Reloading in SHTF

[oldmetlfan]

Other than maybe getting some bullets off of an individual you recently dispatched, I would definitely be a bit leery about any powder I "came across". You would probably want to have a way of testing it, to make sure it hadn't been spiked in some way. A little to much explosive force could make for a really bad day on your part.

 

[dunkel]

I don't think I'd use powder I just happen to find. Unless I found some unopened cans of it in someones garage or whatever. But I don't think it's out of the question to consider using recovered powder from ammo you might find, wherever it might be. I know different rounds work better with different powder, but in a pinch, couldn't you safely reload using this recovered powder?

 

[hawk-eye]

I don't think I'd use powder I just happen to find. Unless I found some unopened cans of it in someones garage or whatever. But I don't think it's out of the question to consider using recovered powder from ammo you might find, wherever it might be. I know different rounds work better with different powder, but in a pinch, couldn't you safely reload using this recovered powder?

Sun Tzu says:
"Bring war materials with you from home, but forage on the enemy...."

Have on hand.
Ammo Ammo Ammo.
weapons parts and personal protection.

Relaoding is not a good option unless in a large group where resources can be combined.
Do your reloading now in relative comfort. The stress of war is not the time to realize you forgot something.

 

[dunkel]

Ok, I see I am not going to get what I'm looking for here. Perhaps I didn't ask the right questions. I did try to post this in the reloading section because I was concerned that it would end up going in the wrong direction.

I'll look elsewhere for what I need. Thanks.

 

[jsquared]

It makes sense to me that stockpiling components alongside ammo is a good idea. Not really taking components in a BOB or on the road to a BOL, but to have them on hand at your location would be a good idea. If you get powders that are useful in many different calibers you only really need to stock up on two powders, at most 4 different kinds of primers, and bullets or lead and brass.

Figure the cost of 1000 rounds of 45acp factory ammo, around $350 or so. To make 1000 rounds of 45 youd need less than a pound of powder ($25), a case of primers ($35), 500 pieces of brass ($30 or so in mixed bulk), and 1000 bullets ($75-150 depending on type). So youre saving a good chunk of change, and have the option to use the primers and powder in other loads if you need it. Depending on how you strategize your component purchases it makes sense to have reloading as an option.

 

[83rdrecon]

cast your own bullets for pistols and shotgun. you can do limited rifle casting too. but i mainly use those from bolt actions. one powder for both pistol and cast rifle - unique. two types of primers unless you stick with the same size ie- small pistol will work in both 9mm and 223....large pistol in 45 and 308 and so on. get your lead now and get your molds now. tumble lube molds for pistol by lee work fine.

 

[renault314]

I disagree with just wanting to have a mountain of ammo on hand. having 10K rounds is great, but what if you have to move fast? how are you gonna cart all that with you? how many tears are you gonna shed when you have to leave 6k rounds behind, potentially for someone else to scrounge and use against you? how much money did you just spend on bullets youll never use? unless you have vacation property all around the state or start geocacheing crates of ammo, it might be easier to have a small box of reloading supplies. lead is easy to find when the shtf. any abandoned car will have 30lbs of the stuff in the battery. plus recoverable sulphuric acid whic is usable for about a million things, the least of which are explosives. and black powder is easy to make although filthy. it would certainly work in a revolver round though. honestly, smokeless powder isint a super big deal to make yourself either. you might want to stock up on primers, but they are cheap, small and light, so thats not a big deal.

 

[Petro_58]

If your bugging in then you should already have plenty of loaded stock, and you can always reload as needed. If your bugging out on foot then reloading gear is left behind in favor of loaded ammo. If bugging out by vehicle then my basic reloading stuff is ready to go, powder, primers, bullets, and a small amout of brass maybe. Chances are if your traveling distance in a vehicle you'll eventually have to ditch somewhere. It's really a tough call because there are so many different scenarios.

 

[Chris Mac]

Three options - stock up in advance, stock up on reloading supplies, or be prepared to trade for rounds. Scrounging is a fourth option but would be extremely difficult at best since most homesites (and therefore ammo) will be protected.

While I think we need to be prepared for all three, I always ask myself if I'll have enough time to go through the exercise of reloading. My answer is there is no way I'll have the time during the first year or two to even think about it. Montioring food supplies, OPSEC requirements, patrolling, connecting with other well prepared families, getting rest, and improvising on dozens of ways to help my family survive and thrive - all of these make stocking up on prepackaged ammo a much more reasonable approach for us. Right now if you asked me if I wanted to spend $500 to buy a comrehensive reloading kit, I'd say no - I'd rather have another 1200-1300 rounds of .223/5.56.

To be realistic, staying in place at our homesite location is our primary plan with a well defined OPSEC approach. I agree that a rapid egress from an area carries the risk of leaving items behind, but they way you store your supplies can make that a heckuva lot more manageable. For instance, think of an all inclusive small reloading kit in a zippered padded pouch. Or for larger production reloading operations we're planning on two complete kits stored in large sealed buckets that are easy to grab-n-go or stage in preplanned locations.

Hopefully y'all are starting to form groups with different areas of expertise. We know a lot about food storage but we're learning rapidly and practicing on other basics. We're hoping to add someone with gunsmithing and reloading expertise to our group at some point. You've raised a good topic here with your post.

 

[GAgunLAWbooklet]

Bumping this old thread so we can re-evaluate the comments in light of the current shortage and ridiculous over pricing of primers, powder, bullets and even fired empty cases (well, and brass isn't in short supply it's just overpriced).


Reloading your own ammo will probably not be a viable alternative to buying ammo in a long term SHTF situation. For whatever you need, expect it to be difficult to find and expensive.
The best solution seems to be stock up ahead of time rather than hope to scrounge around for components during a crisis.