Hundreds of thousands of people in our country own hunting weapons - both smooth-bore and rifled. Some use it several times a week, while others take it out of the safe only once every few years. Some prefer to use magazine ammunition, while others prefer homemade ones. And if you're aiming to be among the latter, it's helpful to know how to load 16 gauge rounds. There are a lot of subtleties and nuances here. Their knowledge determines how successful and safe the use of ammunition will be.
Pros of self-loading cartridges
In hunting stores today you can see a huge range of cartridges costing from 20 rubles to several hundred. So, everyone can find a suitable option among them. Why is 16 gauge ammunition still so popular? In fact, everything is simple. Not everyone can afford to buy expensive foreign cartridges. And the quality of cheap ones very often varies: the same manufacturer can produce two batches - of acceptable quality and extremely poor.
Therefore, by loading the cartridges on their own, the hunter can be 100% sure that they will not let you down at the crucial moment.
Another important reason is the timing of components. Often, manufacturers use a primer and gunpowder with an expiration date coming to an end. After all, on packs of cartridges, the expiration date is indicated, starting from the moment of charging. Of course, in this case, a misfire can also occur. If this happens when hunting for a hare or a duck, it's okay - the hunter will be left without a trophy at most. What if you need to shoot a wounded boar or an angry bear?
Therefore, it is not surprising that experienced hunters prefer to trust themselves over the ammunition manufacturer.
Possible cons
Of course, this solution has its downsides. First, you need to purchase a large number of specialized tools: from scales to a rolling device. And they are much more expensive than we would like. Secondly, loading cartridges takes quite a lot of time - after spending a whole evening, even an experienced hunter will not be able to equip more than a hundred. Thirdly, this is an extremely responsible matter that requires great concentration. By mistake, filling the case with a quarter of a gram more gunpowder than expected, the hunter runs the risk of being left not only without a gun, but also without fingers.
How long can you store supplies?
Buying cartridge cases, wads, containers and bullets or buckshot, you can not worry about the expiration date - these products have almost no limit.
But gunpowder and wads cannot boast of this.
The average shelf life of gunpowder is 5 years. But under certain conditions (no temperature fluctuations, low humidity), it can be doubled. But this only applies to sealed cans. Once opened, it is advisable to use up all the gunpowder as soon as possible, within a maximum of two years. And this applies to all types of gunpowder: Sunar, Sokol, Bars.
Slightly different is the situation with capsules. For them, high humidity is not so critical. However, there are certain limitations here as well. "Centroboy" and "Zhevelo-M" should preferably be stored for no more than three years. Zhevelo-N wins in this respect - its shelf life is six years.
Do I need a crimping tool?
Some people frankly don't understand how to load 16-gauge cartridges without a rolling device at hand. Others never used it at all. How useful is it?
In fact, the answer here is clear and obvious. It all depends on which shells you prefer (we'll talk about the pros and cons a little later).
If you like plastic shells and you shoot from semi-automatic weapons, then you can’t do without a device - it not only eliminates the possibility of spilling buckshot or shot, but also adjusts the shell strictly to a certain length.
Do you like the 16 gauge brass case? In this case, the device will not be needed: it will not be able to bend the metal edges, rather it will fail itself. How to ensure reliability? This is achieved by differentways. For example, many experienced hunters, after loading a cartridge and inserting the last wad, fill it with a small amount of melted wax, paraffin or plasticine. Immediately after this, the excess is poured out before it has time to harden, but the resulting crust prevents the charge from spilling out, and at the same time reliably seals the cartridge, eliminating the possibility of getting wet in conditions of high humidity.
Choosing the right scales
If you want to know how to properly load 16 gauge ammo, the first thing you need to do is get a scale. And pharmaceutical, as accurate as possible. Shot and buckshot are measured by grams, and gunpowder - by tenths and hundredths of a gram. Any mistake can ruin the cartridge, and even endanger the shooter.
Relatively recently, only ordinary scales with two cups and a set of weights were used for this. Of course, weighing gunpowder on such scales took quite a long time.
Fortunately, with the development of electronics, fairly accurate and at the same time very inexpensive electronic analogues appeared on sale. It is much easier to work with them. The main thing when buying is to take into account that the minimum step must be at least 0.1 grams, and preferably 0.01. And the maximum limit is 50 grams or more.
Experienced hunters, loading different types of 16-gauge cartridges, use different weights of gunpowder - it depends on the striking element (shot, buckshot or bullet). In addition, experts recommend that when hunting in the cold season, increase the weight of gunpowder by about 0.1 grams.
Some shooters, to save time, make a special measure for gunpowder - they simply cut the plastic sleeve at a suitable level and attach a kind of wire handle to it. This greatly simplifies the charging process - no need to weigh the gunpowder, just scoop it up. But such an approach does not allow to accurately change the weight, and in general is not recommended as not safe enough.
Use container or not?
Another question that comes up for beginners who want to learn how to properly load 16 gauge cartridges is the container. Or rather, the justification for its use.
It is a small plastic container that is inserted into the sleeve after the gunpowder is filled. Shot or buckshot is already poured into it. Of course, its use increases the cost of a homemade cartridge - by 2-3 rubles. It would seem a trifle. But if you need to load a hundred rounds in a row, then the increase in cost is already noticeable. And the question arises - is it necessary to use containers at all?
It really depends on the purpose. After all, the container increases the range of a shot or buckshot by 10-30 meters, and at the same time provides greater accuracy at a great distance. Sometimes this is very helpful. And in other cases, increased accuracy, on the contrary, is undesirable. For example, if you shoot at ducks flying at a height of 20-30 meters. At such a distance, when shooting with a container, shots, even small ones, do not have time to crumble and go in heaps, almost like a bullet. Of course, to hit a small, fast moving targetbecomes much more difficult.
So, it is impossible to give an unambiguous answer to the question of how to equip 16-gauge cartridges - with or without a container. Experiment and draw your own conclusions.
Capsule tool
Many people shy away from using primer removal and insertion tools, considering it a waste of money. Instead, they knock out a spent primer with a makeshift device. Often wooden with an inserted needle, after which a new one is installed, hammering it with jeweler's accuracy. Of course, this reduces the cost of buying equipment.
But still, a special device greatly simplifies the work. It becomes easier to remove the primer, and the risk of damaging the bottom of the cartridge case (if a centrifugal primer is used) is reduced. Moreover, the installation of the capsule is facilitated - it takes only a second or two. The risk of blowing up the primer with a careless blow with a hammer is excluded. So, if there is an opportunity, it is still worth buying this useful device. Many hunters who load 16-gauge cartridges themselves, the reviews about it are mostly positive.
Brass sleeves or plastic?
But this is a very important question. The answer to it depends both on the habits of the hunter and on the weapon used.
For example, if you prefer classic single-barreled or double-barreled weapons, then the use of brass shells is justified. Yes, they are ten times more expensiveplastic ones, but they can be charged several hundred times, while plastic ones rarely survive two or three charges. But if you are using a semi-automatic weapon that ejects shells, then it would be better to use plastic ones. After all, brass ones, standing in thick grass or knee-deep in water, will be very difficult to find. Accordingly, such an important plus as repeated use is no longer so significant. Of course, you can use a special pocket into which spent cartridges fall. But it interferes greatly - it clings to branches and equipment, which can cause a second delay, and this is highly undesirable when hunting.
So, when buying shells, decide for yourself which option is more acceptable for you.
Choose the striking element
In stores you can see a dozen and a half types of shot, varying in size, a dozen types of buckshot and about 2-3 dozen bullets. We will leave the latter for discussion by specialists, because disputes on this issue have not faded away for many decades. Some discuss the advantages and disadvantages of different options (Polev, Brenneke, Sputnik, Foster, and many others). Others believe that any bullet in a 16-gauge cartridge behaves approximately the same - it all depends on the skill of the shooter.
But with shot and buckshot everything is easier. They need to be chosen depending on what specific production you are going for. Is your target snipe or woodcock? Take the smallest fraction - from 7 to 9. Hunt black grouse and duck? It is better to choose a larger fraction - 4-6. To confidently hit a hare - from 2 to 00. Would you like to tickle your nerves and go on a wild boar or a deer? In this case, buckshot shows itself well, and preferably larger.
Sequence of ammo loading
Now let's briefly talk about how to load 16 gauge cartridges.
Using an old cartridge case? Knock out the primer and clean the anvil (if there is one, there is none in the cartridges for the Zhevelo primer). If new, feel free to skip this step.
Insert a new capsule - preferably with special equipment. Now fill in the powder - with a measure or carefully measuring each grain on the scales - this is your choice. Next is a wad - thick, made of felt or pressed sawdust. But if you use a container, then you can do without it - plastic solves this problem.
Then the shot is loaded or the bullet is set. Now it all depends on the type of sleeve, either the finishing paper wad (when using brass), or the spin on the machine (when working with plastic). When working with brass, it remains only to fill the sleeve with wax or paraffin and everything is ready - you can go hunting!
Conclusion
On this, the basic information about the procedure for loading 16-gauge cartridges can be considered complete. In addition to everything, it was also told about the main tools that will be needed for this procedure. And at the same time about the intricacies of the choice of materials and components.
