How many rounds should you have stored away for a caliber?

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A years supply,,,

So figure out how much you shoot in a year,,,
Bite the bullet (no pun intended) and stock that amount,,,
Then every time you go to the range with 200 rounds of ammo,,,
Replace that within a week of shooting it so you will always have ammo on hand.

Remember the first year after Obama was elected,,,
You simply could not find ammo to buy.

I'm single so it wasn't that hard for me,,,
You married folk with kids will find this tougher.

Hard to tell Junior he has to eat slim this month,,,
Because daddy bought a pallet of 9mm.

.
 
another thought........... I am planning for retirement........ My 401k isn't that profitable........ So invest $300+ a month in components and ammo that stores very well and maybe very expensive when I retire:)
 
Two words: Iraq, Afghanistan.

Those two countries have a combined population of about 59 million. They are able to cause that much trouble with weapons inferior to the average American and with training inferior, at least in terms of marksmanship, to the average American. They are able to do that despite our domestic infrastructure being completely unhampered. Now imagine that in a country of 300 million AND where ones domestic infrastructure would be greatly hampered by sabotage.
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There have been perhaps 500,000 Iraqi's killed by invasion forces and about 5000 killed on the other side. Those are terrible odds. That was while the US was fighting the war "humanely".
 
I think it is a good idea to have lots of ammo and also brass, primers, powder and so on.

The last time was a big problem for some of us. Getting primers was in some cases impossible!

No I don't think we are going to be invaded tomorrow but, I certainly would rather be prepared then not if anything even did happen.
 
It depends on how much you shoot. Because ammunition & components shortages happen from time to time and can sometimes last for several months, I figure that it's smart to have a year's worth of ammunition/components on hand based on your projected usage rate.
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That's true.:)

It's interesting that so many people jumped right into this thread without considerations regarding ammo and component shortages while figuring in the need to practice on a regular basis.

What's wrong with 5K rounds for each caliber?

Right now, I wish I had more than the 45,000 Winchester large and small pistol primers I have in stock. However, with the amount I practice, I'm still good for several years with regards to re-loading components.

Consider that if foreign component sources, like powder, were shut off, that leaves the U.S. with two major powder companies. Think about what losing one of those sources might do.

As for carry ammo, I imagine we can handle the world coming to an end with a few hundred rounds. Even there, quality SD ammo would be valuable for horse trading, and could be stached away in Go Bags along with spare pistols. These could be kept at different locations---like relatives or friends, or our cars.

I don't think we're going to be defending ourselves in a hostile environment where law enforcement is completely absent, and we're on our own. That New Orleans crap happens to other people---certainly not me. Someday, when 60's radicals and socialists are no longer in control of my country, and we're on a prosperous track again, I'll look back and laugh at my paranoia.:cool:

Rant all thru.:D
 
I really think that instructor was referring to practice ammo. I only keep a couple hundred rounds of ammo for SD/HD and hunting. The bulk really is in range ammo. Sure, it could be used for other purposes, if needed.

If you went through 1,500 to 2.000 rounds of 9 mm and the same in .22 each month at the range, you would want to keep quite a bit on hand too. I enjoy shooting and shoot mostly for the pleasure I receive from it. As a side benefit I can normally hit what I aim at too. There are plenty of people that feel they can stay proficient shooting only 100 rounds a year. Those people don't need to stock pile thousands of rounds by any means. It is people like me that shoot a lot or are learning to shoot properly in the first place that will find having an ample supply on hand is quite convenient.

If you can't afford to stock so much ammo, don't do it. Instead you can build up your stock slowly. Buy one extra box of ammo when you can afford it and put it away for your reserve stock. When enough years have passed you too can have enough available to keep shooting when ammo is in short supply.
 
Im wondering why people feel the need to stockpile 10's of thousands of rounds of amo...or be prepared to load 50k rounds at any time...What kind of scenario are your preparing for??
Is it a huge increase in the price of amo, and therefore you are planning to shoot alot for the rest of your life and want to get everything now...
Or do you think some apocalypse is going to happen and you want to be prepared? Having 50,000 rounds of amo around should cure that right?
Or do you think some day amo will no longer be available, and you want to have tons of amo left so you will still be able to shoot? As if that kind of ban ever happens, you will still be able to go out and shoot your gun to the tune of thousands of rounds?
Im asking this because any day of the week, I can spend an hour going to a couple different Wal Marts and gun shops, and come home with thousands of rounds of amo...availability and prices seem to be getting better, not worse..I would like to have a stockpile of amo, but I shoot so much that even 10k rounds would be gone in a few month..
I keep a few houndred rounds of my carry gun amo on hand, other than that, I have 50-200 rounds of amo for each of my guns that I own...Im just trying to understand the hoarding aspect of amo with some people...I would like to learn why people do this, I mean no disrespect to anyone that does, would just like to know why you do it...
 
re:markj

a million or so each caliber you own should just about do it. I am still amassing the arsenal. I do have 3 9mms and a used 45 on the shelf but the rest are soon to come.....
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A million! You must be good shot. I am a lousy shot. I store 16,000,000 rounds per gun. I do not live that far from Area 51.:D
 
There have been perhaps 500,000 Iraqi's killed by invasion forces and about 5000 killed on the other side. Those are terrible odds. That was while the US was fighting the war "humanely".
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Exactly. how could the US maintain such a campaign on it's own people without suffering severe resource shortages? As popular as the US in Iraq, imagine how popular the government would be in the US were a similar situation to unfold.

Also note that we are fighting an enemy who can't shoot and uses strategies like "sending in a suicide bomber to blow up a fence and then sent light infantry against M2 Bradleys." Not all those deaths are from direct combat either.
 
Im wondering why people feel the need to stockpile 10's of thousands of rounds of amo...or be prepared to load 50k rounds at any time...What kind of scenario are your preparing for??
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Wonder no more--I'll explain it to you.

I don't need to load 50K rounds at a time and I don't think anyone else does either.

I'm stockpiled so I can continue shooting at my current rate and keep it up for a few years if need be. Maybe you know how long the component shortage will last as a result of fighting two wars and having a gun grabbing, socialist, redistribute the wealth gas bag in the White House, but I don't. No telling what a lame duck Congress full of unhappy campers who've just lost their jobs will do before they leave.

Because I built up my stockpiles before the recession, I purchased my bullets, powders, primers, cases, etc. at prices available before they sky rocketed.

Having a couple thousand rounds of facotry ammo on hand for each caliber I shoot, in addition to reloading capability works out well, also, since I bought the ammo by the case at pre-recession prices when things were "normal".

In addition, such stockpiles make for good trade items, if need be.

I bought most of my ammo and components a little at a time when they were readily available, before people started hoarding. When the hoarding started, yes, I did my share of that, also.

There you have it.:cool:
 
As a general rule, I buy cases of 1K to get a better price. When I get down to around 300 rounds, I buy another one.

Keeping .380, 9mm, .40, .45, .38 special, and .223 in those quantities means a lot of ammo around.
 
Or maybe he said those high numbers knowing most people can only aspire to have that much. Then, people go out and try to reach this unattainable goal and end up with a couple thousand instead. A couple thousand bullets of anything is a good amount.
 
I keep between 200 -500 ...



I do tend to keep more componets... bullets, primers, brass & Powder.


5K or 10K is a after the Holocaust kinda thing…
 
I was keeping about 4,000 to 5,000 rds. each in 9mm, .45acp and 5.56 on my boat.

Tragically, it recently sank and all was lost. :(
 
A million! You must be good shot.
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Well if I was I would only need 1 of each :)

I think I have a couple cases of each caliber I have and a few bricks of 22lr and 22short. Shotgun tho, I reload and have a lot of this on hand.
 
Coltman 77 said:
I was keeping about 4,000 to 5,000 rds. each in 9mm, .45acp and 5.56 on my boat.

Tragically, it recently sank and all was lost. :(
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No doubt with your firearms, as well. On the bright side, the Feds now have absolutely no reason to go after you in the event of a major emergency. ;)
 
99% of my shooting is in five calibers: .22lr, 9mm, .38 special, .357 Magnum, and .45 ACP. I have about a dozen handguns that I shoot in regular rotation, some a bit more than others, but everything gets fired at least once every 8-10 weeks. My general rule of thumb is to try to keep 4-5 trips to the range on hand for each of my guns, figuring that I'm going to blow off about 50 rounds with each trip. Sometimes more, of course, never less. So, for each of my calibers, I try to keep a minimum of 350-500 rounds on hand. That works out to a reserve of about 2000-2500 rounds. That's enough for me.

I'm an ammo scrounger because I don't reload. I'm constantly going to the online sites looking for bargains. I also prowl my local Walmart and gun stores. I probably make a couple of purchase a month, usually of five-ten boxes at a time, when a particular caliber is available in that quantity.
 
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