How long does a box of shells last you?

[btg3]

A box or more in one outing, if they're really flying.

 

[chas08]

For some calibers, many years! For others, a range session!

 

[ldlfh7]

The range: 10 minutes
Hunting: Several years

 

[Rembrandt]

Hunted with an old timer from Wyoming who pulled out a 20 round box with five live rounds left. Turned out he'd purchased the box 15 years prior and was proud of the fact he had bagged one deer each season using only one round each season to fill his tag. He had grown up in another era when ammunition was precious and you made sure each round counted.

 

[Carl N. Brown]

One box of CCI .22 shot shells (20 rounds) lasted twenty years used only to shoot rats and snakes indoors. (Actually I still have some rounds of that box.)

One spam can of 300 rounds 7.62mm lasted one season vintage military rifle matches. (Of course that's not hunting; I still have the softnose ammo I bought 1992 years ago for that that rifle.)

I have no doubt that farmers have gotten a deer or two for the freezer every fall for ten years from one box of .30-30 and have a few rounds left over.

I have had plinking sessions with my son and my cousins at the old homeplace in the mountains and went through a brick of 500 .22 in one afternoon with no rounds left over. For strictly hunting, I suppose a box of 50 would last two years or more when I was squirrel hunting.

Here's the problem I see: when I was kid, I could count on my dad being able to find .22 or 12ga at any general store or gas station on the way to the mountain. I have found especially when participating in vintage/modern military competitions, you have to buy ahead due to periodic droughts in ammo like .30 carbine or .45 ACP even at dedicated gunshops and sporting goods departments. For months now even .22 LR has been hard to find. Even if you shoot only when hunting in the field, occassionally doing sight checks, you must buy ahead even if you shoot less than a box per season

 

[ridgerunner1965]

a box of shells to me is a plastic 50 round box of 6.5x55 handloads.its pretty much my go to hunting round now.i use it for coyotes, deer and groundhogs.50 rnds will last me all year. usually before deer season ill load up what shells are empty to have a complete box handy.during deer season ill shoot maybe 4 to 6 rounds at animals.coyotes and deer.this year i shot 4 rounds. 2 coyotes and two deer.and 1 more round thru my muzzy gun for another deer. i always check my sites before season so that eats up a few rounds.then occasionally ill shoot just for pleasure. so yeah 50 rnds per year in my main rifle.

 

[TNboy]

A .270 is my go to deer gun. I have others but it gets used the most. I didn't hunt this season and that was a first ever. I have a box of Winchester Silver Tips that I think that I must have bought somewhere around 2007 that has 4 or 5 left. I do buy cheaper ammo to keep on hand for coyotes and whatnot and to check the scope before deer season. It makes that ammo that costs $2+ per round last a little longer.

 

[Sav .250]

For me that`s an open ended question. If you have have more than a few weapons and don`t use the same one year in and year out, a box can last quite some time. years.

 

[JohnBT]

One box lasts about 5 minutes during dove season.

 

[MCgunner]

I usually shoot up 4 or 5 boxes opening weekend of dove season. I'll go through 10 in a season easily if I hunt much at all. But, after opening weekend north zone, I'm going into teal/waterfowl mode. I'll burn 15-20 shells on a duck hunt. Geese, it just depends on how much they're flying, but the single shot 10 gauge keeps me from wasting ammo, guess that's a good thing. I fired 21 rounds from it one particularly good morning. Probably would have burned twice that or more out of a pump.

All 25 round boxes, of course.

 

[Certaindeaf]

Varmints can't count or tell time so it depends.

 

[stonecoldy]

My deer season rifle days are precious few, so I run several boxes of ammo through whatever rifles I think I may try during a season. I enjoy target practice with a Savage 17 HMR every chance I get for less expensive shooting. My favorite centerfire calibers have a reserve ammo stock of 200+ rounds. Extra per diem funds for work travel help me out immensely with this.

 

[ljnowell]

If we are talking purely hunting, I only hunt deer. I only hunt with a single pistol, my Blackhawk in 45 colt. I shoot between 100-150rds a month out of it. Every month, whether its season or not.

Now, in my comp guns, during Bullseye season, 300-400rds a WEEK, then competition every tuesday. For IDPA I typically only shoot 150week in practice, then 100 or so twice a month(two matches a month around here).

 

[Geno]

On a typical trip to the farm, for shooting steel, I can easily go through 200 rounds of centerfire rifle, 500 rounds of handgun, and well over 1,000 .22LRs. On such trips, I typically will take 4 or more rifles, and at least that many handguns.

Now, if I am working on handload development, I may only take two rifles and 20 to 30 rounds of handloads for each. I always take the .22LR and several hundred rounds of ammo for it. It's fun to shoot while the barrels cool between strings. It depends, fun or business.

Then, in a typical deer season, I will go through 100 to 200 rounds for preseason practice. During the actually season, one box suffices, unless I have to verify my scope. No, I use a whole lot of ammunition, and it explains why I handload. I could never afford to purchase this much factory ammo.

Geno

PS: If you have some extra ammo that has been sitting around, feel free to ship it to me. 8^)

 

[22-rimfire]

I will say one thing... regardless if it is my 270 or a handgun and I'm using factory ammo to hunt big game, I will probably grab a fresh box for "opening day" and leave any partial boxes at home or in the truck. I figure if I am likely to shoot one or two shots if I see my quarry, why use five year old ammunition when I have newer?

That helps to eliminate the chance happening that all my ammo is bad for some reason. I actually had that happen when I was 14 with shotgun slugs... all my ammo that my Dad gave me were duds, every single round. And yes, the 8-pt buck when bye bye.

 

[slicksleeve]

My deer season this past year consisted of 1 shot, 1 dead deer, from a single shot rifle. A Ruger No. 1 in .308 Win. to be exact. But man do I shoot the snot out of that and all of my other rifles during the off season. Sent about 40 down range today. Handloading, its the only way to go.

 

[fdf]

Asking how long does a box of shells last is like asking how long does a loaf of bread last?

Depends on how many sandwiches you eat, do you eat one for lunch or one for lunch and one for supper?

 

[TexasPatriot.308]

sometimes about 30 seconds.

 

[BigN]

I shoot about 2 boxes of coyote ammo during season and maybe 4/5 deer rounds during deer season.