The
world of the dedicated wildfowler or waterfowl hunter can be neatly
split into two, those who reload and those who are about to, for no
dedicated fowler would settle for second rate performance from
themselves or their equipment, would they?
So
why Reload?
This
is the question that I get asked most and this article is an attempt
to answer it. To start off I would like to re-word the question
to… What are the advantages of reloading? The quick answer is that
reloading provides the fowler with the opportunity to tailor his
loads to his particular hunting venue, while not being subject to
the constraints of availability. The shells he produces can be
ballistically superior to the manufacturers’ products, and at
reduced cost. However, I have to admit, the major reason I reload is
simply a love of the science of shotgun ballistics, however I would
expect to be in a minority in that respect.
A
more general answer to the question of the advantages falls neatly
into three categories. These categories are not independent of each
other as their borders merge dependant upon the reloaders’
attitudes and their individual goals for reloading.
The
categories, in no particular order, are:
1.
Availability
2.
Cost
3.
Performance
Let
tackle them in this order.
1)
Availability
This
is the easiest advantage to understand, for if the cartridge you
require is not commercially available then you have to either,
a)
Talk to a manufacturer and hope they can accommodate your request,
probably at significant cost
b)
Become the manufacturer.
This
is not as rare a reason as it would first appear. If you have ever
owned an old black powder shotgun or a big bore shotgun, 10 bore or
greater, then you will appreciate how hard it is to find commercial
ammunition for them. To
illustrate this point I would like to remind readers that, recently,
in a Home Office Directive on firearms legislation, all 4, 8, and
10/73 or 10/67 shotguns, that are not of recent manufacture, were
made exempt for mandatory inclusion on a shotgun certificate, the
only stipulation being that they were not to be fired again. The
reason for removing these bores and chamber sizes
from mandatory inclusion on the certificate is simple, there
is no cartridge
manufacturer producing significant amounts of ammunition designed
for these guns within the UK, hence these guns are now not classed
as a significant danger to the general public. Currently the only
"large bore" ammunition that is available in significant
quantity in the UK is for the 10/89, hence the 10/89 was NOT made
exempt from mandatory inclusion on a shotgun certificate.
However the 10/89 cartridges that are available are of
differing performance and so expensive
that the requirement to become a reloader is nearly accepted as a
secondary implication of owning the modern ten.
The
last issue on availability is one that does not concern the
commercial availability of the cartridges but but rather your
ability to get the cartridges. Have you ever lived somewhere remote?
I have, and a 200 mile trek to the nearest dealer is not a
trip taken lightly if all you require is 1 box of AAA for foxes,
especially as to order them you have to:
1
put in an order and
possibly wait up to 4 weeks and
2
if you are unfortunate, buy a case (250 cartridges) at a time.
Is
this an extreme example? I think not.
I presently know of somebody living in the Grampians who with
2 weeks to the start of the fowling season still cannot get a case
of their favorite 12/76 load of 3.6mm steel and when the cartridges
arrive at the dealers they have to undertake a 2 hour round trip to
get them. You could argue the same for availability of reloading
components, except that you tend to buy the reloading components in
bulk and if push comes to shove you can always cannibalize other
cartridges to make what you require. Believe me necessity is the
mother of invention. Have you ever seen fox killed instantly at 20
yards with a combination of steel bearings from a wheel race,
buffered in flour, the powder capped with 4 circles drilled out of a
commercial cork fishing net float, in a recently fired pheasant
cartridge? I
have, but just once, and to emphasize one point, - this was a
necessary instant kill in the lambing season in which the handloaded
cartridge was designed, tested and executed to be at least
ballistically equivalent, if not greater, than the corresponding
'commercial' cartridge.
2)
Cost
If
the decision to reload is a question of finance, then you will
nearly always be able to make cartridges, of equal performance to a
commercial HUNTING cartridge, at a cheaper cost. Why? The answer is
simple; you do not have to pay for the overheads, wages,
distribution and advertising of the commercial manufactures and also
when compared to clay cartridges the margins on hunting cartridges
are greater.
So
what is the difference in cost,; what can I save?
In
addressing this issue it would appear sensible to look at the two
extremes of commercial non-toxic cartridges available in the UK,
namely steel and Hevishot and to work up the reloaded cost for an
equivalent to these cartridges. I will additionally address the cost
with reference to the two most frequently used wildfowling bores,
that is the 12 and 10 bore. Whilst some may like me to consider Lead
I feel that there is no mileage in doing so, as in my opinion, it is
only a matter of time until its demise, for all shotgun hunting, in
the UK.
The
following estimate is based on the current prices of reloading
components and that each hull is used 3 times.
It also shows the amounts of reloads you would have to
produce to cover the cost of Basic Reloading Kit. I have estimated
the cost of basic reloading kit, press, scales etc to be £200.
All
saving are calculated against the current price of the commercial
shells, per box, at my local dealers.
For
a 36g, 12/76 Steel load it totals 18p per round, or a saving of
approximately £2.20 per box and you would need to load 90 boxes
before the equipment pays for itself.
For
a 49g, 10/89 Steel load it totals 53p per round, or a saving of
approximately £12 per box and you would need to load 17 boxes
before the equipment pays for itself.
For
a 40g, 12/76 Hevishot load it totals £1.40 per round, or a saving
of approximately £35 per box and you would need to load 6 boxes
before the equipment pays for itself.
For
a 52g, 10/89 Hevishot load it totals £1.90 per round, or a saving
of approximately £40 per box and you would need to load 5 boxes
before the equipment pays for itself.
As
you can see for the more exotic non-toxic shot, or large bore gun,
you can recoup the cost of your basic reloading gear within a season
and from then on save a considerable sum of money and always have
the cartridges you require available.
3)
Performance
Commercial
mass produced cartridges are just that, mass-produced. As such,
these cartridges must cater for a set of generalized hunting
conditions and quarry, be that wildfowling, pheasant shooting,
rabbiting etc. These cartridges are the jack-of-all-trades and
whilst they are sufficient to do the job correctly, they are the
master of no situation. If you are hunting a specific environment
your commercial cartridge choice may well be impairing the your
ability to kill the quarry instantly in this specific circumstance.
Homeloading
allows you to step outside the strict guidelines that govern the
commercial manufactures, such as speed and momentum for steel, and
in so doing will allow you to produce ballistically superior
cartridges. Dependant upon your aims for reloading, these cartridges
have the ability to be produced to tighter tolerances with advanced
components that enhance not only the ballistics capability of the
cartridge but will also the increase your barrel’s protection
against the new hard non-toxic shot.
The
major differences in ballistic performance arise because of the
inclusion of a number of techniques that are not found the vast
majority of the commercial cartridges. Some of these techniques are;
1
The inclusion of a buffering compound
2
The inclusion of shot support in the form of a felt or cork wad
beneath the shot in the wad cup.
3
An increase in muzzle velocity and momentum for steel beyond the CIP
Limits, putting the performance back into your 12/89 loads
4
The ability to reload certain shot types that are not available
within the UK.
5
The ability to chose the powder and primer that best suit the
weather conditions you shoot in.
All
the above can improve cartridge performance and if I expanded upon
them all I would increase the size of this article to a book.
Therefore I will expand on the first one only, buffering.
Buffering
is a mechanism that puts a granulated material in-between the spaces
of the shot pellets in the wad or cartridge. Buffered cartridges are
few and far between, (insert full stop and start new sentence) They
are mainly made in the USA and are used by turkey hunters who
require tight patterning premium loads at extended range. Any
wildfowler or waterfowler can see the similarity of these
requirements with our own pass shooting requirements, yet a buffered
load for wildfowling, in the UK, is extremely hard to come by. This
absence is hard to comprehend, especially since the development of
buffered loads by Winchester, played a significant part in the USA
waterfowl Nilo tests, 30 years ago, which are the experimental basis
for many of the computer models and theories that are used today.
In
short, buffering can increase your pattern density by 5-20%,
dependant upon the shot type and buffer you use. It is also thought
that buffer will only have a beneficial effect upon “soft” shot.
This is not my experience as a buffered “hard” shot e.g. steel
will also pattern tighter, but only about 5-7%, but even 5% could
make the difference between a load being acceptable and unacceptable
under the CONSEP criteria.
I
will leave a detailed analysis of subject of buffering for a later
article, but remember all the above stated enhancements will produce
a more consistent cartridge and hence reduce the variability in your
hunting, many of these modifications only being available to the
reloader.
Summary
As
a final summary I would say beware of reloading; for if you strive
for the perfect pet load it will consume your time, spend your cash,
demand your day, invade your thoughts and haunt your dreams….
For
as every homeloader knows...
Shoulder
a good gun and you may feel the difference
Fire
a good gun and you may hear the difference
Pattern
a good gun and you may see the difference
Homeload
for ANY gun and you WILL MAKE the difference
Viva
la Difference
Tom
Wylie Copyright 2002
I
would like acknowledge the help of my reviewer, Glenda thank you
very much.
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