Practical stockpiling

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Big45

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Let me start by saying that I absolutely do adhere to the maxim: you can never have too much ammo.

But practically speaking, how much would you say is enough?

The reason I ask is because in some, I'd say most, emergency situations the amount of ammo you have stored away is going to vary in relevance to the practicality of the situation.

For instance, if you need to pack up and hit the road immediately and leave your area due to any kind of emergency, how much good does it do to have vast quantities of stockpiled ammo? If a person had say a million rounds of 5.56/.223, and for whatever reason he/she had to pack up the family and head for the hills, how much of that could realistically be taken? In all likelihood the person is going to take as much as can possibly be hauled, but how much is that? Even if they were to have a large SUV or pickup, it probably wouldn't all fit. And that's just one caliber.

Or on the other hand, if a person had to hunker down and wait it out, is 500K rounds going to make a difference? If a group is determined to get you they more than likely will (Waco, Ruby Ridge, Hussein's boys) and all your stored up ammo couldn't possibly be all used up in the defense (again, assuming the numbers are huge). Having said that, in a barricade/bunker situation, I would rather have excessive amounts than not, but practically I don't think it would be a difference maker.

I would love to have 2 million rounds of each caliber, but practically and realistically speaking I try to keep to my own workable standards:

1K rounds per rifle caliber
500 rounds per handgun caliber
(along with lots of working magazines of course)
I shoot up everything else

At those numbers, alot of weapons and calibers can quickly be thrown in the trunk if needed, and I feel I am adequately supplied for any wait it out situation.

These threads that I view on various firearms sites with guys claiming to have tens and hundred of thousands of rounds are nice, but I think in practical terms, if they aren't shooting it they are wasting it. Saving up huge amounts of ammo for a rainy day, or another Clinton presidency is prudent, but if you ever have to grab what you can and leave in an hour, what good is it?
 
I'm with you - about 1k of rounds is pretty good and reasonable. I don't have anywhere near that - but starting. I did buy 2k of .22lr today - so an invasion of jack rabbits will be easily thwarted.

I've been thinking the same thing about the Clinton presidency - posted it on another forum - nobody replied. Must be a bunch of demos over there.

I've decided to reload shotshells and getting a good cache going of those. The winters are long in Utah so if I can load a few boxes per day every other day, then I should have a good cache of those.

Also - buying magazines for guns I don't own - yet. I've got a good line on AR15 mags - figured I better buy some high capacity mags before that priviledge is taken away in the next few years - if she takes office and really pushes it.

Good thread.
 
1000 rounds a rifle caliber? Where am I going to store 20,000 rounds of CFR ammo? Just the ammo I have now fills up the better part of my car with the seats out. I must not be as dedicated to the cause.
 
I'm guessing if/when SHTF - nobody will be packing around 20 long guns - obviously for various reasons - not feasible. I prefer to keep it simple. A few shotguns, a few handguns and one or two long guns.
 
My point is unless you only have a few calibers of guns then you will quickly fill up your house with ammo. If you have more calibers you will have much more ammo... Are you better off with 5 guns and 4K rounds each or 20 guns with 1K rounds each?


What is the point in having so much? What kind of situation do you forsee where you would want to have so much? Currently the only ammo facing bans are .50BMG and in some areas HG ammo.
 
2k in 7.62/39 for a SKS
1K in buck shot/600-1k in slugs for the 12gauge
2k in .22LR for my rifle and beretta pistol
2K for my 9mm pistol and 9mm carbine

and i would be good i think whether it be bunker down or move out ether way i have it in the military ammo boxes and can grab and toss them into the car and get the hell out of dodge if needed.
 
I don't think stockpiling 20,000 rounds of ammunition is worth doing...if you are planning on using it for defense.

It could be very useful as a barter tool weeks/months into a real disaster.

Realistically, I think a couple hundred rounds for each caliber is probably more than enough. It would probably be most appropriate to have lots of extra small game rounds, birdshot and .22 for day to day subsistance hunting.
 
this is pretty nutty. seems wildly unrealistic.

on the one hand, 1000 rnds won't even get you through a 2-day class. and if you shoot regularly in either competition or just plinking, it's maybe 1 month supply. it sure won't get you through the next AWB.

on the other hand, if you're indulging in some bugging out fantasy, 1000 rnds for a rifle and something less for a handgun is probably the upper limit, given how much more important it would be to pack water, food, clothes, medicine, etc.

personally, i reload so i tend to stockpile components, and if i left the house in an emergency, it would probably be with 300-600 rnds.
 
I agree with you for the most part.

Less is more for me in terms of guns.
More is more for me in terms of ammo.

We all have to factor in our individual situations and adjust for them just as do on caliber choice, gun choice, etc.

I think the qty depends on the type of weapon/role as well. Sniper rifle vs. assault rifle type of thing. 1k for the bolt gun & 1k for the AR/AK doesn't seem like a good balance. I also think other things need balancing like cash available, money in savings etc.

A real big issue for me is the ammo secure or not. I also like compatability with others on calibers & mags. I also believe in the team concept.

If money is an issue, a good minimum starting point is what you can carry on you. Then shoot/stockpile a ratio of 50/50. You should end up 2x you carry load, then 3x, 4x etc. Then change the ratio as your stockpile grows. I have to admit I shoot a lot of .22 for price savings.

Other things to consider are slings & how much ammo you can carry on your person & a way to do it. I'm not any accessory freak, just the basics. Every item has to be justified or else it is just dead weight and or wasted money. What works great for concealed carry on my handgun can become inadequate overnight.

I went through post Katrina & many people don't have adequate ammo or gear to carry their weapon. There was much less shooting than reported in my area. Try none. So the Irony is I want more ammo, just in case.

Later,
WNTFW
 
I get a little freaked out (for some unknown reason - I don't drink the SHTF Kool-Aid) when my ammo count for any given gun drops below twenty magazines or 200 rounds, whichever is bigger. I've got about 1000 rounds left out of 1224 for the CZ-52, but I've got maybe 40-60 for the Mosins and am desperately trying to find more for less than twenty cents a round. Looks like I missed the last-cheap-surplus boat by a couple of months. :banghead:

I'm not so worried about the shotgun as 12-gauge ammo isn't going to get scarcer, just more expensive, and I already have enough buck-and-slug to get me through a confrontation, and a couple boxes of BA/UU/R birdshot left. The .22s are well taken care of in the ammo department.

Ahh, milsurps - so fun to shoot when ammo is plentiful, so easy to freak out over when it isn't. My next milsurp purchase will be a Makarov and I'm sure I'll immediately start spazzing over the lack of surplus 9x18. I can't afford $.25-50 per round for American ammo right now...
 
I shoot a 45acp - cheapest ammo I can find is $13-14/box. Ouch. Tempted to buy a 9mm since the ammo is about half that.

So if bugging out and one cannot do it in a vehicle or other transportation - other than foot - how much ammo would one take and how would it be transported?
 
on the other hand, if you're indulging in some bugging out fantasy, 1000 rnds for a rifle and something less for a handgun is probably the upper limit, given how much more important it would be to pack water, food, clothes, medicine, etc.

personally, i reload so i tend to stockpile components, and if i left the house in an emergency, it would probably be with 300-600 rnds.
Click to expand...

It may seem "nutty" but you are speaking directly to my point. What good is having an acre of ammo under your house if you're going to leave in an emergency with only 300-600 rounds? (Not you personally taliv just an example)

I think it's more practical to have 1K of something on hand for any given caliber. That way if you can't take it all, you don't leave/waste a lot of ammo. This only applies to stockpiling. Not to everyday shooting. If you competitively shoot or plink 5-10k rounds a month then obviously you are going to have that much on hand around your home to shoot it. I'm only talking to stuff that you don't shoot merely stockpile for a rainy day so to speak.
 
If it is an emergency where you anticipate a fight, then you may need a lot of ammo. Ask the combat vets here how much ammo one can go through and not remember using.

I think it comes down to what you are going to do and who will be with you. I have a bunch of ammo for myself as well as others. I can trade it, or shoot it, or whatever. Some I have prepositioned and some is in "deep storage" in case I need to dig it up.
 
Well, lets see here-----

People think they can get by with small quantities of ammo [ 1k here, 1K there for a few calibers ] as they won't be able to carry it with them?

I'm one with tens hundreds more than that for several calbiers. I don't plan to take it all anywhere during any crisis either. I plan on continuing to collect it in volume like I've done for 20+ years.

I bought 12K of Port 308 Nato surplus 4 years ago for 160.00 a thousand delivered to my door, and I've recently been offered 750.00 per thousand for it. Try to make that in the stock market in the same time frame.

Why buy parts for the guns as well then, with the attitude you can't take it with you if you bug out for any reason? In the case of my M1a's USGI parts I put 2800.00 into 4 years ago, those parts are now worth 10-12K, again try to make that in the stock market for the same time period.

Guns, ammo, and parts do not go down in value, they go up. Bartering parts, weapons, ammo for other necessities seems prudent and profitable and having it and not needing it is better than needing it and not having it.

Storage costs are free afterall.

Brownie
 
Well, lets see here-----

People think they can get by with small quantities of ammo [ 1k here, 1K there for a few calibers ] as they won't be able to carry it with them?

I'm one with tens hundreds more than that for several calbiers. I don't plan to take it all anywhere during any crisis either. I plan on continuing to collect it in volume like I've done for 20+ years.

I bought 12K of Port 308 Nato surplus 4 years ago for 160.00 a thousand delivered to my door, and I've recently been offered 750.00 per thousand for it. Try to make that in the stock market in the same time frame.

Why buy parts for the guns as well then, with the attitude you can't take it with you if you bug out for any reason? In the case of my M1a's USGI parts I put 2800.00 into 4 years ago, those parts are now worth 10-12K, again try to make that in the stock market for the same time period.

Guns, ammo, and parts do not go down in value, they go up. Bartering parts, weapons, ammo for other necessities seems prudent and profitable and having it and not needing it is better than needing it and not having it.

Storage costs are free afterall.

Brownie
Click to expand...

That's all well and good but not really addressing my question. As I said in my original post, I would love to have 2 million rounds per caliber. But if I have to "head for the hills" how practical is having that much ammo?
 
Big45,

Like I said, I don't plan on taking everything if I have to bug out. I don't collect it for that reason, but for the reasons stated.

How practical is having that much ammo? I gave several reasons, your question addresses only one potential reason to have lots of ammo on hand. The answer to that question is only part of the whole picture.

You can leave lots of ammo behind, but you'll have it when you get back. Something you guys with 1K of each or less might not have when you return. I can't carry 1K in 308 on my back, or even the several rifles that shoot it, but I have plenty of both anyway.

If I were to keep only that which I might be able to take with me on a bug out, I wouldn't have enough ammo to get through a weekend of shooting, which means I'd have to keep buying it/replacing it at ever increasing higher prices------no thanks, I'll save money stockpiling instead of the alternative of buying enough to "get by" and then paying more every time I run out to get just enough that I could carry on the move.

Brownie
 
That's all well and good but not really addressing my question. As I said in my original post, I would love to have 2 million rounds per caliber. But if I have to "head for the hills" how practical is having that much ammo?
Click to expand...

I think the point he was trying to make is that have 2 million rounds per caliber is a bartering tool when the current economic system is no longer viable.

Or - pull the rounds apart and get to the powder and do something creative iwth it :what:
 
Unless you are in extraordinary physical condition, you won't be able to carry anything more than a handgun and a couple magazines if you are forced to "rough it" indefinitely under conditions of civil unrest. You will need the rest of your strength and carrying capacity for other important items.

You can't drink a gun.

You can't eat a gun.

You can't bathe with a gun.

You can't warm yourself with a gun.

You get the idea.


I've been collecting firearms stuff for almost four decades. I have much more than I need, and not nearly as much as I want.

As far as acquisition of ammunition for training and recreation, there aint no magic numbers. The maxim is simply "Buy it cheap - and stack it deep." That's all there is to that.
 
I wasn't suggesting that you should only have 1,000 rounds because that is all that you can carry.

I think it would be quite easy to consume more than a thousand rounds during a protracted SHTF situation. However, I think that if you minimized your consumption (don't do live-fire drills every day), a thousand rounds will go a long way. Also, I understand that ammunition gets expended quickly in a fight, but a thousand rounds, especially for a semi-only weapon, is an awful lot and the odds of you surviving long enough to fire your thousandth round are pretty minimal.


Edit: to respond to the hills question: If I had to head for the hills, I would carry two basic loads for my rifle and about a hundred rounds for my pistol, if I expected to have a real fight on my hands. If I had to leave and was more worried about, say, eating, then I would drop some ammunition in favor of food, other essentials, etc. I don't think it would be unreasonable to carry only two or three extra m-4 mags and a couple pistol mags. Especially since I, by myself, am not going to be laying a base of fire so an imaginary infantry squad can flank. Either I am going to end a confrontation quickly, or not at all.
 
You can leave lots of ammo behind, but you'll have it when you get back. Something you guys with 1K of each or less might not have when you return.
Click to expand...

Assuming any of us actually returned:) Plus who is to say it would no doubt be there when/if you got back.

I hear you on the investment side of it. That makes sense. I think maybe I didn't say what I meant clearly. I buy ammo all the time too. Right now I am on a 75/25 shoot/stockpile plan. I have the stuff I shoot and the stuff I save. I just think that when I reach a certain number as far as the stockpile amount goes, I can stop and for all practical purposes be fine and then just continue to buy for shooting purposes.
 
Of course, it is ideal to have an endless supply of ammunition, food, cold beer, etc. But when you have limited resources and have to decide whether to buy your wife a new car or that pallet of 5.56 you have had your eye on, deciding how much is *enough* becomes very relevant.
 
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