Tradition

"[Tradition] cannot be inherited, and if you want it, you must obtain it by great labour."
--T.S. Eliot, from Tradition and the Individual Talent

EIEI-EO

While I'm dumping links, here's an Executive Order, dated July 6, 2012, issued by President Obama regarding "National Security and Emergency Preparedness (NS/EP)".  What number is this?  Did they stop numbering them so we don't know how many there are?

Full-Spectrum Operations in the Homeland

This is some sick shit.  First I got a link from a friend, then saw it in Sipsey St. a couple months back.  Must be the jerk-off fantasy of a twisted individual who thinks it might be fun to kill his countrymen.  Forgot to tuck the link away in case I need to refer to it again.

Precedent for Birthright Citizenship

For whatever reason, I came across the Wikipedia entry for the 1898 Supreme Court case, United States v. Wong Kim Ark, that set the precedent for birthright citizenship in the U.S.  It's useful to read about the history prior to having debates on the subject, since most people don't bother to get informed prior to opening their mouths!

Reloading Components

Just to make sure I'm really getting the best prices, I'm surveying other online shops that sell reloading components.  Prices checked 2012.10.25.

• Wideners: CCI34 $133/5k [oos forever]; CCI41 $125/5k; IMR4895 $137/8lb; Varget $20/1lb; H4895 $140/8lb; Nosler CC .308 168gr HPBT $226/1k; M193 55gr $435/5k [pp]; SS109 62gr $510/5k [pp]; M80 145gr $300/2k [pp]; 7.62 OFB mixed $290/2k; 5.56 OFB FC $180/3k, LC $204/3k
• Midway USA: CCI34 $185/5k [oos]; CCI41 $190/5k; IMR4895 $162/8lb; Nosler CC .308 168gr HPBT $220/1k [oos]
• Graf & Sons: CCI34 $185/5k; CCI41 $183/5k; Tula Berdan 7.62 $32/1k; IMR4895 $159/8lb; H4895 $162/8lb; Varget $162/8lb; Nosler CC .308 168gr HPBT $72/250
• Natchez Shooter Supply: CCI34/41 $35/1k; IMR4895 $148/8lb; H4895 $152/8lb; Varget $152/8lb; Nosler CC .308 168gr HPBT $67/250 [$268/1k]; Sierra MK .308 168gr HPBT $149/500 [$298/1k]
• Powder Valley: CCI34/41 $33/1k; Tula Berdan 7.62 $28/1k; IMR4895 $142/8lb; H4895 $145/8lb; Varget $145/8lb; Nosler CC .308 168gr HPBT $214/1k [Oct. special: order 32 lb of powder and hazmat is prepaid]
• Midsouth Shooters Supply: CCI34/41 $35/1k; IMR4895 $142/8lb; Varget $144/8lb [oos]; Nosler CC .308 168gr HPBT $210/1k [oos]
• Bruno Shooters Supply: CCI34 $33/1k [oos]; CCI41 $36/1k; IMR4895 $142/8lb; H4895 $145/8lb; Varget $145/8lb [oos]; Nosler CC .308 168gr HPBT $212/1k; Sierra MK .308 168gr HPBT $140/500
• R&R Arms: IMR4895 $178/8lb
• Ballistic Products: Varget $24/1lb [mostly shotgun]
• Everglades Ammo: M193 $170/2k [pp]; 5.56 OFB mixed $80/1k [pp]; 7.62 OFB mixed $85/500 [pp] [won't ship primers/powder]
• 10 Ring: 7.62 p/d 148gr $60/500 [won't ship primers/powder]
• Target Sports USA: [nothing in stock]

That's quite a spread of prices--it pays to shop around.  A couple other places are cheaper when it comes to primers, but unfortunately their powder selection is limited.

Other places to check later:
Arms & Ammo
T&T Reloading
RR Guns
Precision Reloading
Montana Gold Bullet [projectiles]
Track of the Wolf [black powder]

50shooter

Found a site that has some very interesting methods for reloading .50 BMG.

Primer/Powder Storage

There are guidelines for primer/powder storage in publication 495 by the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA).  The residential limits are 10k primers and 20 lbs (smokeless) powder, although if the latter is in wooden magazines with 1" thick walls, the limit is 50 lbs.  Apparently many municipalities have adopted NFPA 495 as the law.

SAAMI published three PDFs with the relevant excerpts from NFPA 495: primers, powder, and loaded ammunition.  The text is on the last or 2nd to last page of each document.

I also found an interesting paper produced in the UK circa 1998 regarding detonation risks associated with storing powder in buildings.  Strangely enough, the study noted found that smokeless powder is less volatile than black powder (called simply 'gunpowder' in the paper).

Certified Scales

To weigh metals in trade and gunpowder for repackaging and resale, a certified scale is necessary.  That is, one with a pedigree traceable back to standardized weights, which is legal for business use.  Required accuracy and maximum load determine what kind of scale is needed.  For 1-gram accuracy, the CAS ED series looks good.  For 0.1-gram/0.005-ozt accuracy, there's the Citizen CZ1200.

Military Hand Signals

The decoder ring for basic military hand signals (posted by American Specialty Ammo on Facebook):

Edit [2014.04.03]: The image link is busted, so here's another one.

Emergency Primers

No idea if this will work, but it sounds like a fun experiment:

1. Extract the anvil out of the fired primer. Using the multipurpose tool, gently hold the primer cup and carefully pull out any old primer with a metal pick. Place the primer cup on a hard, flat surface. Examine the case carefully to ensure there are no defects. For safety's sake, defective cups must be discarded. Keep the anvil with the cup.
2.  Insert the point of the star-tipped driver into the primer cup and tap very gently with the plastic mallet to remove the slight protrusion inside. Insert the flat-tipped screwdriver into the primer cup to clean out any remains of the previously used primer material. To minimize any undesirable results, get the cup as clean as possible. 
3. Using the box cutter, gently scrape off the white tip portion only of the match onto the folded index card. The white tip is a chlorinated compound that serves as the "ignitor" for the primer. You'll need about 10 to 12 matches for each primer. Avoid scraping off the sulphur portion of the match.
4. Roll the plastic mallet across the scrapings, being careful to "crush" rather than rub the material. Place the primer cup on a flat surface and, using the crease in the index card, pour the match scrapings into the cap until it is full. Use the bottom of a matchstick to gently tap down the primer.
5. Use the large tweezers to carefully set the primer cup into your machine press, being careful not to spill any of the primer material. Place the anvil into the primer, point down, to seat. Raise the ram of the press up and seal the primer into the shell casing. Keep your face a safe distance away while you're doing this step, as the primer material may pop.

Berdan Rifle Primers

On a whim, I googled "Berdan primers" and the top hit was a place actually selling them.  I'd read that RWS Berdan primers used to be available in the U.S., but sources dried up.  These are TulAmmo non-corrosive primers for 7.62 NATO.

One concern I have is that the dimensions (incorrect on the DAG Ammo KV762N page) don't match the information I found previously on Berdan primers.  Still, it might be worth experimenting with, considering the amount of 7.62 NATO ammo with nice brass cases and Berdan primers.  All of a sudden, the 33% cost advantage looks more attractive!