Outdoor columnist turn attention toward indoor activities

Out & About, by Howard Delo

Winter finally arrived a little before Christmas. We've seen temperatures reaching 22 degrees below zero at my home in Big Lake already. However, we only have about six inches of snow on the ground.

I figure another 12 to 18 inches of snow should be enough for me to go see some of the country west of here on my snowmachine. In the meantime, I'll keep busy with some indoor projects.

Last November, I presented a list of indoor activities people could do to benefit outdoor interests -- things like rod building, fly tying, archery leagues and such. A couple of activities I missed were shooting and reloading. The Matanuska Valley Sportsman's Association has an indoor shooting range located on the Glenn Highway, a couple of miles south of Palmer.

The Web site, at: http://www.mvsrange.com/, has hours of operation, fees, membership and other general information about the range. The Web site also describes the types of firearms and ammunition allowed there. Or try calling them at 746-4862 and see if someone answers the phone and your questions.

I went over on a Friday afternoon a few weeks ago and enjoyed shooting several revolvers I hadn't fired in a while. I used up several boxes of reloaded ammunition I had assembled several years ago. I got some much-needed shooting practice and now have a pile of empty cartridge cases to reload.

I've been reloading ammunition since the 1960s and rarely buy a box of factory centerfire ammunition. I started reloading to save money and to improve the accuracy of the ammo I shot. I've learned a few things over the years.

Regarding accuracy, a person can duplicate factory accuracy levels with their best quality reloads, but in most cases they probably won't significantly improve on the accuracy level of current high-quality factory ammunition.

That's not a bad thing, though, because money can still be saved over buying factory ammunition. There is a catch -- you probably won't start saving the big bucks until you have reloaded and fired a few thousand rounds of reloads.

Figuring the new price of a reloading press, powder measure, powder scale, reloading dies for each caliber, a case-priming set-up, case cleaning equipment, reloading manuals, plus the powder, primers, cases, and bullets, and all the other necessary items to safely and correctly produce quality reloaded ammunition, a person can make a substantial investment.

As a hobby within a hobby, it can get further involved by making lead bullets by bullet casting with all its related equipment. You can also buy equipment to swage bullets, producing either straight lead or jacketed finished bullets.

For those who shoot a lot, money will be saved in the long run by reloading ammunition. If you only shoot a hundred rounds a year or less, you will probably never realize the cost of your investment, savings wise, but you will have discovered another fascinating activity related to the shooting sports.

If you think you may want to give reloading a try, my first suggestion is to buy a couple of different reloading manuals and read them cover to cover. You will better understand the process, the safety concerns and will gain an insight into the equipment necessary to get started.

My second suggestion is to call the Palmer Department of Fish and Game office at 746-6300 and ask about attending a reloading clinic sponsored by the Hunter Information and Training section of the Wildlife Conservation Division. Chances are, you'll be put on a list of folks requesting this training. When enough people have signed up, a clinic could be scheduled.

The Wasilla Gun Show, held annually at the Wasilla High School, will be happening the weekend of Jan. 18 and 19. That might be a good time to get out and price reloading equipment, look for deals, and shake off some of those winter blahs. Maybe I'll see you there.

Howard Delo is a retired fisheries biologist living in Big Lake. Send your comments and ideas to editor@frontiersman.com, or call (907) 352-2268 and leave a message for Howard.