Ammo Hoarding...

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Afy

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I see a lot of posts about people buying 7-10K rounds of .308/.223/30-06/etc....

So my limited experience has me confused.... would really appreciate it if you could educate me on this...

1. Given that a barrell will typically wear out at about 5K rounds... isnt it excessive to have 2x the life of the barrel in ammo?
2. Why not reload? Its cheaper, and more accurate ammo...
3. The occasional hoard of 100K+ rounds in various calibers... are we preparing for the Zombie war or EOTWAWKI?
4. How much do you actually shoot per year in a given caliber?

I have bought a couple of hundred rounds at a time because the price was right... but not 4-5K. (Dont have the money, and dont envisage shooting that much in a single caliber). Now if you are a pro... I can understand it. But most are not...hence the confusion....

Then again I do have respect for the guy who hoarded 1000K+ rounds at home... though I wouldnt do it.
 
Reloading is not always cheaper, especially in "commie" calibers. Buying in bulk can yield great savings - that's why I like to buy by the case. If I could save 15%-20% by buying multiple cases, I probably would. Ammo isn't getting any cheaper.
 
Afy, it's pretty hard to wear a barrel out. The finicky target guns may start to loose some of their fine accuracy at 5k rounds, but the barrel is hardly worn out at that point. Most guns can go tens of thousands of rounds and still shoot fine. I've got handguns and rifles both with 25-30k rounds through them that still shoot great, and a rimfire that has over 100k rounds through it and still has target grade accuracy. Changing out a barrel on most guns isn't too difficult and is actually quite a common service offered at most shops also.

I tend to buy in bulk and reload in bulk for the savings. I have several guns in the same caliber (AKs, SKSes) so 10k rounds may work out to only 1k or less per gun in reality. I'm also a relatively high volume shooter and go through as many as 75-80k rounds in a good year (much of that is rimfire). To me it's mostly savings related to buy/reload in bulk, but I also make an effort to have a long term supply on hand, just in case.
 
Given that a barrell will typically wear out at about 5K rounds... isnt it excessive to have 2x the life of the barrel in ammo? How much do you actually shoot per year in a given caliber?
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Do you think that people just throw the firearm away when the barrel wears out and never buy another in that caliber? Guns can be rebarreled, you know. Sometimes people (gasp) have more than one gun in a caliber. Ammo doesn't go bad in a short period of time, like a carton of milk, so it will shoot just as well 10 years down the road and the price per shot will likely be cheaper than fresh ammo in 2017. Given the trend in ammo and component prices lately, it may well be a smart financial move for a shooter to invest in ammunition.
 
I've probably shot +/-8000 rounds in the last year, and a lot was in the calibers whose prices are skyrocketing right now (7.62 x 39 and .223/5.56), so snatching a case when I see a deal is something I'll continue for the present.
 
I guess I'm guilty of loving to buy ammo..It just gives me a warm fuzzy feeling. When I find a good deal, I buy as much as possible.
 
Gentlemen... like I mentioned I have limited experience...

I am currently gravitating towards more accurate weapons... hence the number. I dont know enough... to begin with. Hence the education :)

Also secretly I would love to have a few 100K of ammo but it isnt going to happen. Ammo on an average (other than .22lr) is well above $1 a round here.... so there is some jealousy as well. :):)
 
I just bought ~66K of 5.45x39 It cost me right at $0.10 per round... delivered in crates for long term storage. (Till I shoot it all up)

As for how much I shoot, I shot about 700 rounds of it this past saturday...
+ some 9mm and .22's, and the 3 weeks I was in Tn I shot over 12,000 rounds.

1. Your barrel life is low -in Chrome line barrels anyway.
-Who says I have only one gun?
2. Doubt it'll be cheaper to reload... and not much for the lack of fuss (I have a reloading set up... this is easier)
3. No, I'm 24... and plan on shooting for a LONG time at this year's prices.
-My .308 hord has 3X in price in ONE year... there's no investment I can put it into that will let me buy ammo later and not loose $... I'll shoot it all... one day.
4. No idea... alot.
(If you can keep track it's not enough;^)

A couple things you are missing:
One I already outlined... buying while it's cheap, before it goes up I already pointed out... and naturally if you do that you can buy more.

The other thing is... when you call up and order a pallet load... you get a price break... I found out a few years ago. Ever since I try to buy ammo 2X per year... and I get alot more ammo for my money.

Edited to add: Buying when it's scarse is called Hording. When you are buying it when it's plentiful and put it back it's called stockpiling. FYI
 
I used to be "that guy". You know, the guy with several guns ... but he never had any ammo. :p Then I started shooting competitions and other organized events ... and realized how little 1k of ammo can be.

So I stocked up (fortunately prior to today's insane pricing). And I'm glad I did ... no way I'm paying 35-40 cents per round for XM193 or up to 50 cents per round for SA .308 ....

Justin

PS I have a Dillon 550B and (up until recently) it was not cheaper to reload surplus military rifle calibers.

Plus, you have to figure your sweat equity in reloading ammo. It's not free ... it's time you could be spending doing something else. Reloading rifle rounds takes more time because you need to lube the cases prior to resizing (which is something you don't have to do with carbide pistol dies).
 
Nomad...

You're the exception to the average person. Plus I did enjoy the pictures ....

And I have no chrome barrels :(
 
. Given that a barrell will typically wear out at about 5K rounds... isnt it excessive to have 2x the life of the barrel in ammo?
2. Why not reload? Its cheaper, and more accurate ammo...
3. The occasional hoard of 100K+ rounds in various calibers... are we preparing for the Zombie war or EOTWAWKI?
4. How much do you actually shoot per year in a given caliber?
Click to expand...

1. Reloading is time consuming and meticulous and it does not always mean more accurate ammo, you have to find a load that is right for each one of your guns. And that can definetly be time consuming.

2. Some people shoot a lot. I know I do as of late I have been shooting about 1000 rounds per month in 45 and .22 (matches, practice, practice) also, some shooters when they find a particular lot of ammo that shoots well in their gun they buy as much of it as possible because they know how it will act in their weapon.

3. I shoot a large amount of ammo, probably 2+ per year. I reload and buy factory ammo, matches I shoot about 250 rounds of just .45, this month I have already shot 500 rounds and will be shooting another 500 before the month is out.

4. If there ever comes a ban or background check on ammo, I want to have a lot stored up so when I have to go accross state lines to buy ammo, its absolutely critical to do so.
 
afy, i stockpile components instead and I do reload. when you shoot 300-500+ rounds in a trip to the range, 1000 rounds isn't as impressive as it sounds. believe me, it goes quick.
 
I was one of those guys "guns but no ammo" - sold off everything and now I have three guns.

Components to build 5k .308 and a Dillon 650.
5k of .223
3k of 5.7x28

Everything but the Dillon fit into my smaller safe.

It is a comfortable feeling knowing that if SHFT tomorrow, I have stocks that can be used, sold or traded. Prices continue to go higher and I'll continue to buy as I consume components for my hobbie.

Be safe, BSR
 
Texas

Primarily .22 LR, .222 Remington Magnum, 8x64S and 300 Winchester Magnum

We are llimited to some very wierd calibers in France. .223 or .308 (milsurp in general) is a pain of paper work to buy and 1 year of running around... versus leaving with the rifle and ammo the same day.
 
I was definitely one of those guys that had a gun or 3 and 50-200 rounds per gun. I went to the range one day and didn't have a single round to my name. Now I'm in the position of not getting a gun in a new caliber until I have what I feel enough ammo to cover me for a while. The only rounds I'm stocked to a comfortable level is 9mm (2K rounds ball and 500+ a few mags of hp) and about 3k rounds of 7.62X39, and I'm still stacking it up.
 
1. Given that a barrell will typically wear out at about 5K rounds... isnt it excessive to have 2x the life of the barrel in ammo?
2. Why not reload? Its cheaper, and more accurate ammo...
3. The occasional hoard of 100K+ rounds in various calibers... are we preparing for the Zombie war or EOTWAWKI?
4. How much do you actually shoot per year in a given caliber?
Click to expand...

1) Who has just one rifle per caliber? I have multiples for almost every caliber I have except 30-06 and M1 carbine. I have about 10k of surplus 7.62x51 to share between two FALs, an M1 Garand (converted), and two No.2 Enfields. That's only 2k per rifle assuming I don't buy any more rifles. I think I'm down to about 7k of 5.56 to share among five 5.56 calibered AR15s.

2) I've priced it out a number of ways. Not even including equipment costs, I can't reload for what I've paid for any of my rifle ammo. Almost all of my rifle ammo was purchased for less that 14 cents a round, some less than 10 cents a round. Although with todays prices the gap is closer.

3) I've hoarded for two reasons: I predicted ammo will get harder to find and it will get much more expensive. Both of these have come true for almost every caliber I have except 7.62x54R (and even with that some of my favorite types are now gone). I was buying Barnual 7.62x39 for $39 per 500. I have about 4k of that and wish I bought more. You can't even find Barnual anymore and Wolf is nowhere near that price.

4) I used to shoot about 500 rounds a year per caliber (and I have a lot of different calibers), but now I'm probably down to around 200-300 on average. Some more. I've been on a 5.56 kick lately.

So now I sit back and shoot what I have while most others ask where can one get this or that, and complain about how expensive ammo has gotten.
 
Many of these people buy cheap milsurp ammo in bulk simply becasue it is so cheap. Often about 10Cents per round or cheaper in the good old days a a couple of years ago. I have stocked up but I also have a small collection of milsurp rifles and enjoy shooting them when I get the chance. I figure that when I retire, I will shoot off all my ammo then sell most of the guns.

BTW, my ammo is looking more and more like a good investment. The value some of mine is up over 50% in the 8 months or so.
 
Here's how it's gonna work:


1. Surplus supply dries up or becomes wildly expensive

2. Ammo makers realize the profit potential

3. Makers buy up manufacturing equipment

4. Makers turn out surplus grade ammo at around eh, 25- 30 cents a round.
 
It is far better to have it and not need it than to need it and not have it.... and who thinks the price of ammo will go down any time in the future?
 
It is far better to have it and not need it than to need it and not have it.... and who thinks the price of ammo will go down any time in the future?
Click to expand...

Oh it will...about the same time that gas gets back down to $1 a gallon :banghead:
I wish I would have stockpiled back when ammo cost half of what it does now...you know, last year :( Oh well, time to fire up the dillon.
 
1. Given that a barrel will typically wear out at about 5K rounds... isn't it excessive to have 2x the life of the barrel in ammo?
Click to expand...
As others have pointed out, this is misinformation. I can see guns getting a good once-over by a gunsmith at 5k rounds but that doesn't mean it's shot-out.

2. Why not reload? Its cheaper, and more accurate ammo...
Click to expand...
I shoot a lot of 7.62x39 and 7.62x25. Definitely still cheaper to buy than reload (also reloading in the apartment is the one thing the wife has absolutely forbidden)

3. The occasional hoard of 100K+ rounds in various calibers... are we preparing for the Zombie war or EOTWAWKI?
Click to expand...
100-200 rounds per practice session, Practicing 1-2 times a month, comes out to around 1200-2400 rounds per year.
Divide that up amongst my 3 favorite guns and that is still 400-800 rounds per year.

4. How much do you actually shoot per year in a given caliber?
Click to expand...
See above. Some a lot less (12GA shotgun) some a lot more (.38 Special used in cowboy action shooting).

I have bought a couple of hundred rounds at a time because the price was right... but not 4-5K. (Dont have the money, and dont envisage shooting that much in a single caliber). Now if you are a pro... I can understand it. But most are not...hence the confusion....
Click to expand...
If I have the $$$ and I find a good price then I buy. I like to keep around 1k rounds of each caliber (except for 12ga, I keep a LOT less of that :D )
 
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