So, how many rounds should you have for your battle rifle?

[Bruce]

The only concern I have about Mexicans invading is when they ask "flour or corn tortillas?"
I prefer flour tortillas. How about you?

 

[56kninja]

The only concern I have about Mexicans invading is when they ask "flour or corn tortillas?"
I prefer flour tortillas. How about you?

Can't get better than flour.

 

[ShelbyT]

easy 460

 

[Trlsmn]

Can't get better than flour.

Gringo! White corn all the way.

 

[shoggoth80]

Interesting thread... even an interesting disintegration of the thread.

The amount of ammo needed is a subjective thing. What are your needs? What is the realistic estimate of hostile threats? How many threats are you going to address before you decide it is time to get the eff out of Dodge?

There are no easy answers. The *general* census is 1000 rounds per rifle. I think in 5.56 the military's full load out is 210 rounds... six 30 rounders in bandoleers, and one in the gun. I can guarantee you that nobody is going to bug out with a thousand rounds on his or her back. Don't believe me? Try it in real life. Ammo gets heavy really fast. Want to bug out with multiple weapons systems. Great... as long as you can find a way to pack it all. Bugging in? Whole different ball game. Then you are limited to how much your floor structure can hold.

I like survivalist and what if threads. There is a great amount of subjectivity to them, and a whole host of potentially unique requirements.

Personally I have more handgun ammo than I do rifle ammo. I am working to rectify this. I can largely argue that the ranges I could logically see until reaching bug-out-location would be handgun and carbine distances... with much more relaxed distances at the base camp...if you can find wherever that happens to be. It is more important to avoid firefights than to engage in them....as the best win is a fight you don't have to get into. However, I still believe in being ready. Concealment/evasion can be your friend if bugging out. Otherwise, stack all the ammo you can store!

 

[Arkarayne]

Shoggoth is right. I frankly want to have enough ammo to open my own lemonade/ammo stand. What I want to carry is the issue.
Since i'm of the "Bug out to bug in" catergory, but this applies really to most setups:
Have at-the-ready equipment and loadouts of say, ~200 Main Rifle, ~60-100 Handgun. Depending on your gear or weapon choice. Any RPG player will tell you, weight is the devil haha. If you're clanking across the landscape lookin' like the big kid in gym class, it'll do you no good at all.
If you're purely bug-out (moblie survival), or bug-in (property sentry/defense), you may wish to have on your person more or less ammo, but, if you need more rounds then that to get where you're going (your home, fort, cashe, boat, shanty, whatever), you have either poor accuracy, or poor luck in picking the one path with the zombie horde or heavily armed contingent, either way once you're ammo's gone, game over. Think less Halo and more Ghost Recon.
Have all the ammo you can afford, Carry what will serve your purposes.

 

[brad10095]

Fourty odd years ago I spent a year living with an M16. The basic load was 7 mags but nobody went anywhere with just the basic load. Everone I patroled with carried extra in a cargo pocket or pack plus 2 cloth bandoliers (120 rds each) across the chest. All that plus 100 rds M60 ammo, frag and smoke grenades, radio batteries, claymore mine and food / water. If your life depends on it the weights not bad.

My rule of thumb for ammo: All you can get plus 1

 

[Russianfist]

Shoggoth is right. I frankly want to have enough ammo to open my own lemonade/ammo stand. What I want to carry is the issue.
Since i'm of the "Bug out to bug in" catergory, but this applies really to most setups:
Have at-the-ready equipment and loadouts of say, ~200 Main Rifle, ~60-100 Handgun. Depending on your gear or weapon choice. Any RPG player will tell you, weight is the devil haha. If you're clanking across the landscape lookin' like the big kid in gym class, it'll do you no good at all.
If you're purely bug-out (moblie survival), or bug-in (property sentry/defense), you may wish to have on your person more or less ammo, but, if you need more rounds then that to get where you're going (your home, fort, cashe, boat, shanty, whatever), you have either poor accuracy, or poor luck in picking the one path with the zombie horde or heavily armed contingent, either way once you're ammo's gone, game over. Think less Halo and more Ghost Recon.
Have all the ammo you can afford, Carry what will serve your purposes.

I have to agree with this. Want vs.need are two very different things. In a SHTF situation your going to need alot more food and water than ammo. You will also be slower, burn more water,food, and fuel trying to pack around 2000+ of ammo. doing this only makes you a target and the bad guys will just use your ammo on your buddys after stripping your bones clean. Remeber less is more and don't waste it. The idea of dumping a mag on the first bad guy you see will only get you and your friends killed. Take a lesson from the what we are seeing in the sandbox. The bad guys have lots n' lots of ammo and weapons. They keep it stashed in small amounts in hundreds of locations. This way they can travel light and quick. shot n' move is better than spray n' pray. They maybe uncivilized but they're not stupid. They've learned to fight, evade and regroup very effectively. So if your sitting on 100,000 rounds and things begin to get dicey in the world you may want to split that pile up. This also helps if you bugout and come back later because the bad guy has only found 2000 rounds insted of your whole stash.