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!
November 2019
Communications officer Sam Talbot stands tall on the cover of our November magazine as he tackles the fine art of Muzzleloading in the latest instalment of his mission to shoot the SSAA disciplines. We’ve thrown the spotlight on a couple of shotguns this time round, John McDougall taking to the field with the new Dickinson straight pull bolt-action 12-gauge while Dick Eussen gives us his assessment of another 12-gauge, the Ozkanlar SHS STP-12. In the optics field, Chris Redlich has plenty of praise for Swarovski’s Z5 2.4-12×50 riflescope with ballistic turret while the latest Nikko Stirling scopes, the Metor and Prostaff 5, have impressed Con Kapralos. The SSAA has provided vital funding for a new approach to chital deer research in Queensland and key player in the project, Dr Matt Amos, has written us a fascinating insight. All the regular columnists are on board as usual and with our popular letters and Top Shots sections the latest edition will keep you busy.
October 2019
Here at last! So proclaims the cover of October’s Australian Shooter as we have the first review of the long-awaited LA105 Woomera from Lithgow Arms, an all-Australian made rifle which left reviewer Daniel O’Dea suitably impressed. And on the subject of impressive rifles, James Hoffman has run the numbers on the Marlin 336XLR and come up with a few reasons for choosing an upgraded 30-30 over the modern Winchester 88 spin-offs. Switching to shotguns and Paul Miller has assessed the Beretta DT 11 ACS, not an inexpensive option but one which he reckons might just make that crucial difference for the competition shooter. Speaking of competition shooters, Australian Barry Whitford travelled to the IHMSA World Championships in Oklahoma City where he returned with not one but two world titles under his belt, a feat he hopes to repeat when he defends them next year. And with our usual mix of features, columns and product reviews we’re confident our October issue will keep you entertained.
September 2019
Variety is key in the October edition of Australian Shooter with no fewer than eight separate firearms and products under review. Rifles in the spotlight include the Steyr Mannlicher Zephyr II and the TCR 87 Hunter single-shot, while the Miroku ML11 Sport shotgun also features as does an eye-watering $200,000 shotgun offering from Rigby. We also run the numbers on the latest Vortex Viper riflescope, Federal Premium’s Gold Medal Berger target ammo, Nitecore Hunting Kit and the latest tools on offer from Real Avid. Sam Garro can’t help but admire the resilience of the Australian rabbit, we look at what needs to be factored in when building an effective night rifle and our ballistics guru Ian Thompson has signed off with his final Basic Ballistics column and we put the man himself in the spotlight.
August 2019
We see out winter with an eclectic mix in our August edition. Chris Rogers heads for the Scottish Highlands in search of the majestic red stag and discovers that in hunting, as with so many other things, patience pays off in the end. Con Kapralos turns the spotlight on Franchi’s Horizon 150th anniversary rifle, Thomas Tabor puts the Savage Arms Model 110 Storm through its paces and Royce Wilson turns back the clock with an insight into the Greener GP shotgun. Chris Redlich takes to the bush with a pair of Kahles’ Helia rangefinder binoculars, Geoff Smith has written a fascinating feature on Hi-Tek bullet coating of cast projectiles and in the latest of his ‘On Target’ series, Communications Officer Sam Talbot gets to grips with 5-Stand. Roll on spring!
July 2019
Rifles take centre stage in our July edition with Con Kapralos running the rule over both the Sako Finlight II and Kimber’s Subalpine mountain rifle in .300 WSM. Daniel O’Dea travels back in time to the days of his youth with a look at the latest Stoeger air rifles – the RX5 and RX20 Sport – and we turn the spotlight on Queensland’s Ipswich & District Rifle Club who will stage a two-day shooting festival this month to celebrate their 160th anniversary. Our cover picture features Chris Redlich who has taken to the field with the outstanding Swarovski ATS 65 spotting scope and, still on optics, Thomas Tabor has assessed the latest pocket-sized binoculars from Steiner Optik. We also take a look at three new Federal Premium hunting cartridges and check in with retiring Senator and keen hunter Nigel Scullion who tells us: “If I was a wild pig, I’d be starting to get nervous!”
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.
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.
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.