Minimal amount of ammo?

[LotI]

5.56: 1500 minimum of Q3131/A or XM193
223: 500 minimum with around 1000 on hand at any time, enough supplies for 3k
.40: 250 minimum defensive rounds, 250 practice, 250 plinking
.45: 500 defensive 500 practice 250 plinking
30/30: 50 rounds since it's not a defensive gun but there's about 200 now.
7.62x54R: sheesh, the surplus stuff is so cheap it's easy. currently about 900
7.5x55: 500 surplus, 100 handloads. This is the reach out and touch round.
22LR: by the pound.

 

[jer1949]

I buy ammo in case (1000 per), lots. When I'm down to 200 or so rounds, I buy another case. That always seems to coincide with the gun shows in my area. I only have guns in .38 spl. --.40S&W-- 9mm and .45ACP so I may have 4000 rounds in the safe or as little as 800.

 

[Don't Tread On Me]

Do you guys keep a minimal amount of ammo for your guns/caliber? If so, how much?

Yes, I do. I make it a point to never, ever leave any firearm without ammo. Remember, a firearm without ammunition is just a block of metal plastic and wood. It is totally worthless. The best you can use it for is to bluff someone which is stupid and dangerous, or use it as a blunt force tool, which almost anything is better for that purpose.


Let's say you're going to the range to shoot rifles...but you want to take your 9mm or .45 with you to shoot a few mags with just to say in shape. All you have is a 50rd box. You're not going to the store prior or after for ammo since you have plenty for other firearms. Before you leave, take 1 magazine full of ammo out of the box, and leave it home. Shoot the rest at the range. Then you know 100% you have a firearm that at least has 1 magazine full of usefulness until you can get to a store and replenish your supply. If you have 100 rounds, take 2 magazines worth out. However you ration it, just make sure the gun isn't dry.


That's what I do when one or two of my firearms are low on ammo or I haven't done a bulk purchase for them in a while. Even firearms that you rarely shoot (often the ones that are low on ammo) should have at least 1 fully loadings worth at a minimum.

More IS better.

Right now I have:

100rds of 45acp
100rds of 9mm
1,700rds of 5.56
200rds of 7.62x39
50rds of .17hmr
1,200rds of .22LR (assorted types, 500 match, 300 High Vels, rest mixed)
0 rds of .380 (I know shame on me, I just bought the gun and haven't been to the store yet)


For the rifles, I like to have 2x the amount of ammo necessary to fill all my magazines. So that would be 740rds of 5.56, and 180rds of 7.62x39. That is minimum.


For pistols, 100 is a nice even number. HP's are preferred, but there's nothing wrong with FMJ's. They are cheaper for stocking up on ammo.


Rimfires I don't really care. the 17 is a single shot, so 50 min is fine, rather have 100. 22 should be a brick or more.



Everyone is different, and everyone has different shooting habits. One person might exhaust 300 rounds pistol ammo in a session and consider that norm, others under 100 and that's a good session for them. If you go through a lot of ammo, go to the range very often...then your stash quantities will fluctuate much more, meaning you're going to want to keep higher quantities on hand. My numbers are what I believe to be BARE minimums for my personal tastes. But if you can't afford or have the space for that amount, then what I said above holds true - don't let the gun run dry. I think 180rds is enough for the SKS (takes AK mags), because that's all I'll be able to carry in a SHTF..all I will probably need. That's a LOT of firepower. If I have 200rds (which I do) in order to keep my 180 minimum, I'll have to go buy whatever ammo I'd like to shoot at the range. Otherwise I'd dip into my SHTF ammo.

 

[NMshooter]

Have not had a minimal amount of ammo since...I can't remember!

A case of each caliber you like is a good starting point, for storage.

Then a few cases of shooting ammo, because you do not want to shoot up the storage ammo, several cases of .22LR, since it is so cheap, etc.

Pretty soon you will have enough, well, almost enough, maybe just one more case...



No such thing as too much ammo.

 

[BozemanMT]

No such thing as too much ammo.

well said.

 

[Zaire]

Man, some of you guys are low.

I have:

9mm
3600 rounds
.45ACP
1342 rounds
.357 Magnum
650 rounds
5.45x39mm
5500 rounds
12 Gauge
360 rounds
.22LR
2500 rounds

Got WAAAY more coming for christmas. Wife is giving me $300 to spend at Natchez and Dad spent over $200 at Wally World for Christmas. Plus, I'm getting a lot of OT next month. Then taxes in early February.

 

[Rexrider]

Got WAAAY more coming for christmas. Wife is giving me $300 to spend at Natchez and Dad spent over $200 at Wally World for Christmas. Plus, I'm getting a lot of OT next month. Then taxes in early February.

You got to love Christmas. My wife has already placed my presents under the tree. One box is very heavy. About the weight of 1k of .223/5.56

Either that or she filled it with bricks.

 

[chiliedog]

can you ever have enough?

I try to have 5-6 range trips on hand nothing is worse than paying $9.95/50 for rang reloads. and that insures I can miss a Show and not be in trouble. for SHTF ammo enough to word off the Zombie's to someone Else's neighborhood.

 

[Zaire]

I found the best way to stockpile when I had less money was to buy 2 boxes of ammo each trip to Wal Mart. 1-100 box of WWB 9mm, and 1 50 round box of Blazer Brass or Blazer .45acp.No more than $22 each time. Add that 2-3 times a month over a long period of time and it adds up. however for a period of 2 years I only went shooting ONE time. Now I go monthly at least.

 

[losangeles]

Some folks in here have a serious stash going on! Come to think of it, I better get to it, especially since I'm factoring in disaster preparedness (earthquake, terrorism here in LA).

 

[Guy B. Meredith]

I looked in the ammo box yesterday and saw 350 rounds of ammo for my revolver and nearly panicked. Last night I cranked out 300 rounds or +P .38 spl and am feeling better. Getting short at 200 rounds of 30-06, time to go shopping.

 

[jamz]

Right now about 1000 .38 spl., 100 .357, (But a lot of brass to reload) 1000 9mm, a few hundred 45acp (but a lot of brass to reload), 600 5.56 (Need to order another 1k), a couple boxes of 20 guage, .380 and the like. Oh, 200 7.62x54r too. And maybe 3-4 thougsand .22lr. And a hundred .44mag, and another couple hundred .44mag brass. I need to start ordering some bullets!

My ammo safe is small,but overflowing, I need to order more 5.56 and reload a ton more .45acp.

Guy B. Meredith: Waddya mean apostrophes don't mean plural's?

-James

 

[Tom Servo]

The media would say I have a "stockpile," I imagine

Defensive ammo: enough to fill all magazines, plus at least 200 rounds reserve each in 9mm and .45. At least 500 rounds 7.62.

Target ammo: enough for a range trip plus 300 rounds each.

 

[Chris Rhines]

I almost always buy ammo in multiple case lots. For pistol and rifle cartridges, I try to keep at least a full 1000-rd. case on hand. Shotguns, at least a full 250-rd. case each of birdshot and slugs. When I break open that last case, it's time to call Georgia Arms.

Current major inventory:

9mm 115grn. FMJ: ~1500 rounds Georgia Arms, ~700 rounds Remington UMC.
.223 55grn. FMJ: just over 2000 rounds Georgia Arms.
.308 147grn. FMJ: ~500 rounds Santa Barbara milsurp, mostly on clips.
12ga slugs: ~400 rounds Wolf, ~100 rounds other assorted slugs that I'll probably never sort out.
12ga birdshot: 500 rounds of Winchester #7.5 sporting clays loads.
20ga birdshot: 250 rounds of Winchester #8 skeet loads.

Enough reloading supplies for ~10000 rounds of 180grn. .40 major loads and ~1000 rounds of my 5.56mm 75grn. TAP clone loads.

- Chris

 

[itgoesboom]

There was a time when I owned 2 rifles, 2 shotguns, and I only had ammo for one of those shotguns. Pretty embarrassing.

I started to realize that my firearms weren't any good if something bad was to happen if I didn't have any ammo for them.

So I changed my armory around, sold a couple guns off, bought a bunch more, and now I have quite the stockpile.

7.62 Nato - 1,200 rounds
7.62x39 - 1,200 rounds
9mm - 600 rounds
.380acp - only about 100 rounds
.357mag - about 100 rounds
.38spcl - 100 rounds
12ga - 300 rounds
.22lr - about 1600 rounds.
.30-06 - 0 rounds But I just bought that rifle, so I will start to stock it soon.

I.G.B.

 

[22-rimfire]

The amount of ammo that I have on hand seems to increase based on the number of ammo boxes I need to fit it in. I buy ammunition all the time, especially when the price is right. Stuff that I shoot often, I buy a box or two just about every time I go to a gun shop. Of late, I have been stocking up on 357 Mag and 38spl +P stuff as I have just started shooting them again after a long hiatus. Unlike many here, I rarely shoot 100 rounds of any particular centerfire ammunition at the range on a given day. 22LR is different, but even with it, I rarely shoot more than a couple hundred rounds at a time. I keep the brass, but I grow tired of storing it and not making the decision to reload again. The empty boxes take up a lot of storage space.

 

[Deadman]

I'm not sure if any one else said anything along these lines, but whatever amount causes great concern amongst anti gun gits, is a good start.

 

[JeepDriver]

I'm turning into an ammo collector. I just love to have plenty of ammo on hand. I never want to run out of ammo!

My current collection



I'm out of ammo cans, I need to pick up another 10 - .50 caliber cans so I can get some of the Wolf 223 and WWB Value Pack ammo packed away.

 

[bogie]

I have 20 rounds of .300 WinMag.

Of course, I just got the rifle yesterday.

And I've only got 15 bullets for the .45 calibre CVA muzzleloader I also got yesterday. That should be sufficient to make sure I'm zeroed and for deer season next year.

We're not gonna count the .45, the 9mm, the .38 and .357, the .223, the .22PPC, the 6PPC, the .243, the .22-250, the .308, etc., etc... It's faster to just weigh 'em.

 

[Highland Ranger]

Ammo and beer; as we say in NJ, "Who's better than you?!"

 

[MDG1976]

I maintain at least 11,000 rounds of .308. As soon as it gets down to around 11,000, I buy two or three cases.

265 .308
200 22lr
150 .38 spl
500 9mm
50 12 gauge

I'll probably bulk up considerably after Xmas. I've asked for Dick's and Bass Pro gift cards.

 

[entropy]

Yes, Agent Schmuckatelli, I have very minimal anounts of ammuntion for my very few sporting arms. I buy one new box of .30-30 each year, about as much as I shoot up sighting and at deer each fall. Nothing to see here, keep moving.....

 

[pete f]

at least a five gallon bucket for 9's 40's and 45's. two full buckets of 223 and part of another. a full bucket of 22 250. at least a gallon paint can for everything else, maybe more.

I started thinking about people tracing transactions a while ago and now pay cash for all primers powder etc.

When i was shooting competitivly a few years ago, i shudder to think how many watch lists i made for the cases of primer, kegs of powder and pallets of bullets that showed up here.

 

[CletusFudd]

Do you guys keep a minimal amount of ammo for your guns/caliber? If so, how much?

1000 rounds for everything except the shotguns.

 

[Moonclip]

depends on finances and space concerns and other factors. After all, I could harly afford to stock 1000 rounds of 7.7Japanese ammo or 6.5 Carcano nor would I really need to.