Satisfied without all the other calibers

rpenmanparker said:

Let me know when to start buying.

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Why wait?

Everytime I Go to Wally World or a gun show, I pick up a box of ammo......22LR, 9mm, .40, .45ACP, .223/5.56, 12 or 20 gauge slugs or whatever. You might be surprised what you can accumulate over the course of a year. Doing so for the last 20 odd years stood me in good stead during the last ammo shortage and keeps me prepared should there be another.

As always, YMMV.

rpenmanparker said:

Let me know when to start buying.

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I've been dollar cost averaging my ammunition for about the last 10-12yrs. I consider it an investment in shooting futures...

I buy a bit out of every paycheck which isn't meant for immediate or even short-term consumption. Out of every paycheck, I buy a SOMETHING on the list of a couple hundred 22LR, 17HMR, 17WSM, 100-250 9mm, 380, 45, 40, 357sig, couple hundred bullets, few pounds of powder, couple thousand primers, etc. Usually knock out at LEAST $100 every two weeks. If shooting high volume and never running out is important to you, then building your inventory NOW is always the best time. Ammo prices don't ever seem to go down, as confirmed by some of the price tags on my ammo boxes from over the years. I run a first in, first out game also.

However - a civilian in a residence does have to be mindful of their storage method. Fire Codes typically limit residential homes to 50lbs of powder. Not everyone complies with this limit, but laws is laws...

Being young and broke at the beginning of the last shortage I had nothing, mabey 300-400 rounds of cci standard. All through the shortage though I was still able to get enough to shoot by being persistent at checking stores out whenever I made a trip to town. A brick here and there and lots of 50rnd boxes. Just couldn’t be picky about what you wanted. Now that we are back to normal I’m buying twice as much as I’m shooting. Times are good, prices are coming down. Get it before the rebublicans loose the next election because people are going to go out of there minds panic buying again.

rpenmanparker said:

Satisfied without all the other calibers

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For much (most?) of my almost 60 years of shooting that has been true ... until it wasn't.

In the last couple of decades when faced with an urge to buy a firearm in a new-to-me caliber I find myself asking, "Do I want to add another caliber?" In a number of cases the answer has been no ... often, also, until it wasn't. <chuckle>

No offense intended toward any particular person, but anyone who doesn't have plenty of .22 LR ammo on hand if/when another "shortage" hits doesn't deserve to have any ammo and shouldn't whine about it. For months now most Walmarts have had a variety of brands available at near give-away prices, and this has been the case for several months. For example, the perfectly serviceable Federal 550 packs are $19.97 around these parts. Anyone who can afford internet access to read this forum can afford to be squirreling away ammo if they want. And the same is the case with centerfire ammo. Ammo is historically cheap these days.

Not sure I subscribe to the 'multi-caliber' method as a way of negating shortages... I guess that depends on your definition of 'multi' and the size of you 'in-house reserve'.

I6turbo said:

No offense intended toward any particular person, but anyone who doesn't have plenty of .22 LR ammo on hand if/when another "shortage" hits doesn't deserve to have any ammo and shouldn't whine about it.

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Ha! Yeppers, maybe they "shouldn't" whine if and when the next shortage hits, but they will. And they'll blame it on us "hoarders."

Striker

Why wait?

Everytime I Go to Wally World or a gun show, I pick up a box of ammo......22LR, 9mm, .40, .45ACP, .223/5.56, 12 or 20 gauge slugs or whatever. You might be surprised what you can accumulate over the course of a year. Doing so for the last 20 odd years stood me in good stead during the last ammo shortage and keeps me prepared should there be another.

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Pretty much what I have been doing for the last 30 years. Found some great deals on ammo on sale but a lot of it has been a box here, a brick there...eventually it adds up and makes for a mighty decent stockpile of ammo (provided of course you don't have to move it very often!).

Skgreen said:

Not sure I subscribe to the 'multi-caliber' method as a way of negating shortages... I guess that depends on your definition of 'multi' and the size of you 'in-house reserve'.

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It's not exactly a "method" or a plan meant to combat ammo shortage as much as it's just a perk of collecting several different firearms of asorted calibers and cartridges that if one particular cartridge or style of cartridges (rimfire etc) comes in short supply, a person still has other guns to shoot that ammo is plentiful for.

It may not work out that way, or it may. It came in handy for me when 22LR dried up and i felt guilty shooting out of my stock, to just shoot something i could replace that very day if need be.

It's not my advise as a way to negate shortages. If your main concern is negating shortages, quit shooting guns, handload or buy ammo often, and stockpile. If your concern is shooting, yet having comfort that ammo will always be available, handload and buy ammo. Load lots more than you shoot.

Im not sure owning multi calibers is going to have much effect as a disadvantage to ammo shortages either. I don't see what's wrong with stocking up a decent quantity for the majority of our guns and then for our favorites or our "go to war" or "SHTF" gun/guns stock up on a very large quantity and wallah.

If it's a concern, stockpile ammo while you can and definitely handload. Not tomorrow, more like yesterday. While components are plentiful.

I have a feeling as a result of the shortages in the last 10 years a lot of people are going to be inhereting about 1500 lbs of unused ammo after their dad kicked the bucket.

Seams to me a lot of people are buying tons of stuff in case they won’t be able to buy it, but if that happens they won’t shoot it because they can’t replace it. I just want about 10,000 rounds of 22 for each kid and enough components to deer hunt for the rest of my life. I can change my plinking habits with the changes in supply.

I agree totally. I have several acquaintances that are holding way too much ammo. they rarely shoot and just hoard it. I reload and keep a real nice inventory of all the calibers I have but its usually about 3 months worth of twice weekly shooting.

The OP seems really happy with his selection of firearms and questions why anyone would want to shoot other calibers? For me personally, I am far more accurate with heavier calibers. I shoot predominantly 45 ACP, 45 Colt and .357 Magnum and .38 SPL. These are the calibers I can really shoot accurately. I have tried many styles and manufacturers of 9mm. I cant shoot any that I have tried accurately. I'm lucky to get 6 inch groups offhand at 15 yards. With my 45s and 357s I can get 3 to 4 inch groups.
Guess it all comes down with what you are comfortable with and can shoot well.
Each to his own and thats the way it should be.

I should say I don't have a problem with people building up stockpiles of ammo, its a free country and you can do what you want with your money. Its just some people seam to think it a contest to see who can die with the most stuff. When my wife was in school we lived next to a guy who was remodeling an old house. He said the previous owner was an old guy that had passed away. He had a basement full of ammo and a hundred or so guns when he died and no kids. The family he did have didn't know what to do with it all. They took all the guns out and sold them. They didn't know what to do with the ammo so they contacted the police department who said they would dispose of it if they brought it in. They took 3 Uhaul trucks FULL of cases of ammo out of the guys basement and gave it to the police who incinerated all of it. I'm sure he had several hundred thousand dollars worth of stuff that all went to waste. I don't know if he just had a mental compulsion or if he thought someday he would sell it all for a profit but surely he did not think he was going to shoot it all. It would be a full time job.

I own .45s, and I'm not getting rid of them, but I have settled on 9mm for all my training, carrying, and most of my reloading.

rpenmanparker said:

Let me know when to start buying.

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Now

RedLegRick writes:

When the .22 ammo drought happened, I simply chose to scale back my shooting, get rid of my 10/22...

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Though I only had a few thousand rounds on hand, I actually bought five .22-caliber rifles and one .22 handgun during the shortage. Because of the drought, prices were very flat, and four of these rifles are older Marlins I consider likely to appreciate in value as collectors (the fifth is a Henry lever.)

It took a bit of effort, but I did keep my .22 ammunition count up, even though I still shot some, and eventually built up my supply to a size that should easily get me through the next two dry spells (but I'm not letting my guard down.)

Technically, there isn't anything I do, or am likely to do, with a firearm that could not be handled with one in .22LR. For me, that makes it a viable choice in a "one-caliber" hypothetical scenario. A second caliber in a "two-caliber" hypothetical scenario could certainly be 9mm Luger.

SDGlock23 said:

Nothing wrong, I myself am perfectly satisfied with .40. I've had them all and honestly, I like them all to one extent or another, but for me the .40 is perfect.

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close...I think 40 might be pushing it for sub compact carry pistols. For compact and full sized service pistols? Absolutely.

A decade ago, when the first "real" ammo shortage raised it's ugly head, most folks were caught with their pants down. First those who bought factory ammo and then later, us reloaders. Folks were just used to going to their local WallyWorld or LGS and getting what they needed when they needed it. Might not always be at a price point they liked.....but it was there. After Obama and a few school shootings, and the run on firearms because of the fear of bans, ammo dried up. Wasn't just old farts hoarding, it was new to the shooting world trying to feed their new guns at the range for the first time. Demand exceeding production and store stocks led to empty shelves and panic buying...creating more empty shelves. Happened again years later with .22. No one thought .22 ammo would be scarce. Regardless of how some brag today, 5 years ago, most everyone was worried, and most everyone cut down on shooting .22. Reason so many of us today have huge stockpiles is because of living thru those shortages. Easy to give advice of stocking up, using hindsight. If any of us really could have seen into the future, we woulda bought a lot more a dozen years ago and be livin' high on the hog today.

Funny tho, the turn of this thread from limited preference of calibers, to hoarding ammo.............

I have basically settled on 9mm and .22 LR as well. I honestly don't have enough time to master shooting the carry guns I have, so I settle for reasonable competence. The high capacity, reasonable effectiveness, wide availability, low recoil, low price, and common chambering makes it an efficient choice for me. The .22 LR is for fun and fundamentals.

I just don't have the money to shoot more or get into reloading or collecting.

I do hope to pick up a rifle eventually, but... it'll be a 9mm pistol-caliber carbine...

I don't understand why anyone who lived through the Obama years wouldn't stock pile ammunition. Go back and look at some of the "I can't find ammunition" threads from back then and everyone hating on "the hoarders". I remember those years well and at some point I decided that I was never going to make that mistake again.

I can get ammunition comparable to what's available at Walmart for about 5 dollars less a box online (SG Ammo) and they bring it right to my door. I've said it before but properly store ammunition doesn't go bad and if I can get it cheaper why wouldn't I buy it in bulk? 1 case of Speer 124 grain Gold Dot should meet my self defense needs for the next 10 years. Why not buy it at 2018 prices versus 2028 prices?

I've actually been debating heavily about ditching several 9mm's and 45's and focusing primarily on 10mm since I feel it can be made to do anything those guns can. I even thought about ditching some 357's for the same reason.

Then I realized it was blasphemous thinking and I'd be forced to punch myself repeatedly for doing so. To avoid pain and anguish from beating myself, I intend to keep my guns and variety, and just reload my own ammo.

someguy2800 said:

I have a feeling as a result of the shortages in the last 10 years a lot of people are going to be inhereting about 1500 lbs of unused ammo after their dad kicked the bucket.

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And it will still be shootable and it will be that much they won't have to buy

someguy2800 said:

a lot of people are going to be inhereting about 1500 lbs of unused ammo after their dad kicked the bucket.

They took 3 Uhaul trucks FULL of cases of ammo out of the guys basement and gave it to the police who incinerated all of it.

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I agree, and it doesn't surprise me in the least,,, Lots of folks assume there's 'universal, undeniable, long term value!' in ammo... Meh, that all depends on who's in charge of it at the time,,,,

Having enough ammo to keep you shooting is one thing,,, Having more than you could ever possibly use is another,,,

Having it (and perhaps a bunch of other stuff) sent to the incinerator after your death because your heirs simply didn't want it should be food for thought, but I'm sure many don't see it that way,,,,

If the heirs are left a note with what the value of all that ammo/reloading supplies is, that might change their mind......