How much ammo do you need?

Faulkner said:
How much do I need?

I'm growing weary of the way we're always concerned about what other people need or want. Do you really need all that ammo? Do you really need all those guns? Does your wife really need all those shoes? Do you really need a 16 oz soft drink? Do millionaires really need all that money? Do you really need to drive a full size car?

This is the United States of America . . . I don't really care what possessions people think I do or don't need as long as I come by it legally.
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The answer to the question about shoes is "no." All the others obviously are "yes."
 
Somewhere I read how much ammo custers troopers were issued, cant remember how much it was but remember it was far less than I used to take to the range for a session. Seems some of them ran out of ammo.
Still, they were something like a week or twos ride from the fort, in hostile country knowinly rideing into trouble. The opinion of the day of what they might need seems like it was a factor of maybe 200 to 1 of what some of us think we might need to defend ourselves right at home in civilization. The same with the civil war. Those guys carried next to nothing compared to what we think we need. I will concead you were faceing single shots, but many thousands of them!
 
I have a lot of ammo and reloading supplies. For years, I've watched store closeouts, want ads, yard sales, auctions, etc., and when I've found a bargain, I bought.

I live in a rural area, and driving to the store is more of an ordeal than walking next door. We have a good stock of food, toilet paper, etc. Each summer we can garden vegetables, and in the winter, we put up meat.

I'm not a prepper; just a country boy. I don't want to have to chase around from store to store all day searching for ammo if I decide I want to shoot a certain gun.
 
GKC said:
I have one round...it's in my shirt pocket.

I lost the rest of my ammo in a boating accident, along with all my guns.

So, all I have is one round...and no guns.
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rimfired said:
I have accumulated, over the years and through
circumstance gleaned when to know enough is enough. I
reload also.

I recall a time when I humped more ammo than anybody.
That was combat. My greatest fear was not being shot or killed. It was running out of ammo.

For civilian purposes the current trend affects me not.

Plus all my firearms were lost in a tragic boating accident last year, in a volcano.:D
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More boating accidents!? If I remember correctly this brings the total to six? WHEN WILL PEOPLE LEARN!! Boats & firearms
don't mix!!:D:D
 
Just dispose of all the worldly items you have and trust in the Government to provide all that you NEED!

It worked so well under Communism.
 
feralmerril said:
Somewhere I read how much ammo custers troopers were issued, cant remember how much it was but remember it was far less than I used to take to the range for a session. Seems some of them ran out of ammo.
Still, they were something like a week or twos ride from the fort, in hostile country knowinly rideing into trouble. The opinion of the day of what they might need seems like it was a factor of maybe 200 to 1 of what some of us think we might need to defend ourselves right at home in civilization. The same with the civil war. Those guys carried next to nothing compared to what we think we need. I will concead you were faceing single shots, but many thousands of them!
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1. 60 rounds of .45/60 carbine ammo
2. 20 rounds of .45 colt ammo
3. extra ammo was carried in the supply wagons which were left behind as being not able to keep up with the Cavalry.
4. Extra ammo was also carried on the indiviual horses which the hostiles stampeded with their first attack/charge/rush.
5. at the end of the short battle, the Troopers still alive were searching the fallen Troopers for ammo.
 
First off do I really need any? All my firearms sank with the boat!
Ok How much do you need?
Really, How much can you carry?

Lets start with a good MacGyver Knife/multi tool and a pair of boots for walking and keeping the feet comfy!
 
I have found that I can only have to much ammo when I am swimming.
 
As much as I can afford, it's like a a paid off car sitting on blocks in your yard, doesn't eat anything and one day you might need it or could increase in value. This reminds me I think I'm down to about 15K rounds need to start looking Thanks for reminding me
 
I shoot once a week and it used to be 90% centerfire and 10% rimfire. Now it is closer to 50%-50%

I USED to buy ammo when it was on sale. Now I buy it when it's available. What used to be 1000 round per month average now is 400-500.

It takes years to get 'good' with a handgun I really hate to loose it. I really don't think they will but IF prices kept climbing I would have to introduce a pellet gun in to the rotation.
 
OK, the guy who dropped his in the volcano gets a few extra points for originality.

The question really was important to some of us in the past. I even worried about it a long time ago. But I swore I wasn't going to have guns and no ammo. But then I've been known for my excesses. And we were getting together, my gun buddies and I, discussing ammo. And I mentioned we had a gun show coming up the following weekend and it'd been a while since we'd had a road trip. I also pointed out that I'd been counting ammo and was a little worried I needed more.

Of course that set all of them off because if I needed more ammo, they all surely did. So there was also an event at the club we all belong to. It was a Christmasy affair the kids wanted to go to. So we somehow managed to talk the wives into car pooling so we could go to the gun show, promising to be back early. You know how that often turns out, 100 miles each way and us with no concept of time. So we went to the show and the topic was ammo the entire way down. Our buddy drove because he had one of those huge old Cherokees. And the springs were at full sag on the way home!

So our absence at the club party was noticed. One of our on again off again adult beverage drinking buddies asked where we were. And our wives told him at a gun show. So when we arrived we kind of slipped in, trying to make sure no one noticed us much. But the friend came over and asked how we'd done. Then he volunteered he had a bunch of ammo at home. He said if you counted shotgun shells and 22s, he probably had 500 rounds, total. And I'm guessing that was enough for him. And being polite, we all nodded agreement with his conclusion.

But when it was time to leave, the guy who drove pulled to each of our cars/jeeps to help us unload. I guess 500 rounds was significantly less than any of us purchased that day.

Ya know, I've purchased guns from time to time that came with a box of ammo in the gun box. And judging from the condition of the gun, The 6 or 12 gone out of the box was probably all that had ever been fired in the gun, often over 50 years of hard service in the desk drawer. I hate to be too critical of people like that.

This once was a free country. You've just got to accept the idea that a man probably has enough ammo to keep him happy. If he doesn't, its no body's fault but his own. My problem has always been storing enough to keep me happy. Now you can't even buy enough to stay happy.

But a funny thing happened just over 4 years ago. The election didn't go as I would have preferred. So I'm not the panicky type. I just made a cool and practical decision to increase my 22 cal supplies. So I did.

And the only negative result was 3 years ago I had heart surgery. And the crazy doctor put me on a 15# lifting limit for a while. And my more crazy wife decided to knock our house down and build a new one. That required all my ammo to be removed to a son's house. To his credit, he volunteered to haul it all out of the doomed house and to his basement. He had no idea what he was in for. But he also seemed to be tapping my meager supply of 9mm. Only an ammo can or two... :D

So the rule remains, you can only have too much ammo if you're on fire, if you're trying to swim with it, or you have to hump it uphill.
 
I wonder when the last time a well meaning homeowner had to go through 50k rounds to protect his family, home or avoid losing everything to bad guys.

Sent from my DROID RAZR using Tapatalk 2
 
One round one kill. How many targets are there going to be? OK, I might need more than one round if it's real windy or the target does not stand still. If I took all the brass that I've used to actually make a critical shot it would be a very small pile of brass. If I took all of the brass I used to practice for those few critical shots the pile would be huge.
 
loveMD said:
I wonder when the last time a well meaning homeowner had to go through 50k rounds to protect his family, home or avoid losing everything to bad guys.

Sent from my DROID RAZR using Tapatalk 2
Click to expand...

Those LA riots weren't that long ago.
 
Walkin' Jack said:
This is a very good question. It is also a very interesting and thought provoking question. I'm not real sure that there is one correct answer. Rather, I believe that this is a very subjective topic and it is up to each of us to determine for ourselves what the best answer is.

There are some factors to consider to come up with the best answer for YOU (or me or who ever).
. Where do you live. IE urban, rural, low rent, gated, etc.
. Your age and physical condition.
. Your attitude toward fire arms.
. Your experience/capabilities with fire arms.
. Your willingness to shoot another human being.
. How much target shooting/plinking you like to do
. Whether you want to build supplies to protect against future price increase or appocalypse type events
. Others.
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Definitely a good point. I think a year or so's supply should be sufficient for the average weekend shooter. Also if you reload it might be a little easier than say someone like me that typically buys his ammo at Walmart.

I got my handgun a few months ago ("pre panic") but just started stocking up ammo around the time of the panic. I've got a comfortable level now but I plan on maintaining that level and just replacing a box here and there when I go to the range, a few times a year.
 
loveMD said:
I wonder when the last time a well meaning homeowner had to go through 50k rounds to protect his family, home or avoid losing everything to bad guys.

Sent from my DROID RAZR using Tapatalk 2
Click to expand...

The last time is not important. What might bear thinking about is the NEXT (FIRST) time. Just because something hasn't happened before or in a long time is no indication that it will not happen again and soon.

And remember too the saying, "Chance favors the prepared mind."

Just a little food for thought............... ;)
 
I have set limits on how low I will allow certain types of ammo to get. In handguns, .38 and .357 have the highest amounts of required rounds on hand, followed by .40. I have decided I must has X amount of rounds on hand at all times. If I want to shoot but only have the lower limit, no shooting of that caliber is allowed.

Am I hoarding? No. Am I planning for zombies? No.... Well maybe. I'm planning for anything, including $2 per round ammo.

Between my current stock and reloading of .38 and .357, I'll be target shooting for fun while the next guy spends $100 for a box of ammo and has to wait for a background check to clear.
 
Q. How much ammo do you need?
A. Less than I have.

Q. How many guns do you have?
A. More than I need, less than I want.

And now for the truly ridiculous question:

Q. How many Smith & Wesson revolvers do you want?
A. More than I can afford.
 
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loveMD said:
I wonder when the last time a well meaning homeowner had to go through 50k rounds to protect his family, home or avoid losing everything to bad guys.

Sent from my DROID RAZR using Tapatalk 2
Click to expand...

Well, it has never happened. But up until now, everyone believed that scenario was extremely unlikely, and laughable. With the current insanity we hear about each day, I for one am not laughing.

My state of Colorado is well on the way to banning high capacity magazines (15 round limit plus other items approved on Friday) -- we will know better tomorrow at the next vote. It looks like am not going to be allowed to adequately protect myself and family, but I can smoke dope if I want. in Colorado! We jumped on this bandwagon faster than California. What an upside-down, insane world we now live in ...
 
To expand on Walking Jack's post, I would say another big factor on what you keep in inventory would depend a lot on who you have as family and close friends.
Since I am the local mechanic, welder, McGeyver, and I hunt and fish and always have- like it or not, people will gravitate TOWARD me when things go wrong. If it were a power outage that would last a week? I have a generator, and propane/ cooking equipment. Most folks around me just do not have much in the way of this. 2 days of no power, and all refrigerated foods are either cooked or rotting. 2 days of no water and people will be going nuts, especially if it is July thru October.
I would expect to keep enough gear available that I can sustain a couple families security, and give us a reasonable chance to procure food sources for a short term basis. (Say 2-3 weeks of rabbit and pidgeon hunting, and fish from the ocean and local lakes and creeks. Dear God, do not force me to eat carp and tilapia!:rolleyes: )
So with this in mind, and having been there during the last L.A. Riots, I can say that you would want to be at least decently prepared for a couple weeks of hunkering down and being very frugal with food and water, while being stronger on personal security.
 
Need is subjective.

I like to follow that one 'cannot manage the future, but can manage the present'. Thus, if I can purchase enough ammunition in the present (in a way that will not burden me financially) to insure many years of care-free shooting, regardless of market value fluctuation, then I have "enough" ammo.
 
I look at it as an economical thing. As our government prints more money, it makes what we have saved worth less. They have been doing it forever. It makes the value of their debt less. Over the years, I have acquired guns, ammo, tools and other durable stuff with the idea that it will have a higher price the longer that I keep it. When I was 20 I bought an 03 Springfield for $60. People in the 50's bought them for less than $10. I found a box of White box Winchester 9mm that I paid $3.99 for several years ago. I have purchased what I can afford when available and on sale with the idea that if I shoot it, it will not get any cheaper and if I do not it is better than investing in gold. Earlier this year I paid an average of .30 per round for .223 and now it is selling for $1.00 to $1.25 if you can find it.

So the answer is not how much do you need but how much can you afford.
 
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Walkin' Jack said:
This is a very good question. It is also a very interesting and thought provoking question. I'm not real sure that there is one correct answer. Rather, I believe that this is a very subjective topic and it is up to each of us to determine for ourselves what the best answer is.

There are some factors to consider to come up with the best answer for YOU (or me or who ever).
. Where do you live. IE urban, rural, low rent, gated, etc.
. Your age and physical condition.
. Your attitude toward fire arms.
. Your experience/capabilities with fire arms.
. Your willingness to shoot another human being.
. How much target shooting/plinking you like to do
. Whether you want to build supplies to protect against future price increase or appocalypse type events
. Others.

My neighbor is not a hater of guns but doesn't have or want any. He told me one time that if it comes to the situation described above that he wants to be the first one killed. He said he had no interest in living in a world like that. I told him he was crazy.....

Myself, I DO want to survive. I'm not a hoarder or a prepper but I have a modest supply of "stuff" laid by. I'll be able to make it for a llittle while at least. See, I have no idea how much I'll need of this or that. Ammo and other supplies are going to run out at some point no matter how much you stock up.

The bottom line is that no matter how carefully or thoroughly you prepare you might need to be saving that last bullet......Me, I'm not driving myself crazy over this. It it happens I'll do the best I can for as long as I can. I didn't come down here to live forever. I'm not really ready to "go" just yet but I'm 68 years old and I've had a great life. It's way too late for me to have to worry about dying young. All I can say here is that I have pretty much lived my life on my own terms and I expect to die on my own terms as well.

Que sara sara.
Click to expand...

Your neighbor would be the first to pound on your door if worst case scenario happened. 4 or 5 of my neighbors were in one of the neighbors driveways talking one Saturday morning. The discussion rolled to what if stuff hit the fan. One guy who does not own guns said to me, I know you hunt so you must have guns. If looters come, me and some neighbors will come get some guns from your house. HMMM. I looked him in the eye and said, I will shoot looters on sight, and anyone that tries to come through my door to get my family, food or guns will get shot. So if you want guns go buy one, it won't be pretty if you try to get mine. He said you wouldn't shoot me I'm a neighbor, I said nope if it all falls apart and you come to my house to get anything you are a looter. Several who own firearms agreed with me. He shut up. I'm 66 and I too have a lot of living to do. Heck I'm getting ready to retire. My Life is just starting. :D
 
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