Reloading Shot Guns 



The quantity of paper shells that are used in a 

 year by shot gun shooters in this country is aston- 

 ishing; it runs well up into millions, and until of 

 late they were considered as worthless, and were 

 cast away after being once shot. Now, however, 

 the economy of reloading is becoming the univer- 

 sal practice by shooters, for they can now pur- 

 chase implements made especially to aid them in 

 that line. 



Economy, however, is not the only considera- 

 tion. It is an instructive, pleasurable pastime for 

 shooters who like to experiment. Loading and re- 

 loading of their own shells enables them to ascer- 

 tain for their own individual benefit, what may be 

 done with this or that kind of powder, this or that 

 combination of wadding, shot, etc. 



While some are contented to have everything 

 done for them, there are those who prefer to do 

 for themselves. The latter are generally those 

 who will know the whys and wherefores, and to 

 such the making of one's ammunition is as inter- 

 esting and pleasurable as the shooting of it. When 

 black powder was universally used, there was but 

 one style of paper shells, and one size and quality 

 of primers for them, and if a charge varied from 

 one to twelve grains, it did no particular -harm. 

 All this has been changed with the coming of 

 smokeless powders, which will not permit of such 

 a variation. Therefore, the first and greatest 

 consideration is measuring powder accurately and 

 uniformly. Uniformity in the charge begets uni- 

 formity in shooting. 



What is a drachm? There has been consider- 

 able controversy as to what the standard drachm 

 measure for measuring powder is. Of course, all 

 recognize the fact that a drachm, correctly speak- 

 ing, is a weight; sixteen drachms make one ounce 

 Avoirdupois, etc., so a drachm is one-si.rtetnth of 

 an ounce Avoirdupois (or when converted into 

 grains, Troy or Apothecaries' 9 weight, one 

 drachm Avoirdupois equals 27 11-32 grains 

 r froy.) When the drachm powder measure was 

 originally made, it was supposed to be of the prop- 

 er capacity to measure, in bulk, one-sixteenth of 



