I just returned from the Dallas Safari Club Big Bore Shoot, held at the Fossil Pointe Sporting Grounds. The range was great (and HUGE!) and it was a fun time. Driving 18 hours plus to fire 12 rounds may seem silly and I do wish there was more shooting, but it is what it is. I was the only one (AFAIK) shooting the mighty 458WM. Various 416’s and 375’s were the most common, with a few 470’s and even a 460 Weatherby Magnum making a good show. This is a fairly specialized form of shooting, but I really enjoyed it and look forward to next year’s match. The picture below is a zoomed in image of the 70 yard stage, shot off of sticks. After that there was a 30 yard stage shot off hand and finally a moving target stage at 15 yards. 3 of us tied for 3rd and had to shoot off against each other. That shoot off was on the moving target and you had one shot to place as close to center as possible to determine the winner. That shot is below.
While the 458WM does not have excessive recoil by any means, it does tend to force my toes to rock up every shot and I do notice the overall effect. I was juiced enough during the match that I never once noticed the recoil or the rocking. Not a bad simulation of hunting excitement and it is the first time I have ever shot the WM without noticing the effect it has. My reloads were fast and did not seem different to me from my 308’s. I was using my Blaser R8, which is off course the fastest gun possible for this in a manual repeater.
One thing that happened during the match that cost me second or possibly the first place finish was a malfunction. On the last round (3rd shot) of the moving target stage, I managed to crumple the case mouth of my round and that locked the gun up, denying me my last shot. I’m not sure why it happened but can only guess that I must have not crimped the case mouth properly on that round. My reloads have never failed me before, and that gun has never choked before, but this is one of the big benefits of competition. The pressure and pace tend to smoke out any gremlins that may be hiding, both in your equipment and your skill. I am not an expert reloader, and usually only shoot factory ammo. It is certainly possible that I caused the issue with my reloads. There may be another reason for it, but without video of the issue, I am not sure I will get to the bottom of it.
At any rate, it has given me something to work on and I will attempt to replicate the mistake in practice so that it does not occur again. Many other shooters, including the bolt shooters and the double gun shooters, also had malfunctions of one sort or another. All that I saw were shooter induced, but it proves that no gun will do the job for you, you have to train hard and get it right. And ultimately, that is all that matters.
