How much is too much? (Ammunition)

[JohnBT]

I'm thinking of having some bumper stickers made...

You can never be too thin, too rich or have too much ammo.


"an old worn 20 round box of 30-06 "

When I was a kid in the '50s I knew two kinds of gun owners. There were those who owned more than half a box of ammo and those with less than half. They were all good shots. I grew up thinking everybody could shoot.

John

P.S. - I'm still shooting Wolf Match Target .22 I bought for $15/brick.

 

[DeepSouth]

How much is too much?

When your selling stuff to buy ammo, you probably have enough.

 

[Ignition Override]

Ammo is an asset. If you can afford it and store it in a dry place, you can Not have too much.
Can women sell their unused extra shoes and purses?
As I pointed this out to my wife, she was reminded that ammo/guns can be sold or traded and often for what they cost, if you are patient.

I traded 1,900 rds. of Russian .223 for 2,000 rds. of Russian 7.62x39 in the driveway of a nice young guy in Texas.
Had it in the trunk during the roadtrip for the leg home from San Antonio, just in case the timing worked out. The trade was initiated via THR "WTS".

 

[TanklessPro]

I don't consider myself a stockpiler or hoarder of ammo. I like to think of myself as a Collector.
When you count by k's it's easier.

 

[Utryme]

No such thing as to much. Now your insurance company might beg to differ. NFPA only allows for 10k primers and 50#s(in correct wooden container) of powder to be stored in a residential home. Most reloaders are well over this. There is no NFPA limit for small arms ammo storage in a residence. But your municipality might have limits.

The more you have the more you're likely to shoot it up. So the chances of you leaving a lot behind are slim. Barring a random accident that causes an unnatural death.

Buy as much as you can afford as it's not getting any cheaper.


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They have no business knowing my inventory. That would defeat the purpose.

 

[flyskater]

Its not "How much is too much?" It's more like "Will this stockpile of ammo fit in the storage?"

 

[Zardaia]

For your heirs, it'll be like leaving gold bullion behind....and it has gone up faster over the last 5 years than gold (which has doubled itself). So buy what you can afford to set aside and don't sweat it.

Hmm, never really thought of that. "to my son i leave my 50,000 rounds of 5.56.". "Thanks dad!!!"

 

[EBK]

If you can no longer store it and can not find anywhere to safely store it, then you have too much.

In other words there is no such thing as too much.

 

[gspn]

Lots of responses here...I don't think I've seen anyone ask you what the alternative use is for the money?

Some here would have you think that ammo is more precious than gold and it will magically always go up in value...those same types of people were telling everyone that home prices never fall and were speculating in real estate all the way up to the time the bubble burst. We've heard it all before...and speculators are frequently wrong.

If you have a need or want for the ammo and the expense isn't keeping you from achieving your other financial goals then by all means buy more. If buying more ammo than you think you need is going to keep you from achieving your other important financial goals in life then cut back on ammo and push your cash into other areas.

Coming onto a gun forum and asking this question is like going to a crack-house and asking if they think you should buy some rock. You're going to get a terribly biased answer.

 

[Tommygunn]

You will know when you have too much ammo when its weight becomes so great it crushes through the floor and forms an enormous crater in the floor below.

 

[Trent]

Too much ammo only factors in when you have to MOVE it.

How much do you shoot? How much would you LIKE to shoot? Is your frequency of shooting going to go up or down in future years? (e.g. I'll do a LOT more shooting, someday, when I retire.)

Will your future available funds change? When you retire, will you be on a fixed income? If so, stocking up now might be a decent idea.

I don't regret ever buying ammo. I seriously doubt I ever would.

Hell, I wish I'd bought a LOT more ammo than I did, 10 years ago.

 

[BHP FAN]

I think too much is more than will fit in a pick up bed.

 

[BHP FAN]

I think too much is more than will fit in a pickup bed.

 

[JohnBiltz]

"A man can never have too much red wine, too many books, or too much ammunition"
—Rudyard Kipling

After the '08 shortage I decided to keep on hand a one year supply on hand. I'm not stocking up for the inevitable zombie apocalypse. I shoot every week and want to continue to shoot every week.

 

[Havok7416]

Too much ammo only factors in when you have to MOVE it.

I have a finite limit on my ammo and reloading components for this exact reason. I end up moving all the time for my job and hauling 10's of thousands around just isn't practical. An ammo box full of boxed ammo for a given caliber is usually enough to last me quite awhile and even less than that for calibers I use infrequently.

 

[12131]

I always say this. Words such as "too much", "enough", and "need" should be deleted from the gun owner's dictionary. They rank right up there with "AWB ban".

 

[evan price]

Are you on fire or sinking?

Is buying more ammo depriving you or your family of needed essentials?

If no, then you don't have too much ammo.

I would say that my return on investment in ammo and components is outpacing my 401(k) in the past 5 years.

IMHO, stocking up on components for reloading has proven to be one of the most prudent things I ever did. Some buckets of brass, a few 8# jugs of powder, and a couple cases of primers, a stack of lead ingots, a handful of Lee's 6-cavity molds, boxes of jacketed bullets and buckshot, a jug of Liquid Xlox bullet lube and a lead melting pot take up less room than a pallet of ammo, and I now am much more versatile than just stocking ammo. Plus the components can be resold quickly if I need some cash.
At the very least, I can still shoot 308 winchester rifle and not feel like I am closer to the poorhouse with every trigger pull.

 

[Westfair]

If you open your front door and can't reach the kitchen anymore due to ammo boxes - you might have too much.

I come from a family who have reloaded for generations. We don't have an insane amount but I can just imagine what the news would say about it.

 

[rodinal220]

You can never have too much ammo.

 

[goldie]

I was buying those 500 & 650 round 7.62x39 spam cans when they were 65.00,glad i did.got about 6,000 rounds of the russian ammo, glad i got it when it was reasonable. .ive also been buying a brick of 22 here & there in the last year every time i was in walmart. got about 18 bricks of federal at less than 20.00 each.wish i bought twice or 3 times these amounts....

 

[mgmorden]

Personally I think if you've got anything more than 73.4 million rounds of ammo you've probably gone a bit overboard.

 

[mrvco]

Good news for the producers of Hoarders and Intervention... "Grandpa has accumulated more than 75,000 rounds of 7.62x39 and he doesn't even own a gun that can chamber it... We think it might be time to have a little family discussion and a yard sale"

 

[BADUNAME37]

When you need a forklift to lift the pallets of ammo, you might have too much.

When the floors in your house are about to collapse into the basement, you might have too much.

 

[BigDaddyNEB]

My SIL works for Hornady. Every month they have boxes of blemished ammo they can't sell, so they let the employees place orders for it. The common sizes Always go first, 9mm, .223, .243, .270, 30-06 and so on. She asked what i would like, so i told her grab whatever is left....I have about 1200 rnds of .22-250 that i'm hoarding now, along with various other sizes. My wife keeps asking me if I even have a weapons in those calibers, "Nope, but i can always trade".

BTW....this isn't white box stuff either....Tap, Super performance, match, steel match, critical defense...I have quite the selection.

 

[JohnM]

1200 22-250! Nice. Seems like it took forever to get around 500 put together.
And about as many 220 Swift.
All the rest, I dunno, lots.