A Mauser M03 goes Atomic

 

A friend has had a good result with his Mauser M03 in 9.3 x 62mm, firing an Atomic29 220gn bullet. For the 87% of readers who need a clue, here's a link to the Atomic29 bullet company's website. Have a read of the 'My Story' page for starters. Interesting. Clearly, I need a lathe.

http://atomic29projectiles.com.au 

The magic of digital photography makes the photo look like it was taken in broad daylight, but not so. This buck was rutting madly, as bucks do in Autumn (Fall for some folk) and it took two days of sneaking around for my friend to get into a good position for a 130m shot, at dusk. The buck stumbled downhill for 20 or so human steps, which is good going for a beastie that's been shot perfectly in the vitals with a bullet that big out of a barrel that wide. 

Trick photography or simple perspective might also have readers wondering about the barrel's length. It's a Tracker version, all 18 & 1/2 inches of it. There's been many a time I would've appreciated its nifty handling. When I questioned Mauser a few years ago about their new, trendy, shorter barrels, they assured me they were every bit as accurate as the 'long' versions of old, with minimal difference in muzzle velocity. I'm sure they're right on both counts. Readers will also notice the lack of a noise suppressor. Mauser made it clear to me that the growing popularity of these was a prime reason for shortening their standard barrels. Well, in Australia, being found with such a device can lead to finding out what the food is like in gaol (jail for some folk). Apparently, only bank robbers and assassins can make good use of 'silencers'. Roll eyes emoji. While we shouldn't hold our breath, there is some hope arising from the authorities here investigating the merits of legalising suppressors for recreational shooting. I'm sure we could argue that it's less stressful for the deer.