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this may seem a dumb question.... but need expert thought

hunter1959

Gunny Sergeant
Full Member
Minuteman
Jan 16, 2020
575
625
if we do find ourselves in a situation where the power grid goes down... what equipment are some of you prepared with to measure out precision powder loads?
 
would like serious answers from those with the same concern... SHTF, power outages, ammo being used all leads to needing to continually reload, and there is never enough... looking for the best approach in specific tool recommendations for precision manual loading
 
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Seriously, I have Chargemaster but I use my Redding BR series powder thrower on most lds. Quicker and does a most satisfactory job for me. With a single stage press I cood ld with a hdlamp
 
A flashlight.

So i can see the reading on my mechanical beam scale :p

Honestly. making more rounds is for down time. If things get bad, you should already have plenty handy to last a bit.

Also less likely to be burning up ammo practicing.
I read that twice as “fleshlight”. This place is getting to me.
 
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When I was out fishing the Henry’s Fork in ID I stayed at a B&B for a couple of nights. The woman’s son had his single stage bolted to a cut off stump sitting inside the door. When he wanted to reload he took the stump into the yard and reloaded. About as not-fancy and practical as it gets. Just load during the day.
 
I still have a beam scale so it won't be as fast, but still accurate. And I've got a huge pack of batteries for my calipers. Not sure what else you'd need.
 
would like serious answers from those with the same concern... SHTF, power outages, ammo being used all leads to needing to continually reload, and there is never enough... looking for the best approach in specific tool recommendations for precision manual loading


While I'm always full of sarcasm, that was a serious answer.
Ammo runs out eventually.

What part of your reloading gear needs wall power ?

A basic battery bank and inverter can be put together very easily.

Quality rechargeable AAs are another good thing to have a surplus of.
 
let me explain myself a little further so I don't sound completely fucked... the idea here is to get to the rough equivalent of what I am doing with my Lyman tumbler and metered dispenser both 1200's ... I didn't ask, but might as well now... without a powered tumbler what are you guys using to case prep clean?
 
I think a man needs to think ahead in all this.

1. have plenty of ammo (enough stored to burn out the barrel, but you probably aint doing this with lapua brass)
2. generator (store gas)
3. have a back up reloading kit with all the old school ways (non electric)
 
guys, I spent my active service time on the Bridge and Bridge wings of Destroyers and Cruisers... I am not an infantryman by formal training, but I am trying to catch up at least in the basics... I don't consider myself skilled in the technical ways and workarounds of all of this, but learning my way... so take pity on this old salt, always looking for the skills you fellows have earned through hard work and hard times... I want to be just as ready as anyone can be with my particular background...
 
I will also offer this:

yes during grid down ammo is important.
but whats more important is having proper food, water, medical, and a very good sanitation plan. if you dont have those, you probably wont live long enough to use your ammo.
 
Precision reloading won't be as important as just having ammo available. I am stockpiled for a very long period. This also includes shotgun ammo. I personally don't feel I'm going to have time to sit down and use any reloader, nor should I have to. I've been stockpiling since the Y2K scare.

Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it

For every " catatrophe " we've had, I've stepped up my planning and by now, I'm pretty much set. Other than not having enough water, I'm okay. Water is the great unknown. It's difficult to say how much water you will need. But a catch basin and a few 55 gallon drums, should allow me to obtain enough water to keep us safe.

PDA: If you're stockpiling for a time when society breaks down, please remember your pets. Buying a few extra bags of food isn't that expensive and it can be cycled in and out to keep it fresh. But not having enough food for your pets will be just another thing you will have to deal with. A few bucks and 1 trip to your pet store and that thought can be removed from your mind.
 
Either of those items should be a low draw. Shouldn't be any problem to piggy back them on whatever you have keeping your fridge, freezer, and lights going.

FYI : staying very basic. An 800 watt inverter hooked to your car can keep your fridge amd freezer cold.

One at a time.
 
Precision reloading won't be as important as just having ammo available. I am stockpiled for a very long period. This also includes shotgun ammo. I personally don't feel I'm going to have time to sit down and use any reloader, nor should I have to. I've been stockpiling since the Y2K scare.

Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it

For every " catatrophe " we've had, I've stepped up my planning and by now, I'm pretty much set. Other than not having enough water, I'm okay. Water is the great unknown. It's difficult to say how much water you will need. But a catch basin and a few 55 gallon drums, should allow me to obtain enough water to keep us safe.

PDA: If you're stockpiling for a time when society breaks down, please remember your pets. Buying a few extra bags of food isn't that expensive and it can be cycled in and out to keep it fresh. But not having enough food for your pets will be just another thing you will have to deal with. A few bucks and 1 trip to your pet store and that thought can be removed from your mind.
I hear all of this and have thought of a good bit of it...

Wife is a nurse midwife with three degrees, including time in an emergency room... basic supplies we have

food... I live boardering two things that are important, deep woods and the Yellow Breeches Creek which both a source of water and fish, crawfish and turtles, both snapper and box... the woods are teaming with game... deer, turkey, rabbits, squirrels... the lower portion of the yard leading to the creek is growing vegetables... we do can

ammo... don't have nearly what you have, but have about 7k rounds of .223... 3k rounds of 6.5 creedmoor.. 2500 rounds of 9mm.. 1000 rounds of 44 mag and special... 5000 rounds of 22lr... and about 24lbs of powder, 7000 primers, 2000 55gr SMK for the .223, 3000 140 and 147gr ELDM for the 6.5

do I think I have enough... hell no... but working on it and workarounds for planning purposes
 
its 5 gallons a day per person.
drinking, bathing, cleaning etc equals an average of 5 gallons a day per person.
forgot about this in the planning I have done.... have two platypus gravity water filtration systems with 12 replacement filters... the creek is an excellent cold water trout stream and runs swift...
 
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May want to check this guy out.

Has a LOT of experience with engineering and electrical systems.

He has a lot of good info in his various websites ****1234.com

You should look up his info on generators and batteries.
 
its 5 gallons a day per person.
drinking, bathing, cleaning etc equals an average of 5 gallons a day per person.


But how many days. That's the concern. No one knows how long you will need to supply your own water.
 
let me explain myself a little further so I don't sound completely fucked... the idea here is to get to the rough equivalent of what I am doing with my Lyman tumbler and metered dispenser both 1200's ... I didn't ask, but might as well now... without a powered tumbler what are you guys using to case prep clean?

Wipe them off with a rag.
 
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But how many days. That's the concern. No one knows how long you will need to supply your own water.

at least 1 year
and you cant store that unless you are in the country, drilling a well, have a pond etc
filtration (sawyer mini, berkey, etc) and purification is more sustainable than storage
 
Wipe them off with a rag.
This.
Before everyone decided that they just had to have spotless shiny brass, just having brass that was clean with no dirt or other abrasive things on it was perfectly adequate and shouldn’t affect your load unless your are used to shiny inside necks that grip the brass.
 
You can rig up a rotary tumbler to a bicycle. Hand crank case trimmers suck but don’t need electricity. Beam scales and powder measures don’t need electricity. Basically for handloading electricity is a convenience, not a necessity.
 
Before electronic scales we used mechanical beam scales. Electronics have spoiled us but a beam scale works just fine. I still have a hand powered lathe type case trimmer although I prefer my Giraud. I also have a mechanical set of 6" calipers. I also have a set of plastic Lee powder dippers with a scale listing what each one holds. Its crude but they work. Many shooters never tumble brass. It needs to be clean but shiney is for looks and not necessary. Wipe any grit off and load them. I think my ChargeMaster will run on batteries?
 
For everything that isn’t precision I’d use my 550

for precision stuff I’d plug my autotrickler into my Honda 2000w inverter generator.
 
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kids ? if yes a treadmill out side let them run them self out its a win win they and you get healthy you get power could try windmills or solar to augment your power supply you might have to check the laws in your area but free power with the word free sounds good to me though the equipment you need to do solar is far from free but either way good luck and happy power hunting .
 
guys, I spent my active service time on the Bridge and Bridge wings of Destroyers and Cruisers... I am not an infantryman by formal training, but I am trying to catch up at least in the basics... I don't consider myself skilled in the technical ways and workarounds of all of this, but learning my way... so take pity on this old salt, always looking for the skills you fellows have earned through hard work and hard times... I want to be just as ready as anyone can be with my particular background...
The loading is easy, brass prep is where you'll burn time. I prep brass in very large amounts, put it in containers that I then mark with a sharpie. Keep piles of brass ready to load at the drop of a hat. With a good powder measure and balance beam scale, all you'll need is a source of light. Now is the time to tumble, size, and trim (if necessary). I don't know what will happen tomorrow, but the lights are on now, so light a cigar, turn on the military channel or your favorite music channel, and get to preppin.
 
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To the op, I like where your head is. You're always going to improve your situation by planning ahead and thinking down the road. There is a lot of knowledge to be gained on this site, so don't hesitate to bring your questions. We all had to learn somewhere. I've been handloading for 25 years and I'm still learning.