DAVE WOLFE Publisher

NEAL KNOX Editor

RALPH TANNER, JR. Director of Sales

RICK JAMISON Assistant Editor

ROGER T. WOLFE, Ph. D. Associate Editor

HOMER POWLEY Ballistics Adviser

MAJ. GEORGE C. NONTE JR. General Assignment

WALLACE LABISKY Sho tshells

JOHN WOOTTERS Gun Tests

KEN WATERS "Pet Loads"

EDWARD M. YARD General Assignment

DON ZUTZ General Assignment

BOB HAG EL Hunting Adviser

JOHN BUHMILLER African Cartridges

AL MILLER Competition Handgunning

BOB MILEK Handgun Hunting

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DAVE LeGATE Art Director

RICHARD L. ALDIS Staff Photographer

JOYCE BUETER Circulation Manager

WILLIE LEE Circulation

JANE CLARK Promotion Manager

BARBARA PlCKERlNG Advertising Production

DONNA MUELLER Advertising Assistant

EVELYN CARTIER Production Assistant

HELEN HAHN Executive Secretary

~

Your November-December Cover

Eiandloader Magazine

November-December 1973 Vol. 8 - No. 6 Box 3030, Prescott, Arizona 86301

FEATURES: Wadcutters Or . . .? . . . . S&W's Spacious Shotshells. . .358 Winchester . . . . . Facts Reloaders Should Know

Ultra Swift Shotshells . . . Pet Loads: .25 Remington. . Measuring Case Anneal . . . Weatherby Centurion . . .

. . . . . . . . . . . . AI Miller

. . . . . . . . . . Wallace Labisky

. . . . . . . . . . . Don Roberts

. . . . . . . . . . . . Bob Hagel

. . . . . . . . . . . . DonZutz

. . . . . . . . . . . . Ken Waters

. . . . . . . . . . .Fred Whitlock

. . . . . . . . . . Wallace Labisky

18

20

24

28

32

36

38

50

DEPARTMENTS: Editorial. . . . . . . . 6 Loading the Old Ones . . . 14 Tip to Tip . . . . . . . 8 Answers, Please . . . . . 16

Reader By Lines . . . . . 12 Propellant Profiles . . . . 66 Lock, Stock & Barrel . . . 10 Cartridge of the Month. . . 31

,.e& The HANDLOADER, Copyright 1971. is published bi-monthly by the Wolfe Publishing Company. Inc.. P. 0. Box 3030. ReScott. '@j Arizona 86301. (Also publisher of Rif le Magazine.) Telephone (602) 5, 1 t d - 445-7810. Second Class Postage paid a t Prescott. Arizona, and

,,." additional mailing offices. single copy price of current issue $1.00; ".,, .IC Subscription price: six issues $5.00: 12 issues $9.00; 18 issues $12.50. Outside US. possessions and Canada $6.00. $11.00 and $15.50. Recommended foreign single copy price, $1.25. Advertising rates furnished on request.

Publisher of The HANDLOADER is not responsible for mishaps of any nature which might occur from use of published loading data, or from recommendations by any member of The Staff. NO part of t h i s publication may be reproduced wi thout wr i t ten permission f r o m the editor. Manuscripts f rom free-lance writers must be accompanied by stamped self-addressed envelope and the publisher cannot accept responsibility for lost or mutilated manuscripts.

Change of address: Please give one month's notice. Send both old and new address, plus mailing label if possible, t o Circulation Dept.. The HANDLOADER Magazine, P.O. Box 3030. Prescott. Arizona 86301.

Official Publication of Santa Barbara Reloading Association

A newly opened box of shotshell primers greets the eye on this month's cover. The sight is a familiar one to November- December upland game and waterfowl sportsmen loading for each type of hunting situation. The primers are CCI No. 109. Ektachrome transparency by Rick Jamison.

4 The HANDLOADER Magazine

Ever since the development of gunpowder, riflemen have yearned for the ultimate i n rif le accuracy-the abil ity to put shot after shot through the same identical hole. This brand- new book examines this search for greater accuracy from every aspect and details for target shooters and hunters alike the best pro- cedures for making their rifles superaccurate.

Warren Page, winner of nine national bench rest titles, provides the shooter and hunter wi th detailed practical information on every subject affecting accuracy and analyzes the techniques employed by competitive shooters in creating the equipment and methods that have produced modern rifles consistently. capable of holding their shots within ‘/4 inch at a hundred yards.

His topics include: Best methods of shoot- ing from a bench rest; the most accurate sights and scopes and their use; the problems created by wind and mirage and how to deal wi th them; the role of recoil in rif le accuracy; the secrets of bedding a rifle, relating the metal to the wood for peak performance; how to make or select barrels and stocks for the best accuracy; how to select or develop the superaccurate loads that wi l l give the best results in a given rifle.

This is the most upto-date, authoritative discussion of rif le accuracy anywhere in print. Not only a must for the serious competitive shooter, but highly useful for the practical hunter seeking to increase the size of his bag. ,“’“”””””””-------

I HANDLOADER PRESS I I

Box 3 0 3 0 Prescott, Arizona 8 6 3 0 1

I Enclosed is $- for - copies I

I completely satisfied, I may return the I ! books within 10 days for a fu l l refund. ! I of THE ACCURATE RIFLE @ $8.95. I f not I

1 Name .................................. I Address ...............................

City ................................... I State Zip

(Arizona residents add 360 sales tax) ..................... . . . . . . . .

!-------------------------

EDITORIAL

Panel Mixes Apples, Oranges

HEN THE National Advisory Commission on Criminal Justice W Standards and Goals announced its “Strategy To Reduce Crime” - which included a call for state laws prohibiting handguns - the Nixon Administration promptly endorsed the commission’s goals, but declined to support all the methods the commission suggested (though Attorney General Richardson quickly began drafting a handgun prohibition bill). Some of the proposals are well-documented, and the suggested reforms much-needed - such as requiring speedy trials and ending the disparity in sentencing for persons convicted of the same type crime. But others are based on theory, rather than fact - such as eliminating sentences for “acts that do not endanger public safety” and limiting the sentences of most of those imprisoned to five years maximum. At the same time the commission recommends either fines or imprisonment for possession of any handgun. That contradiction is only one of the many in the 318-page summary of its report.

While arguing for a moratorium on the construction of prisons, the commission states “there is no evidence that prisons reduce the amount of crime.” Yet while citing the evils of plea bargaining, the commission reports that the number in New York State prisons declined from 18,000 in 1966 to 12,500 in 1972. It’s worth noting that this 3070 decrease in prison population was accompanied by a 45% increase in total crime in New York State and 136% increase in violent crime. While we would agree that there’s no evidence that prisons are reforming criminals - quite the contrary - it’s a foregone conclusion that crimes against the public cannot be committed while in prison.

The commission uses valid evidence in supporting many of its positions, but in supporting its handgun ban it talks only about the correlation between the number of privately owned handguns and handgun crimes - which is like saying there are fewer truck accidents on highways where trucks are prohibited. Even that claim is questionable, however, for private handguns are virtually prohibited in New York City, yet half the murders in the city are committed with handguns, all illegal. More to the point: in 1972, of the 35 metropolitan areas with more than a million population, New York City’s murder rate (19.1 per 100,OOO) is second only to Atlanta’s (23.0). There were 1,726 murders in Fun City in 1972!

In support of the handgun prohibition proposal the Commission compared the single handgun murder in 1971 in Tokyo, where handguns are banned, to the 308 handgun murders in Los Angeles. I t claimed that cultural differences alone couldn’t account for that disparity. But Tokyo’s far lower total crime rate wasn’t mentioned: with a population of 11 million, there were only 213 murders in 1970, a rate of less than 1.9 per 100,000; and only 474 robberies, a rate of 4.2! For comparison, L.A.’s murder rate that year was 9.4; the robbery rate was 307.3 - 75 times as great as Tokyo’s. The rates for New York were 10.5 and 664.8 (in 1972 they were 19.1 and 877.4). Attempting to compare Tokyo with American cities is mixing apples and oranges, and the Commission should know it.

Studies comparing crime rates to firearms control laws in U.S. cities and states have been conducted, but biased crime commissions ignore them, for they consistently show no relationship between gun laws and crime rates. Further, no scholarly study of any American state or city has shown a reduction in crime directly attributable to the passage of a restrictive firearms law. If crime commissions desire to compare the U.S. to foreign countries, let them compare the treatment of criminals. They will find that a higher percentage are arrested, that justice is swift, and that punishment is both certain and severe. If that were true in the United States, we wouldn’t be worrying about gun laws - or crime

0 commissions that are dishonest in their approach. - Neal Knox

The HANDLOADER Magazine 6

. . w+ 9- Publisher of The HANDLOADER and The RIFLE c. 0. mox ooao - PRLSCOTT, ARIZ. eeooi

TELEPHONE 445-7010 - AREA CODE 002

Dear HANDLOADER Reader:

A t l a s t , Jim Carmichel's "Just Jim" i s enroute to the printer.

Jim says t h i s i s the funniest book t h a t he has ever read. . .Jim doesn't say whether i t i s the only book he has ever read.

However, we are prejudiced i n Jim's favor, and t h i n k that you and your family will be, too. In the 130 pages of "Just Jim" ( inc lud ing 30 pages of cartoons) you will meet again a l l the sa l ty characters and enjoy a l l the lusty scenes f irst introduced i n the columns of RIFLE magazine.

The price of "Just Jim" i s $3.95. A small price t o pay for an introduction to such characters as Robert E. Lee Jenkins ( i l lus t ra ted a t l e f t developing the now famous .22 Jenkins Jap cartridge). . .Preacher Will . . . Fred "Hook" Johnson, of Hell I s Creek.. .Barnabas P. Gray, G u n s m i t h . And that intellectual giant: Alonzo P. Fleenor, JCACBACIS. There are others.

Then there are Carmichel ' s observations on gun legis la t ion, prohibition (Tennessee s ty l e ) , gunsmithing and a thesis describing the emotional/mental advancement of the ci t izens of Cathead Creek, Tennessee.

Delivery t o you will be about October 30th; i n time for a Christmas present t o yourself, or foy a friend.

Jim has graciously agreed t o autograph the f i rs t 300 copies. Order your copy today!

Best regards,

/

in "Just Jim"

Send check or money order, $3.95.

log ica 1. Qv

'JUST JIM"

HANDLOADER Magazine

iy Jim Carmichel n a Limited Edition)

45

By DON ZUTZ

HAPS WHO RELOAD shotshells have C always been told that whomping up the powder charge in search of screaming velocities invariably results in patterns of dubious quality. Said generalization stems from a rule of thumb which pre-dates the technological advances - and especially the single-unit plastic wads - of the post World War I1 era, and it grew mainly from the failures of the old nitro card and fiber filler wad columns. Indeed, Major Sir Gerald Burrard did much to popularize the fallacy of high speed shotshells in his classic volumes, The Modem Shotgun.

And, essentially, plenteous propellant beneath a nitro card and fiber filler stack has probably earned the reputation of being a pattern wrecker. At least two good reasons explain why those ancient concoctions couldn’t produce quality and uniform shot strings at the behest of snorting gas pressures: first, the card and filler column was anything but a perfect gas seal. Whatever hot turbulence spurted betwixt wads and the barrel wall - which could easily occur in the forcing cone, a t irregular spots in the bore, and at the muzzle - would work its evil ways on the shot charge. Pellets would be fused and deformed; shot clumps would be upset and/or elongated.

Secondly, and probably most disastrously, surging powder gases often forced the nitro card/fiber filler column into the base of the shot charge on exit. If this fiber battering ram were driven with sufficient force, it would work well into the emerging shot string, thus forcing pellets from the cluster’s core outward to the fringe areas

1 The density of this 1-ounce No. 5 pattern illustrates the effectiveness of high speed shotshells. The load was fired from a Full Choke barrel at a distance of 40 yards.

The HANDLOADER Magazine I

and causing what has become known as a “blown” or “doughnut” pattern.

By keeping gas pressures and velocities somewhat lower, then, better patterns appeared with nitro card/fiber filler wad columns because the shot charge could outrun the wads a t exit and escape without experiencing a n uncouth, pattern-destroying smack on the fanny. Too, the internal forces would be lessened, reducing pellet deformation from compression during bore travel. Thus, our grizzled predecessors estab- lished a rule of thumb which has stood for

’ many moons, namely, that a shotshell reloader should increase his powder charge for wide patterns and shave it for tight strings.

What all this means, of course, is that shotshell velocities have been held down to improve pattern performance, and that folks today continue accepting the theory without question. Top speed by a commercial load now is the 5-dram 10-gauge brute which moves 2 ounces of shot a t approximately 1,340 fps a t the muzzle. The 12 gauge maximum item holding 1% ounces of shot above 3% drams-equivalent of powder is listed at 1,330 fps; the 12-bore l?h-ounce short magnum gives roughly 1,300-1,315 fps.

Three-dram trap and skeet fodder clocks about 1,200 fps. To date, then, 1,300 is a high velocity performance for factory- loaded shotshells; and stuff a t that level or swifter is, by our old rule of thumb, not held in high regard as consistent and tight-patterning ammo.

But the question is: does this old rule of thumb still retain its validity in the light of technological advances? In particular, is i t possible tha t the gas-sealing efficiency of flanged, single-unit plastic wads and obturating overpowder discs have negated old generalizations? After all, it was gas seepage and aggressive wad column action tha t caused pattern irregularities with full-throttle charges in days of yore, and, since wad styling has changed, is it not possible that patterning characteristics and uniformity at speeds beyond 1.300-1,330 fps have also changed?

This possibility intrigued me. Thus, one spring day I whomped up a batch of “screamers” and began a systematic/ scientific investigation of the subject. The process involved several sessions at the loading press, additional sessions a t the patterning board, and many routine pellet counts. The results were worth the effort, however, and I hope the following

evidence will, once and for all, disprove the universal application of our old rule of thumb. For ultra-quick shotshells, it will be seen, do pattern well!

Before entering a discussion of my experiments and drawing any conclusions, though, let me explain that my use of the term “whomped up” does not imply an indiscriminate loading procedure. Trying for ultra-high shotshell velocities by merely beefing up the powder charge of any given load is fool’s play. Anyone who brews super-swift shotshells had better stick to data supplied by reliable sources, since “creative” attempts in this direction can result in dangerously high chamber pressures when the ratio between powder and payload is not within scientifically proved tolerances. For that reason, all my ultra-high speed stuff was loaded according to recommendations in DuPont’s Handloader‘s Guide to Pow- ders. the Lyman Shotshell Handbook, and the AIcan Reloader’s Manual, XI .

A pair of pumpguns shot the whole basic program. One was a Remington 870; the other was a High Standard trap model. Both had Full Choke barrels. With standard trap loads (3-dram. 1,200 fps) the High Standard showed a definite propensity for tossing Modified per-

November-December 1973 33

patterning sheet’s a rea of greatest pellet-hole density rather than upon the sheet’s center.) From the figures in this efficiency da ta , we can draw some introductory conclusions about the patterning characteristics of swift shotshells employing modern, gas-sealing, plastic wads.

One obvious fact is that the high-speed shotshells tested ran basically the same percentages as did those printed by standard velocity control ammo. The Remington 870, for instance, ran between 68-73 percent averages with No. 5 shot, which is certainly within Full choke tolerances. The test string of copper- plated No. 4’s did 74 percent with an average velocity of 1,385 fps, and some sample batches of whistling No. 2’s (which were not tested enough to be listed in the table) also registered in the mid-70’s with trial loads 12-2 and 12-4.

Although the High Standard pump did not top the charmed 70-percent level with many loads, it must be remembered that it also ran Modified averages with control loads; and the fact t ha t the High Standard did better than 62 percent with all loads indicates that the increased muzzle velocity had no detrimental effect upon its basic characteristics.

Ultra-snappy fodder pushing 7%’s, though, did not duplicate the efficiency of No. 5 or 4 shot. In general, patterns of 7 % ’ ~ lagged 4’s and 5’s by 4 to 7 percentage points. Perhaps the choke tapers of my test guns simply handled things in that order. On the other hand, light shot might be more deformed by bore pressures - the jar of ignition,

Coarse shot such as the No. 4‘s at left gave pattern percentages in high velocity loadings similar to each barrels percentage with standard velocity loads. But when finer shot such as 7 1/25 and 8’s, right, was used, densities fell off. Using copperplated No. 7 1 / 2 shot, center, resulted in densities equal to standard velocity loads.

centages with a wide range of loads, averaging 56-65 percent at 40 yards with handloads and factory stuff. The 870 did an honest job, pitching 65-73 percent with all ammo except 1%-ounce short magnums, which fell off badly to 50-55 percent.

Following some initial shooting, a sample Remington 3200 with 30-inch barrels bored Modified and Full was received, and it was also used for some patterning tests. This 3200’s Full tube did 70-74 percent with factory trap loads and 1%-ounce duck loads, and registered 68 percent with 18.0/Hi-Skor 700-X/1 1/8 - 7%. With this information as control factors, we can assess the performance of faster loadings through the same tubes.

along with the composition of the loads tested. Most of the patterning averages with the Remington 870 and High Standard were based on ten shots, while the tests with the Remington 3200 were based on five shots. All patterning was done over the conventional 40-yard range on relatively calm days, using 40-inch Kraft wrapping paper; the 30-inch diameter circle was superimposed upon that section of the patterning sheet which bore the heaviest concentrations of shot. (Which is, by’ the way, the proper approach to patterning. One does not uim at a circle’s center and proceed from there. Shotgun aiming inconsistencies, along with patterning variations, disallow optimum accuracy with the smooth tube; thus, the shotgun is always given the

The results of these tests a re benefit of the doubt, and the 30-inch acceleration forces, and jamming a t summarized in the performance table, circle is always placed upon the forcing cone and choke - and once the

fine pellet is deformed, it is easy to visualize how it could be forced from the line of flight when its flattened or irregular surfaces encounter air resis- tance. Its actions after emission could parallel the scooting, dipsy-doodle antics of a knuckle ball.

I tried a 3-shot string using test load 12-6 and 1 ounce of No. 9 shot through the 870, arriving at an average of 60.3 percent, which was 8 points below the average for No. 5’s in the same gun/load and, roughly, 2.5 points below that of 7 % ’ ~ . Of course, firing three patterns does not smack of extensive scientific study. But the trial does hint that shot size is of some importance when working shotshells to higher-than-normal speeds, as clusters with the finer numbers tend to throw densities more open than those flinging coarse shot.

In my experiments, the dividing line on shot size seems to be drawn through No. 6’s. Most often, 6’s will print akin to

Newer wad columns make a difference in pattern efficiency. The old nitro card wad, extreme heavier spheres, but, upon occasion, it left, was the least effective. Three of the high speed loads with plastic wads are shown above. will print somewhat scantier when tossed They are, from left, a 20 gauge with 26.O/SR-4756/29944PP-7/8-ounce, 16 gauge using at muzzle speeds beyond 1,300-1,330 fps. 26.5/SR-7625/W29932PP- 1-ounce, and 12 gauge with 29.O/SR-7625/W29924-1 1 / 8 -,ounce shot. To check the validity of my thoughts

34 The HANDLOADER Magazine

about deformed black shot, I loaded 5 each of test loads 12-5 and.12-6 using copperplated 7% shot (Illinois brand). Through the High Standard, which had run 67 percent with black 6‘s and 63 percent with black 7%’s, the copper- coated 7 % ’ ~ ran 66.5, 69, 63, 66, and 72 percent for an overall average of 67.3 percent, thus topping anything it had done with black shot. Load 12-6 and 1 ounce of copper 7 % ’ ~ printed tallies of 69, 72, 71, 63, and 67 percent through the High Standard for a 68.4 percent average, which outran the 67 percent average turned in by the same gunlload using black 5’s instead of copperplated 7%’~.

Now, I am not trying to prove that copperplated shot is conducive to tighter patterns than is black shot (modern black shot of the “chilled” variety, that is, with

f been done to death. The point being made here is that high-speed shotshells can turn in high patterns with minimal fluctuations from the mean, and they can do so even with fine pellets when the individual spheres are not deformed.

An intelligent question often advanced by shrewd shotgunners is: of what value are super-snorting velocities with light pellets? For knowledgeable wing-gunners know that, because of air resistance, light shot sizes driven at extremely high muzzle velocities will shed most of their surplus speed before the 40-yard marker. A 7% launched at 1,350 fps will carry about 715-725 fps at 40 paces, while another 7%

t

* a 2-5 percent antimony content). That’s

b ?

fired at a mere 1,200 fps will be doing about 675 fps at the same range. This is a slight difference, and it is said to be insignificant on game.

Thus, the practical value of high-speed shotshells pushing fine pellets is really not a matter of increasing downrange energy. The wise hunter uses his knowledge to control patterning. As my results indicate, black 7 % ’ ~ and 8’s tend to open somewhat sooner than black 5’s or heavier pellets, and, knowing that, a shotgunner can build some versatility into his bird-gun loadings. Merely by switching to a stepped-up (near 1,400 fps) load of black 7%’s, for instance a Full Choke barrel can be opened by 5-7 percentage points, which could mean going from Full to Modified, and the added spread could come in handy when ducks work in close or when the duck gun is pressed into service on upland game.

Some preliminary shooting I have done with a Modified barrel shows that light payloads of 8Y2 or 9 shot (black) will open to 53-55 percent with muzzle velocities of 1,390-1,410 fps. This could convert the Modified tube into a short-range proposition for quail, grouse, or cotton- tails in the thicket. Moreover, a sprinter-like load of 1 ounce of No. 9 black shot could provide added pattern width from Modified or Full choke barrels so that the old duck gun’s tight tube is less of a frustration on close-in clays during pre-season practice sessions.

The only drawback to high-speed shotshells is added recoil. The heavier powder charges create more muzzle blast, and the “rocket effect” could be disturbing in feathery guns of the classical side-by-side or over-under persuasion.

Thus, the modern fan of high muzzle velocities need not concern himself with the ancient rule of thumb which says full-throttle stuffings in a shotgun tends to blow patterns. Many, many current shotguns will stick to their designated patterning percentages when coarse shot is employed with normal payloads at top speed (note that the so-called “short magnum” shot charge has not been mentioned due to insufficient research with these payloads at velocities beyond 1,300 fps). Progressive-burning powders have made it safe to engineer exit speeds of 1,400 fps with payloads up to 1% ounces in the 12 bore, and obturating plastic wads efficiently seal off those disruptive gases

So if you’re the type who doesn’t feel confident unless your firearm is loaded with high-velocity fodder, give them a try. As to their downrange performance - they pattern very well, thank you. Just don’t make the mistake of substituting the newer high-density hulls - such as the RXP, Champion 11, and W-W Double-A - for the “softer” tubes specified in the accompanying recipes.

0

r 9,900

I

Win. 209 23.OlHi- AI I G57F 28.OfHS Alcan 220 29.OfSR

G57F 43.011MR-422

9,200 9.600

i n A n n

10,000 a 700

10,3 10,000 I 10,o 10,l “V I

35 November-December 1973