Gun Rich, Ammo Poor?

Maybe I'm on to something, or maybe I'm schizophrenic, but a case of ammo doesn't have a "personality".

It's just not the same feeling bringing it home.

XD-40, I don't think you'll have to worry about the revolvers being available if Osama gets elected. It will be the ARs and Mini 14s that won't be available.
I've thought about getting an AR but .223 is so dang expensive I've been putting it off. I could scrape up enough $ for the gun, just wouldn't be able to afford anything to shoot out of it.
I have been doing my best to not add any new calibers and when I do shoot, it's usually a little .38 and 9mm and a LOT of .22. (it will make a hole in paper too).

I will say that other than 22's, I tend to be ammo poor and gun rich if you want to generalize. But I have enough of the stuff I shoot for a few months at my usual shooting frequency.

All your guns won't be worth anything without the ammunition to support them should you ever need them. I suggest 1000 rounds for every caliber in which you have "serious" guns. My safe has almost as much $$$ in ammunition as it does in guns.

Also, as mentioned above, instead of going to the range and shooting 500 rounds of centerfire ammunition, why don't you practice with .22lr and put that expensive stuff away for a rainy day? I have a .22lr conversion kit for my CZ-75 and a Ruger 10/22 - Perfect for both pistol and rifle practice.

I have about equal amounts, in money, of guns and ammunition. I always buy more than enough ammunition.

Buy enough so that you don't have to keep going to the store.

Posted today, 01:48 PM by alexd: "...... I suggest 1000 rounds for every caliber in which you have "serious" guns."

Click to expand...

IMHO, 1,000 rounds is not enough. My "basic load" is now 2,500 (and I have reloading dies for the calibers of my "serious" guns). YMMV........

For those who say reloading does not make sence.


SORRY YOUR WRONG

Even with the price of components rising. For some calibers it pays it pays dearly. For the YUPPEE guns the guns that everyone has to have. The 9mm, 45 acp 223. Probably not. as you can still get them on sale at a pretty good price.


Ok for my 45 Long Colt. WELL Worth the price to reload. At 45.99 a box at Big 5 for 50 bullets. NO NO NO NO . Im reloading. Then same time i cast my own bullets so i figure right now im spending about .05cents a round. Thats huge. Casting and reloading can save you a ton of money. It really just depends on what caliber you shoot. .410 shot gun. oh ya i reload.


As for the time. It just depends on you and what phase you are in life. Like most people i have a family kids, things to do at home and obligations and responsibilities. I have found though that the older i get and the older my kids get i seem to be getting more and more time. Plan your schedule. Reloading is both relaxing and enjoyable. Buy components in bulk. I have about 9000 primers in stock on just large rifle. i purchased most of them at good prices. If you know that component prices are going to go up. Then buy as much as you can today. As you know when the components prices go up the ammo goes up next. Only thing im a little low on is powder. But then i made an agreement a long time ago with my wife that i would not keep more than 10lbs of any kind of powder and no more than 5lbs total of any kind of black powder. so im limited on that.

My ammo/gun ratio is pretty good on purpose.

I almost never shoot, when I do shoot it's usually less than fifty rounds, but I buy ammunition in bulk regularly. I very sincerely worry I may cause the house to collapse.

I figured it once that I've got something like a thousand rounds of centerfire per rifle on hand for everything except the .30-06s, Carcanos, M-95 Mannlichers, and the Commissiongewehrs.

I used to be the same way until a friend of mine reminded me that a gun is pretty much useless without any ammo. Now, I try to keep at least 1000 rounds of each caliber, and I've passed up several good deals on guns simply because it is a caliber that I don't have. I reload, also.

Find the balance.

Buy more than you shoot. Rotate the older stuff out, supplant with the newer stuff. Find pleasure in life's little gifts. My all-time favorite caliber is the lowly .22LR. But, if you can pull the trigger precisely on your weapon with a .22LR upper, you can do the same with that weapon and its 9mm or .45 ACP upper.

That's what I do.

I tend to shoot all my stockpiled ammo up pretty quickly. Ammo is a consumable, and you need to consume a lot of it to develop and maintain your skills.

I try to keep enough pistol and rifle ammo on hand for 2-3 matches or practice sessions, just so I'm not scrambling around the night before a match. Oh, and a couple hundred rounds of defensive loads. Any less than that, and it's time to hit the loading bench.

- Chris

Of course! You don't get a buzz from buying ammunition, and it is consumable, so you have to buy it again and agian. So, it comes down to a matter of dicipline. For some, they have made the chore of reloading into a fun and beneficial passtime. I am trying to get into reloading, but the initial investment, and the commitment to get started, has made it difficult. I believe that later this year, or early next year, political changes will result in an active effort to severly restrict ammunition sales as a means to restrict gun rights. It is far easier to control the sale of ammunition componants than it is to restrict ammunition itself, so, if I am going to do it, I need to get started and I need to have some sort of stockpile in time. So like everything else, it is just easier to stockpile ammunition, but not as fun.

The ratio of my gun and ammunition is pretty good here. Same with my husband's guns and ammo.

I buy new, he buys some new and he 'reloads' too. (I do not reload.)

No offense but 1,000 rounds of ammunition is not a LOT in center fire or in rim fire ammo!

I buy 22LR in bulk. Usually 10 boxes at a time for $11.97 - Federal 550 cartridges per box. I always replace my ammo in 22LR and in other ammo as soon as I use up a box or I get 'low' which never happens in really LOW for me.

I concentrate in mainly 2 caliber firearms the MOST now and in my ammunition. I did this when I FIRST started to buy my own guns in 1998 and on. I bought firearms that could use the same caliber ammo. I did this for all firearms except for my much loved Glock Model 19C. I had planned on getting a 9MM rifle for myself and/or for my late husband but it never happened. I do this even more NOW in concentrating on firearm/ammunition = same caliber! I use 22LR for hand guns and rifles, 45Colt aka long colt and some in 30-30 for MY only center fire rifle now. My Marlin 336SS. (I sold some firearms after my late husband died too.)

When I sold 2 firearms in calibers that I knew that I would not own or buy for awhile... I sold it as a package deal.

Gun
Ammunition (I did not have another gun in THIS caliber.)
Holster
All papers, wooden box, gun case, etc.

The people who bought these knew it was a package deal for EACH gun.

Glock Model 19C - lovely gun.
S&W Model 29-2 & 29-3 - his and hers - lovely guns!
9mm ammo went bye bye.
44Special and 44Magnum ammo went bye bye.

I sold the Wins in 94Trapper. Nice guns and they were in pistol calibers and one was in 22LR.

I did not 'lose' in any firearm that I ever sold either.

If my left arm/hand get worse down the road... I may only use 22LR for my rifles too.

Catherine
PS: All components have gone up. Hand made or store bought ready made ammunition. My husband buys some reloading stuff down in the Bitterroot.
http://www.thehuntingshack.com/

He goes down there in person. I don't think he has had anything shipped from other companies in several years. I think that he has 2 reloading machines. NOTHING super fancy. He has had them for a VERY long time too. When I got him the Bushmaster in .223 for a present, I told him to buy the die (?) thing for it so he could reload for that down the road too. I gave him the money and let him pick it out. I did see what he was going to buy in the Bushmaster though and I held it @ the store months ago when he bought it. I have not shot it yet but I have shot others like it in the past... those evil black guns... NOT! Grin.

PS

PS:

Stocking up on ammunition to me is like stocking up on toilet paper (Scott - 12 rolls-1,000 sheets on sale T.P.), food items, water, emergency supplies, sale items that you KNOW that you will use anyway, hunted meat - elk, deer, etc., you name it!

Tea, coffee, rice, beans, canned goods, dried goods, soap, shampoo, etc.

I buy on sale items on things that I or we will always use. My late depression era parents did this when I was a kid in the 1950's and on. I did this when I lived super rural because of bad weather, I saved on gas and my time - I usually worked LONG hours. I did this all of my life - town/city or country or wilderness/mountain living. I did this as a USN bride too.

Range?
Those are not fun at all from my perspective-they only allow paper targets. Frankly, the main use I get at the local range is to use the bulletin board inside to buy or sell something. Had hoped to see guys that I know out there-never do-should have kept my $500 registration fee to buy 2500 rds. of 7x39, to be frank.
I barely touched a gun from '85 until last October because I did not know about nearby open land by deep river banks where people can safely plink-local deputies suggest doing this.

The lower ammo prices for a Mini (not the rifles' prices..) , but both ammo and rifle prices for the SKS and M44 determined which rifles I found easily of somewhat affordable. My wife is glad that I stopped buying rifles. She does not know how much was spent covertly (money orders or cash) on Wolf ammo.
Could not see buying a higher-priced rifle which requires high-priced ammo, i.e. M-1 Garand, FN-FAL etc and not being able to shoot fairly often, except as a museum piece for investment.

Will the general situation: fuel, mortgage crises, job lay-offs, make semi-auto. Ruger and Marlin .22 rifles go up much in price in the next two years?

I started reloading 25 years ago. I still load on the same Rockchucker press i started with. Its not fast but i sit in my workshop and listen to the radio and load ammo. I am bored with TV so this works pretty well.

I also have a bullet casting session every once in a while. I have about 1200 pounds of lead and so have a reserve of bullet material if things get crazy. I have also been buying bulk componants for a long time.

22 ammo is the best deal out there. I have several thousand rounds stored and shooting a bunch of it up is painless.

So far my gun to ammo ratio is fairly balanced. I have sold some guns to buy more ammo though.

Buy an air rifle and pellet pistol. Its the cheapest practicing you will ever do.

hmm 40 or so guns and only a few partial boxes of ammo sitting around , a few clips loaded up for the M1, and a few full mags for the AR, and two for each pistol.
I load up whatever I need a few days before I go to a range.


I don't lose any sleep over it.

I'm with Black Majik, guns are to shoot.

Ammo prices have almost overcome my laziness and started me reloading, but not yet: the price of gas has prompted a buddy who reloads to trade me ammo for rides to IDPA matches.

I reload for 12 guage, but everything else I buy. Just bought a case of
9mm so that should be good, but I need to buy some .38 Special, and some 7.62x39 for the AK I don't quite have yet.

I asked my husband about his reloading equipment. He has RCBS/Rock Chucker and Lee reloading presses. His 'dies' fit BOTH presses. The Lee is a progressive press for loading hand gun ammunition. The RCBS is a single stage press for loading ANY type of ammunition. He can use the LEE for anything but he mainly uses it for his hand gun ammunition.

I think that I said what he said to me OK here! If not forgive me. Thank you!

Catherine

I am gun rich and ammo rich, for now. I usually buy in bulk, expeicially when ammo is concerned.

I used to let friends shoot my guns with my ammo for free, but now I make them either bring ammo or pay to replace it. Most quit comming over to shoot.

I reload ALL my own ammo,,,,,,got WAY more than " I'll " ever need

I am a "brass whore" !!!!!

I've got enough weapons now so most of my $$$$$ goes for reloading supplies-----

Powder by the 8 pound bottle
Primers by the 5000
Bullets by the 1000
Brass by the 500

9mm's-----16K (probably more)
223's------about 4K
308's------about 3K

Don't "waste" anything-----only shoot to site-in new scopes and shoot to "check" rifle and scope accuracy. I still have to get the open sites "set".

Still want to get "spare parts" for my current weapons.

UJ

It depends on what you are talking about.
Before this mess started, every time I went into Wallyworld, I left with whatever I was there for plus a box of .22LR!!
It was nine something in those days, so it was not a awesome burden.
Lets just say I have enough to blast away for awhile.

When I was a teenager my brother in law who was some 18 years older than I told me to get guns, fishing and camping equipment, while I still lived at home with my folks. He also got the Outdoor Life and American Rifle magazines which he saved . So around 1947 I was reading about the Winchester Mdl 70 270 rifle , reloading ammo and big game hunting. I saved the money earned one summer so that I could get my old 270 Winchester. The following year I saved for a Weaver K -4 scope and a Lymon True Line reloader ,dies, and the other equipment I needed to reload. H 4831 and 4895 powder cost me $0.25 per pound . Hornady 270 bullets were about $ 3.00 per box for 100 and 130 grain bullets. Shooting off a rest that then new 270 Win with the 4 power scope would shoot one inch 100 yard groups. I still could take someone to the spot where I shot my first prairie dog at 300 yards with that 270 rifle with 100 Gr reloads. I got lucky and the U.S. Army sent me to Germany where I purchased a few guns. So by 1947 I had a Remington 121 22 pump with a Weaver J 4 scope, a Anschutz bolt action 22 w/ a Berlin Pecar 4 X scope , a Sako bolt action 222 Rem w/a 9X Berlin Pecar scope ,the 270 Win, a Browning A-5 semi auto 12 Ga, a S&W K 38 Special. So by the time I was 22 years old I was set up for small game , varmints, big game, and bird hunting. I was also set up for trout fishing and camping. I have all ways had budget, so I knew what money was left over if any for my hobby. I looked for sales for all of my hobby stuff . By the time I retired ten years ago I had more hunting ,fishing ,reloading supplys, camping and other equipment than I could dreamed about when I was a kid back in 1947. I still reload all of my rifle ,hand and shot gun ammo. I live in prairie dog country , boy that takes a lot of ammo to feed a 17 Fireball, 17 Rem, 221 Fireball, 223 Rem, and 22-250 rifle varmint rifles.