Thanks must go to the many reloaders, manufacturers, importers, dealers, friends, and others who fed me information for this book and offered advice and equipment. Given today's climate, all must remain anonymous. Thanks must go, too, to the fine people at Paladin Press for going out on a limb and publishing this book. My usual very special thanks must go to Maggie, Kristen, and Nicholas for their help. My prayer is that none of these people, or any of my readers, will ever need to put into use what is detailed on the following pages. INTRODUCTION Government Stimulation I started this book at the beginning of 1994, partly as a result of what has taken place during the previous year. It was a year in which the gun grabbers not only called for out-right bans on many firearms and magazines with capacities of more than 10 rounds, but also managed to pass the socalled Brady Bill. This was followed in October by the "Crime Control" Bill that outlawed 19 specific types of firearms — even though government statistics clearly indicate that these particular weapons are seldom chosen by criminals. In 1994, the U.S. Surgeon General outlined the need for "safe weapons ... safer guns and safer ammunition" (whatever in the world these might be) . Congressmen aligned with the Brady Bunch also suggested we ban hollow-point ammunition because it is more apt to kill criminals. Though, in truth, full-metal jacket bullets are much more dangerous because they dictate filling a criminal with lead in order to stop him--and increase the penetration of bullets, making it more likely innocent bystanders will be injured in the process. Sen. Patrick Moynihan (D-NY) , during one of his more sober moments, went so far as to propose a 1,000 percent tax on ammunition often used for self-defense. Winchester answered the challenge by restricting one of its more effective 9mm rounds to police use and preventing citizens from buying it. After easing the top Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms officials into an early (and paid) retirement following their actions in Waco, U.S. Treasury Secretary Lloyd Bentsen suggested we should crack down on criminals by raising the Federal Firearms Licensing fee for gun dealers to $600. Included in the recommendations from the "greatest minds in our country" was a proposal from several congressmen to repeal the Second Amendment. It doesn't take a modern-day Daniel to read the handwriting on the wall. Those with the luxury of having bodyguards (most often at taxpayers' expense) are out to disarm those of us who walk the mean streets brought about by politicians' ill-conceived criminal laws. Much of the shooting public has received the message. One of my friends who operates a gun store reported that over the first three weeks of December 1993, he sold more guns and ammunition than during all the previous five years — showing that President Clinton has stimulated at least one segment of the economy for the time being. By the end of December, the price of assault rifles (now banned despite the fact that they are rarely used in crime) had rocketed to four to five times their normal retail price. And most stores had their shelves stripped of the more popular ammunition . There are millions of guns in private hands in America, and it's doubtful that any sort of government roundup of them will be entirely successful. Even if it were, alcohol prohibition during the 1920s showed that resourceful basement tinkerers will soon be peddling black-market wares. Tomorrow's bootlegger will be selling steel and ammunition instead of gin. Firearms technology, despite today's plastics and stainless steel, hasn't changed much over the last 100 years. Almost any handyman with access to a drill press, a hacksaw, and some files can produce a submachine gun in a few weeks. (Pakistanis, working with 19th-century tools, have produced an infinite variety of firearms this way, and many of the guns drew Soviet blood in Afghanistan . ) Guns can last almost forever. If you have a firearm that you can hide from government gun grabbers, a little grease and oil will keep it like new for decades. You'll probably even be able to hand it down to your children or grandchildren if you manage to keep it hidden from government agents . Ammunition is another matter.