[Apache6]

While this thread has largely been about the ability to resurrect old AFVs the original question was what is the ability of the "Home Guard and Militia units" to sustain themselfs and produce munitions. For this I'm discussion I'm mostly looking at US locations.

- I think before TDM, the military would have ramped up production and orders for munitions. With the break down of the infastructure associated with nuclear strikes it is not illogical that some large amounts of munitions were lost/cached/misplaced/in container lots of nuked cities (where they may have or may not have exploded). (Possible good adventure hook: A vet blinded in exchange tells you that X containers of first rate modern munitions intended for Europe was in the harbor at Y port when it was nuked. He thinks its still there and incredibly valuable. If its there the area around it may be very HOT.

- I think most decent colleges, and certainly all agricultural or mining schools, chemistry departments have the foundational knowledge to make base components for munitions. Black powder is fairly easy, smokeless powder and explosive components more challenging. Primary explosives for primers and initiators more challenging still. But the information is available now, it would have likely been more readily availalbe as the nation moved to war footing.

Small Arms:
- Reloading of revolvers, shotguns and some rifles (30-30 for example) with black powder is very doable. Most automatic/semi auto firearms will not reliably work with black powder.

- Reloading of modern rounds, if smokeless powder is available, is easy, and thousands of American hobbiest do it.

- Making smokeless powders and primers is more challenging. I'd expect that getting plants into production would be a major drive for organized groups. Once built they would produce a very valuable trading item. The technology is not that difficult, but it does assume a level of security and trade.

- In many, if not all of the modern COIN fights, over last 100 years ammunition has been smuggled into the Area of Operation. I've run a one-of campaign where PCs were tasked as security for a dozen semi trucks carrying tens of thousands of rounds of small arms ammo from Knoxville through the howling wilderness to a US "battle group" that was preparing to retake New Orleans. Lots of roleplaying opportunities in acquiring, supplying, trading for ammo.

- Making basic shotguns or bolt/lever action rifles can be done in just about any machine shop. I cannot see this being a big requirement as there are many firearms in US.

- There are also a surprisingly large number of small gun manufacturers in US, I'd expect all of them could turn out at least replica M-1 garands or M-3 grease guns, if not browning M1919A4s chambered for 7.62mm NATO. Securing, reestablishing, supplying or destroying a small factory could be the objective of a series of games.

- Several of the 'NPC' groups that I posted earlier had some of the NPCs armed with "Sten guns." I use that as a "generic" name for a simple home made SMG. A open bolt, blowback SMG is actually suprisingly easy to make. I think this is very likely to be seen. During WWII, the Soviets manufactured SMGs inside beseiged Lenningrad, the barrels were taken from rifles and cut in half to make 2 SMG barrels.

- belt feed machine guns are more challenging to manufacture and require close tolerences for both the guns and ammo. A electric powered, hopper feed gatling gun might be easier for many machine shops?

- Further up this thread I discussed manufacture of explosive munitions. Again, I think a city police bomb squad or a retired... Military EOD tech would be invaluable to that effort. As would chemical engineers, both of these are not common, but would be found in any major metro area.