What do you consider enough ammo per gun?

I read your post Fyredup. Out of politeness, I even re-read it. It still says the same thing. But don't take it personal; a lot of people think that for societal break down, they need thousands of rounds. The point being made is; even under those conditions, you couldn't shoot a thousand rounds if you wanted to. Not in a "Societal" environment. Not without the authorities taking notice. The first thing that happens in a societal collapse in a state of martial law. As soon as you needed to defend yourself and your family; your "Low Profile" is no longer available. Simply saying that unless you had 100 people coming at your house at the same time, you're never going to get to a point in that situation; or any situation against people; where you'd go through that much ammo. Not unless you think a "Red Dawn" scenario is possible.

Don't get me wrong. I have probably a few thousand rounds at any one time. But that's because I shoot a lot. When I read the original post and the title; I interpret it to actually mean; "How much ammo do you NEED". The thousands of rounds of ammo that I have for targets and plinking is not what I NEED. If I had to list what I NEED; it would probably be in the ball park of:

50 rounds of self defense ammo per handgun used for self/home defense: (100 rounds if you only own 1 handgun)
50 rounds of self defense ammo for shotgun for home defense
40 rounds hunting ammo for each rifle you have
1 brick (They're cheap) of 22LR for survival purposes. Preferably SUBSONIC
If you own an urban defense gun (AR-15, AK, Mini-14, etc...) probably 100 rounds.

Chances are, in an urban environment, this gun would only get used 1 time. Again; in a societal break down, martial law exists and once you've used the gun (Or ANY GUN) and the police or military come to you, you'll have to surrender it. Hopefully you'll have more.

And for what it's worth; for survival purposes, I also believe in a cross bow.
 
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I find it somewhat amazing what some will project on others thinking the "right" amount of ammo is. I shoot quite a bit and I don't think I've ever felt like I have "enough".
 
mjoy; don't get judgmental here. Read the topic of the thread. The question says exactly:

"WHAT DO YOU CONSIDER ENOUGH AMMO PER GUN"

The original poster is asking SPECIFICALLY the question you believe we SHOULDN'T give our OPINION on.
 
You're right. The OP is definitely asking for that opinion on how much ammo is enough. IMO there is no *right* answer. Lol... at you calling me judgmental.
 
I'm not judging anyone mjoy. A forum or discussion group is useless for asking a question on if those responding aren't able to disagree and give opposing opinions. I.e. What good does it do the OP if s/he asks how much ammo s/he needs if he gets 5 responses; all 5 responses are different; everyone simply tolerates each other's opinion and doesn't give commentary??? Then the OP has 5 different answers such as; 1 box per gun, 4 boxes per gun, thousand rounds per gun, never have enough ammo, etc... Now the OP is sitting there with 5 answers and still doesn't know what opinion is correct? Or correct for them?

I agree with you 100% that there isn't a right answer. Each person is different; their needs are different; some only shoot for defensive purposes and only goes to the range once a year. Some never go to the range. Some go every weekend. But when a question is asked, it is assumed and pretty much expected that those giving their opinion will qualify their opinion with reasons why they came to that opinion. And it's also expected that if an opinion is given that you don't necessarily agree with, that you will express such disagreement, explain why you disagree, and possibly debate that disagreement. This debate doesn't necessarily mean that one position is right and one is wrong. It simply allows differing opinions and points of views to be expressed. This allows all parties participating in the debate; either directly or just lurking; to see a different perspective that maybe they didn't consider.

Just because people disagree and debate a topic doesn't mean that they don't respect each others opinions. Respecting another person's opinion doesn't mean you don't comment on it if you disagree. That is a fallacy of those who concentrate on "Feelings". People take things way to personal. Disagreeing doesn't mean you are mean, insensitive, or disrespectful. It's what helps people to learn from each other. Then again, our society promotes unquestioned tolerance and feelings. That's why many schools discourage sports or even recess for children playing a game if the game keeps score. They don't want to promote that sometimes you're not the winner. Sometimes I'm right. Sometimes I'm wrong. Either way, I learn from other people. But I can't learn about them or appreciate their opinion/position if I can't debate it or disagree and express my opinion. It doesn't mean I don't respect the other person's opinion.
 
I do not count on target ammo in this since I cant find any but as far as good defensive rounds for my pistols and hunting ammo for my rifles and shotguns I like to have 100-200 rounds per gun per caliber. Any more and I think its overkill.
 
I read your post Fyredup. Out of politeness, I even re-read it. It still says the same thing. But don't take it personal; a lot of people think that for societal break down, they need thousands of rounds. The point being made is; even under those conditions, you couldn't shoot a thousand rounds if you wanted to. Not in a "Societal" environment. Not without the authorities taking notice. The first thing that happens in a societal collapse in a state of martial law. As soon as you needed to defend yourself and your family; your "Low Profile" is no longer available. Simply saying that unless you had 100 people coming at your house at the same time, you're never going to get to a point in that situation; or any situation against people; where you'd go through that much ammo. Not unless you think a "Red Dawn" scenario is possible.

First of all, out of all of the people on this forum that have stated over and over that they have somewhere between several thousand and a million rounds of ammunition you choose to pounce on my post about having several thousand rounds on hand if society collapses. I merely stated different scenarios for ammunition stockpiling. I never stated clearly where I stood on ammunition onn hand. Apparently you missed the last sentence of my post that said: I simply don't believe that everyone needs to have 10's of thousands of round on hand. Usage should be your guide.

I have commented several times on these forums about the folly of believing it is possible to take on the police or military and winning in the long run. No matter how much ammunition you have on hand or how tricked out your particular assortment of firearms is. It is simply unrealistic to believe a civilian, no matter how heavily armed, could defeat the military with tanks, helicopters and fighters.

Once again, reread what I wrote and understand the perspective I wrote it from.


Love the movie Red Dawn, but I also know it is about as realistic as Rambo or any of the Chuck Norris Viet Nam war movies. The best way to survive if **** hits the fan is to remain as invisible as possible other than a few close neighbors and friends. The less attention you draw, the less tchance there is of an armed confrontation.

Don't get me wrong. I have probably a few thousand rounds at any one time. But that's because I shoot a lot. When I read the original post and the title; I interpret it to actually mean; "How much ammo do you NEED". The thousands of rounds of ammo that I have for targets and plinking is not what I NEED. If I had to list what I NEED; it would probably be in the ball park of:

50 rounds of self defense ammo per handgun used for self/home defense: (100 rounds if you only own 1 handgun)
50 rounds of self defense ammo for shotgun for home defense
40 rounds hunting ammo for each rifle you have
1 brick (They're cheap) of 22LR for survival purposes. Preferably SUBSONIC
If you own an urban defense gun (AR-15, AK, Mini-14, etc...) probably 100 rounds.

NEED is purely subjective. If you need it for hunting, or taget shooting, or plinking, or self defense, everyone will set their own comfort level for what they need in ammunition, or anything else for that matter. I have teenage sons so I like to keep a dozen or so frozen pizzas on hand. For you that may be a year of pizzas. For me, lucky if it makes it 2 weeks. NEED, is purely individual based on usage. Like I said in my original post. It appears you missed that, even after rereading it.

Chances are, in an urban environment, this gun would only get used 1 time. Again; in a societal break down, martial law exists and once you've used the gun (Or ANY GUN) and the police or military come to you, you'll have to surrender it. Hopefully you'll have more.

I live far from the urban environment and firing a gun here is no big deal. I have gone to the range behind my house and shot for 2 hours or more and never been asked by a neighbor what's up, or had a visit from the police. If society collapses it won't be my self reliant neighbors I have to worry about, it will be bottom breathers from the city that haven't learned how to survive if the McDonald's or StarBucks are closed.

And for what it's worth; for survival purposes, I also believe in a cross bow.

I have been pondering getting a cross bow. I confess my total ignorance of them and have been doing research. I thought it would be the perfect tool for taking game and not drawing any attention to myself.
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I am no survivalist lunatic, but neither am I one of the vast number of sheep who will be in a masive world of hurt if things go to hell in a hand basket.
 
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FyredUp said:
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Once you start picking off your neighbors and others who approach someone is going to notice. I doubt any of us could survive a situation like that long enough to shoot even a thousand rounds. Once the authorities, whoever they may be at the time, bring in the big guns you'd surrender or be toast. Think Waco.
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Go back and reread what I said. I never said I was going to randomly shoot 100 people on my front lawn, or even one fore that matter. I can guarantee you this though, I will protect my loved ones in a situation like that to what ever degree it takes.

On the other hand I have no intentions of taking on the police or military and never said nor implied that. Try posting to what I said and not some post apocalyptic movie scenrio.
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Go back and read my post. Replace the "FyredUp" you that you read into the first sentence with the "collective" you that I used. The post was not directed at you personally, but at the thought you put out there. You'll notice I didn't attribute the quote to you as I did this time. You said that in the case of societal collapse it made sense to keep several thousand rounds of ammunition on hand for self defense and hunting. What did I say that was wrong? It kind of sounds like you agree with me when I say you (anyone) won't hold off the authorities long enough to shoot thousands of rounds.
 
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Personally I think any need beyond what is initally in the gun will be unrealized, as the fight will be over. I'll be dead, or the BG will have scattered.

However, I carry one reload, "Just in case". :D
 
I have but a mere two handguns. I have 300 rounds of target and 500 rounds of SD ammo, mostly Gold dot for my 239. For my .22 I usually have about 500 rounds on hand. The butt load of SD ammo for my CCW is not a normal thing, just recently with todays crap situation.
 
FryedUp; if you go back to my post, you will see that I was simply agreeing with sport45 about his comment. I never mentioned you or your post. So don't assume I was "Pouncing" on you. I do believe however that anyone who believes that they "Need" more than a couple of boxes of ammo for self/home defense is misguided. The key word here however is NEED. You can rationalize the word if you want, but you don't NEED to plink, practice, or target shoot a gun. You may WANT to, and therefor you will choose to buy ammunition to do such a thing. But I made it clear that for self defense and home defense purposes, there is no rational reason to have thousands of rounds. You couldn't shoot that many if you wanted to. For plinking, and target practice, you could definitely use thousands of rounds. But not for self defense or home defense. It's not even possible.

Now, for the survivalist mentality, there is something to be said for having thousands of rounds of ammo to be used as trading material. It could be traded for just about anything if such a situation arose. But this forum doesn't discuss "Red Dawn" scenarios, so responses will be in line of self/home defense and/or plinking/target practice.
 
Enough.

I shoot a lot and, since, handloading is a hobby for me, I shoot a lot of different calibers and gauges (over 30). I like to keep at least 100 rounds available for most of those guns. For the ones that I shoot the most, .22, .45,.223, .30-06 - I keep more, in the neighborhood of 250 rounds for the CF and a case of .22s.
Sometimes the "more" devolves to having the loading components for "more" as opposed to loaded ammo on the shelves. For example, I shoot a lot of .45s but often don't have more than 100 loaded. With a progressive press I can load a box in few minutes. Component-wise, I try to stay well ahead of my usage.
I never think in terms of any societal collapse (too much faith in the ol' USA for that). I DO think about the possibility of ammo and components becoming scare or hard to find for other reasons - witness the current shortages - and plan to stay a year or two ahead of my anticipated needs.
Pete
 
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Go back and read my post. Replace the "FyredUp" you that you read into the first sentence with the "collective" you that I used. The post was not directed at you personally, but at the thought you put out there. You'll notice I didn't attribute the quote to you as I did this time. You said that in the case of societal collapse it made sense to keep several thousand rounds of ammunition on hand for self defense and hunting. What did I say that was wrong? It kind of sounds like you agree with me when I say you (anyone) won't hold off the authorities long enough to shoot thousands of rounds.
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How does the meaning of self defense get twisted to mean battling with the authorities? I said plainly that I would hope to remain as invisible as possible other than to my close neighbors, friends and family. I have no illusions about battling the authorities, especially after Ruby Ridge and Waco. If they want to stop you they will do what ever it takes to accomplish it and whitewash it afterwards.

I will not, however, willingly surrender my stores of food, water and medicine to looters, or bad guys, simply because they want it. That is where the self defense aspect comes in. Looting, especially after some sort of disaster, is illegal and I would be well within my rights to stop them from taking my belongings.
 
FryedUp; if you go back to my post, you will see that I was simply agreeing with sport45 about his comment. I never mentioned you or your post. So don't assume I was "Pouncing" on you. I do believe however that anyone who believes that they "Need" more than a couple of boxes of ammo for self/home defense is misguided. The key word here however is NEED. You can rationalize the word if you want, but you don't NEED to plink, practice, or target shoot a gun. You may WANT to, and therefor you will choose to buy ammunition to do such a thing. But I made it clear that for self defense and home defense purposes, there is no rational reason to have thousands of rounds. You couldn't shoot that many if you wanted to. For plinking, and target practice, you could definitely use thousands of rounds. But not for self defense or home defense. It's not even possible.

Again, I doubt that you read or at the very least comprehended my original post. Here is my last sentence from there again.

I simply don't believe that everyone needs to have 10's of thousands of round on hand. Usage should be your guide.

Please tell me what you fail to understand in that sentence? It seems pretty damn straight forward and clear.

Need is s funny word in our society. It has been twisted to mean a ton of things. Like needing a big house, or an SUV, or an ATV, or a big screen TV or whatever other luxury item that you have convinced yourself you can't live without. People ask me all the time what do I NEED guns for, and I turn it around and ask then what they need their particular hobby apparatus for. Life isn't ALL about need, sometimes it truly is about want and the comfort of deciding your level of comfort.

Now, for the survivalist mentality, there is something to be said for having thousands of rounds of ammo to be used as trading material. It could be traded for just about anything if such a situation arose. But this forum doesn't discuss "Red Dawn" scenarios, so responses will be in line of self/home defense and/or plinking/target practice.

I clearly stated that I am not a survivalist lunatic. I am what I like to call prepared. I do not have a bunker, I do not have my yard laced with claymores, I don't not have armored firing points strewn around my property.

What I do have is food and water on hand for a couple of months. Stuff that we really eat and buy at the grocery store. It is a cabinet that we go to for daily usage. As it is used, oldest stuff first, we replenish. I normally have 3 or 4 cases of water on hand, same usage pattern as above. I am not as worried about water because I have my own well and after power outages during storms the last few years i will be buying a generator to keep my sump pump going and to run essential items in the home during those outages.

Guns and ammunition are another tool for usage during a crisis mostly for hunting purposes and if need be, and I hope not, for self defense.
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I honestly think we are closer to saying the same thing than you want to believe.
 
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