Read "GUNS, LOADS,& HUNTING TIPS" by Bob Hagel. Wolfe Publishing Company, 1986. He has some good info on the performance of Nolser Partitions.

There are no bad bullets, only bad bullet choices.

The Nolser Partition is never a bad choice.

Hagel was a pretty damn good writer and usually right on the money, or close enough to it to make a convincing argument. I miss him.

I agree as well, a great read. I occasionally run into John Barsness and John is also a very common sense, "what works stick with it", kind of guy like Hagel was.

Though still looking at new products Hagel didn't seem to lose sight of what worked in the past. I've lent Hagels book to several hunting buddies and all have enjoyed it.

FN in MT

Bob Hagel advanced my technical knowledge more than any other. I have all his books. Very into the magnums and very hands-on. I've always thought him to be amongst the most overlooked of gunwriters.

I have a couple of his books and enjoy them but boy, some of his loads will curl your hair ... I think he had one for the .30-06 that was about 10% over max for any book.

John

I've had Bob Hagel's book since just after it was published. It's one of the all time best books on reloading for the hunting field, out there, in my opinion.

Yep, some of those loads scream outta those barrels, but in my rifles, they perform first rate.

In fact, on one, the .280 Rem., 160 gr. Nosler Partition, with 56.0 grs IMR4350, when I chronographed my load, it was only 3 FPS different from his. Shoots 3/4" groups consistently, when I do my part. I've killed quite a few deer, one elk, and one 250 pound Black bear with that load, and all but one were one shot kills. (The other, a mule deer, was poor shooting on my part, not the fault of the cartridge.)

FWIW. L.W.

John Frazer,
That's why Bob Hagel was so very special. He did the experimentation and explained just how he arrived at that "overbook" load. His methodology was based on redundancy & repeatability with a given set of components. What's more, he had the guts to first, push the envelope and then to publish his findings. IMHO, Hagel was both ahead of his time and a very brave fellow.

[QUOTE]Originally posted by Leanwolf:
[QB]"I've had Bob Hagel's book since just after it was published. It's one of the all time best books on reloading for the hunting field, out there, in my opinion."

LeanWolf,
I agree with you 100% and offer that Hagels' approach was timeless, in that it can be applied to any and all new cartridges. Ultra conservative gun writers have always been a dime a dozen, more so today than ever. Hail Hagel!

[ 12-15-2002, 23:34: Message edited by: Nickudu ]

I too am a big fan of this book as well as Guns and loads/Prctical Ballistics for the American Hunter. I cannot get close to his velocity data but his theories are sound and backed up by experience, and is not afraid to bash products that he did not like. His favourite rounds like 7mm mags, 300 Win Mag, 338 are very logical choices for us in Alberta with a wide variety of game to be hunted, usually at the same time. He had very definitive views on bullets that I have found to be spot on in regards to big Game performance.

By Bob Hagel:

Game Loads and Practical Ballistics for the American Hunter 1978

Hunting North America's Big Game 1986

Guns, Loads, & Hunting Tips 1986

These are a few of my favorite books. Have I missed any of Bob Hagel's books? The 1978 work in particular, I have read and re-read more than any other gun book.

Saints Hagel and Aagaard are tops with me.

Bob Hagel is the best of the Western writers. His bullet box was maintained in a scientific manner and he used the best bullets available and he knew why they were the best.

At the 24hourcampfire.com Ken Howell mentioned that Hagel is still alive and might enjoy getting a card. I hope this information is still correct.

I have Bob's book also.

Bob Hagel was truly one of the legitimate, great gunwriters of all time. Almost everything he said made great sense, his materail always read very well, and I miss him. Unlike some of the bag-of-wind gunwriters who are mostly theorists and load experimentors with very little meaningful hunting experience, Bob really understood handloading and ballistics, plus he had a wealth of honest hunting experience to back it up. With Hagel, it wasn't the talk that counted - it was the walk, and I repected him for it.

His book "Game Loads And Practical Ballistics For The American Hunter" should be in the library of everyone who loves hunting rifles and wants to get the most out of them. I refer to it regularly, and it's stood the test of time very well. I only wish that Bob was still with us and in his prime so that he could test some of the superb new bullets and cartridges we have available now.

AD

Here is the link to Bob Hagel at 24Hourcampfire.

http://www.24hourcampfire.com/ubbthreads/showflat.php?Cat=&Board=Howell&Number=115199&page=0&view=collapsed&sb=5&o=0&fpart=1&vc=1&PHPSESSID=