I've still got my 60 handloaded 215 grain rhino loads for the SMLE in case any moose show up in Los Angeles. That, and a few hundred in commercial hardball.

I figure, when Kokopelli's brother TEOTWAWKI descends out of season ahead of cornmaiden I'll just wait for all these american patriots with chicom SKS or Kalashnikovs to start reenacting Red Dawn or whatever.

One round at range like the afghan mujahadeens and I OWn all that chicom ammo and that funny looking tyre jack of a carbine.

I'm stocking up on brit marmalade, pilot bread, organic dark chocolate, tea and good single malt whisky myself.

You and I are thinking along the same lines, Chris!!

But what happens when the Hind Helicopter shows up?

10,000 rounds? Geez, I feel like a slacker. Probably only have 200 or so of .22, and equal numbers for my other 2 rifles. Looks I need to cruise by the gun show next time it's in town.

Quiet, mild and cheap loads for 30-06. Lyman manual #48

170 grain Oregon trail lasercast lead bullets .310 diameter.
$56/500 (used to be $24/500 last year, the price of lead and copper
had come back down so maybe bullets will too when they run out
of
current inventory.)

Range pickup brass (cleaned, resized, flared with a center punch) Low pressure loads (24000 cup) so they will last nearly forever.
Free

Primers
$20/1000


Alliant Unique Pistol Powder (use only with cast bullets in rifles)
$18/pound
12 grains
In my Springfield -03 I get 1.5" 4 shot groups at 100.
Standard Deviation 40
Velocity 1430fps

No barrel wear, shoots cool, easy for kids (like a big 22)

Buy a couple of boxes bullets, a box of primers and a couple of
lbs of unique and brass from the range or your non reloading
buddies and you have 1000 rounds of ammo.

Here is a kit for your bob

http://www.leeprecision.com/cgi/catalog/browse.cgi?1226767548.4324=/html/catalog/cleeloader.html

NEVER,EVER pick up range brass! You simply cannot know it's history and are rolling dice it won't have a catastrophic head seperation or case rupture.A brand new, Federal ( thickest case out there) from a rifle with excessive headspace will seperate after resising and firing.I know,I had to extract the shell from a Garand when it was reloaded after firing in an old 03 Springfield!!! We practise firearms safety to the point of almost silly failsafe handling ( don't we?)

Now, as to HIND helcopters. I refer everyone to my favourite buggout movie Lonely Are The Brave with Kirk Douglas. Old Kirk shoots down Bill Bixbie with a .32 Winchester.My helicopter rifle is a .375 with hunting solids rubbbed in garlic.

If he was still alive, Owen Baggett would probably be able to shoot down a helicopter for you.

"Japanese pilots began strafing, killing some crewmen and grazing Baggett in the arm. The pilot that struck the blow circled, perhaps to get a better look, perhaps to finish the job. As he parachuted to the ground, Baggett played dead. The enemy pilot opened his canopy, approaching within feet, his plane's nose up and on the verge of stalling out. Baggett raised the .45 automatic pistol concealed against his leg and fired four shots. The Zero stalled, spun toward the earth. Baggett learned later that the enemy pilot was found dead, with a single bullet through his head."


Scroll down to the 7th article:

http://www.7thbg.org/Nov2006.htm

Hinds are reportedly pretty tough to shoot down. "...The body is heavily armored and the titanium rotor blades can resist impacts from .50 caliber (12.7 mm) rounds..." ( Link ). I wonder if the transmission is armored as well. Take out the tranny and down it goes...

Well, one advantage to having a lot of common ammo is the barter factor I suppose.

Reloading has two appealing aspects. First, and for most starting out this is the big one, is the economy. Yeah, the initial investment can cost you an extra couple hundred, but after 1,500 rounds that investment has paid for itself. The other, and the one that I prefer, is the ability to customize my ammo to my firearms and/or purpose.

I like the Remington 9mm JHP 9MM1 (standard pressure) available at Walmarts. At ~$23 per 100 it's cheap enough to be considered "range ammo", but it can serve as a defense load as well. Maybe not as good as the $1.00 per round stuff, but not really THAT far behind it. However, I've checked three Walmarts now and they're all sold out of it. I used to have no problems getting it. :-(

This also makes the case (pun intended) for careful inspection
of all brass before you load up.

Also for wearing safety glasses.

You knew the history of the case and
still had a problem. I have had NEW brass improperly
annealed at the factory that failed on the first shooting,
-even on low pressure loads. The factory replaced them.

Bob, a friend of mine told me if you don't have a
comparator to measure headspace of the
unsized, fired brass, you can do the same thing with a
bit of tubing or a socket that fits over the neck and
against the shoulder so
you can measure with your caliper and compare to factory
brass. Also you could cut open one case from the batch
and measure above the web to see if there is any thinning
which could lead to separation. A micrometer is best for
this.

Toss any that are questionable.

As Nosler says, ALMOST anybody can reload. I learn
something everyday.

You may even find a friend's rifle, like that old -03,
that has dangerous headspace and save them some grief.
Brit 303's are notorious I have heard for excessive
headspace.