starting an ammo cache
- Thread starter hgmike
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huntsman
Member
I'm in awe of all the 50cal boxes you have, I recently went to pick up a few and I about died at the prices now, I last bought when they were $5.00 or less a can.
Marlin 45 carbine
Member
as some others here a 'moderate' cache.
500 rd each of 9mm and .45acp.
250 rd each of 9 Makarov, .380acp and .32acp
2.5 K .22LR Mini Mag and SuperX
50rd 12 ga Buck. 150 rd 'game loads' from #2 - #8
ditto above for 20 ga
about 500 rd of '06, 100 fmj the other 'premium' loads and match loads
I figure that's plenty enuff of the 2 most important - handgun and .22LR rifle ammo.
almost forgot, I shoot BP guns too and have about 300-400 .44 revolver loads - a ROA and '58 Rem
and around 100 - 200 shots for .50 capper rifles.
500 rd each of 9mm and .45acp.
250 rd each of 9 Makarov, .380acp and .32acp
2.5 K .22LR Mini Mag and SuperX
50rd 12 ga Buck. 150 rd 'game loads' from #2 - #8
ditto above for 20 ga
about 500 rd of '06, 100 fmj the other 'premium' loads and match loads
I figure that's plenty enuff of the 2 most important - handgun and .22LR rifle ammo.
almost forgot, I shoot BP guns too and have about 300-400 .44 revolver loads - a ROA and '58 Rem
and around 100 - 200 shots for .50 capper rifles.
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There's a guy down in Colorado Springs that buys huge amounts of surplus stuff from all the military bases around there, and sells it all at a little store he has. I think his .50 cans are $6 or $6.50, I need to go fetch some more from him. Only about an hour away, and I get down there often on business. A dangerous little store to visit, he's got all kinds of cool things that appeal to my packrat soul!
Hgmike, to address your question from a couple days ago, you do realize that first the pending threat of the '08 election then the subsequent aftermath are what spiked demand in arms and ammo. This country saw an ammo demand and shortages it's probably never seen (country-wide shortages or complete lack of major calibers like 9mm and 45 on to eventually 22lr). When new and old shooters alike began reporting a diminishing or fully spent supply, prices, as they naturally do in an economy, rose substantually as well.
As for why ammo prices are still high, demand is still decent vs pre-elect. consideration and he's still in office. Plus, like many others things in a market, once they achieve a new level of pricing that we all seem willing to pay, lowering prices to pre-spike levels probably isn't going to happen. Welcome to a new "normal."
Also, reloading was how all of the savvy shooters were going to avoid all this troublesome ammo stuff. Oddly, component prices followed as well.
As for why ammo prices are still high, demand is still decent vs pre-elect. consideration and he's still in office. Plus, like many others things in a market, once they achieve a new level of pricing that we all seem willing to pay, lowering prices to pre-spike levels probably isn't going to happen. Welcome to a new "normal."
Also, reloading was how all of the savvy shooters were going to avoid all this troublesome ammo stuff. Oddly, component prices followed as well.
Russ Jackson
member
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Ammo is getting cheap around me right now. $8.99 for 9mm, 13.99 for .45, bricks of .22 for 12.99 and 30-06 on sale for under $10 on sale with rebates. Do you think prices will go much lower? And at these prices would you buy a bunch?...Russ
BADUNAME13
Member
That's not cheap.
I'm still shooting 9mm I paid $3.83 a box for.
Stocked up again at $6.
Would not buy 'a bunch' at that price.
Just like AK ammo has dropped.... if we keep not buying, prices will keep falling.
Supply and demand.
Spec ops Grunt
Member
Thinking about buying a spam can of 7.62X54R and burying it.
06
Member
Lost all my firearms in the big boat wreck so I disposed of what wee bit of ammo I had. But, if I were to accumulate anymore I would supplement it with lead casting, reloading components, and have everything mobile. One might consider mounting his reloading presses onto 2X6s that he could clamp or screw onto his desk. That way one could grab his presses, components, and "skedaddle" to his primary or secondary bug out location.
If you want to cache items by burying then metalically camo it by putting other ferrous items in the ground dispersed around it. Have heard that if you drape rubber roofing sheathing over it then you have a hydrostatic block that keeps water from rising. We taught a course in underground caches a few years back at our bi-annual gathering. 'Bout time to do it again this April. If you are local to NC/SC just PM and will get details to you. We teach all kinds of pioneering/survival subjects free at our wee get togethers.
If you want to cache items by burying then metalically camo it by putting other ferrous items in the ground dispersed around it. Have heard that if you drape rubber roofing sheathing over it then you have a hydrostatic block that keeps water from rising. We taught a course in underground caches a few years back at our bi-annual gathering. 'Bout time to do it again this April. If you are local to NC/SC just PM and will get details to you. We teach all kinds of pioneering/survival subjects free at our wee get togethers.
Went to gun show in Richmond Va yesterday. Fifty caliber green steel boxes one for $7 or 3 for $15.
picturerock
Member
When I saw the subject of this thread I laughed out loud! Honestly, most guys that shoot will gather up a "cache" of ammo over the years inadvertently. Especially with .22, you can acquire a ton of it just by picking up a brick or two now and then at Walmart.
But seriously, it's a good idea to stock up, especially when what you use is on sale. With the county politically divided up 50/50, you never know when the bad guys are going to try to make ammo too expensive to shoot. This plan is already well underway in liberal hell holes like California.
And if the SHTF seriously, a box of .22 or .223 might just be the thing for barter, along with Scotch. Hey, how about a cache of Scotch right next to the ammo?
But seriously, it's a good idea to stock up, especially when what you use is on sale. With the county politically divided up 50/50, you never know when the bad guys are going to try to make ammo too expensive to shoot. This plan is already well underway in liberal hell holes like California.
And if the SHTF seriously, a box of .22 or .223 might just be the thing for barter, along with Scotch. Hey, how about a cache of Scotch right next to the ammo?
Peter M. Eick
Member
My initial reaction to 10,000 rounds is that would only get me to about September of an average year of shooting.
To me a real cache would be significantly more. Think orders of magnitude here.
To me a real cache would be significantly more. Think orders of magnitude here.
I think in terms of practicality....
I'm often amazed at gun owners who store up and horde tons of ammunition, at huge expense, but don't bother to spend any money at ALL on long term food storage. Exactly how long do you think the deer, turkey, etc in the woods are going to hold out if there's a national emergency and every farmer and their brother starts rattling the bushes? Not very friggin' long, that's for sure.
Thousands of hunting rounds aren't going to do you any good at all once the local fauna are shot to hell and gone.
Regarding storing hundreds (or thousands) of rounds for "social work", exactly how good do you think you are at urban combat? How many firefights are you likely to survive as an individual? Why would you be getting in to shooting matches with others in the first place? Chances are you'll never need more than 50 rounds for a handgun, or a few magazines for a rifle.
Why? Because you'll either be A) dead, and QUICKLY SO, because gunfights are notoriously bad for everyone's health, or B) you'll be lucky and able to loot the bad guy's assets to replenish your stores.
My buddies often joke "if SHTF, I'm coming to your house". I said "you better bring 3 months of food with you or you aren't getting in the door." I have several months of food for each of my family members stored up simply as a safety against "the worst". I'm not depleting my kid's food store simply because my buddies all decided to run to the house with the most guns and ammo. As far as water, my well runs straight down to a deep aquifer, so I won't run out of water any time soon.
Back on the topic of ammo...
In the wholly unrealistic proposition that we were ever invaded by a force our armed services couldn't repel, my "social work" would be done from a very long range. I don't have armored backup or air support, so I figure all of my shooting best be done from at LEAST a half mile. This, I can do, with a couple of different calibers, to good effect. Without needing 10's of thousands of rounds of ammunition.
If SHTF, I wouldn't need a massive stockpile of assault rifle or handgun ammunition. I'd need enough to defend my house, but that's it. Why? Because I would have no compelling reason to LEAVE my place for at least 6 *months* to go after food or water. I wouldn't have a need to get in to armed confrontations with other starving people over what's left on the grocery room shelves.
So why do I have so much ammunition? (My wife often asks me this)
#1 Ammunition tends to get more expensive with time, and stores for decades if properly kept. Thus, I'm well stocked up until I retire, which is protection against inflation.
#2 Ammunition gets scarce in times of panic or emergency. The price also becomes vastly inflated. Call me an ass, but I profited greatly from my fellow gun-owners when Obama took office and everyone panicked. (Yes, I was in the business of doing so at the time, owning a gun shop). Now that ammo is backed up and not moving because everyone horded the hell out of it, I'm pretty much back to where I was at the start.
#3 There's always the off chance that ammunition itself will become a restricted commodity. Whether restricted in transport by tighter hazmat laws, or restricted by legislature (microstamping, etc), I'm "outside of the chain" as it were and I can continue my hobby uninterrupted.
#4 It makes me feel good to have a lot of ammunition. This is a valid reason regardless of everything else. I love ammo. I love making ammo, I love shooting ammo.. I just love ammo. It's my right to be goofy and love having ammo.
I'm often amazed at gun owners who store up and horde tons of ammunition, at huge expense, but don't bother to spend any money at ALL on long term food storage. Exactly how long do you think the deer, turkey, etc in the woods are going to hold out if there's a national emergency and every farmer and their brother starts rattling the bushes? Not very friggin' long, that's for sure.
Thousands of hunting rounds aren't going to do you any good at all once the local fauna are shot to hell and gone.
Regarding storing hundreds (or thousands) of rounds for "social work", exactly how good do you think you are at urban combat? How many firefights are you likely to survive as an individual? Why would you be getting in to shooting matches with others in the first place? Chances are you'll never need more than 50 rounds for a handgun, or a few magazines for a rifle.
Why? Because you'll either be A) dead, and QUICKLY SO, because gunfights are notoriously bad for everyone's health, or B) you'll be lucky and able to loot the bad guy's assets to replenish your stores.
My buddies often joke "if SHTF, I'm coming to your house". I said "you better bring 3 months of food with you or you aren't getting in the door." I have several months of food for each of my family members stored up simply as a safety against "the worst". I'm not depleting my kid's food store simply because my buddies all decided to run to the house with the most guns and ammo. As far as water, my well runs straight down to a deep aquifer, so I won't run out of water any time soon.
Back on the topic of ammo...
In the wholly unrealistic proposition that we were ever invaded by a force our armed services couldn't repel, my "social work" would be done from a very long range. I don't have armored backup or air support, so I figure all of my shooting best be done from at LEAST a half mile. This, I can do, with a couple of different calibers, to good effect. Without needing 10's of thousands of rounds of ammunition.
If SHTF, I wouldn't need a massive stockpile of assault rifle or handgun ammunition. I'd need enough to defend my house, but that's it. Why? Because I would have no compelling reason to LEAVE my place for at least 6 *months* to go after food or water. I wouldn't have a need to get in to armed confrontations with other starving people over what's left on the grocery room shelves.
So why do I have so much ammunition? (My wife often asks me this)
#1 Ammunition tends to get more expensive with time, and stores for decades if properly kept. Thus, I'm well stocked up until I retire, which is protection against inflation.
#2 Ammunition gets scarce in times of panic or emergency. The price also becomes vastly inflated. Call me an ass, but I profited greatly from my fellow gun-owners when Obama took office and everyone panicked. (Yes, I was in the business of doing so at the time, owning a gun shop). Now that ammo is backed up and not moving because everyone horded the hell out of it, I'm pretty much back to where I was at the start.
#3 There's always the off chance that ammunition itself will become a restricted commodity. Whether restricted in transport by tighter hazmat laws, or restricted by legislature (microstamping, etc), I'm "outside of the chain" as it were and I can continue my hobby uninterrupted.
#4 It makes me feel good to have a lot of ammunition. This is a valid reason regardless of everything else. I love ammo. I love making ammo, I love shooting ammo.. I just love ammo. It's my right to be goofy and love having ammo.
Redneck with a 40
Member
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I reload, so I can stock ammo far cheaper than factory stuff. I try to keep 1000 rounds/caliber with the exception of .308. 500 rounds of .308 is enough.
As far as rimfire goes, I've got 5K of 22 LR and 1K of 22 magnum.
As far as rimfire goes, I've got 5K of 22 LR and 1K of 22 magnum.
I would tend to agree with this. I TRIED to get them to audit me before closing up my gun shop, to make sure I had my books in order before shipping them off, and over the course of 6 months I couldn't so much as get an ATF agent to knock on my door.
Now, what is MORE likely, is that if you are ever charged with a crime, they will come looking for your posts bragging about having a large ammo stockpile, large firearms collection, etc, to show a jury. How do you think the jury respond when the prosecutor shows your posts about "having thousands of rounds for 'social work'"?
Probably not very well.
And before you call "BS", I *have* seen this exact thing happen before in person, in a courtroom, when a local "militia" leader was arrested on 13 felony charges for planning an armed walk in protest of IL's lack of right to carry. The prosecutor brought out and paraded everything he'd ever wrote and handed out to the militia members, showed video of him being interviewed by news stations prior to his arrest with his M14 on his shoulder, etc. They submitted evidence showing pictures of his assault rifles, exact round counts of what type of ammunition, etc.
Normal people - your peers - aren't used to seeing large collections of arms and ammunition piled up like that, and it can be quite shocking to them. As his case proved, it can definitely hurt the defenses' position, and help to sway whatever legal argument you are having out of your favor.
Just my .02.
Hhmmm....the tone of the 2 replies made to my innocent post...interesting. I wonder if, somehow, I inadvertently struck a nerve??? [Very curious.]
Well, regardless...I wish everyone an all-too-fine day.--Patrice
P.S. Not that I own any ammunition (or guns)...but if I did, I'm not certain I would feel the need to advertise it. Must be a guy thing.
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No nerve struck here. The ATF has a hard time with manpower sufficient to regulate and enforce on FFL's, they're not likely to have reserves of people manning computers in rooms trolling every message posted on every board.
It's likely the posts are archived by some law enforcement agency, somewhere though; if nothing more than in a cache at Google, whatever people write on the Internet is still accessible and searchable somewhere.
At any rate, it's far more likely that wanting-to-be-paid-informants, or anti-gun activists, are trolling the boards looking for offenses, than the agents themselves. I've met ATF and FBI agents in the past, and my impression is that until someone brings something to their attention, they don't actively go out hunting for bad guys. They rely on John Q. Public to bring them a complaint.
My advice above was for people to avoid writing things that could come back to haunt them at a later time. I believe it's sound advice, and I share it freely from personal observations.
It's likely the posts are archived by some law enforcement agency, somewhere though; if nothing more than in a cache at Google, whatever people write on the Internet is still accessible and searchable somewhere.
At any rate, it's far more likely that wanting-to-be-paid-informants, or anti-gun activists, are trolling the boards looking for offenses, than the agents themselves. I've met ATF and FBI agents in the past, and my impression is that until someone brings something to their attention, they don't actively go out hunting for bad guys. They rely on John Q. Public to bring them a complaint.
My advice above was for people to avoid writing things that could come back to haunt them at a later time. I believe it's sound advice, and I share it freely from personal observations.
Hhmmm...TRENT.... I think I like you. Good post!No nerve struck here. The ATF has a hard time with manpower sufficient to regulate and enforce on FFL's, they're not likely to have reserves of people manning computers in rooms trolling every message posted on every board.
It's likely the posts are archived by some law enforcement agency, somewhere though; if nothing more than in a cache at Google, whatever people write on the Internet is still accessible and searchable somewhere.
At any rate, it's far more likely that wanting-to-be-paid-informants, or anti-gun activists, are trolling the boards looking for offenses, than the agents themselves. I've met ATF and FBI agents in the past, and my impression is that until someone brings something to their attention, they don't actively go out hunting for bad guys. They rely on John Q. Public to bring them a complaint.
My advice above was for people to avoid writing things that could come back to haunt them at a later time. I believe it's sound advice, and I share it freely from personal observations.
Respectfully,
Patrice
mcdonl
Member
One round for each gun should do it.
I am more concerned with stocking up on powder and primers... I have hundres of pounds of wheel weights and buckets upon buckets of brass....
I am more concerned with stocking up on powder and primers... I have hundres of pounds of wheel weights and buckets upon buckets of brass....
ColdDeadHand
Member
Insert tired old cliché here (like my screen name).
Waywatcher
Member
If you worry about running out, you don't have enough.
If you have so much that it gets in the way, financially or physically, you have too much.
The correct answer for you is not necessarily the correct answer for me.
A Cache seems to conjure up images of excess.
If you have so much that it gets in the way, financially or physically, you have too much.
The correct answer for you is not necessarily the correct answer for me.
A Cache seems to conjure up images of excess.
To me, "cache" means something buried or hidden. I consider my little stash a "hoard". I'm not really planning for any shortages, or SHTF, or anything like that. I just enjoy reloading and make far more than I can shoot up. Much easier to get to the reloading press than to the range.
I got to thinking about the psychology of stockpiling gear a bit more tonight.
What I'm wondering, is if the "new" generation of shooters (20's to 30's) who grew up with first person shooters (games), are more apt to horde and stockpile ammo than, say, old timers who were raised in more conservative times?
Not trying to spark a debate about video games, per se, but it just seems to me that people (myself included) who have spent a significant amount of time playing video games might be more prone to stockpiling stuff. In most games, amassing ammunition seems to be a primary activity, second only to shooting it. Consciously, or subconsciously, doing this enough would seem to lead to carrying that over to real life buying habits.
Maybe I'm just reaching out for some root cause as to why I've accumulated so much crap I'll likely never use, to shift the burden of guilt away.... I seem to buy 5, or 10, or 50 of everything. Case in point; just found out about all those nifty South Korean drum mags that hit the market, and ordered up a pair of AR-15 drums and four AK47 75 round drums. Great quality, heck of a deal. But I got to thinking.. why did I just buy so many?
If I'm ever in a situation where I feel a compelling need to load up with 100 rounds, or 75 rounds, in to a weapon, then common sense would dictate I should be heading in the other direction, and fast!
I don't know. This thread just got me thinking, I mean really thinking, about some of the purchasing decisions I've made over the years and the motivation behind them. My wife tried to forestall the inevitable by pushing me to get an FFL years back, but that only compounded the problem as buying stuff then became a literal wholesale free-for-all.
Think I'm overdue for a bit of "culling" on my collection.
What I'm wondering, is if the "new" generation of shooters (20's to 30's) who grew up with first person shooters (games), are more apt to horde and stockpile ammo than, say, old timers who were raised in more conservative times?
Not trying to spark a debate about video games, per se, but it just seems to me that people (myself included) who have spent a significant amount of time playing video games might be more prone to stockpiling stuff. In most games, amassing ammunition seems to be a primary activity, second only to shooting it. Consciously, or subconsciously, doing this enough would seem to lead to carrying that over to real life buying habits.
Maybe I'm just reaching out for some root cause as to why I've accumulated so much crap I'll likely never use, to shift the burden of guilt away.... I seem to buy 5, or 10, or 50 of everything. Case in point; just found out about all those nifty South Korean drum mags that hit the market, and ordered up a pair of AR-15 drums and four AK47 75 round drums. Great quality, heck of a deal. But I got to thinking.. why did I just buy so many?
If I'm ever in a situation where I feel a compelling need to load up with 100 rounds, or 75 rounds, in to a weapon, then common sense would dictate I should be heading in the other direction, and fast!
I don't know. This thread just got me thinking, I mean really thinking, about some of the purchasing decisions I've made over the years and the motivation behind them. My wife tried to forestall the inevitable by pushing me to get an FFL years back, but that only compounded the problem as buying stuff then became a literal wholesale free-for-all.
Think I'm overdue for a bit of "culling" on my collection.
It's not video games but uncertainty about the future which can bring on spells of paranoia and fear.I got to thinking about the psychology of stockpiling gear a bit more tonight.
What I'm wondering, is if the "new" generation of shooters (20's to 30's) who grew up with first person shooters (games), are more apt to horde and stockpile ammo than, say, old timers who were raised in more conservative times?
Not trying to spark a debate about video games, per se, but it just seems to me that people (myself included) who have spent a significant amount of time playing video games might be more prone to stockpiling stuff. In most games, amassing ammunition seems to be a primary activity, second only to shooting it. Consciously, or subconsciously, doing this enough would seem to lead to carrying that over to real life buying habits.
Maybe I'm just reaching out for some root cause as to why I've accumulated so much crap I'll likely never use, to shift the burden of guilt away.... I seem to buy 5, or 10, or 50 of everything. Case in point; just found out about all those nifty South Korean drum mags that hit the market, and ordered up a pair of AR-15 drums and four AK47 75 round drums. Great quality, heck of a deal. But I got to thinking.. why did I just buy so many?
If I'm ever in a situation where I feel a compelling need to load up with 100 rounds, or 75 rounds, in to a weapon, then common sense would dictate I should be heading in the other direction, and fast!
I don't know. This thread just got me thinking, I mean really thinking, about some of the purchasing decisions I've made over the years and the motivation behind them. My wife tried to forestall the inevitable by pushing me to get an FFL years back, but that only compounded the problem as buying stuff then became a literal wholesale free-for-all.
Think I'm overdue for a bit of "culling" on my collection.
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