Should I buy ammo if I don’t have a gun yet

[Jay Walk]

Yeah, less guns to help out your fellow Man

 

[oremike]

I wouldn't "stock up" on ammo for a gun you don't have yet. A box or two, sure but not a closet full. I've had this happen before where on paper a firearm looked like what I wanted and it felt good in my hand at the gun store. After shooting it for awhile the new, exciting and different wore off and I started to notice little things that were annoying, or maybe I just wanted to have something different. So the gun went away and something different replaced it. Not a big deal if you stick with the same caliber but if you end up with a different caliber then you'll need another closet full of ammo. Sure you can give your overstock to those in need but I'd say you should take care of yourself first before out fitting the neighborhood.

 

[Jay Walk]

In my defense the 40 cal instrument of death is En Route.

 

[Nick Burkhardt]

I'm now thinking about buying ammo, but don't have a handgun yet. My argument is I'm good when I buy my gun. Plus if I don't have that caliber I could make a trade. I don't think I will have a problem giving my extra to a good home.

Yes.

Zerohedge

ZeroHedge - On a long enough timeline, the survival rate for everyone drops to zero

www.zerohedge.com

 

[DirectDrive]

A new gun well let's be honest first one

Am I contributing to the delinquency of a minor here ?

 

[The Heretic]

If you have settled on the caliber and the cost of the ammo is not an issue and want to shoot the gun when you get it, then yes, you should probably buy the ammo when you can get the ammo. That is three ifs though.

If you can be patient and get ammo when it is less expensive, then wait - I've done both.

 

[nwslopoke]

In my defense the 40 cal instrument of death is En Route.

Good for you. Viva LA 40 cal.

 

[Stomper]

SIG P365

Smith and Wesson 686

I like SIG it's sexy. And if I'm in gym clothes. That might be tough

Smith and Wesson 686

I like SIG it's sexy. And if I'm in gym clothes. That might be tough

P365 is tiny
If you can't hide that ....

Just tell everyone you're fresh out the steam room and glad to see 'em.

 

[DizzyJ]

I bought 17HMR ammo long before I got the gun, but to be honest I knew I'd eventually be getting it.

 

[quneur]

"May you live in interesting times."

We're not there yet but heading in that direction. Until the magazine ban comes into effect, decide which firearm you're planning on purchasing then buy the mags. Not having standard capacity mags will cause you to resent it every time you shoot (at least for me.)

Magazine are cheap or equivalent compared to ammo. Plus, you'll use them every time you shoot.

I suggest buying 'at least one 'common' type like a Glock mag or Magpul AR mag.

 

[DirectDrive]

"May you live in interesting times."

We're not there yet but heading in that direction. Until the magazine ban comes into effect, decide which firearm you're planning on purchasing then buy the mags. Not having standard capacity mags will cause you to resent it every time you shoot (at least for me.)

Magazine are cheap or equivalent compared to ammo. Plus, you'll use them every time you shoot.

I suggest buying 'at least one 'common' type like a Glock mag or Magpul AR mag.

Buy 10 of each if you want standard capacity mags now.
You will be able to buy all the 10 round mags you want later on (after the rush, of course).

 

[OldBroad44]

I would not buy ammo for a gun I didn't own.

If I had a semiauto on the way, as you mentioned, and no ammo for it I would buy one or two boxes (40-50 rounds) of each of the brands and bullet styles I was interested in using in the gun. I wouldn't stock up on any ammo until I knew for sure it at least worked in my new gun. And normally I would want three basic types for any carry gun, all of which shoot to the same point of aim. A low penetration expanding round for carry in urban areas. A gold dot or some equivalent. A high penetrating round for carrying carrying in my home and around my neighborhood (which has no other homes very close and has bears, one of which I had to shoo out of my back yard when it came after my ducks and refused to leave when spotlighted and yelled at. It left promptly when I put a shot in the ground next to it. Alas that it wasn't bear season and I had no bear tag.) The third basic ammo type I would want would be practice ammo with a trajectory and recoil that is as close as possible to my "business" loads and is as inexpensive as possible.

Buy extra mags. And a device for loading the mags. Its a great pain to have only one or two mags and have to stop practice every few minutes to reload mags. And loading mags with just your fingers gets very old very fast. An the reloading devices don't cost much.

Initially in first couple of practice sessions I would use just two of the mags until I had a couple of mags that had functioned flawlessly through a couple hundred rounds each including all my ammo types and brands. Often guns jamming is the magazine, not the gun. I have seen a number of people report having trouble with new mags until they conditioned them by leaving them fully loaded for a week. With ammo being so expensive and the frustration of having a new gun not be reliable initially so intense, these days I think I would load the mags and leave them a week before taking gun to the range.

 

[The Heretic]

If I had a semiauto on the way and no ammo for it I would buy one or two boxes (40-50 rounds) of each of the brands and bullet styles I was interested in using in the gun. I wouldn't stock up on any ammo until I knew for sure it at least worked in my new gun.

I tended to do that, but I don't anymore - at least not when there is a really good deal.

I bought several hundred rounds of that Oz ammo with GameKing bullets and another with Swift Sirocco bullets loaded on top of their temp stable powder. These were BOGO offers - so the prices were very good. I still haven't shot it in any of my guns yet. Now I wish I had bought as much as I could have afforded at the time. If the ammo hadn't worked well in any of my rifles (unlikely, it probably would work well in at least one) - then I could have sold it for a profit.

Oh well.

 

[Catfishmoon]

I'm now thinking about buying ammo, but don't have a handgun yet. My argument is I'm good when I buy my gun. Plus if I don't have that caliber I could make a trade. I don't think I will have a problem giving my extra to a good home.

Go buy a .22 pistol and just start shooting.

 

[Helocat]

Mags and ammo.

Yesterday

Yesterday? I bought my ammo, mags and primers 3 to 8 yrs ago.

So for the OP, Yes. Unless it's some oddball caliber that would not trade locally. But if you had 4 boxes of 9mm and ended up needing .357, that will trade (at adjusted ratio) no problem.

 

[OldBroad44]

I really don't like the idea of staking my life on how some prior owner of my ammo stored it. For practice ammo second hand ammo might be okay. If it was the right bullet weight and power to match trajectory of my business loads.

But I admit that a couple of years of empty shelves and erratic supplies of everything does make you more tempted to buy. I read an article today on how the loss of Russian wheat is effecting bread prices in the middle East and felt a strong temptation to rush out and buy 50 lbs of local soft white wheat from a friend before I remembered. "Hey! I don't eat wheat or bread." (I have celiac disease.)

 

[nwslopoke]

Ammo is erratic. Most places have a little and few places have a lot. Right now I just replace what I shoot for 5.56 and 9mm. Not really shooting anything else.

If I were starting from scratch I would store up ammo for the caliber I wanted as firearms are available and not over priced for now. Having extra ammo will leave a mindset to practice. If you only have a box it will likely sit.

 

[TDH]

I've bought mags for guns I didn't own at the time, ended up buying the gun. Bought reloading dies for calibers I didn't own, ended up buying the gun. You get the idea

Don't think I've ever bought ammo for a gun I didn't own. But I've got most the bases covered.

 

[Jay Walk]

When is the last time you purchased a car without any gas in it?

 

[Mikej]

I finally picked up the Winchester 94 to go with that beautiful brass I picked up in he Tillamook Forest several years ago. Love the look of nice shiny .30-30 brass.