How much ammo is enough?

Obviously those weapons with high capacity magazines will warrant larger inventories if in fact we are taking about personal use. While I might keep a couple hundred of 308 I want a couple of thousand 223. Anyone remember the 6 months following the inauguration? Of course we do. Imagine that fiasco on a grander scale which I believe we will see in the near future. That said, I am much more inclined to stock up on components than finished ammo. 5k in every size primer is minimum. It's a disease that I have learned to live with.
 
I can think of a few ways in which a large number of guns and ammo would be a millstone around your neck in a decay of society type situation:

  • A large stock of anything makes you stationary. If you can't transport it is it really worth it?
  • Being stationary makes you easier prey than someone more mobile
  • The combination of being stationary and being a high value target is bad.
  • If you're stationary and a high value target you have to either lighten the load and cache most of your guns and ammo in order to become mobile and less of a target......
  • Or, should you choose not to cache, you must defend. This will require you to spend something. If Ammo and guns is what you have, guess what you'll be spending. Read Adam Smiths excellent analysis of how economies worked in the days when wealth was judged by how many warriors you could command (and arm and feed). You can find this in "The Wealth of Nations"

It develops into a bit of a loop. You need a lot of weaponry in order to survive, and maintain your stock of lots of weaponry

I think there is a sweet spot. Enough to be effective but not so much you're tied to it. On my personal ammo shelf I have

700+ rounds of .22
250 rounds of 12ga shells in various flavors. 4 boxes of target loads and the rest mixed #2 steel shot, 00 buck and slugs.
400 rounds of 9mm. (+whatever is in my range bag left over)
140 rds of 30.06
an unopened box of 1000 rds 5.56. ( I no longer own an AR. But I will again some day)

These are the ones I keep track of. I also have a few dozen rounds of 7mm.08 and 30-30 as well as some 9mm makarov and maybe some other calibers. I do not reload. This is all factory ammo.

In the event of a decay of society type situation I would expect to abandon or cache some of this.
 
I guess I'm the odd man out here. I load for a .243, .280, 7mm rem mag, and
.308 and I doubt that I have 50 rounds total. The rounds that are loaded are for hunting purposes. When I get ready to target shoot I load a few days before going.
 
1,000 9mm
1,000 .40
1,000 .45
250 .380
1,500 .223
400 .308 (need more)
2,000 .22lr

Reasoning, zombies of course....
I have annual memberships at two different ranges, I've found it's easier to go and shoot some ammo that I didn't just buy. Yes it can be tempting to blow it all since there's so much but if you can control yourself it works out, I just try to pick up a box or two or three anytime I'm at academy. Not saving any money but it doesn't hurt as much if you go out and shoot $100-150 in ammo in one day.

Errr forgot about shotguns

250 20ga
500 12ga (mostly skeet grade)
Btw academy has 4 box sets of federal 12ga target load for 18 bucks.
 
Well, let's just say that the price tags on boxes of Remington .30-06 were running around $5 a box...
Click to expand...

Greek was selling for around $.20 a round just five years ago. You can still find it fairly cheap if you look.
 
This was Remington Core-Lokt in the green and white boxes. Dad used 180 grain for deer hunting, though there were a couple of boxes of 150 grain and one of 110 grain he had for the time he went out West for an antelope hunt. Today it comes in green and yellow boxes and even at a big place like Cabela's I usually see only 150,165,180 and sometimes 220 grain bullets mostly in SP or PSP. On some of the boxes the white has yellowed even though he always kept it in a closet where no light got to it.
 
Lawnboy,
Your main point is noted. Having too much stuff can tie you to one spot which, in the aftermath of some disaster, could become a less than desirable position.

The question really is, how much time to allocate to "evacuating" your position. Even with a longbed pickup and ramps, it'll take you 60-90 minutes to load up with any reasonable amount of supplies, even with 2 to 4 people.

Read some history. Being stationary is not necessarily a disadvantage compared to being mobile. For reference, see static defenders:
Battle of Thermopylae (480 B.C.)
The Alamo (1836)
Battle of Rorke's Drift (1879)
Battle of Wake Island (1941)
Battle of Monte Cassino (1944)

And Mobile defenders:
Battle of the Little Bighorn (1876)
Battle of Isandlwana (1879)

It's long been known that geographic and built-up fortifications act as force-multipliers which can allow a much smaller force to stand off a larger, mobile force even when severely outnumbered.
 
It's long been known that geographic and built-up fortifications act as force-multipliers which can allow a much smaller force to stand off a larger, mobile force even when severely outnumbered.
Click to expand...

Classic Art of War: Sun Tzu says attacking a walled city is worst situation.
 
Not to mention, the guy who's holed up because he's armed to the teeth and has so much ammo that he can't move it all doesn't exactly make the most tempting target for a sane person. :eek:
 
peetzakilla,

I agree with you on that. I hope to never find out, but if I had a choice of being mobile with a small amount, or holed up with a cache, I would prefer to be holed up with a cahce. I dont keep that much ammo on hand though I am starting to slowly grow the amount I do keep. With the rising cost there is no reason not to.
 
.30-06 Remington Core-Lok was selling for $9-10 a box 6-7 years ago. .30-30 was $7-8 box. With the monopolization of the ammo industry (there are only two makers of ammo domestically of any size) we won't see prices like that for a while, if ever.
 
BillCA-
1836 Alamo? Last I checked we lost that one. Now San Jacinto was the place we kicked Santa Annas (or Ana) butt.

I remember getting a dirty look when I had a hat on inside the Alamo, was asked to remove it. Fun city, lived there for 7 years. Anyway, they said the outside walls were so thick the they couldn't lean over to shoot straight down without having to lay on top of the wall thus exposing themselves. Interesting case of over fortification gone wrong.
 
BillCA-
1836 Alamo? Last I checked we lost that one
Click to expand...
Things didn't turn out much better @ Wake, or Thermopylae either... ;)
It's the thought that counts though. :D

I believe what Bill was pointing out was that even if you lose, sitting put makes the other guy pay an expensive price.
 
I just told my oldest son the other day that we will never run out of ammunition based on what we would need for hunting, and that is true. My family has enough hunting ammunition to last for generations. If the ammunition was needed for self defense it might not last all that long. Right now have nearly 50,000 rounds. More than half of that is centerfire ammunition. I think if we aquired 2,000 rounds more 7.62x39, 2,000-5,000 rounds more 9mm, and maybe another 1,000 rounds 5.56 NATO we'd be set for ANYTHING!

Training takes a LOT of ammunition. Practical application not very much.

Oh, I forgot shotgun ammo - we really do need to get that going! 500 rounds of buckshot and 500 rounds of mixed waterfowl and upland game bird loads would be a good start.
 
Things I learned from storing ammo:

The 1/4" shelves that came with the "Heavy Duty" storage rack were useless.

If you get a 2'x4' rack, you can buy already cut 1/2" MDF to use as shelves. I reinforced them with a length of angle iron glued and screwed to the bottom.

You can get four 1 cubic foot moving boxes, the kind used for record albums, on a 4' wide shelf.

A 1 cubic foot moving box full of ammunition weighs more than you want to lift by yourself, at least very often.

It's possible to ask a twenty-something clerk at Home Depot for where the boxes the size for record albums are and he'll have no idea what a record album is. ;)
 
I use a large four drawer lateral filing cabinet. Old ones are better. It has doors in front and since the drawers pull out, offers easy access. Try a used office furniture store.
 
If there was, we would all be in violation more than likely!!

My humble opinion for quantity of ammo;
(only for calibers that I reload)

Handgun
9MM 5K
38/357 5K
S&W 40 5K
44 Mag 10K
44-40 2K
45ACP 10K
50AE 2K

Rifle
223 10K
30 Carbine 5K
30-30 2K
30-06 10K
308 10K
7MM 2K

Shotgun
12G 00 2K
12G Slug 2K

Reloading Supplies
powder 80 pounds
primer 40K

Is my stock sufficient - Absolutely not! I have been actively attempting to reach these goals and am not there yet but am still working on getting there. Will I be mobile? Of course not but I do not plan on going anywhere! Personal attitude and choice. Are these even enough ammo and supplies if SHTF? Great question because there is no absolute answer. I do know that when I worked the street, when someone ran short of ammo for whatever reason, they looked for my squad! Seems there was always extra rounds for several calibers in the trunk for some reason or another!! Am I paranoid? Probably but I enjoy shooting and enjoy reloading. I do not like running out of ammo when I am shooting for whatever reason!
 
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