Poll: How much ammo is too much?

[Ben86]

Sometimes I wonder if gun owners are single handedly sustaining the economy. Between the gun and ammo sales not to mention accessories that is a lot of money.

How much ammo is too much? I guess more than you would need for the rest of the year would seem a bit overboard. But no one should be told they have too much.

I keep my reserve ammo and my target ammo. My reserve ammo is a few boxes of fmj and jhps nothing big. And I buy about a month's supply of target ammo at a time. I don't really even have the space to hoard anyway.

 

[jakk280rem]

rimfire=2000 per gun
centerfire pistol=300 per gun
centerfire rifle=100 per gun

this is just a baseline number i have. i'll take more if i can get it, but try not to dip much below this. if i dip below this, i spend my funds on ammo, once i acheive this, i spend on guns, optics, gunsmithing, repairs, and reloading supplies to replace used components or to feed a new cartridge.

 

[Ravenslair]

Posted by NWGunner

My ammo buying has become more strategic and I have also worked to consolidate calibers.

Over the past 24 months or so, I've been steadily accumulating a modest stockpile of ammo. The current goal is to have a minimum of 10,000 rounds for the common calibers I own (.22LR, 9mm, .223, 7.62x39, .308), and at least 1000 rounds for the less common calibers (.380, 7.62x54R, 12 Ga) So far, I've been able to get my hands on about 5,000 rounds of .223, 3,000 rounds of 7.62x39 and have 11,000 rounds worth of 9mm components waiting to be reloaded. I haven't quite figured out how I'm going to pay for 10,000 rounds of .308.

Ultimately, I'd feel comfortable with 100,000 rounds of 9mm and .223; likely enough for me an my future family for our lifetimes.

Without ammo, guns are nothing more than expensive metal bludgeons.

Without the ability to practice shooting, the guns may not be effective even WITH ammo.

Amen!

 

[shooter429]

Build your own factory? Have a warehouse? Bunker?

That is what I advocate everybody do. If you have to depend upon a store, you could be in a real trouble if the SHTF. Once you have the materials, safe, secure storage for you and your facilities is a great priority. Sound extreme? how much is your life worth.

Go to a site like Dillon, order what you need, stock up on things like lead and you are good to go, no matter what Hussein does.

Too much ammo-NO SUCH THING.

As an aside, you should also stock up 1 year of food, water, medication, etc.

Shooter429

 

[Mascoma]

Don't forget to rotate your Ammo. I made that mistake back in the 70's once and only once.
If you keep it to long the powder may just fizzle and not explode, leaving you with less than disireable results.

You can alway vacuum pack it I guess

 

[Boba Fett]

You can alway vacuum pack it I guess

Make your own "battle packs."

That's what I'm doing. Makes it easy to store, easy to move/carry, and keeps them fresh.

 

[crazy-mp]

Make your own "battle packs."

That's what I'm doing. Makes it easy to store, easy to move/carry, and keeps them fresh.

Care to elaborate?

 

[WardenWolf]

If you keep it to long the powder may just fizzle and not explode, leaving you with less than disireable results.

Depends on where you live. In Arizona, we have ammo that's been stored in garages since the 70's and it all goes bang without fail. Ammo degradation in Arizona is effectively nil as long as it's not directly exposed to moisture. Other places, like Louisiana and Mississippi, with high humidity, are at real risk of degradation if proper precautions are not taken.

It can pay to have some oddball calibers in addition to the standard ones, so long as you can still build up a basic stockpile in those calibers to begin with. Owning an uncommon yet still supported caliber means that, most likely, that ammo will not be immediately taken and you'll still be able to get it even when the more common calibers are sold out. Of course, at places like Walmart it's not going to matter, as the place will be looted and everything will be bought or stolen, regardless of whether they can use it or not. But the smaller, more remote stores won't get hit that way, and while all the .308 may be bought up, you may still be able to find 7.62x54R.

 

[ArmedLiberal]

More than 50,000 rounds of any one caliber is too much, except maybe for .22LR, and unless you're running firearms training. My space and my money will probably run out before accumulating that much.

Maybe if I had 50,000 each of 9mm, .357, .223, 12ga buckshot & slugs, .30 Carbine, 7.62 Russian and AK and .308 I would think it's not really that much and there's lots of room behind the couch.

Ask an Irishman. How much ammo did they bury under the pig sty with the guns when the Brits were cracking down during The Troubles? Did it seem like enough?

How much does the US Army like to keep in reserve when they're not fighting a war? How much per combat infantryman does that come to?

Maybe we should be asking if anyone here feels like they have enough ammo right now.

Ask that every two weeks and we could start to get a handle on when the ammo buying frenzy is calming down.

AL

 

[ElToro]

it might be not available in the future. i want my < 1 year old son and his family to be able to shoot. i buy up what i can and when i go to the range i buy 2x what i shot for replacment.

storage where i live is not a problem. i occasionally shoot up some stuff my grandpa bought in the 50s and 60s no problems. and my storage is cleaner and more secure than his

buying lots of .22 and 9mm and 45 and .357 ball. also buying premium defensive hollowpoints for those calibers. mostly been buying .308 and 30-06 ball for the semi autos. i have enough hunting ammo in those cals for the bolt guns for many hundreds of game animals.

lots of 12 and 20 ga bird shot, some buck and slug but nobody uses that to hunt around here so its mostly defensive.

 

[LAK]

If you need to step over boxes of it to get from the living room to the bathroom - you have alittle too much.

------------------------------------

http://gtr5.com
http://ssunitedstates.org

 

[Mr. Bojangles]

You need at least a gazillion rounds for everything you own.

 

[Boba Fett]

Make your own "battle packs."

That's what I'm doing. Makes it easy to store, easy to move/carry, and keeps them fresh.

Care to elaborate?

Basically you buy this:

Put the ammo (if you have the box, I suggest leaving them in it) in the vacuum baggies and suck out the air and seal them.

Then put the bags in one of these:

And throw a one of these in for good measure:

Now, most people probably think, "That is major overkill. The ammo can and desiccant are more than enough protection." And in most circumstances, this is true.

However, if you want to store your ammo can in an area that is not easily findable and likely more susceptible to moisture, then it is an added layer of protection. Or storing in even tighter, smaller places without the can.

Plus, in a SHTF scenario, it makes it easy to grab a bag (or a few) of ammo and throw in a pack and not worry about the elements affecting the rounds.

And you can get creative with it too. If you know that in a SHTF situation, you're going to be taking a specific rifle and pistol with you, then you can make some "battle packs" that have half pistol and half rifle ammo for the specific firearms you'll be carrying.


This idea was talked about on some other forum (I think it was AR-15.com) and a number of people brought up the fact that ammo is fairly resilient and how they have been shooting ammo that is 40 years old without a failure. While I agree that ammo is generally capable of surviving basic storage and an ammo can is enough, I have my doubts about it lasting in harsher circumstances.

 

[Suicide*Ride]

Very nice Boba_Fett!!

I've been doing the vacuum bag thing for quite a few yrs. myself! Ever since I bought some ammo from Georgia Arms. Thats how they package loose ammunition that they load on-site & what isn't shipped in green Army ammo cans. They don't put a vacuum on the bags but they do use heavy duty (thick) plastic & heat seal the ends. Works great!

 

[Suicide*Ride]

That's like saying "How much money is too much money?"

If you can't carry it - bury it!

 

[pingpong]

It's too much when your ammo starts pushing your beer out of the refrigerator.

 

[Guns and more]

With the price going up and no end in sight, buying now is saving money in the long run. Too much is when you neglect life's other necessities to pay for it.

 

[Hungry Seagull]

As long as the lid stays shut you are doing fine.

 

[Boba Fett]

*pic of an ammo can*
As long as the lid stays shut you are doing fine.

Yes, but to quote myself,

Now, most people probably think, "That is major overkill. The ammo can and desiccant are more than enough protection." And in most circumstances, this is true.

However, if you want to store your ammo can in an area that is not easily findable and likely more susceptible to moisture, then it is an added layer of protection. Or storing in even tighter, smaller places without the can.

Plus, in a SHTF scenario, it makes it easy to grab a bag (or a few) of ammo and throw in a pack and not worry about the elements affecting the rounds.

So, for example, if you are burying your ammo under a rock or in the duck pond out back, the can might not be enough/I wouldn't want to trust it by itself.

If you are putting the ammo in the crawl spaces in your house, ammo cans don't always fit.

And rather than give away other reasons (ideas actually) for more protection or less size than an ammo can, use your imaginations