Praxis: "Can you make priming compound?" Yes, you can.

A reader sends this thread from the cast boolits forum. He also comments --

Mike,

Please see the following thread that covers almost everything there is to know about making your own primers.

http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?182089-can-you-make-priming-compound

I have learned how to safely make my own primers using H-48 primer compound and have had excellent success (i.e. 99%+ reliability). I also have had excellent success reloading primers using toy caps. The only drawback to the "easy" methods is that these primer compounds produce corrosive by-products that require you to quickly clean the gun barrel with hot water after a shooting session. This was standard practice until the end of WWII when non-corrosive primers finally replaced corrosive primers in almost all ammunition. However, you can still occasionally find corrosively primed military surplus ammo from Russia, former Eastern Bloc countries, and the ChiComs for sell.

I am slowly assembling the needed chemicals to make several non-corrosive primer formulations. It requires a little wet chemistry to synthesize a few intermediates, but once done it is possible to make exactly the same primer formulations that commercial ammunition companies use. Working with high energy percussion sensitive compounds is not everyone's cup of tea and there is a real element of danger. It helps if you are a chemist (which I am) and work with very small amounts of compound at a time. This is like the holy grail to me and once successfully accomplished will probably end my primer experiments until I need to make them for real.

In any case, I no longer have any fear of being unable to reload ammunition should the authorities try to cut-off supplies of projectiles, primers, or powder. All of these can be made from re-purposed off-the-shelf items. For example, ammonium nitrate is commonly used as the drying agent in products that are sold to keep things dry in your closet or clothes dresser. It is also used in instant cold bags that are used to treat bruises and burns. This kind of information is available on the internet now, but may not be after a government caused crisis. I encourage any interested persons to research these things now. It will be too late to learn how to do it after the grid goes down.

Just because I can does not mean I want to make my own primers. After the last primer shortage (November 2012-2014, yep, 2 years long), I have been laying in a stockpile of primers that should keep me in ammo for a very long time (I buy them whenever I find a good deal, just found S&B primers at Cabelas for $19.99/1000). Same thing with projectiles and powder. So, when some collectivist idiot proposes cutting off the supply of ammunition as a form of gun control, there are many thousands like myself who will not be affected in the least. We also make ammunition that is equal to or better than any you can buy. I reload for every common pistol and rifle caliber people use today (and a few that aren't so common). I figure that ammo would make a pretty good currency in a post dollar barter based economy.

Just thought you might want to know that many of us are prepared for the worse. We will also help keep our freedom loving brothers in arms locked and loaded.

Sincerely,

MT

PS - I also buy commercial ammo when I find it at a good price.