Killing a delicious or ferocious beast with a gun you made yourself (see page 166) will fill you with a sense of pride and industriousness. But to really earn the title “Do-It-Yourselfer,” shouldn’t you also make your own bullets? Of course you should. In fact, before the Industrial Age, this is what they did in the Old West.

WHAT YOU’LL NEED

•Electric or gas stove

•5-6 pounds of lead

•A large, durable cauldron

•Ventilation mask

•Candle wax

•Crayons

•A metal ladle

•Bullet mold

•Lubricant

HOW TO DO IT

1.First, you’ll need to get your hands on some actual lead. That’s not as easy these days, because the government has restricted the use of lead in most applications because it’s really poisonous if handled incorrectly. (That stuff in pencils? It’s graphite, not lead.) Still, you can probably find some at a local scrap metal yard or an auto shop, because lead is commonly used in wheel weights, or in old plumbing parts.

2.It doesn’t matter what form the lead is in, because you’ll just be melting it down. Turn your stove on full blast, dump your lead into the cauldron, and heat it up. You may want to work outside and try to avoid inhaling the fumes because, again, lead is very poisonous. After about 20 to 30 minutes, you should have molten lead, probably with a little crud floating on the top.

3.You’ll need to remove the impurities from the lead through a process called fluxing. Simply drop a bit of candle wax (or even children’s crayons) into the molten lead. Stir occasionally with your metal ladle. Any impurities in the mixture will adhere to the wax and eventually rise to the top. Skim that off with your ladle.

4.At this stage, you could pour your molten lead into something like a muffin tin and allow it to cool, forming “ingots.” These small, evenly sized bits of alloy can be easily stored and broken down for use later on.

5.Or, you can ladle the molten lead into your bullet mold. Bullet molds have been around for hundreds of years and come in many varieties, but generally they look something like a pair of pliers. Once the lead has been poured inside, pulling the handles seals the mold.

6.After allowing the lead to cool for just a few seconds, open the mold. Most bullet molds will also shave off any excess from the still-soft lead as they open.

7.You can drop the bullets either onto a towel or into a bucket of water to cool. We suggest the water, because it will make a cool sizzling sound.

8.Homemade, unjacketed bullets need to be lubricated or they will leave lead residue in the barrel of your gun, and who wants that? Simply squirt a little of your lubricant of choice onto each bullet and allow it to dry.

9.Just like that, you’ve taken a highly poisonous metal and turned it into a lethal projectile!

HOW TO ESCAPE BEING TIED UP

Although this rarely occurs outside the movies, it does happen. If it happens to you, here’s a neat magician’s trick (Houdini used it) that may help you escape: While your captor is tying you up, make yourself as large as possible by inhaling and pushing your chest out. Flex any muscles that are being tied up, but do it as subtly as possible so as not to raise suspicion. When your captor leaves, relax. You’ll get at least a half an inch of slack in the ropes, which should be more than enough for you to wiggle your way to freedom.