I load my vehicle early on a Saturday morning, on my way to test a few loads at the shooting range. The different loads were my focus until late the previous night. The depth of the bullets and the weight of the gunpowder were adjusted. Every group of three rounds is unique and different to the next group. After having talked to a few experts and a few late nights, I hope I have a combination which will give me the desired grouping.
After a few hours on the range, I have an idea of the combination which suits my gun and how I should reload. Now I can use the rest of my weekend to reload my ammunition according to the recipe which I arrived at on Saturday morning. By late Sunday afternoon, my ammunition is lined up on the table. I made everything myself. I determined the most accurate combination for my gun and I loaded enough ammunition for a good hunt this year.
The reloading of ammunition is a process which is as old as rifles are. The reloading process of the first guns used to take place just before the gun was fired. It did not take place in a room, away from the action. The gunpowder and bullet were put into the barrel just before the gun was fired. The percussion cap was on the outside of the barrel in the early years. Over time it moved to the inside of the barrel and nowadays the percussion cap, gunpowder and bullet are one single product, held together by a cap.
The reloading of ammunition is therefore as old as the gun itself. The firing of a gun cannot take place without reloading. Buying ammunition may be faster and not much more expensive than reloading. However, for the rifleman who wants to have the real experience of shooting, reloading remains part of the experience. The experience of three shots touching one another at 100m, or cutting the bullet, which you reloaded yourself, from the Gemsbok (Oryx), or the pride and satisfaction involved in something which you calculated, is unequalled. That bullet is kept and more stories are told about it than about the hunt itself. Reloading is therefore a process followed by hunters to make their guns more accurate and to enjoy the hunt even more.
WHAT DOES A RIFLEMAN NEED TO DO HIS OWN RELOADING?
In South Africa any person with a legal firearm licence, may reload. You need your licence to buy gunpowder and percussion caps. The remainder of the components required are not governed by legislation. Bullets, caps and reloading equipment may be purchased without a firearm licence. Reloading equipment is the most expensive component of reloading. Fortunately, this equipment is a once-off buy. It is therefore sensible to buy good equipment, which will last a lifetime.
WHAT TAKES PLACE DURING THE RELOADING PROCESS?
In short, the following needs to be done to reload a used casing in order to use it again. The casing is formed by using a mould to ensure that it will fit into the barrel of the gun. The old percussion cap is pushed out in the process. The casing is cleaned and the length is measured and cut back if necessary. During the firing of the round and the shaping in the first step, the casing will stretch. For this reason, it needs to be cut to the desired length.
After the cutting and cleaning of the casing, a new percussion cap is pushed into the casing. The gunpowder is then measured carefully and poured into the casing. The gunpowder is weighed on a scale to ensure that the correct quantity per casing is used. Lastly the new bullet is pushed into the casing. The length of the bullet is confirmed to ensure that the bullet is pushed into the casing to the right depth.
As soon as the crosshair is on its way to the eland's shoulder, and it stops just behind the shoulder, you know that the success of the shot depends on you. You have done the necessary preparation and your ammunition is as good as it gets. Now you can focus on one thing only - pulling the trigger. You have nothing else to be concerned about. The success of the hunt started one Saturday morning, on the shooting range! This means that the biltong will be so much more enjoyable with the Saturday afternoon's rugby match!