Probably the most widespread throughout the Soviet Union and now, in its former republics, ammunition for smooth-bore hunting weapons - Mayer's bullet, colloquially lovingly called "turbine." A.K. Mayer is a prominent Soviet engineer, designer, who created and popularized his invention in 1963. Mayer's bullet is the most convenient in equipment and much more often than others brings good luck in hunting.
Type, design, composition
The turbine-arrow type of hunting bullets is quite widespread. Mayer's bullet has the shape of a cylinder in which there is an internal channel. In it, like the outside of the bullet, there are inclined ribs that give rotation in flight, of which there are usually six. Unlike many other designs, the bullet head is heavier here, not the tail.
Meyer's bullet is made of lead. The outer ribs are slightly larger in diameter than the caliber of the weapon, which is why they are crushed when fired, so that a better centering of the bullet in the barrel is ensured. Casting such bullets at home is a rather troublesome task, but most domestic hunters do it. Self-casting often makes adjustments to the design, and therefore a Mayer 12-gauge bullet, for example, sometimes differs significantly from the same, but from another manufacturer, even by weight.
Advantages
This is a very successful design. Although in flight, a Mayer bullet of 12 gauges (and other calibers too) behaves differently. It turned out that the inclined ribs do not work for rotation, but they help balance. The alignment in the barrel is tight, so the accuracy of this bullet is superior to the rest, almost all models for smooth-bore guns. The dispersion is the same as happens when shooting with a rifled weapon, if a Mayer bullet is used, reviews of literally all hunters confirm this.
Of course, bullets should be selected very carefully so that there are no defects, and the weight was the same for everyone. Even a hundred meters or more accuracy can be very high, which can not be said about other models. Usually other bullets accurately hit the target if it is at a distance of no more than sixty meters. The Mayer bullet of 12 caliber has great weight and excellent deformability upon impact. The bullet's equipment must be accurate, then its striking ability is ensured at almost all distances. This will be described in more detail below.
disadvantages
Of course, the 12-gauge Mayer bullet also has flaws. Reviews say that they are most noticeable if the bullet is made artificially and poorly. For example, too soft lead is used, in which there are no additives to give it strength. In this case, you need to know exactly how to charge the Mayer bullet . The increased charge of gunpowder will cause the bullet to tumble in flight, because it is crushed from overload during the shot, even the internal channel can close.
Naturally, a deformed bullet with a mark almost never happens. Only a sub-caliber bullet can help here. And the weight of gunpowder should never be exceeded. Another case is when the bullet material is too hard. This is significantly worse because there is a risk of damage to the trunk. Another drawback is that even if the Mayer bullet is correctly cast and always correctly charged, it will deflect in flight with interference. Bushes, as well as tree branches, any natural obstacle can interfere with its exact flight.
Where to get it and why
Almost any bullet designed for a smooth-bore hunting weapon is needed for catching a large beast. These are various deer, bear, wild boar, moose and other animals of the hunting grounds of Russia. Mayer bullet shooting from a smoothbore hunting rifle is used for the largest game found in our country.
Buying such bullets is quite easy, they are more often demanded than others, and therefore it is constantly on sale in all hunting stores. In addition, it should be noted that such a bullet is sold at a fairly low price, unlike other bullets.
Specifications
The length should be twenty-two millimeters (plus or minus 0.3) - this is for 12 gauges. The 16-gauge Mayer bullet is exactly the same length, but the weight is different. The twelfth caliber weighs 34 grams, and the sixteenth is about 29 grams.
The speed depends on the equipment of the cartridge, usually it reaches 420 meters per second. Also muzzle energy depends on equipment, usually it is about three and a half kilojoules.
Responsibility
The Mayer bullet equipment is extremely important for productive hunting. Bullet shooting is significantly different from shooting, for example, with shot, and therefore, special care is required in the equipment of the cartridge so that the shot does not turn out to be fake, but it is effective. Nevertheless, many hunters scold themselves after a miss for a poorly equipped cartridge.
The technique of charging a bullet cartridge should not be violated in anything. Most importantly, you must not use other people's equipment, whose quality is unknown. And self-made cartridges must be tested without fail, moreover from the same gun with which you have to go hunting.
Equipment
Equip a Mayer 12-gauge bullet according to the recommendations of its creator. Need a paper sleeve with a capsule, in which two grams of gunpowder is poured. The capsule is used "Zhevelo", and gunpowder is better than the "Falcon". The temperature should not be lower than -4 degrees Celsius. If frost exceeds -20 degrees, then the amount of gunpowder by one tenth can be increased. The weight of a bullet is 12 caliber 33-34 grams, and this is what you need to focus on. Next, gunpowders need to be sent gaskets of cardboard with a total thickness of about three millimeters, after which you need a felt wad in half a caliber of a trunk that is cut into four parts in height.
On the felt you need to pour small sawdust on which to put the wad of cardboard a little more than half a centimeter thick. Next comes a three-millimeter gasket made of cardboard with a diameter exactly the same as the body of a bullet, not counting the edges. Such equipment should be located exactly centered in the sleeve tube. After that, you need to lower the bullet as carefully as possible, without shifting the thick cardboard wad. The sleeve can now be rolled. A layer of sawdust should leave for this about five millimeters.
How to make a cartridge good
Which cartridge is considered to be well equipped? For smooth-bore weapons, this is one in which, when fired, powder gases create a pressure of not more than 663 kgf per square centimeter. If the dispersion diameter at a distance of fifty meters does not exceed ten centimeters. If the aiming and hit points coincide when shooting at fifty meters. How to achieve this quality?
First, prepare all the elements for the accurate equipment of cartridges. Make sure that the capsules are the same by year of manufacture, or better, one batch. The length of the sleeve and the length of the chamber must correspond, as well as the diameters of the inner sleeve and the bore. Check that the gunpowder was one batch, and cardboard and felt wads did not differ from cartridge to cartridge. And, of course, the masses of bullets also need to be selected so that they are the same.
Methods of equipment and contraindications
Gunpowder must be weighed very accurately, with an error of less than 0.01 grams, and compress the charge with a force of noticeably eight to ten kilograms. Cardboard pads or a plastic shutter are sent to the powder, then a salted felt wad, almost completely cut crosswise, after which the bullet is sent and the sleeve is rolled.
The wad should never be placed on a bullet, and never flooded with anything - neither stearin nor paraffin. In guns sometimes there are quite large narrowing of the barrel - more than a millimeter in the twelfth caliber. Therefore, sub-caliber bullets are used. In guns of the twelfth, for example, sixteenth caliber bullets are often used.
Sighting
The air temperature during sighting should approximately correspond to that expected on the day of hunting. If the spread of bullets is too large, it is necessary to reduce the powder charge. The same should be done if the bullets fly above the aiming point by more than fifteen centimeters. When the bullets fall below this point, but the accuracy is fine, the mass of gunpowder can be increased. If this does not solve the problem, the type of bullet is replaced with the one that is easier, and even change the way of equipment.
Self-loading shotguns with an underbarrel tube magazine require special attention. The cartridges are located right next to each other, which means that the bullet must be recessed in the sleeve so that the top is lower by about five millimeters of the rolled dule so that it does not fit into the previous cartridge, which can lead to an accident. At the time of the shot, the bullet punctures the adjacent capsule, and either the cartridge explodes or the magazine completely ruptures.
How to discharge ammo
It is necessary to be able not only to equip but also to discharge cartridges, if they, for example, are soaked. They should not be thrown away. Bad or old gunpowder is burned, but the shot, wads, intact sleeve can still be used. When discharging a cartridge, you need to remember the main rules.
1. Do not place the cartridge on a table or other flat surface. You need a stand with a hole so that there is air under the capsule.
2. Never bend over either the loaded or discharged cartridge. Always move the cartridge away from the face as far as possible.
With a knife or scissors, you need to straighten the sealed edge of the sleeve, pry off the shot wad, pull it out and pour out the shot. Then with a corkscrew or other device, remove the powder wads. Pour gunpowder and burn with all the precautions. The capsule from the sleeve is knocked out in the barrel (previously greased profusely, because rust from soot appears). The hardest thing is to remove the bullet, because it is wrinkled. If necessary, the sleeve is cut, then the bullet remains intact.
Conclusion
Today in the world there are many dozens of types of bullets for hunting weapons that have completely different designs, and new ones are constantly being developed, more and more effective. The shape, weight, dimensions, material of which the bullet is made, always depends on the destination. For example, Mayer's bullet is intended for hunting a large beast with smoothbore weapons of the twelfth or sixteenth caliber. If you follow the recommendations of the designer of the bullet when it is equipped, you can achieve excellent results. If you use the usual methods acceptable to other bullets, success may not be achieved at all. Hunters often try to independently modify the design of the Mayer bullet, change the method of equipping cartridges. Usually, indicators do not improve, although, of course, not without exceptions.
Occasionally, experiments lead to unexpectedly good results. However, it must be borne in mind that for any design of experiments with equipment for hunting supplies, you need a lot of experience in handling ammunition and weapons in general. But even with sufficient experience, caution should be utmost. Of course, in hunting stores you can buy a wide variety of bullets, there is a good choice and always excellent quality. However, weapons are so individual that bullets are often only suitable for basic characteristics. That is why many hunters make them on their own or bring purchased items to the required parameters in accordance with the requirements of a particular weapon.
In remote areas of the Far East and Siberia, hunters quite often pour bullets on their own, because the shops are far away. Some for this purpose have acquired skills in working with drawings, they use all kinds of machines, including turning ones, since Mayer's bullet, for example, is not so simple to cast. Cartridges are transported either in special waterproof bags or in boxes. If the hunt is short-term, a bandoleer is convenient for this purpose. But over long distances, the transportation of ammunition is certainly accompanied by certain difficulties.