The Prepared Ninja – by Lee Flynn
Emergency preparedness is on a lot of people’s minds. With the state of the economy, and the days where the news makes it sound like the country is about to explode into civil unrest, it’s really no wonder.
Some people think that it’s all a lot of hoopla, with no real threat behind it, but when you consider that any sort of disruption in any of the big cities (where problems generally occur) would more than likely affect our financial system, our food chain, or our gas and oil supply. Any one of these being stopped or delayed could make life difficult very quickly, so being prepared is important.
When you’re trying to prepare your home and family for whatever comes, there is a lot that you need to consider. Having a backup water supply is one of the most important, followed by making sure you have emergency food on hand that has a long shelf life. But have you considered your ammunition stores? You probably have, but with the ammunition shortages that this country is experiencing right now there is a good chance that you aren’t satisfied with the supply that you currently have.
If you are good at building things, and are willing to learn a new and relatively easy skill, then you can put yourself ahead of the crowd by making your own ammunition. Most people think that making ammunition would be far too expensive or complicated to make it worth it, but this is far from the truth.
While the cost of buying the raw materials for making ammunition has risen a bit due to the economy and the effect of supply and demand, you will still see huge savings over buying ammunition pre-made.
Making ammunition is definitely a skill, and so you need to be prepared for the learning curve that comes with it. You have to learn how to be precise. But that being said, there really aren’t many steps to the process.
First you need the casings – you can buy them new, obviously, but many people also reclaim all the casings they can from their target practice and reuse them. If you wash used casings and ensure they aren’t damaged, there is no reason why you can’t save even more money by repacking them.
After you place a new primer in the cartridge, you put in the right amount of gunpowder, and then the projectile – which is the bullet itself. Obviously the type of ammunition that you are making will have an effect on what materials you need, and how much gunpowder is used, but this is something that you will have to determine once you know what caliber you need.
One nice thing about making your own ammo is that once you have the method down, you can make it faster and faster. In the beginning you may only have a handful to show for an hour’s worth of work, but some people get to the point where they can make up to 300 in an hour. That’s a lot of ammo!
Also, keep in mind that the tools that you need for making your own ammunition are not terribly expensive. A few hundred dollars should set you up with everything you need, plus the raw materials.
If you’re so inclined, you can even make your own bullets, although this is a different skill and requires an entire new set of tools and supplies.
The bottom line is that making your own ammunition is a feasible and cost-effective way to prepare for an emergency. Knowing that you have what you need to protect your home or feed your family is invaluable, and something that cannot be taken away from you, no matter what comes to pass.
About The Author – Lee Flynn is a freelance writer and expert in emergency food preparedness and food storage.
http://www.thepreparedninja.com/making-ammunition-for-emergency-preparedness
Good luck finding powder. It is more scarce than 22 LR ammo.