What's your minimum ammo stock?

[HB of CJ]

.30 Caliber cans are better. Lighter. Easier to carry with women or kids. I do not think even I could carry two .50 cal cans full of ammo. At least not too far very quickly. Too heavy and I am too old.

 

[gmerkt]

Enough to get me to the end of my life and have plenty left over for my wife's garage sale. I don't think in terms of SHTF because I couldn't hack that scenario physically.

But this thread makes me think more of the beginning of my "gun time" when I was a teenager and every round counted. Lots of times, I had two digit quantities. Or less. Because when we'd go out shooting, we'd burn it all off. Then start over. In the 1960's, battlefield pick-up military surplus ammo was five cents a round loose in a barrel. A box of .22 LR cost 75 cents but we didn't have the money to buy many boxes.

 

[11Charlie]

Is there really such a thing as a minimum when your talking guns and ammo?

 

[Camelfilter]

.30 Caliber cans are better. Lighter. Easier to carry with women or kids. I do not think even I could carry two .50 cal cans full of ammo. At least not too far very quickly. Too heavy and I am too old.

Both types are fine for us for storage, but yah, can see where .50 cans may be too heavy with only ammo.

If that happens to be the case, use .50 cal cans only for charged magazine stowage. Far lighter than ammo only, secure from elements. Good to go.

Off the top of my brain, a .50 cal can stows:

15 - 17 30 rd GI 5.56 mags

13-14 30 rd 5.56 Pmags

13 LR/SR AR10 pmags

13 G3/CETME mags

AK mag stowage is funky, and depends if slab side vs standard vs 20/30/40 rd. Figure on 12.

Haven't taken the mini-14's out in a while, but I think we do 12 per can. Combo of Ruger & Tapco.

As you can imagine, weights are considerably less than bulk dumping ammo in a .50 can, or even neatly organizing boxes.

And again, they are good to go..

Stowage of mags in carriers/bandoleers & whatnot in the cans gets more complicated & loss of stowage space/capacity when it is possible.

Not recommended other than perhaps a few, should you want to.

We do have a few cans that way, and a few bandoleers "at hand" ready at home, but normally spare bandoleers are empty stowed until needed for range practice. Easy enough to ready them, since mags are charged. That's the real time sink, charging mags...

 

[3MTA3]

For most common cartridges - buy now! Best prices and availability since 2008. It won't last forever and depending on next year's election we could be back to scant inventory and stupid high prices.

I won't go into actual quantities that I own, but the minimum suggestions I've read and agree with are:
1,000 - 2,000 rounds per AR/AK
500-1,000 rounds of 7.62 per AR10, FAL, etc.
5,000 - 10,000 rounds of .22LR
1,000 - 2,000 rounds of your most common pistol cartridge
500 rounds of shot shells
Don't forget the magazines as well.

When you go shooting, buy new but use the oldest instead

This isn't just thinking about eventual SHTF/disaster, etc. We live in a political climate that could make ammunition very hard to get and I don't just think of myself, but others who may need it down the road.

 

[Pandaz3]

I only have maybe 250 rounds of 10 MM, 500+ 45ACP but only 150 JHP, 500 or so 9 MM 100 JHP, 700 most JHP of 40 S&W, 100 30-30, 100 7 MM Mag, 400 308 + 200 in mags, 500 380 100 JHP, 10,000 22 LR, 1000 22 Mag, 150 327 Federal + 50 32 H&R Mag, 400 38 Spl, 400 357 Mag, 250 44 Mag

I need 327 pretty bad could use some 9 MM too wife is shooting all the 9 and says we have enough.... I'll buy more anyway.

 

[Pete F]

I know that I am close when the floor joists start creaking.

 

[Diamondback]

First thing we should do is define "tiers" of storage--I'm not gonna give numbers since as noted this is an open forum and I'm still sorting it out myself, but here's some musings on a buildout process...

Tier 1: Immediate Access - 2-3 fully loaded mags per Serious Social Work weapon
Tier 2: Gear Up Time - LBE/carrier/chest-rig filled with one standard combat load, one per SSW gun; second combat load per gun in a bandolier.
Tier 3: Bug Out Bag - another full combat load per "Take With In SHTF" gun. Best not too heavy at this level since it'll need spare parts and cleaning tools in the Go Bag too.
Tier 4: Mags In Cans - two combat loads (14mags 5.56 AR) per Fat Fifty, at least one can per gun and two is better.
Tier 5: Bulk Ammo In Cans - at least one .30 can loaded to nearest whole multiple of 420 rounds (one full GI tin-can/two combat loads).
Tier 6: Bulk Cases - at least one case per gun; ideally at least one case more each prepositioned at at least two cache sites.

Are we seeing a common denominator here? This doesn't include handguns or .22's, but it's a start... if you take a single military combat load as your building block, things just kinda build up and out from there--worth noting that the standard 420-round GI ammo tin was built around providing combat loads to refill seven mags each for two GI's. Start with "Immediate Action" needs and work back and build out from there.

Remember, you're not gonna get here overnight... one step at a time, as budget allows.

 

[Dozer99]

As it's been said before, it will be said again- If you have to ask, you don't have enough!

 

[nammac]

First thing we should do is define "tiers" of storage--I'm not gonna give numbers since as noted this is an open forum and I'm still sorting it out myself, but here's some musings on a buildout process...

Tier 1: Immediate Access - 2-3 fully loaded mags per Serious Social Work weapon
Tier 2: Gear Up Time - LBE/carrier/chest-rig filled with one standard combat load; second combat load in a bandolier.
Tier 3: Bug Out Bag - another full combat load per "Take With In SHTF" gun. Best not too heavy at this level since it'll need spare parts and cleaning tools in the Go Bag too.
Tier 4: Mags In Cans - two combat loads (14mags 5.56 AR) per Fat Fifty, at least one can per gun and two is better.
Tier 5: Bulk Ammo In Cans - at least one .30 can loaded to nearest whole multiple of 420 rounds (one full GI tin-can/two combat loads).
Tier 6: Bulk Cases - at least one case per gun; ideally at least one case more each prepositioned at at least two cache sites.

Are we seeing a common denominator here? This doesn't include handguns or .22's, but it's a start... if you take a single military combat load as your building block, things just kinda build up and out from there--worth noting that the standard 420-round GI ammo tin was built around providing combat loads to refill seven mags each for two GI's. Start with "Immediate Action" needs and work back and build out from there.

Remember, you're not gonna get here overnight... one step at a time, as budget allows.
View attachment 601879

Stack 'em high, stack 'em deep.

The .30 and .50 ammo cans are the best best for longer term storage, a silica gel pack for good measure and that ammo should just be fine for use in the 22nd century...

 

[Diamondback]

Lemme TLDR my prior...

 

[Diamondback]

The other important thing is to ROTATE your stash regularly--both ammo and mags, shoot down your Ready stuff periodically and replenish up from the lower tiers. In retail and accounting it's called FIFO: "First In First Out."

The above also doesn't account for any 'Special' or 'Novelty' loads... for example if you rock M855 for your fullsize AR's, Gold Dots or FBIT3 for AR pistols/SBR's and some Mk 262 for special cases, it would be prudent to prepare--and mark cans and mags--accordingly.

 

[BSDave]

I have on hand enough not to worry about panic hoarding. Every time I visit the local bimart I buy a box. Whatever our family shoots at a range session I replace plus a box. It all adds up over time.

 

[nammac]

Always fun to buy on sale and save. I complement my purchases with reloading. So, I think I should be all set...

 

[gmerkt]

For most common cartridges - buy now! Best prices and availability since 2008. It won't last forever and depending on next year's election we could be back to scant inventory and stupid high prices.

Agree with above on prices and availability. If you have some extra stuff, wait a year, year and a half. You might get more for that stuff after the next general election. If the "other side" does get back into office, don't wait too long to sell any extra ammo. They might come up with some kind of national law regulating ammo like California has done. If the "other side" gets into office, gains the US Senate (or maybe they wouldn't have to with regard to gun laws), I think just about anything could be on the table. For example, I think the day may be coming when we can't just put through an order to Powder Valley and get what we want. That could be done a couple of ways. (1) The terrorism angle. (2) Or they could simply make up some new DOT rules that strangle getting a hold of powder and primers.

The opposition might come up with federal legal limits on quantities owned. Which as we know would be just another hard to enforce law, but surely a Gotcha on occasion upon discovery.

I don't lay away nights thinking about this stuff, but I think we should be prepared for the worst. After all, the repreated mass shootings and the ensuing publicity about them have caused a kind of build-up of anti-gun pressure that has yet to be released.

 

[nammac]

After all, the repeated mass shootings and the ensuing publicity about them have caused a kind of build-up of anti-gun pressure that has yet to be released.

A purge would do the trick, kinda like hitting the reset button.

 

[techiej]

I like to have at least 3 months of range time ammo around for each caliber. For some that means a several thousand rounds, for others a few hundred.

Usually I have 6-9 months worth for stuff like 9mm.

I reload, so other than 22lr, it's more of a what I'm feeling like doing at the moment.

The actual quantity (beyond minimum) varies quite a bit as I buy components in bulk to save $$$.

 

[GOG]

 

[DivCurlGrad72]

View attachment 601939

That's $0.40/round. So much for the bulk discount.

 

[GOG]

Oh yeah, and never pay retail.