august 2019 ❘ 58 ❘ americanhunter.org
I love history. One of the most fas-
cinating aspects of hunting is the
knowledge that ours is not the first gen-
eration to try its luck on this ground we
call America. But in all my years I have
never found a single artifact. Despite the
fact I’ve hunted many promising places—
along a buffalo jump in Montana, atop a
cliff where Native campfires and teepee
circles are still defined by rocks, along-
side the ancient cliff dwellings of an
ancient Anasazi settlement—I’ve never
found a thing, not even an arrowhead.
The way Fred and Michele talked, this
place sounded promising.
And yet, after half a dozen of us
scoured that field for more than an hour,
after listening to my companions exclaim
their joy upon uncovering one artifact
after another, I felt like Charlie Brown.
“Scott, what’d you find?” someone
asked as we all dumped our plunder
upon the tailgate. “I got a pocket full
of rocks,” I replied. “I don’t think any of
them are real.” I was wrong; they were
real rocks.
It was a good thing for me the elk
hunting actually looked more promising
as the week wore on; in fact, I’m sure I’m
better at being Natty Bumppo than Indi-
ana Jones. I proved that in short order
the morning the elk finally cooperated.
For a change, they hung around long
enough for us to watch them, to figure
out which one was the herd bull and to
get a bead on him.
“You on him?” asked Fred.
“Yep,” I replied. “The third bull from
the left, right? That one right there?” I
asked, motioning in the dim light with an
outstretched arm toward the herd.
HORNADY .300 PRC
The Hornady .300 Precision Rifle Cartridge (PRC) was designed to fulfill a need defined
by the U.S. Navy to substantially improve the probability of a first-round hit at long range
on the battlefield. It hit the market as a complete package, as a cartridge and chamber
designed for accuracy. As such, it has the capacity to kill not only most big game but
also many existing .30-caliber magnums.
It is based on the .375 Ruger; cartridge overall length is 3.7 inches; case length is 2.58
inches. Those factors create capacity for 75-80 grains of powder to push big .30-caliber
bullets at high velocity. They also mean the .300 PRC may accommodate not only tradi-
tional bullets but trendy long-range designs. A head diameter of .532 inch (same as the
.300 Win. Mag.) is sized to fit within a standard magnum bolt face (unlike the .300 Norma
or .338 Lapua). That and its COAL ensures the .300 PRC will fit, feed and function in existing
long actions. Its beltless case headspaces off a 30-degree shoulder for optimal chamber
alignment. Bullet-over-chamber tolerance is tight. Unlike other .30-caliber magnums that
headspace on, and are thus supported only at, a rear belt, the .300 PRC is supported fore
and aft so bullets launch from case to bore more precisely than ever before.
The 212-grain Hornady ELD-X bullet I fired at my bull elk carries a G1 ballistic coef-
ficient of .673. It’s loaded in the Hornady Precision Hunter line, and leaves the bore
traveling 2860 fps. At that speed, energy at 1,000 yards—a distance greater than any
living target I may shoot at—is still 1,132 ft.-lbs. This thing moves and hits hard right on
the money. hornady.comLEICA ABC FOR BDC
Leica’s Geovid HD-B 3000 laser rangefinding binocular is built to be tough and waterproof
with a nitrogen-purged, magnesium body, Perger Porro prism, HDC multi-coating and
AquaDura lens coating. Choose from 8- or 10x42 or 8x56 configurations; each includes
a tripod adapter, a nice option on an instrument like this.
The Geovid accurately measures linear distance to 3,000 yards and features the
company’s ABC ballistic program. Ballistic measurement values in its LED display are
available in holdover, click adjustment and equivalent horizontal range (EHR); barometric
pressure, temperature and angle also are measured to help calculate the correct point
of aim. Twelve trajectory curves are pre-installed. With a microSD memory card and the
ABC calculator, users may import individual ballistic parameters to receive data perfectly
adjusted to a caliber and load, which is what we did before hunting.
The unit pairs nicely with Leica Magnus i riflescopes, which feature turret scale zero-
ing. Even better is an optional bullet drop-compensating (BDC) reticle and “direct dial ring”
for intuitive operation. There are 12 rings to tailor best fit for individual calibers and loads.
New Magnus i scopes feature a 6.7X zoom range for many applications with any of
four models. Each of four reticles includes an illuminated dot adjustable for brightness
with a day/night setting and intelligent on/off. Energy consumption has been reduced
to extend battery life, and it is now easier to replace the battery. us.leica-camera.comPhoto: Simon BarrArrowheads and spear points sit atop
the remnants of a metate. The artifacts
are evidence many generations of hunt-
ers have plied the Colorado landscape.