gary reeder
finally got out to sight in my guns for the lion
Monday, September 06, 2021, 18:58

hunt in a bit over 2 weeks from now. Got a big surprise too. I had really planned on using the Hornady 300 grain DGE, Dangerous Game Expanding bullet in my 378 GNR being I had 3 good friends scrounge up some up for me. It did all right but at 100 yards it was so so. I switched to the Nosler 260 grain Accubond, Same thing, maybe a 3" group at best at 100. Nothing to write home about. Just for kicks I tried the Hornady 225 grain spire point. Better but flyers I didn't like. Finally I tried the Hornady 220 grain flat point that had done so well shooting at the shop and at roughly 100 yards they weren't in a one hole group as I was shooting off the hood of my truck in a fairly brisk wind but 6 shots were in a silver dollar group or a bit less. That bullet had shown promise shooting at my shop at 25 yards but I wanted to try the heavier bullets thinking they would be a better lion killer than the lighter bullets. But that was not to be, at least not with my new barrel. On the way back from a gravel pit where Kase and I were shooting (we don't have an outdoor range here in Flagstaff) I thought about building a new barrel but it is too late to change horses especially not knowing if the new one would be a better heavy bullet shooter.

After shooting the 220 grain flat point bullet at the shop and seeing the small groups it shoots I called John around mid week last week in Zambia (mid morning here was evening there) and asked him if I need to build another barrel. He asked if I was satisfied with the 220 grain bullets groups and accuracy. I told him yes. Then he said what I figured he would say. Put that bullet in the right spot and the lion will be just as dead as he would be with a 300 grain bullet.
So a good but surprising day at the "range". My other 2 guns are planned at being "back up guns" although if a highly pissed off lion is doing 30 mph toward me I doubt there will be much time to change guns. The 429 GNR is scoped and set at 50 yards while the 510 GNR is open sighted and set for point blank range.

So now to reload the 378 GNR ammo to the same specs as the ammo I shot last week at the shop and this morning, and my guns will be ready. I might not be ready but my guns will be.