Massaro - Understanding Ballistics

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THIS BOOK IS DEDICATED TO MY FRIEND, PROFESSIONAL HUNTER JAY T. CARLSON, WHOSE HUNT WAS CUT SHORT MUCH TOO EARLY. I HOPE YOU'RE HUNTING BONGO IN VALHALLA, BUDDY.

For a little over a decade, Ive lived at the end of a graveled, crater infested driveway, more than a half-mile off a country road with very little traffic. There are but five or six houses on this driveway, but in one of them dwells noted gun writer and master ballistician Mr. Philip Massaro. What are the odds that someone like myself, who has been reading and digesting ballistic tables for more than 40 years, ends up with a neighbor who is someone that not only loves talking rifles and cartridges as much as I do, but is as enthusiastic about hunting (and especially hunting the Dark Continent) as I am?

So when Phil asked me to write the foreword to his second book, I was at once flattered and nervous as hell. He set my mind at ease when he said, Its what you and I talk about every day. After reading the final draft, I had to laugh, because hes right, the book indeed sounds like a collection of our conversations ov er these past 10 years.

As I write this, Im planning my first African safari with Phil for the spring of 2015. Ill be hunting plains game in South Africa alongside Phil, and I will be accompanying him on an elephant hunt in Zimbabwe immediately after. I was planning to hunt with my 1959 Colt Coltsman in .300H&H. A truly classic caliber and a classic rifle, right? Phil and I worked the handloaded ammunition up together, and its a tack-driver. But, since hes hunting elephant in Zim, why not bring my .416 Rigby across the pond for plains game, and as backup for him? When I told Phil of my plans, his response was I love it!! Stop up to the lab tonight, lets pick out some bullets, and start working up some loads. My point here is that Phil lives and breathes cartridges and ballistics, with plenty of real world experiences to back it up.

That fact is exactly why his book is such a valuable tool to the weekend plinker, hunter, and bench-jockey alike. When you have the likes of renowned big game hunter and author Colonel Craig Boddington, and well respected African PH Jay Leyendecker contacting you for custom ammunition, you have been validated! Simply put, ammunition and ballistics are what Phil does.

David C. deMoulpied (left) with author Philip Massaro (J.P. Fielding photo)

Phil has the unique ability to read or see something once, and then be able to regurgitate it verbatim. As you will see in this book, his knowledge and understanding of projectiles and their use in hunting and target shooting, is comprehensive to say the least! His first hand knowledge, which has been gleaned from his safaris to Africa and hunts all over the U.S., is vast. He has seen the terminal ballistics in the form of downed game and recovered projectiles. He knows what works, and what doesnt. Phil uses this data to extrapolate the end result when selecting the bullet for its intended use.

An excellent example of this is a trip this past fall I took to Maine for deer. Now the deer of the Maine North Woods run large, they have to in order to survive those brutal winters. They tend to average 200 pounds and up on the hoof. These are big, tough deer. The way we hunt them is to find a fresh track and hopefully stalk one up to get an opportunity for a shot. This means going through alder swamps, grown-over clear cuts, and any other thick, miserable vegetation which typically limits your shots to 75 yards and under. This isnt sitting on a Sendero in south Texas, or in a box blind 50 yards from a feeder waiting for your buck to turn broadside so you can pop him with a tiny .243. The type of hunting we do in Maine lends itself more jumping a deer out of his bed where you have a few seconds to take your shot. As anyone whos hunted enough will tell you, the shot opportunity will be brief, and the angle less than desirable.

Thats where a well-built premium bullet comes in. I shoot a Remington Model 700 Classic in .350 Remington Magnum. When discussing what bullets I should use on this trip, Phil kept coming back to the 200-grain North Fork semi-spitzer. The twist rate in my barrel doesnt lend to stabilizing the larger 250-grain bullets. A short magazine length also nixed some of the other 225-grain offerings. So we were down to 200-grain projectiles. I typically shoot Hornady soft points, but wanted something more robust for these bruisers. The 180-grain Barnes X bullets were an option too, but the lower sectional density took them off my list. So we decided on the 200-grain North Forks. Phil came up with a load that was sub-MOA in my rifle, and I was ready to go! To make a very long story short, my only opportunity came on the last day of my hunt. I was walking a logging road trying to pick up a fresh track when turning a corner had a nice six-point buck walking away from me at roughly 175 yards. I grunted to stop him, and as he looked over his shoulder, I sent that North Fork into his hip and into his vitals, anchoring him on the spot. I never found the bullet, but it had broken the hip and continued until exiting by the off front shoulder. Bullet performance made my hunt successful. I doubt many cup-and-core configurations would take such a beating and remain intact. Massaro had the right of things.

This is the kind of information you will find in this book; well thought out and germane to the topic at hand. If you like talking ballistics, are going on your first safari to Africa, want to start varmint hunting, or looking to get an AR or other Black Gun, then this tome will have something for all of you. There is a reason we as hunters or target shooters have gun vaults, because we are never satisfied with one gun or one caliber. If you are looking to expand your collection, read this book, it will point you in the right direction and answer a lot of questions you may have along the way.

Its an art to be able to write about topics like ballistics, reloading and projectiles. As I call it, subject matter which can be as dry as a popcorn fart! Phil is very adept at this; he writes technically when he needs to, and then throws in real world anecdotes to drive his point home. He has the gift of being able to describe why he thinks this caliber or projectile will work without boring the seasoned hunter or target shooter; yet not talking above the head of the neophyte whos just getting into the shooting sports. What you are going to get out of this book is knowledge that is tangible. If youve never hunted dangerous game in Africa or Alaska, and your PH suggests a bullet/cartridge combination, you can read Phils section on dangerous game to understand your PHs reasoning.

When a new client gets me on the phone, and we start to discuss rifles and ammunition, I invariably send them to Phil. Most importantly, as a good friend and hunting partner of Phils, I couldnt be happier for his well deserved success! He is the new blood in the world of outdoor writing, this is his second of many books to come, and the sky is the limit for him. Congratulations, my friend!