How much self defense ammo is "enough"
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LoboGunLeather
US Veteran
Impossible to know for sure until all the shooting is done.
I usually keep 100-200 rounds of self defense ammo on hand.....rest is all ball/range ammo.
My reasoning is simple....if I burn through all my self defense ammo.....Im in a situation where I dont care what ammo Im shooting at that point.
If you are ever in an extended fire fight that requires that much ammo, so many things went wrong that round over penetration/collateral damage is the least of your problems.
My reasoning is simple....if I burn through all my self defense ammo.....Im in a situation where I dont care what ammo Im shooting at that point.
If you are ever in an extended fire fight that requires that much ammo, so many things went wrong that round over penetration/collateral damage is the least of your problems.
Chino74
Member
Range ammo or self defense ammo will make no diff if things go south. Either will get the job done. I mean if we are talking end of times.
I figure on at least 100 to 150 as I like to put several of my defense rounds through whatever defense gun i'm running drills with to verify point of aim with point of impact at various distances. The distances might vary per session. Also my Beretta 92 FS uses the same defense round as my Browning Hi-Power. The same goes also with some of my .45 1911's. With the ammo situation presently going on, extra ammo certainly couldn't hurt. It also is a good idea to put fresh ammo in the gun and magazines which I would then use part of the pulled ammo for the end of the practice sessions. Just the way I do things with my carry/defense guns.
Jim
Jim
smoothshooter
Member
And, you are probably dead.
hyena
Member
Let's see. I've got self defense ammo in .380, .38 Special, .357 Magnum, .357 SIG, 9mm, and .45 ACP. I'd be surprised if I have more than 200 rounds combined. If I've gone through that and I'm still alive I'll be happy to use FMJ range ammo.
I figure one gun full is enough for most self defense. When the law gets there they will take my gun as evidence and if I ever get it back it will not be in very good shape. I also figure I should have more than one gun full in case I figured wrong. 
Larry
Larry
heeter3
Member
As much as you can get.
As much as you can store.
Maybe.
The real issue is twofold. First, how much shooting will you do with the more-expensive-than-range-ammo-self-defense-ammunition? You can't buy 100 rounds and shoot 95 rounds at the range to see if it works in your gun, right? But if you shoot 50 rounds then you've got 50 left and you're good to go for your carry gun or home defense weapon - under normal situations.
And that's whatever platform you're considering, handguns, long guns, whatever your choice is then you need some left over.
That's the casual answer. Simply put, a sufficient amount the day that you need it. And if you're switching off guns and calibers then the number of rounds has to match the guns and calibers.
Simple.
The second issue is different. What are you preparing for? Ignoring "end times" as an unrealistic answer, are you expecting to need ammunition to ward off street rioters at your door? Are you concerned about major civil unrest after November 3rd? Do you expect full bore fire fights in the streets? In the streets where you figure you will be? On your block?
Then the answer is as much ammunition as you can afford. 1000 rounds? 10,000 rounds? How big a battle are you concerned about?
I understand that 200 or so rounds of 5.56 NATO is the usual amount of ammunition for an Army infantryman to carry into the field. If you have 20 round magazines that's ten magazines and plenty of weight. So, if the fecal matter hits the whirling blades and we have a street war going on then I guess you need a couple of hundred rounds on you if you're carrying an AR-type rifle. If that's true, you probably need several thousand rounds hidden at home don't you think?
What if you're going out with a handgun? Let's say a M92 Beretta with a 15 round magazine. Ten of those is 150 rounds available - do you think you're getting into a fire fight with your handgun and you'll need 150 rounds? Okay......worst case fictional scenario, yes. Then I'd figure you need 1000 rounds more hidden at home don't you think?
So, you decide. Do you really expect to get into that big a fight? Are you a prepper with several months of food available? Do you even have two weeks of food available? How much food do you think that you'll need? You. Your family. Your pets. How much?
If you can make that determination then match it with ammunition if you're concerned about civil unrest or riots.
If it's just daily carry and a home defense weapon, well, that's a whole nuthuh smoke, podnuh, and go back to where I started.
Oh, and BTW, since all you're talking about is 9mm and .380 ACP, a couple of hundred rounds for each is a minimum all the time. Range ammo will carry the day if the rioters hit; they don't care what you're loading in your weapons and neither should you.
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No matter what price of self-defense ammunition goes up every year. A case will last me 7 years and it's cheaper at 2020 prices than it will be at 2027 prices.
When I find a good price on a case of my preferred SD ammunition I buy it
When I find a good price on a case of my preferred SD ammunition I buy it
I do not believe you can have too much. I have never thought I have enough! Try to do when everything quiets down, by one-5 boxes weekly, when something like we are seeing now happens, it is just another day. Be Safe,
HA! That depends. I have around 10,000 rounds of ammunition in my closet. How do we define adequate? Adequate for what?
PS:
I do have more than 2 weeks of food, too.
bigwheelzip
Absent Comrade
Since your choosing semi auto for self defense, I would start with shooting several magazines of my usual SD ammo choice, to check for functionality. After I prove the ammo, then fully load it +1, and a spare magazine.
Revolvers skip the function proving, and get a cylinder full and a couple of speed loaders or moonclips.
Sent from my Moto G (5) Plus using Tapatalk
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