How Much Ammo Do You Stockpile?

[JohnH]

Really the question is as much about filling philosophical needs as hard and fast needs. I don't stockpile very much at all. I shoot in my backyard and generally only load what I'm shooting at the moment. Occasionally, a neighbor and I will get together to shoot, and more often than not, I will have to load some blammo before we shoot. This page, http://www.awrm.org/ has some useful guidelines, but they are a bit beyond what I think my needs are, and in that may well be the crux of the question, how does one give an honest evaluation to determine what their needs are. Perhaps I just answered my own question; decide what you would like to have on hand, (use whatever criteria you like for that (war, civil unrest, zombies) any ideas for what that criteria should be?) add to it what you'd like to be able to grab up and take to the range, and then add some figure to account for ones laziness to replenish that drain on the stash 'cause you don't feel like loading today... Thoughts?

[HarryT]

1000 rounds per firearm stockpiled (10,000 per machine gun). Carry no more than you can swim with.

[Wayne Smith]

Depends on the caliber. The easiest to shoot have the most! I have probably 1,000 rds of 45ACP loaded, mostly because I pick up the brass free at the range. On the other hand, the 405Win has maybe a hundred loaded at any one time. When I am working up a load, not many. When I have settled on a load then what brass I have tends to get loaded.

[jsam]

There is no such thing as enough ammo.

[multigunner76]

I kinda went with the 1000 round minimun too. Well kinda.

[casterofboolits]

I like to load in two thousand round batches for my pistol rounds. 9mm, 38 Super, 40 S&W and 45 ACP. When I get down to five hundred rounds, I start a new batch of two thousand. These are mainly shooting inventory, not a stockpile.

I cast the same way, I'll have at least two thousand boolits of each caliber ready to go on the bench. Right now I have five thousand H&H #275 09-125-SWCBB, two thousand plus H&G # 309 09-125-TCPB, two thousand Saeco 38S-145-SWCBB, two thousand 40-145-TCPB, Two thousand H&G #68 45-185-SWCBB waiting on the bench. The 45s will wait for awhile as I just loaded up a batch of 2,400. Currently loading nines.

Of course I still have my Magma Lube Master that cranks out 4,000 boolits an hour and my casting is done with six and eight cavity molds.

[quilbilly]

I don't stockpile that much complete ammo - maybe a hundred rounds per caliber - mostly because I play with loads all the time fixing things the "ain't broke" (a bad habit hard to break). As long as I have plenty of primers and powder of choice, I don't see much reason to overdo it especially since, like you, I have ranges at home and shoot all the time.

[seaboltm]

I am with Wayne Smith. It depends. I have 1000's of rounds of 40 and 223, most of it accumulated during my law enforcement days. I just don't shoot either caliber very often. 45-70, 375 H&H, and most other rifle rounds, I keep maybe 20 on hand. 308, 9mm, 45 ACP, 500 or so for "just in case".

[btroj]

Most of my stored ammo is in pieces.......

[runfiverun]

if the box i'm storing them in is full i got enough if i need more to fill it i don't.
conversly if i have more brass i need a bigger container or more of them.
same with boolits.
if i have enough to fill all the brass i have then i got enough, if i don't i make some more.
if i wanna experiment i either pick out a lot of brass to work with or get another one.

[JonB_in_Glencoe]

Numquam satis

[Crash_Corrigan]

I generally keep less than 500 empty cases of any caliber at home. Once I get to 500 empty cases it is time to assemble some more ammo. I have buckets of cast boolits covered with Saran Wrap in the home awaiting reloading. I generally lube and size the boolits immediately after casting as they tend to harden some over time and make lubing and sizing more difficult after a week or so. I shoot a lot of calibers so I have a lot of ammo stored in my home. I run 8 presses and two lubers to process all these. I have 3 Dillon Square Deal's dedicated to .38 Spcl, .44 Spcl. and .45 ACP. My Dillon 550B is set up for .41 Maq and my XL 650 for 9 MM. I run small batches thru my Lee Classic Turret Press, Lyman T press and Rockchucker. My only hobby other than shooting and reloading is messing with my guitar and camera.

Right now it is about 108 degrees on my front porch and I am not about to go to the range until September as that only decent time to go shooting is as about dawn. I am not an early riser. At the present time I have buckets of .38's, 9 mm's, 223's and .45 ACP's stored in my ex's garage along with a large stash of ingots and primers. Recently I have been intrigued with 45 Colt, 41 Mag and .44 Special revolvers. They are such a blast to shoot. I have a goodly collection of Ruger BH's and my first Ruger Vaquero in 45 Colt is on the way.

[JohnH]

Numquam satis:bigsmyl2:

[Beagle333]

I'm with the OP.
Normally less than 50 rounds on hand. I usually load for the situation.


lemme clarify that though..... cast boolit ammo.

Commercial ammo is a different category altogether.
Dove season is a' comin' up! :Fire:

[10mmShooter]

lots and lots :)

[GoodOlBoy]

Sir! SIR! I do not stockpile ANYTHING! I must go to town each day just to procure provisions for that particular day! If I load or buy ammo I shoot it up immediately! Nope no stockpile here!

111771

GoodOlBoy

[M-Tecs]

I normally do a minimum of two to three year's worth at my normal shooting rate.

[MOcaster]

Never enough...

[FLHTC]

I plead the fifth

[dragon813gt]

I lost all my ammo and firearms in a tragic boating accident this morning.

[mozeppa]

[smilie=1:[smilie=1:[smilie=1:[smilie=1:bout a 100k

[Artful]

I'm between JonB's never enough and btroj's most of mine is in parts.

For defensive weapon you should have enough on hand to take care of yourself and family.

Say you have AR-15's for defense
- you have 20 or 30 round magazines that you use in an AR - and you should have spares.
IMHO you should have half a dozen magazines loaded for each person's weapon in advance.
Plus one in the AR to start with ... 7 magazines per AR at minimum.
So lets say it's you and your wife - that would be 14 x 30 or 420 rounds loaded and available.

But lets look a different weapon say a Garand, it uses 8 round enbloc clips.
If I remember my inventory the cloth bandolier has 10 pockets so that's 80 rounds on clips.
Don't forget plus what's in the rifle so 88 rounds at a minimum.

Those same bandolier used for my Mosin Nagant rifle or SMLE hold two 5 rnd clips in each pocket.
so that would be 100 rounds plus 10 more in the SMLE or 5 more in the M38.

It just all depends - back in my rural days when there were no gang bangers, home invasions, Katrina's or other stuff you had to think about and didn't lock the house or car.

I kept two 20 round boxes of ammo for each center fire rifle and two boxes of 50 for each handgun - we usually had a full brick of 22LR and a partial brick of 22LR in the gun rack.
When you opened a box of ammo you put ammo on the grocery list.

When I started shooting competitive my ammo consumption went up a lot.
These days I have some GI Ammo Cans that I try and keep at least half full
of each fun shooting caliber I take to the range.

[GhostHawk]

Sitting on about 4k of .22lr, 100 rounds of 7.62x54r all but 20 either loaded with cast or ready to load with cast.

7.62x39 for the Yugo SKS I have closer to 500 rounds. Some Privi Partizan, some Red Army, couple boxes of tulammo.

Some old steel loads for the 12 ga, 2-300 rounds of trap loads for the 12 as well. 16 and 20 gauge are pretty skinny, but the 20 has mostly only been used for slugs, fair pile of them to hand.

To that I can add 2500 pellets for the pair of Sheridan Blue Streaks, 1250 pellets for the pair of .22 Crossman 1322 pump up pistols.

A few other odds and ends, some .22mag for the mag cylinder of my .22 Heritage revolver.

[Vulcan Bob]

All I will say is, enough!

[BruceB]

Jeff Cooper nailed it years ago, when he said:

"There are two kinds of ammunition: ENOUGH, and NOT enough. There is NO SUCH THING as 'too much ammunition.' "

I agree.

[fastfire]

I suddenly feel the need to get on the Dillon:bigsmyl2:

[mannyCA]

Ammo? thats evil. We don't believe in firearms. They're deadly.

[rondog]

How much? Oh my.... I don't know, and ain't gonna go count. But lots. Waaay more than I want to move! Enough to be a storage problem. Then there's all the components to make more.

I need to go shootin', that's for sure! But I'll just bring home more empty brass, what I shoot up plus whatever I find.

[sigep1764]

I keep around 1000 factory rounds total for the three 9mms. Have around 3000 lubed and sized cast rounds with another 1000 of those loaded. Couple hundred 12 gauge shotgun shells, 1500 in 22lr, 100 for the one 380acp I have, and a 100 in 270win. Kinda low on the shotgun shells and 270win, but I haven't began to load those...yet.

[rosst]

1000 - 2000 .22lr
20 - 100 rounds there abouts of everything else

R.

[762 shooter]

I keep enough put together to be able to shoot anytime. Mostly in parts.

762

[Geraldo]

Most of my stored ammo is in pieces.......

I went that route but it's a more efficient use of space to store my components in cartridge form and have ammo ready when I want to shoot.

[472x1B/A]

How much? Oh my.... I don't know, and ain't gonna go count. But lots. Waaay more than I want to move! Enough to be a storage problem. Then there's all the components to make more.

I need to go shootin', that's for sure! But I'll just bring home more empty brass, what I shoot up plus whatever I find.


Cases are much easier to count than boxes or individual rounds.

[Pb2au]

About 100 of any given chambering. The rest is in components. I make it when I need it.

[jonp]

1000 rounds per firearm stockpiled (10,000 per machine gun). Carry no more than you can swim with.

You can swim toting 10,000 rounds of machine gun ammo? What are you Aquaman?

[rondog]

Cases are much easier to count than boxes or individual rounds.

Can't lift cases with MY back! Can't readily access ammo in wooden crates for use either. Mine is all in USGI ammo cans of various sizes. Lots of 'em.

[1Shirt]

To me it is what ever you want and what ever you can afford. It doesn't spoil!
1Shirt!

[JohnH]

I'm kinda surprised this got as many responses as it did, Thanks! I sometimes beat myself up 'cause I don't stockpile more, but being out of shape in my mid fifties and having had two heart attacks, I don't fancy myself as being one who could run through the woods and play lets get the enemy games. I worry more about weather storms forcing me to abandon home for a few days or weeks, (if it gets blown into the next county, this conversation won't matter anyway) So I'm hanging with my stockpile being mostly in pieces. Hearing that others do the same helps. Thanks for the feed back, John

[Artful]

JohnH, if your worried about stuff getting damaged by weather - Look into the GI ammo can's - store in them as weather tight and if you have some loaded with lead boolits or ingots and chain/cable lock them together with the lighter ones, I seriously doubt any wind is going to move them off property.

[kryogen]

not much, I need to pay my jeep and my guns. no money left for ammo.

[alfloyd]

More than 1 and less than 1,000,000.
Enough said!

Lafaun

[finishman2000]

I break it down to this.....reloads are for shootin' and factory is for hordin'. I have more of both than I will ever need no matter what happens. I started young!

[6bg6ga]

I wouldn't dream of stockpiling any ammunition.

[Huskerguy]

More than my wife knows about. Seriously, at my age, I dont think I can ever shoot up the factoru, reloaded and components I have stored.

[dakotashooter2]

Define STOCKPILE..............

[1Shirt]

Defining stockpile, is sort of like defining "BEST"! So much for definitions!
1Shirt!

[hickfu]

Not enough... until I get to 1,000,000 per rifle or handgun, its just not enough


Doc

[Beesdad]

More than 1 and less than 1,000,000.
Enough said!

Lafaun

Best answer I have seen to this question...

[Mrupe]

Hi All,
Good thread and good question, it made me stop and think about my stockpiles. I collect old guns and that's what made me start reloading, just couldn't find ammo for some of my guns or it was too expensive. And then the ammo shortage made me get more involved in making my own ammo. The more I read about problems with accuracy that made me start making my own cast bullets. I also started getting into Cowboy action shooting. Today this tread made me stopped and look at what I have and was amazed at the fact that I have gun's that shoot 37 different types of ammo and I can reload for 21 of them and make bullets for 14. I've been stocking up for years on surplus ammo, hard to get now. I started stockpiling lead and now have about 240lbs.
I like to have at least 100 rounds for all my guns and as much as 1,000 rounds for the one's I shoot the most. I try to shoot at least twice a month and would love to buy a place in the country where I could someday have my own range. Sorry this is a little long winded and choppy but I love the subject.

[JohnH]

JohnH, if your worried about stuff getting damaged by weather - Look into the GI ammo can's - store in them as weather tight and if you have some loaded with lead boolits or ingots and chain/cable lock them together with the lighter ones, I seriously doubt any wind is going to move them off property. I guess it's not so much that I'm concerned that a stockpile is going to leave the property, through natural forces or two legged predators, I really can't figure out just what I'd stockpile for. Not just which guns, which in itself could create a problem, but these days there are likely only three I'd create a stock for. The question is what works without being obsessive about it. I actually like a figure of about 250 rounds. It's an amount I can put in an ammo can or two beside a bug out bag and leave in a hurry with, it's an amount that would feed me for a year if necessary. It's an amount that would get me out a minor engagement, I'm no fool, I physically couldn't survive a major engagement with people who have come determined to relive me of my possessions, in other words I pretty sure of my limitations. As much as anything, I was hoping to have a deeper discussion of the parameters of creating a stockpile, and how people came to the decisions they did on the choices they made. To arbitrarily say 1000, 10,000 or more than one could ever use I find pretty useless as an answer. Why a given number or amount is more what I'd like to know. 250 for the three guns I've chosen to stockpile for is an amount I can carry, an amount I can afford to invest in, and with my shooting skills and defensive abilities all I can expect to use in any situation I could reasonably expect to survive. Would more be nice? Obviously, but at what point does more become an unreasonable end in itself? Each of us has to answer this for themselves. The answers given here have helped me clarify this is a way that I can use and invest time and energy in. My many thanks to all who have input so far, I hope the input continues, I'm sure I'm not the only one here who has these questions, and I readily admit, that some ones answer later tonight could well make me upgrade my thinking.

[garym1a2]

As much of the Russian surplus stuff as I can find, since Obama is banning the stuff it will disappear so I need enough to burn out the barrel on my 5.45 AR15. Other guns just a 2-3 thousand of each as thats the size of my runs for 9mm, 40 and 45acp.

[ridenclimb]

More than I need but less than I'd like.:bigsmyl2:

[6bg6ga]

I have a few hundred lbs for each caliber I shoot. You do the math.

[cdngunner]

I never stop buying....its an addiction.

[sirgknight]

how ever much that is needed to conquer whatever I'm shooting at. anything less is an ammo shortage, anything more is stockpiling.

[SBjork]

I find and buy used brass, tumble clean, size, trim and swage, then buy the primers and fit in them and store them.
Then I buy the powders and boolits and keep them apart until I decide what i want to shoot.
Currently, enough for a family of four and a dog. :2_high5::2_high5:

[Garyshome]

No stockpiling here it's Hoarding!

[fredj338]

I don't stockpile a Lot of ammo, too many calibers, but I do stockpile components.

[CopperniX]

I like to have a minimum of 1000 read per weapon. Some are in the higher thousands count like 7.62x39mm I have roughly 4500 rounds for my AK.

[robg]

i used to think 100 for each caliber but i get twitchy if i dont have 500 plus for each and brass primed and ready to load plus plenty of cast bullets & primers

[UBER7MM]

Joseph Stalin said to save the last one for yourself.

I don't know if that helps,

[Tar Heel]

This is a Blackhawk firing missiles. If they want you - they will have you. Stockpiling thousands of rounds of ammo will make a spectacular fireworks display. If you can't carry it, it's useless to you.

111987

[43PU]

I keep 10 of the mtm case guards full of loaded ammo for every handgun (1000rnds) then a 30cal can of loose packed ammo to refill what I shot when the can gets empty I load that round. RIFLES I like to keep 200 loaded hunting rounds 300 plinking loads and 500 "mil spec" loads for each. I'm not a prepped by any means but I like to be safe and know that I can protect my fam

[Artful]

If you can't carry it, it's useless to you.

Disagree - trade stock - training - lots of uses for ammo you don't plan to carry with you.
And you don't have to put you ammo under your bed.

[Dryball]

You can NEVER have too much ammo! As for me, I probably have more than I need and not as many as I want.

[Artful]

...As much as anything, I was hoping to have a deeper discussion of the parameters of creating a stockpile, and how people came to the decisions they did on the choices they made. Why a given number or amount is more what I'd like to know. 250 for the three guns I've chosen to stockpile for is an amount I can carry, an amount I can afford to invest in, and with my shooting skills and defensive abilities all I can expect to use in any situation I could reasonably expect to survive. Would more be nice? Obviously, but at what point does more become an unreasonable end in itself? .... My many thanks to all who have input so far, I hope the input continues, I'm sure I'm not the only one here who has these questions, and I readily admit, that some ones answer later tonight could well make me upgrade my thinking.

I guess I can step up and try to answer for myself at least some of your questions. Why do people pick round numbers - most of us do it because that's the way we buy things - primer's come 1000 in a brick - 22LR comes 500 in a brick - bullet's come 100 in a box - when you buy new brass it comes in similar numbers. Your number of 250 why did you pick it? the amount that fits in a container (ammo box) - as to parameter's - let's say you have 100 rifle brass - you load it once, how many more times can you reload it? 4 more times - that's powder, primers and bullets quantities of 500. If you have one ammo can of 250 rounds of surplus or factory ammo are you expecting to reload it at some point or just holding it in reserve?

Investing in Ammo and components? I have never had any bulk purchased ammo or components loose value. And the worse it gets the more quickly it seems to increase in value. As to when you should stop purchasing or when you should start - it's much easier to purchase a bit at a time - one quarter purchase a couple thousand primer's and the next 8 pounds of powder followed by bullets - etc - if you save up and only spend once every 3 months you can buy in bulk at a better per unit price. Some things have jumped up like the Russian ammo but some things like 223 have been slowwly coming down in price from crazyness. I had a friend that everytime he went to Walmart would buy a 100 pack of CCI mini-mag's - that only added $6.99 to his grocery purchase every week. Lot's of ways to build a reserve.

[dondiego]

+1 ^^^ I am with Artful on this. I buy a little bit on a regular basis and larger volumes when on sale. I have never experienced an ammo shortage of any caliber and I have a wide variety of calibers.

EDIT - I should have made it clear that I don't buy ammo, I buy components.

[M-Tecs]

Earlier I answered the question with two to three years of my normal shooting. I still stand by this but the question I asked is why do you have ammo in the first place?

For me I enjoy shooting and shooting competitions. It is my hobby and who I am. Prepping doesn't figure into the equation. Having been thorough several shortages two to three years' worth of ammo and/or components is not unrealistic.

[mold maker]

I keep enough for the present (2-500) in 50/100 rnd boxes, and enough for the future in ready to load condition. That is in cleaned/primed brass, and sized/lubed boolits. Powders in multi use flavors in amounts to last several years. (local storage limits)
The exception being 22LR. After the past scares, I put aside over 20,000 rounds. When/if the prices return to reasonable, I'll replace what I have used + some.

[AlaskanGuy]

I dont stockpile ammo at all..., but I do have enough components around to suit me for the most part...... Stockpiling components is much better for my needs...

[rhead]

It depends on which firearm it is for. At present I use a lot more 22 Hornet than I do 45 70 because crows are a lot easier to find than bears or deer. Other loadings I and several other family members use in volume for entertainment purposes. (My son and some friends went through a 30 cal ammo can full of 38 special target loads on a weekend trip down in the river bottom.)

I have most of my inventory stored as components for the flexibility advantage. The rates of usage of some rounds might change. A truley prolonged shortage could curtail high volume usage of target loads for entertainment purposes.

As to the question about why report amounts in round numbers? I have no plans to count them or even weigh them.

[inspector_17]

As much as I can get away with.

[bbqncigars]

I usually have enough components for at least five years of normal shooting various guns and cartridges. I also put away over 24K of .22lr before the panic. That will be down to 20K by August 15. :-)

[wallenba]

Not so much really. Looks like a lot when you look at the shelf. Most of my milsurps have just 50 rounds of cast loads each, about 20 rifles. F and FTR class rifles, 200-300 each. Cast boolit handguns, I load the day before shooting. Home defense handgun, 150. Shotgun 25. Rimfire.... thousands. Have thousands of empty brass of all kinds, many bins full of unsized cast boolits.

[a.squibload]

Seems like a lot but could be more.
Made an inventory once, didn't keep up with it.
Can't seem to keep cast boolits on hand, load 'em, stash some, shoot some.
Have enough for emergency use but can't carry all the guns anyway.
(I swim like a dolphin but one ammo can of 44s would cancel that!)
When an improvement comes along I load new ones & start shootin' the old ones.
Rather have ammo than components but don't load it all up 'cause
something new will come along (swaging, powdercoat, etc.).

PS: My bugout bag contains half a dozen molds, 500 lbs of lead ingots, a Coleman stove,
a case of HF red powder, all my sizer and reloading dies, only one press (to save weight),...
;-)

[hickfu]

I stock components mostly because I used to shoot a lot... now I am disabled and dont shoot hardly at all right now so I have enough components to start a war against a small country.. [smilie=l:

But I do have them spread out in a few different states that I go to as to not have them all in one place.. Not much of it is here in Hellifornia.

[onehousecat]

+1 ^^^ I am with Artful on this. I buy a little bit on a regular basis and larger volumes when on sale. I have never experienced an ammo shortage of any caliber and I have a wide variety of calibers.

EDIT - I should have made it clear that I don't buy ammo, I buy components.

Agree. Except I do buy ammo. If there is a cartridge that I do not have much brass for, and see some ammo at at a gun show for bascally what it would cost me to assemble, I buy it. Why buy the components and put them together when some one else has already done the work? To clarify, I am only talking about factory ammo. I do not buy anyone's reloads.

[Garyshome]

30,000 pieces short of where I would like to be.

[Smoke4320]

I never have enough.. reloading is a therapy to me .. when the stress gets too much I reload or cast.. having to concentrate on only what I am doing at the time and NO interruptions is just like hunting Peace and quiet...

[Gtek]

Never enough camp here! I fall into the extra could used/given to people I care about that do not have enough to feed or protect themselves. Barter for ( ), on and on. I hope it never comes but I am very comfortable for now. And at the end a grandson that will think I was the best![smilie=w:

[rking22]

Not much loaded at a time, I have some mil surp canned "just in case" but shoot reloads in everything. Only buy factory if really cheap and I wan the brass. Same for shotshells. I can use my unique to load any pistol, any rifle and almose any shotgun I have. I do not want it all tied up in whatever I was "obsessed" with at the moment.Same with 4895 and 2400 ,got 296 for the 410s and hand cannons.Same for primers, I was shooting lots of 380 and 9mm, them found a 38special I had been after for years. Now I am glad I did't load all my 9mm brass as I haven't shot it since I got the new toy. just flexability to me, and I won't be bugging anywhere. Now 22s, been putting them away for 30 years, cant't ever have enough 22s. I even bought a bulk lot of crossman premiers in 5mm when I found they they were being dropped.

[RED333]

More than I myself can shoot in a day, 1/2 day for 2, 10 mins if my wife gets going.

[TXGunNut]

For most rifles practically none, maybe 50 or so tops. I tend to shoot it up each range trip until I decide on a load, then load enough for a few hunting seasons before moving on. I try to have a couple hundred pieces of brass for each cartridge but that's just practical for the cartridges I enjoy. I try to keep a 3-4 yr supply of powder and primers, will increase that as finances allow.
Feeling pretty inadequate right now, think I'll go resize the cases I emptied yesterday so I can load them. ;-)

[257]

more than I would admit to publicly remember the poor fellow that got chastised for having a ton of ammo in his house