How many how much is enough!

[1Shirt]

Got to wondering about what would be considered an adequate amount of brass and ready to go cast (checked/sized lubed etc). I shoot p-dogs a couple of time a year (with jacketed), and for my varmint rifles, consider about 500 cases for each rifle to be minimum, 750 is better, and would not be unhappy with 1000. Usually shoot between 200-300 rds a day on that.

For paper punching with handgun, I want min of 500 357 brass, 1000 38S, 300 44 Mag, 300 44S, 300 380. Twice that amount would make me happy. For rifle, feel that I am way behind the power curve with less than 250 cast/sized/lubed for each of my milsurps, prefer many more obviously but cost and available is a deciding consideration. For hunting rifles where brass is more pleantiful, about 500 pieces of brass is about minimaly satisfactory per rifles. And of course if I have more than one rifle of the same ctg, want that number for each.

.For cast blts, any thing less than 500 for handgun ready to load is not tolerable, 1000 is better, and would suit me better, but would really like about 2K or better. For my rifles, 500 per ctg. is minimal, 1000 is better, for those I shoot most, want 1500 or so. This is particularly true for 30 cals. as I have over 10 molds in that cal, and for 22's over 5 molds. Have always sort of admired those cast shooters who have found "The ONE LOAD" per weapon and stay with that and that one only. I just have to play with various loads and varioous projectiles-------but thats just me.

Can still remember when I only had one revolver, one shotgun, one 22 rifle, and one centerfire rifle (a 222). Was happy as a hog in slop at that point or at least I thought I was. I had a 310 tool for my 222, a lee loader for my 20g double (a Sears side by side), a single cav mold for a 150 gr. .357 that I cake cut from a lube I made myself. Oh, almost forgot, had a 2nd hand Webster scale (the 310 tool was also 2nd hand). Had maybe 150 222 cases, 100 357 cases, 500 38S, and 4-500 once fired 20 g.hulls. 20 g. hulls (once fired) were pleantiful on the grouond in heavy dove shooting areas. However, also remember that I was 22yrs. old, and an E-4 in the AF, making less than 200.00 a month. Times change.
1Shirt!

[dragonrider]

I have on average about 2 thousand for each caliber I shoot, some more some less, it is not what I consider enough. These a just cases, not loaded. I don't keep a lot of loaded rounds because it is the loading that I enjoy the most.

[maxidiesel]

As long as Walmart has cheap ammo...why stock any? If you think that it could go up in price...or some gubment clown thinks that you shouldn't have any more...then there is no such thing as too much. Have you ever had too much money?

A lifetime supply sounds about right...

[smilie=w:

[wtfooptimax200]

As long as Walmart has cheap ammo...why stock any?

Be careful using that rationale. When I turned 21 and first got my CCW permit I could buy 100 rounds of WWB 9mm at Walmart for $17. It was always on the shelf ready to buy. I'd buy a few boxes every time that I shot and keep minimal stock on hand. Then the Obama scare happened and I couldn't get my hands on ammo easily. I now have a gun safe sized metal cabinet full of ammo for all calibers. You can NEVER have enough on hand. The price is only going to rise...buy it while you can.

Branden

[mpmarty]

I have five gallon pails full of once fired 45acp brass and about a thousand 10mm brass and five or six ammo cans (50cal) full of mil surp 7.62 Nato. That's enough for me as long as my powder and primers last.

[Wolfer]

Brass isnt my issue, my press is single stage , my molds are all two cav, and I like the smell of powder smoke too well. I shoot em up about as fast as I build em.

[1Shirt]

Interesting responses! I just have a thing about not buying any factory ammo except that ammo that I can not load. In that regard, the only ammo that I can not reload is 22 and 17 cal rimfire. Most of my weapons have never seen, and in all probability will never see a round of factory ammo go down their bbls. For one thing factory ammo is expensive and is getting more expensive by the day it seems. For another I can not afford to shoot as much as I shoot if I shot factory ammo. Lastly, with the exception of rimfires, I get no satisfaction out of shooting factory ammo, or occaisionally a box of factory shotgun ammo during dove season.
1Shirt!:-)

[runfiverun]

the problem i run into is keeping brass separated for each rifle.
in the revolver/handgun calibers i do have at least 1,500 pieces of brass for each caliber.
most are over 2k, but guns i have only one of in that caliber 2-300 is fine.
how often do you shoot a 450 express or 375 usa magnum or a 445 supermag or 357 max, anyways??
for the cast shooting rifles i try to have 500 pieces for each rifle.
i am usually fine with 400 with jaxketed rounds, by the time i anneal the brass a second time the bbl is probably done anyways.

[DragoonDrake]

I have 4 5-gallon buckets full of 45acp. Two each 42lb cat litter buckets full of 45 colt, 357 mag, and 44 mag. I think I have enough brass. It is lead, primer, and powder I worry about.

[Lizard333]

I won't even shoot a gun if I have less than a thousand rounds loaded. Anything above that I can afford to shoot. Some rounds, 223, 308, 30-06, I have no less than 10K. My wife thinks I'm a little nuts.

Better to have and not need, than need and not have.......

[Bob Krack]

Brass on hand.... dunno.
5000 plus .45ACP
500 plus .380ACP
1000 or so .308
1500 or so .30-06
300-400 8MM
need 7.62x39

Loaded ammo???? I have enough that I do NOT want to be running or swimming with it!

Bob

[fredj338]

It depends. My more exotic rifle hunting stuff, maybe only 200rds max. It only gets shot occasonally. For high volume stuff like my 45acp, 3K-4K cases is not too many. Bullets, I keep about 500 min. on hand for all calibers. Buying or casting more when I get down below that. With modern progressive equip, not much need to keep 1000s of loaded rounds on hand when you can turn out 500-800/hr.

[olafhardt]

I just got two 32 s&w short top break pistols. To feed them I cast about 100 90 grain Lee TL SWC's, got a box of Hornady buckshot and 100 Win hulls. I loaded up 25 buckshot loads five of which I fired off the back porch at a box. These thousands of rounds you guys do sounds like work to me. I cas. t and smelt out of the same lee four pound pot. Casting and reloading and shooting are really important to me. I experiment and try new stuff. I am writing this to show any noobs and lurkers that you can have a lot of fun doing this with out making it a big deal out of it.

[geargnasher]

I think Daryle Singletary put it well in a song: "Too much fun, whaddasat mean? It's like too much money there's no such thing. It's like a girl too pretty, with too much class, bein' too lucky, a car too fast....."

Too much lead, too many guns, too much ammo, too many primers, too much range time.....No such thing!

Gear

[Reload3006]

Yep we're all certified ammoaholics. How many is enough ... when I have one more. As long as my family has what they need I see no problem getting some more ammo a new reloading tool or a new gun. We spend our extra money on guns and ammo others spend it on trips, gambling etc. how is our addiction any worse than anyone else's except it scares the libs silly. I used to smoke cigarettes are almost fifty dollars a carton now maybe more. My cigarettes is lead powder molds dies jackets copper etc.

[gefiltephish]

...I used to smoke cigarettes are almost fifty dollars a carton now maybe more....

I quit when they went up to 50 cents a pack. ;-)

[bbqncigars]

Buy your components in bulk to not only save money, but to keep consistency within the same manufacturer's lot number. 1k brass & projos per cartridge is my minimum, and 10K primers of each size (remember the recent primer drought?).

[dbarnhart]

I reload in batches of 1000. The least amount of brass I need then is enough for two batches: The batch I am presently shooting and a second batch ready to load when I'm almost out of the first batch. For some calibers I have more than that simply because I ran into a good deal.

As far as the other components, enough to load 1K is kinda my low water mark and I try to keep a lot more on hand to cover me through any future dry spell.

[ku4hx]

How much and how many? Now that's a question I've been asking myself for decades and the only answer I ever came up with was more of everything. Shelf life for most everything is inconsequential assuming I do my part.

But I have noticed since shortly before my retirement in 2008, a pound of lead weighs considerably more than it once did. Ibuprofen is my friend but after a time what you can comfortably move about, if not safely move about, becomes a major factor.

[1Shirt]

Of all the responses, think I like Reload3006's the best! Great rational, and I quit smoking nearly 20 years ago.
1Shirt!:p

[Texantothecore]

I keep only about 200 empty cartridges which is probably a lifetime supply as I necksize only. Very few loaded cartridges as I frequently load at the range which draws people to me and I get into a lot of interesting conversations.