How much do you keep of each caliber?

[Recon642]

When I bought an NAA mini 22lr revolver in July last year, I didnt know about the ammo shortage. I just wanted to shoot it. When I picked it up at my LGS, I asked the salesman for a box of 50 so I could go test fire it and he said he was all out. Then after calling a dozen other sources, the reality of it sank in. So I did a lot of message board reading and I saw where people were hoarding 22lr any chance they could. I couldn't even score one box. I found a box in a drawer at home so I at least was able to try out the new gun. Now that 22 LR is easier to find, online at least, I keep about 2000 rounds, give or take. But I'm shooting it too. I'm not going into walmart at 7am after a shipment comes in and buying up all that they have. I'm just buying it from online sites these days. I have approx 1000 rounds of 2.23 and maybe 800 or so rounds of 38's.
How much do you all like to have on hand and are you still seeing shortages where you live?

 

[BudMan5]

Here's a tip from an old guy (me)

The only time you have too much ammo is when you are on fire or when you are drowning

(Hint: the next attempt to seize all of the modern sporting rifles and limit magazines capacities is just around the corner or just think what will happen if one of the conservative SC Justices dies while Obama is still President or Hillary gets elected in 2016)

 

[Goblin]

I reload, so I keep enough components to load a few thousand of any particular cartridge, but only keep a few hundred of each loaded so they're ready for my whims.

 

[Smith357]

I shoot for a 5 year supply of components for every caliber.

 

[e3mrk]

I have a sickness that if I see a empty Case I have to load it.
To make matter worse the Guy at the Range I go to lets Me take all the Brass I want as long as I promise not to sell it.

 

[hoc9sw]

Since ammo supply is cyclical, I would like to have enough to cover a year's range trips. I'm not quoting a number of rounds, since I don't know how often you shoot. But for me, 2000 rounds of .22 is (maybe) 8 weeks.

Supply had gotten better at my local stores up the Christmas, then thinned out or vanished all together since. Local WM manager said they held back on him until November, sent all there was, and since, he is getting a random pick box of shotgun shells and Tulammo steel case. One case (10 boxes of 525 Rem Golden Bullet) of .22 since Christmas.

If I see a brand / caliber / quantity / price I like, I buy it, as I probably won't see it again for weeks or months.

I pick up my brass (the range allows you to state up front what you are shooting, and pick up what falls behind the firing line, for centerfire). Generally give it to guys I know who reload. The range recycles the rest to defray the range costs.

e3mrk - you'd have a stroke if you saw the bag sitting in my garage, so no pics

 

[Rpg]

I haven't counted.

Generally, I keep enough so I don't panic when something is hard to find.

 

[TucsonMTB]

In the past, 1000 round case lots have been my favorite purchase whenever something I like showed up at a reasonable cost.

Realistically, I probably have a lifetime supply of everything we shoot. But, I am an old guy, so that is not too hard.

 

[wrhk33]

For one of those .22 mini revolvers I could make 100rds last 20 to 40 years. I think I have shot 5 to 10 rounds in 10 years in mine.

 

[Engineer1911]

I reload ammo and cast my own bullets, due to circumstances I caused, my lifetime supply of 22 LR from 2005 is still adequate. I have 50+ pounds of powder and 80 K+ of primers. Loaded ammo supplies are sufficient and brass is abundant. My wife has given me permission to pick up ONLY my brass and strict orders to not pick up anybody else's or accept brass 'donations'.

My last 22 LR match ammo purchase was 6 years ago at a gun show, 5K case for $195 , including sales tax -- still unopened.

 

[NJM15]

When I bought an NAA mini 22lr revolver in July last year, I didnt know about the ammo shortage. I just wanted to shoot it. When I picked it up at my LGS, I asked the salesman for a box of 50 so I could go test fire it and he said he was all out. Then after calling a dozen other sources, the reality of it sank in. So I did a lot of message board reading and I saw where people were hoarding 22lr any chance they could. I couldn't even score one box. I found a box in a drawer at home so I at least was able to try out the new gun. Now that 22 LR is easier to find, online at least, I keep about 2000 rounds, give or take. But I'm shooting it too. I'm not going into walmart at 7am after a shipment comes in and buying up all that they have. I'm just buying it from online sites these days. I have approx 1000 rounds of 2.23 and maybe 800 or so rounds of 38's.
How much do you all like to have on hand and are you still seeing shortages where you live?

Haven't counted but guesstamate about 10 k rounds of .22's ,100 Sig 357,100 9mm's 200 .223,and 100 40's I reload all my center fire ammo
I wouldn't say I am a hoarder just get it when its available very rarely on line. My biggest supplier is Dicks SG they have a limit , bulk ,one to a customer, 50 to 100 packs from two to ten depending on how many they have in stock. the reason I have so many is trying to satisfy my Sig 226 .22 I have tried everything I could find, and of course the ones it likes are the hardest to find ,CCI mini's and Federal match grade the one that says for semi autos. I also shoot a Henry and just got a Rossi model 98 that fire .22's to use some of them up

 

[brucev]

How much do you all like to have on hand and are you still seeing shortages where you live?[/QUOTE]

Briefly... I like shooting. I like shooting revolvers, pistols and rifles. I have learned the hard way that you can't go shooting w/o ammunition. So, I buy ammunition. I buy .22 LR primarily on-line since that is currently about the only way I can find it. Thankfully over the last year I've been able to find enough .22 LR ammo that I now have a supply sufficient to let me keep shooting my beloved 18-3 for at least a year. I reload .38 Special and .45 ACP, so I buy components sufficient to allow me to keep shooting these pistols. I have since 1980 reloaded for my .30-06 rifles. Nowadays I have a couple of cases of ball on hand for my M-1 Garand rifles. I have sufficient components on hand so that I can reload for my 03 and 03-A3 rifles.

It is very likely that in the run-up to the 2016 election cycle we will see the prices of ammunition and firearms rise driven by apprehension that the wrong man will be put in the white house, that the house or senate will change hands, that the wrong man will be put on the supreme court. This apprehension will not be unwarranted. For that reason alone keeping on hand what you consider a reasonable stock of ammunition in the calibers you use is well worth doing. Shop around and buy what you need/want at the prices you consider acceptable. I have ball ammo on hand that I bought when it was less than $.20/rd delivered. Nowadays it is more than double that price. Sometimes... foresight can be as good as hindsight! Sincerely. brucev.

 

[Arik]

No set numbers here. I keep as much as possible. When I see a sale I jump on It. Some calibers I have only a thousand others are in the 10k range

 

[Joe Kent]

Remember, the best made firearms , as well as the cheap ones ,are very badly designed hammers and clubs without ammo and spare parts. Have a good supply of each.

 

[Vulcan Bob]

Lets just say I do not want to ever run low on ammo.

 

[Arik]

Here's a tip from an old guy (me)

The only time you have too much ammo is when you are on fire or when you are drowning

I'm just gonna add moving to that list. That definitely sucked....hauling all those heavy crates up and down stairs. Good excersisce though

 

[g27racing]

After the ammo shortage of 2 years ago I keep 10k rounds of 9mm on hand for the end of the world. I have a few thousand rounds above that amount for range time.
I am stocking up to 10k rds of 223/5.56 for the end of the world rifles although I do have about 4k rds of 7.62x39 as well. Kinda dumb as I don't think the end is coming during my lifetime but it stays dry so I am not worried about the ammo getting ruined.


My wife and I mostly shoot 357 revolvers and I was lucky enough to score 13k rounds of old surplus police training reloads. Went thru 4k rds in about 18 months so we are good for another couple of years.

For the 22's, neither my Smith 15-22, M&P22 or my Ruger MK1 like to use any federal bulk so I pretty much buy CCI mini mag when I can find it and just pay the price. Sadly I can't ever find that stuff for under 12cents/rd so I buy it when I can find it and when I feel inclined to do so but I have about 6k rds currently. Sometimes I will buy the Armscor 22lr hv ammo as it works in all my guns as well.

 

[Bigdog357]

I have to admit I have a problem, I like ammo, I need ammo and I want more ammo. I currently have approx. 15K of 22LR, 4K of 45 ACP, 4K of 9MM, 2K of 44 Mag, 1.5K of 357 Mag, 4K of 223, 3k of 7.62 x 39, 800 of .308, 600 of 7mm, 700 of 30-30, 500 of 41 Mag, 1500 misc shotgun and slugs. I reload everything except shotgun and have components for many more rounds.

 

[smokindog]

Boating accident

 

[jmace57]

My goal was to have 1000 rounds of every caliber I shoot (except 22). About 6 months before sandy hook I had a goal to spend $100/month on ammo. I still try, but it doesn't go as far as it did. I did some reorganization in my man cave last weekend and found I had:

22 LR. 4500
22 mag. 350
32 ACP. 1350
38 spec. 1800
380. 550
9mm. 1000
7.62 x 39. 400
.223. 400

At the rate I shoot it will last me a long time.