How much ammo is enough?

[SVTOhio]

I know for a fact I don't have enough of each caliber. But when my few boxes of each run out I just have a excuse to go to the shooting store.

 

[RustyShackelford]

AR magazines, prices...

I only have about 50-100 extra pistol caliber rounds at this time, when I can afford I will get about 500-750 rounds but I'm not in a huge rush.

I spoke to a local FFL holder/shop manager who said he once had a gunsmithing customer who showed him a storage closet with 200 fully loaded 40rd 5.56x45mm steel GI magazines .
He asked the customer why he needed so many AR mags. "So I'm ready." was the answer.

I looked at a few rifle caliber website ammunition prices. It's still nearly a $1.00 per rifle round, .
The shooting sports and guns aren't cheap.....

 

[HEAVY METAL 1]

just 1 round less than needed to make the floor cave in....

It goes fast if you are a regular shooter. Back in the early 2000's I accumulated 900 rds of surplus Turk 8mm when it was cheap. I thought I had went off the deep end, but all that ammo got shot up much faster than I thought it would.

The old adage is one can never have enough food, money or ammo.

 

[SwaneeSR]

Interesting question.

I am not sure about zombie or dinosaur or alien protection issues.

I know I do not want to experience that bad feeling when the store shelves are bare and I can not pull any of my firearms out of the gun safe and shoot at the range.

I am going to take an inventory of my ammo and reloading components. I think having a one year supply of ready ammunition is reasonable and one more year worth of powder, primers, bullets, etc.

The ammunition shortage got me into the pistol and rifle reloading club. I already loaded shotgun. I think I like the loading as much as the unloading.

 

[Twiki357]

I probably have enough, but the stock pile still keeps growing. I reload so I scrounge up anything and everything that others leave behind. Any calibers that I don’t use, I trade for stuff that I do shoot. Unfortunately, that has resulted in an abundance of ammo that I rarely shoot (Semi-auto) and not enough of (Revolver) ammo that I regularly shoot.

 

[1911 guy]

Whatever your annual shooting consumes, then multiply that by at least three. Having several years worth of ammo somewhat insulates you from short term panics, shortages and other hiccups. Plus, you can replace stock at good prices, not paying premium because you have to have it now.

 

[USAF_Vet]

I'm buying more than I shoot, but still not at the level I want to be.

I'd like to have 3000 rounds of 5.56/.223, goal is eventually 5000. I have no where near either.

I'd like to have 2000 rounds of 9mm, goal is eventually 3000. I'm fairly close to my minimum.

I'd like to have 500 rounds of 7.62x39, goal of 1000
Same with .30-30

I'd like to have 200 rounds of 6.5 Jap. Don't see much need for more than that.

12 gauge
500 7.5 or 8
250 6
250 4
500 00 buck
500 slugs

20 gauge
200 8
200 3
100 slugs

.22lr
I don't even bother for now. I have a couple hundred LR and most of a 50 count box of short. All Remington junk. But, I've never been a fan of .22, and don't have a reliable one that I feel will last through heavy use.

I have a few boxes of various ammo I don't shoot, like .308, .40 S&W, .45 ACP for trade/ barter.

 

[GBExpat]

Reminds me of the reaction of a young fellow who worked for me back in ~2000. He overheard me telling someone that I had found a good price on 5.56 ammo and, so, purchased a case ... but now I was wishing that I had purchased more.

He was stunned! He asked how many rounds are in a case and I told him that this one is 1000 ... and then he really acted afflicted. Silly Rabbit.

I later gave that case of ammo to my BIL as a Christmas present ... he, too, was stunned, but in a different way ... he declared it to be the best present he had ever received.

OP, my advice would be to keep looking for good deals and buy as much as you can afford ... it probably isn't going to get any cheaper. Also, reloading can be a nice way to stretch your ammunition dollar, but you probably already know that.

 

[Bang!]

The only time you have too much ammunition is when your house is on fire.

Ha! Been there done that! At one point during the fire there was a lot of popping coming from the garage area. My wife asked, "what is that?". One of the fireman told her it sounded like ammo cooking off. She said, "uhhhhhm, everyone should probably step back. Way back!". She knew how much ammo was in there! No one was hurt and stuff is just stuff.

 

[Plan2Live]

It doesn't spoil if stored in reasonable conditions. The average price has continued to climb throughout my lifetime. In the right set of circumstances it is a form of currency. Why have a limit?

 

[JFrame]

I have two boxes of .25 ACP, which is probably enough in that chambering...

...Maybe a little more in other calibers...

.

 

[SC Shooter]

Since I started reloading a few years ago, I find my inventory in the calibers I reload has increased considerably and continue to grow. Mainly because I enjoy reloading about as much as range shooting.

 

[blanket]

Don't post much but I have never ran out. Still stinks that I have to limit the family to a 1000 rounds of 22 for the kids per day

 

[km101]

You can never have "enough" ammo because you never know what the future will bring.

But I stop loading/acquiring ammo when I: 1) Run out of storage space. 2) Run out of budget.

 

[Gaucho Gringo]

I buy when it is cheap. Just bought 1,000 rounds of new 7.62x38R Fiocchi for $9.99 a 50 round box on a 1 day internet sale. I wish I could have afforded more. New unprimed brass goes for $.40 a piece. I now have at least 1,000 rounds for my major calibers. Ammo prices have come down for centerfire so I can afford to buy again, waiting for .22 and percussion caps to come back to earth.

 

[Ignition Override]

When you can afford the cash, at least 5-10 years' worth. I have over 9,000 rds. for my pair of SKS. An ammo exception might be present .22LR market prices.

This will keep you from joining the next sheep stampede when a certain type of mass tragedy takes place. Are you prepared for the unpredictable?
Presidential elections are always a threat. Politician/bureaucrats' restrictions accumulate and are almost never reduced. Imagine much higher taxes (tariffs) on imported ammo.

 

[witchhunter]

Ammo, I keep a generous supply of. Components, however, I stack deep, buy when you can and in bulk. Stored properly, it will last for decades. I just used the last of the small rifle primers that I bought in the 80's at 69.99/10,000. I'm working on the 79.99/ sleeve now. My youngest is 28 years old and has never had to buy .22 LR. Ever. His 3 year old son won't either.

 

[susieqz]

i'm a rim fire person. i never bothered having much 22lr around, but i got truly scared when i couldn't find any.
i am now buying all i can get at insane prices.
i'll keep buying until i have a 10 year supply.
i shoot in my backyard lots, so this will take a bunch of money, but ammo can be harder to replace than money.

 

[Cee Zee]

I have two boxes of .25 ACP, which is probably enough in that chambering...

Hey there is a caliber that I don't have plenty of. I still own a Raven P-25 but I don't know if I have more than the ammo in the mags. I don't really care either.

 

[wideym]

To me, ammo is a better hedge against inflation than guns. I pick up any caliber that is a great buy, even if I don't own a gun in that caliber. I still kick myself for not buying pallets of the surplus soviet ammo when it was cheap, corrosive or not. I still have a couple hundred thousand rounds of center fire ammo left, but I can never replace it for what I paid for it twenty years ago.

 

[ku4hx]

How much is enough? More than yesterday; less than tomorrow.

 

[Plan2Live]

An ammo exception might be present .22LR market prices.

Maybe I'm weird but I don't consider five cents per round expensive.

 

[Sav .250]

All depends . If you (anybody) thinks the ammo train is going to suddenly stop. Your "hoarding" instinct takes over and you buy till your closet is full.

On the other hand. Not all who own a weapon, fell the need to go broke buying ammo for "future" use.

My needs are simple. A couple of boxes of ammo for each weapon works for me.

Course, 22 cal............... I may have more.

 

[bannockburn]

How much ammo is enough? Don't know yet but I'm sure glad I have a basement for all of it!

 

[GBExpat]

... Not all who own a weapon, fell the need to go broke buying ammo for "future" use. ...

If it is making you broke, you are doing it wrong.