THE MUZZLELOADING HUNTER’S DUAL CHALLENGE
The big whitetail buck slips along the edge of a clearing on his way to check a scrape. He is big, easily pushing the book with six long tines per side, heavy mass and almost 2 feet of antler width. This is the buck of a lifetime. He slowly starts the age-old ritual, rubbing his forehead on an overhead twig, pawing and urinating. He stands still as the urine runs down his legs, offering you a perfect shot.
REAL-WORLD TESTING
Ian McMurchy’s conclusions about long-range shooting and the wind’s effects aren’t based on theories. He is often commissioned by manufacturers to develop information on new guns and loads and their performance characteristics at various distances.
While developing this article, he spent countless hours recording data. Here are two tables showing examples of his findings on drop and drift at long distances.
All shots were fired against a full-value (90-degree) wind of exactly 10 mph. McMurchy’s test area allows him a 360-degree field of fire. This means he doesn’t have to wait for the wind to be from a
