i know if I bring an AR, and a Marlin 94 out to a group event with 200 rounds each, that 357 will run out in 1/4 the time of the .223. I also know pump shotguns go through ammo much faster than auto's. My Vaquero saw about 4000 rounds a year, with an OA 9mm 1911 running up at around 1200 per year.
Ammunition Stockpile- Auto vs Revolver
- Thread starter Mr. Mosin
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George P
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And, it seems, that 9mm has JUMPED dramatically in price. I buy Speer lawman in the 124TMJ variety by the case; TargetSportsUSA was out and they sent me an alert they had some back in stock - it jumped from .17 to .28/round making the case price a lot more than what I had been paying for well over two years.
I might have to break out the 9mm shellplate for my LnL soon!
dogtown tom
Member
I think your buddy understands math better than you.
1000 rounds is 1000 rounds. No matter how you pull the trigger, you'll only fire 1000 rounds. Oddly ammunition doesn't really care what gun its being fired from.
Unless you own a machine gun, guns aren't bullet hoses.
I guess if someone wanted to minimize his time at a range that rents by the minute, he could load up twenty G19 mags, blaze away and be done in under a half hour. Your buddy on the next lane with his SAA in .357 will take a little longer. BUT..................imagine you are at a range that doesn't allow one to load mags until you are at your station. There you are, hopefully with a MagLula, loading your twenty Glock 19 mags and what's that noise next to you?....its your buddy shooting slow and deliberate. Loading those twenty Glock mags will take you at least fifteen minutes.
One round per trigger pull for revolver, one round per trigger pull for semi auto.
If you are intending this to be a matter of reloading, there are Youtubes of Jerry Miculek reloading a revolver faster than I can reload my Glock. Now, 99.9% of us aren't half as fast as Miculek. Speed of immediate reload is what popularized semi autos.
What you fail to consider is loading six at a time from loose or boxed ammunition vs reloading with inserting a fully loaded magazine.
How fast can you fire fifty rounds through your Glock if you only have one 15 round magazine......and no MagLula?
It's also the dilemma one faces with "Do I carry a semi auto with 7+1 or 15+1?"
You stockpile ammunition based on usage and need. I have no .32 caliber firearms.......so I stockpile zero rounds in those calibers. I shoot 9x19 most often and keep 5-6000 rounds stacked away and rotate in fresh cases as needed. Same with .223/5.56. .22LR? I lost count at 20,000 rounds.
7.65 Argentine? I have 300 rounds but haven't shot any of my 1909's in ten years. That stockpile will be sufficient until I die.
Platforms and calibers are irrelevant, you "stockpile" according to needs. If a person only shoots a box of 50 .454 Casul in his monthly range trip, he likely doesn't need 10,000 rounds sitting in his garage. A competition shooter may knock out 500-1000+ rounds per week. He's likely reloading as well and buys his powder, primers, cases, bullets in bulk. Shooting is his hobby, reloading is his pastime.
JTHunter
Member
Mr. Mosin, it's too bad your friend can't understand the fun of "blowing through" a full magazine of any ammo, esp. an extended magazine and how wasteful that can be. That being said, I think the only other concern is the cost of XX number of rounds.
Take .22LR vs. .22 Mag. I have bolt action rifles in both calibers but I also have a 10-22 rifle and a Keltec PMR-30 (.22 Mag) pistol. Both of these can be "ammo wasters" and, with .22 Mag costing about 4X per round as much as LR ammo, it is VERY easy to run up the costs.
If your friend reloads, they can cut their costs enough that shooting semi won't hurt as much. But, it does take away from range time.
Take .22LR vs. .22 Mag. I have bolt action rifles in both calibers but I also have a 10-22 rifle and a Keltec PMR-30 (.22 Mag) pistol. Both of these can be "ammo wasters" and, with .22 Mag costing about 4X per round as much as LR ammo, it is VERY easy to run up the costs.
If your friend reloads, they can cut their costs enough that shooting semi won't hurt as much. But, it does take away from range time.
I'm not sure I agree with the whole premise. Back about 8 years ago I really got into handguns and bought a Shield in 9 mm and a Ruger sr22. Then I bought more including an sr9c. About 7 years ago, I discovered revolvers and got hooked. I spend the same amount of time at the Range whether shooting revolvers or semi auto's, and shoot the same number of rounds. Also I bought a 1911, then a S&W 625 revolver which is also a 45 auto
I stock more 38 special than about anything because that's what I shoot a lot of
I will add that I can run through twice as much 22 ammo in a couple hours with my 15-22 as I can with centerfire handguns but I load up a bunch of 25 round mags the night before, so I show up with 200 rounds already in magazines
Edited to add, if you buy when prices are low it pays to stockpile something you use less of because that ammo will cost more in the future. With 357 magnum running $50\100 or so, imagine where it might be in a few years
I stock more 38 special than about anything because that's what I shoot a lot of
I will add that I can run through twice as much 22 ammo in a couple hours with my 15-22 as I can with centerfire handguns but I load up a bunch of 25 round mags the night before, so I show up with 200 rounds already in magazines
Edited to add, if you buy when prices are low it pays to stockpile something you use less of because that ammo will cost more in the future. With 357 magnum running $50\100 or so, imagine where it might be in a few years
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Mosin77
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It’s definitely true that some guns eat up ammo quicker than others. I like semi auto guns, but they do take some of the mechanical interaction out of shooting. My SKS can eat through as many rounds in 2 minutes as a muzzleloader might shoot on a long day at the range. It stands to reason, I’ll need more 7.62x39 than I will .50 round balls. Of course, I could pull the trigger on the SKS once every 2 minutes and really take my time over each shot...... and that’s great. But if I’m going to do that, why shoot an SKS and not something a little better for it? Some guns do beg to be shot quickly, just like some cars beg to be revved and shifted hard, while others are perfectly happy to propel you to work at approximately 60mph with no fuss.
If you're stockpiling for some kind of a real-world "event", then the best course of action would be to characterize the event, try to determine how much ammunition might be required and stockpile that amount. Frankly, I don't see that any kind of a real-world situation is likely to require a lot of ammo, and it's harder to see how the amount of ammo required would change significantly because the gun was a semi-auto vs. a revolver.
If you're stockpiling to be able to maintain a constant practice/training/competition/shooting level during ammo shortages/panics, then the best course of action would be to look at your normal use during a month during non-shortage conditions, decide how many months of shortage/panic you want to prepare for and do the math. Since you would have access to the normal usage figures for each gun/caliber, any differences will be taken care of.
Trying to explain to someone who doesn't shoot on any sort of a regular basis, how much ammo they will need to have on hand so they can keep shooting at their normal level during shortages is doomed to fail. Because they don't shoot on a regular basis, they don't need any ammo to maintain their normal shooting levels and they won't understand what you're trying to explain to them.
If you're stockpiling to be able to maintain a constant practice/training/competition/shooting level during ammo shortages/panics, then the best course of action would be to look at your normal use during a month during non-shortage conditions, decide how many months of shortage/panic you want to prepare for and do the math. Since you would have access to the normal usage figures for each gun/caliber, any differences will be taken care of.
Trying to explain to someone who doesn't shoot on any sort of a regular basis, how much ammo they will need to have on hand so they can keep shooting at their normal level during shortages is doomed to fail. Because they don't shoot on a regular basis, they don't need any ammo to maintain their normal shooting levels and they won't understand what you're trying to explain to them.
FFGColorado
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I think a lot depends on price also. I have a ton of 9mm, about half as much 38Special and .380 acp..Lots of 223/556 only because I ordered some, it got backordered, found some locally, then the backorder filled. BUT, you are right. My SAA revolvers(Uberti/Beretta BirdHead), and Ruger Wrangler 'use' far less than my Glocks. My brand new Mossberg MVT bolt action, even tho it has a 'magazine', probably will too. BUT, I make sure I have enough defensive rounds for Glocks, have enough of the other so if son comes over and says, 'lets go shoot', I can w/o going to the store.
Mosin,
I have to disagree with your logic. When I go to the range, I shoot the same amount of ammo whether I am shooting a 9m.m. like my BERETTA 92 Compact or my .38 Special S&W model 15 revolver. That may be just me, but I just do not see any difference.
Jim
I have to disagree with your logic. When I go to the range, I shoot the same amount of ammo whether I am shooting a 9m.m. like my BERETTA 92 Compact or my .38 Special S&W model 15 revolver. That may be just me, but I just do not see any difference.
Jim
earlthegoat2
Member
With few exceptions, all anyone really could have is 22, 223/5.56, .308/7.62, and 9mm...and for grins 12 ga. All those will work for most any and all hunting, SD, varminting, pest control, etc. If these were the only firearms you had you would be sitting pretty good as far as ammo availability and price were concerned and there wouldn't be too many game species you couldn't hunt. (waiting for the dork to chime in with some rendition of, "b-b-but that wouldn't work for the big stuff in Africa")
This is pure pragmatism and very little joy, however.
That is for this point in time though. 100 years ago it would have been much different choices.
The reason I bring this up is that if one want to make the most out of "stockpiling" ammo they should choose their firearms carefully. I have only one functioning 223 rifle right now. It is a pump action Remington 7615. Yet, I have more 223 ammo than for any other rifle I own. The most ammo I have for any of my other "rifles" is 44 magnum for my Marlin 1894. I also have a 44 mag revolver so I have some overlap in my ammo needs. I shoot these two guns exponentially more often than the 7615 yet I still have more ammo for the 7615. I know what you are thinking. Of course I have more for the 7615 because I shoot it less. Well yes. But I also buy 223 ammo all the time. Whenever it is on sale and sometimes not because it is relatively cheap compared to 44. 44 mag ammo never goes on sale and is quite a bit more expensive per round. I use 44 mag as my primary hunting round and I like to keep in practice with it as well as the occasional shot at game. I am also sitting on a few complete AR lowers and some parts that will turn into a 5.56 upper in time. So I may have a bit more use for my ammo in the future. I also have parts laying around for a 450 Bushmaster and 6.5 Grendel uppers. I have a bit of Bushmaster ammo but none in 6.5 Grendel.
On the handgun side of things it is a little more typical. I have 38 Spl and 9mm handguns. I have untold tons of 9mm ammo and I shoot those guns much more often than 38. I may have 200 rnds of 38 and around 2000 9mm.
This is pure pragmatism and very little joy, however.
That is for this point in time though. 100 years ago it would have been much different choices.
The reason I bring this up is that if one want to make the most out of "stockpiling" ammo they should choose their firearms carefully. I have only one functioning 223 rifle right now. It is a pump action Remington 7615. Yet, I have more 223 ammo than for any other rifle I own. The most ammo I have for any of my other "rifles" is 44 magnum for my Marlin 1894. I also have a 44 mag revolver so I have some overlap in my ammo needs. I shoot these two guns exponentially more often than the 7615 yet I still have more ammo for the 7615. I know what you are thinking. Of course I have more for the 7615 because I shoot it less. Well yes. But I also buy 223 ammo all the time. Whenever it is on sale and sometimes not because it is relatively cheap compared to 44. 44 mag ammo never goes on sale and is quite a bit more expensive per round. I use 44 mag as my primary hunting round and I like to keep in practice with it as well as the occasional shot at game. I am also sitting on a few complete AR lowers and some parts that will turn into a 5.56 upper in time. So I may have a bit more use for my ammo in the future. I also have parts laying around for a 450 Bushmaster and 6.5 Grendel uppers. I have a bit of Bushmaster ammo but none in 6.5 Grendel.
On the handgun side of things it is a little more typical. I have 38 Spl and 9mm handguns. I have untold tons of 9mm ammo and I shoot those guns much more often than 38. I may have 200 rnds of 38 and around 2000 9mm.
kmw1954
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I might have 300 loaded rounds sitting on the shelf at one time for each pistol caliber though I have enough supplies to reload 10X that amount when needed.
Mosin77
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When it comes to revolver vs semi-auto, they are similar enough that it doesn’t matter for many folks (myself included.) I’ll take my 2 boxes to the range, whether it’s a S&W model 10 or a PPK or a Glock 17. Theoretically the Glock could go through more ammo quicker, but unless you’re practicing mag dumps with a bottomless bucket of ammo, other factors (like how much ammo you brought or how much each shot costs or how much you enjoy shooting each gun) are likely to matter more than revolver vs semi-auto. Both are repeating guns of roughly comparable recoil with broadly similar capacity and reloading time.
But I do think that when you get into rifles there’s more of a difference. You will need a lot more 5.56/5.45x39/7.62x39 than you will cartridges for your heavy-recoiling single shot or bolt gun. (I’m sure there’s a guy out there who practices his sniper technique with his AK, and someone else who shoots 500 rounds of .300 Win Mag on a Sunday afternoon for recreation, but those would be exceptions.)
Hangingrock
Member
I maintain a stock of rifle, shotgun and handgun ammunition. 9x19mm and 45ACP in dominate quantities along with 22Rimfire. Center fire rifle and 12Ga shotgun in smaller quantities. Also I have the ability to reload but mainly for handgun ammunition.
Armored farmer
Member
Yes I shoot more 5.56 and 9mm than .357 and .45colt. Mainly because it's cheaper to buy. Also because I practice frequently with my defensive guns.
I have a large reserve of defensive ammo and rimfire.
Shotgun, rifle, and revolver ammo gets reloaded at my leisure.
I do stock a large supply of components.
I have a large reserve of defensive ammo and rimfire.
Shotgun, rifle, and revolver ammo gets reloaded at my leisure.
I do stock a large supply of components.
dogtown tom
Member
Your premise is as flawed for rifles as it was for handguns. Changing the platform doesn't matter. You stockpile to meet your needs.
I guarantee you that in TEOTWAWKI if you have only 1,000 rounds of 5.56 you aren't going to be doing mag dumps and yelling "Get Some!!!" when taking a potshot at a racoon in your survival garden. Each round would become progressively more valuable.
That's valid whether you have a stockpile of 1000 or 10,000.
Magdumps are in the best of times a strain on the pocketbook, in the worst of times a tactical disadvantage.
Magdumps in full auto are great fun if someone else is buying that ammunition and bringing you more. Once you understand that resupply doesn't happen on your schedule, you'll flip that switch to semi and quit burning through your mags.
dogtown tom
Member
Where was that stated?
My days of high-round-count shooting, with any centerfire cartridge, are history. .22 LR is now my friend. I have, in the past, and will be, in the future, shooting plenty of .22 LR through my S&W Model 17-4, to maintain DA revolver proficiency. I will continue to shoot limited amounts of .38 Special, .357 Magnum and .45 Colt, mostly lefty, as my right hand is the one that is not aging well. A Glock 17 remains a decent “orthopedic” pistol, so, yes, I have been, and will be, shooting more 9mm than .38 Special, .357 Magnum, and .45 Colt.
I was much relieved, just yesterday, when I found my undamaged 1911 .22 LR conversion unit. I had been afraid that it had been thrown-out with the ruined stuff and debris during the clean-up after Hurricane Harvey. This saves me the expense of buying a new conversion unit, for 1911 shooting. I still shoot limited amounts of .45 ACP, with an all-steel, 5” 1911, but appreciate .22 LR for some amount of 1911 shooting.
I have never felt that “mag dumps” were either fun, or useful. Very fast controlled pairs, yes, and Mozambique drills, yes, but mag dumps, no.
I was much relieved, just yesterday, when I found my undamaged 1911 .22 LR conversion unit. I had been afraid that it had been thrown-out with the ruined stuff and debris during the clean-up after Hurricane Harvey. This saves me the expense of buying a new conversion unit, for 1911 shooting. I still shoot limited amounts of .45 ACP, with an all-steel, 5” 1911, but appreciate .22 LR for some amount of 1911 shooting.
I have never felt that “mag dumps” were either fun, or useful. Very fast controlled pairs, yes, and Mozambique drills, yes, but mag dumps, no.
Daveboone
Member
I own equally about the same number of semi auto vs revolvers. When I go to the range I don't put any more through one than another. I tend to take each shot for optimal accuracy. Yes, each outing I probably do do a cylinder or mag of more rapid fire, but it is usually two or three rounds, and again...trying for best control. I stock about the same for the same reason, if anything probably a bit more .revolver ammo on hand for hunting.
Glockula
Member
I've got 4 .357 mag revolvers and a Rossi 92 .357 mag lever gun.
In 9mm all I own is a 1917 Erfurt luger and a G43.
My par on .357s is around 800 to 1000 on hand. Same with .38s. All of them hand loads.
I don't bother to load 9mm and keep 200 or so on hand. Now I'm probably the exception but just a little perspective. Not everyone shoots 9mm by the truck load
In 9mm all I own is a 1917 Erfurt luger and a G43.
My par on .357s is around 800 to 1000 on hand. Same with .38s. All of them hand loads.
I don't bother to load 9mm and keep 200 or so on hand. Now I'm probably the exception but just a little perspective. Not everyone shoots 9mm by the truck load
Pat Riot
Contributing Member
I do not “Stockpile” any ammo.
I do not “Hoard” any ammo.
I “Store” ammo for future use. The numbers vary on how much I store. I store quantities that reflect usage. I have a lot more .22LR, 9mm and .38 Special stored than I do .357 Magnum and .45 Colt.
The reason I do not say Stockpile or Hoard is purely due to comments made to me by ignorant non-gunners.
The reason I don’t say how much ammo I store is because of the same ignorant non-gunners and their narrow minded opinions.
I do not “Hoard” any ammo.
I “Store” ammo for future use. The numbers vary on how much I store. I store quantities that reflect usage. I have a lot more .22LR, 9mm and .38 Special stored than I do .357 Magnum and .45 Colt.
The reason I do not say Stockpile or Hoard is purely due to comments made to me by ignorant non-gunners.
The reason I don’t say how much ammo I store is because of the same ignorant non-gunners and their narrow minded opinions.
bassjam
Member
Up until just a few years ago I put more rounds through a .22 single shot than I did any of my centerfire autoloaders. I guess I was doing something wrong?
I wouldn't say so, especially if the single shot was given to you as gift from anyone important to you.
Riomouse911
Member
Same here... but some calibers like .22 Mag/.22LR and my shotgun gauges have their own shelves...
Stay safe.
bangswitch
Member
Sure, if that's what you have firearms for.
I try to keep more of what my EDC is, which is currently 9x19 in 115 or 124 grain JHP's because I practice more with it. But, I also shoot .40, and 10mm Auto, and .45 Auto, so I keep enough on hand for several range days. And now lately I've been on a .357 Magnum kick, so I've scrounged up every piece of brass I can find and loaded a bunch of that, too. Rifle is easy, I have three to load for, and keep at least 500 rounds for each one, 7.62x51, 300 BLK and 6.5 Grendel and have brass for lots more. Shotgun is even easier; I don't reload shotgun, but only shoot 12 gauge about 98% of the time, and 95% of that is clays of some sort, so I pick up a box or three of field loads whenever I pass somewhere that sells it. I have enough heavier SD or bugout stuff stockpiled for a short siege. I go on a major reloading binge when I drop below about 150 rounds for any one caliber I load for.
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