Mar 7, 2015 4 min read

I read with interest the letter in the Observer-Reporter last week blaming the deer population for spreading Lyme disease. Reading between the lines, I got the impression the writer had a problem with deer in his or her neighborhood and, Lyme disease was just an excuse to lower the numbers.

I think this way because the deer tick that carries Lyme disease is as numerous in all warm-blooded creatures as it is in deer. The tiny deer tick could just as correctly be called the mouse tick or the raccoon tick.

As I understand the situation, field mice and voles are prime carriers of this tick. It just happens to be called a deer tick, and eliminating the deer won’t get rid of the Lyme disease problem. In my estimation, there should be a better reason to lower the deer population, or place the blame where it belongs.

There are too many raccoons, possums, mice, skunks, bats, coyotes, bears, deer and squirrels. After all, they all are warm-blooded animals and are present in the wild. Come to think of it, man is also a warm-blooded animal.

• As I watch the snow and dream of fishing for trout or crappie, I have to shake my head and try to do something worthwhile. Usually this means a trip to the re-loading bench.

I can load only so many rounds, so I just think about my favorite old-age hobby, reloading, and I wonder how many hand loaders understand the meaning of expansion ratio. The phrase refers to the fact that, as the bullet moves forward in the throat of the firearm, the larger-bore area of burning powder grows larger more quickly than that of the smaller bore.

While the .243 and the .308 are based on the same case if the bullet of each is moved one inch forward by the pressure, the .308 offers a much larger area for the gasses to form. This is simply because of the greater diameter. Thus the expansion ratio of the .308 is greater than that of the .243.

I find many shooters who think the weight of the bullet affects the stabilization of the bullet. This is a mistake. While the stabilization is affected by the twist of the rifling in relation to the bore size, and to a lesser degree the velocity, it is the length of the bullet, not the weight, that affects the stability. In most instances – but not always – the heavier bullet is longer.

I have seen reloaders carefully weigh each charge placed in the case and ignore factors relating to the case itself. Most bench-rest shooters use a quality powder measured out when reloading.

The balance or the scale (there is a difference) is only used to set the measure. They have, on the other hand, known the importance of case preparation.

Each case is checked for exact uniformity in both length and capacity. That means primer pockets are cut and made uniform and flash holes are deburred.

In the manufacturing of the brass, many times there is a burr inside the case surrounding the flash hole. Removing this is an important step. Cases that don’t measure up are used for other things than shooting in a match.

In some matches, there are shooters that use the same case repeatedly in a match actually reloading 15 cases during breaks between groups. While disregarding exact powder charges, they are meticulous in case preparation. Myself? I use a quality measure dropping the charge in the pan of a balance, and then, if correct, place it in the case.

I allow 1/10 of a grain variation. If the variation is greater, the powder goes back in the measure.

There are other little tricks used when loading, such as recording everything and placing a slip of paper in the powder hopper of the measure, showing what powder is in it.

We all think we will remember but why take a chance? Mixed powder can lead to a disaster and that little piece of paper can save a valuable rifle and maybe a valuable reloader.

Maybe in a couple weeks, we will be shooting or fishing instead of talking about it. Hope springs eternal but so does the ice on the lakes, or at least it seems to. Don’t forget to buy your fishing license.

George H. Block writes a Sunday Outdoors column for the Observer-Reporter.