Book Chapter 23-Home

Hunting Bullet Metrics

Apply Terminal Performance Truth

AFRICA HUNTER QUEST©

Chapter 23 - THE PILGRIM’S EPIPHANY

Donny had yet to beat the Geezer to the range. He saw that GG was at his customary bench, the down-range 200-yard target frame barely visible in the not-quite-light of dawn. He was periodically looking through his scope as if to assess if there was sufficient light to actually shoot.

His rifle was perched on a beefy steel tripod with all manner of knobs and capstan wheels, obviously a legitimate benchrest front rest. His rear rest was a massive bunny-eared benchrest bag of at least 1½ times the size of the bag Donny had seen him use previously.

But the rifle . . . lordy, the rifle. Donny had never seen anything like it. The stock was obviously wood, but the fore-end was flat as a fritter and at least 4 inches wide. Not only that, the barrel and action seemed to be off-set to the right, causing him to look multiple times to check that it wasn’t some kind of optical illusion. “Geeze Louise,” thought Donny. “For whatever reason, somebody meant to do that. The stock’s fore-end looks like an oar and a butt-ugly one at that.”

The barrel was unlike anything he had seen before. It looked like it was stainless steel and seemed to have an iridescent glow in the non-light. The diameter at the shank was well over an inch, with only a modest taper toward the muzzle. It was at least 30 inches long and had what looked to be an integrated muzzle brake. There were no flutes to remove barrel weight. Donny knew he was looking at some Frankenstein target rifle, but the venue was unknown.

Donny saw GG stiffen and he knew the Old Man had sensed he was behind him. GG turned and stared at him. Donny knew he was imposing and not really welcome. Because of his recent ‘ammo cost’ encounter, Donny thought he understood.

D: I’m really sorry to bother you, sir. I know why you are here at this time of day and completely understand. I wouldn’t be here if I had a reasonable alternative source for my questions.

Donny held out the two targets that were in his hand.

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D: I took your advice and defined my hunting problem. I decided I needed to use a 180-grain bullet in my 270 Winchester for the animals I want to hunt. Hand loading my own ammo is the only way I can get that done. My dad helped me get started in hand-loading the ammo, but the strategy he selected doesn’t look like it’s going to work. I shot these two targets at 100 yards. Each target reflects a different powder. The groups suck, and I need to know how to improve them.

Donny saw that GG’s expression had not changed during the brief introduction of his problem. The Old Man just stared at him with no obvious facial expression to interpret. But GG’s eyes told him he was in trouble . . . big trouble. GG’s eyes had given Donny the visual the Old Man was a sniper preparing for a kill shot, a shot with Donny’s forehead in the crosshairs. Cold. Dispassionate. Focused. Assessing. Measuring. All the steps necessary for the inevitable ‘send it’.

Donny’s emotions carried him well beyond confused, passing intimidated, then apprehensive on their way to momentarily scared. The Old Man’s reaction to his request was unexpected and unprecedented. GG had at least grudgingly entertained prior pilgrimages to the range and into ‘his space’. What was different? Was this catching him at a really bad moment or was it something else?

The prospect of an unknown ‘else’ pushed him from apprehensive back into scared. His evolved hunt circumstances had been knitted into a matrix of dependence. For the first time, Donny realized he really needed the Geezer’s help if he wanted to be successful on the terms he had crafted for himself.

GG continued to stare at him. Donny now knew it was an ‘else’, a complete mystery issue. With GG it had to be something fundamental or even philosophical.

Everything about the Old Man, his rifles, hunting accuracy criterion, synthetic gel testing, concepts of terminal bullet performance, mania for taking out the heart, crazy-a$$ empiricism, all screamed of independent thought. No outside validation. No ‘go with the flow’, at times approaching obstinate counter-culture. Why such intense focus? What was the objective?

“I came to him wanting an easy answer about my 270 Winchester,” thought Donny. “The only reason he even fooled with me was to present me with the tools to be able to figure all that out on my own terms. I finally have, but why is that being treated as inconsequential?”

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GG’s continued cold, sniper-like stare told Donny the issues involved were, indeed, at least philosophical, likely personal. No compassion. No empathy. No mercy. He would be allowed to twist in the wind.

Then Donny knew. Everything GG had tried to teach him was part of an integrated terminal performance evaluation process focused on the animals. Donny chillingly realized he had shown limited to poor respect for that process, particularly toward the reality links of documented tried-and-true or as recommended by Africa hunting professionals like Robertson. In doing so, he had shown no real or obvious respect for the animals. It had been all about him. He now realized that GG considered the animals to be worthy; he was not. How had the Old Man said it? “The animals are all warriors and deserve a warrior’s death”.

In a flash of cosmic brilliance, Donny then realized the man seated before him was some manner of Grand Inquisitor, waiting for a confession from a heretic publically proclaiming his blasphemy. Donny decided to try a desperate, preemptive strike, not really knowing what to confess, trusting an intuitive stream of consciousness that he now began to spew.

D: Sir, I understand you are not obligated to help me and you may not think I am worthy of your help. From the git-go I have given the impression that I was simply after an easy answer to a problem that I was unwilling to define and answer for myself. In doing so, I was ignoring advice from Africa hunting professionals that is based on tried-and-true.

I wanted to understand ‘depends’. You graciously gave me conceptual bullet terminal performance insights supplemented with actual test data and personal experience in Africa. You helped me to organize and define my hunting problem, then gave me an analytical tool and a published resource to find a solution I now fully embrace and want to implement. Admittedly, I want to do it more for me more than in consideration of the animals, but I recognize that using the 180-grainer will give the animals their due respect.

I never really said thank you. I never really said or even gave an indication of how much I appreciated your time and your insights about hunting bullet performance. In fact, some of the comments I did make were snarky and disrespectful, both to you and to the integrated process you were trying to present. Making fun of old school or tried-and-true could be interpreted as denying reality, a common affliction of these times and my generation. I have come to realize that what you were giving me was chicken salad, and I mostly gave the impression I was

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treating it like chicken $#!+. I was arguing with the person who was making a good-faith effort to give me good advice. Poster child stupid. I will do whatever you say is necessary to get the accuracy I need from my rifle and the 180-grainers. Please help.

GG’s facial expression and stare intensity had not changed. “It’s gonna be what it’s gonna be,” thought Donny. “I meant every word and I’m glad I said them, whatever happens.”

GG just sat there staring at him. There had been no indication that he had even heard what Donny said. Donny could hear the tin roof over the firing line occasionally pop from expansion as the first rays of the sun began to warm it.

GG: What accuracy do you want?

D: The best I can get.

GG: That’s a non-answer. Number of shots. Group size. Distance.

Donny didn’t know what to think. He hadn’t been told no, but he certainly hadn’t been told yes. His confession hadn’t been enough; he was now apparently in some convoluted mixture of an interview, oral exam, and confessional.

Donny didn’t know how to respond. He sensed that “I don’t know” might have been accepted two weeks ago, but not now. He had to declare. He was certain his answer would be the basis for the Old Man’s decision. Too large and he could say ‘go fish’. Too small and he could say ‘knock yourself out’, or far worse. In either case, he would be dismissed and on his own, square in the middle of a group grope from hell. He needed a Goldilocks answer.

D: Five shots in a group no greater than ½ inch at 100 yards.

GG’s eyes narrowed.

GG: Do you recognize that referencing accuracy with a five-shot group is significantly more stringent than with a three-shot group?

D: Yes.

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GG: Do you believe I have the expertise to show you how to achieve that objective?

D: Yes.

GG: Describe your system.

“Not a yes, not a no,” thought Donny. “Another test question.”

D: The action is trued, pillar and glass-bedded in the original stock. The barrel is after-market, blued-chrome steel, and button-rifled. It’s 26 inches long and has been fitted with a suppressor. The trigger has been reworked and adjusted to a 2-pound pull. The scope has up to 18 power, and is attached to a Pic rail with steel scope rings. When I hunt, I use a bipod attached to the front sling stud as a front rest.

GG: What do you use as a rear-rest?

D: My hand or a sock filled with plastic beads. I’ve taken the rear sling stud off the butt of the stock.

Donny saw what he thought was a faint but fleeting smile.

GG: Let me see those targets.

Donny gave both targets to the Old Man. The only target he really looked at was the one that looked like a zipper, and that was only for a few seconds.

GG: Any difficult bolt lift with either load?

D: No.

GG: Any ejector pin marks on the brass?

D: No.

GG: How many bullets do you have?

D: 425

GG: How many primers?

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D: 1000 large rifle.

GG: All the same manufacturer?

D: Yes.

GG: How much brass do you have?

D: Ninety-six cases, all once-fired in my rifle.

GG: How much powder do you have?

D: Eight pounds with the circular target and 14 pounds with the vertical.

GG: What powders?

Donny told him.

GG: How did you determine the charges for the powders?

D: Dad had a powder reloading manual that gave maximum powder charges for each, using an unspecified 180-grain bullet. We subtracted half a grain from each maximum powder charge to load the rounds associated with the targets you looked at.

GG: Did you precisely weigh each charge to the nearest 0.1 grain?

D: No. We calibrated dad’s powder measure with an electronic balance and then just threw all the charges.

GG’s expression really hadn’t changed during the questioning. Donny had no clue where all this was headed.

GG: You first came to me with a legitimate question. I took the time to give you a reference with instructions that could have enabled you to answer that question based on tried-and-true. I also gave you an empiricism that I believed would help you reasonably evaluate potential bullet alternatives to your preferred approach. Had you followed those instructions, there was a reasonable chance you would have arrived at your current solution without repeated imposition of my time.

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Instead, you ignored direct, face-to-face advice from four different Professional Hunters, and you initially outright shunned an excellent published and acclaimed resource authored by a PH who also happens to be a trained veterinarian. By definition, all can be considered experts. You have since shown little respect for what has historically worked in Africa as well as what I have described as ‘didn’t work’ based on my first-hand knowledge.

I spent considerable time to explain my interpretation of terminal performance whys and hows. During those explanations, your otherwise healthy skepticism pretty much turned into self-absorbed, petty snark. I persevered not for your benefit, but to potentially benefit the animals. At the end of the day, you disrespected the animals. You also disrespected my time, something that has great value to me but apparently not to you.

Now you come to me wanting something that essentially benefits only you. You somehow believe that the use and apparent acceptance of my empiricism to pursue a 180-grain load gives you the privilege and standing to once again impose on my time. In doing so, you had the unexpected sense to realize you had pissed in your whiskey and offered some semblance of an apology that falls under the heading of ‘too damn late’.

GG fell silent and reverted back to his stare. Donny fidgeted, unsure if his request, like his explanation and apology, had been denied.

D: Sir, guilty as charged.

GG nodded.

GG: On the other hand, your independent pursuit of a 180-grain load demonstrates you have tenacity, above-average evaluation skills, and courage both to think outside the box and to actually implement that thinking. Those attributes are necessary in order to achieve truly accurate hand loads. You have a system that I believe is compatible with your stated accuracy objective. You have the necessary components in sufficient quantity for the required refinement of the load to likely achieve your accuracy objective. The only real uncertainty is the jerk on the trigger.

Donny blinked in surprise. Had he just been given the opportunity to do penance?

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D: Sir, what I have heard from others and what I see sitting on top of your bench tell me that what you know about reloading likely equates to a PhD on the subject. I want to learn. I will do what it takes to be successful. I will burn all my BS cards. If I don’t understand, I will ask questions instead of making comments.

With no change in facial expression, GG got up from his stool and went to the table where he had his kit and several cases that contained reloading tools he intended to use. He reached for his dog-eared accordion file reinforced with primate tape, then extracted one of his 8½ x 11 homemade targets. He turned it over and began to write what appeared to be a list.

Donny smiled faintly. “Deja vu all over again,” he thought. “Chicken salad, just like I got last time. This time I’m gonna damn-well pay attention.”

GG finished writing, put down his pen, and turned the list over so it was hidden from Donny’s view. GG looked at Donny; his sniper gaze had returned.

GG: Doing what it takes means following instructions and investing in the tools required to do the job. You have to respect the process and pay to play. Unless you are willing to do as you are told and invest in the tools and equipment on this list, there will be absolutely no reloading help from me.

D: I understand.

GG handed the list to Donny. Donny studied the list, noting he had only one of the items listed, the full-length resizing die.

RELOADING AND SHOOTING EQUIPMENT COMPATIBLE WITH ACCURATE LOAD DEVELOPMENT

- Micrometer Bullet Seating Die

- Full-Length Resizing Die with Carbide Button Expander

- Flash-Hole Deburring Tool

- Inertia Bullet Puller

- VLD Inside Neck Chamfer Tool, Hand Operated

- Scope Level

- Primer Pocket Cleaner

- Competition Benchrest Rear Bag

- Dial and Electronic Calipers

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- Hand Priming Tool

- Caliper Anvil

- Case Driver and Shell Holder

- Bullet Comparator

- At Least One Wind Flag

- Case Headspace Tool

- ¼ Inch Wood Dowel at Least 30 Inches Long

- Plunger-Style Bullet Seating Depth Tool That Uses a Case Fire-Formed in Your Chamber

- Firing Pin Removal Tool

- Competition Shell Holders

- Case Annealer

- Electronic Balance Accurate to 0.1 Grain

D: My dad helped me strategically resize my cases with a full-length resizing die. We set the die up to bump the case shoulder back 0.001 inch. Do I need to do something different?

GG smiled faintly.

GG: No. You are off on the right foot.

D: I have an electronic caliper. Do I still need a dial caliper?

GG: Yes. It has a specialized application that I will show you. It also serves as a backup when your electronic caliper dies in a pile.

D: I see you have listed a competition benchrest rear bag. Is there that much difference in the quality of the rear bags that are typically available?

GG: Absolutely. Think of the rear bag as the steering system on a car. You want rack and pinion for precise and predictable car placement. Same goes for the rifle. As far as I am concerned, there is only one bag for sure, possibly two that are currently available that enable the equivalent of rack-and-pinion steering for precise rifle placement. Pinching pennies on a rear bag to compromise what you want to have show up on paper is 18 cases of stupid.

D: I don’t see a benchrest front rest listed. Will my bipod be OK?

GG: Yep.

D: I don’t see such things as a case lube pad, reloading press, or case trimmer. Are those items considered basic, with the items on the list considered at least somewhat advanced?

GG smiled again, this time very obviously.

GG: Good question. Yes. There are items not included on the list that are beyond somewhat advanced all the way to freaky. I believe the items on that list are fundamental to achieving good hand-loading accuracy, regardless of venue.

D: It’s liable to take weeks to get all this, maybe longer. What is my next step?

GG: I am here each week. I will make damn sure for the next three. Show up ready to shoot when you have done the following things.

GG began rattling off his verbal laundry list. Donny flipped the paper over onto the target side and began to write furiously, trying to keep up.

- Resize 26 previously fired cases to the 0.001 shoulder bump tolerance.

- Flash hole debur all 26.

- Clean all the primer pockets.

- Use the VLD chamfer tool to hand chamfer the mouths of all 26 cases.

- Polish the inside of the case necks with 000 steel wool.

- Put a visible outside chamfer on the necks, then lightly polish the necks and shoulders with 000 steel wool to remove any burs on the case mouth and powder residue on the shoulder.

- Prime the cases with enough hand pressure to slightly crush the primer.

As Donny was writing, the alarm bell went off about the primer seating. He resisted the urge to blurt out that his dad had told him only to seat them until they touched. He followed his own advice.

D: Why do the primers need to be slightly crushed?

GG: More uniform ignition.

GG continued:

- For each powder, load 7 cases in precisely 0.5-grain increments, starting with a powder charge that is 1.5 grains less than the published maximum and ending with 1.5 grains greater than the published maximum.

Donny winced at ‘greater than published maximum’ but continued to write.

- Load no bullets, just place them upside down in each case after you dose it with powder.

- For each powder, load six cases with powder precisely ½ grain less than the published maximum. Again, load no bullets.

Besides the ammo you have prepared, bring the following items:

- Your reloading press with clamps to hold it on the table.

- Your micrometer bullet seating die that you have cleaned and coated with rust protectant.

- The inertia bullet puller.

- Both the electronic and dial calipers.

- The caliper anvil and bullet comparator.

- The plunger-style seating depth tool with its tapped, fire-formed case.

- The shell holder you used for resizing the brass.

- The ¼ inch dowel.

Make sure your rifle bore has been cleaned. Install the scope level. Mount your bipod. Bring your bench rest rear bag and a wind flag. Do you have any questions?

D: Do you want me to bring my chronograph?

GG: Nope.

D: Sir, thank you for this opportunity.

Donny picked up the paper and beat feet to his truck. He wondered if his penance included an extended stay in this reloading purgatory. No matter, he had reconciled himself to the repeated prospect of “thank you sir, may I have another” and was damn glad for the opportunity.