[sirrom]

does anybody know how much oil it takes to make a bullet(the kind the army uses.)

the reason i ask is that you see the army on T.V. firing thousands of bullets and i just wondered how much oil they were using when they were not even hitting anything.

[HorneyGeekBoi]

I wouldnt worry anyway, if oil becomes scarce enough, the military will get all the oil it needs for its weapons, explosives and equipment, probably over the needs of the majority of the population...

[neocone]

You're talking about 10 grams of lead at most (.45 cal which is heaviest) and maybe 10 grams of smokeless propellant. The primer is insignificant in weight and the brass can be reused many times over.

I am no specialist in reloading but I betcha this is what the army in Zimbabwe is doing times ten now to replenish its ammo.

Speaking of the devil Zimbabwe is truly the poster child of the post peak oil future, with the army and police still well fed and armed.

I suspect the right career path for anyone under 40 is join the DOJ or law enforcement... crappy pay but great work security and benefits.

And only in the US can citizens carry semi autos but anywhere else that's the only way you can stock up on lead and gold with impunity.

[Geko45]

Also, the lead in most rifle and pistol cartridges is recycled from other sources (e.g. lead acid batteries, old wheel weights, etc.) Even the fancier rounds (like depleted uranium) can be thought of as recycled as the ore was originally mined for a far different purpose. The brass can be used multiple times (as has already been mentioned), so that leaves the powder itself as the only (truly) consumable component of a cartridge.

[Ayoob]

...And morris is the latest addition to my ignore list.

[Cloud9]

Most American reloading data is in the form of grains. A grain is 1/7000th of a pound. I use 4.5 grains of smokeless powder to propel a 220 grain led bullet in my 1911 A-1 45 caliber automatic pistol. Smokeless powder is made from nitroglycerin and cotton. There is not much petroleum used in the manufacture. I use 70 grains of black powder to propel a 450 grain bullet in my 45/70 1884 Springfield. Black powder is made from potassium nitrate, sulfur and charcoal. No petroleum used in that process either. Here is the real hoot. Black powder is the milder of the two explosives. Having said that, using 70 grains of black powder and a 500 grain lead bullet, the U.S. Army consistently hit targets at two miles with the 45/70 infantry rifle. I consistently get 2 inch groups at a hundred yards with my rifle and it is 117 years old.

[SchroedingersCat]

A better question might be how many bullets does it take to protect a barrel of oil?

[Cloud9]

The bottom line. We were making bullets before the oil age began and we will be making bullets long after it ends. The machines may be powered by coal fired steam engines, but bullet making will continue.

[KingM]

A good weapon will last for generations and there is enough ammunition kicking around that people would still be shooting each other long after they're reduced to heating themselves with wood fires and wearing animals skins for clothing.

[Twilight]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Cloud9', 'T')he bottom line. We were making bullets before the oil age began and we will be making bullets long after it ends. The machines may be powered by coal fired steam engines, but bullet making will continue.

[Pretorian]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Cloud9', 'm')y rifle and it is 117 years old.

[Cloud9]

I am shooting an original 1884 trapdoor Springfield. I am using a bullet mold from Lee that casts a 450 grain hollow based bullet that is similar to a civil war mini ball. I machined a bullet sizer to a diameter of .459 and use that to swag and lube the bullets. I spent three weeks cleaning the crud out of the barrel. Then I went to the range and experimented until I found the right powder weight for the load. The end result is a very accurate rifle that is a real pain in the butt to clean. The short answer is that I am shooting a soft lead bullet that is shaped like a bell. When the powder explodes behind it the bell deforms and takes the rifling. The details on how to do all this can be found in a wonderful book: Loading Cartridges for the Original .45-70 Springfield Rifle and Carbine by J.S. and Pat Wolf 3d Edition

[Cloud9]

Pretorian: I was intrigued by your question of barrel life. The answer is more complex than would be imagined at first blush. The short answer is that it depends. It depends on the alloys used in the barrel. It depends on powder and primer composition. It depends on the type of bullet and last but not least, it depends on the care and maintenance the barrel has received through its service life. All of that did nothing to answer your question. Philip Sharp in his complete Guide to Handloading, Funk and Wagnalls,1953, states that he ruined a new 30/06 barrel with just a few rounds of tracer ammunition, less than 100. On page 33 of his book, he mentions Harry M. Pope a Schuetzen rifleman. This rather esoteric group of riflemen uses the same cartridge casing in the same rifle repeatedly. By doing this, they are able to squeeze extreme accuracy out of their rifles. Mr. Pope used the same case in the same rifle 40,000 times before the case cracked. It would be a fair assumption that the rifle was still serviceable after 40,000 rounds.

[scout3006]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Cloud9', 'M')ost American reloading data is in the form of grains. A grain is 1/7000th of a pound. I use 4.5 grains of smokeless powder to propel a 220 grain led bullet in my 1911 A-1 45 caliber automatic pistol. Smokeless powder is made from nitroglycerin and cotton. There is not much petroleum used in the manufacture. I use 70 grains of black powder to propel a 450 grain bullet in my 45/70 1884 Springfield. Black powder is made from potassium nitrate, sulfur and charcoal. No petroleum used in that process either. Here is the real hoot. Black powder is the milder of the two explosives. Having said that, using 70 grains of black powder and a 500 grain lead bullet, the U.S. Army consistently hit targets at two miles with the 45/70 infantry rifle. I consistently get 2 inch groups at a hundred yards with my rifle and it is 117 years old.

[Cloud9]

Check out the research. http://www.researchpress.co.uk/targets/ ... dyhook.htm

[Cloud9]

Here is another source.
http://www.researchpress.co.uk/targets/sandyhook.htm

[scout3006]

Here is an article of interest:


"Cost of Ammunition Going Up"

http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/news/s ... enDocument

If you are so inclined, I would suggest stocking up now. Shortages and prices are only going to get worse, and the rising cost of petroleum and component metals is one of the reasons cited in the article.