JavaScript is disabled
Our website requires JavaScript to function properly. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser settings before proceeding.
For a first time gun owner, once they've picked their weapon, how much ammo is a "reasonable" amount to keep on hand for practice, self defense, extra mags loaded, easily portable if needing to "bug out", or trading for the apocalypse, etc before you start getting "toilet paper hoarding" level absurd? 1K rounds?

Personally the only cartridge I've ever had 1,000 rds. or more of are guns I owned in extremely common calibers. .22LR, .223, 9mm, and .45ACP. I've never thought I needed 1,000 of any of these either, but if the price was a big savings to buy bulk, I did so to save money. I've still probably got 15,000 rds. of various types of .22LR.
But for the average shooter to train, and still feel comfortable with a reserve, I'd think 500 rds. would be fine. Even less if they reload, and have the brass and components on hand to do so.
 
My wife just said that enough for a month long siege.
SO, I guess I need to find more.
To be honest, I have enough to say that "enough" is a state of mind.
I no longer have a 270, nor a 30-30, nor 30.06, so all of that stuff needs to go to my sons, and their children.
22, 22Mag, 270, 38 spec, 357 Mag is in abundance in my safe.
I don't shop for ammo now that I am in my 70's, but I will not pass
up a really good price if it comes my way.
There was nothing on the shelves in 3 of my favorite stores, so ammo is getting harder to find.
A side note on the upcoming election! Biden wins we will never see anything in excess anywhere.
Trump wins, we will need all of the defensive ammo we can find.
SO! There may be a day where we all say, NOT ENOUGH!!
Stay safe and keep looking. Tom in Oregon TKH
 
My thoughts on how much ammo/reloading supplies should you own are based in the following logic:
1. How much do you shoot per year
2. How much can you afford?
3. How important is security to you?
4. What cycle of cost/availability are we in?

Due to the cost/availability cycle, I try to keep at least 3-4 years worth of ammo. For example 1k of 9MM was $160 delivered in January 20 so I purchased as much as I could afford knowing that it would not last for long.

I've seen this cycle happen many times, if people are comfortable with the government they ease buying, if scared panic buying starts and prices/availability take a hit. If you have enough reloading supplies/ammo you can wait out these periods and stay calm. If you don't purchase in the calm times you will be forced to go without or pay out the bubblegum.

If you have many calibers and money is the issue, pick one or two and stock up on it first. Think which one you enjoy to shoot and what you would need to bail you out in a tough situation. Tight budgets can allow you to purchase 5-10k of 22LR and extra mags for backup.

I try to keep ammo for all my guns, whether it is a box or case or garage full depends on your habits and abilities. Some people like to keep money in the bank and some in their mattresses . There is no wrong or right answer, no one can predict your needs or comfort zone except you.
 
I enjoy reloading, so I do it often. Some calibers I have inventories into the thousands. I store all my reloaded ammo in a cool dry room. I have discovered that when I get ammo out and do some target shooting, my ammo inventory dwindles rapidly. I pick up brass in the area where I do my target shooting. My hand loaded ammo is very accurate and the cost of reloading comes in at about half of the cost of purchasing it. My son is drooling on it too.
 
Your firearm, your printer, and a toilet paper dispenser all have one thing in common:
They are dispensers of a consumable commodity.
Ammo, ink, and toilet paper constantly get cycled through their respective dispensers.
For that matter the same goes for a reloading press.

Just a small tweek for your perspective. ;-)

From smoky suth'n Ar-gun...
Trails
 
Just a heads up, in case you have mini-12 gauge slugs on your list: Target Sports USA just got a supply in. Seems all of civilized USA is out of Federal and Aguila
 
What I have is a 50 cal ammo can full per caliber. That way I can grab this firearm and this ammo can and go. I have no idea what's reasonable for anyone else.


How much Ammo is enough? ..... All of it......
In absence of my ability to acquire all ammo, I have to settle for the above plan..
 
Last Edited:
Enough for what? A day at the range, load out or SHTF? Since I don't an answer that'd satisfy everyone, I'll just keep buying...in other words...never enough.
 
N+1box is the right answer.

Where 1box can be anything from 100 to 1000.

Currently
I feel ok about my .22lr, shotgun, .40cal, and 9mm and 308.
I don't feel as good about my 5.56, 300blk
 
For me it is not about bugging out or defending my family, I will always have plenty. What I stock up on is mostly range ammo and although I always test my firearms with the defensive ammo that I use, it dwindles much slower than my range ammo.

I am not worried about trying to load out all of my guns and ammo in a bug-out scenario, but they are arranged in priority. I don't however plan on bugging out unless there is no other choice, like my house burning down.

I guess that what I am trying to say is my priority is having enough ammo for shooting pleasure in the years to come. Bought it cheap and stacked it deep.
 
Who knows. Perchance, when the bases are covered, and whole topic becomes boring to the point one wonders why even the bother. Something like that. (However, this musing may be, as they say, "off the cuff"; as per normal, long day of business that started before sun comes up and only finished longer after it goes down. Woman and children fed and happy. Now I go smoke cigar in relative silence. Well wishes friends. :s0155:)
 
a few hundred thousand rounds in each caliber you shoot. Ammo is like money. I stock up when it is cheap and sell some of it when it isn't. When the brown smelly stuff hits the oscillating blade I should only need one clip to restock
 

Upcoming Events

Tillamook Gun & Knife Show
Tillamook, OR
"The Original" Kalispell Gun Show
Kalispell, MT
Teen Rifle 1 Class
Springfield, OR
Kids Firearm Safety 2 Class
Springfield, OR

New Resource Reviews

New Classified Ads

Back Top