Craig Boddington honors one of his heroes, Robert “Pete” Petersen, during a special hunt in New Mexico. Living legends are so rare that not all of us will encounter even one. It’s probably more unusual when the legend turns out to be 100 percent genuine. Robert E. “Pete” Petersen (1926-2007) was the real deal. Mr. Petersen, as I called him, made a business and a fortune from his passions– cars, guns, and hunting. 

I think it was 1965 when I first met Roy Weatherby. He flew into Kansas City to speak to the Kansas Rifle and Pistol Association meeting, and I got to accompany my uncle, Art Popham, who knew Roy and acted as his "escort." I was a gun-crazy kid, and I had just taken my first big game animal that year. I must have bombarded the poor guy with questions while he tried to prepare for his speech.

Provided you’re a cartridge—and not looking at a mirror—short and fat are in. The technical advantages are genuine. Quicker and more uniform ignition because of better access to the primer flame and a more uniform burning curve. These are conducive to accuracy, but that’s hard to measure because quality of barrel and uniformity of ammunition. are much more important to accuracy than cartridge design.