how much ammo?

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I have a bit but would like to have at least double.

22LR - 5250rds.
.38+P - 500
.357 - 500
9mm - 1000
45acp - 1000
5.56x45 - 1000
7.62x39 - 2000
7.62x51 - 1600
TOTAL: 12850

Do you think that's a good start to stop a zombie apocalypse.

Just to tick some of you off. I had the foresight to see what the second term of Obama would bring. So the day after the 2012 election I went out and purchase pretty much most of all listed above, so sure that the Tyrant and Chief would show his true nature and try and pull what he wouldn't dare to do during his first term in office.
 
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Well, in 12 and 20 gauge, I have right at 40 flats loaded up; at 250 per flat, that makes for a drawer full...............but then I target shoot.........a LOT, so that is maybe 6 month's worth
 
I have been reloading for many years
I have enuf brass to keep me busy for a number of winters ( when I do most of my reloading)
Old age is slowing my shooting down but not my reloading
Enjoy the sport
H
 
I have enough ammo in different cartridges to fill up 4 pages single spaced when I run my inventory sheet. I have over 40 different cartridges that I shoot. Some more than others, But I've made a point to keep enough on hand that I'm not concerned about running out. Most are hunting cartridges, so they're pretty much always available anywhere. The 9mm is the most difficult for me to find around here right now. 22 is non-existant everywhere, so I'm a little more careful about shooting it senselessly. I've been buying for the past 5 years, pretty much non-stop.
Today, my wife called me at work from the local mom & pop sporting goods store. She told me they had plenty of ammo and gunpowder on the shelves so if I needed any I should go by and pick up some more while they have it in stock. You've got to love it when your spouse is looking out for your sporting interests.
 
I've been around a few years, maybe more than some of you, so I learned a long time ago to keep on hand good quantities of everything, from wine to canned food to ammo. Prices rarely ever go down, so if I find a good price on something, like primers, I might buy 100,000. A few of those I might give or trade with friends but I keep most of what I buy.

As far as how much ammo I have, let's just say I shoot a lot, have several machine guns and shoot them a lot, and have enough to last me probably the rest of my lifetime. That's not hoarding because I bought it when it was readily available and cheap. How much .30-06 ammo did you buy when it was under .10 a round? How many primers when Tula was first introduced and offered at about $13 a thou? I bought a lot. When pulldown powder was available for under $5 a pound I loaded up with two friends and we had it shipped in by motor freight. I haven't bought factory ammo in probably 15 years with the exception of .22LR. Remember when supplies loosen up to stock up. We will probably go through this again.
 
Bought a .380 pocket gun and no bullets were available . Luckily after a few months a friend had about 25 bullets he gave me. So I shot 2 clips through the gun to make sure it was reliable. So now I have 12 shots left for self defense.
I have about 25 9mm bullets for my 9mm auto.
Have about 40 22lr for my Neos and model 60.
I used to like to plink and shoot for fun, but now I have found other hobbies since I can't get ammo.
 
The objectives were to compensate for having No gun bug at all, until well into middle age, and save most of these 11,000 rds. of centerfire for retirement.
My son might not become interested, but you never know.

The buying began in early '09 when .303 surplus was vanishing. Of the 3,000 rds. of my surplus .303, most of it is POF, though the rounds which actually are the "click-bang" so far work well.
We all were warned in advance about the possible results of both the '08 and '12 elections. With guns or ammo, optimism for the future as a mere consumer prepares us for nothing.

As I told my wife, "you can't sell your purses/shoes for much, except maybe 10-20% at a garage sale?". With patience, we can sell guns/ammo for the recent approx. value (if bought before a panic).
 
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2200 of 5.56
500 7.62x39
900 .308
2k 9mm
1k .45
200 .40
6k 5.45
2k .22
8k 8mm
5k 54r
I got all this well before this panic, I learned from the last one. The only thing I was low on when it hit was 5.56 and .40 ( I prefer 165gr) I've been able to find 5.56 around lately, at resonable prices, nothin bulk but I get a few boxes here and there.
 
I've developed the habit of having a stash of things I use alot of due to lay offs, slow periods at work, and emergencies arising from living in the boondocks. My family has done this for years, though not so much in the ammo department.

Bulk reloading components are a way to get around a lack of storage space and to save money. Always buy it cheap.

Just my $.02.
 
1K rounds of each caliber is a good start.
I like to have 1,000 to 2,000 rounds per AR. A few thousand of 9mm and 45acp. At least 500 rounds of 38spl and 380acp. 10,000 to 20,000 rounds of 22 rim fire.

The more the better.
 
I reload and do not buy factory ammo anymore, and I shoot 9, .40 and .45. I like to keep 10K small pistol primers, 5K large pistol primers, and about 8 lbs of assorted powders. I have a couple of thousand cases for each caliber, and right around 5k of each caliber in bullets. I reckon this provides a good safety stock and I try to keep topped off at this level- I think if supply slowed to zero I have a stockpile that will hold me for about 1 year. It does hit the old pocketbook to get there, but after getting the safety stock you are in replenishment mode and the expense tapers off to maintenance levels.
And then you start thinking of getting into .44 or .38 or long guns...
 
On these ammo threads, the people with less ammo than you will call you a hoarder.

I'm kidding, i think
Click to expand...

I don't really think so. Its more of an observation, not a comparison of one stockpile from another.

Put that number in front of a non-gun, or worse anti-gun person and we all look unstable and call us hoarders. But Those meager numbers he put are normal, but to some may look like a lot.

Anytime a media source reports "a gun owner with 2000rds of this caliber" the non-gun folk drop their jaws and think he's a terrorist.

------

Back on topic, I keep about 1500-2k rds of 22lr. It would be more but I shoot it quite often.

500rds each of 5.56 and 7.62x39
500rds of 9mm
500rds 7.62R
150rds 12ga

Those numbers are very small compared to some people with 10k rounds of a single caliber...
 
I arrived at Sportsman's the other day and there was a bunch of fellers outside waiting for it to open. I was returning something, so when they opened I went to customer service. So did all of them other guys. they were in line to buy CCI .22 ammo for 12.95/100 limit if 200!!!! I used to buy a brick every payday for years when they were $8.95. My wife said I was nuts. I got plenty now though.
 
Any amount that causes government officials to have concern is a low-ball starting point. If you had four able-bodied family members who could each use their own rifle for example, each member should have about 5K, for a total of 20K; if it was all the same caliber, so much the better. Each member should also have a secondary rifle in another caliber, as to allow for ammunition availability, with the same ammunition requirements as above. Now add to this two sidearms per family member, a few group "pool" shotguns, and an assortment of rimfires. Add in some reloading components, and another batch for barter.
 
A minimum amount should always be in your stockpile. All else should depend on how much you shoot.

I still have a brick or two of 22 rimfire I bought on sale for $7.77 so I have enough to meet minumum, but shoot very little these days do to disability.
 
David E said:
What about handguns?
Click to expand...

one handgun per person , unless you are a "dedicated sport shooter"
then you can have as many as you can justify for your sport , but it takes at least three months to get a license and you have to be part of an association that evaluates you every year yada yada blah blah , a lot of hassle believe me.
It took me three years , to get my handgun license , things did improve a little since then but it is still a pain to get a license
 
I have enough on hand to shoot any one of my arms all weekend for fun, and still have one or two boxes left over.
 
Try to have a minimum of 1000 rounds of every caliber I shoot but 2500 of each is better. Currently that's over a dozen different calibers. 12 ga. Is another story. Usually have 20,000 rounds available to shoot at all times. Wife and I both shoot ALOT of Trap. Reloading keeps me busy.
 
Post #21 22250Rem and I have the same mindset.
When Congress stopped the destruction of Garands and changed the DCM into the CMP I started buying from them and doing bulk purchases.
Then the price of metals went up and the WOT got the blame for 7.62x39 being harder to find and pricier.
 
Several boxes per caliber. But I don't go shooting until I can replace what I shoot from my older stock. I have not done much shooting this year.
 
Currently...

9mm:
700 rounds of FMJ
100 rounds of Speer Gold Dot 147gr

.40:
150 rounds of FMJ
20 rounds of Winchester PDX1 180gr

.380 (my lady's):
150 rounds FMJ
20 rounds of Hornady Critical Defense


I try to maintain 1,000 rounds of 9mm FMJ, and will probably work up my .40 stock. I like to have enough to be able to shoot during droughts, and to have more than enough to load all of the mags for my carry gun, in the event of an emergency.


To me, hoarding means stockpiling more than about 2,000 rounds for a couple primary calibers, without the intent to use those for actual shooting. I don't actually have a problem with hoarding, unless there is a drought going on. If a guy has 10,000 untouched rounds, and wipes out Walmart to get another 1,000 rounds to not shoot, that's where I get annoyed. Having said all of this, I recognize that I'm just a random guy from Oregon, whose opinions are not important.
 
The key is to buy what you can when it's cheap and available.

Waiting til there's a drought going on is akin to waiting until there's a fire before buying an extinguisher.
 
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