Poll: How much ammo is too much?

[raz-0]

Right now I have about 2500 rounds in the safe.

That's a REALLY bad way to store your ammo. If you have a fire, your safe is now a bomb.

 

[CapnMac]

Hmm, if the ammo is deflecting the floor boards, you might have too much.

If you are paying more for a storage unit than your abode, you might have too much.

if you have to skip a meal every day until the next paycheck, you might be over-full.

Have a bud who defines "too much" as "[volume of ammo] greater than the safe(s)."

 

[Afy]

Arbitarily anything over 100K per caliber especially if you have only one gun in that caliber.

 

[evan price]

It's only too much if you can't move it by yourself.

Did I mention I own a forklift?

The stuff won't eat or drink and doesn't need air or light. As long as you can store it without tripping over it you're good. As long as your family is healthy, dressed and well-fed, and your other bills are paid, buy what you want as long as your family comes first.

I've got a small bit of ammo here and there and a few components stored by.

 

[Restorer]

If you have so much that the mass is creating an anomaly in the space-time continuum, then you have too much ammo.

If P-3 Orions keep overflying your house looking for the submarine that their MAD gear insists is there, you have too much ammo.

If Ammoman calls you asking to buy your overstock, then you probably have enough.

 

[D-Day]

If I had a bit more income? I'd say around 10k per rifle/caliber. That would allow for a modest amount of practice for a year and still have some in case of emergency.

Also around 1-5k per pistol/caliber. In fact, maybe more, if you do a lot of defensive target shooting.

 

[WardenWolf]

I would say 1000 rounds per caliber is ideal. I base that on several factors:

(1) smaller calibers such as .223 and pistol calibers are primarily going to be used against predators that walk upright. It is highly unlikely you will survive enough encounters with murderous individuals to burn through 1000 rounds.

(2) Larger calibers such as .308, 30-06, and 7.62x54R are going to be primarily used to put meat on the table. One deer will feed an individual for a few months as long as you can keep the meat cold.

Bottom line: the odds that you will ever need more than 1000 rounds per caliber are slim to none. Ideally you want to have enough ammo that you can defend yourself in the short term yet sustain yourself for several years. You also don't want to have so much ammo that you have to leave it behind if you evacuate. Then it will get either destroyed or looters will get it, and you've just helped supply the enemy. You want to be able to toss the guns and ammo cans in your vehicle and go.

 

[JohnBT]

1,000 rounds?

That's just a month's worth for some calibers.

I'm trying to put up enough to get me through retirement. And I haven't retired and my father is still going at 87. I'm doomed, but it's noble effort.

John

 

[searcher451]

The way things are going these days, given the fact that suppliers all across the country have bare shelves day after week after month, you'd think that Doomsday itself was at hand. That being the case, you need enough to see to your range and home defense needs for at least a year. The amount will vary based on individual use, the number of range trips you take and practice you put in, etc., but I'm looking at 3,000 rounds of .22 and an equal number of rounds of 9mm ... and I've still got a ways to go to get my 9mm stock up to snuff.

 

[czarjl]

I think the only way to say you have too much ammo is when shelf your storing it on starts to bend, way to much ammo is when that shelf breaks. That is the only way I would consider to much ammo a problem.

The only solution I can think of for this problem is more and stronger selves.

 

[3pairs12]

For me it depends on the gun. I have ( not enough) 1k of .223 stashed for emergencies only same with .22lr. 200 .308 and .243 500 38spl 500 40sw. On hand for range use I try to keed the same numbers. Now shotguns that is a whole other deal. ALWAYS 250 12gauage target loads same with 20ga. 100 .410. Than some mixed variety stuff for hd and hunting for each shotgun.

 

[KevinAbbeyTech]

When you can no longer walk into you house and must sleep on back porch . On the ammo cases out their

Have you been talking to my brother in law? lol
Where do you leave space for your reloading equipment? lol

 

[foghornl]

You might have too much ammo if:....

"ammoman" calls you to restock him...

Your last purchase of ammo took 7 trucks to deliver.....

You have enough Soviet steel-case ammo that a compass loses its direction within 500 feet of your house...

You can't get into your basement anymore, because the door swings in to the basement....

 

[MT GUNNY]

Less than 500; lllllllllllllllllll

less than 1000; lllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll

More than 1000;lllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll


I'm guessing this is what the Pole would Look Like

 

[CoRoMo]

When ammo needs its own room, or causes concerns regarding floor-joist strength, or has a combined value in excess of the house it resides in, it might, possibly, be time to shoot some of it up and scale down.

 

[jakemccoy]

You also don't want to have so much ammo that you have to leave it behind if you evacuate. Then it will get either destroyed or looters will get it, and you've just helped supply the enemy. You want to be able to toss the guns and ammo cans in your vehicle and go.

That's a good point. It brings into consideration issues of responsibility and unintended consequences.

Does anybody know if our military follows the same principle in a war? What do they do if they have to evacuate a location and have extra stuff? Do they destroy the extra weapons and ammo?

 

[jackstinson]

1000 rounds? 1000 rounds may be enough if you just practice with one gun once a year and have it stocked up for some imagined SHTF scenario, or if you only own a gun for CCW purposes and put one box through it every other month or more.
But everyone is different...with differing needs.
Too much leave it behind if I evacuate? I don't keep ammo on-hand for any EOTWAWKI or SHTF or ZOMBIES....I keep it on hand to be able to shoot when I want to, as much as I want to. I'll normally shoot 200-500 centerfire rounds in an afternoon at the range, usually every week, and I don't consider myself to be a heavy shooter by any means. There are a lot of us who don't stockpile just for the imagined revolution.

 

[Kind of Blued]

If you have more ammo than you could possibly shoot in the remainder of your lifetime even if your home was invaded by zombies every day for the next ~60 years, that may be too much.

I'm guessing this is what the Pole would Look Like

That looks like one pole and two short sticks to me.

If you meant "poll", we would still need to make options A and B mutually exclusive.

 

[Templar223]

How much ammo is too much?

There is no such thing as "too much".

I have enough for the rest of my life. And I'm still buying.

John

 

[KBintheSLC]

How much ammo is enough ammo?

However much you can practically take with you if things go south.

Hoarding 10's of thousands of rounds is impractical for a civilian... we don't have the luxury of ammo drops like the military. We have to pack our own. Can you carry 800 lbs of ammo? I can't.

I have enough for the rest of my life. And I'm still buying. -john (templar223)

This is why I can't even find a bulk pack of 22 anymore. Thanks champ.


...

 

[catspa]

KB:Can you carry 800 lbs of ammo? I can't.

That's 'cause you don't drive a Chevy pick-up.

Parker

 

[KBintheSLC]

dupe

 

[KBintheSLC]

Does anybody know if our military follows the same principle in a war? What do they do if they have to evacuate a location and have extra stuff? Do they destroy the extra weapons and ammo?

They are supposed to destroy them... it is cheaper to buy new ones than to bring the existing stuff home.

But some of the time, the old weapons/ammo are just sold on the "black market".

 

[KBintheSLC]

KB:Can you carry 800 lbs of ammo? I can't.

That's 'cause you don't drive a Chevy pick-up.

Parker

Im sure you'll get really far in a vehicle in that situation.


...

 

[maksim]

2 boxes for every firearm... and at least a few k rounds for every firearm that sees regular range duty.

sounds about right.