Back when this writer was first married, money was tight on a schoolteacher’s salary. There were necessities, like hunting and fishing, that needed to be fit into a very tight budget. This is not the time to lament the “good old days” when groceries cost $20 a week and gas was $1.60 a gallon. Those days are gone forever. After reading Samuelson’s “Economics” as a college course requirement and having taught lessons on economics as a social studies teacher, economic principles are still the same. Vic Colo, a very learned and sage teacher, often stated his economic philosophy which was “buy low and sell high, not the other way around.” Still good advice!
The existing economic conditions and my personal finances led me to begin reloading shotgun shells. At the time, a box of 12-gauge shotgun shells cost around five bucks and you could reload for about $1.60 a box. That made it possible to do a little shooting after investing in a reloader and the components. Over the years, there was even a time when hunting loads for pheasant and duck hunting were also reloaded before the requirement of steel shot for all waterfowl hunting. As time progressed and my focus shifted more to upland hunting, 20 and then 28 gauge became the primary gauges and reloaders for both gauges were purchased and used.
Although not popular with the management because of the tendency of shot pellets to escape the loading table, reloading was often done while watching TV and a couple hours could produce a bunch of reloads, particularly with a progressive reloader like the MEC 650 that was my first machine. Then, and now, MEC is the leader in reloading equipment and the quality of MEC reloaders is demonstrated in that 40-year-old 650 that is still working as well as the day it was purchased.
By my calculations, 20-gauge reloads should cost about (primer $.032, powder $.07, wad $.03, shot $.12) a quarter a round for a total of about $6.25 a box. Twenty-eight-gauge rounds are about 20 cents each. You can find imported twelve and twenty-gauge shells for around $5, so why reload? Since 28s are usually hard to find and more expensive as a result, there would be a greater savings.
The real issue is the difficulty in finding components. The supply chain issues that became such an issue during COVID are still around and it is difficult to find all the components. And, all this is predicated on you having an ample supply of quality empty cases. The whole process begins with the case as you must find a “recipe” of wad, and powder that must be an exact match for the load you choose. Like so many, my future may be buying ammo when I can find it and stocking up. Anybody want to buy some MEC reloaders?
This week, there was finally some shooting as a trip to the Orange Gun Club provided a chance to use the Champion WheeleyBird automatic clay target thrower. Powered by a 12-volt battery, the WheeleyBird has a 25-foot cord on the foot pedal. That, and the ability to adjust the angle and speed of clay targets thrown (it has a 50-target capacity too!) gives a single shooter the chance to practice nearly every shot you might be presented in upland hunting.
It seems that clay shooting locally has dropped off some. It is hard to say exactly why but it may be that others find themselves, like me, busier than usual doing things that “pop up” at the last minute and ruin plans. My foray to the Orange Gun Club found my shooting eye was still pretty good and most of the targets broke. The Ruger 28-gauge Red Label fits me and the reloads with 8½ shot made me feel good. I still would like to shoot a round of sporting clays or skeet before hunting starts but the time is growing short for that.
This week, the process is starting with turkey gear finally being put away and upland gear being put into order. The truck will be set up with dog boxes and water over the Decked drawer system. That system has proved to be an excellent addition and my only regret is not having it during the time when I did a fair amount of guiding. It is great to have a place to put guns, ammo, clothing, boots and other gear so that it does not clutter up the back seat of the truck. It is convenient and extremely well made. You do lose a foot of depth at the base of the truck bed, but it has not hampered my activities that much and the lawn tractor can still be transported and trash taken to the dump.
Right now, it looks like only one dog box. Dinah, almost 15 years old, has a bad hip and kidney disease. A special diet and changes in care have made it possible for her to get around fine but we still have not taken her on a “hunt” scouting local covers. That may be coming up, but it is hard to imagine her being fit enough to travel to hunting camp and hunt as she once did. Laney should be more than ready to step up her game! My plans still call for a trip to Maine for the grouse opener but there are some uncertainties that could impact those plans.
Mike Roche is a retired teacher who has been involved in conservation and wildlife issues his entire life. He has written the Sportsman’s Corner since 1984 and has served as advisor to the Mahar Fish’N Game Club, former Connecticut Valley District representative on the Massachusetts Fisheries and Wildlife Board, has been a Massachusetts Hunter Education Instructor and is a licensed New York hunting guide. He can be reached at mikeroche3@msn.com.