So... how much should one buy (hoard)?

Status
Not open for further replies.
Joined
Dec 8, 2006
Messages
10,351
Location
Illinois
When it comes to ammo... how much is enough?

If I would have bought every round of .40 target ammo that I've seen locally in the stores in the past month, I'd have around 3000 rounds.

But I didn't. Should have I?

How much is enough considering the current environment?

Should one buy now, assuming that things are only going to get worse, before they ever get better?
 
After the tobacco settlement of the mid 1990s major tobacco makers stocks actually went up. The uncertainty over the payout (and "certain ruin") ended.

Eventually what exists in private hands will be considered a surplus and prices will start coming down. Or at least the rate of manufacture will match or overshoot the rate of consumption plus hoarding. Maybe as we speak the ammo makers consider themselves "diamond traders" and are enjoying the perception of scarcity.
whistle.gif


Y2k had people stock up on consumables like toilet paper which got used after-the-fact. Sure, lots of folks will go "plinking" but maybe not daily and not with every size stocked up upon.
 
And the "prices will start coming down"...

Oh, like gasoline?

Even when the current environment changes, and production catches up with demand... I don't forsee the prices going back down to where they were.

It just doesn't seem to work that way anymore.
 
Are you fighting your own mini war? Id hate to be in a standoff that required firing 3000 rounds.

I can put my money into sertain investments that yield 8-12%. Is ammo going up at a faster rate than that? Id hate to have money tied up in lead and powder that is yielding me nothing. 3000 rounds is what? $1300?
 
3,000 rounds is like $140. In 22's. Give or take, depending upon brand. I don't buy bullets for reloading in bulk, so they cost around 10 cents each. Again, a few thousand of those isn't a grand either.

For myself, I like keeping a few thousand on hand. For each caliber I have. Not enough to trip over, but enough that, if the round isn't available for 6-12 months, I'll be fine. After that, well, has anything been that unavailable for that long?

Doesn't hurt to stock up when you can. Remind me how often ammunition prices decline. If the price meets criteria, buy some, save it for a range day. But, you do have to take into account storage of said ammunition, both in terms of where to put it and how to keep it from going bad. I don't think it has to be kept in a humidor but it's unlikely you're going to store 10k under the bed either. At some point you have to ask your self if it's really the investment you want (a few thousand in ammunition vs money towards loans / whatever).

I must say, I was reading in a different thread (elsewhere) about someone complaining that hoarders were "ruining" for everyone else. Newbie shooters couldn't find ammo, those who don't buy into the scare can't buy ammo... No one can. And there's no ammunition ban coming. I still think it's free economics, but I think I agree to the point that, it's best to stock up before not during a "crisis". Same is true of gasoline for the generator, having a generator on hand, toilet paper, bottled water, you name it.
 
Its really hard to say how much anyone needs because no one knows the reason why the ammo is needed But really how much ammo can you use? Think of ammo weight, having more then you can load up and carry might be wasteful. A stand off requiring more ammo then you can carry (or move by other ways) means you probably need to leave and at least are not secure enough to stay where you are anyway. having so much ammo you can't take it all in one trip would be wasteful in my mind.
 
Another thought: how much of a hobby is this? For a serious auto enthuisast to fill up say 2 garage bays with projects and tools, that might be "normal". For the average person to have a four car garage with tools and cars that they don't use, maybe not so normal. For the average shooter to have say a garage full of ammunition, probably overkill. For a serious shooter who shoots 10k+/year to have say the space of a refrigerator full of ammo? Maybe that is inline with how they pursue their hobby.

How much do you shoot on a regular basis? I'm not a heavy shooter, but have enough for 6-12 months at my typical rate of fire. I'm comfortable with that, it doesn't take up that much space, and isn't costing me that much either.
 
Originally Posted By: JHZR2

I can put my money into sertain investments that yield 8-12%. Is ammo going up at a faster rate than that? Id hate to have money tied up in lead and powder that is yielding me nothing. 3000 rounds is what? $1300?


When the shtuff hits the fan your silly money won't work.




wink.gif
 
Bingo surfstar! When schtuff hits the fan, ammo will BE money....US currency will be the stuff you burn to keep warm by and heat what little food you have.

I'm glad I stocked up....I have enough to enjoy plinking and enough to protect my family when the time comes....if it doesn't come, then I have even more to plink with.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
I've met guys that fired 100,000 rounds a year in matches.
Every weekend they have 1-2 that they go to.
They have progressive presses, and they have monthly orders.

It all depends on what you are going to do.

Like everything else, from toilet paper to pianos, it is cheaper to buy in bulk. If you can get it in lots of 1,000 it will be way cheaper than if you buy in boxes of 20.

Also, reloading brings the price way down. However, reloading supplies are few and far between these days, just like available ammo.

I have a small stockpile. I don't shoot like I used to. I can't afford to, and I already need another job.

If you are building a stockpile, Get yourself some .50 caliber ammo boxes and get some small packages of silica gel desiccant. It comes in shoe boxes and women's purses.

The ammo cans have really good airtight seals, the desiccant will remove any moisture from inside the ammo can. The ammo inside will be good for darn near forever.

I agree with the thinking of keeping around 1000 rounds for each pistol caliber you own. Less for rifles. Especially if it is a rare or difficult to find round.

Then keeping tabs on some of the rare stuff that is difficult to get a hold of and not shooting all of it unless you can get more.

One more thing. Hold onto any brass cartridges. I wish I kept all my brass from when I was younger now that I reload.
 
How much is enough can only be answered by you. What do you feel comfortable with given your shooting habits and possible future necessity; Where it may not be available..

Me personally I like to have at least 1000 rounds for each caliber, if not more. .22lr I like to keep about 5000 or so on hand.

You never know when you might be caught in a city-wide riot. It's happened to me twice.
 
I have bought a few extra boxes but really if everyone just stopped panicking there would be plenty. The government has said nothing of taxing or limiting ammo (yet) so I really fail to see what everyone is freaking out about. Sleeping outside of stores and buying ammo by the armful is ridiculous. Go ahead and fill your house with ammo and reloading supplies. I promise you this, whoever comes to get you in whatever urban war you foresee will be better equipped and have more ammo. Meanwhile those of us that enjoy going to the range or reloading as a hobby will wait for the mass hysteria to die down as it did after the 2008 election.

Keep enough around for home protection. Keeping much more than you can carry is only ensuring that someone who raids your house after you and your family have fled the apocalypse will find a bunch of ammo.
 
At each house, I keep at least a couple of hundred rounds for the oddball calibers that I don't shoot much. A few thousand rounds for the common calibers, except 9mm and 22LR - I try to keep 7-8K of those around.

At the office I only keep a couple of hundred rounds of each caliber for each gun I keep there - just enough to go shooting without going home or to the store, or to bug out with if the SHTF.

I think the current situation speaks for itself about the need to have a few thousand rounds at hand - you can't always go the store and buy more. I haven't bought any ammunition during the latest crisis. I hope it passes soon, but I'm not optimistic - imo this administration likes to exploit crises and pit groups against each other, so I think half or more of the populace will be on edge for the better part of the next four years.
 
Originally Posted By: surfstar
Originally Posted By: JHZR2

I can put my money into sertain investments that yield 8-12%. Is ammo going up at a faster rate than that? Id hate to have money tied up in lead and powder that is yielding me nothing. 3000 rounds is what? $1300?


When the shtuff hits the fan your silly money won't work.




wink.gif



When's that going to happen again???
 
Originally Posted By: mrsilv04
When it comes to ammo... how much is enough?



300 rounds is plenty to defend yourself. Because you are simply going to turn the rest of it in if the government makes it illegal to own. Or do you plan to shoot it out with the ATF?
 
I go for 1000 rounds for each caliber. Thats plenty for anything from Zombies to Civil war.In the event of a Civil war, you wont even want your gun, you ll want the what the U.N troops have, they are select fire and nicer than anything we can buy, go figure. 1000 rounds should be enough to get you through anything. You probably have the best barter tool during a event, you could have though.
 
Originally Posted By: surfstar
Originally Posted By: JHZR2

I can put my money into sertain investments that yield 8-12%. Is ammo going up at a faster rate than that? Id hate to have money tied up in lead and powder that is yielding me nothing. 3000 rounds is what? $1300?


When the shtuff hits the fan your silly money won't work.




wink.gif

x2 and ammo food and fuel will be the new method of pay.
 
Originally Posted By: Panzerman
I go for 1000 rounds for each caliber. Thats plenty for anything from Zombies to Civil war.In the event of a Civil war, you wont even want your gun, you ll want the what the U.N troops have, they are select fire and nicer than anything we can buy, go figure. 1000 rounds should be enough to get you through anything. You probably have the best barter tool during a event, you could have though.


The problem would be, during a civil war, the UN is going to be going against US. WE won't be on the side of the UN.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top