The SHOT Show is today's grand gathering of the outdoor trade; a siren calling to sportsmen the world over, with the joyous sound of the bolt closing on a new action, the mechanical clatter of the latest whiz-bang reloading marvel, or perhaps simply a new duck call. In days gone by, there were similar gatherings; here we present an account of one such event from the pages of The Sportsman's Magazine. Anyone for a time machine?
- GAS -
The Sportsmen’s Exposition of 1897
By Rollin E. Smith
COULD any sportsman from a distance, some evening during the week ending March 20th, have been translated to a curtained box in Madison Square Garden, New York, he might easily have imagined himself in some unknown wonderland. As the notes of a Canada goose, lord of the game-bird kingdom, sounded clear and distinct, our sportsman would intuitively have looked toward the heavens, or have peeped out of his blind to see if the birds were coming his way ; while the muffled boom of the heavily-charged revolvers in the gallery below would make him feel confident that someone more fortunate was keeping his gun-barrels hot in the enjoyment of sport.
Suddenly from away off in the distance, comes a weird and mournful sound, a moan increasing in volume 10 half a roar. The hidden sportsman listens intently, for it is the call of a moose from the woods of Maine. And as the hunter cautiously draws the imaginary bush aside, there, less than fifty yards away and high above the ground, stands the mighty moose in all the glory of as proud a head of antlers as sportsman ever envied. Beside the great animal, in hunting garb is the motionless figure of a weather-beaten guide from the forests of the North, while from the long birch-bark funnel held to his lips comes the mournful sound of the moose call.
The spell is broken and the sportsman gazes down upon a multitude of stylishly-dressed men and women thronging up and down the long aisles, the brilliant costumes flashing among the great cases of shining guns. The whole scene is made as light as day by innumerable electric lights, while the senses are delighted by strains of waltz or operatic music, which come floating down from the band in the gallery above. It is the third annual Sportsmen's Exposition, and it is no wonder that he was deceived into imagining himself in the woods, for he could have heard and seen all these things with scores of others equally dear to the heart of the sportsman.
A GENERAL VIEW OF THE EXPOSITION
Had Metropolitan "Society," in its arrogance, chosen simple manly sports as its toy, instead of horses, the Horse Show might never have reached its present degree of popularity, while the Sportsmen's Exposition would never have been as it is — beloved by sportsmen for the good it does them. It seemed a much more edifying spectacle to see a well-dressed, intellectual-looking man enthusiastically explaining to his wife or sister the mysteries of repeating rifles or hammerless guns, or the beauties of smokeless powder — yes, a hundred times more edifying than to crowd around in the mob of curious humanity below the boxes, and gaze with wonder into the faces of Dame Fortune's favorites. One is the Sportsmen's Exposition ; the other is the Horse Show.
What is the object of the Exposition? And how are sportsmen benefited by it? Just attend the Exposition next year, if you did not do so this, and you will find your answer in the Exposition itself. The guides from Maine and Wyoming return to their forest and mountain homes equally filled with new ideas and knowledge that they spread about by word of mouth for the year that must elapse before the next Exposition. Sportsmen from distant towns and cities are brought into close and friendly relationship with manufacturers and dealers in the tools of their sports. Ideas are interchanged; the manufacturer learns what the consumer wants, and the sportsman finds out the latest improvements in manufactured articles. The city sportsmen meet many country sportsmen, and are surprised to find them just as broad-minded — nay, ofttimes even more so than dwellers in regions of elevated railroads. The contact benefits both.
THE WINCHESTER REPEATING ARMS COMPANY'S BOOTH
To the out-of-town sportsmen, the journey to the Exposition is like the pilgrimage of the Moslems to Mecca. They come from all directions and from thousands of miles; their faces ever turned in one direction. At the completion of their journey, they handle lovingly the beautiful hammerless or the artistic repeater, or balance fondly the six-shooter, while the graceful split-bamboo is whipped about by practiced hands amid pleasant imaginations.
The lover of gun and rod is a strange animal, and notwithstanding that he is fond of companionship and that there are a million or more of such men in this country, they are bound together no more than are the autumn leaves when the autumn winds begin to blow. It is true that common interests bind them with a rope of sand, but they acknowledge no head, no body, no dictation. However it is hoped that the Sportsmen's Association and its annual Exposition will be the means of making many crooked things straight for sportsmen, and of eventually banding them into a brotherhood stronger than any other organization known to man. Such a fraternal order among sportsmen has long been needed.
THE HAZARD POWDER COMPANY'S DISPLAY
There is something in primitive nature strangely fascinating to the great majority of people. Even those who never visit the streams and forests of the wilderness show a wonderful interest in them when they can have the waters and the woods, with all their treasures, brought almost to their homes. This was shown by the visitors at the exhibit of the state of Maine. A neat little cabin built of peeled logs and chinked with moss, was surrounded with mounted game-heads and monstrous trout. The "camp " was made more complete by a tent at one side with a roll of blankets thrown carelessly on a bed of hemlock boughs, while a few feet away was a large lean-to built of balsam boughs. A dozen guides about the camp gave it a natural air that nothing else could have added. This corner of the Garden never lacked for visitors and most of the time it was crowded. Sportsmen who had been to the Maine woods, and many who hoped to go ; others who never had been and never expected to go; women and children who had never seen a log cabin before, and some men as well, all crowded and pushed to see and be near this corner of Nature's wilderness.
Turning to either side, one was confronted with a magnificent collection of mounted game. It seemed quite fitting to find them so near the forest scenes, and visitors thought so, too. The display of William W. Hart and Company, the New York taxidermists attracted much attention. There were shown a bull moose, several large bears, an African lion and several mountain lions, besides heads of most of the North American big-game animals. The most notable exhibit was the head of an Alaskan moose, which is said to be the second largest ever killed. The natural pose given to the heads and animals by the taxidermist, was fully appreciated by sportsmen.
The display of taxidermy by Fred Sauter, also of New York, showed the hand of an artist and a sportsman in the preparation of the specimens. The English setter mounted with one forefoot raised in the act of pointing, was a feature of the exhibit, and one that was appreciated by all gunners. The dog was very lifelike and lacked only the twitching, dilating nostrils to assure the sportsman that his intent expression was due to a bevy of quail rather than the clever work of the taxidermist.
The display of boats was large and very attractive, ranging from a ducking boat to a twenty-five-foot steam launch. Improvements in designs and appliances of sportsmen's boats have kept pace with the general progress in things recreative.
The New York Yacht, Launch and Engine Company, showed a twenty-one-foot, mahogany-finished launch with a two-horse-power Wing gas engine, a sixteen-foot yacht tender and several gas engines. The gas for the Wing engine is made as used, and ignited by an electric spark, thereby avoiding any danger of explosion. The specialty of this company is very light-weight engines and their Foster reversible screw which will stop a boat under full headway in about one length. This company builds all sizes and many grades of launches.
The Gas Engine and Power Company, of Morris Heights, New York, displayed a twenty-five-foot launch of fine finish, and an eighteen-foot steam-yacht tender. The company builds everything in the way of boats from a small row-boat to the largest launch. Among their specialties and improvements are marine watertube boilers and Seabury triple-expansion yacht-engine.
The Pennsylvania Iron Works Company, of Philadelphia and New York, exhibiteda beautiful mahogany-finished, eighteen-foot yacht tender and several of their marine engines with latest improvements. The engines are now made so as to bring the weight nearer the bottom of the boat, and are as nearly noiseless as possible. The height of a ten-horsepower engine is now only three and one-half feet and the crank-shaft is of the double-cylinder type, so balanced that it permits the use of a very small fly-wheel. The unpleasant sound of exhaust steam is done away with, and the exit is so arranged that there is no disagreeable odor. The company had a six-horse-power engine in operation, and one of fifty-horse-power in their display — the latter designed for a launch seventy feet in length.
In the Daimler Motor Company's exhibit was seen a Daimler launch with a motor of seven-horse-power and cabin accommodation for four persons. There were also models of launches of many other sizes. The Daimler launches have received many awards at expositions in this country and in Europe, given in recognition of safety, ease of handling and practical construction. A reversible gear has been perfected by this company that is now a feature of all their latest models.
Differing from the naphtha motors is the Alco-Vapor engine shown by the Marine Vapor Engine Company, of Jersey City, N. J. In the Vapor system, alcohol is used instead of naphtha or gasoline, and advantages of both safety and less bulk of fuel are claimed for it. This company also makes a full line of launches and yacht tenders, and claim for the former a lighter weight than any other launch of the same horsepower; greater speed per poundweight of engine than others; and weight of motive power so small that the launch will not sink even though filled with water to the combing.
A high-grade gas engine at a moderate cost is what the Manhattan Manufacturing Company, of New York, was calling attention to, and their claim is founded on years of experience in building them. Some of the features of their engines are light weight, low centre of gravity (the importance of which is readily recognized by all yachtsmen), and the comparatively small amount of fuel used.
W.H. MULLINS' DISPLAY OF BOATS
In boats and boating, nothing struck the average sportsman as more practicable than the portable motor, shown by the American Motor Company. The motor, rudder and screw, all in one, is intended for boats up to eighteen feet in length. It is clamped to the stern like a vise, and as it weighs only seventy pounds, the gasoline tank placed in the bow helps to balance the boat.
The portable electric propeller, displayed by Frank S. Allen, of New York, is designed specially for sportsmen's boats and small pleasure craft. The propeller and rudder, all in one, weigh only thirty-five pounds, but the four batteries weigh twenty-five pounds each. The many uses for such a propeller will readily be seen by everyone who goes down to the sea in boats.
Fishermen and duck hunters are liberally provided for by W. H. Mullins, of Salem, Ohio, who had a variety of boats in his exhibit, from his now well-known ducking boat to his latest model of dingey. All of them were made from metal — aluminum, galvanized steel or maganese bronze. Mullins' pleasure boats were beauties, and the ducking boats are necessities. One of the latter was shown with a screen of "grass boat-blinds" arranged around the cockpit, and such a combination, with the gunner hidden within, would be a deadly one on any water where wild fowl are found.
From boyhood, the present generation of shooters have known the Parker shotgun, and the name represents a high standard of excellence. In the display of Parker Brothers, there were no " show " guns, but all grades were well represented from a medium-priced hammerless gun to a high-grade pigeon gun with Whitworth fluid-steel barrels, and artistic, though not showy engraving. If there is any specialty indulged in by this very conservative firm, it is in beautifully-balanced small-bore guns — twenty and sixteen gauge, and some of these adorned the rack and cases, and delighted everyone who handled them.
EXHIBIT OF THE UNION METALLIC CARTRIDGE COMPANY
The Union Metallic Cartridge Company's brand of " U. M. C." has come to mean "You May Count" on the excellence of whatever that brand covers. Making a specialty of everything they produce, they had nothing but specialties to display. However, riflemen have found in the U. M. C. 22-calibre cartridges the superlative of accuracy, and the winner of the hundred-shot rifle competition at the Exposition used cartridges bearing this brand. Among the handlers of the smooth-bore, pigeon shooters are equally partial to the "Trap" shot shell.
The line of small arms shown by the J. Stevens Arms and Tool Company was as complete as it was attractive, and the attendants were continually kept busy in showing and explaining the mechanism of their arms. One of the latest specialty of the Stevens Company is an offhand target rifle of the Schuetzen model, with full Swiss butt-plate, palm-rest, hook trigger guard and double set trigger. The standard weight of this model is about twelve pounds. Among the other exhibits, there was a full line of pocket rifles, short and light, but almost as accurate as any regular rifle. These little weapons have been especially popular since bicycling became the fashion. Wheelmen fully appreciate the Stevens pocket rifles and long-barreled pistols. The arms of this company have always been noted for their extreme accuracy, and the hundred-shot championship rifle match at the Exposition was won by a rifleman using a Stevens 22-calibre rifle.
WHERE STEVENS RIFLES AND BAKER GUNS WERE SHOWN
The Baker Gun and Forging Company, of Batavia, N. Y., had a surprise awaiting sportsmen. The "pigeon gun " is the latest and best output of this progressive company, and it is made in the usual dimensions of a twelve-gauge trap gun. The surprise came in the quality for the price, for the gun sells at $80, though it looks like a gun worth twice the price. The barrels are of fluid-steel, dark-blue, almost black in finish; the action, on opening the barrels is soft and smooth; the stock is of beautiful Circassian walnut. A feature of the Baker gun that no other American and few foreign makes possess, is a block safety for the hammers. The triggers are blocked in all hammerless guns, but in this the hammers cannot fall and touch the firing-pins until the triggers are pulled. It is an absolute guard against premature discharge.
The remarkable penetration of the small-bore high-pressure rifle never ceases to excite people's wonder, as was shown by the curious throngs around the booth of the Savage Repeating Arms Company. Long blocks of wood were displayed into which bullets had been fired, and these were cut through over the tracks of the bullets, showing the wonderful penetration of these modern rifles. While the Savage rifle is made only in thirty calibre there are six different loads that can be used in the same shells, thus adapting one rifle to all purposes in hunting, from the smallest game to the grizzly bear. These rifles are made in several models for sportsmen, and in military and carbine style. They are light, symmetrical in appearance and well balanced.
Remington hammerless shotguns have not been so long before sportsmen as have many other kinds, but the name of "Remington" carried confidence with it when these guns appeared. This confidence has increased with each improvement, until now the friends of the Remington hammerless automatic-ejecting gun are confident that it is the best gun that can be made for the price. The Remington Company has a fondness for military rifles, and several models are made for the small-bore smokeless-powder cartridges.
The Colt's Patent Fire Arms Manufacturing Company has always possessed a striking partiality for revolvers, and this tendency was apparent in the display of that company. Two long cases were filled with the weapons that have made the name of Colt famous the world over. Although not new, the Bisley model target revolver is one of the latest productions of the Colt armory, and is now really being pushed for the first time. But later than the Bisley is the ladies' target revolver. This is of thirty-two calibre, standard length of barrel six inches, double action with a ''pull" that delights the heart, target sights and stock that fills the hand. The model is similar to that adopted by the New York police department, though lighter.
WHERE THE COLT FIREARMS WERE SHOWN.
One of the busiest spots during the Exposition was at the booth of the Winchester Repeating Arms Company, where, during every evening of the week, several attendants were kept busy showing rifles and explaining the wonders of the new small-bores. A year never goes by without something new from the Winchester armory, and the twelve months just past have yielded many things that sportsmen will find are just what has been needed. The tendency has been toward rifles of lighter weight for hunting purposes, and the Winchester 1886 model .45-70 was shown with shotgun stock and half magazine, weighing only six and three-quarters pounds; while beautiful little thirty-calibres, of 1894 model, were there that weighed seven pounds. A Lee Navy .236 as made for the government by this company and the thirty-calibre Winchester Army Model 1895, box magazine, were features of the exhibit; while the display of fancy rifles, ranging in prices from $35 to $400, was dazzling.
To the hunter and lover of fine rifles the stand of the Marlin Firearms Company was one of the most attractive at the Exposition. The display was not as large as some others, but in it there was for the rifleman sufficient food for thought for many months to come. This is an age of specialties, and that of the Marlin Company lies in making fine rifles with original designs of engraving and decoration. The case of rifles contained some that were truly works of art, with designs that could not be surpassed by the pencil of an artist. Rifle after rifle was shown with workmanship that is rarely excelled in any line, and certainly never on guns. For practical use there were take-down models in different calibres with oil-finished shotgun stocks and half magazines, and they balanced in the hands like high-grade shotguns. The Marlin Company has adapted its rifles to smokeless powder, high-velocity cartridges besides all of the standard black powder cartridges.
VON LENGERKE AND DETMOLD EXHIBIT
The name of Von Lengerke and Detmold has become almost synonymous with those of the Francotte guns and Schultze powder. To know one is to know the other two; and all three were very much in evidence during the week, while the American E.C. Powder kept them company. The agency of this nitro has again passed into the hands of this firm. Among the Francotte guns displayed were some that are owned by celebrated trap-shots and used by their owners in winning great pigeon matches. The other guns displayed were taken from stock and were in no sense show guns; but their good qualities were apparent to every one who handled them. With the guns and ammunition, a full line of high-grade fishing tackle and split-bamboo rods was shown.
Schoverling, Daly and Gales had a very complete line of Daly guns, in quality from medium to a magnificent piece of worksmanship at $500. Next to the Daly hammerless gun, this firm is known for the Daly three-barreled gun, and some very fine ones were shown at the Exposition. One in particular was especially pleasing to handle. It was sixteen-gauge with a rifle barrel adapted to the .32-20 cartridge, and the gun weighed about seven and one-half pounds. A full line of split-bamboo rods attracted the eye of anglers, the specialty of the assortment being the four-and-one-half ounce “Never Sink” fly rod.
In connection with this exhibit was that of the Horton Manufacturing Company, makers of the Bristol steel rods. A fine assortment of these rods was shown and in it were some specialties. The "Rangeley" fly-rod was a little steel beauty with cork handle, and weighed just six ounces. Another specialty was a light bait-casting rod. It seemed surprising that these slender pieces of hollow steel could hold a mighty fish; yet on a ten-ounce Henshall bait-rod, a tarpon weighing one hundred and thirty-five pounds was killed.
One of the greatest bargains offered to anglers during the week was at the booth of the H. H. Kiffe Company. A six-ounce split-bamboo fly-rod for one dollar was something unusual, surely; but there it was, even if one did have to ask a second time to be sure that no mistake had been made in the price. Besides a full line of fishing-tackle, a fine display of athletic goods was made by this company.
Something new in revolvers was being shown by the Iver Johnson Athletic and Cycle Works. Their revolver differs radically from all others in the construction of the firing pin, and they are so made that it is absolutely impossible to fire them in any other manner than by pulling the trigger.
Guns and revolvers would soon be useless without proper attention. For this purpose G. W. Cole and Company was supplying every one who passed their booth with a sample bottle of "Three in One." Over 10,000 bottles were thus distributed during the week, and all seemed to appreciate the value of the souvenir, for this excellent compound is as useful for oiling and cleaning bicycles or even sewing machines as it is for guns.
After looking over the booths where fine guns and fishing tackle were displayed, trap-shooters strolled over to the Cleveland Target Company's exhibit to see the Magutrap, the revolving wonder that will throw more Blue Rocks than half a dozen ordinary traps, and break fewer.
LAFLIN AND RAND POWDER COMPANY'S MINIATURE POWDER PLANT AND BOOTH.
Probably nothing that sportsmen use is harder to display in an attractive manner than powder, and yet the Laflin and Rand Powder Company succeeded in interesting not only sportsmen, but crowds of people who would shriek at the sound of a fire-cracker. A complete powdermill plant in operation was what did it, but it was in miniature form and enclosed in a glass case. A full line of smokeless high-velocity powders are made by this company, and a large number of sample cans of " W. A." — their shotgun powder — were given away. One of the particular features of this is that it is not affected by dampness, heat or cold.
Two immense wheels in monotonous revolution, grinding and rumbling, reminded one of the mills of the gods ; for those of the Hazard Powder Company were not only slow, but they ground " exceeding small."
No brand of powder is so well known to riflemen as " Hazard's Kentucky Rifle," but the attendants in charge were letting that rest on its merits while they sung the praises of " Blue Ribbon Smokeless" for shotguns.
E. I. Du Pont de Nemours & Company had in a small case an interesting collection of samples showing the stages through which the materials pass in the manufacture of powder. Also the process of making guncotton was shown, and some innocent-looking bars resembling soap were marked "guncotton." Doubtless a few of these little bars would be of great service in blowing offending men-of-war out of the water, should the necessity ever arise. The Du Pont mills have probably done more toward perfecting a nitro powder for rifles than any other American company, and the results obtained have been quite satisfactory.
A waterproof tent is the great desideratum, and Derby, Abercrombie and Company, of New York, had one set up so that its good qualities might be seen. It was not only waterproof, but was made of very light-weight canvas, weighing only twelve pounds, though it was seven-and-a-quarter feet square.
The New Zealand Mosquito Tent shown by T.W. Hickson of New York, is one of the most thoroughly useful and at certain seasons indispensable adjuncts to camping that has ever been offered to sportsmen.
A little music in camp has a wonderfully soothing effect on tired sportsmen, but the woods are not a good place for musical instruments as a rule. However, the Hutchins Manufacturing Company, of Springfield, Mass., showed sweet-toned mandolins made of aluminum that are unaffected by moisture.
THE CASE OF HUTCHINS' MANDOLINS
A.G. Spalding & Brothers had on exhibition a very complete line of golf supplies of their own manufacture, and players in golf costume showed the articles used on play on an artificial putting “green.” A new beveled-edge putter was a feature of the exhibit, and much interest was taken in its use by hundreds of people who never saw a game of golf, as well as by those to whom it was familiar. The Spalding bicycle and Christy saddle were also being shown to the numerous cyclists present.
THE OVERMAN WHEEL COMPANY’S DISPLAY OF VICTOR ATHLETIC GOODS
A very attractive display of Victor athletic goods was made by the Overman Wheel Company of Chicopee Falls, Mass. The Overman booth was arranged and watched over by C.B. Whitney and Waldo E. Nason. There was almost everything used by the athlete and all of the finest quality. The Victor base-ball and tennis-ball were shown in their various stages of construction, and suitable clothes for all branches of sport were to be seen.
In this picture you see a bullet inserted into the Sinclair hex nut comparator and I've made a red mark on the bullet so that we can see just where the full diameter shank begins. As I hope the picture shows clearly, the shank begins at the top of the red mark where it is against the hex nut. The top of that red line is our first critical point, let's call it the shank line.
Next let's slide a case and the bullet into the seating die. Here we're using an old Vickerman seating die because its cutaway front exposes the seating stem which contacts the bullet and is really the focus of our attention. As you'll see, the stem contacts the bullet well above the shank line - that is precisely the source of most problems in bullet measuring. If the stem contacts the tip of the bullet, the situation will be especially bad because the tips on hollow-point match bullets are somewhat irregular. However, most match-grade dies have a deep enough cavity in the seating stem to avoid that further problem.
Next let's make a blue mark on the bullet right where it contacts the seating stem. let's call this point the stem line. Obviously, making these marks with a marker leaves a bit of a smudge, but since I'm doing this just to illustrate a few concepts, it's of no great consequence.
Now here's the bullet with both marks. I have the calipers open to show the distance between the shank line and the stem line, but there is no way to precisely measure this distance and no matter how precisely you scribe those lines, the actual measurement will be imprecise enough to make it a futile effort. Unfortunately, this is the single most critical distance in a bullet as it will determine the uniformity of jump or jam to the rifling on the loaded cartridge. It is the variance in this distance that we should be trying to measure, but I don't know of any way to do that with a useful degree of precision. That's why I don't measure bullets.
Here's a frequently taken measurement: base to ogive line. I don't see any value to this measurement because we really don't deal with the base as an element of seating the bullet and this distance is really not relevant to our goal of uniform jump or jam. Imagine measuring a set of bullets made in two bullet-making dies which happened to make this dimension identically but had a 0.030" difference in the shank line to stem line dimension described above. Did you measure the right thing? Would it help reach the goal? No.
Here's another frequently taken measurement. Other than being easy to measure, I can't see that there is any reason at all for checking the overall length of a box of bullets. The tips, and therefore the overall length, vary enough to give anyone heartburn. But the tip is irrelevant to the seating process and thus its irregularity can be ignored. Notice that the two lines in which we're most interested aren't being used at all in this measurement. This measurement is a complete waste of time.
The case base to shank line measurement is ultimately what we're truly interested in. This is the measure of jump or jam. When you take this measurement and find variance, it is exclusively the result of variance in the unmeasurable shank line to stem line dimension. If you were really dedicated (or simply nuts) you could seat all of your bullets about 0.010" longer than your desired dimension, measure each one and reseat it with an individualized setting on the die. My eyes are glazing over just thinking about that process. The simpler approach is to seat them to a reasonable level of jump or jam. If some of my bullets are jammed 0.012" and some are 0.017" and a bunch are somewhere in between, I won't worry about it one tiny bit - they will all shoot to X ring elevation and that's my goal.
Let's take a look at the basic powder throwing and weighing setup. The first pictures shows the powder measure mounted on a shelf at eye level. This is also a great place for a mechanical scale if you use one, as it keeps the beam in line with your eyes. However, the important thing to note here is that the powder jar has notes on it. Specifically, there are a lot of references for the setting on the measure that relates to a given weight of powder. These aren't absolute, but they save a lot of time when starting a session as they let me get close on the first try and then I can fine tune. The powder type (H4350 in this case) is also written on the label so that when I get nervous halfway through a session, I can reassure myself that I am using the correct powder. The front of the jar has the factory label unobstructed but since the notes are on the backside, a little extra doesn't hurt.
Notice the little green label on the scale with the charge weight written on it. I put one of these out for each load that I use (there's a stack of them in that little cardboard box on the right). This is a good reminder of exactly what we're looking for in the charge. It's easy to get distracted and get some numbers confused during a session so a constant visual reminder right in my line of sight is a great way to avoid problems later on.
A plastic coffee can lid is the best primer tray I know of. It's cheap, easy to find, easy to replace, let's you tap it to flip primers, etc. 
Something a little more involved and beyond the true "Basics" element of this article is bullet pointing. However, there are a few quick tips here for those who do it. My procedure for setup is: 
Seating depth is one of those things that I'm fairly fussy about. Principally, I want to make sure that I seat bullets to the seating depth that I've determined is best for the load and rifle in question. Therefore, I check seating depth with the Hornady Stoney Point tool each time I reload a set of brass. Frankly, it's a pain in the neck with the tubeguns because the little screw to lock the rod falls inside the tube, although it's accessible through the bolt slot. I need to get a longer screw for that...
When using the seating depth tool, it's convenient to use a wood dowel to push the bullet back out as it tends to get stuck in the rifling. However, there is a very real danger of forgetting to remove the wood dowel. Make a safety flag on the end of the dowel from duct tape, it'll save you from a real serious problem one day.
Checking the seating depth is best done with a comparator of some type. There are a few makes types of these on the market, I use the Sinclair hex nut tool which reads right on the ogive. It's pretty simple to use and even I can't break it, although I lost one...