How much ammo?

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since I only own two handguns and one Mosin-Nagant (attaboy Trent) I keep a spam can of 440 rounds of 7.69x54r at the ready. My 350 value pak rounds of 22lr are enough for a couple trips to the farm to shoot. I've been stockpiling value paks of .45acp because of weather, knee surgery, eye surgery and a colonoscopy. I think I'm nearing 800 rounds but I hope to shoot those up by next June. Whenever I check at WallyWorld and they have value packs I buy one. Surprise!! Federal came in $6 cheaper than WWB so I bought 2. Now that I have a new lens in my eye I'll be able to see the targets better when my new glasses are fitted :)
 
Think about stories from the Depression in which the old timers rationed everything from 22 ammo to gasoline.
A good 22 and a brick of shells might buy you a cow someday or get a root canal done. If you have a lot of guns and not ammo then the guns are worthless.
Each gun will have different needs regarding ammo in a crisis but I'd say at a minimum
500 rds for defense handgun
1000 rds for a semi auto carbine
100 rds for a bolt action hunting/precision rifle
1000 rds for a 22 rifle/pistol combo
250 mixed slug, buck and birdshot for 12ga.
if you have multiples of these guns it pays to have ammo to feed them and I would, as an investment I would consider it at least as valuable as precious metals since gold bars and coins are hard to breakdown and they have no other use beyond what value one puts on it at the moment. A gun and ammo really does put one on a higher plane and in time of trouble and need some will sell their soul for a means to defend themselves.
 
X-Rap said:
Think about stories from the Depression in which the old timers rationed everything from 22 ammo to gasoline.
A good 22 and a brick of shells might buy you a cow someday or get a root canal done. If you have a lot of guns and not ammo then the guns are worthless.
Each gun will have different needs regarding ammo in a crisis but I'd say at a minimum
500 rds for defense handgun
1000 rds for a semi auto carbine
100 rds for a bolt action hunting/precision rifle
1000 rds for a 22 rifle/pistol combo
250 mixed slug, buck and birdshot for 12ga.
if you have multiples of these guns it pays to have ammo to feed them and I would, as an investment I would consider it at least as valuable as precious metals since gold bars and coins are hard to breakdown and they have no other use beyond what value one puts on it at the moment. A gun and ammo really does put one on a higher plane and in time of trouble and need some will sell their soul for a means to defend themselves.
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Good post IMO.

Amazing all of the parallels we are seeing to the "Great Depression." Really quite sobering what we are witnessing in the world today :eek:.

I have had people mock me for my very same comparison of guns & ammo as an actual investment in this environment (I say they'll be worth more than your 401K at some point in that portfolio is based on stocks, bonds, munis etc.). Let's face it, paper money's life (specifically the $Dollar$) is on life support and it's only a matter of time until it becomes worthless. Hence, valuable commodities will be worth much more than currency and will have incredible bartering power to boot.

Folks, I sincerely hope that I am 100% WRONG but I fear that "those there are the sad facts Jack!" There were a very few many years ago that warned of this this to no avail only to see it begin to unfold before our very eyes...
 
In bad times I won't totally discount gems, gold, silver and such and during the depression those that were greatly wealthy did OK if they had these commodities and were able to take advantage by purchasing real property and such but the average joe was better off limiting his debt, growing his own food and having things and skills to barter with.
I see dark clouds on the horizon but hold the optimism that the people of the US still have the character and strength to come out on top but there are painful choices to be made.
 
X-Rap said:
In bad times I won't totally discount gems, gold, silver and such and during the depression those that were greatly wealthy did OK if they had these commodities and were able to take advantage by purchasing real property and such but the average joe was better off limiting his debt, growing his own food and having things and skills to barter with.
I see dark clouds on the horizon but hold the optimism that the people of the US still have the character and strength to come out on top but there are painful choices to be made.
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Those dark clouds could be here sooner than we'd like, come November.
 
"How much ammo?"

Enough ammo that would shock the heck out of TV news reporters. Probably 200 rounds should about do that.:what::D


Seriously min 500 for the more expensive stuff, 2000 for pistols cals. I have 1500 10mm, 1200 .357Sig. .223 and others, many 1000's. The only ammo I don't have over 500 is 7.62x25. I have about 300 rounds of that for my Tokarev.
 
Seriously min 500 for the more expensive stuff, 2000 for pistols cals. I have 1500 10mm, 1200 .357Sig. .223 and others, many 1000's. The only ammo I don't have over 500 is 7.62x25. I have about 300 rounds of that for my Tokarev.
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Why? Well, that is all well and good, but if you don't shoot a lot, having thousands of rounds of ammunition is about as good as flushing the money down a toilet. Selling is an option, but I consider that to be just a major pain in the butt for the effort involved. For the most part, if I have stuff I don't want any more, I leave it at the range and hopefully for someone who might use it.
 
22-rimfire said:
Why? Well, that is all well and good, but if you don't shoot a lot, having thousands of rounds of ammunition is about as good as flushing the money down a toilet. Selling is an option, but I consider that to be just a major pain in the butt for the effort involved. For the most part, if I have stuff I don't want any more, I leave it at the range and hopefully for someone who might use it.
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Sounds like prepping for that gentleman...?
 
PT92, I keep a pretty good supply on hand myself. I have lots of 22 LR which gets shot perhaps 100 to 1 to other calibers. The purpose of my asking "Why?" was simply to make people think as opposed to I need to have xxx rounds of 357 mag, 9mm, 223, or whatever. There is nothing wrong with having a cache if it is something you are interested in.
 
22-rimfire said:
PT92, I keep a pretty good supply on hand myself. I have lots of 22 LR which gets shot perhaps 100 to 1 to other calibers. The purpose of my asking "Why?" was simply to make people think as opposed to I need to have xxx rounds of 357 mag, 9mm, 223, or whatever. There is nothing wrong with having a cache if it is something you are interested in.
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Not at all--It makes for a very necessary and productive discussion. Personally, my view of ammo has "changed" over the years to whereby now I feel more comfortable with more than less shall we say...

-Cheers
 
22-rimfire said:
Why? Well, that is all well and good, but if you don't shoot a lot, having thousands of rounds of ammunition is about as good as flushing the money down a toilet. Selling is an option, but I consider that to be just a major pain in the butt for the effort involved. For the most part, if I have stuff I don't want any more, I leave it at the range and hopefully for someone who might use it.
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He's only listing 500, 1k, 1,200, etc...that isn't a lot, and if you shoot even a semi moderate amount that will go quickly
 
instead of stockpiling all that expensive heavy brass, maybe it's a better idea to buy a few Civil War era replicas and learn how to make your own black powder from scratch. I have a feeling if SHTF, the next "war" afterward will be fought with sticks and rocks.

That being said, I am learning how to reload just about every caliber in existence, and becoming a pretty good shot with a Remmy 1858 replica ;)
 
jlove1974 said:
instead of stockpiling all that expensive heavy brass, maybe it's a better idea to buy a few Civil War era replicas and learn how to make your own black powder from scratch.
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I'd rather have a supply of loaded, modern cartridges that function in my firearms.
 
Without really meaning to I built up a 5,000 round stash of .22LR. I agreed to go to WalMart once a week for the Missus. I hate to stand in line so I go to the sporting goods counter and say, "Can I get a box of MiniMags... and umm... this Tide, Downy, kitty litter and an US Weekly?"
 
My SKS went through over 2,500 rds. in about three years ('07-'10), and only a very small fraction used in rapid fire. The Mini 30 used about 2,000 rds., also with limited rapid fire.
The supply of that single round went steadily from about 6,000 down to 1,500. This is exactly why storing 2,000 rds. is not very much.

When the day comes that ammo prices steadily decrease and the US dollar's value keeps increasing, 2,000 rds. might be enough.

I'm still waiting for that new era.
 
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Ignition Override said:
...When the day comes that ammo prices steadily decrease and the US dollar's value keeps increasing, 2,000 rds. might be enough.

I'm still waiting for that new era.
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There's an old expression, don't hold your breath ;) ...IMO the only reason the dollar is even 'relatively' stable (at least as I type) is that the Euro's very survival may be in even more jeopardy than old 'George Washington' :eek:--which leads me square back to that OP question about "how much ammo" one needs....I always reiterate when I post a negative comment that I hope I am 100% wrong in this case and the world regains its sanity.
 
Why cache a lot of ammo? Some thoughts....
(1) You shoot a lot, so you can buy cheaper in larger volumes and take advantage of sales;
(2) You shoot very little and a big pile of anything you consider valuable, necessary or useful makes you feel "good";
(3) Deep within your subconsicious mind you're paranoid that you won't be able to buy ammo in the near future, so you buy now and keep buying until that prophesy comes true or you die;
(4) You're a hoarder and it comes natural to you because you hoard everything that you like that does not spoil;
(5) You believe that you can sell your ammo at prices significantly above what you paid if the worst happens;
(6) You stock pile ammo for personal use and you give freely to others who might not be as fortunate as you are;
(7) You want to make sure you have sufficient ammo if ammo becomes unavailable due to a crisis;
(8) You want to make sure you have the means to hunt for game and feed your family;
(9) You want to have sufficient ammo to practice with and use it primarily for home defense;
(10) You shoot a lot and you want to have enough on hand so you don't have to run to the store.
 
I do shoot a lot. Buy on sale a lot and reload at a buddy's house and we crank out 1000 at a pop. And as someone said, my quantities are not huge by any stretch. I honestly don't know how much 7.62x39 and .22LR I have. Boxes full is all I can say!
 
22-rimfire said:
Why cache a lot of ammo? Some thoughts....
(1) You shoot a lot, so you can buy cheaper in larger volumes and take advantage of sales;
(2) You shoot very little and a big pile of anything you consider valuable, necessary or useful makes you feel "good";
(3) Deep within your subconsicious mind you're paranoid that you won't be able to buy ammo in the near future, so you buy now and keep buying until that prophesy comes true or you die;
(4) You're a hoarder and it comes natural to you because you hoard everything that you like that does not spoil;
(5) You believe that you can sell your ammo at prices significantly above what you paid if the worst happens;
(6) You stock pile ammo for personal use and you give freely to others who might not be as fortunate as you are;
(7) You want to make sure you have sufficient ammo if ammo becomes unavailable due to a crisis;
(8) You want to make sure you have the means to hunt for game and feed your family;
(9) You want to have sufficient ammo to practice with and use it primarily for home defense;
(10) You shoot a lot and you want to have enough on hand so you don't have to run to the store.
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22-rimfire,

You have spelled out six (now more hence my edit) very good, common reasons that (for me) covers just about every possible scenario (but no doubt somebody will define yet another that currently escapes us).

Very good/interesting thread.

-Cheers
 
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