How much ammo is enough???

[yqtszhj]

I understand the "its on sale" factor which makes a difference in the amount purchased at one time (I was aflicted by that recently), but that factor aside, how much is enough?

I figure not by the round which maybe I should but more by the 1-2 years supply. Restock when half is used up? What does everyone else do?

[CJB]

This works for me: I find what works, I like, the gun likes, and I can afford. Then I buy 1000 rounds of it, at least. Then... I dont shoot it. Its my rainy day ammo, just in case. I've got 45acp, 9mm, 223/5.56, and 308/7.62 sitting here that my various small arms seem to do well with. Normal shooting activities are with whatever I can get cheapest. I keep the rainy day stuff just for a fallback.

Next up is 12gauge, but I'm waiting for the KSG to arrive. Mine is #12 off the line!
I'll probably NOT shoot buck, but something like BB or #2s or such. See how it patterns and sock away whatever it likes. Then I function fire and practice with the el-cheapo #7-1/2 I can get from time to time locally.

This works for me, ymmv

[Bawanna]

I've tried the rainy day stash as CJB does and it's a marvelous idea in theory. For me with little self control I find myself dipping into it when I don't have funds for the cheapest everyday stuff or time or supplies to reload.
I had a fella give me a full case 1000 Speer Gold Dot 230 grainers, my favorite 45 fuel, my first thought was I was set for life. A few years later I'm scrounging to keep any good stuff on hand at all. What's wrong with me?

Come to think of it I do the same thing with rainy day money, and all sorts of rainy day stuff.

I'm seeing a pattern here. It's rainy days.

[O'Dell]

This is what I have today:

380 350 rounds 1 pistol
9mm 1100 " 1 pistol
40 cal 1350 " 3 pistols
45 cal 2200 " 8 pistols and 1 carbine

Looks like I need some more 45. I'm down to 240 rounds per gun.

[Bill K]

:) Please raise this question again once the 2012 Presidential election results are final. :)

Haven't yet done it but working up to 1K per caliber that I shoot. Rotate through the ammo, FIFO, but maintain the 1K round count.

I'll trade you a 50 box of WWB and 2 rolls of toilet paper for that chicken you have there, wadaya say? :)

[sierrajb]

This has been a burning question for me, too. Being on a limited budget, I can't afford to buy 1000 at one time, so I've purchased 5-6, 50 count boxes of 9mm, but all that is almost gone from my break-in period episodes. Need to pace myself and work up some system of "buy and store" that will keep me on the range AND happy for a rainy day.

[Bill K]

This has been a burning question for me, too. Being on a limited budget, I can't afford to buy 1000 at one time, so I've purchased 5-6, 50 count boxes of 9mm, but all that is almost gone from my break-in period episodes. Need to pace myself and work up some system of "buy and store" that will keep me on the range AND happy for a rainy day.

I'm on a fixed income so can appreciate where you're coming from. There is lots training and practice you can do without firing a single shot. Snap caps, lasers and Airsoft are your friends. I personally believe you should practice as much clearing, drawing and dry firing a shot as you do live firing.

[Bawanna]

I'm on a fixed income so can appreciate where you're coming from. There is lots training and practice you can do without firing a single shot. Snap caps, lasers and Airsoft are your friends. I personally believe you should practice as much clearing, drawing and dry firing a shot as you do live firing.

Absolutely agree. Lots of non firing practice that can be done at home, for free and every bit as meaningful as a day at the range going bang too.

And you can build up your stash a little at a time if you have more will power than me. Buy 2, shoot one stash the other would work. Watch for good sales.
I'm just so scatter brained when I accumulate enough money to buy a good quantity of ammo LIKE I SHOULD, I buy another gun that I don't have ammo for. I got lots of ammo but not nearly what I'd like to have, probably never enough.

[OldLincoln]

Q: How much ammo is enough???

A: Just a little more.

[TominCA]

CA is always on the verge of banning mail order (read cheap) ammo so I try to have about 500 rounds od 380, 9mm and 45 around. When I run low I order more.

[CJB]

What's wrong with me?

Nothin'! You just have lots more shootin' time than I do. If I could shoot more, I'm sure I'd fall victim to my own indulgences as well.

[Scoundrel]

Q: How much ammo is enough???

A: Just a little more.


+1!

I keep buying more, and deciding that I have room for more. Mostly .22, but I'm working on my stock of the other stuff too.

I'm stocking up on the cheapest stuff first (.22), then the fairly cheap (9mm), because they're cheap and because I have more than one gun that shoots each. Then I'll start working on the 45 and the 410 later.

I plan to keep at least 10K of the .22 on hand, and at least 2K of the 9mm. Probably 500 or so of the 45 and 410.

Rumor has it that I'll die of old age before the stuff goes bad if I store it in a cool, dry place, so I'm not too worried about rotation, but I will keep using the stuff, so I will rotate it just because.

[tv_racin_fan]

How much is enough/to much? I think the answer is relative.

For instance... if you mean how much can I carry at any one time in say a bug out situation. That would depend on if I am on foot or in the van and what else needs to be carried.

If you mean what can or should I have on hand at home then the answer depends on where or how I intend to store it.

I currently prefer to have at least 1k per caliber of firearm I own. Tho I think I am running low on 9mm since I have made a couple range trips since I bought any and I know I don't have 1k 12 guage rounds.

[OldLincoln]

I too am on a fixed income (ain't retirement grand) and have to plan purchases. However, what worked for me was to budget a couple months then buy 500rds from my favorite supplier Kyle's Gun Shop (http://www.kylesgunshop.com/) to spread the shipping across more rounds. That was my HST which should be a lifetime supply.

Thanks to Bawanna, I took up reloading which cut the cost of range ammo by about half. It would be even cheaper but I buy in smaller quantities. I do buy bullets 1K at a time mail order with free shipping to save about $10 per, but buy powder and primers locally to save hazmat fees.

I searched a few forums to find a good buy on cases from a respected member and got a good deal. I do not recommend buying used brass from just any internet vendor. I did that first and got ripped off by receiving a short order with a lot of unusable junk in it.

Finally, I found that I could buy an annual membership at a local indoor range for the equivalent of 13 range trips. With it I can go as often as I want so I do go more often but shoot less per trip. I use it to actually practice like give myself a lesson rather then numbly shoot for the fun of it, so an average trip for me is usually 50rds or so - about $7 in ammo.

There are ways to lessen the pain, but it will never be free.

[ltxi]

I stock at least 1000 rounds of quality ammunition in any caliber/guage I routinely use or think I may may need to use. .22short, .22 LR, .22 Mag, .38, .357, ,9 mm, .40, .45 ACP, 762x39, 308, .30-30, .30-06, and 00 12 Ga. Quite a bit more in the calibers I'm truly paranoid about... .22 LR, .38, 9 mm, .45 ACP, and 762x39. Maybe sounds like a lot, but I only shoot five or six of these on a truly regular basis. Most always buy in 500 or 1000 round case lots.

[ltxi]

Well, after posting the above I decided to check on what I actually have lying around and found a few sorta surprises. 3000 rounds of .40 and 2000 rounds of .380, neither of which I shoot that much....380 almost never in the last couple of years. A bit over 5000 rounds of 9mm and about 7000 rounds of 7.62x39, which is more than I thought. Only 1850 rounds of .45ACP, though, so an immediate virtual trip to Ammoman is in order. I'm with Old Lincoln..."Just a little bit more"

My next door neighbors are survivalists. They overstock food and water. They also have guns, but not a large quantity of ammunition. We have a deal.

[garyb]

Be an Ammo King and just reload it....all you want... the way you want it.
Just like Burger King.

[windsearcher]

NEVER enough!!!

But, on a serious answer, I'd say it would have to depend on your storage ability. I have no idea of quantities of .40 that I have on hand, since I buy whenever I see a deal. (And haven't run out of storage space yet). For .22, I pick up just a couple of 550 bulk packs whenever.

Shotgun ammo, I am light on since I just picked up my Mossberg 500 recently, but will start doing the same thing as my .40. Buy when on sale. and stock until am out of room.

[Thunder71]

If you run out too soon, it wasn't enough.

[wyntrout]

It's hard to stock up as much as I would like, so I try to maintain a defensive supply at 60¢ to $1+ a round... 200 to 300 rounds or more per caliber, and a shooting supply of 1,000 rounds plus per caliber. Range ammo... I stay away from steel-cased stuff, but try to buy stuff that works, and as cheap as possible.... Lately, I've gotten .45, brass-cased at under $15 a box... and just bought .40 S&W Blazer 165-gr Aluminum-cased for $265 delivered for a case of 1000. I still have 124-gr S&B 9mm FMJ that I got for under 20¢ a round with shipping from SPG over a year ago, and over 24 boxes of Federal Champion 115-gr FMJ that I got from Wally World at $9.47 a box of 50. I would grab the max of 6 boxes every time I went to WM and found it on the shelves.
If the SHTF or ammo is suddenly cut off, it won't be enough, though. If anyone is stockpiling food and other provisions, they had better be able to defend themselves and hold onto it, because a lot of the cockroaches will be swarming out and about looking to share other's stuff. Bullets will be more valuable for a lot of reasons... barter, defense, or the use of force as necessary to get what you need to survive. When it gets to that point, the meek won't inherit anything, but maybe the piece of dirt where they fell.... read too many books and saw too many movies about "holocasts" where some calamity has caused the collapse of society and all of the things we've taken for granted... government, police/fire/military protection, food distribution, water, fuel, electricity, medical care... and so on... INCLUDING THE INTERNET!!! No Kahrtalk... and no Internet shopping!!:eek:

Wynn:)

[Longitude Zero]

I keep at least 5,000 of 22lr at all times. as for handgun and rifle rounds I always have at least 500 rounds each on hand in 3 handgun and 4 rifle calibers and 2 shotgun gauges.

[Indigo]

A lot of people prefer to stock rounds for many different calibers to trade in a disaster scenario. That's obviously not the only criteria for needing multiple calibers but still one reason. I've gone a more simple route stocking 10,000 9mm and 2000 .45 rounds. I have several different Kahr K9, P9 models so lots of interchangeable parts. Keeps things easier to track or maintain. Not that owning repeat guns is for everyone but you get the idea. Even 2 of the same gives you backup.

[wyntrout]

To trade with people you can trust not to use the ammo on you!:eek:

Or add to the community stockpile for common defense... like the busy ants stockpiling for Winter while the grasshopper fiddles the summer away. NOW, the government takes your stockpile and gives it to the grasshoppers!

Wynn:D

[O'Dell]

To trade with people you can trust not to use the ammo on you!:eek:

Or add to the community stockpile for common defense... like the busy ants stockpiling for Winter while the grasshopper fiddles the summer away. NOW, the government takes your stockpile and gives it to the grasshoppers!

Wynn:D

I'm in hopes that the government is not keeping tabs on my ammo purchases. Even if they are, they don't have the combination to my safe. ;)

[bikerbill]

I've been stocking up on ammo recently, buying (especially 9mm) in 500 and 1,000 rd lots ... figure it will be worth more than gold if things turn sour and if not, got lots of range ammo ... I shop with ammoman, fyi, good prices and free shipping right to my door ...

[ltxi]

My next shipment from Eric should show up tomorrow.

[HadEmAll]

33.6K. Usually don't let it get below 35K, but I've been busy lately. 11.4K of it is .22. The rest is .25, .380, .38, .357, 9mm, .40, .45, 5.56, 30-06, and 12G.

Lot of calibers to feed. I used to think that was a good thing, not so sure anymore.