Category: Reader-Written Contributed Article

No Ammo, No Primers, No Problem! – Part 5, by M.B.

(Continued from Part 4. This concludes the article.) LOADING MUZZLELOADING MUSKETS & SHOTGUNS How Much Powder and Shot?sh Short Lane, the makers of black powder adapters for shotguns, recommend the following amounts. I have followed their recommendations in my 20 gauge single shot. 209 Adapter in .410 Pistol/Derringer 25-35 grains black powder or black powder substitute 40 grains lead shot 209 Adapter in .410 Shotgun 50-60 grains black powder or black powder substitute 50 grains lead shot 209 Adapter in 12 Ga., 16 Ga., & 20 Ga. Shotguns 75-85 grains black powder or black powder substitute 80 grains lead shot …


No Ammo, No Primers, No Problem! – Part 4, by M.B.

(Continued from Part 3.) 20 Gauge Shotgun Shells and Black Powder Safety Note: When loading black powder shotgun shells, there must be no empty space inside the shell, and the powder should be compressed slightly (about 1/16 inches, or about 2mm). You may need to use a wadding or other “filler” inside the shell, so that there’s no empty space below the crimp. Six 20 gauge shotshells were primed with recharged shotgun primers. Note: The primers were recharged WITHOUT black powder in the primer bodies, and no tissue paper was used to close the flash holes. I measured out 7/8 …


No Ammo, No Primers, No Problem! – Part 3, by M.B.

(Continued from Part 2.) FOR SHOTGUN PRIMERS ONLY You will need the following to recharge shotgun shell primers: Large (3/8-inch or larger) hex nut – Depriming stand for shotgun shells and assembly holder for shotgun primers. A 1/4-inch hole is drilled in one of the flats for the primer body. Used with the C-clamp for pressing the primer cup into the body, the open space in the middle of the nut allows gases to vent if the primer “pops” during assembly. 8mm Nylock nut – Supports a fired shotgun primer to aid disassembly. Small nail with point cut off flat …


No Ammo, No Primers, No Problem! – Part 2, by M.B.

(Continued from Part 1.) The components for black powder really are not all that hard to obtain. In many cases, you can buy potassium nitrate and sulfur locally with cash, generally at a nursery, garden or home improvement store, “Garden sulfur” is what I have used in powder making. It’s used as a fungicide and insecticide, and you can even make black powder without it. Black powder can be made with just potassium nitrate and charcoal. Sulfur serves to make black powder easier to ignite, so keep this in mind if you decide to make sulfur-free black powder. Potassium nitrate …


No Ammo, No Primers, No Problem! – Part 1, by M.B.

Introductory Disclaimer: Recharging primers and making black powder, while safe in the author’s experimental experience, can be dangerous. The author and SurvivalBlog.com do not endorse recharging primers, nor making black powder, and you do so at your own risk. Making primers and/or black powder could also be in violation of the laws in your jurisdiction. You are responsible for compliance with all laws in your area. Neither the author, nor SurvivalBlog.com, are responsible for your use of the information in this article. The processes described herein are therefore for informational purposes only. Important Safety Note: Black powder can be dangerous …


Choosing a Practical Antique Rifle – Part 4, by Tunnel Rabbit

(Continued from Part 3.  This concludes the article.) Powder Choices for Reloaders A 140-grain bullet weight is popular for the 6.5×55, because it is the best all-around weight for just about anything this cartridge can do, and do at its best.  For flatter trajectories and for lighter game, decisive kill shots are better with 120 to 123 grain bullets.  However, the 140 grain will likely be the most accurate bullet passed 300 yards.  Top velocities and the greatest accuracy is found with most 140-grain bullets and a maximum charge of RL22. However, RL22 is temperature sensitive and results can disappointing …


Choosing a Practical Antique Rifle – Part 3, by Tunnel Rabbit

(Continued from Part 2.) Reloading for a Chilean Mauser Converted to 7.62 NATO In my experience reloading for another Ludwig Loewe Chilean Mauser, I found good accuracy and top velocities that duplicated some of the most accurate 7.62×51 NATO ammunition using IMR3031 for both 150 and 165 grain bullets. Using military brass, somewhere between 38 to 40 grains of IMR3031 under a 165 to 168 grain bullet, will duplicated the old Navy Match Load.  A maximum of 42 grains of IMR3031 will duplicate 7.62×51 NATO trajectories with good accuracy, and that also happens to be close to where these rifles …


Choosing a Practical Antique Rifle – Part 2, by Tunnel Rabbit

(Continued from Part 1.) Antiques versus Modern, Cartridge Pressures, and Barrel Length The long barrel could be awkward to handle when hunting, yet the long barrel produces higher velocities, as much as 300 feet per second (fps) higher in velocity over carbine length barrels.  This is a very important consideration if the rifle might be used for long-range targets. The higher velocity is also beneficial when using standard soft point ammuntion for game at ranges between 100 and 300 yards, and larger big game inside of 200 yards, such as elk. The 29-inch barrel adds approximately 100 fps over the …


Choosing a Practical Antique Rifle – Part 1, by Tunnel Rabbit

For some background, start by reading JWR’s Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) article, which is considered a standard Internet reference: The Pre-1899 Antique Guns FAQ. Here is an important quote from that FAQ: Q: What constitutes “antique” under U.S. law? A: Although your State and local laws may vary, any firearm with a frame or receiver that actually made before Jan. 1, 1899 is legally “antique” and not considered a “firearm” under Federal law. This refers to the actual date of manufacture of the receiver/frame, not just model year or patent date marked. (For example, only low serial number Winchester Model …


Old School Weather Monitoring, by Hollyberry

It is so convenient to be able to turn the television, visit an Internet site, or turn on a weather radio to get the weather forecast for the next seven to ten days. But what happens when all the modern conveniences stop working? Anyone can tell the obvious current weather without much skill but it would be very helpful to predict future weather on the homestead, especially stormy and inclement weather. I am not going to use the scientific name for most of the clouds because as humans, we remember the descriptions of them rather then the scientific name. We …


YOYO Civil Defense, by 3AD Scout

Sometime between the First World War and the start of the Second World War the concept of civil defense or civil protection was born. The original purpose was to protect civilians from aerial bombing. After World War Two, the United States dismantled its civil defense corps. With the US the sole possessor of atomic weapons, there was no perceived need to spend money on civil defense. That perception did not last long due to the Soviet Union testing their first nuclear weapon in 1949. President Truman re-established civil defense with the goal of protecting the civilian population against a nuclear …


Do Not Comply – No Matter What, by SaraSue

Articles in SurvivalBlog are generally, focused on practical “How To” survivalist topics. I’ve been concerned more about my mental and emotional state lately. With so much negative news as of late, I’ve been focused on the practicality of managing my spirit as I work on practical things. I thought I’d share – this is where I stand. There comes a time when you realize that there is nothing left to do but face the Evil and stand firm. You’re done with trying to convince people, especially people you dearly love, that the Evil is here now. You’ve reconciled yourself to …


Mitigating the Drone/RDF Threat – Part 3, by Tunnel Rabbit

(Continued from Part 2. This concludes the article.) A Low Cost, and Simple-to-Operate Simplex Repeater We can use a simplex repeater such as the Argent Data Systems ADS-1 Simplex Repeater. This is essentially a sophisticated digital voice recorder that is superior in quality to the Surecom, and other cheap Chinese renditions. We must have a reliable system especially when it is relatively difficult to access and a linchpin in importance. Using a simplex repeater in conjunction with a cross-band repeater can confuse the RDF analysis further. This ‘repeater’, is actually a digital voice recorder that provides many useful functions. For …


Mitigating the Drone/RDF Threat – Part 2, by Tunnel Rabbit

(Continued from Part 1.) Down and Dirty, Remotely Controlled Transceivers Armed with the axiom that if something is ‘stupid, but works, then it is not stupid’, we can become creative. In the most austere environments where field expedient and unconventional means are the only means, I should mention that a Citizen’s Band (CB) radio with a Public Address (P.A.) function, or a hard wire intercom can also be used with the VOX feature of a transceiver to cause it to transmit. Using these means, we can transmit remotely, yet we can only receive via a transceiver located at the base …


Mitigating the Drone/RDF Threat – Part 1, by Tunnel Rabbit

Introduction This is an extension to my recent SurvivaBlog article titled Advanced Field Telephone Techniques, yet it examines and details the topic in the context of a specific threat. It often pays to reiterate and reinforce. While partly an intellectual pursuit, this discussion is grounded in decades of real world experience, sans actual battlefield experience, or military training. With this disclaimer stated, we can rest assured because the method of remotely operating transceivers via field phones was once SOP (Standard Operating Procedure) for U.S. military forces. It is well-proven on the battlefield as method of avoiding RDF, and subsequent direct …