Years ago I read of similar operations when the Brits were in India, Pakistan or Afghanistan.
They reported that the tribesmen were ripping up the railroad rails for steel and turning them into excellent copies of Martinis or Lee Enfields. Fired bullets were salvaged, the rifling filed off, and reloaded. Dunno what they used for primers, but in the later years, camera or movie film were chopped up and used for powder. One officer reported the gunfights with this ammo was “quite spectacular”.
Strike anywhere match heads or a mixture of potassium chlorate and sulfur. The Siberian hunters loaded shot shells with crushed match heads for powder.