When do you have "enough" ammo?

IMO the cartridges we should be stocking up right now is .223 / 5.56 and 9mm. Despite the talk about sanctions the military is convinced war with North Korea will happen in 2018. I would expect it will especially dry up supply of 5.56 and maybe 9mm for a least the short term.

BSA1: that does make some sense, although the NoKo govt. realizes that many of its leadership would be destroyed-never mind Chinese fears of massive waves of No. Kioean refugees flooding across the C. border.

Also, there's a fair chance that Russian ammo imports could be banned in the near future.

http://www.newsweek.com/china-could-fight-us-war-north-korea-breaks-out-
751779China and Russia may be devising a plan to attack U.S. forces in the event of [URL='http://www.newsweek.com/china-must-prepare-imminent-war-north-korea-top-national-security-experts-warn-750481']an imminent war breaking out on the neighboring Korean Peninsula, according to two former military officials.[/URL]

I think if war breaks out us not being able to buy Russian ammo may be a small issue

I'm not interested in a standoff with the government. If it ever gets to that point, I've already lost because in their mind, they have a reason to justify deadly force and they will win. Surrender or shoot it out, either way, I lose.

That said, I started buying and storing ammo in the early 1960s. Most of that was GI surplus .45ACP and 30.06 bought at government auctions. Later it was Lake City and a lot of .308. Then came 9MM. In the 1970s I also started buying .22LR in manufacturer direct quantities to get the cheapest price. I also started stashing a lot of Super Vel in .357 and in 45 ACP and .44 magnum. Later it was Black Talons and other specialty ammo, including some amazing black box packed in foam ammo that is no longer manufactured. I made several pallet buys of Federal Hydro Shoks to get a price in .45 ACP and 9MM in the '90s.

I also have considerable amounts of handgun and rifle calibers to go with the various guns I own and shoot for fun rather than defense practice. Most of the shotgun shells are paper rather than plastic. And yes, that WWII ammo still works reliability with only a need to clean the guns more carefully afterwards.

Due to a revived interest in trap shooting, I am now buying pallets of 12 gauge shells when I can get the price I want.

Do I have more ammo than I and my wife will ever shoot? Absolutely. But I also could sell most of it for 20 times what I paid for it, so it is sort of a retirement fund as well as retirement fun.

I have always been comfortable with 500 rounds per caliber. No particular plan or reason. Since becoming mobility disabled I have shot very little. For example I have 3K to 4K rounds of .22RF and the last time I purchased it was $10 a brick. ($7.77 a brick on sale a few months before that)

I am thinking if you have the trailer from a semi-truck filled front to back from floor to ceiling with ammo you probably have enough to last a year or possibly two.

David I like your thinking. I have certainly more than I will ever shoot at 71, but that's not keeping me from buying more if I see especially good deals.

After getting into reloading during the panic, it's not how many rounds I keep loaded, but what can I reload comfortably during the next "shortage" so I can still shoot. Although I just bought my first 10/22 (keep saying it's for my son, but haven't told him yet) sorta gone a little overboard buying 22 on sale when I can find it
Although after seeing Gunny's cleaning thread, I can't even come close to what he's got going on over there

You have enough ammunition when the ammunition manufacturers call you and want to borrow enough ammunition from you to complete 2018's production quota.

When you notice a new crack in the foundation of your house, then you have enough ammo.

When the springs on the motor home that you use for temporary ammo storage start to bottom out.

A related story: A friend of mine was teasing me about "hoarding" ammo, which lead to a good conversation about the difference between hoarding and stashing lots of ammo. Interesting to me because before my retirement I supervised a group of therapists who treated anxiety disorders including hoarding. The level of anxiety experienced by hoarders skyrockets when they are asked to give up any of their possessions, even disease carrying trash. One our posters talked about how he shared his stash with friends when they ran out. That is NOT a hoarder. My nephew recently bought new CZ rimfire; his gift to himself upon his retirement. I offered to bring several of my different 22LR ammo brands and loads for him to try, to see which shot best in the new rifle. Have another friend who likes to target shoot with his grandkids. He always brings all the ammo. On a nice day at the range they can run through many 100s of rounds. Clearly, these people do not suffer from the debilitating anxiety that affects hoarders.

theotherwaldo said:

When the springs on the motor home that you use for temporary ammo storage start to bottom out.

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If your springs are bottomed out it is time for new springs, not time to stop buying ammo.

When the floor boards start collapsing around the frame it might be time to evaluate your collection.

When you start having foundation problems due to the weight, then you may have enough.

TanklessPro said:

When you start having foundation problems due to the weight, then you may have enough.

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There are companies that specialize in shoring up, reinforcing and sealing cracked foundations.