The original apocalypse guns

[Saddlebag Preacher]

I've got several different modern and BP guns. I've watched the preppers shows, see the run on M4 rifles and ammo, etc. The one thing I've noticed is, even though some are hoarding thousands of rounds, eventually they will run out if the "stuff hitting the fan" happens. I've found it cheaper to get enough factory ammo to hunt with and for SD, but, because I reload .45 colt and 12 ga with BP or Pyrodex, I've been setting back supplies for reloading the casings for a long time.

I've also have been getting some lead wheel weights put aside and am ordering a .454 ball and bullet mold. With instructions to make BP if I run out, I can keep going for some time. Even could hunt with my flintlock to save my caps for my handguns.

I just think maybe we BP guys might stock up on our stuff too.

 

[EmGeeGeorge]

Just remember pyrodex has a (much) shorter shelf life than true black powder.

 

[Hellgate]

Preacher,
You'd be better to use the wheel weights for the rifle & pistol bullets and look for lead sheeting or some other softer lead for the .454 balls. Hard lead is hard on the C&Bs.

 

[Patocazador]

Just remember pyrodex has a (much) shorter shelf life than true black powder.

Listen to EmGeeGeorge. I have old Pyrodex that won't explode, it just fizzes.

 

[Tommygunn]

It turns into Alka Seltzer?

 

[EmGeeGeorge]

In the 1980's(I think) there was some dredging done in the Buffalo River. They recovered casks of BP from the war of 1812 that was still viable! The casks had settled to the bottom and covered over with silt over time. BP even if wetted can be restored, but in an anaerobic environ will last indefinitely.
Pyrodex, on the other hand... My dad won't use it for competition even a few months from purchase; the stuff breaks down fast.

 

[Voodoochile]

I personally have about 100Lbs of lead, 10Lbs of Goex FFFG, & 2000+ #11 caps.
I do have though 4Lbs of Pyrodex P to get rid of.

 

[Saddlebag Preacher]

Didn't know about the lead, Thanks.

If Pyrodex isused to reload .45 colt cases, (BP is getting difficult to get here now) does it still suffer the shelf life problem?

Thanks

 

[CountGlockulla]

Here you go.

 

[Busyhands94]

If there's one gun I'd want in the event of a SHTF situation it would be my Remington NMA sixgun. I can make caps, powder, and ball. A bullet from a NMA will kill most anything you might come across.

 

[4v50 Gary]

I would prefer a flintlock over a caplock. You can always scrounge for old arrowheads, just like the mountain men did. Caps are modern stuff that requires fulminate of mercury (or a bunch of scrapings from matches stuffed into a copper cap) and that's high science (in fact, for me cooking is a high science. No wonder why no one wants my beans).

What I'd lean towards would be a minie ball barrel with a flintlock firing mechanism. Best of both worlds since you've got the range of a minie without needing caps.

 

[VA27]

...What I'd lean towards would be a minie ball barrel with a flintlock firing mechanism. Best of both worlds since you've got the range of a minie without needing caps.

I like that idea.

 

[BHP FAN]

If I was doing ''flinch lock'' I'd want a double barrel, loaded with buck and ball, to offset the limited number of shots and slow reload time.

 

[jeepnik]

Here you go.

Yea, but he didn't have to worry about running out of ammo. He was the only one using firearms. Well, except for the one follower who had a handgun, but he violated the "code".

 

[crazyjennyblack]

I wouldn't worry too much about the Pyrodex unless you've opened it. I've got some 6 year old Pyrodex P and it burns just fine. I also recently found an open can that I'd misplaced for a year or two, and it was fine as well. Of course, this is all stored between 50 and 100 degrees Fahrenheit, and kept moisture free in a box with a desiccant package..... YMMV

 

[Armored farmer]

I think we are thinking along the same lines Preacher. I had thought that .223/5.56 would always be in supply. However, I never dreamed of how much demand there would be.
Before this last run on supplies, I stocked up on supplies for .30-30. It can be loaded with black also if need be.

 

[Fiv3r]

I got into BP right around the last ammo hoard. I'm not looking for a way to feed my family when the ammo dries up, and I'm not thinking I'll have to defend my home and hearth with bp guns. However I do need a viable way to keep shooting on a small budget.

That said, i do stock up a bit. I have about 500 caps, a couple pounds of pyrodex, 10 pounds of lead, and. 454 mold with a .375 on order (to feed my shortie 1861 that is also on order).

BP is pretty easy to stock up on.

 

[FreddyKruger]

Ive started to watch the tv series "Revolution". The electricity just goes out and its pretty much SHTF.

The majority of weapons are with bow/crossbows and black powder guns, but altho the majority of weapons are percussion cap, im yet to see a cap and ball revolver. id like to see a sniper with a sharps but that hasnt happened yet either

 

[BHP FAN]

it will.

 

[kBob]

Count Glockulla,

Thanks for jarring that memory loose. In the late 1970s before gun lights had really caught on a friend had a S&W 76 and thanks to the performance of that former NRA president in that film we obtained some wood blocks with notches in them a roll of duct tape and a ray-o-vac.

We then went out to the range we used after dark and proceeded to annoy the neighbors. We thought after that experience that gun lights for other than coon hunting would never catch on dispite being loads of fun.


On another note, Mel Tappan did not think much of BP guns for TEOTWAWKI as he believed that storing loaded cartridges for a modern gun was much easier and allowed "better" guns to be used.

Never tried BP in the S&W 76 though......

-kBob

 

[Cosmoline]

Primers are the narrowest spot in the firearm stream of commerce, and without a steady production of them you can forget about everything from caplocks on down.

The only true long-term post-apocalyptic firearm is the simple flintlock. Either a trade gun type or a small bore rifle. Provided there's a supply of black powder and lead, those firearms can "live off the land" better than any others.

No wonder why no one wants my beans

That's a whole different fulminate.

 

[Jasonmackuk]

You can get a cap making machine all you need is a rolecof paper caps and a drinks can make your own caps cool

 

[robhof]

robhof

You can also make fulminate of iodine, by mixing iodine crystals and strong ammonia. it takes some experimenting as it can get sensitive enough to be set off in caps when dropped(spoken from experience!). I don't know how corrosive it is, but it worked on my kit pistol some 45 yrs ago. Hard to find caps, so I reused the ones that didn't split and painted the inside and allowed to dry. Got ingredients from the school chemistry lab.(I was a lab assistant)

 

[Vermonter]

How long does Triple-7 last?

 

[4v50 Gary]

Triple 7? Pyrodex?

During the Revolution the patriotic newspapers printed instructions on how to make your own blackpowder. It became a cottage industry (and like any cottage industry, delivered indifferent results). Ditto for South during the Civil War (but in that case, urine was saved and collected).