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 people prefer to use store ammunition, while others prefer homemade ammunition. And if you want to be among the latter, it will be useful to learn how to equip cartridges of 16 caliber. 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 assortment of cartridges costing from 20 rubles to several hundred. So, everyone can find a suitable option among them. Why is the equipment of cartridges 16 caliber remains so popular? In fact, everything is simple. Not everyone can afford to buy expensive foreign cartridges. And the quality of the cheap often varies: the same manufacturer can produce two batches - of acceptable quality and extremely low.
Therefore, when loading cartridges on their own, the hunter can be 100% sure that they will not fail at a crucial moment.
Another important reason is the term of components. Often manufacturers use a capsule and gunpowder with an expiration date that is near the end. Indeed, 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. And if you need to shoot at a wounded boar or an angry bear?
Therefore, it is not surprising that experienced hunters prefer to trust themselves, rather than the ammunition manufacturer.
Possible cons
Of course, this solution has its drawbacks. Firstly, you need to purchase a large number of specialized tools: from scales to a rolling device. And they cost much more than we would like. Secondly, loading cartridges takes a lot of time - after spending the whole evening, even an experienced hunter will not be able to equip more than a hundred. Thirdly, this is an extremely responsible matter requiring tremendous commitment. By mistake, falling into the sleeve by a quarter gram more gunpowder than expected, the hunter risks not only without a gun, but also without fingers.
How much can you store supplies?
Buying cartridges, wads, containers and bullets or buckshot, you do not have to worry about the expiration date - for these products it is practically unlimited.
But gunpowder and wads can not boast of this.
The average shelf life of gunpowder is 5 years. But subject to certain conditions (no temperature changes, low humidity), it can be doubled. But this only applies to sealed cans. After it was opened, it is advisable to use up all the powder as soon as possible, for a maximum of two years. And this applies to all types of gunpowder: “Sunar”, “Falcon”, “Bars”.
The situation with capsules is slightly different. For them, increased humidity is not so critical. But still there are certain limitations here. It is advisable to store “Centroboy” and “Zhevelo-M” for no more than three years. Zhevelo-N wins in this respect - its shelf life is six years.
Is a rolling tool needed?
Some people frankly do not understand how to equip cartridges of 16 caliber, without having at hand a device for rolling. Others never used it at all. How useful is it?
In fact, the answer here is clear and obvious. It all depends on which sleeve you prefer (we’ll talk about the pros and cons a bit later).
If you like plastic sleeves and you shoot from semi-automatic weapons, then you can’t do without a device - it not only excludes the possibility of rashing buckshot or fractions, but also adjusts the sleeve strictly to a certain length.
Do you like 16 gauge brass cartridge case ? In this case, the device will not be needed: it will not be able to bend the metal edges, rather, it will fail. How to ensure reliability? This is achieved in many ways. For example, many experienced hunters, equipping a cartridge and inserting the last wad, fill it with a small amount of molten wax, paraffin or plasticine. Immediately after this, the excess pours out before it has time to harden, but the crust formed prevents the charge from spilling out, and at the same time reliably seals the cartridge, eliminating the possibility of getting wet in high humidity conditions.
We select suitable scales
If you want to know how to properly load 16-round cartridges, then first of all you need to purchase a scale. Moreover, pharmacies, as accurate as possible. Fraction and buckshot should be measured in grams, and gunpowder in tenths and hundredths of a gram. Any error can ruin the cartridge, and even poses a danger to the shooter.
More 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 lot of time.
Fortunately, with the development of electronics, fairly accurate and, at the same time, very inexpensive electronic counterparts appeared on sale. Working with them is much easier. The main thing when buying is to consider that the minimum step should be at least 0.1 grams, and better - 0.01. And the maximum limit is 50 grams or more.
Experienced hunters, loading different types of cartridges of 16 caliber, use a different weight of gunpowder - it depends on the damaging 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 arrows, in order to save time, make a special measurement for gunpowder - simply cut off the plastic sleeve at a suitable level and attach a kind of handle from wire to it. This greatly simplifies the charging process - no need to weigh the powder, just scoop it up. But this approach does not allow you to accurately change the hitch, and generally not recommended as not safe enough.
Use container or not?
Another question that arises for beginners who want to know how to properly equip cartridges of 16 caliber is the container. More precisely, the justification for its use.
It is a small plastic container that is inserted into the sleeve after the powder is filled. Already a fraction or buckshot is poured into it. Of course, its use increases the cost of a makeshift cartridge - by 2-3 rubles. It would seem a trifle. But if you need to charge a hundred rounds in a row, then the cost increase is already noticeable. And the question is - should containers be used at all?
Actually, it depends on the goal. After all, the container increases the range of the shot with shot or buckshot by 10-30 meters, and at the same time provides greater accuracy at a great distance. This is sometimes very helpful. And in other cases, increased accuracy, on the contrary, is undesirable. For example, if you shoot ducks flying at an altitude of 20-30 meters. At such a distance, when shooting with a container, the shot, even small ones, does not have time to crumble and goes in heaps, almost like a bullet. Of course, getting on a small, fast-moving target becomes much more difficult.
So, it is impossible to give an unambiguous answer to the question of how to equip cartridges of 16 caliber - with or without a container. Experiment and draw appropriate conclusions.
Capsule Device
Many people refuse to use devices for removing and installing capsules, considering it a waste of money. Instead, they knock out the fired capsule with a makeshift device. Often a wooden one with an inserted needle, after which a new one is installed, hammering it carefully with jewelry accuracy. Of course, this allows you to reduce costs when buying equipment.
But still, a special device greatly simplifies the work. It becomes easier to remove the capsule, and the risk of damaging the bottom of the sleeve (if a centrifuge capsule is used) is reduced. Moreover, the installation of the capsule is facilitated - it only takes a second or two. Eliminated the risk of exploding the capsule if a hammer is accidentally hit. So, if there is an opportunity, it is still worth buying this useful device. Many hunters, self-loading ammunition 16 caliber, reviews about it leave mostly positive.
Brass sleeves or plastic?
But this is a very important issue. The answer to it depends both on the habits of the hunter and on the weapons used.
For example, if you prefer the classic single-barrel or double-barreled weapon, then the use of brass sleeves is justified. Yes, they cost ten times more than plastic ones, but they can be charged several hundred times, while plastic ones rarely survive two or three charges. But if you use a semi-automatic weapon that throws shells, it is better to use plastic. After all, brass, 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 greatly interferes - it clings to branches and equipment, which can cause a second delay, and on the hunt this is extremely undesirable.
So, when buying cartridges, decide for yourself which option is more acceptable for you.
Choose a striking element
In stores you can see a dozen and a half types of shots, 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 subject have not died out for many decades. Some discuss the advantages and disadvantages of different options (Poleva, Brenneke, Sputnik, Foster and many others). Others believe that any bullet in a cartridge of 16 caliber behaves approximately the same - it all depends on the skill of the shooter.
But with the fraction and buckshot everything is easier. They need to be selected depending on what kind of prey you are going to. Is your target a snipe or a 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 deer? In this case, buckshot shows itself well, and preferably larger.
Cartridge charging sequence
Now briefly describe how to charge cartridges of 16 caliber.
Using an old sleeve? Knock out the capsule and clean the anvil (if there is one, it is absent in the cartridges for the “Zhevelo” capsule). If new, feel free to skip this step.
Insert a new capsule - preferably using special equipment. Now fill the gunpowder - with a measure or carefully measuring each grain on the scales - this is your choice. Following wad - thick, from felt or pressed sawdust. But if you use a container, you can do without it - plastic solves this problem.
Then a fraction is filled up or a bullet is installed. Now it all depends on the type of sleeve or finish paper wad (when using brass), or spin on the machine (when working with plastic). When working with brass, it remains only to fill the sleeve with wax or paraffin and you're done - you can go hunting!
Conclusion
On this, the basic information about the very procedure for loading cartridges of 16 calibers can be considered complete. In addition to everything, the basic tools that will be needed for this procedure were also described. And at the same time about the intricacies of the choice of materials and components.