72 
FOREST AND STREAM 
February, 1922 
REDUCED LOADS FOR SHORT RANGES 
HOW TO RELOAD HIGH VELOCITY CARTRIDGES WITH SMALL 
CHARGES OF POWDER AND ALLOY BULLETS FOR LESSER GAME 
By A. L. BRAGG 
P RACTICALLY every owner of a 
high-power rifle, and those con- 
templating the purchase of one, 
have given more or less thought 
to the problem of reloading high velocity 
cartridges with small charges of powder 
and alloy bullets for short range shoot- 
ing. Every shooter recognizes the fact 
that modern metallic ammunition is ex- 
pensive and that the empty shell, which 
is an article of mechanical perfection, 
is the most costly part of the modern 
cartridge. It requires the very best ma- 
terials and skilled workmanship to 
manufacture a shell for a high-power 
rifle and it seems wasteful to throw 
away every empty shell instead of using 
them over and over again. The con- 
tinued use of high velocity ammunition, 
besides being expensive, shortens the 
life of the rifle barrel and sooner or 
later the sportsman begins to consider the 
problem of using a cheap and satisfac- 
tory short range load. 
Reduced loads of certain brands of 
smokeless powder and alloy bullets can 
be satisfactorily used in high-power 
rifles. Black powder or semi-smokeless 
powders should not be used in reduced 
loads because they are not intended for 
the modern high-power rifle. Smokeless 
pozi'ders for high velocity loads will not 
work satisfactorily when used in small 
quantities in large cartridges, because 
they were designed to burn at the pres- 
sures developed by the full charge loads. 
However, there is a class of smoke- 
less powders, like “Marksman” and 
“Unique,” that are manufactured espe- 
cially for use in making up a short range 
load in high-power rifles. Such powders 
burn very efficiently in rifle shells having 
a large chamber space, developing a 
strong propelling blast, without excess 
heat, and leaving no unburned residue. 
Their proper use is not attended with 
any risk to either the rifle or the shooter 
himself, and, if the reloading is properly 
done, they will give good satisfaction in 
every way. 
'"THE reloading of high-power rifle 
^ cartridges with metal cased bullets 
and full charges of smokeless powder 
should be done very carefully, for un- 
less one thoroughly understands the 
nature of the load he is using and is 
prepared to do the work with the utmost 
accuracy, he may produce a load that 
would bring disastrous results in the best 
steel rifle barrel manufactured. The re- 
loading of high velocity cartridges can 
best be done by the cartridge companies 
where the work is done with great ac- 
curacy and the cartridges are subjected 
to tests that render them perfectly safe 
in properly constructed arms for which 
they are intended. 
Reduced loads for high-power rifles, 
as described in this article, are not to 
be confused with the so-called gallery 
loads, or loads limited to short range 
inside target work. A 30 caliber car- 
tridge loaded with ten grains of “Marks- 
man” smokeless powder (which equals 
in volume almost 25 grains of bulk black 
powder) and an alloy bullet weighing 
from 125 to 150 grains, makes a car- 
tridge suitable for shooting small or me- 
dium sized game at ranges up to two or 
three hundred yards. The velocity and 
accuracy of such a cartridge is surpris- 
ing, besides being a pleasant and clean 
cartridge to shoot. Such a load will 
r~' 
S4ar. 88 gr. 130 gr. IBS gr. 152 gr. 
.30 Cal. .30Cdl. .30-40 .30-'06 
120 gr. ISOgr: 180 gr. 180 gr. 
Some good bullets made for reduced 
loads 
group the bullets in an eight inch circle 
at two hundred yards with the greatest 
regularity. 
The first prerequisite towards reload- 
ing high velocity cartridges with short 
range loads is to have clean, well cared 
for shells. As soon as possible after 
firing, the primers should be removed 
and the shells carefully washed with 
warm water and soap, then rinsed in hot 
water. The shells can be placed in a 
warm oven to dry, but they should not 
be allowed to become very hot as it will 
anneal them. Shells that become soft 
are liable to fit the rifle barrel too snugly, 
causing them to stick in the chamber 
after firing. It is very annoying to be 
troubled with empty shells sticking in 
the rifle chamber and failing to eject 
properly, compelling the shooter to fall 
back on a cleaning rod or other device 
to extract them. Shells should be elastic 
and springy so that they will contract to 
some extent after firing and eject easily. 
Heat softens brass. It cannot be hard- 
ened by sudden cooling after being 
heated, as can be done with steel. Care 
should be taken to see that the shells 
are clean and dry before putting them 
away or reloading them, for the least bit 
of moisture or dampness will cause cor- 
rosion of the inside of the brass case | 
and may cause deterioration of the 
powder charge in the loaded cartridge. | 
A corroded shell is almost worthless and 
a never ending source of trouble. Rifle 
shells can be reloaded on an average of 
about five to twenty-five times apiece, 
depending largely upon the care they re- 
ceive and the strength of charge that is 
used. The writer has a number of shells 
that have been reloaded a much greater i 
number of times and they still show a 
good state of preservation. 
’’THE first step towards reloading a car- 
tridge is to seat a new primer in the 
pocket in the head of the shell. This i 
should be done with a recapping tool i 
made especially for the purpose so that I 
the primer will be seated firmly in its 
place, thus avoiding misfires or possibly I 
accidents in the mechanism of the gun. 
It is a very dangerous practice to seat a 
primer in a shell containing powder, and 
one’s safety demands that this work be 
done while the shell is empty. After 
seating the primer, the shell is ready for ' 
the powder. 
There are three ways of measuring out I 
the correct amount of powder for the 1 
desired load; mechanical powder mea- [ 
sures, scales, and charge cups. The me- 
chanical powder measure is the most 
satisfactory way of measuring out the 
charge desired. They can be easily and f 
quickly set to throw any given charge 
with accuracy and regularity. Accurate ' 
and finely adjusted scales of the beam I 
balance type and grain weights, make a ■ 
very dependable apparatus to weigh out i 
smokeless powder charges, but they re- 
quire some patience and their slowness, , 
when it comes to weighing out a large 
number of charges, makes the weighing [ 
process the least desirable of the three. 
The charge cup is a very handy and j 
cheap powder measure that will do the 
work very well where a machine to do ■ 
the work cannot be afforded, or one does 
not care to bother with weighing out 
each charge separately. A charge cup 
holding 25 grains of black powder will 
hold approximately 10)4 grains of 
“Marksman” and if the measure is , 
filled exactly the same each time, with- 
out jarring, it will serve the purpose 
very well. 
Exactly the same amount of powder 
should be used in every short range load 
if uniform results are to be expected. 
Powder charges of 10 to 12 grains 
weight of “Marksman” or corresponding 
loads of “Unique” can be used with alloy | 
bullets in 30 caliber rifles, 10 grains 
weight in high-power rifles of the 25 
caliber class, and about 8 grains in high- 
power rifles using bullets of a smaller 
diameter. Slightly heavier charges of 
powder than those given can be used in 
