I am sharing about my hunting ammo, and what is behind it. This is not a review or a how to, but the story that came about of how, and why I created the hunting rounds like I did. As I type this I do so with tears in my eyes, but a giant grin on my face.
In 1996 on November 11th my father was crushed to death in a car accident caused by a wreckless semi-tuck driver. Which at 15 I helped ID his body, and that whole series of events I can remember in great detail. Now it is bad enough that he was killed around the holiday season and that I had to see his body like that, but my birthday is December 8th, and this birthday was going to be special. My dad was an amazing mechanic, and was going to buy a junk Chevy Nova for us to rebuild from the ground up together, and it would be my first car.
Now it wasn't just the birthday that made it hard. I was extremely close with Dad even though he worked a lot he still spent time with me. I grew up poor, and from an extremely toxic home. I don't mean poor like no name brand stuff. I mean poor like living almost an entire summer with no electric, living out of a cooler because you don't have a refrigerator, Dad worked hard, and a lot. He also made good money, but my biological mother had a shopping addiction, and job hopped like no tomorrow. We might have been poor, but I had Dad.
After Dad was killed I was kind of lost. A 15 year old boy living in a toxic house. Now thanks to my biological mother's actions the majority of all our family had nothing to do with us which this had been going on most of my life, and it has been in just the past few years I have learned what actually happened over the years.
I had my guitars, music, drawing, and writing poetry. I would stay gone all hours of the night not out doing drugs, but going out skateboarding all night, going to the now Ameristar Casino when they first started building it, and sit in the skeleton of the parking garage they were building. sit outside the bars, and listen to bands, even go explore old buildings that had been empty for many years, and falling apart.
I had three men step up, and be there for me. My Uncle Jack, my Uncle Mike, and a good friend of his Richard. Each of them influenced me, and helped me In ways I don't think they ever knew or never will. Uncle Jack, and Richard passed away a few years ago which I know they're looking down reading this as I type it.
My Uncle Jack was an honest good hearted man who tinkered, and fixed all kinds of things that broke including toaster. He even redid the majority of his house on his own. He taught me stuff about taking care of a house like cleaning gutters, and how to care for a home. He explained why you have to do this. He taught me about saving money, and investing. As many people never knew because he lived a modest life, but Uncle Jack was extremely well off. He taught me about shotguns, how to reload for them, and took me to shoot trap. He always had a mystery about him though. He worked for the CIA, and could never talk about what he did. If you used to ask him he would say "stack greased ball bearings", or "count peanuts". It always made you laugh, but made you wonder in the back of your mind. I always wondered if he was some sort of super spy with a secret identity or like James Bond. As he was one hospice I learned a lot of neat, and cool things. He influenced me in I love shooting shotgun sports, hunting with shotguns, a love for reloading, and hunting with large caliber revolvers. He never took me hunting, but shared his stories, and had Pheasant hanging on his wall along with ducks. I always picked up calling my wife "Mama", and still do.
My Uncle Mike is a big boisterous with a giant laugh, with a quick tongue that would make you laugh. I remember trying to hug him, and as a small child felt like I was trying to huge a giant. I stayed with my Uncle Mike for most of a summer one year. I remember always looking at the deer on the walls, and being amazed. My Uncle Mike owned fishing cabins by the Missouri Trout park, and hatchery. So I got to just spend the day exploring the woods. He taught me how to shoot pool which my cousins who lived there still would come shoot pool with me sometimes (thank you Joey, and thank you Jeffery even though you used to tease me, and pick on me), he had my cousin take me squirrel hunting (thank you again Jeffery), and one of my other cousins showed me how to cook some stuff at their small shop where they served food (thank you again Joey). He also talked about hunting elk in other states, and the snow storms, and other things he would see with my Uncle Jack up there. He influenced me that I still love just walking through the woods, enjoy hunting medium, enjoy hunting big game, enjoy shooting rifles long ranges, and love the cold snowy weather.
Richard was a big jolly guy that loved to laugh. He was always tinkering with stuff, messing with computers, and loved the latest technology. Laser discs anyone? He also deep sea fished. I used to stare at the huge swordfish, and dolphins (fish not the mammal) that hung on the wall amazed that people actually caught something like that. As a child I remember hugging him, and barely able to get my arms half way around him. He wasn't obese he just had the Santa Clause belly. He was originally from New York, had the New York accent, and covered in tattoos. As a kid I used to wonder if he was a former mob member in protective custody or was part of the mafia in some way. I mean a guy with a New York accent covered in tattoos you always heard the stories as that is what a mobster was when you were a kid. I used to sit, and watch him and his wife on computers totally blown away by them. He influenced me that I love working with computer, music technology (old & new, digital & analog, acoustic & electric), and still to this day dream of going deep see fishing to fight a fish that weighs 4 to 5 times what I weigh, and is longer then I am tall.
I developed a love, and joy for reloading including loading my own hunting ammo which some people stray away from. When Richard passed I helped his wife with going through some stuff, and hauled some stuff away for her. In going through stuff, and helping her I found some reloading stuff. A Lyman Crusher press, Lyman case trimmer, Lyman #55 powder dispenser, and a can of IMR4350 from the late 80's to early 90's that was still 3/4 full. Which his wife let me have for helping her out. Which I still use to this day.
A few years ago I drew tags for doe Antelope, doe Whitetail, and doe Mule Deer tags in Wyoming with my brother from another mother. This hunt was a big deal. Not just hunting, but this was something special. I wanted to use what I had learned, and been given over the years. Now I was determined to make this trip as special, and memorable as possible. It was my first hunt like this, and my son Jimmy was getting to experience it with me. I looked for any .308 Winchester data online using IMR4350, but couldn't find any anywhere on the internet. I gave my brother from another mother my Hornady 9th Edition manual as I got the 9th on Kindle, along with the 10th edition. In return he sent me the newest Nosler manual. Low, and behold the Nosler manual had data for IMR4350, and their 168 grain bullets. I ended up going with the E-Tip. I loaded up test rounds with nickle plated Winchester cases, CCI Benchrest large rifle primers, and the IMR4350. I headed to the local range, found the load that was deadly accurate, went home, and loaded even more. I was going hunting for big game up north, ammo I made, and using the IMR4350. This hunt was had a little bit of each of them in it, and I got to take my son Jimmy with me to experience it.
After having truck issues we still made it to Wyoming to hunt. We first went up into the mountains,, camped, scouted, and then started hunting deer. Horrible weather rolled in, and chased us out of the mountains before we could get much hunting in. Which was disappointing, but we still had Antelope season opening in a few days. Now Antelope hunting we ended up bagging a couple, and I did so using that ammo I made. I think it truly helped make the experience that much more special to me.
To my Uncle Ed. I know you never got to be there like that as living 17 hours away didn't make it possible. Even though you are no longer with us I hope you know how much our phone calls, the stories you told me about Dad, and how you helped me out when I moved back to South Carolina for a little bit. You effected my life just as much even though you lived so far away.
To my Uncle Ronnie. I have only met you a few times in my life, and never got to really talk with you so don't think I have left you out. Sadly family issues with certain family members kept our family from being closer.
Aunt Sue, Aunt Shirley, Aunt Donna, and Patty you were all pivotal points in my life, and had great influence in it too. I thank you for that, and I thank you for how you guys treated me, and though you may never know it. You guys really helped me see what a life long love was. After a few stumbles, and mistakes I finally found a woman who I fall in love with again every day, that every time I kiss her lips I still get butterflies, every time I kiss her I get weak in the knees, every time I look at her my heart skips a beat, and wish I would have married many years before we did. Thank you for that as showing me that has been just as influential, and as important as what your husbands did for me.