Stockpile ammo on a budget

[turbo_vanner]

if you're stockpiling, then you don't need it immediately. Just budget and save until you can get the 1000 round case with free shipping from wherever.

 

[EPS]

My friends and I have mostly the same calibers so we group buy are share the load. Maybe try that.

I do this all the time I buy it online and split it up with friends at work

 

[tinkerbill]

Taster's Choice is not bad coffee. My work has OK coffee and buy coffee when is on sale. I go to Peet's or Starbucks very rarely now a days.

I never darken the door of Starbucks any more, haven't for a long time. Mostly due to $ but also their politics & hiring preference of LGBT! I will never consider what that particular group stands for as "normal". Just makes my skin crawl. It's just my preference so don't bash me.

 

[ditchtiger]

So what happened to the OP? Started a thread and jumped ship?

 

[arakboss]

I am not going to profess as being the king of ammo deals but I have had many successes most of which have come locally. If you place a high value on your free time then my tips may not work for you. If you want the maximum value for the precious few dollars in your pocket then take heed of these tips. I truly enjoy getting the best deal.

Purchase discount gift cards (mostly useful for Cabela's) If you have discipline get Cabela's Club Visa and use it in discount days. They just had one yesterday and you could have saved 10% buy using the club visa card for even $1 of the purchase and pay the rest with discount gift cards which are often available for 15% discount.
Survey discounts at Dick's will save you up to 20% on ammo purchases.
Use price match liberally at Dick's and Cabela's.
Watch for Clearance items, prices aren't always marked down correctly (this is especially true at Walmart and Dick's)
Clearance items at Walmart won't always be in the case, sometimes you have to be persistent in a friendly way.
NWFirearms classified ads can turn up good deals occasionally.
Buy insane ammo deals, even if you don't shoot the caliber, it can be traded for something you can use.
Visit r/gundeals and put some effort in to your purchases.
Reload

Good luck stretching your ammo dollars.

 

[tinkerbill]

I reload, I have powder and primers stocked up, I have lead stocked up, I recycle my lead using bullet traps. It's very economical, and I'm not at the whims of whatever political bubblegum is taking place. I realize that it's not for everybody but it works for me. I picked up a few new uppers a few months ago and had to buy store bought ammo as I didn't have any brass or dies yet, man, it about killed me parting with the cash.lol.

I shoot smokeless black powder, cast my own recycle as you do, and can even make my own #11 percussion caps using

I reload, I have powder and primers stocked up, I have lead stocked up, I recycle my lead using bullet traps. It's very economical, and I'm not at the whims of whatever political bubblegum is taking place. I realize that it's not for everybody but it works for me. I picked up a few new uppers a few months ago and had to buy store bought ammo as I didn't have any brass or dies yet, man, it about killed me parting with the cash.lol.

Mike7b, I do essentially the same thing as you except my reloading process is a little slower and as needed. I shoot smokeless BP in my percussion 45cal pistol & rifle. I cast my own bullets from captured/recycled lead also and can make my own #11 percussion primers using products from www.sharpshooter.com, specifically their #11 cap maker and primer solution. I only bought the sharpshooter equipment as backup if reasonable supply of #11 caps is not available. Sharpshooter even has tools to reload small & large regular primers and even 22LR if and when they become either scarce or too expensive again.** It's not worth your time to reload 22LR with current BiMart sale prices @ <4 cents per round unless you enjoy that sort of thing! I have sought out my local BiMart manager and thanked him for a well-stocked guns and ammo section!

** As we all know arms and ammo will become harder to get again if radical left legislature continues to run roughshod with their current super majority openly churning out bad law, mostly unchecked! It's unbelievable how blatantly they ignore our constitution, both Oregon and National)! They are also working hard (illegally) to make any legal resistance to their future as "our leaders" impossible to overcome!

I'm still shooting my Montgomery Wards liquidation .22.

I'm in the "deef" department myself! Eh? What'd you say???? Either you don't shoot a lot of ammo or you got a hell of a lot of ammo in that Monkey Wards closeout! They've been gone for decades!

 

[Crem8r]

If you're someone who uses cash over debit/credit cards, each time you get a $5 bill in change stash it away somewhere. You'd be amazed how fast they add up.

 

[coltemp]

though there are plenty of great ideas here one other to consider and especially if you have enough cash to make it worth it AND a couple of friends to go in with you is to join places like Target Sports (targetsportsusa.com) Prime Ammo membership.
#1 they knock 8% off the standard list price which is already usually very competitive even with the sale prices of the others mentioned. And in additionally they will ship any order for free. No shipping period. Order one box order a whole bunch. this allows you to spend a bit less than buying the case.

As others have said looking for those unloading ammo or selling off estate can be had for good deals. But usually you need a bit more cash available and be willing to get some stuff you really don't need along with the rest.

 

[nammac]

A short case here, a short case there, before you know it, your sitting on 10's of thousands of rounds...

For me, personally, I scaled back my beer consumption about a year ago, freeing up about $100/month. Invest in ammo or new shiney objects... Wife doesn't care because it was already budgeted and she happy I'm down to a beer or so a day...

 

[coltemp]

if you want cheaper ammo then you have to learn how to reload.

That depends a bit on what you shoot. These days factory 9 and some others can be had for about the same or sometimes less that reloading. For rifle yes reloading lots of times can save you money. Problem is what is the time value of your time to reload. Along with the costs of getting setup to do so.
Nothing wrong with reloading. I do reload my rifle rounds and have some supplies for handgun but frankly factory is way more worth it value wise.

 

[Member 52301]

what do you guys do when you can't afford to purchase 1k rounds at a time? Looking for ideas to stockpile ammo without skipping a meal. Thanks!

How many calibers do you shoot? I am Not asking you how many firearms that you own.

What do you shoot the most in ONE caliber and how many rounds per session?

CONSOLIDATE your firearm calibers or decide what you choose to shoot the MOST if you have several firearms. CONCENTRATE ON YOUR MAIN FIREARM first and go down the line on what you shoot the most.

If you don't shoot one gun that much or you want to TRY something else... see if that other firearm can SHARE the same ammo with your other firearms. Matching calibers.

If you shoot 22lr the MOST - buy a bulk box of that once a week. Whatever you shoot, replace it immediately, and if you can afford it on YOUR budget, shoot one box and buy two boxes.

CF ammunition in some calibers are pretty inexpensive right now. Buy good self defense ammunition. Keep some of that on hand and practice with it.

And if you have CF ammunition plinking rounds or general target rounds - buy that UNLESS you only use ONE specific type of CF ammo for any CF firearm that you own.

Repeat the process. It is not complicated.

It is like saving up for any other THING in life. Work an extra job or some OT if you can do this. Become self employed in your primary job or for your second job - it may lead to good things.

Buying in bulk is a good idea but IF you watch some prices in some stores and you want to have some on hand NOW and not wait until you can do a BIG BULK purchase ALONE or with other people - buy what you can afford on a regular basis NOW and KEEP AN EYE ON ALL PRICES.

BUY now while the prices tend to be LOWER and BEFORE the election season mess starts all over. Buy a little bit every single week or once a month.

Learn to reload with simple, quality equipment and quality reloading products down the road IF you think that you will like to do this and IF you shoot often and a lot especially in some firearm calibers. Some cartridges are pretty expensive now and if you had to buy the ammo for it - it may break the bank.

DISCLAIMER: I do NOT reload but my MT husband does. I shoot 22lr now too. I used to shoot 22lr firearms MORE than my other FORMER CF firearms too.

Earn some more money if you can. I am saying it again.

Stop buying silly things that are NOT as important to you as stocking up in ammunition OR saving up for any other IMPORTANT thing that matters to you.

MAKE your own coffee and tea. DRINK water not soda.

MAKE your own lunch and take it to work.

COOK at home and shop frugally but buy quality items. Grow some of your fruits and vegetables if you can.

Don't buy junk food.

CUT off your cable or dish boob tube subscriptions.

Don't buy stupid stuff that you do NOT really want just to keep up with some FAD or some CROWD.

Sell stuff that you don't like or use in your home.

MAKE a budget and LIVE by it.

Put your COIN or change in a can and watch it grow!

Best wishes to you.

Cate