Australian Shooter

Australian Shooter is not only the flagship publication of the SSAA, it is also Australia’s most popular sports shooting magazine.

Australian Shooter is not only the flagship publication of the SSAA, it is also Australia’s most popular sports shooting magazine. Published monthly, it aims to create a better environment and community understanding of all forms of hunting and the shooting sports. It caters to SSAA members and the general public who may be recreational hunters, competitive or casual target shooters, those who use their firearms professionally or those who enjoy collecting firearms.

Australian Shooter discusses political, legislative and current event news, while our regular and freelance contributor offer hunting opinions and philosophies, outdoor and survival tips, and technical and practical ballistics information to represent the varied experiences of Australia’s recreational shooters and hunters.

The main point of interest for our readers is no doubt our product reviews and feature articles. Each month, our technical writers road-test and review a selection of new firearms, shooting accessories, knives, clothing and much more to help you choose the right product for your chosen activities. The magazine also features several members-only competitions!

Australian Shooter is not only the flagship publication of the SSAA, it is also Australia’s most popular sports shooting magazine. Published monthly, it aims to create a better environment and community understanding of all forms of hunting and the shooting sports. It caters to SSAA members and the general public who may be recreational hunters, competitive or casual target shooters, those who use their firearms professionally or those who enjoy collecting firearms.

Australian Shooter discusses political, legislative and current event news, while our regular and freelance contributor offer hunting opinions and philosophies, outdoor and survival tips, and technical and practical ballistics information to represent the varied experiences of Australia’s recreational shooters and hunters.

The main point of interest for our readers is no doubt our product reviews and feature articles. Each month, our technical writers road-test and review a selection of new firearms, shooting accessories, knives, clothing and much more to help you choose the right product for your chosen activities. The magazine also features several members-only competitions!

June 2019

An action-packed June edition turns the spotlight on shotguns with a six-page feature by Damien Edwards and Thomas Tabor, the former tackling the side-by-side versus over-and-under debate and the latter giving an insight into understanding your shot shells. Sticking with shotguns, firearms under review this month include Fabarm’s Black Elos N2 Sporter as well as the Sako M85 Black Wolf rifle in .308 Winchester, while in his Talbot on Target series, Sam Talbot gets down to Practical Shooting. Brad Allen debunks the myths surrounding bullet trajectory, John Hill recalls fond memories from the days of fixed-power scopes and Sam Garro offers a fascinating insight into the world of master craftsman Branco Giljevic. Products in focus include riflescopes, binoculars, stealth cameras and an interesting game call mobile phone app.

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May 2019

What do you look for in a rifle scope? When it comes to hunting, Thomas Tabor reckons ‘simple is simply better’ and he outlines his case in the cover story of our May magazine. Also this month we put a few firearms in the spotlight including the Browning BL-22, Mauser M18 and Howa’s M1500 H-S Precision sporting rifle. For the fox hunters out there, Daniel Musgrave takes us through the process of tanning pelts from target to trophy and in his latest Talbot on Target series, Communications Officer Sam Talbot turns his attention this month to Target Pistol. Among the products under review are Bushnell’s new Engage series of scopes, the Mantis 50 fox lure, Spartan Precision bipods and tripods and the latest Endurance 30 Wide Angle riflescopes from Hawke Optics.

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April 2019

The pages of our April magazine are bulging with all manner of good things for the sporting shooter. Young Ryan Caswell features on our cover and in the fascinating tale of hunting the bramble bush boar. Firearms under review this month include the new Ruger 77/17, Schultz & Larsen’s Legacy switch-barrel sporting rifle, the Tikka T1x Multi-Task Rimfire and Remington’s new Model Seven Precision. Communications Officer Sam Talbot continues his ‘On Target’ series by tackling the Working Gundogs discipline, and we reveal the real story behind the escaped Adelaide lions with an exclusive eye-witness interview. Rod Pascoe reveals all you need to know to get into cartridge collecting and we review the latest copper projectiles from Outer-Edge and run the rule on the state-of-the-art Nirey KE-500 knife sharpener.

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March 2019

Autumn is here and with it comes an action-packed edition of Australian Shooter. Sam Garro takes an in-depth look at what the novice needs to know to go hunting and, in similar vein, John McDougall gives us an insight into duck shooting season. Thomas Tabor was among the 64,000 industry insiders who flocked to the US SHOT Show in Las Vegas and, talking of crowds, more than 10,000 scouts from around the world took part in the 2019 Australian Scout Jamboree in South Australia and our Communications Officer Sam Talbot was there to help introduce them to the joys of the shooting sports. Firearms under review this month are the Savage A22R repeating rifle, Fabarm’s .410 over-and-under shotgun and the M1500 KRG long-range rifle from Bravo, while we also turn the spotlight on GPO’s new Evolve line of binoculars, the Larson Atkins X-51 range camera and the 4x30i HD Prismatic scope from MAKstorm. With all our regular columns and a bumper four-page letters section, our March edition will keep you busy while the leaves turn to gold.

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February 2019

Communications Officer Sam Talbot stands tall on the cover of our bumper summer edition as he tackles the Single Action discipline for the latest instalment in his Talbot on Target series. After almost a year of painstaking research, Scott Heiman has put together the definitive list of the Top 10 calibres across Australia in what makes for fascinating reading. Firearms under review this month include Winchester’s XPR Vias sporting rifle and Browning’s BLR Lightweight Monte Carlo, and in optics we take a close look at Nikko Stirling’s Hornet ED 10-50×60 riflescope and the latest Victory RF 8×42 rangefinding binoculars from Zeiss. Elsewhere is a comprehensive introduction to Long Range Precision shooting which continues to grow in popularity and a Queensland farmer puts the case for making hunting a two-way partnership. So sit back and enjoy our expanded 132-page summer special.

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December 2018

As summer arrives and we approach year’s end, the pages of our December magazine are packed with all manner of good things. Senior correspondent John Dunn gets in early with the first review of the 783 Jackaroo rifle from Remington which he says will give a good account of itself wherever it’s deployed. Other firearms under review include the Sauer 100 Pantera rifle, Huglu Ventus shotgun and Big Horn Model 89 and, in ammunition, Chris Redlich finds the Nosler Accubond a long shot worth backing. This month’s mini-feature sees us go in search of the ideal rabbit gun, with Dave Burgess and Paul Barker spilling the good oil on the best way to hunt bunnies. Henri Lach checks in with the intriguing tale of one Queensland council’s method of tackling the feral cat problem – put a bounty on their heads, while assistant editor Dave Rose takes a trip back in time to recall the bizarre tale of a real-life lion hunt on the streets of suburban Adelaide. With our usual mix of letters and expert columns, December’s Shooter will keep you entertained until 2019. Merry Christmas from all at Australian Shooter.

November 2018

It’s now 100 years since the guns fell silent to herald the end of the First World War and the Armistice that followed, and in the pages of our November magazine we turn the clock back to that historic day. And coming right up to date, senior correspondent John Dunn takes to the field with the Winchester XPR Hunter Highlander rifle. Still on rifles, and this month we put air rifles in focus with a feature on what was an introduction to the shooting sports for many, Don Caswell and Christian Monahan giving us their take on what makes a great air rifle. Sam Garro turns the spotlight on custom gun stock-maker extraordinaire Ross Waghorn and shows just exactly what goes into creating a unique stock. In his Talbot on Target! series, Communications Officer Sam Talbot turns his attention to Rimfire Rifle Metallic Silhouette, while Graham Park puts the famous Barnes X Bullet under the microscope and unearths a fascinating Aussie connection. And with our usual mix of columns and readers’ letters, the pages of our November issue are bulging with something for every firearm enthusiast.

October 2018

We’re busier than ever in the pages of October’s issue of Australian Shooter with four of the latest firearms under review. John McDougall features on our cover as he gets to grips with the new Webley & Scott Series 1000 shotgun, a genuine slice of Italian flair. Senior correspondent John Dunn runs the rule on the CZ 455 Stainless Synthetic and realises that “when you’re on a good thing, stick to it”. The Ruger American Ranch rifle is placed under the microscope by Con Kapralos and proves to be a fine all-round utility option, while Daniel O’Dea gives us the lowdown on the latest high-power offering from GC Precision Developments. Rounding out our firearms section, Communications Officer Sam Talbot continues his mission to shoot the SSAA disciplines, and this month turns his attention to Handgun Metallic Silhouette. Products under review this month include Hawke Optics’ latest laser range finder, we turn the spotlight on Grizzly muzzle brakes, run the numbers on Buffalo River’s .243 Winchester hunting ammunition and step out in the new Kosci boots by Spika. With all our regular columns, a bumper letters section and prizes to be won, there’s something for everyone in this month’s Australian Shooter.