How Much Ammo Do You Stockpile?

[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.

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[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..

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!