Help me out.
I am one of the brand new gun owners, courtesy of Democrat leadership. Without a lot of research, I bought a Taurus 2Gs. I wish I would have purchased a 3Gc. Heck, for that matter, a Glock 19 or a Sig Sauer P320 would have been pretty sweet.
But it is what it is.
So, I have >500 rounds of 9mm.
What scenarios do you think I might need that much?
Zombie Apocalypse? The rounds would come in handy.
Neighbourhood invasion by armed Antifa fascists? How many shots would I fire with my little gun before I get taken out?
Hot civil war (yes, we are in a cold civil war right now)? Taking on heavily armed insurgents?
Somebody here help me out.
“What scenarios do you think I might need that much?“
Learning how to shoot it well.
L
You should get some practice in to get
To know it.break it in
and keep 1000 rounds
in reserve.
My take.
“So, I have >500 rounds of 9mm.”
So, how many magazines do you have? If you only have the 2 that came with the gun, you need more. Especially if you think a mob may show up in your neighborhood.
What scenarios do you think I might need that much?
500 rounds of 9mm is ten boxes. Nothing.
Take a single pistol class (and you MUST take some sort of formal training!) you will use up that 500 rounds in a day.
I’m a dumba** on the subject, but my thoughts are that 9mm is a very close in range weapon. Think home invasion scenario. Concealed carry. Think about safely getting into talking range with a target, how to draw, and egress. A small weapon is good for those. Others more knowlegeable will chime in.
A shotgun is a close to midrange mainly defensive weapon for your home. Works well against larger groups where one blast will potentially injure more than one, and the shock and awe factor will be more substantial, making bad guys run.
Semiauto rifle is your standoff (50+ yard) weapon for defense AND offense. You can take a light weapon and put the hurt on them before their handguns, shotguns, or poorly aimed long rounds find you. Good optics, practice and stealth will help win.
9 is a good place to start. You can make a serviceable defense plan for your home against a small group. You can carry away from home for personal protection. You can always choose a target of opportunity if they go full CWII.
When possible, consider the shotgun and semiauto rifle additions.
(stands back for more seasoned freepers to adjust recommendations....)
And it all depends on where you live. In Seattle, Minneapolis, etc they are already seeing SHTF.
Find like minded people and encourage each other and pledge to stand together. However, remember human nature and the inclination to compromise on principles for a little temporary safety and security. (Look at the history of Communism and how the secret police agencies used informers to undermine any resistance efforts.)
If you are truly a new, first-time firearm owner, then that 500 rounds should be for practice. Get to know that firearm inside and out. That’s why so many folks stock up on it. Gotta be able to hit what you’re shooting at. Hell, I’ve blown through over 200 rounds on a single visit to the range. And for some of us, that’s a light day. I can reload that same 200 rounds for considerably less than in costs to replace.
First take classes on gun safety and marksmanship.
When SHTF, the guy who has extra ammo can resupply family and friends who ran short.
For 500 rounds, that’s just 5 range sessions for me. You HAVE been keeping up with training and practice, haven’t you?
500 rounds is less than an average day at the range.
You don’t really know your gun and its reliability until a minimum of 1,000 rounds have been fired through it.
“So, I have >500 rounds of 9mm.
What scenarios do you think I might need that much?
Zombie Apocalypse? The rounds would come in handy.
Neighbourhood invasion by armed Antifa fascists? How many shots would I fire with my little gun before I get taken out?
Hot civil war (yes, we are in a cold civil war right now)? Taking on heavily armed insurgents?
Somebody here help me out.”
You have to think a little more widely, and not just bout yourself and your gun.
1) You might need to share your ammo with, or arm, others—significant other, spouse, parents, children, siblings, neighbors, and their families—you know, those people you love and on whom you depend to help keep the crazies from coming in your back door while you handle the front door, but who might not have any or enough ammo, or might not even have a gun. You can’t do it all by yourself, you need others. You have to sleep sometime.
2) You might need to supply more than one weapon you have with ammo, in case your primary gun fails or is taken from you or you aren’t close to it when you need it. You should have a hold-out gun, or a back-up gun, such as a slightly smaller weapon hidden in your home (but readily accessible) or on your ankle or in your front pocket. Same caliber as your main weapon is good, so you need to put ammo in that gun and its magazines/cylinder/speedloaders, so that those guns are ready to go, so your ammo “store” decreases due to that. Can’t wait until you need it and then load up the magazines or cylinders. But how is that “little gun” in your newly-experienced shooting hands gonna stop the thugs with their firebombs, slings, slingshots, and bows hitting away at you, your loved ones, and your abode from 40 yrds. plus? You need ANOTHER GUN, a long gun (as opposed to a gun for the hand), with better accuracy and easier aiming ability for the distant shots, and with bigger magazines, say 30-rounds. Yeah, you can buy silly-looking long magazines and even drum magazines for 9mm handguns (most “double-stack” 9mm handguns hold about 15 or 16 at most in the mag), but I wouldn’t trust my life on those aftermarket fashion accessories. But a semi-auto rifle was born to eat big magazine after magazine, and to reach out and touch someone meaningfully at a distance. There are 9mm carbine (short barrel) rifles, even AR-15 type weapons and nice German-made combat rifles (Heckler & Koch MP5, for example) that shoot 9mm, so you might need more ammo if you’re going to feed both a handgun and a rifle (and a backup handgun). But you probably should get a different caliber rifle, one with more oomph, such as an AR-15 in .223 (or 5.56 mm), and ammo for that rifle. And see # 1 above.
3) You might need to trade or sale your 9mm ammo to get more ammo in a caliber you need or to supply ammo to others that need it (that you wouldn’t be giving it to otherwise). And see # 1 above.
4) You might need to trade ammo for food, water, medical supplies, etc. And see # 1 above.
5) Ammo is heavy. You won’t be able to carry all you have, or even a lot, as you go about your normal day to day post-apocalyptic activities, so you’ll have to leave it behind somewhere, either guarded by others or hidden. And things do get stolen, or seized, or burned up, or corroded, so you need some in more than one location.
6) You might need to hunt with the weapon, not just use it for people self-defense or strategic offense, or you might need to use it against wild dogs, coyotes, wolves, feral pigs, etc. That would eat up your supply significantly. And see # 1 above.
So, yeah, you can carry on happy-go-lucky with your little pistol and 2 or 3 extra mags on your person or in a carry-all bag, and have another 450+ rounds at home or in your car, and if nothing happens, you’re golden, but if you need it, you’re going to need a lot, and in different calibers, and for a long time, and for a lot of reasons. Store it in cool, dry, secure locations and it will last for decades. And keep it to yourself, or just to truly trusted loved ones and friends.
Paranoid? Pessimistic?
Maybe.
But forewarned is forearmed.
Your weapon choice fits home protection well, for break-ins. You need a rife or pistol caliber carbine for more ‘tedious’ work. If you can get it, buy an AR lower made for shooting 9mm. My home defense threshold is a Glock 17 with a Glock 34 threaded barrel and a shockwave brace attached. Don’t own a suppressor but can make one up quickly if we get to wrol, the booster being the only problem.
Do you have three or four nagazines loaded up? Buy mags ... and load them up.
Your pistol is what you use to fight your way to your rifle. You did buy a rifle, correct?
What scenarios do you think I might need that much?
Learning to shoot with some skill... That is a good start for the first month.
I suggest getting an air pistol and pellets, they are much cheaper for learning sights and trigger control.
You should be doing a about 10 minutes of dry fire practice a day.
500 rounds is plenty for nearly all emergencies... and just enough to get started on building a skill set.
There are some laser training sytems out there which could supplement your ammunition.
Reading a significant number of self-defense books, could help with ammunition a lot.
A gun is a tool.
You need to learn how and when to use it.
500+ rounds is enough to get comfortable with your weapon and to make sure it works well. Hopefully some of it is some decent self-defense rounds. Those are still available on-line but you’ll pay $1+ per round.
Yes - it would be nice to have several thousands of rounds. But - you’re better off than those just now trying to find target 9mm ammo. I was looking online just for grins (I don’t have a 9mm), and NOBODY has target rounds available in 9mm or .40.
My wife just got a .380. Thankfully it was a couple months ago and I got her 1000 rounds for training and 400 in self-defense. There is nothing available on-line. Of course now I wish that I had bought twice as much.
I think I’m going to look into some of the electronic training systems to save on ammo. And of course with the price of ammo so high, those systems look better every day.
Headlines two months from now: “Electronic shooting systems at all-time low availability.”
extra mags, loaded first thing. red or green optics is nice. that “little gun” will work for average walking down the street mugger or several shots over the window sill at political zombies the antifa type political zombie will run. Real zombies? you better get a pump shotgun.
the most important thing you need to do is RANGE TIME. shoot that little sucker till if feels like part of your arm.