THE SIX BASIC GUN SAFETY RULES
There are six basic gun safety rules for gun owners to understand and practice at all times:
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Treat all guns as if they are loaded.
Always assume that a gun is loaded even if you think it is unloaded. Every time a gun is handled for any reason, check to see that it is unloaded. If you are unable to check a gun to see if it is unloaded, leave it alone and seek help from someone more knowledgeable about guns.
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Keep the gun pointed in the safest possible direction.
Always be aware of where a gun is pointing. A "safe direction" is one where an accidental discharge of the gun will not cause injury or damage. Only point a gun at an object you intend to shoot. Never point a gun toward yourself or another person.
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Keep your finger off the trigger until you are ready to shoot.
Always keep your finger off the trigger and outside the trigger guard until you are ready to shoot. Even though it may be comfortable to rest your finger on the trigger, it also is unsafe. If you are moving around with your finger on the trigger and stumble or fall, you could inadvertently pull the trigger. Sudden loud noises or movements can result in an accidental discharge because there is a natural tendency to tighten the muscles when startled. The trigger is for firing and the handle is for handling.
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Know your target, its surroundings and beyond.
Check that the areas in front of and behind your target are safe before shooting. Be aware that if the bullet misses or completely passes through the target, it could strike a person or object. Identify the target and make sure it is what you intend to shoot. If you are in doubt, DON'T SHOOT! Never fire at a target that is only a movement, color, sound or unidentifiable shape. Be aware of all the people around you before you shoot.
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Know how to properly operate your gun.
It is important to become thoroughly familiar with your gun. You should know its mechanical characteristics including how to properly load, unload and clear a malfunction from your gun. Obviously, not all guns are mechanically the same. Never assume that what applies to one make or model is exactly applicable to another. You should direct questions regarding the operation of your gun to your firearms dealer, or contact the manufacturer directly.
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Store your gun safely and securely to prevent unauthorized use. Guns and ammunition should be stored separately.
When the gun is not in your hands, you must still think of safety. Use a California-approved firearms safety device on the gun, such as a trigger lock or cable lock, so it cannot be fired. Store it unloaded in a locked container, such as a California-approved lock box or a gun safe. Store your gun in a different location than the ammunition. For maximum safety you should use both a locking device and a storage container.
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ADDITIONAL SAFETY POINTS
The six basic safety rules are the foundational rules for gun safety. However, there are additional safety points that must not be overlooked.
- Never handle a gun when you are in an emotional state such as anger or depression. Your judgment may be impaired.
- Never shoot a gun in celebration (the Fourth of July or New Year's Eve, for example). Not only is this unsafe, but it is generally illegal. A bullet fired into the air will return to the ground with enough speed to cause injury or death.
- Do not shoot at water, flat or hard surfaces. The bullet can ricochet and hit someone or something other than the target.
- Hand your gun to someone only after you verify that it is unloaded and the cylinder or action is open. Take a gun from someone only after you verify that it is unloaded and the cylinder or action is open.
- Guns, alcohol and drugs don't mix. Alcohol and drugs can negatively affect judgment as well as physical coordination. Alcohol and any other substance likely to impair normal mental or physical functions should not be used before or while handling guns. Avoid handling and using your gun when you are taking medications that cause drowsiness or include a warning to not operate machinery while taking this drug.
- The loud noise from a fired gun can cause hearing damage, and the debris and hot gas that is often emitted can result in eye injury. Always wear ear and eye protection when shooting a gun.
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GUNS AND CHILDREN--FIREARM OWNER RESPONSIBILITIES
Summary of Safe Storage Laws Regarding Children
You may be guilty of a misdemeanor or a felony if you keep a loaded firearm within any premises that are under your custody or control and a child under 18 years of age obtains and uses it, resulting in injury or death, or carries it to a public place, unless you stored the firearm in a locked container or locked the firearm with a locking device to temporarily keep it from functioning.
You Cannot Be Too Careful with Children and Guns
There is no such thing as being too careful with children and guns. Never assume that simply because a toddler may lack finger strength, they can't pull the trigger. A child's thumb has twice the strength of the other fingers. When a toddler's thumb "pushes" against a trigger, invariably the barrel of the gun is pointing directly at the child's face. NEVER leave a firearm lying around the house.
Child safety precautions still apply even if you have no children or if your children have grown to adulthood and left home. A nephew, niece, neighbor's child or a grandchild may come to visit. Practice gun safety at all times.
To prevent injury or death caused by improper storage of guns in a home where
children are likely to be present, you should store all guns unloaded, lock them with a firearms safety device and store them in a locked container. Ammunition should be stored in a location separate from the gun.
Talking to Children About Guns
Children are naturally curious about things they don't know about or think are "forbidden." When a child asks questions or begins to act out "gun play," you may want to address his or her curiosity by answering the questions as honestly and openly as possible. This will remove the mystery and reduce the natural curiosity. Also, it is important to remember to talk to children in a manner they can relate to and understand. This is very important, especially when teaching children about the difference between "real" and "make-believe." Let children
know that, even though they may look the same, real guns are very different than toy guns. A real gun will hurt or kill someone who is shot.
Instill a Mind Set of Safety and Responsibility
The American Academy of Pediatrics reports that adolescence is a highly vulnerable stage in life for teenagers struggling to develop traits of identity, independence and autonomy. Children, of course, are both naturally curious and innocently unaware of many dangers around them. Thus, adolescents as well as children may not be sufficiently safeguarded by cautionary words, however frequent. Contrary actions can completely undermine good advice. A "Do as I say and not as I do" approach to gun safety is both irresponsible and dangerous.
Remember that actions speak louder than words. Children learn most by observing the adults around them. By practicing safe conduct you will also be teaching safe conduct.
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Safety and Storage Devices
If you decide to keep a firearm in your home you must consider the issue of how to store the firearm in a safe and secure manner. California recognizes the importance of safe storage by requiring that all firearms sold in California be accompanied by a DOJ-approved firearms safety device or proof that the purchaser owns a gun safe that meets regulatory standards established by the Department. The current list of DOJ-approved firearms safety devices and the gun safe standards can be viewed by visiting http://oag.ca.gov/firearms/fsdcertlist.
There are a variety of safety and storage devices currently available to the public in a wide range of prices. Some devices are locking mechanisms designed to keep the firearm from being loaded or fired, but don't prevent the firearm from being handled or stolen. There are also locking storage containers that hold the firearm out of sight. For maximum safety you should use both a firearm safety device and a locking storage container to store your unloaded firearm.
Two of the most common locking mechanisms are trigger locks and cable locks. Trigger locks are typically two-piece devices that fit around the trigger and trigger guard to prevent access to the trigger. One side has a post that fits into a hole in the other side. They are locked by a key or combination locking mechanism. Cable locks typically work by looping a strong steel cable through the action of the firearm to block the firearm's operation and prevent accidental firing. However, neither trigger locks nor cable locks are designed to prevent access to the firearm.
Smaller lock boxes and larger gun safes are two of the most common types of locking storage containers. One advantage of lock boxes and gun safes is that they are designed to completely prevent unintended handling and removal of a firearm. Lock boxes are generally constructed of sturdy, high-grade metal opened by either a key or combination lock. Gun safes are quite heavy, usually weighing at least 50 pounds. While gun safes are typically the most expensive firearm storage devices, they are generally more reliable and secure.
Remember: Safety and storage devices are only as secure as the precautions you take to protect the key or combination to the lock.
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RULES FOR KIDS
Adults should be aware that a child could discover a gun when a parent or another adult is not present. This could happen in the child's own home; the home of a neighbor, friend or relative; or in a public place such as a school or park. If this should happen, a child should know the following rules and be taught to practice them.
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Stop
The first rule for a child to follow if he/she finds or sees a gun is to stop what he/she is doing.
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Don't Touch!
The second rule is for a child not to touch a gun he/she finds or sees. A child may think the best thing to do if he/she finds a gun is to pick it up and take it to an adult. A child needs to know he/she should NEVER touch a gun he/she may find or see.
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Leave the Area
The third rule is to immediately leave the area. This would include never taking a gun away from another child or trying to stop someone from using gun.
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Tell an Adult
The last rule is for a child to tell an adult about the gun he/she has seen. This includes times when other kids are playing with or shooting a gun. Please note that, while there is no better advice at this time for children or adolescents who encounter a gun by happenstance, the California Chapter of the American College of Emergency Physicians reports that such warnings alone may be insufficient accident prevention measures with children and adolescents.
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METHODS OF CHILDPROOFING YOUR FIREARM
As a responsible handgun owner, you must recognize the need and be aware of the methods of childproofing your handgun, whether or not you have children.
Whenever children could be around, whether your own, or a friend's, relative's or neighbor's, additional safety steps should be taken when storing firearms and ammunition in your home.
- Always store your firearm unloaded.
- Use a firearms safety device AND store the firearm in a locked container.
- Store the ammunition separately in a locked container.
Always storing your firearm securely is the best method of childproofing your firearm; however, your choice of a storage place can add another element of safety. Carefully choose the storage place in your home especially if children may be around.
- Do not store your firearm where it is visible.
- Do not store your firearm in a bedside table, under your mattress or pillow, or on a closet shelf.
- Do not store your firearm among your valuables (such as jewelry or cameras) unless it is locked in a secure container.
- Consider storing firearms not possessed for self-defense in a safe and secure manner away from the home.
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I&#;ll be the first to admit that getting started in reloading can seem a little daunting if you&#;ve never done it or been around it. Try not to be discouraged if you haven&#;t got a full grasp on how it works or if you don&#;t know exactly what you need. It&#;s easier than it seems and there are a couple of ways to get you into the game.
At first glance, a well-equipped loading bench looks like a high-tech laboratory, but the experiments are a lot more fun! The quickest & easiest way to get started is to jump in head-first and just buy a reloading kit from RCBS, Lee, Hornady, or Lyman. The kits will provide most of the essentials with the exception of the dies and shell holders because those are caliber specific. Once you&#;ve got your dies and the components the instructions should have you cranking out ammo instead of making return trips to the reloading store for those little things you forgot to get or didn&#;t even know you needed. The drawback to kits is that you don&#;t get to handpick each and every tool and there&#;s a good chance you&#;ll out-grow your kit components at some point. Lee&#;s Challenger Breech Lock Reloading kit is a pretty remarkable value that comes with everything you need to get started except a set of dies for under $150!
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If you don&#;t think the kit route is right for you, then you&#;ve got a lot more homework and research to do. Be sure to subscribe to Western Hunter because I discuss a number of reloading topics like Reloading for Better Accuracy, and How to Better Test and Evaluate After Reloading that will help you produce custom, high-precision ammunition for your hunting rifle. Here&#;s a basic overview of items that a well-equipped reloading bench might include.
Reloading Manual
Pick up a reloading manual and familiarize yourself with the basics. Lee, Berger, Hornady, Lyman, and Nosler all publish good reloading guides. A manual is your first data source for starting loads and most of these books provide some basic reloading instruction along with the load recipes. You can also get reliable load data from a number of internet resources. For newer powders and calibers, the manufacturer websites often provide the most current load information. I always cross-reference the powder manufacturer&#;s website and compare their loads with published loads from at least one more source. Alliant, Hodgdon, IMR, Winchester, Vihtavuori, & Norma distribute most of the smokeless powders you would use for common big-game cartridges. Some of the bullet manufacturers like Nosler also provide data online. Caliber specific, mini reloading manuals called Loadbooks can also be purchased from MidwayUSA for many common cartridges. These books compile load data from several sources into a single reference for a given caliber so they provide a broad cross-section of data that you wouldn&#;t get with a single manual.
Reloading Tools
Reloading Press
For novices and precision reloaders, I recommend a single stage press to keep things simple and more precise. Select a good sturdy press with a cast iron frame and an opening sized sufficiently to load the largest cartridge you plan to shoot/load (don&#;t forget your buddies). The structural engineer in me prefers the O-shaped presses. The RCBS Rock Chucker is probably one of the best-selling presses of all time, the Redding Boss & Big Boss II are highly regarded, and even the value Lee presses will produce precision ammo. I personally use a Forster Co-Ax single stage press. It&#;s a unique design that is highly regarded by precision shooters for producing concentric ammo with minimal runout.
Based on its glowing reviews, I picked up a Forster Co-Ax press in spite of its non-O-shaped design. It&#;s been cranking out excellent results.
If you&#;re a pistol shooter or high volume shooter of any kind, then upgrading to a turret or progressive press is a good option that will save you a lot of time once you learn the ropes.
Reloading Dies
You will always have at least two dies, a sizing die, and a seating die. The typical, full-length sizing die performs multiple sizing functions at once, but it can also be separated out into a more specific single function dies for more flexibility and finer sizing control.
A standard sizing die consists of an inner diameter shaped like your rifle chamber, only slightly smaller. A decapping (de-priming) rod with a neck sizing button threaded about halfway down its length is suspended in the center of the hollow die chamber.
As the die accepts the cartridge, the decapping rod and sizing button pass through the case neck without touching until just before the spent primer is contacted and pushed out. As the primer is pushed out, the cartridge neck and body diameters get squeezed down slightly by the chamber-shape of the die. At the end of the die&#;s stroke, the case shoulder is also bumped or set-back a few thousandths to ensure the cartridge will chamber & head-space properly.
After the die is bottomed out and the case neck and body are sized down, the case is then pulled back out of the die which pulls the sizing button back through the newly compressed case-neck. As it passes through, the sizing button expands the neck back up to the appropriate dimension to hold a new bullet.
Die sets can range wildly in cost from $30 to $300 or more. Competition style die sets with single function bushing dies & micrometer adjustable seating dies are the most expensive variety, but they can be worth it depending on your accuracy goals. I recommend buying dies in sets because that generally saves some money and ensures you have matched components designed to work together.
Dies with interchangeable neck bushings or die sets with a separate neck-only sizing die offer better control of the neck diameter. Neck-only sizing dies to allow the shooter to size the neck without sizing the body or bumping the shoulder so the fire-formed cartridge still fits the chamber perfectly. These are a favorite of bench rest shooters.
After a few firings, cases that have been neck sized only will need to be fully resized or they will not chamber properly. Neck-only sizing is only appropriate for bolt action rifles and single shots because autoloaders and lever guns require more clearance to function properly.
Powder Scale
You&#;ll need some type of a scale to weigh powder charges on. There are balance beam scales and electronic scales available as well as automated powder dispensing scales that will dispense weighed powder charges for you like the RCBS ChargeMaster . The electronic powder dispensers are expensive, but they can sure cut down on the amount of time it takes to trickle out accurate charges. You&#;ll also need a caliber specific funnel to get the powder from the pan into your case neck. If you don&#;t utilize an electronic dispenser, a powder measure can be used to ͞throw͟ fairly accurate charges, and a powder trickler will allow you to trickle powder in the remaining small increments onto the scale to hit your desired weight.
The RCBS ChargeMaster combo automates the charge weighing process and maintains +/- 0.1-grain accuracy. At nearly $300 it&#;s a luxury item, but it greatly simplifies an otherwise tedious task.
Priming Tool
For precision reloaders and long-range shooters, I recommend using a handheld priming tool. You just can&#;t replace the feel aspect of properly seating a primer with an auto-priming press attachment. RCBS, Lee, and Lyman make good, value-minded priming tools, while Sinclair, K&M, and 21st Century make precision billet hand priming tools that generally cost 2 &#; 4 times more.
The feedback provided through the lever of a handheld priming tool is an important aspect for consistent primer seating.
Measuring Tools
A decent set of dial or electronic calipers is essential to measure brass at various stages of the reloading process. Other tools like Hornady&#;s headspace and bullet comparator tools that attach to the caliper will allow you to accurately measure the length of your loaded rounds and properly gage shoulder bump & headspace using your caliper. Neck wall gages and concentricity gages can give you an idea of the consistency of your brass and the quality of your loaded rounds.
There are a lot of dimensions to keep track of when you are ͞blueprinting your cartridges. A high-quality caliper is a good initial investment that will pair perfectly with an assortment of measuring tools from Hornady&#;s Lock & Load collection to help you adjust your dies perfectly.
Case Prep Tools
These are the hand tools you&#;ll use to chamfer and de-burr the case mouth, clean the neck, clean the residue from the primer pockets, and de-burr the flash-hole. Lyman sells a nice set of case-prep tools in a convenient case to keep them organized.
Lyman&#;s case prep toolkit has everything you need and comes in a convenient case.
Case Lube
Before sizing your cases, you have to lube them with a reloading specific case lube. Don&#;t try to use anything else or you&#;ll stick a case in your die. My favorite is Imperial die wax. You can use Imperial dry lube to lube the inside of the case neck, but always use wax or other wet lube like Hornady&#;s One-Shot aerosol spray lube for the outside of the case.
They say there are two types of reloaders, those that have stuck a case in their dies and those that will. Use Imperial Die wax and you at least increase your chances of staying out of the have stuck category for longer.
Reloading trays and Ammo Boxes
You&#;ll need a reloading tray to keep cases upright as you process them. Inexpensive universal trays are available from RCBS that will accept a number of different cartridge base dimensions. Once you get the cartridges loaded you&#;ll want to label them and store them in a nice plastic ammo box. I like the 100 and 50 round cases best, but the 20 round plastic cases travel better to save space. Purchase several extra ammo boxes so you can keep different loads organized when you are testing or if you want to load different bullets for different purposes.
Reloading trays help keep your cases upright when they&#;re full of powder and ammo boxes help protect and organize your brass and finished cartridges.
Tumbler
A vibratory or rotary tumbler will shine up your brass cases inside and out and make them look new. I like to tumble my brass before sizing to help remove firing residues and dirt that make a case more likely to stick before I run them through the hardened steel sizing dies. I don&#;t think a tumbler is a necessary item, but shiny cases look better and will size smoother. Basic tumblers are fairly inexpensive. Corn cob tumbling media produces good results for me.
I own an inexpensive Lyman tumbler and it shines up my cases just fine. More expensive models produce similar results a little faster and have larger capacities.
Ultrasonic Case Cleaner
The secret to getting this one past your wife is to tell her you got it to clean her jewelry! These do a nice job of removing hard-to-clean primer pockets and powder residue from inside the cases. They also do a good job of washing off case lubes. I like to run my cases through an ultrasonic hot bath after they&#;re sized and prepped. It&#;s the last step before I load them. Again, this is not a must-have, but after you&#;ve spent enough time cleaning primer pockets with the little wire brush primer pocket cleaner, you&#;ll be more than happy to drop $100 on one of these handy units. I&#;ve used the RCBS unit with good results.
Case trimmer
Every time your cases are fired and resized, they will grow a little bit longer. Eventually, the brass will need to be trimmed or it will interfere with the end of the chamber. Keeping brass trimmed to a consistent length improves accuracy and also eliminates safety issues if the cases get too long and the neck bottoms out at the end of the chamber. Probably not an item you need until you have a few loadings on your cases, but measure your cases and ensure they are shorter than the maximum allowable length for your cartridge. Better yet, measure your actual chamber length and trim all of your cases equally, cutting them at least .010" short of the chamber&#;s dimension.
The Sinclair/L.E. Wilson Ultimate Case Trimmer with Micrometer attachment costs more than some reloading kits and is the Cadillac of case trimmers.
Log Book
If you are going to succeed as a reloader, you must keep meticulous notes both at the reloading bench and at the rifle range. Use a fine-point sharpie to label each batch of test loads so every shot you take will be a useful data point for testing. The better your notes are, the easier it will be to interpret your results and make good decisions based on exactly how the rifle & ammunition perform at the range.
Reloading Components
Brass
You need quality ingredients to bake a great cookie and brass is the most important and the most expensive component at nearly $3 per case for larger magnums. The good news is that your cases should last you many, many loadings before giving up on you. If you can load them 10 times, then that $2.85 Lapua .338 mag case only costs you 28 cents per loading, which is more in-line with the cost of the powder charge you dump into it. I recommend purchasing high-quality brass if precision is your game. Lapua and Norma are well renowned for producing the best of the best, but Oregon based Nosler is also offering high-quality, ready to load brass that I&#;ve personally had excellent results with. Winchester, Remington, and other domestics also make quality brass, but you might need to spend a little more time uniforming and prepping it to get it to shoot as well as the high dollar stuff. The brass and all the work you put into it lays the foundation of your ammunition&#;s accuracy. It&#;s like the blueprinted block of a high-performance engine.
Bullets
A lot of factors go into selecting a bullet. First, consider what you are hunting & select a bullet heavy enough to do the job and then some. Most manufacturers of hunting bullets provide recommendations for the type of game their bullets are intended to take. If you are a long-range shooter, select a bullet with a high ballistic coefficient and make sure your barrel&#;s twist rate will stabilize it under all anticipated conditions. Do your homework and read some reviews. Make sure the bullet is capable of very good accuracy and has performed well on the type of game you&#;re going after. Finally, be prepared to test a couple to see which your rifle prefers. This is the business end of the cartridge so don&#;t skimp here to save money and likewise don&#;t shoot a bullet unsuitable for game just because it shoots well. An animal that is solidly hit and lost with an unsuitable target bullet is far worse than one cleanly missed with a hunting design.
Quality components produce high-quality ammunition. If you reload for a couple of different calibers your cabinet may soon start looking like a reloading store shelf.
Powder
Check your load data for powders that are shown consistently for the bullet weight you intend to shoot. Often the powders that show up on every chart are known top-performers. Next, try to select a temperature insensitive, double based powder. These powders minimize changes in burn-rate relative to temperature fluctuations. This is critical for making sure your loads will shoot consistently under all hunting conditions and also for making sure that velocity fluctuation due to temperature does not cause you to miss at longer ranges. Hodgdon Extreme Powders, IMR Induron powders, and Alliant&#;s temperature stable Reloader powders are some of the best choices. Do some internet homework and see which are working best for guys shooting your caliber and bullet weight. If you have a custom rifle, definitely talk to the gunsmith and see what he recommends. This is often a good way to narrow your choices down to one or two powders to test with a known track-record of accuracy.
Primer
Most guys tend to think that match or bench rest primers are a little more consistent than standard. For the extra $5 - $10 per , I usually go ahead and buy match grade. Changing primers doesn&#;t typically cause big changes in 100 &#; 300-yard groups, but changing primers can sometimes reduce velocity spread and therefore tighten up long-range vertical groups.
Conclusion
As you can see there&#;s a LOT involved in reloading! The best advice I can give you is simply, get started now and don&#;t be afraid to take the kit route to get your feet wet. Regardless of which route you take; you can always sell or hand-down items you out-grow so it&#;s hard to go wrong. You can&#;t replace the experience, knowledge, performance, peace of mind, and pride you&#;ll have when you take full control over your rifle&#;s accuracy and ammunition supply.
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