In a total societal collapse, some have predicted a return to a "local economy," meaning a return to handmade goods and locally grown food. If this rather far-fetched situation did occur, history has much to teach about the resourcefulness of the human being. For instance, on the topic of reloading cartridges for firearms by hand, we find this comment about Native Americans on the Great Plains:

"Powder and lead [were] obtained by breaking up the cartridges of another calibre that didn't fit an [Indian's] gun and using these to reload the shells -- which worked about as well as the right shells would have, had he been able to obtain them. Some of the shell casings were reloaded as many as fifty times."

The U.S. Army, fighting the Indians, was aware of this and warned officers "to prevent Indians from procuring the empty shells thrown away by troopers after firing."

One Army officer had this to say about Indian resourcefulness:
"I heard a shot fired and saw a young buck Indian near the water with an army breech-loading rifle, calibre fifty, short in the barrel, and with a raw-hide wrapped stock. I went to where he was and, to my surprise and I may say delight, saw the first centre-fire reloaded metallic rifle cartridge. It seems that this Indian had picked up some empty shells left at the target range, and had, with a small three-square hand-saw file, reamed out the hole punctured by the firing-pin of the rifle so as to take a gun- or pistol-cap, which he placed in the pocket made with the file; he then put a lath- or shingle-nail into the cap, filled the shell to cover the nail-head with powder, placed over this a gun-wad cut down to fit tightly, then filling up the shell with duck-shot, placing over that another gun-wad, split thin so as to secure as much room as possible, for the shot. Over the last wad some sealing-wax had been melted and run in, and the lip of the shell slightly turned in, to enable him to insert the cartridge easily into the chamber of the rifle. This Indian had quite a number of these reloaded shells with him ; he, however, prepared and reloaded some for me with shot and some with ball, the latter having been hammered into shape by hand to fit the shells. I secured some of these cartridges and sent them either to General Ord, then commanding the Department of California, or to his adjutant- general, Colonel Sherburn, I think. I never received any reply or acknowledgment to this, but some time thereafter a circular or order was issued from San Francisco, giving instructions that in future the empty shells, after target practice, would be carefully collected, in order that the Indians should not get them. The ammunition referred to was what is known as "solid head." If you remember, centre-fire ammunition was issued to us, I think, in 1880 or 1881. Query, did the ordnance people get the idea of centre-fire ammunition from the "noble red man" of the Yuma tribe? This Indian surely displayed great skill, genius, and ingenuity in preparing the shells and reloading them."

It is a matter of debate, then, whether Indians, with primitive tools, developed the reloadable center-fire cartridge case. In a little more modern context, consider these comments [link] about bush repair of vehicles. The point is simply that skills, not equipment, make the difference. A winning attitude, resourcefulness, and a refusal to give up can be very important in any survival situation. They should be the first items you pack into your "survival kit." Custer certainly would have wished that his opponents had not.