How much ammo?

[Ehtereon11B]

Enough to take care of the zombies. And politicians.

 

[Certaindeaf]

^
I don't know if zero is a number.

 

[Tim the student]

Not as much as I want.

I do however, have enough components to reload a couple thousand rounds of what I shoot most.

 

[whtsmoke]

I have a bunch and I mean a bunch of brass and lead, learned many years ago to buy it when you found a good deal whether you needed it or not.

 

[mgmorden]

Not much. For my competition pistol I try to keep at least 600 rounds of 9mm loaded and enough components for another 1k to 2k rounds. I put around 500 rounds through that gun per month so its getting cycled through fairly quickly.

For everything else - a box or two is fine. As long as I can shoot anything I own if the mood strikes me then I consider that adequate.

 

[floydster]

I have about 2,500 rounds loaded for my handguns and long guns, but enough components to load another 25,000 rounds.
Smokeyloads

 

[Buck Kramer]

1,000 rounds a tube, less for .380.

 

[CZguy]

It's obviouios to me now, that I chose the wrong carrier path way back when. I can't afford near as much ammo as you guys are describing.

 

[Pete D.]

Ammo

I usually keep a case of .22lr around. I have components that will last me for some years for the CF guns that I use. I keep a couple of hundred loaded for the guns that I shoot regularly.
I generally keep between two and three flats of shotshells about - I shoot Trap weekly and they get used quickly.

With ammunition I don't need gold as I now have the means to take it from you. Also bullets are easily carried and transported and are in small units for use in purchases. Let's see Sir, you paid me with 10 30-06 rounds so your change is 5 9mm rounds. With fire, shelter and a means to kill game for meat I can survive for a long time.

That set of ideas assumes a scenario that, in all probability, will never happen.
BTW.... In that first line, as a "taker", you have made yourself one of the zombie horde.

 

[xnmw]

5000+ .22lr (and all I have is a single ten)
750 .223 (need more.. Too expensive to shoot every trip)
3k 9x19... Most of my shooting, most of my pistols
200ish 380..lcp.. Just gets a refamiliarization workout with each range trip

Maybe 100 each 380 and 9mm are ranger JHP, which occasionally get to go downrange

I just did a move... It all fit in a crate, but then no one could really carry that crate. Two trips to the truck, is all... Ammo doesn't take up a lot of room and I would have no qualms about doubling or tripleing my stock if I see some deals... Compared to a sleeper sofa, I will move ammo all day long. Buy 1k or so when it goes on sale, shoot it as you can... I would not like to be below 1k in 9mm, just because I don't want to have to ration how much I shoot, not for any special preparatory purposes.

On the to-do list is set up for reloading and get something that will digest all that 22lr faster...so I can go out and get some more

 

[22-rimfire]

The question has been asked a lot and if you are seriously wondering how much is enough, you either have way too much or not nearly enough.

My answer is that you shold buy relative to your usage and need. I keep quite a bit of 22LR on hand, but not much of the stuff I seldom shoot. Not much = a couple "boxes". I like to keep a year's supply on hand under normal shooting conditions. If there is a severe shortage, then I have enough to go for at least a couple years since I would begin to cut my shooting down by at least 1/2 at that point or maybe nearly zero (one bullet = one rabbit or one deer). I have enough ammo to buy time at low usage rates than I will ever live.

 

[SouthernYankee]

I try to keep 5,000rds 9mm ball: 5,000 .45 ball 8-10,000 .22 and 1,000 of ec other cal. / shell I own. Keep it stored in sealed ammo cans cool, dry and dark place with desiccant packs re-dried 2X a year. Accumulate slowly over a couple of years (make it a budget item), and rotate stock when going to the range. Once you have it you will feel a lot more confident and prepared. Also, don't tell your neighbors.

 

[Dlowe167]

I think u are on the right path. 1000 for each is plenty. Easy enough to move if needed,fire or otherwise. Firemen hate bulk ammo,id say with good reason. Wish I had a setup for reloading,glad its workin fot ya

 

[huntsman]

It's obviouios to me now, that I chose the wrong carrier path way back when. I can't afford near as much ammo as you guys are describing.

I build my pile one box at a time, well mostly

 

[JTHunter]

At one time, I had about 10K of 12 ga. shotshells. Some of what I have left are 15+ years old and I'm down to about 5-6K.
I also have several bricks of .22LR stored in an airtight container, along with my reloads for my .380 and .243 (about 500 & 200, respectively).
I have one unopened "spam can" for my 7.62 as well as a couple of loaded bananas and drums, with a bunch more on stripper clips.
I don't do as much shooting as I used to (no public range close) and I don't get to hunt as much as I want to anymore (too many other obligations).
I have a small amount of .22 Mag for the one rifle and revolver that take them. Ditto on the .25 and .32 ammo.

 

[PT92]

Enough to take care of the zombies. And politicians.

Is there a Difference ?

 

[orionengnr]

Not all that much, when you are talking loaded rounds. I load up 500 or so .45 acp at a time, and that takes care of my range trips for a little while. When I load 250 .45 LC or .41 mag that lasts a bit longer. 500 .357 lasts a good while as well.

As for .22LR, I buy two bulk packs each time, and shoot one. That has made a decent stockpile of .22LR.

However, I buy primers 1000 at a time, and usually buy several thou at a time. When I buy lead, it comes in 500-each boxes, and I try to buy those six-or-so at a time.

So...loaded ammo...not that much. Components...yeah, I have a decent store. Enough so I am not worried about the next ammo shortage.

...and rotating it (last in,first out) as I restocked.

I believe the correct process is FIFO (First In, First Out). That means that you are using up the oldest ammo each time.

 

[Flopsweat]

Is there a Difference ?

You can generally expect a zombie to take a bite out of your skull, where a politician will be more likely to take a bite from your wallet. This is why you should never assume that either is lining up to kiss your butt.

 

[22-rimfire]

You need to be organized to regularly use the FIFO approach. But I think its probably a good idea. I currently write the purchased date on each box of factory ammo purchased so I have some way of telling what is the old stuff versus the new stuff.

I'm still shooting Remington 22 ammo purchased 15 years ago. The new stuff is not necessarily better although Remington has improved their QA/QC on their golden bullets in the last year.

I mention "organization"... I "misplace" entire ammunition boxes of 22 ammo for years and then find it. It's like... Oh, this one is heavy, what's in this box? Same applies with some of the common centerfire stuff.

 

[Certaindeaf]

I remember when Montgomery Wards stopped selling ammo. They had a sale and I had a friend and a dolly. 25 cents for a box/pack of fifty .22. I'm still shooting that stuff.

 

[threefeathers]

I keep a minimum of 500 rounds per caliber. But have in excess of 3K for each of these, 9mm, 7.62, 5.56. 45ACP.
1K for 12 gauge.

 

[MachIVshooter]

The simple answer is, whatever you're comfortable with. Some folks shoot a great deal, and 5,000 or even 10,000 rounds on hand may not last even a year. Other folks may not shoot that much in a lifetime. The silly wisdom tidbits like "1,000 rounds miimum for each cartridge, or even each gun, is silly. For instance, I have 4 Carcano rifles. Would it be prudent to stock 4,000 rounds of Carcano ammo, when I probably haven't put even 200 rounds of it down range in the last 10 years? Absolutely not. On the other hand, I have about a dozen .22's, and 12,000 rounds of .22 LR really doesn't last all that long when you'll easily shoot up a brick on a Saturday afternoon.

So, it depends on your needs. For most of my hunting rifles, I have less than 100 rounds on hand at a given time, because they'll only see any volume of shooting when working up a new load. I don't think I've put 100 rounds through my .375 Ultra since I bought it in 2004, and I certainly can't afford to stock 1,000 rounds of that cartridge at ~$4/shot. On the other hand, I shoot a lot of 5.56, 7.62 NATO, 9mm, etc., easily burning through 200 or 300 rounds in a range session. So 1,000 of each of those isn't very much.

 

[Ditchtiger]

Used a forklift to get the pallet off the truck on my last order.
Was only one caliber, for my own use, not resale.

 

[TanklessPro]

I only have one round per caliber. I lost all the others in that boating accident.

 

[thorazine]

Minimum one thousand cartridges for each caliber commonly shot.

Two hundred and fifty (or so) for those not commonly shot that often.