Several of us are heading to South Africa this summer, to play with our friends Richard and Ruth Lemmer and Safari Afrika. This will be a return trip for some of us and a first adventure for others. Numerous conversations are being held. Anticipation fills the air.
This time, a couple of us are taking our own firearms, rather than using those of Safari Afrika. There are several reasons for that – not the least of which is that when you run off to play and leave old friends behind they may balk at an odd moment when you count on them. Given that Westside Homey Kevin Clements and I are planning a couple days of partridge chasing in the midst of our plains game hunting and photography, we realized our most-loved shotguns and rifles had to go with. That meant a trip to a U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CPB) office.
Thus, I recently found myself at the Grant County International Airport at Moses Lake, chatting with a very pleasant agent as we filled out CPB Form 4457 (Certificate of Registration for Personal Effects Taken Abroad). My firearms were checked (serial #s, brands, etc.) to be certain they matched those on the form, my ID was confirmed, and the 4457 was stamped and returned to me. The form is not kept by Customs, it is only for my use in proving ownership of my sporting arms as we leave the U.S., travel internationally, and return home together.
That settled, and flights booked, the next task is preparing the ammo to go with my rifle (shotgun shells will be arranged in Africa). Richard and most other South African outfitters prefer a heavier bullet than what I have used over the past few decades. With a little coaching from Homey Buzz Chevara, I will be hand rolling several new powder/bullet combinations and testing them at the range in coming months.
In addition to the sheer pleasure of being responsible for everything that happens when you pull a trigger and watching bullet after bullet hit the target where intended, there are many good reasons for hand loading ammo. It starts with accuracy, I think, but there are significant cost savings compared to factory loads, too, and a great satisfaction in reusing spent brass cases.
I got the loading bug in 1964, not long after I finally bailed my shiny new Savage 110 Premier 7mm Remington magnum out of Layaway. As I burned into a second box of factory ammo, it dawned on me that, young and mostly broke, I’d never be able to shoot as much as I wanted. By the end of that box, I found that my expensive new rifle wasn’t all that accurate, either.
Over a few months, I picked up a press and dies and powder and bullets and instruction manuals. Over a couple years, squeezing off thousands of rounds of handloads, I learned about accuracy, and what MY rifle needed to shoot the way I wanted it to shoot. Over time, I learned that now and again when I popped the cap on a cartridge I’d loaded, the bullet would follow the one before it through the same hole in the target. When the bullets didn’t go exactly where I wanted them to go, I knew why, and could make adjustments. That knowledge grew from hundreds of joyful, peaceful hours honing skills to take afield.
I came to know and trust the rifle, which gradually came to be known simply as “Boomer.” Together, we came to understand our hunting partnership. I saw how that rifle became, as The Old Man used to say, “an extension of self and a guarantee of meat in the pot.” And what he meant as he added, “There’s that other thing, too, boy. If some critter gives itself to you and will feed your family, you and that rifle owe it fair chase, straight shooting and a clean death – and thanks every time you eat it.”
It’s simple, wise and moral; the more you know about your firearms – the tools of your hunting – the more skill you will develop in their use. The things you learn in rolling and shooting your own ammo will help you master hunting and ensure the future of our enterprise.
If I had my way, all hunters would have to learn the process of rolling their own ammo. Not going to happen soon, I think, but there are some great coaches in Paradise. Sure Shot in Kittitas (509-968-4867) can put you in touch with one or another of them, and Three Forks Ammo in Cle Elum (509-674-2295) has regular reloading classes.
For decades, I have hand rolled “standard” loads for Boomer and a couple rifles the Hucklings use. I know where and how they shoot and I can count on them round after round. Now I guess I’m heading back to the drawing board as I find the right combination of powder and bullet for these heavier slugs. I’ll be forced to spend many quiet hours at my loading bench working up combinations of powder and those heavier bullets. Then there will be hours and hours more out on the range shooting at paper to make sure each hole on the target is where I intend it to be. All this just so Boomer and I can go to Africa together. Bummer…
We’re loading for Afrika.
