Sporting Shooter

an australian success story

IT SEEMS like only yesterday, that Tony and I met Dean Anderson, founder and owner of Spika and since then he has made every post a winner. Here he tells the Spika story. "10 years is a huge milestone and proud achievement for my team and family, who have grown so much and look forward to accomplishing much more in future. A fitter and turner by trade, I had a start working for a mate grinding up gun safes and later welding and painting them. This was just the start of sparking my passion for the hunting industry. While a simple country bloke, I always had an entrepreneurial streak, so after working for years with both Australian and International companies in the Industry I could see a real gap in the market for…

october in the cape

IF YOU are serious about hunting pigs in Cape York, then you will plan your trips around the end of the dry season. From September through to November the temperature is rising, rain hasn’t fallen for six months and the creeks and waterholes are drying up. And that was why I was here again, in early October, spending the long hot days pushing through the parched scrub in search of these remaining pockets of water, and hopefully a few tusky boars. “There was a freshly used wallow and the prints of a big boar.” The sun was just lighting the eastern horizon as I rolled out of my swag and kicked the fire into shape for a billy of tea. We were camped on the edge of a large swamp that we…

letter of the month

Letters containing questions for answering by Nick Harvey must be accompanied by a stamped self-addressed envelope. Mail your letters to: The Technical Editor, 3 Reef Street, Hill End, NSW 2850. .325 WSM A Powerful Choice Q I am looking to add to my collection of firearms. I have a .222 Remington, 6.5x55mm Swede and .270 Winchester, but I want to get a larger calibre to round out my rack. I am going camel shooting later in the year and am planning a sambar hunt in the future. Give me your opinion on a calibre suitable for game this size that can push a good 180-200gn bullet fairly fast, starting with the .30-06 and up to the .338s. The need to place the shot in a vital area for an instant kill is…

thoughts by firelight

FOR a lot of us, it makes life easier; shorter days, less flies, no rush while recovering meat, and the comfort of staying out all day makes it easier to hunt harder. While I am always out and about in the warmer months hunting, and fishing, a lot of what I do is scouting for the best spots to find game as soon as the cooler weather shows up. All of these things aside however, my favourite part about the cooler weather is enjoying a good campfire. For as long as humans have hunted, a campfire has been our closest companion. We have used it to cook meat, provide warmth, light, safety, and make tools. Our appreciation for fire is down to a genetic level. Even in modern society, one of…

taking your chance

SHOOTING your first large animal is a milestone you are unlikely to forget. The feeling of adrenaline as you line up the figure in the sights with heartbeats pounding in your ears. That initial squeeze of the trigger, seeing your target drop and the sound of the rifle resonating throughout the gully, provoke all kinds of emotions. Having been offered the chance to attend my second hunting trip at Coolah, NSW, I jumped at the opportunity following the success I’d had achieved last year. I felt more comfortable this time around as I had gained a degree of experience, although, you never know how the cards will fall. Unfortunately, a trip of four had become three as my brother Matt was unavailable owing to university commitments, so it was up…

anschutz model 1782 switch-barrel .308

IT'S 11 years since Anschutz brought out their first new rifle action in thirty years. It formed the heart of the Model 1770, a handsome, superbly accurate centrefire sporter chambered for the .222 and .223 Remington. Not content to rest on their laurels, two years later the company introduced the Model 1780, a long-action version chambered for the .30-06, 308 Win., 8x57 and 9.3x62. The two rifles looked similar but the resemblance was wholly cosmetic, and the basic design was entirely different. A lot of changes had to be made to convert the 1770 into a switch-barrel rifle. Like its forerunner, the 1780 had several changes made to its design which set it apart from traditional turnbolts, now history has been repeated with the Model 1782 which has received some critical…