Posted on 07/14/2012 6:14:40 AM PDT by marktwain
I’m well aware of the history of gunpowder. Making the propellant is the least of the challenges in making ammunition (although the powder you’re describing is black powder, not nitrocellulose, the smokeless powder in common use today, which is much harder to make).
The real challenge is in making the shell casings and the primers. I’m not saying it can’t be done; I’m saying that it’s a labor-intensive, materially costly process unless it’s automated, and one that is unlikely to be recreatable in any useful volume if Armageddon occurs.
The only thing we can hope for is to be able to capture or rebuild some of the existing machinery (and the power to make it run).
Be careful. What you’re planning could be considered “manufacturing” for ATF purposes. That’s what led the Feds to invade the Branch Davidian compound in Waco, Texas and slaughter 80-some people.
The Waco slaughter was basically over a few hundred dollars of uncollected taxes.
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