consider the .270 Winchester to be on the light side for elk and moose hunting, but especially when using heavy, premium quality bullets (like the Nosler Partition), it’s absolutely capable of getting the job done. That being said, the .280 Remington, .280 AI, and 7mm Rem Mag are generally a little better suited for hunting bigger game.

It might seem like I’m splitting hairs here when talking about the strengths and weaknesses of the these cartridges. That’s absolutely true.

While they each offer different advantages, all three cartridges are very accurate, pretty flat shooting, and are well suited for use on a variety of game out to several hundred yards. For the vast majority of hunters, there is very little difference in their performance at typical hunting ranges (inside 300 yds).

The .270 Winchester, .280 Remington, .280 Ackley Improved, and 7mm Remington Magnum are all great rifle cartridges. While there is a large amount of overlap in their capabilities, each one does offer certain advantages. You need to carefully analyze your potential needs and choose the one (270 vs 280 Remington vs 280 Ackley Improved vs 7mm Rem Mag) that you think will fit them best.

Even so, no animal will never know the difference if your shot is placed in the right spot. Get a good hunting rifle chambered in the cartridge that you think fits your needs the best, learn to shoot it well, use quality bullets, and you’ll be all set for most hunting situations.

NEXT: 270 vs 308 WIN: WHICH ONE SHOULD YOU HUNT WITH?

Enjoy this article comparing the 270 Winchester, 280 Remington, 280 Ackley Improved, and 7mm Remington Magnum cartridges? Please share it with your friends on Facebook and Twitter.

The Lyman 50th Edition (p197-198, 212-216), Speer Number 10 (p182-184, 193-196, 201-204), and Hornady 10th Edition (p351-355, 391-400, 406-411) reloading manuals were used as references for the history of the cartridges. The data used to compare the trajectory and wind drift of the cartridges was obtained from Hornady (here, here, here and here) and Nosler (here). Case capacities and reloading data were obtained from Nosler (here, here, here, and here). Maximum pressure obtained from SAAMI (p23 and 28). I used the Hornady Ballistic calculator and ShootersCalculator.com to compare trajectory, wind drift, and recoil for the cartridges.

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“The advantages are obvious when you consider that many of the same targets of rocket and mortar fire can be neutralized with M33 ball, API M8 or Multipurpose ammunition.”

—”Heavy Firepower for Light Infantry,” Barrett Firearms Manufacturing, Inc. brochure advertising its Model 82A1 50 caliber sniper rifle18

The 50 caliber sniper rifles proliferating on today’s civilian market are coveted by Osama bin Laden’s Al Qaeda and other international terrorist organizations because the cartridge they fire offers a devastating combination of range and power. This section explains why the .50BMG round can slice through body armor like a knife through warm butter, knock down hovering helicopters, rip up armored limousines, destroy radar dishes, and ignite bulk fuel tanks—all at the length of 10 football fields.19 Here is the summary of the round’s merits by an enthusiastic essayist in the authoritative journal The Small Arms Review:

The fifty caliber’s ability to be deployed by one individual and give that person the capability of discretely engaging a target at ranges of over one mile away are definitely alluring from a tactical standpoint. While the .50 cal sometimes seems to be exaggerated, it is hard to imagine a round that at ranges of over a mile and a half away, has more kinetic energy than a .44 Magnum, and has unbeatable penetration as well.20

The trained operator of a 50 caliber sniper rifle like the Barrett M82A1 has the choice of accurately hitting a long range target at 1,800 meters (1,969 yards) away,21 blasting through two inches of solid concrete at the shorter range of 200 meters (219 yards),22 or destroying a spectrum of personnel and material targets at other ranges.23 These choices—the balance of extremely long-range and enormous striking power—are enhanced when specially designed “match,” “armor piercing,” or “armor piercing incendiary” ammunition is used.

To appreciate the threat of the 50 caliber sniper rifle, it is necessary to consider its extended accurate range, its exceptional power, and the extraordinarily destructive characteristics of special 50 caliber military ammunition widely available on the civilian market.

Extended Range and Accuracy

Apologists for the unrestricted sale of 50 caliber sniper rifles to civilians often downplay the sniper rifle’s long range accuracy. But the evidence from manufacturer advertising, military manuals, expert writing, and civilian owners themselves is that the 50 caliber rifles are accurate at ranges of at least 1,000 yards, and in the hands of a patiently trained and well-practiced marksman, nearly 2,000 yards. It is sobering to think of what Al Qaeda or other terrorists who have these sniper rifles can do with them from a distance of 20 football fields, especially given the planning and training of the terrorists that attacked the World Trade Center and the Pentagon on September 11, 2001.

The great mass of its bullet and the large size of the case into which the bullet is loaded give the 50 caliber round its deadly reach. Taken together, these result in much higher momentum than lesser rounds, such as the 30 caliber rounds of most other military sniper rifles.d The staff columnist of Very High Power Magazine, published by the Fifty Caliber Shooter’s Association—a tiny organization of competitive shooters vociferous in its defense of the unrestrained civilian sale of 50 caliber sniper rifles—summarized this point in an article comparing the 50 caliber to the 7.76 NATO (.308 Winchester) “its next, closest, US military competitor” as follows:

For military users, the .50 BMG caliber cartridge offers a significantly larger payload volume over the .30 calibers. Also, with the speed and weight of the .50 projectile, muzzle energy is outstanding for a small arms caliber. This translates into a longer range bullet that can still deliver a punch.

Fifty Caliber Sniper Rifles Are Used by Armed Forces Worldwide

This Swedish soldier takes aim with a Barrett M82A1 50 Caliber sniper rifle. According to Forbes magazine, a sale to the Swedish army in 1989 was Barrett’s first government contract. How long a range? According to the U.S. Army, the 50 caliber rifle more than doubles the range of the sniper over the .308 round:

The typical range for a sniper attack is 300 to 600 meters with medium-caliber rifles. Shots from 800 to 1,000 meters are the exception. However, heavy sniper rifles (.50-caliber, 12.7-mm, 14.5-mm, and 15-mm) with ranges of 1,200 to 1,500 meters are now proliferating around the world.25

Manufacturers of 50 caliber sniper rifles also claim accuracy at these and even greater ranges. “With confirmed hits out to 1800 meters, the Barrett model 82A1 is battle proven,” Barrett Firearms states in its promotional brochure.26In fact, U.S. forces using Barrett M82A1s routinely engaged Iraqi forces out to a range of 1,600 meters (1,750 yards) during the 1991 Gulf War.27 For readers familiar with Washington, DC, this is roughly the distance from the Smithsonian Institute Metro stop to the West Front of the Capitol, where inaugural ceremonies are held. Another manufacturer, Aurora Tactical, says that its Model 650 Special Light Anti-Materiel Rifle (SLAMR) “enables a skilled marksman to deliver exceptionally accurate fire on targets in excess of 1500 yards.”28

These ranges, in the vicinity of one mile, are at the outer limits of what may be expected from a skilled marksman. But they should not be dismissed as beyond the reach of dedicated terrorists like Al Qaeda, especially given the civilian training available and discussed in Section Four. In fact, some expert observers consider the 1000 yard range—the equivalent of 10 football fields end to end—to be comfortably within the grasp of the serious shooter. For example, two publications reviewing the performance of a new entry into the 50 caliber market, the ArmaLite AR-50, addressed the range question. American Rifleman, the NRA’s official journal, said the .50 BMG is “ideally suited for precision target shooting at distances of 1000 yds. or more.”29 The Small Arms Review, dedicated to the arcana of military weaponry, said, “It turned out that hitting something at 1000 yards was not the challenge. The real challenge was finding a place to safely shoot at a target 1000 yards away.”30

Finally, advances in the design of 50 caliber rifles and ammunition alike have gradually improved the performance of expert shots at the 1,000 yard range. Thus, the diameter of the group of winning rounds fired in world record competitions steadily declined from 9.3125″ in 1986 to 2.6002″ in 1999.31

In short, the evidence is clear that the power of the 50 caliber sniper rifle in trained hands reaches from at least 1,000 to as far as 2,000 yards.

Destructive Power

It must always be kept in mind that the 50 caliber sniper rifle’s threat is not only a function of the long ranges described above, but a devil’s blend of long range and massive power. The operator will balance these two depending on the nature of the target. For example, IRA terrorists who assassinated British soldiers and Irish constables fired from ranges as short as 120 yards. The rounds the IRA snipers fired easily ripped through high grade military body armor worn by the soldiers, inflicting instantly mortal wounds.32 On the other hand, the longest confirmed kill in sniper history was achieved at a distance of 1.42 miles in Vietnam, by U.S. Marine Corps Gunnery Sergeant Carlos N. Hathcock. That feat is all the more impressive given that 50 caliber sniper rifles had not even yet been invented—Hathcock was firing single shots from a 50 caliber machine gun that he jury-rigged with a telescopic sight.33 The 50 caliber sniper rifles being sold to civilians today are much more sophisticated and finely made than Hathcock’s makeshift weapon.

Although the 50 caliber sniper rifle presents a dramatic assassination threat because of its extraordinarily long range, that threat must not blind us to the super gun’s power to destroy material targets. This destructive power is at least as serious a terrorist threat as assassination, and is more likely to cause mass casualties and widespread disruption to commerce and civic order. Here, for example, is Barrett’s description of the power of its Model M82A1:

This revolutionary .50 caliber semi-automatic rifle allows sophisticated targets to be destroyed or disabled by a single soldier. Armored personnel carriers, radar dishes, communications vehicles, aircraft and area denial submunitions are all vulnerable to the quick strike capability of the Barrett 82A1. With decisive force and without the need for the manpower and expense of mortar or rocket crews, forces can engage the opposition at distances far beyond the range of small arms fire….The 82A1’s light weight makes transportation as easy as walking….With night vision equipment, the weapon is even more effective under cover of darkness. The muzzle brake reduces felt recoil to no more than that of a 12 gauge shotgun….The advantages are obvious when you consider that many of the same targets for rocket and mortar fire can be neutralized with M33 ball, API M8 or Multipurpose ammunition.34

An excerpt from the U.S. Army’s manual on urban combat indicates that it agrees with Barrett’s assessment of the 50 caliber sniper rifle’s ability to destroy materiel targets:

These heavy sniper rifles were originally intended as anti materiel weapons for stand-off attack against high-value targets, such as radar control vans, missiles, parked aircraft, and bulk fuel and ammunition storage sites. Because of this, they are only marginally accurate enough for long-range shots against individual personnel. It is their ability to shoot through all but the heaviest shielding material, and their devastating effects, that make them valuable psychological weapons.35

How destructive can the 50 caliber sniper rifle be in the hands of an Al Qaeda terrorist? That depends on the ammunition—and the target.

Overview of 50 Caliber Ammunition

The U.S. military uses at least eight different types of .50BMG ammunition, each type designed for a specific use.36 There are also various brands of civilian ammunition, much of it designed and manufactured for long-range competitive shooting, and 50 caliber ammunition can be reloaded at home. Worldwide, at least 100 variants of 50 caliber ammunition are produced in more than 30 countries.37 All of these types of 50 caliber ammunition have one thing in common: they are extremely powerful. Even so, some varieties are much more destructive than others.

The ammunition that 50 caliber sniper rifles fire today was originally developed during the First World War as both an anti-tank and machine gun round.38 Developments in tank armor soon made tanks generally impervious to 50 caliber rounds,39 but according to the Marine Corps and other authorities, the 50 caliber can still blast through more lightly armored vehicles, such as armored personnel carriers, and thus clearly through armored limousines. “Size Matters”

Relative size of 30 caliber and 50 caliber rounds. Most military and police sniper rifles are in 30 caliber.

In fact, one of the reasons that the FBI requested that tanks be brought into the notorious and ultimately tragic siege of the Branch Davidian compound at Waco, Texas Size matterswas that the Davidians were armed with two Barrett 50 caliber sniper rifles.40 An Army general told officials that even the U.S. “Bradley fighting vehicles would be vulnerable to .50 caliber weapons.”41 It is clear that the presence of these super guns in civilian hands contributed to the escalation of force in the encounter. The implications for the security of high-profile dignitaries and others traveling in civilian armored cars, equally clear, are discussed in Section Three.

50 Caliber Ammunition Available on U.S. Civilian Market

The following review of four types of 50 caliber ammunition that are available to civilians in the United States—and thus easily available to foreign and domestic terrorists—describes the destruction the 50 caliber sniper rifle can inflict.

The availability of this ammunition in U.S. civilian markets is wholly aside from the fact that military ammunition stocks also can be procured from underground sources. Arms and ammunition—including such destructive items as M-16 assault rifles, machine guns, TNT, dynamite, plastic explosives, land mines, and hand grenades—are regularly stolen from U.S. military armories.42 Fifty caliber sniper rifles have proliferated in military forces around the world, and 50 caliber ammunition is made in more than 30 countries. Those foreign forces, including some that are less than friendly to the United States, have stocks of military ammunition that are available to any terrorist with the right connections. Arms and ammunition are also stolen from these foreign forces, friend and foe alike, sometimes on a staggering scale.43 Fifty caliber sniper rifles are also now finding their way into the arsenals of civilian police,44opening another potential channel for acquisition of the more exotic 50 caliber ammunition through theft45 or other leakage.46 As Jane’s Intelligence Review noted recently, “the hardest category of military exports to control is dual-use technology—technology that has both civilian or military applications.”47 This description snugly fits the 50 caliber military sniper rifles sold by Barrett and other manufacturers to armies and civilians alike.

Ball ammunition. The simplest and most common round of firearm ammunition is called “ball.” The U.S. Army says 50 caliber ball is used for training and against personnel and light materiel targets.48 Ball has less penetrating power than the specialized rounds discussed below. But the bullet’s power against material objects is nonetheless awesome, varying as in all cases with distance. Thus, the Army says that at the long range of 1,500 meters (1,640 yards), ball ammunition can penetrate one inch of concrete, six inches of sand, and 21 inches of clay.49 At the lesser range of 35 meters (38 yards), ball ammunition can penetrate an inch of armor plate and 16 inches of log wall.50

Of course, a bullet that can penetrate an inch of concrete from the distance of 16 football fields can do massive damage to any softer target (such as human beings or unarmored public utility fixtures) from that and lesser ranges. Moreover, Army tables cited in the paragraph above show that the effects of ball can be enhanced by repeated firing at the same target, a capability of the semi-automatic 50 caliber sniper rifles like the Barrett M82A1 and others.gThis thought is captured in the following quote from a noted expert author on sniping:

It’s the .50’s tremendous ability to penetrate bunkers and building that makes it so deadly….This means you can pulverize enemy positions and induce casualties without necessarily seeing an enemy soldier. When firing at positions, don’t be thrifty; riddle them with enough bullets to ensure damage.51

In lieu of such brute force, the 50 caliber sniper rifle’s performance can be substantially enhanced by the use of ammunition specially designed to destroy hard targets—ammunition that makes the rifles what expert Mark V. Lonsdale calls “a cost effective way to engage the enemy’s high-tech equipment, light skinned vehicles and aircraft, especially when compared to the cost of hitting the same targets with rocket or mortar fire.”52

Armor-piercing and incendiary ammunition. The Army says that the basic 50 caliber armor-piercing round is designed for use “against armored aircraft and lightly armored vehicles, concrete shelters, and other bullet-resisting targets.”53 The armor-piercing effect is achieved by the bullet’s design, which wraps a hardened core of a substance like manganese-molybdenum steel with a softer metal jacket.54 Incendiary ammunition is self-descriptive, used for “incendiary effect, especially against aircraft.”55 In other words, it sets things like airplanes, fuel, and other combustible materials on fire.h Tracer ammunition, familiar to the public from scenes of night combat, leaves a visible trail of incendiary light. Variant rounds combine armor-piercing, incendiary, and tracer effects.56

As the following table demonstrates, the capabilities of the 50 caliber sniper rifle is substantially enhanced by the use of basic armor-piercing ammunition.

50 Caliber Armor-Piercing Bullet Penetration

Material 200 Meters(219 Yards) 600 Meters(656 Yards) 1,500 Meters(1,640 Yards) Homogeneous Armor Plate 1.0″ 0.7″ 0.3″ Face-Hardened Armor Plate 0.9″ 0.5″ 0.2″ Clay 28″ 27″ 21″

According to expert John Plaster, armor-piercing rounds at the shorter range of 100 yards (one football field) can penetrate nine inches of concrete, 1.8 inches of unarmored steel, 3.5 inches of aluminum, and 96 inches of timber.57

Saboted Light Armor Penetrator (SLAP) Ammunition. Designers of anti-armor ammunition have long used the idea of replacing a given caliber gun’s projectile with a projectile of smaller diameter but more dense material. In order to seat the smaller projectile in the larger ammunition case, and to gain the necessary spin from the gun’s rifled barrel, the projectile is wrapped in a “sabot” or “shoe.” The shoe rides the length of the gun’s barrel, then drops away from the projectile when it exits the barrel. The much higher velocity of a “saboted” round enhances its armor-piercing performance.

The U.S. Marine Corps developed 50 caliber SLAP ammunition in the 1980s, and it was used in 1990 during the Gulf War’s Operation Desert Storm. It uses a .30 inch heavy metal (tungsten) penetrator in a plastic shoe, which is .50 inch in diameter. “Since the mass of the saboted penetrator is much lighter in weight than normal ball .50 caliber ammunition, SLAP’s velocity can be significantly and safely increased,” according to the Marine Corps. “This produces a very fast round with a very flat trajectory which enhances hit probability…and extends the light armor capability…significantly.”58

According to Winchester, the civilian contractor that developed the 50 caliber SLAP round, it delivers “superior and proven performance against lightly armored vehicles and armoured attack helicopters at ranges up to 1500 meters.”59

Components of “saboted light armor piercing” (SLAP) round

The 30 caliber bullet fits into 50 caliber case with plastic “sabot.” Sabot falls away after round exits the barrel of the gun.

A round that has “proven performance” against an armored attack helicopter at 1,600 yards is a clear threat to America in the hands of any terrorist group that, like Al Qaeda, has acquired the means to deliver it in the form of the Barrett 50 caliber sniper rifle.

Raufoss Multipurpose (Armor-piercing, explosive, incendiary) Ammunition. The crown jewel of 50 caliber sniper rifle ammunition is the Raufoss multi-purpose round, developed by a Norwegian company and manufactured under license by several companies, including Winchester. Said by experts to be the most popular round with U.S. military snipers,60 it was used to devastating effect by U.S. forces in the 1991 Gulf War.

Designated the MK211 by the U.S. military, the Raufoss round was described by Jane’s International Defense Review in 1994 as “the most influential development of the past decade” in 50 caliber ammunition.61 The round combines armor-piercing, explosive, and incendiary effects and uses a “highly effective pyrotechnically initiated fuze…[that] delays detonation of the main projectile charge until after initial target penetration—moving projectile fragmentation and damage effect inside the target for maximum anti-personnel and fire start effect.”62 According to its developer, Nordic Ammunition Company (NAMMO), the round can be used in “sniper rifles similar to Barrett M82A1,” has “the equivalent firing power of a 20 mm projectile to include such targets as helicopters, aircrafts (sic), light armour vehicles, ships and light fortifications,” and can ignite JP4 and JP8 military jet fuel.63 (The typical 20mm projectile to which NAMMO equates its 50 caliber Raufoss round is approximately .8 inch in diameter, thus more than half again as wide as the 50 caliber. It is used in anti-armor and anti-aircraft cannons, often with an explosive charge.64 The Vulcan 20mm cannon has been the standard internal gun armament of most U.S. combat aircraft—currently including F-14, F-16, and F/A-18—since the 1950s.65)

According to the Marine Corps, the Barrett “M82A1A…fires the .50-caliber RAUFOSS ammunition, which contains a tungsten penetrator and a more powerful explosive charge than the API ammunition….it has penetrated an inch of steel at 2000 yards.”66 Jane’s International Defense Review estimates that the round is “probably capable of disabling a man wearing body armor who is standing behind the wall of a house at 2,000m…. (and) can perforate the foundation of a high-rise building (20cm reinforced concrete) at 400m.”67 Reasonable persons probably would agree that blasting through 20 centimeters (7.87 inches) of reinforced concrete from four football field’s distance is an impressive performance.

The antipersonnel sniping potential of the Raufoss round—touted by both NAMMO and Winchester in their advertising material—inspired an unsuccessful attempt in 1998 by the International Committee of the Red Cross to have the round Raufoss Rounddeclared an “exploding bullet” banned under international law.68 The Raufoss Round—The Crown Jewel of 50 Caliber Ammunition

How the Raufoss 50 caliber multi-purpose round works. The armor-piercing bullet penetrates the armor. Then a delayed action fuze sets off the explosive part of round, producing fragmentation and incendiary (fire-starting) effects.

Availability of Specialized 50 Caliber Ammunition on U.S. Civilian Market

The implications of the potential uses to which a terrorist might put 50 caliber armor-piercing, incendiary, SLAP, or Raufoss ammunition can only be described as frightening. Yet all of these types of ammunition are available on the U.S. civilian market. SLAP is less frequently offered than ball, armor-piercing, and incendiary variants, and Raufoss is rarely offered publicly. Yet the VPC has documented public offerings and apparent sales of all the varieties discussed above in the civilian market (again, aside from leakage from military stocks worldwide).

Ball, armor-piercing, and armor-piercing incendiary are routinely sold through a variety of Internet web sites and mail order catalogs, and at least one site has also offered SLAP.69 In addition to these commercial outlets, armor-piercing and SLAP rounds have been offered for sale through at least one Internet gun auction site.70

Finally, SLAP and Raufoss have been offered for sale through postings on a popular 50 caliber Internet bulletin board.71 One correspondent on the board claimed to have “acquired some Winchester manufactured (real) SLAP ammo which was acquired from a Winchester rep for free.” If this is true, that incident marked a source of leakage that cut out the military middle man.

In sum, the most destructive types of ammunition for the 50 caliber sniper rifles are freely available in the U.S. domestic market—wholly aside from whatever leakage may exist from military sources, not only within the United States, but abroad, including from the armed forces of hostile, terrorist-supporting countries.

In the next section, we report on the hands into which 50 caliber sniper rifles have fallen, including Osama bin Laden’s Al Qaeda and other terrorists and criminals.

c) .50BMG is the technical designation of the round. The BMG stands for Browning machine gun, one of the earliest weapons using the round.

d) Generally speaking, modern ammunition consists of four parts, assembled into a unit called a “round” or “cartridge.” The components of the round are (1) the bullet, i.e., the actual projectile that the gun shoots; (2) the propellant charge, or gunpowder, which when ignited rapidly expands into a high pressure gas that expels the bullet out the barrel of the gun, (3) a “primer” which ignites when struck by a firing pin and in turn sets off the main charge of powder, and (4) a case or “shell” in which the powder, primer and bullet are assembled. Ammunition size is commonly expressed in terms of the approximate diameter of the bullet, measured either in inches (e.g., .50 BMG is roughly half an inch in diameter) or millimeters (e.g., 12.7 mm). Although the dimensions of 50 caliber rounds vary depending on the type (i.e. “ball,” “match,” “armor-piercing,” etc.), the typical 50 caliber bullet is .510″ in diameter by 2.27″ in length, the case is 3.9″ in length, and the overall length of the assembled round is 5.425″. (The overall length is somewhat shorter than the sum of the case and bullet because the bullet is “seated” within the case.) Dimensions from: Dean Michaelis, The Complete .50-Caliber Sniper Course: Hard-Target Interdiction (Paladin Press, Boulder, Colorado, 2000), p. 391; Ian V. Hogg, The World’s Sniping Rifles (Greenhill Books, London,1998), p. 123; Ian V. Hogg, The Greenhill Military Small Arms Data Book (Greenhill Books, London, 1999), p. 280.

e) Last February the FCSA’s president reported that it was “rapidly approaching 2600 members.” “From The President’s Bench,” downloaded from The Fifty Caliber Shooter’s Association Internet web site, http://www.fcsa.org on February 13, 2001.

f) It is not true, nor has the VPC ever claimed, that a 50 caliber round can penetrate the armor of a modern tank, despite occasional erroneous reports to that effect. What is true is that the 50 caliber can force tank crews to “button up,” and well-placed shots could destroy or degrade certain external equipment and vision blocks on some tanks. See, e.g., undated article “How to ‘Tickle a Tank,’” Soldier of Fortune, posted on Barrett Firearms Internet web site, downloaded from http://www.clickstudio.com/barrettmilitary/sof.htm on September 29, 2001. These, however, are generally military matters beyond the range of this report and the VPC’s interest.

g) Semi-automatic firearms typically have an ammunition magazine, popularly called a “clip.” They fire one round every time the trigger is pulled until the magazine is empty. The trigger of a semi-automatic firearm may be pulled rapidly, but it must be released between each round. This differs from the fully automatic weapon, or machine gun, which continues firing as long as the trigger is held down until the magazine is exhausted.

h) Fifty caliber sniper rifles have been banned from some public shooting ranges because of fires set by enthusiasts firing various types of incendiary rounds. See discussion in Section Four.

i) Source: John L. Plaster, The Ultimate Sniper: An Advanced Training Manual for Military & Police Snipers (Paladin Press, Boulder, Colorado, 1993), p. 221.

Back to Voting From the Rooftops Table of Contents

I’ve always said a shotgun is the best home defense firearm because of its reduced risk of over-penetration, increased stopping power, and accuracy.

However, much depends on the shotshells you load into your gun for personal defense. Various projectiles and brands have different ballistics.

Deciphering all this information is time-consuming and confusing because we’re not constantly comparing apples to apples.

Lucky for you, I have spent many hours researching and testing the best 12 gauge ammo for home defense.

As you keep scrolling, you’ll discover my findings!

Best Shotgun Ammo for Home Defense

Federal LE FliteControl 00 Buck

Specs

Muzzle Velocity: 1,325 fps

Projectile: #00 Buckshot

Shell Length: 2 3/4″

Pros

• Trusted brand
• FliteControl wad
• Designed with law enforcement in mind
• Works in all shotgun types

Cons

• It needs a unique choke tube
• Expensive

Why We Chose It

Federal Premium is an ammunition manufacturer trusted by countless shooters, hunters, and law enforcement agencies.

They’ve gained a positive reputation through years of crafting high-quality ammo and exploring new ammunition technologies.

The FliteControl wad is unlike traditional wads because it acts similarly to a sabot for a slug. The FliteControl wad holds the pattern tighter for longer distances, which increases the rounds effective range.

This shotgun load was designed with law enforcement agencies in mind, which means you can trust it to be very effective in close quarters, as such is the case with home defense situations.

However, there are a couple of drawbacks to this load.

The first is it needs a special choke. Due to the unique wad, it doesn’t perform well with most choke tubes. Luckily, many choke manufacturers, such as Carlson’s and Patternmaster, make the needed choke tube.

The second drawback is the price. These rounds are not cheap, but when protecting my family and myself, the price is the least of my worries.

In my opinion, these drawbacks are minimal when you understand the increased performance you’re gaining from the flight control aspects of the wad and functionality in any type of shotgun.

Honorable Mentions

Rio Ammunition 00 Buck is worth mentioning as a viable buckshot round contender. As a brand, Rio is often less expensive than other brands, which is also the case in this instance.

Yet, just because you’re not paying as much doesn’t mean you’re losing terminal performance or quality, as it reliably works in pump-action and semi-auto shotguns.

The main downsides are these rounds have a rolled crimp, which means they are too long for shell carriers used in 3-gun competitions, and it also cuts down on the magazine capacity.

The other downside is that the wad doesn’t cover the shot, so your barrel will get dirty faster; but if you enjoy cleaning your guns, this isn’t a big deal.

Rio 00 Buckshot is reliable, has a good pattern, and is reasonably priced.

If you’re looking for a buckshot load with a few more pellets, check out Winchester Super-X 3-1/2″ 18 Pellets 00 Buckshot.

The longer shell has more room for the double-aught buckshot pellets and powder, so don’t expect this to be a low recoil 12 gauge ammo for home defense because it will kick much more than the 2 3/4″ shells.

Longer shells are always more expensive, so if you’re trying to be budget-friendly, I wouldn’t recommend choosing 3 1/2″ shells. However, these are worth looking into if you’re needed more knockdown power.

Searching for ammo with more knockdown power? Check out our Winchester 12 Gauge ammo or our Fiocchi 12 Gauge ammo page to get the best match for your needs.

Best Low Recoil 12-Gauge Ammo for Home Defense

Hornady American Gunner Reduced Recoil Rifled Slug

Specs

Muzzle Velocity: 1,300 fps

Muzzle Energy: 1,642 ft-lbs

Projectile: Rifled Slug

Shell Length: 2 3/4″

Pros

• Trusted brand
• Designed for reduction of recoil
• Multiple uses

Cons

• Expensive

Why We Chose It

Hornady is one of the most trusted brands for self-defense ammo, with choices like the Hornady Critical Defense for handguns. However, they didn’t stop with handgun ammo.

Hornady has successfully ventured into shotgun ammunition. The Hornady American Gunner Reduced Recoil Rifled Slug is perfect for those who find shotgun slugs uncomfortable to shoot because of all the recoil.

While you will sacrifice a little muzzle energy and velocity for reduced recoil, the slug won’t have any trouble penetrating the vital organs of bad guys.

The Hornady Reduced Recoil Rifled Slug is an excellent defense load, but it can double as a solid hunting slug at close range.

The biggest drawback is the price. Because they’re designed for defense purposes and they’re a reduced recoil load, they are expensive compared to other rifled slugs.

Honorable Mentions

The Federal Tactical Truball Low Recoil 2-3/4″ 1 oz is a cheaper option. Rifled Slug. Its ballistics are identical to the Hornady Reduced Recoil load but at half the price.

However, you must buy in bulk to get this price. The price doesn’t reflect the quality of these rounds, as law enforcement agencies trust these rounds in training and real-world situations daily.

Best One-Ounce Slug for Personal Defense

Federal Power Shok 1 oz. Rifled Slug

Specs

Muzzle Velocity: 1,610 fps

Muzzle Energy: 2,521 ft-lbs

Projectile: Rifled Slug

Shell Length: 2 3/4″

Pros

• Trusted brand
• Fast
• Hard-hitting
• Reasonably priced

Cons

• Must buy in bulk to get the best deal
• Will easily penetrate drywall

Why We Chose It

A rifled slug makes an excellent defense round because it is accurate and creates a big hole in the intruder. Pair that with Federal, one of the top ammo manufacturers in the world, and you have a high-quality round at a surprisingly affordable price.

These rifled slugs are more accurate at close and long range because the slug spins as it travels down the smoothbore shotgun barrel.

The one-ounce lead slug is sure to stop any threat; however, it will have a higher risk of over-penetration that you must keep in mind for the safety of your family and neighbors.

When you compare the velocity, muzzle energy, and price, these rounds are tough to beat.

Honorable Mentions

The Winchester Defender 1 oz. Segmented Rifled Slug will help you stop the threat with similar ballistics as the Federal Power Shok shotshells. So if you’re semi-auto or pump-action shotgun cycles Winchester shells better, you have a viable option.

However, these loads are more expensive due to the unique design of the segmenting slug. This slug breaks apart into three pieces once it hits cloth, which causes more wound channels and increased trauma.

Segmenting also reduces the risk of over-penetration.

For a round priced in between the two above, check out the Fiocchi 1 oz. Rifled Slug. The Aero Rifle Slug is designed as a self-defense shotshell for auto-loading shotguns. So if you’re a pump-action lover, this probably isn’t the round for you.

However, if you use a semi-auto shotgun as a defense gun, then the Fiocchi Aero Rifle Slug is one load you should consider.

Choosing the Best 12 Gauge Ammo for Home Defense

Once you’ve bought your home defense shotgun, it’s time to load it with the best home defense shotgun ammo, but how are you supposed to know which is the best when they all claim to be the best?

There’s no simple answer to the question: “what is the best 12 gauge ammo for home defense?” However, there are several factors to remember when buying ammo that will help you make the best decision possible.

Shotgun

Learning which brands and loads your shotgun likes best will take time and testing. However, if the need ever arises, you’ll be glad you took the time and spent the money to find the rounds that cycle and shoot best out of your shotgun.

Recoil

Self-defense loads are often hotter rounds, meaning they have more kick. I suggest finding a reduced recoil round if you’re sensitive to recoil.

Budget

Defense shotshells are often expensive due to the time and testing needed to perfect these loads before the manufacturers ship them to the public.

Since we’re on the subject of money, don’t miss out on our affordable Remington 12 Gauge Ammunition for more options.

I’m typically tight-fisted with my money; however, when protecting my family and myself, I’m willing to spend more to ensure I buy a high-quality product.

Ammo Types

The beauty of owning a shotgun is the wide variety of ammo types you can shoot from the same gun without changing anything except the shell.

This can also be a drawback because it’s difficult for beginners to understand the various shot sizes and types.

Once you understand the differences between the shotgun ammo types, choosing a self-defense shotshell becomes much more manageable.

Saving Money on the Best Home Defense Shotgun Ammo

Shotgun shells used for personal defense are expensive; however, there are several ways to save money.

Buying Bulk 12-Gauge Self-Defense Shotgun Shells

When you buy bulk 12-gauge ammo, sometimes you can save $0.15 per shotshell. This is a significant savings if you practice often and burn through ammo.

The amount of savings will depend on the brand and amount of ammo you purchase. Purchasing 250 rounds will save you more money per round than buying 20 shells at a time. However, buying 1,000 shotshells will give you more significant savings per round.

Reloading Shotshells

Shotgun shells are reloadable, which means there’s an opportunity to save money by reloading instead of buying factory ammo.

This costs more money upfront because you have to purchase the reloading equipment and supplies, but once that initial cost is over, the amount of money you save depends on the speed at which you can pump out shells.

If you can’t find the perfect home-defense round, you might try crafting your own by handloading.

To double up on your savings, try buying shotgun shells in bulk and then reloading them!

Standard 12-Gauge Shotgun Self-Defense Projectiles

As I mentioned earlier, there are various types of projectiles in shotgun shells. There are two primary types I consider home defense rounds and a third that can be used if it’s all you have on hand.

Buckshot

Buckshot is by far the best home defense load because it’s less likely to penetrate, you have multiple projectiles to increase your chances of hitting your target, and it’s reasonably priced.

There are different shot sizes of buckshot. Double aught or 00 Buck is most people’s preference; however, don’t be afraid to go with smaller pellets because there will be more per shell.

Slugs

You might be thinking, what do those little slimy creatures have to do with shotguns?

No? That’s just me?

Well, they don’t have anything to do with shotguns, but a rifled or sabot slug does, and they make good personal defense rounds.

A rifled slug has the rifling on the slug instead of the barrel. The rifling causes the slug to spin, making it more accurate.

The sabot slug has a plastic case or sabot around it that causes it to spin in a smoothbore shotgun; there’s much debate as to which slug is best, but many consider the sabot slug to be technologically superior.

Birdshot

Birdshot is not a recommended load for home defense; however, if it’s all you have, use it, especially if it’s a turkey load.

Birdshot has much smaller pellets than buckshot; therefore, it doesn’t have the same stopping power, but if you have a good choke that keeps a tight pattern, birdshot is deadly, especially at close range.

Shot size selection will be the primary determining factor of the knockdown power of birdshot. The smaller the number, the larger the pellets. For defense purposes, choose the smaller numbers or BB.

Parting Shots

Choosing the best 12-gauge ammo for home defense doesn’t have to be overly complicated. You should make an informed decision, which you’ve made by reading this article, but in the end, you should test out several different brands and projectiles to determine which you like best.

Stay safe!