SHTF - RELOADING

[thrasherfox]

So I have everything I need to reload.


However I have a question.

Consumables. Brass, bullets, primers, gun powder.


I know that I can purchase equipment to cast my own bullets, and I plan on doing this.

so this leaves me with a requirement to obtain brass, primers and gun powder.

The question I am going to ask is probably going to be stupid to some of you. but I don't know so I am asking.


Primers, gun powder and primers are made.. somewhere. Do we as individuals have any ability to obtain the equipment needed to make our own brass and primers?

And do we have the ability to make our own gun powder?


I was thinking that all this SHTF scenarios and I gave been putting a lot of stock in the fact that I can reload and eventually I will even be able to cast my own bullets.

But if we cannot get primers, brass and powder, then all of the reloading equipment is useless. because eventually you will run out of those supply's


Anyone know anything? have any ideas?

[EmmaGoldman]

Do we as individuals have any ability to obtain the equipment needed to make our own brass and primers?

And do we have the ability to make our own gun powder?

Yes, but stockpiling nitric acid or sulfur and saltpeter aren't any more convenient than stockpiling powder and primers.

[thrasherfox]

Yes, but stockpiling nitric acid or sulfur and saltpeter aren't any more convenient than stockpiling powder and primers.

I know about the stock piling issue.

what I was trying to elude to was lets say at some point SHTF really does happen. And lets say at least for the United States, we are done.

Eventually your stock pile could run out (depending on the situation) if there isn't totally out of control crime happening, and all you need to do is defend yourself on occasion, then whatever a person stock piles should be fine and also allow for hunting.

But if this place were to turn into complete chaos and people were having to burn through their ammo, eventually they could see the stock pile vanish.

At that point, since it will probably be unlikely you would be able to purchase anything, I was wondering if there was a way to harvest from our natural resources and make our own supplies?

I have even thought of buying at least a few old school black powder rifles and pistols, since all you need is the powder and the ball, and the ball you could cast yourself.

At least that would give you a little edge for hunting and hopefully individual cases of intrusion.

I don't even know what gun powder is made of and how it is made, nor primers.

I guess I should Google it and see if there are any books out out there about it.

[rg_1111@yahoo.com]

Just buy way more than you need. And make it last. No plinking.

[thunderbolt]

If you look at the ingrediants list of modern day smokeless poweder you had better have at least a BS in Chem engineering to understand it let alone try to reproduce it. Even basic modern black powder is more then sulfer, potassium nitrate and charcoal and won't run in any firearms made before 1880. I guess you could move to the desert next to a sulfer mine and keep a lot of chickens for the nitrates...

[VegasND]

Assuming TEOTWAWKI happens and manufacturing stops entirely it won't take long in the rebuilding world for somebody to realize there's profit in providing powder and primers.

It's a business I'll avoid. If you wish, do a web search on making black and smokeless powders. For priming compounds check out fulminates of mercury (pretty much out of use AFAIK) and lead styphnate.

[Tripper]

Reloading for SHTF,
I'm hoping to be the better shot, and always have their ammo..

aside from the fact, I have no reloading equipment

Tripper

[Sky_DiveR]

Some guy reloaded primers using the scrapings off of match heads. He made a YouTube video of it. I guess you could always try that. People make bombs out of match heads so in SHTF where you can't find powder I guess you can try that also (but I don't think I would).

[HighLander51]

Primers are the most dangerous product to make on the planet, and smokeless powder is right behind primers.

Do we as individuals have any ability to obtain the equipment needed to make our own brass and primers? And do we have the ability to make our own gun powder?

Yes, just buy Olin Corporation (Winchester) lock stock and barrel, should only cost about 900 billion, but you will have everything you want, with an ongoing cost of about 10 million a day.....

[donger]

Tell you what, go buy a sleeve of 100 small primers and 1 lb of Bullseye. Take a few of the primers out on the driveway and smash them with a hammer. Then put a little Bullseye down and put a couple of primers in. Smash that with a hammer. Let us know if you what you think of powder and primers then....

What? Why would you suggest he do this?

[Tripper]

No, I didnt say I have everything I need,
I said I'm hoping to be a better shot, so I have their ammo, thus not have a need to reload

then, I admitted, that I might only have that attitude because of the fact I dont have reloading equipment, I have nothing. and if it were a SHTF scenario, again, I would hope I could attain things i need from someone else by being a better shot, or finding someone like Thrasher, that does reload, and is knowledgeable about reloading, to partner up with. Even yourself highlander would be a good person for someone like me to partner up with, for benefit of the group. or in the absence of partnering, your type (reloader type) would be good for me to know about for trading of resources later on.

I dont personally have facilities conducive to reloading really, so not a good idea at this time for me. I have minimal experience (as a child helping dad) and would like to get into it again

Tripper

[Bill Steele]

A good way to get on just about every single government watch list that exists would be to start buying the stuff you would need to pull this off. People worry about their privacy; if you went down this path, you can kiss privacy goodbye, forever.

I have never been a big believer in the SHTF stuff, but I am a much bigger believer now than I was even a few years ago. Pretty much the whole western world is spending way beyond its means, at some point the merry go round will quit turning, a few failed bond auctions could conceivably trigger a big enough meltdown that we could have a brief SHTF period. If that happens, the military will take charge and making your own bullets will not be something you will need to worry about as you will NOT have any guns, period. If you want to break the tension and interject some levity into the moment, when that patrol comes by to round up all your guns, just start quoting your 2A rights.

[bohoki]

with 45 acp an 8 pounder of bullseye can do just a little over 11,000 rounds

so one keg of bullseye as a case of primers you should be good for quite a while when it all goes thunderdome

[ireload]

Thrasher to answer you question, "no" for the average joe or jane. As others have stated you'll need the know how whether it's smokeless or blackpowder to manufacture or assemble the components. Then if you posses the know how and even the equipment the problem arises to obtaining a reliable source for materials to assemble. I would assume. that people would resort to bows and arrows, knives, clubs, rocks etc. for protection.

[Tripper]

Mental note: add case if primers to my cache, for use in trading

Tripper