Notes on Reloading Dangerous Game Cartridges By François van Emmenes

NOTES on RELOADING Dangerous Game Cartridges

By Francois van Emmenes

Although we are blessed with the remarkable comeback of dangerousgame rifles and cartridges since the 1990s, it has come at a price, literally. Today, more than ever in history, we have a smorgasbord of ammunition and component manufacturers catering for almost every dangerous-game cartridge that has ever seen the light of day. The problem, of course, for the owner of such a rifle is the cost of premium grade ammunition. Only the super-rich can afford to dispense with a couple of hundred “practice” rounds at up to $15 a pop… Enter the reloader. Reloading for your dangerous-game rifle is usually done at a fraction of the cost of factory ammo and, of course, provides you with the opportunity to tailor the ammo to your rifle and requirements. And - it is fun!

Whereas competition and long-distance shooters primarily reload for ultimate accuracy, the dangerous-game hunter reloads, primarily, for reliability. Although there are some common grounds between the two approaches, there are also differences. The oft-repeated advice that the cases of any cartridge intended for use on dangerous game should be sized full length, will hold true forever. The reason is obvious – ultimate reliability in the field. This does not only apply when dangerous game is the intended quarry – it also applies to any form of hunting. I have witnessed, more than I can remember, opportunities lost to unreliable ammunition failing to feed or eject at a critical stage of the hunt. The most memorable was a wounded gemsbok bull departing over a dune in the Kalahari, never to be seen again. It fell at the first shot; the hunter was inexperienced and committed the ultimate sin – shooting a gemsbok in the neck. Only stunned, we warned the hunter to reload immediately, but the next round would not chamber and the opportunity to put the bull down when it got to its feet, was lost. A fully sized case is the best bet to ensure that the cartridge will feed and, equally important, testing every single round for feeding or proper insertion in the chamber for doubles and “falling block” designs. This is a critical step when loading your own ammo.

Case preparation and inspection should not be skimmed over. I tumble and then wash (in warm water with a teaspoon each of dishwash soap and tartaric acid) all my brass to ensure proper inspection is not hindered by a dirty case. Discard any case that is cracked or appears to be structurally unsound. I squash the neck with a pair of pliers, just to make sure the case does not end up in a batch again. Remember to check each tumbled case for tumbler media that got stuck in a flash hole before primer seating. A major risk for a dangerous-game hunter is case head separation, leaving a case stuck in the chamber and therefore leaving no way to load the next round. Incipient case head separation is not always visible from the outside – usually visible by a small ring around the whole, or even part, of the case just above the case head. The crack could have formed on the inside already and may be big enough to crack all the way through without showing on the outside. A simple tool, in the form of a metal paper clip can

help detect this. Straighten the clip, bend one end of about ¼ inch 90 degrees, and snip off a small piece with a side cutter. This will leave a bur on the end and the tool can be used to “scrape” the inside of the case above the head to feel for cracks. Discard any cases with possible cracks, and even the whole batch if several cases appear to have cracks starting to form.

The sometimes violent extraction of a case from a bolt action rifle could leave a severe dent in the case mouth. This problem is normally solved by an expander ball found in most sizing dies for conventional calibers. Most, if not all sizing dies above .375 calibers lack an expander ball, though. The easiest way to correct the case is to stick a bullet of the same caliber into the case mouth and gently correct the dent before full length sizing. In severe instances, several correction and sizing attempts may be needed. Case sizing for the larger bores – say .458 and up also requires a careful approach. Because of the large diameter of the case, it lacks the structural integrity of small cases –large diameter cases are easier to bend and deform when subjected to the pressure of a sizing or seating die. The amount of lube used is critical – too much will cause a case to develop longitudinal indents on the case neck, shoulder, and even body. While this is mostly unsightly and should not normally interfere with performance, it does put undue stress on your brass and reduces case life. Too little lube and you can easily get a case stuck in your sizing die, necessitating, more often than not, a trip to your local gunsmith to have it removed. (This has happened to me several times before, always on a Sunday, when the gunsmith shop is closed…) Flash holes should be uniformed, and I am a firm believer in using the uniforming tool that cuts the inside of the flash hole into a slight “V”. Not only does this create uniformity, but potentially, it also helps with propellant ignition that is a major consideration when loading for the really big stuff – say .500 and up calibres. Most 3-die sets contain an expander die to slightly flair the case mouth before bullet seating. This is a good practice to ensure proper and consistent bullet seating. But do not overdo it... Only a tiny bit of flaring is needed to guide the bullet into the case neck. Too much flaring/ expansion of the case neck will also add stress and reduce case life. A final word on case life – anneal your cases for the big bores as regularly as you would for any other caliber.

Load density, i.e. the volume of propellant in relation to the internal volume of the case, is a crucial consideration when loading for the big bores. While the subject of “the secondary explosion effect” falls outside the scope of this article, readers are advised to familiarize themselves thoroughly on the dangers of using incorrect propellants and loads in any given caliber.

The tools required for some large bore calibers are sometimes not that easy to come by. Dies for the .500 Jeffery for instance, require a 1-inch press bushing due to the sheer diameter of the die. Your press may not have a removable bushing, necessitating the purchase of another one. All presses can also not accommodate the very long cartridges like the .450NE, .470NE and .500NE (3¼ Inch) when seating bullets. It can become cumbersome to wangle the bullet into the die first, then inserting the case in the shell

Notice the very thin rim of a Norma .500NE case. Too little lube when sizing these cases can get a case stuck in the sizing die and the rim can be pulled through the shell holder recess very easily, ruing the case.

Trimming dangerous game cartridge cases to a uniform length is important to ensure consistent crimp. Lyman’s Accutrimmer works for me as it uses the shell holder intended for your press. Be sure to get the carbide cutter as it lasts much longer.

holder and seating the bullet. Despite a shell holder being designated for a specific caliber, all cases do not fit all shell holders due to case manufacturing tolerances/differences –I ended up owning two or three brands per caliber to cater for such an eventuality. Most hand priming tools do not cater for the large rims of the super bores, and here a priming tool with a swing-away arm that is integral to your press comes in handy, as the same shell holder is used for case sizing and bullet seating. It does, however, not afford the same “feel” as a hand-held tool, and the reloader needs to ensure that a primer is properly seated a few thous deeper than flush with the case bottom. This is especially important in double rifle cartridges, as a protruding primer can cause a double not to close.

Case length is the single-most important consideration for the big bores. Because of the aforementioned structurally weaker cases of large bores, it is imperative that cases are trimmed to the exact same length within, say .0004 inches. Let me explain. All heavy recoiling calibers requires crimping in some form. Because of the heavy recoil, bullets in a bolt action rifle can bump against the front of the magazine, pushing them deeper into the case and reducing combustion space, which could, of course, lead to an over-pressure load. A loose bullet could also get stuck in the rifling, and when you open the bolt to extract the cartridge you could pull out only the case – spilling propellant in the action and leaving a bullet stuck in the chamber, preventing you from loading a next round. In double rifles this occurrence could end your hunt – powder spilled into a fancy double action could require a trip to a gunsmith certified to work on that specific brand. That is best case. Worst case is being unable to stop an incoming buff… So, we have to crimp. All dangerous-game caliber seating dies imparts crimp on the case neck, firmly keeping the bullet in place, almost always in the cannelure of the bullet. The problem arises when cases are not uniform in length – you set up your seating die (inserting an empty case into the shell holder, raising it into the press and then screwing in the die until it touches the case mouth, usually plus a tad more as per manufacturer’s instructions) and assume it will be ok for all your cases. Using a case that is shorter than its buddies to set up your die will result in longer cases being forced into the crimping section of the die, imparting excess crimp – all this while the bullet is being pushed down by the seating die’s bullet cone. The case neck has nowhere to go under this force but down and outwards, resulting in a bulge on the case neck that in most instances will prevent a cartridge from feeding. If you are lucky, it will still feed and a subsequent firing and sizing will restore the case to the correct dimensions, otherwise your case is ruined. For this reason, a quality bullet puller is a sound investment. RCBS’s bullet puller with changeable collets works for me. A super way of imparting crimp is achieved with a Lee’s Factory Crimp Die. With this, NO crimp is applied with the normal seating die while seating bullets, and the factory crimp die is used as a separate step to just push the case mouth into the cannelure – simple and with very consistent results.

It is important to keep notes of how many times brass has been fired, reloaded and when cut to length, annealed, etc. These notes will stand you in good stead later, making brass management easier and lengthening case life. I mostly practice with cheaper bullets at a slightly reduced charge for range work as the cost is less, as well as the recoil on the big guns, but practicing with your ammo intended for hunting is essential. Lastly, check your loads for temperature sensitivity – a load put together and tested in Alaska’s winter may give totally different results in Africa’s heat…

Happy hunting and shoot straight!A swing away arm type priming tool integral to your press is a handy way of priming very large cases.

Francois van Emmenes has been hunting since childhood and has hunted most plains game species in his native South Africa. He has written numerous articles for local and international magazines on a wide variety of hunting, shooting, reloading and conservation matters. He has an extensive hunting book library, and has a passion for “pre-64” model 70 Winchester rifles, which he collects. He reloads for all his rifles, shotguns and handguns. He can be contacted on fvanemmenes@gmail. com