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Need bullets? try a car battery!
Posted: Tue Aug 13, 2019 7:49 pm
by Greyhawk
The son of some long time family friends of ours is on a year long mission trip which includes spending the summer in Nepal. One of his first experiences in the village where he is serving was helping the villagers handload ammunition to deal with some varmints which were ruining their crops. The only hurdle was finding lead for bullets. No problem! Jake said they found plenty of lead by breaking open old car batteries and using the lead out of them!
So, if you run out of bullets this summer you might just wanna jerk the battery out of your spouses car!
DISCLAIMER: this is probably not the best idea.. If the battery acid don't get you, your spouse probably will!
Re: Need bullets? try a car battery!
Posted: Tue Aug 13, 2019 8:17 pm
by krunchnik
Isn't the lead from batteries pretty soft?
Re: Need bullets? try a car battery!
Posted: Tue Aug 13, 2019 8:52 pm
by Greyhawk
krunchnik wrote: ↑Tue Aug 13, 2019 8:17 pm
Isn't the lead from batteries pretty soft?
I don't know...but if that's all you got....I guess you got to make do
Re: Need bullets? try a car battery!
Posted: Tue Aug 13, 2019 8:54 pm
by Mistered
Isn't the lead from batteries pretty soft?
I am thinking if it comes down to this (scavenging lead from car batteries to make bullets) hardness wouldn't be an issue.
Can't the 'villagers' get conventional bullets from a manufacturer?
If not do they have casting equipment? Ya know, molds, lead pots, a sizing and lubing system?
If this were the case I'd try to find another source for lead other than car batteries - which are nasty to deal with - AND how many cars are there in Nepal to provide batteries for lead?
So how about powder and primers for availability? What are they doing for this and what are they using for guns, as well as reloading equipment?
Kinda makes me wonder - as an experienced reloader and former bullet caster...
Re: Need bullets? try a car battery!
Posted: Wed Aug 14, 2019 7:03 am
by Greyhawk
Mistered wrote: ↑Tue Aug 13, 2019 8:54 pm
Isn't the lead from batteries pretty soft?
I am thinking if it comes down to this (scavenging lead from car batteries to make bullets) hardness wouldn't be an issue.
Can't the 'villagers' get conventional bullets from a manufacturer?
If not do they have casting equipment? Ya know, molds, lead pots, a sizing and lubing system?
If this were the case I'd try to find another source for lead other than car batteries - which are nasty to deal with - AND how many cars are there in Nepal to provide batteries for lead?
So how about powder and primers for availability? What are they doing for this and what are they using for guns, as well as reloading equipment?
Kinda makes me wonder - as an experienced reloader and former bullet caster...
Yeah.. there's a lot to wonder about! His dad was just telling me about it so I don't have all the details.
Re: Need bullets? try a car battery!
Posted: Thu Aug 15, 2019 9:48 pm
by Larry in OK
OLD car batteries aren't much of an issue. Modern batteries can have some serious bad stuff in there and are not really safe or suitable for scavenging for casting lead.