How much ammo is enough?

Status
Not open for further replies.
X

xxleafybugxx

Member
Joined
Apr 13, 2015
Messages
41
If you are anything like me, you like to have extra ammo at your disposal "just because". I find comfort in the fact that a good portion of one my closets has a good deal of ammo in it.. a few thousand rounds of mixed caliberes. I'm not sure if I do this for a worst case scenario, but I like having lots of ammo just like I like having lots of guns.
What are my fellow highroader's thoughts and tendencies on this topic?
 
I am in the firm belief that for each caliber you need a minimum of 1000 rounds. And for your go to weapons that you carry or shoot a lot, up that to 2000 as a minimum. And this is reserve ammo you have available. Not to shoot. Just to have for the Apocalypse!!!
Shooting ammo, I roll my own and have 500 per caliber for every day shooting.
 
"How much ammo is enough?"

For what? For CC? Somewhere between 5 and 30 rounds. For duck hunting, maybe 25-100 rounds. Everything combined, for general shootin' purposes? More than I have. ;)
 
I remember when other shooters who also reloaded told me they did not bother saving their 9mm brass: "9mm is so cheap, it's not worth reloading if you count your time." They said. A few years later, you could not find any on the shelves to buy. I listened to them and quit scrounging 9mm brass at the public ranges for awhile (still reloaded what I had). After a couple of scares / shortages I now pick up everything. I don't have as much loaded ammo on hand as I'd like, but I have a very comfortable supply of all the components.
 
In light of what we have gone thru over the last 2 years, I believe that we need to have a minimum of 5 years of ammo on hand to get thru the next one. So, if you shoot 100 rounds a month, that's 6,000 total rounds of what you use. (100x12x5=6000).

As I near retirement, I plan to have enough on hand (reloading) to allow me to shoot thru my retirement without needing any further supplies once I retire. I am about 1/2 way there but I have another 7 years before I retire so I should be ok at the current pace.

Others shoot in leagues and may shoot 1000 rounds a week. That's over 250,000 rounds in 5 years. Some people get agitated when they hear what some people have in hand but everybody shoots at a different pace so what's "hoarding" to some is merely "a modest supply on hand" to others.
 
Enough ammo to handle the zombies. If you don't know how many that is, you don't have enough.

Joking aside you can't have enough ammo. All my calibers and gauges combined are probably 2000 measly rounds. Stupid bills.
 
I have some ammo for example that I will only use for the zombie apocalypse... for example
1,060 rds of 7n6
800+ rds of Romanian surplus 7.62x25
 
It depends on the attrition rate of what you shoot regularly.
You want to have a buffer of x number of months worth of regular shooting.
 
As Thermactor said, it depends on how much you shoot. Since I don't shoot any competitive matches, I'm with 357smallbore: 1000 to 2000 rounds of what I shoot most (9mm, .223 & .22LR), and several hundred rounds of the other (.38spl, .380acp, 12ga, etc.)

I'm at that inventory level so I can go through the next wave of scarcity without HAVING to buy at inflated prices.
[collecting brass & reloading supplies for my favorite calibers too even though I'm not reloading yet -- same reasoning]
 
Last edited:
Never less than one round. You'll always at least need one for yourself if things get desperate.
 
A year's supply at normal shooting rates. Anything less than that will leave you complaining about hoarders during the next shortage.
 
I may be in the minority, but I've never really considered what is "enough". More than I have, I guess, but even what I have is enough to keep me shooting for quite some time at current pace. My minimum is 1 box of ammo per gun.
 
Considering how I keep buying it I don't think I know how much is enough. I maybe passed that mark long ago. I know I have more than I'll ever shoot in some calibers. It was so cheap to buy I just kept buying more and more. I might actually sell some of that ammo since the price is now double what I paid for it.

I have plenty for every caliber I own for sure. For some that's a few hundred rounds. For others it's a few thousand. It just depends on what gun you're talking about really. I'm not going to shoot 500 rounds of .380. It just isn't that much fun and the gun I have that shoots it isn't exactly an ergonomic masterpiece. But other stuff I might end up wanting a whole lot more. 1000 rounds of .223 is plenty for a single shot rifle but for an AR?? Probably not.
 
I would guess as to how many calibers you have?
Worst case scenario- 60 rounds per bolt action rifle and 200 rounds per semi.
shotgun , never less then 200 rnds for pump and 500 for semi's.
handguns, single action 200, semi's 500.
Thats just my opinion.
As a reloader my count goes more towards having equal primers to powder ratio. In taht catagory I prefer a 5 year stock on hand of equal measures. I know what I can get out of a pound of said powder, therefore I need so many primers per pound. per caliber.
I get ahead on one, I balance it out by getting more of the other.
Brass is also an issue, some can be reloaded many times, some just a few.
Like I said, worst case scenario.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Similar threads

chhodge69
  • Locked
What to do with vintage ammo?
Replies
19
Views
692
ForumSurfer
F
T
  • Locked
How much ammo is "enough?"
2 3
Replies
62
Views
2K
Spats McGee
Spats McGee
S
  • Locked
So..How much ammo is enough?
2 3 4 5
Replies
118
Views
6K
5whiskey
5
J
  • Locked
how much ammo?
2 3 4
Replies
85
Views
4K
jim243
J
S
  • Locked
Wasn't quite sure where to put this...ammo storage?
Replies
14
Views
2K
M2 Carbine
M
Back
Top