With talk of another ammo shortage come election time, I was wondering how much ammo you guys keep around. Do you stock up on fmj or sd or both? Was the shortage last election sd, fmj, or both? I have a couple hundred fmj sitting around, but I'm not sure if that's enough. How much of sd and fmj ammo do you guys keep around? Thanks!
Sent from my ADR6350 using Tapatalk 2

Kinda like asking how much money you need, doncha' think? As much as you want! Personally, I try to keep a thousand rounds for each of my firearms, plus the means to reload ammunition for each as well. Of course, this means that each time I aquire a new gun I gotta go ammo shopping!

__________________
Even older, even crankier....

Like one of my buddy's says... There's no such thing as too much ammo! I have a monthly AAB... that is, an Ammo Acquisition Budget. ...and now l'm getting into re-loading. Whether or not l ever need it is immaterial to me, IMHO. It's just another excuse to get some more toys!

Blessings,
HG

__________________
Isaiah 55:8-9
Phil. 4:13

I try to keep two to three hundred rounds on hand for each gun I own, and that's a lot of ammo all together. And for those of you worried about ammo at election time, don't. The only thing that will change might be the price as demand goes up because of all the Chicken Little's out there trying to buy it all up. Supply vs. demand.

About 10 yrs. ago my neighbor bought a new S&W .38Spec. and a box of shells. The gun has never been fired so I would think a box of shells is enough to last him a lifetime. Larry

How much ammo can you afford and safely store? Currently I've got right at 1,800 rounds of assorted 38 special and .357 Magnum ammo set aside.

I believe a minimum of 1,000 rounds per caliber, and more for the ones you use frequently. In .22RF I keep about 5,000. When I moved a few years ago, the movers kept asking what was in all those green army cans that were so heavy, they made many trips up the basement steps with a 2 wheeler stacked full.

__________________
H Richard
SWCA1967 SWHF244

Short answer...not enough.

Forget rounds...
Forget boxes....

Think "crates!"

Now I have to inventory my ammo again......

__________________
Take your time..quickly.

It HAS started. Online sights are starting to be back-ordered, or out all together.
Prices are creeping also I noticed.

as many rounds as there are stars in the sky.

ALL OF IT !!!!

Several years ago a forum I hung out at did an informal survey of the members. If I remember correctly the average was 7k rounds and the big boys had 10 times that. Years ago, knowing I would retire at some time and my income go down, I wrote a check to the LGS for $20 or 25 every Saturday and stocked up on primers, powder, bullets and ammo. I still do that to some extent.

20,000 rounds of .22 lr rf.
2500 rounds .22 magnum rf
5000 rounds of .45 acp
5000 rounds of .38 special
5000 rounds of .357 magnum
500 12 gauge birdshot
200 12 gauge slug and buckshot
500 20 gauge birdshot
100 20 gauge slug and buckshot
3000 .45 Colt
10,000 lp primers
10,000 sp primers
10 lbs Unique powder
5 lbs Bullseye powder
50,000 assorted cast bullets

Keep stock rotated of course.

__________________
Georgia On My Mind

This is one of those questions I tend to dislike. Similiar would be, how many guns do you own and where do you keep them? Sorta like, how rich might I be?

Some things are ones own business and I'll leave it at that.

No offense ment to anyone.

LTC

Wait a minute, I'll be right back. Gotta go down in the basement.

THUD, THUd, THud, Thud, thud .....

thud, thuD, thUD, tHUD, THUD.

Huhh-huhh-huhh-huhh, *gasp* - whew! I gotta get in shape.

Hand gun? Roughly 1000 .45 acp, 1000 9 mm in two weights ... Oh Hell I'm down to less than 500 .38 Spl.(gotta crank up the Dillon). a few hundred .357 ... 2000 bullets in various calibers and weights, about 10 lbs of powder and 800 primers.

Thanks for the reminder, it's time to go shopping!

I have enough that I don't know how much I have, nor do I wish to count it.

__________________
OGCA Member.

I don't have everything on my list. That is what I would like to have. I don't have that many primers, only about 4K small and 4K large pistol on hand. I can't keep that much .22 lr because I am constantly shooting it. I have about that much (5K) .45acp, but I am constantly replenishing. I started buying in 1992 when Slick Willie got elected. I have bought ammo of some kind every month since then. Sometime, just a box. Every now and then, a 500 round case of .45 ACP. I bought several cases of SKS ammo back when it was $65 a thousand. For years, I used the cash my in-laws gave me at Christmas and birthdays for ammo. If you buy a little more than you shoot every month for 20 years, you soon accumulate a stash.

__________________
Georgia On My Mind

Its a fun question, and it will come back each month between now and November. Each time the posters forgetting we've answered it. Worse, we've been answering it regularly now for a few years.

There is no correct answer to the question, and probably no wrong ones. Only you can answer it for yourself. But what the answer seems to do is wake up those who have a weak mind or low impulse control. Then they say "oh my God, I need more". And they run out to the discount ammo seller, like Walmart, and discover they can't buy some perceived quantity that will make them whole. And it leaves an emptiness. So instead of buying enough, they go home and sulk. Some even log on here and complain that the rest of us are causing an ammo shortage.

Then there are others of us who yawn and take a nap. We actually had plenty before the last ammo shortage. And between then and now we maybe added a few thousand rounds or the components to put them together. Probably both. Its pretty predictable.

The one reality or truth is you can't buy enough to satisfy the emptiness. It takes decades to do that. We do know that if you fire as much as you buy, you won't get ahead. We also know when a few folks decide they need more, it causes a temporarily shortage in a supply chain someplace. WalMart only purchases and stocks the expected volume they'll sell over the next few days. You can buy them out if it pleases you. It will only mean they'll be out of stock until the next delivery day. Do what pleases you.

The time to be buying was about a year ago. If you missed the boat back then, the catchup route is nearly impossible to travel.

__________________
Dick Burg

never enough. Guns and ammo will never lose their value. If there is ever a shortage or even worse, ammo and guns cant be sold to the public, ammo and guns will sky rocket on the black market. I have 14000 rounds as of right now

If you need to ask, you don't have enough. I always stock up in the spring for the season's shooting. I suspect the lowered stock levels are mostly that instead of election fears. Then again .........

As much as you can

__________________
Jorge

Well this time around I have stocked up more primers.

__________________
Stay safe people!

Waste of time for me to think about it because in all honesty i would like to be up in the 100,000 round range but i know that will never happen because one i dont have the money and two i love to shoot so im always shooting what i get....i do however have a little saved back. The way i look at it is this way....what if i die tomorrow and have all that ammo saved up that i never shot....to me thats a waste. I get the ammo to shoot it.

__________________
Aim small miss small

Currently have 75,000 rds assorted handgun and rifle ammo. Have enough components to produce about 50,000 more. This does not include the 2,500 pcs of 50 BMG brass and related components waiting for the day I start cranking them out for the Barrett.

A few days ago police arrested a fellow in Miami. Searched his home and found - THREE THOUSAND ROUNDS OF AMMO. Local news made it sound like he had an ammo depot at home.

Some of us would be front page news if we weren't upstanding citizens

How much tin foil do you own? Lol

Sent from my ADR6350 using Tapatalk 2

I'm with you on this one. The only firearms I don't have at least 1000 rounds for are my 30-06, and .375 H&H.

I like to have a sizeable reserve, and I get in the habit of buying a couple of boxes every week, unless I've just made a big (case-size) purchase. That way, whenever I go to the range, I'm not making a dent in the reserve and I'll have some on hand if the shelves are bare due to a run on ammo.

As the average gunfight entails 2.8 rounds expended, I figure the 5 rounds of ammo I have will last the rest of my life.

Wow! That's my inventory too - except substitute 10mm for 45ACP and 44 Mag for 45 Colt!

Try to have enough ammo on-hand that you open a can and say, "I don't remember buyin' that !?!"



GF

As much as I can get and safely store. Every week I stop by my favorite local gun store, just to look at guns, talk with the guys and I always leave with atleast one box of any caliber I shoot that has the best price.

So it's kind of an on going restock without quotas, unless I shoot a competition. Then restock what was used.

Not much of an answer, but going to the gun store every week is always a good thing!!!!

I think the human eye can see less than 1,000 stars on a clear night

__________________
Buy American
Vote Responsibly

I determined the dead minimums for myself to be 1000 rounds per bolt action, lever action and single shot rifles. 1500 rounds per shotgun or semi auto. Pistols tend to be hungry, and I maintain a minimum of 2000 rounds for each.
these minimums are determined by ammo demand of a given weapon over the course of two concurrent hard and heavy weekends plus a few reloads worth should I need to call upon that arm at any time.

__________________
it just needs more voltage

More than most, less than some.... Let's just say I'm good to go for anything short of a "Red Dawn" type invasion.

__________________
WC Armory, Austin TX

"Enough".........

I got probably 5-6 thousand .22 LR various makers for my K-22's
Another 2000 rounds of .38 and .357
Another 2000 rounds of .223 for my AR
And reloading components to load at least that much more
for my centerfires. I'm good for awhile. No worries.


Chuck

__________________
They hold no Quarter

I can say I honestly don't know. I do know that my wife finally has offered to buy me my own storage shed to put it in. It seems we can't park the car in the garage anymore......

Not really sure, but I know I have at least 1 .22 short and a half a box of .410s somewhere.

I keep as much as possible especially when certain calibers are still cheap. I stock up on 5.45x39 surplus because 1 can of 1080 rounds is only $150 shipped. I learned my lesson years ago when 7.62x39 used to be $70 for 500 rounds. Back then I thought "why do I need so many Im not going to shoot it all right away and when I'll need it Ill buy it" Screw that I'll buy today and shoot tomorrow at todays prices

Last time around furthered my inordinate fondness for the .45 ACP. Nice thing about it... FMJ is just fine as a defensive load. Though once again I could use some more 7.35 mm Carcano and .30-40 Krag. Last time around there was never a shortage of 12 gauge birdshot. So get a shotgun...

For every box I use I would buy two as replacements.
Now I'm going to say that I have stopped this and handload most of my range ammo. I am still doing the two for one replacements in components.

It depends on how much you shoot.

If you only hunt deer once a year, "a box of shells" should last you quite a while.

If you shoot competitions every weekend, you'll need a lot more.

Otherwise, if you are storing mass quantities of ammo for the day when the Neighborhood Watch comes to your door and asks you to join their door-kicking team, you're probably planning for something that's not going to happen.

You won't realistically need more than "a box of shells" if all you are doing is preparing to defend against the typical suburban burglar.

Some folks just buy more than they "need" when its relatively cheap, so that they don't have to pay premium prices, or have to skip going to competitions, when short-term market shortages inevitably roll around.

__________________
WWSSD?
What would Skeeter do?

I need to buy a metal detector. I can't remember where I buried all that stuff. Dang, I need to buy a shovel, too.

__________________
Wayne
Torn & Frayed

Without going into specifics lets say I have a bit. I also have the makings to load up a lot more I’m just too lazy to do a count!

Heck I even have 60 rounds for my 1898 Model 94 32.40Winchester rifle

As I have 6 .22 guns I have quite a few bricks available.

On average I usually keep about 1000 rounds of each of my favorite caliber's (9mm, .380, .223) in a storage cabinet. I think I have about 3000 rounds of .22lr at the moment.

When I get down to 500 rounds I make another purchase and bring that caliber back up to 1000 rounds. As I've gotten older I've gotten into the habit of marking each box to show when/where I purchased it. This way I can help to insure that I cycle the older boxes of ammo out first.

More!!!
It ain't getting any cheaper.

I have been doing this for the last 3 years - it's amazing how it accumulates. Most of it is just target ammo, but lately my LGS/range has been selling loose cases (500rds) of Golden Sabre JHP's for around $150 - I couldn't pass that up!

__________________
Lou

If you can dig it all up with a shovel you need to bury MOAR!

You sure you're from Tejas?