I didn’t overthink my rifle choice when I was getting ready for my mountain lion hunt last December. I grabbed my Henry .30-30. It’s a caliber and platform that I’ve trusted for decades chasing whitetails in Michigan’s thick timber. It’s light, quick to shoulder and it packs enough punch for this hunt. But the real decision came down to ammo. This would be a close-ran …

Back in late January, I had the opportunity to take the Barnes Pioneer on a bison harvest here in my home state of Montana. I felt using this line of ammunition would be the obvious choice to show its effectiveness against these large animals. My pick for this would be the .45-70 Govt. loaded up with the 400 grain Barnes Original in the Pioneer line.  The Barnes Pioneer line of a …