Posted on 03/08/2010 7:58:06 AM PST by dagogo redux
With all the talk about the Second Amendment, the ammo shortage, and about what might lie ahead after November (or before), I thought it might be a reasonable vanity post to ask what sorts of quantities of ammo are practical for a person or household to stock for an “emergency”.
A few months ago, for instance, someone here said 6000 rounds for each firearm. More recently, someone said (I think) 3000 rounds for one’s primary battle rifle, and 500 rounds for each handgun and shot gun.
Answers may depend on many factors: for instance, the scenario you think most likely, or most worthwhile to prepare for, as well as the role you might see yourself playing in such a scenario (home defense, active maneuvers, underground resistance, etc), so posting these thoughts may help explain your reasoning.
"The more the merrier,” will occur to many, but practical answers would be more helpful. And HOW did you arrived at your answer - is it calculated in some way, something you were taught, a hunch, collected wisdom, etc? If you say 5000 rounds, why not 2500 or 10,000, etc. and what do you base that on?
Thanks for tolerating another vanity, and thanks for educating us with your answers.
I came up with this as a start. I have 3 main weapons I'm stocking for and other weapons I have just for defense.
For my 3 primaries I'm going for 2K ammo each and then 500-1000 rounds for my secondaries. I'm close to 10K rounds all together so far with a goal of about 13K all told.
My largest inventory is the cheapest..... .22LR about 5K rounds. You want twice as much of .22 as everything else for training, small game, and if TSHTF....trade.
Just my humble 2 cents...once my initial goals are met, then I expand on the primaries and .22's even more.
In a nut shell, my strategy has been 2K each of .223, .40SW, .308
500 rnds each for 9mm and .44mag
1000 rnds .38
5K .22LR
All based on what I own and shoot and those are standing inventories, training rounds are not counted as part of inventory and are bought in addition. I'm also not counting shotguns rounds either as that is used strictly for home defense and hunting. I wing shoot several times a year. Safe storage is a must, that and cost are the primary reasons my inventories are not what i'd like them to be. if I could I'd have 10k rounds of EVRYTHING...LOL
Keep in mind lead is an excellent food preservative.
So, that's why the guys let me play!
TS
Actually, depends on what zombies you speak of, here in Mass the police are all moving to .40 S&W cartridges, so that’s also going to be plentiful.
http://thejaghunter.wordpress.com/
check it out scan down to article about request for german troops and just maybe get all the ammo you can.
Always go higher. Ammo will never be without value. If you have excess you can trade it. DOn’t forget also you need to practice now and then.
“By the way...What is a “battle rifle”?”
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Loosely defined, whatever rifle you are bringing to the fight, I imagine. More tightly defined, things like AKs, AR-15s and M1As - rifled infantry weapons actually designed for battles.
ping
It’s not hoarding when there isn’t a crisis. It’s called stockpiling. Don’t use a term like that and set the guy up to hang himself when he says he’s ‘hoarding’ and they think he’s just admitted to something he’s not doing.
“Wikipedia” should have a really wordy definition.
Essentially a rifle manufactured for sale to a military for use as their “main battle rifle” M-16, M-1 M-14 03 Springfield, etc, etc. Not just US manufacture.
If you use up 2000 rounds in battle and you are still alive the bad guys are really bad shots. 2000 rounds is a good number to use for your rifle. It is a good policy to have a second rifle in the same caliber in case of failure in your primary rifle.
In the selection of a rifle stick to calibers that are common as there is much more ammo available for these. I would suggest the 30:06, .223, and the .308. All of those are military rounds and there is a lot of that ammo out there. If you can afford it buy two rifles in each caliber and sufficient ammo for them.
500 rounds of hand gun ammo is sufficient. I keep more but I shoot a lot. Stick to common calibers i.e. 45CP, 9mm.
When I shoot I replace it with a like amount of new ammo.
There is quite a bit of corrosive ammo out there that is not bad stuff and is cheap. It shoots well and if it has been stored in a spam can it will be good. However, CLEAN YOUR WEAPON after using it and you will not have a problem
I reload both smokeless and black powder. I make extra money reloading for friends. I cast many of my own bullets that don’t require jacketing. Getting enough primers can be a problem especially with unusual or antique calibers.
If TSHTF anyone with the equipment and knowhow to reload will be a very popular person. I’m learning how to knap flint now. When the cartridges run out a flintlock will always work to put food on the table or take care of problems.
As much as you think you can store. Whenever the State Run Media reports on somebody’s ammo stash they make it sound like thousands of rounds fills up an entire room. In reality, a thousand rounds of, say, 7.62x39, will fit nicely in the space of two shoe boxes.
I think people go way overboard on these things.
Try to imagine a scenario in which you personally need and use several thousand rounds.
In that kind of battle, would you really survive long enough to fire several thousand rounds?
And when you’re dead, now the bad guys have all that’s left of your ammo.
I’m stocking up on paint balls — pretty soon that will be restricted too.
Actually, depends on what zombies you speak of, here in Mass the police are all moving to .40 S&W cartridges, so that’s also going to be plentiful.
Know your prey. If Govt zombies are your infestation problem I would still stay with 9mm and 5.56mm, reason being that the first line of zombies carrying .40 S&W are limited in numbers whereas the 5.56mm come in greater quantities. Also, if you win your first encounter, you would have a .40 S&W as a backup. If you loose your first encounter, then the question is moot.
All of my guns and ammo were lost in that awful fire...the day after Hussein was elected. Naturally I haven’t replenished my supplies as we now have a post-racial, post-political “WUNDERKIND” in the Whitey House. There is no longer any crime, freedom abounds and the M1A1 in my yard is just for show.
If one is not prepared to use 6 then 6000 is pointless.
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