I bid you good luck. Reloading cartridges is relatively safe. The powder isn't an explosive, it's a propellant. It just burns. Primer compound however IS an explosive and will blow the hell up. Be careful!
You're saying that reloading ammo can't do the same thing?
No, I never mentioned ammo, but yes, ammo doesn't make the news like explosives do.
I guess NH4NO3 doesn't count, blackpowder doesn't count, gasoline, or any other chemical compound that could also potentially make it "explosive" that doesn't make it to the news isn't dangerous? There's people that makes these on their home or property safely and soundly. There's people that's been injured or blew up their guns with reloading, but that doesn't get on the news. So reloading isn't dangerous at all? Reloading is dangerous, if you don't know what you're doing. I'm not reloading primers blindly fyi. I'm not paying overpriced primers that cost an arm and a leg when I KNOW I can very well make my own. I'm just shocked that no one on this site has undertake any primer reloading...
yeah for me with all the resources being constantly in/out of stock, fluctuating heavily in price, i made the decision reloading wasn't even worth it for anything other than a centerfire bolt platform. i reload .30-06 and....that's it.
pistol ammo? shoot too much, not worth the time imo.
semi auto rifle ammo like .308 or .223? again, all the reloading to just dump means it isn't worth it for me.
i get it; i understand it's cost effective. i understand it's enjoyable. i used to work with a guy that would dig in the berm at outdoor ranges, sift the dirt thru a homemade sifter, melt the lead, cast his own bullets, reload, he really liked it. he'd get cheap wheel weights, any source he could find.
i don't have the dedication, nor the investment for the setup. i use my old school mallet and punch style lee hand loader that i can legit take with me and reload at the range if i wanted to, never had a primer det on me but i'm sure it'll happen some day lol.
but it just becomes too much of a hassle to keep up with all the components as they become harder to find. instead of just trying to find ammo (one thing), you end up trying to source multiple components that can be just as challenging, just as subject to price fluctuations, just as likely to have things like random bans/laws/restrictions/purchasing flags etc etc.
if/when 9mm gets back to around .15-.17 cents per round, i just don't see how reloading for say .10-.13 cents per round is worth it when i tend to shoot a lot when i go out to shoot because i have a gorillion guns in 9mm and i want to shoot a mag thru at least SOME of them.
i'm sure someone has. people here can be crotchety lol they are old.
i've read about the "scrape the stuff from the old snap caps" or using random household things for primer compound. i would like to think IF i needed to do it, it's one of those things where it being my first attempt wouldn't bother me. stuff would be SERIOUSLY f'd if i'm making primer compound and can't just raid for ammo and/or acquire fully loaded rounds easily in another manner.
there's a LOT of ammo out there. everyone has some. if i'm to the point of needing to reload my own primers, i'm probably done for anyway lol because i'm assuming i wouldn't have enough to defend myself. surely i would have made better decisions with the ammo i currently have or have at the time (assuming my cache grows) in order to either secure more or get myself to a position wherein i wouldn't need to exhaust my cache, thus the need for making my own primer compound when i can just get fully loaded bullets that exist.
like for instance, realize there are still rounds *that were produced during pretty much any war in modern history*. so even during a time when ammo wasn't being produced in the numbers it is today (there's just way more people now, more factories, etc etc), there was still so much ammo produced there is STILL plenty of it that is unfired, loaded, ready for you to find and load up and fire. i suspect there's still crates of certain surplus rounds that claim to be virtually all sold out from the major ammo retailers and warehousers. i HIGHLY doubt they sold ALL of it. even if for personal stock of the company owner, etc etc. they didn't sell literally EVERY crate of 7n6 5.45 or greek surplus .30-06 etc etc.
the hunting of components would be even more difficult in a SHTF situation, wherein again i believe my having a gun in virtually every caliber is beneficial because virtually anything i stumbled upon or raided i would be able to use in *something*.
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Aight, lighten up Francis. You're starting to spin off axis.
Don't blow your fingers off!
I don't plan on it. That's why I'm taking it slow and steady. I'll post about the process and what I've learned. I'll also post some chemistry of how to make your own primer ingredients. Fairly easy to make and yes it is inherently DANGEROUS and precautionary steps will be taken to minimize or mitigate the said potential hazards or dangers. I wish to make people aware that reloading primers is just as dangerous as reloading could get. Only dangerous if you're ignorant or blindly doing it without any prior knowledge.
Sounds like you are walking a fine line here of manufacturing an explosive device without a license. I realize it is a very small device, but it you mix the chemicals in a large batch before dispensing it to the individual primers, that might be an issue. But I'm reasonably sure the ATF is busy rounding up all the 14 year olds that are putting full auto switches on their glocks so you should be GTG.
Reloading Primers rank right up there with Reloading 22LR , An excellent idea for when the World goes total " Lord Of The Flies " ape shape nuts !
