What’s the magic number a person should have of rounds stocked up at home? 1,000 per caliber. 3,000 per caliber? More?
We were discussing it this weekend and some guys have 3,000 plus and want more.
The wife and I conceal carry the same caliber (9mm) so that helps.
I can’t imagine a need for more than 500 or 1000 rounds for my hunting and sport rifles. If I had a black rifle for plinking I can see needing 3000 of so. Same with the pistols and home defense shotgun (3000 or more).
I guess the answer lies within the need. Is it all for defense? Feeling of security?
I have between 1000 and 1500 loaded for Prairie dogs in 22-250, I keep about 100 to 250 loaded for each rifle, and the same for handguns.
The most I have shot in a single day is about 800 (give or take). That was a lot of shooting. I know guys that have shot more, but that was all military testing
Wade I would say you need at least 5,000 rounds for each weapon. Armageddon is coming!
What I consider more important is how many potential rounds I have in possession as it relates to powder, cases, primers and bullets.
I’m cheap so I have 160 22rounds 30ish for the 22-250 etc. Never really having more than a box or two for each. Now when I get a big boy job I’ll probably have 3 or 4 boxes of each caliber I own. I don’t shoot too often other than hunting.
I try to keep 1000 to 2000 rounds at my ready. I do get below 1000 rounds at times but it gives me time to seek out “the deals” on rounds… although they are getting harder and harder to come by.
What would one need in the event of a collapse of civil order? Near impossible to say but hard to imagine many would survive after having the need to fire 500 rounds. One benefit of having an ammo surplus is that unlike food & gasoline it will still be usable in 20 years. Under chaotic conditions it would be as good as gold for barter. I cannot predict the future but would point out bolt action deer rifles and over/under shotguns did not drive the record 185,000 applications for background checks last week.
Take civil collapse out of the equation because its never going to happen in our lifetimes. That leaves you with target practice and the uncertainty of ammo availability and prices.
Interesting question. I have far more .22lr than I have of anything else. But year in and year out, I shoot way more of that round than any other. My prairie dog/coyote rounds are in the 500 range. I think close to a 1000 of my pistol loads. My deer rifle I keep around 150 rounds. But that gun gets shot 3-5 rounds a year. As I build out an AR platform, I suspect I’ll keep large quantities of that round for plinking. All this talk has me thinking I better get another ammo/gun safe…. 
I can’t give you a number as everyone is different. However I can give you a formula to think about.
How many do you go through per month or per year in each caliber? Then figure out how many months the stores might be out if there’s another ammo shortage.
For 9mm target maybe 12-18 months supply. For 9mm defense, maybe 18 months supply. For 22lr, well that one is finally coming back after several years. You get the idea.
For me I haven’t shot my .270 in years so 40 rounds is a near infinite supply. .223 I do 300-400/year and want 18 months so I keep 800 plus or minus in reserve.
I think a lot of guys are overblowing this lately. I think for some there’s a kind of macho man / prepper appeal in being able to show and talk about their huge ammo stockpile.
I agree with Suzuki, this whole idea of stockpiling ammo in order to shoot your way out of some kind of societal collapse is BS. Ammo may have some kind of trade value, but then again so will toilet paper and you don’t see guys filling their basements with TP. It makes no sense.
To get to the REAL answer for you, I think you have to ask yourself how many rounds will I reasonably shoot in a given year?
For most people, this number is really quite small. So multiply that by 2 or 3 just in case there’s another hoarding ammo epidemic, and that’s more than enough. I really don’t think there’s any benefit in going overboard with this. Even the run on ammo that came after Sandy Hook only lasted about a year before common stuff like 9 MM and .223 started coming back.
Keep in mind also that piling up a large stockpile of ammo has potential downsides. Not only does it make for an ugly situation in the event of a fire, but in the event of any kind of situation where the ammo was damaged or stolen, I’m thinking an insurance company would be looking at any claims very closely and you’d best be able to document what you really had very, very closely.
I don’t think I’m a good example of what anyone “should” do. I have a lot of ammo around because by relative comparison, I shoot a lot in the course of a year. IMO it comes down to making a realistic assessment of what you REALLY shoot in an average year.
Grouse
I come and go on the reasons I need to shoot any of my guns. But for me, the truth is that I don’t chase prairie dogs every year but what I’ve set aside, in case there’s another ammo shortage, is approximately 2 trips worth. From there, I’ve contemplated how many hunting rounds I would feasibly need until I turn 70. For some, this is 50 rounds or less. Others might be 200 or so. I can climate control store my ammo so I know it won’t go bad. I’m not that young anymore! My only reasoning is that the prices will likely be higher later than they are right now, or when I bought a supply. For target/plinking/practice, again I look at how many annual rounds are being fired and do the math. The only thing I go through is the stuff sitting in my CC handguns. It’s not always in climate control storage so I fear those rounds going bad eventually. If I did the math, I could stash a supply of them too but ……… I have enough for crying out loud!
you don’t see guys filling their basements with TP. It makes no sense.
Grouse
Speak for yourself! It’s all quilted 2-ply double rolls too. Stuff’s going to be worth more than gold in a collapse and I use a lot of it over 18 months!
Yep!
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<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>TheFamousGrouse wrote:</div>
you don’t see guys filling their basements with TP. It makes no sense.Grouse
Speak for yourself! It’s all quilted 2-ply double rolls too. Stuff’s going to be worth more than gold in a collapse and I use a lot of it over 18 months!
Well, there’s a first, Ben. Or at least the first that admits that he’s REALLY preparing for the sh!t to hit the fan in the most literal sense.
I laugh every time I hear or read hoarders saying that .22 LR is going to be “the new gold” when the collapse that never seems to come, finally comes. Ummm, as it goes, .22 LR isn’t really all that useful compared to a LOT of other types of ammo.
Hoarders invent their own logic.
Grouse
Hoarders invent their own logic.
Grouse
Very true in some aspects. Now, when related to fishing….everything eventually becomes discontinued. Look at how many “favorite” color schemes or baits in general get changed or discontinued….and people wonder why I buy 48 to 144 of 1 bait at a time. BTW – just got a discontinue list from one of my manufacturers. One of my all-time favorite baits is on the list. There are 16XX left in the world including current manufacture and warehouse. Take a guess at how many I’m buying to hopefully last me the last hopefully 20 years of my life
I have to laugh at how many fishing lures I won’t use because it’s discontinued and my last one! It’s truly laughable! I have more tackle that I’ll never use than tackle I actually will!
Curiously though Randy……. any chance you have a couple of Reef Runners, the “Lil’ Ripper” with the shallow lip in “Orange Peel”? I’m still good on divers, both sizes, but that shallow one is gold on one of my “go to” lakes.
if this wont get me kicked off again,I figure around one hundred rounds to every american hating monkeybutt out there,but I cant afford fifty million rounds,so,I will try to make due with one thousand rounds for each caliber I own and hope I get to fire each and every one of them whether it be target or terrorist,and the latter being up to your description.
I have to laugh at how many fishing lures I won’t use because it’s discontinued and my last one! It’s truly laughable! I have more tackle that I’ll never use than tackle I actually will!
Curiously though Randy……. any chance you have a couple of Reef Runners, the “Lil’ Ripper” with the shallow lip in “Orange Peel”? I’m still good on divers, both sizes, but that shallow one is gold on one of my “go to” lakes.
Nope
You will be dead before you ammo goes bad.
I suggest stockpile at the same rate as the government as a baseline minimal. Given some time I could calculate the figures in ammo per person. Take that number as your base comfort level. You might want to factor in the current president is currently considering using his “executive powers” at the end of his term to further advance his desire for more gun control. Good luck 😨
Might not want to talk numbers on an Internet forum. You never know who is watching….
Tinfoil hat topics aside, I would say whatever you can afford. It never goes bad. Pretty sure my kids will be shooting my ammo after I am gone. If you buy a box every time you go to town for dog food, it adds up pretty quick.
I hear ya. But I don’t worry about the crazies. Let them think what they want.
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