Ammo supply question

[mistahd]

I am a Noob so please bear with me on this. I am a new gun owner (M&P Shield .40). I picked it up a few weeks ago. I have yet to go to the range (still waiting on CC permit to come in). In the mean time I am getting used to the gun (field stripping, cleaning, practicing draw techniques, learning the state laws, etc).

I currently have 400 rounds of six different types of hollow points. Reason: I want to find out what is best for my gun and what type I get the best results with.

My questions are these:
With the current ammo shortage what is the amount of ammo that you like to have on hand (backup supply) for future shortages, extended range sessions, etc? (Please don't respond with "as much as possible".)

How long is ammo "good" for if just sitting idle and do you date your boxes and rotate stock?

Sorry if I ran long on this. Your responses are greatly appreciated.

 

[arjay]

Ammo is good forever if you keep it dry,clean and in mild temps.I would buy as much ammo as you're comfortable having around and having money tied up in.This "shortage" will pass,just be aware of the political climate so you can stay ahead of the next one.

 

[Houdini1953]

400 rounds seems adequate but 2,000 rounds is what I shoot for (no pun intended) this has happened before and happens during gun control debates and all calibers are affected even reloading supplies things like even reloading dies disappear but it will pass just keep with the mind set that until you have a supply you are comfortable with you just purchase what you can afford when you find it but only if the price is reasonable.

Also for times like these to keep your skills buy good target ammo, not critical defense as often as you can and as much as you can afford, also it does not hurt to look into reloading your own as I and some others, so saving your own shot once brass is a good thing!

 

[jonesy814]

My dad shoots 38 special ammo he got as military surplus before he retired from the AirForce in 1972 with no problems. As far as how much to have. I get out shooting 2 to 4 times a month when weather permits.. Which it doesn't from Dec til April. That makes about 20-25 range sessions per year.I plan to shoot an average of 50 rounds of 9mm each time at least, so I would need a minimum of 1000 rounds to shoot, plus I wouldn't want to be without a reserve. Personally, I wouldnt consider 2000 to 4000 to be excessive at all, and many would call 5000 a good start. Considering that you never know what kind of **** the govt. is going to do, I am working on accumulating 10,000 rounds of my primary carry ammo. Who knows, they could put a 200 percent tax on ammo, or regulate some ammo producers out of business or any number of things to make ammo a luxury item, or just plain unavailable, so get all you can, when you can. I wouldn't buy at excessively high prices though.

 

[gutterman]

Buy reloading equip and supplies and learn to reload your own ammo. When you find powder and primers etc. for any reasonable price--buy it. You can control your supply this way so when shortages or "craziness" appears you're good to go.

 

[smith17]

mistahd:
I think you are approaching the situation rationally, especially if you haven't owned a handgun until recently. 400 rounds is good for a self defense stash but they are usually much more expensive than range/FMJ ammo so I think it is advisable to have about 1,000 rounds of range available. That is 20 boxes of 50 which is enough to freak out most friends if they become privy to that info but enough to where you won't run out if you make occasional '2 box trips' to the range and impressive enough to a wife/girlfriend to ..... It really depends on what your goal is. You are starting out well.
Ed

 

[Dayvid23]

You are going to have to get a feel for what you are comfortable with, there is no right or wrong amount of ammo to have. If you are having a hard time keeping the lights on, but you have 5K rounds of ammo, something is wrong. If you have one bullet in your pistol to defend your family with, well, that's wrong too. You will have to get a feel for it. Most gun owners end up with a few boxes here and there, car, closet, garage, basement and under the bed. Prices will come down, there will be a surplus, and we will all feel silly for panic purchasing.

 

[Desertpilot]

It is tough finding ammo out there right now. I don't like to "mix and match" ammo (a box of this and a box of that, as available). I prefer to practice and use one kind (so I know what to expect and have confidence in it). Because of shortages, I have on hand about 500 Speer Gold Dot hollow points for protection and about 1,000 rounds of Lawman practice ammo.

Marcus

 

[Twogunnes]

I feel fairly comfortable. I have approximately 50,000 rounds of ammo stored. Climate control is the key. The garage or house is not the place to store ammo.

What if the house catches fire???

I reload have components stored as well.

 

[MSG Glenn]

"As much as possible", lol. Seriously - I like to have 300 rounds on hand at all times, mostly JHP for practice. About 100 rounds of JHP so I can shoot off a mag of them at the range to make sure there are no feed problems that might have cropped up & still have enough to carry - a full mag+1 & a spare, 29 rounds. If I can't then I limit my range time & spend my missing range time looking for ammo.

 

[Bobthegod]

Buy it in steps, search for deals on what you want. You don't need 5000 rounds all at once. Get a couple hundred at a time and before you know it you got a nice cash stored. And, it won't break you. For now get just what you need. Then watch prices and sales. I'm lucky I have a local reloading store and can what ever I need custom made, and, he's not gouging on prices. I bring him my brass tell him what I want, wa la new ammo.

 

[Arik]

As much as possible! Seriously! There is no set number, only what youre comfortable with. I know people who shoot 15k rounds a year and need double that for their comfort level per caliber



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[mistahd]

The biggest issue right now seems to be finding some practice/range ammo at all. As I'm sure is the case just about everywhere; my LGS won't sell it unless you are using the range and even then limit you to one 50 round box. I know at this point it is a waiting game for the supply to catch up. The shortage seems to be very cyclical from the threads I have read. Does this normally seem to happen every couple years? I don't plan on doing the mix/match thing. I want to try out different types until I can find the one best for me and my gun as I am new to having a gun. Once found I will stock up on that type. Thanks for all the input/advice.

 

[Fire75]

New at this too, i doubt you find a best ammo. New gun, new ammo. It all will work is my bet. I have tried half a dozen brands and no problems so far.

 

[Waywatcher]

My questions are these:
With the current ammo shortage what is the amount of ammo that you like to have on hand (backup supply) for future shortages, extended range sessions, etc? (Please don't respond with "as much as possible".)

How long is ammo "good" for if just sitting idle and do you date your boxes and rotate stock?

Sorry if I ran long on this. Your responses are greatly appreciated.

I used to stock more, but I sold a bunch within the last two months and bought some more guns. My current target number of stock on hand is as follows: enough ammo per caliber to comfortably fill a 30 cal ammo can. I have five calibers, two of which are shotguns, so the grand total is around a thousand.

I want my ammo stockpile to be easy to grab and go if necessary, and .30 cal ammo cans carry much easier than the big .50 cal cans. They also help keep my stockpile within what I would consider a rational amount.

I do reload for most of my calibers and have components unassembled for about a thousand of each caliber as well. Doing the math, that's about 6000 rounds for 5 calibers, of which only 1000 are loaded at any given time.

Hope this helps,

 

[Class III]

How much to keep on hand?

As much as your budget will allow.

I like to keep a minimum of 500 loaded rounds on hand per caliber/gauge for everything I shoot, not including the "Fun" guns. The "Fun" calibers, well the sky's the limit. BTW "Fun" to me is 22S, L, LR, .223/5.56, 30-06/7.62 x 63, .308/7.62 x 51, 7.62 x 39 and 12 gauge.

The only gun I own but don't have ammo on hand for is my Ducks Unlimited Browning/Winchester Model 12 Exhibition Grade in 28 gauge. The fact that it is 1 of 500 produced has a lot to do with me not buying ammo for it. Don't have it, can't shoot it, keeps it NIB.

Brass, powder, primers, bullets, die sets, pure lead, wheel weights... Enough to get me to the end of the fight.

Class III

 

[zotzer]

I try to keep at least 1-2k rounds defensive ammo per caliber, and 1-5k practice ammo. (ie: 5k of .22lr, but less for others).

My practice loads are very low right now, and I don't like it one bit, but I also don't want to stop shooting. I hope I am able to squeak it out through these lean times.

Shotgun is another story....just a big collection of all sorts of stuff. Whatever I see that's interesting.

 

[Denversteve]

If you buy what you need to shoot there shouldn't be a problem getting ammo. We have no trouble keeping ammo in stock as we suggest customer's get what they need this week, buy what they need next week and let other's do the same.

It's only when you start hoarding that others then start doing the same and supplies start sitting in people's basements instead of just buying the amount you're going to shoot. We don't limit customers but suggest they buy sensibly. That leaves some for everyone. I certainly wouldn't be shooting HP for range time. Get a case of ball and enjoy breaking in your new pistol.