# How many rounds makes a stash?



## BigNic (Feb 17, 2009)

Taking into consideration that it is getting increasingly more difficult to find plentiful ammo on local store shelves, what would you say is the *bare-minimum* number of rounds you need to have stored on hand per gun.

Strictly for storage, not your shooting supply.


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## Ptarmigan (Jul 4, 2008)

I am not sure where you are going with this but please read the link below in case this is what you have in mind.

http://www.handgunforum.net/showthread.php?t=13953


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## BigNic (Feb 17, 2009)

Ptarmigan said:


> I am not sure where you are going with this but please read the link below in case this is what you have in mind.
> 
> http://www.handgunforum.net/showthread.php?t=13953


Let me explain with much more clarity as to avoid further confusion. Everyone is complaining about near-empty ammo shelves in the stores they usually buy ammunition from. Most feel it is a buying rush brought on by an anti-gun administration taking office. I am wondering how much I should shelve until the rush to buy is over and store supplies get back to normal. I'm sure this does not equate to zombies, shtf, or doom of any kind.


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## BigNic (Feb 17, 2009)

How about this... I have 2 handguns and a shotgun. I bought 200 rounds of extra ammo for each gun so if my local Walmart is short, I can still get my normal weekly range time in.


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## Ptarmigan (Jul 4, 2008)

Got it. I worried this would be the start of some end of the world type thread...carry on.


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## BigNic (Feb 17, 2009)

Ok, good. I didn't know if 200 would be enough, so I wanted to know what others are doing.


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## DevilsJohnson (Oct 21, 2007)

As of right now I have:
22lr - 1100 (2 box @ 550 ea)
17 HMR - 250
380 - 100
9mm - 2200
40 S&W - 1500
38 spl 150 - 357 - 150 (Don't shoot these much or at all)
45 ACP -2600
44 Rem mag - 500
12 ga - 500
16 ga - 250
30-30 - 500
223/5.56 - 2500
7.62x39 - 1500

I have about 5000 45 and 2500 40 and 2500 9mm to get rolled into useful
rounds. :smt023

No reason for having it all other than I reload (And I really like doing it) and if I see a deal I'll buy up what I can. I do love a bargain. :smt112


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## BeefyBeefo (Jan 30, 2008)

As much as I can afford, which isn't very much at the moment...


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## DevilsJohnson (Oct 21, 2007)

BeefyBeefo said:


> As much as I can afford, which isn't very much at the moment...


Watch cheaperthandirt,Midway, Natchez, to name a few. I find sales pretty often. Then buy every round I can.

I'm a pretty big fan of S&B. It's a little hot but works well. Though I've seen almost any brand you can think of at one time or another. :smt033


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## bruce333 (Sep 1, 2006)

Not sure how much ammo I have at the moment. I try to keep around 500 rounds on hand for each handgun caliber (9mm, 38spl, 45auto). Probably more than that for the rifles since I'll buy 500-700 rounds at a time.


BeefyBeefo said:


> As much as I can afford, which isn't very much at the moment...


Yeah, me too...although my C&R discount from Midway does help when I do have money to spend. Last time I saved around $30 over local prices even after figuring in shipping.


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## Guest (Feb 28, 2009)

*There is no correct answer*



BigNic said:


> Taking into consideration that it is getting increasingly more difficult to find plentiful ammo on local store shelves, what would you say is the *bare-minimum* number of rounds you need to have stored on hand per gun.
> 
> Strictly for storage, not your shooting supply.


With all due respect, there is no way anyone here can answer that question, especially with the almost non-existent information you have provided.

If you are using your gun strictly for home defense, all you really *NEED* is probably the maximum your particular gun's magazine will hold. If someone breaks into your house and you can't get the job done with 16-17 shots, you are either outgunned or just a really lousy shot. Either way, you're dead!

The only real answer is to buy as much as you can afford and only you know what your personal financial situation is. You don't say what caliber your guns are, but as an example, you can buy 1000 rounds of 9mm for about $216.00 by mail order. If you can't afford to buy this much ammo, then maybe you can't afford to go to the range every week as you claim you do. If you are having financial difficulties (and it is none of our business if you do), then maybe you just have to suck it up and curtail your shooting activities.

But as long as you asked... we do the bulk of our weekly grocery shopping at Wal-Mart. My wife has pretty much resigned herself to the fact that I will go through the sporting goods section of the store and if they happen to have the caliber I use in on the shelf, I will buy a box or maybe two.

If you always go with the bare minimum, it will never be enough. Just like the economy, no one knows when the shortage will be over.

Happy Shooting!
Scott


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## BigNic (Feb 17, 2009)

scottaschultz said:


> With all due respect, there is no way anyone here can answer that question, especially with the almost non-existent information you have provided.
> 
> If you are using your gun strictly for home defense, all you really *NEED* is probably the maximum your particular gun's magazine will hold. If someone breaks into your house and you can't get the job done with 16-17 shots, you are either outgunned or just a really lousy shot. Either way, you're dead!
> 
> ...


I appreciate your reply, but this wasn't a difficult question. I was wondering how much ammo our fellow members are "squirreling" away to stave off running low if the ammo situation continues along it's dry path... and several have indeed answered this question already. There is no scenario. There is no right or wrong answer. There is no more information that need be provided to answer this overwhelmingly generic question. First you said you only need the maximum your gun will hold... then you said if you go with the bare minimum it will never be enough. With all due respect to you, I don't think you understood the nature of this rather elementary question.


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## niadhf (Jan 20, 2008)

i try to have between 200-300 rounds for each caliber on hand. exceptions...some rifle rounds (6.5 JAP comes to mind) but some of them... i roll my own.
The exception right now is .380 as they can not be found around here right now (except for the $40 silvertips. i have enough to hokd over or mail order at that price)


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## mels95yj (Nov 25, 2008)

I'm trying to pick up a few boxes, whenever they've got some, everytime I go to Walmart. If I knew I could just swing by and pick up a couple of boxes on my way to the range, I'd probably only keep a few boxes at the house. Since that's not the case right now, I've got about 1,300 rounds.

Mel


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## Guest (Feb 28, 2009)

BigNic said:


> With all due respect to you, I don't think you understood the nature of this rather elementary question.


With utmost respect, my point was that there are just too many individual factors that will affect how much ammo you keep on hand and what works for me or any other contributor to this forum will probably not work for you. You say there is no scenario, but how often you go to the range and how much you shoot when you are there is a factor. You ask how much do each of us squirrel away to get though the shortage? The simple answer is that if I am running low and I can't find any more (or can't afford to buy any more even if it is available), then I just don't get to go out and shoot. The *ONLY* way to stave off running low is to not use what you have on hand, no matter what that number is. What is so difficult about that?

When someone asks what is the minimum, it usually means that there is something preventing that person from just going out and buying however much they want and you have chosen not to include what that something is for you.

Of course Wal-Mart has been frequently been sold out of the popular calibers, but with diligent searches of online vendors, I have never had to curtail my shooting because I have not been able to find ammunition.

*YOU* are the *ONLY* person who can determine how much ammunition you use, how much you can afford and when you have to curtail your shooting... and it is just that elementary!

Your original question was what is the "bare-minimum number of rounds you need to have stored on hand per gun"? If you are a hobbyist or recreational shooter and not a competitive shooter or someone who gets paid to be armed, the minimum number of rounds you *NEED* is zero! Then the question becomes how many rounds do you *WANT* to keep on hand and only *YOU* can answer that.

Scott


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## BigNic (Feb 17, 2009)

scottaschultz said:


> With utmost respect, my point was that there are just too many individual factors that will affect how much ammo you keep on hand and what works for me or any other contributor to this forum will probably not work for you. You say there is no scenario, but how often you go to the range and how much you shoot when you are there is a factor. You ask how much do each of us squirrel away to get though the shortage? The simple answer is that if I am running low and I can't find any more (or can't afford to buy any more even if it is available), then I just don't get to go out and shoot. The *ONLY* way to stave off running low is to not use what you have on hand, no matter what that number is. What is so difficult about that?
> 
> When someone asks what is the minimum, it usually means that there is something preventing that person from just going out and buying however much they want and you have chosen not to include what that something is for you.
> 
> ...


Dude... you're like a conversation nazi. The ammo "crisis" is nation wide, and yes, that includes online vendors. Why on earth do you think I have something preventing me from buying ammo? Are you just trolling to rile people up? This is not the only thread I have seen you do this. I don't "claim" to shoot weekly, I do so. I am in a pistol league that shoots weekly. I practice once a week, and I also compete in action shoots twice a month at my club. I have already stated that I put away 200 rounds per gun, and was wondering what our fellow members were doing as well. Oh, and try not to better your replies by editing your prior posts after someone has quoted you, it makes you look silly. Respectfully, Nic


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## literaltrance (Dec 24, 2008)

No need to get personal fellas; some good points are made, but IMHO, one bad one.

:smt076 The bad one: the shortage of "easily-obtained" ammo is today's reality. I am not sure where you live in Missouri but it's been this way for at least the past 3-4 months. There have been too many reports of empty shelves at local stores, and on top of that I've witnessed it myself quite a few times in the past several weeks. Then again, I was able to pickup 2k rounds of 9mm and 45ACP online for a really good price from Natchez SS several weeks ago. Georgia Arms also has some great Canned Heat specials and have recently lifted their 5-7 week waiting period, so you can get in a bulk order (1000+) for a very fair price in about a week's time.

Regardless of increasing resource demands of lead and copper worldwide (thank you China and India for consequently driving the prices up), my personal theory on root cause of the ammo shortage largely revolves around recent rhetoric of a more liberal American government proposing absurd restrictions on ammo and firearms. Some of it is true, some of it is not. Either way, tightened wallets in a receding economy only compounds concern and natively nudges people to not only stock up on things (food too, baby), but find the absolute best deal around, like Walmart's typically attractive WWB prices, and wipe the shelves clean.

Counterpoint: if you're a competition shooter, I can't imagine why you wouldn't reload. However, if reloading isn't an option (I know it's not for me, yet), then save up some green for an online bulk order. You'll save money in the long run.

I did just take a peek at Natchez SS and they're pretty much out. Ammoman.com has been out for about two months. Personally, my only present, realistic source of ammo is Georgia Arms, but I'm cool with that.

Finally, to answer the original question, I do agree with Scott. It's a matter of preference and how often you want to shoot. There are really only a few things I can say here and I am not sure your reading it will help you come to a conclusion.

-I've always thought competition shooting and reloading went hand in hand. Even if price was not a factor (although it is a *huge *one, especially these days), the benefits of consistency and accuracy make for much more respectable shooting results. In other words, you're going to shoot a lot better with carefully loaded ammo versus run of the mill factory ammo.
-I have roughly 4k rounds of ammo at my place....6 different handgun calibers....anywhere from 300-1000 cartidges per caliber. Roughly 25% of each caliber's cartridges are personal defense / hunting rounds (which means I have roughly 3k rounds of "practice" ammo and 1k rounds of "need" ammo). I feel this is more than enough.
-Consider skipping some competition shoots. I'm not even sure if this is an option: if you can't find ammo to shoot, well then you're not shooting competition are ya? (hehe this sounds bad, but no disrespect here). I guess what I'm trying to say is I don't think it's such a bad thing to ease off on the frequency in which you shoot. To be perfectly honest, I used to shoot twice a month, but considering the multitude of difficulties these days I have put rangetime on hold. I don't like in the least but I think it's a sound and prudent decision given the situation at home and abroad.

In short, I feel your pain, Nic. Just get what you can and give an "ammo diet" some serious thought.

:smt1099


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## Ptarmigan (Jul 4, 2008)

Literaltrance is right, no need to make this personal. Scott and Nic, please try to get along or take your issues to PM or email.


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## Guest (Mar 5, 2009)

Wow! I haven't been put in timeout in almost 45 years!

OK, I may have been a little over the top in my responses and for that I apologize.

I guess I just don't understand this fascination with a _minimum_ amount of ammunition to keep on hand, but that is Nic's business and only he can decide based on his circumstances.

Consider my wrist duly slapped!

Scott

P.S. I promise not to edit this post!


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## BigNic (Feb 17, 2009)

Points taken... my bad.


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## Ptarmigan (Jul 4, 2008)

Thanks guys. No harm done. :smt023


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## Greyhoundman (Feb 14, 2009)

If you are concerned about running out of easily obtainable ammo i recommend investing in a Reloader. It will save you money in the long run and as long as you make an effort to pick up most of your brass it will last you a very long time. :watching:


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## PilotAlso (Jan 2, 2009)

*I agree with Greyhoundman*

I don't understand why people aren't reloading. Especially if you're shooting on a regular basis.

I'm new to the hobby but quickly found out that buying factory 40 S&W gets expensive FAST!

I now have a reloader, 500 factory rounds, 1000 empties, 1200 bullets, 2000 primers, and 2lbs of powder.

Lee Classic Turret Press about $100.00
Lee Die Set about $50.00
Lee Pro Powder Dispenser about $30.00
Lee Safety Primer about $25.00
Digital Calipers about $35.00
Powder Scale about $50.00

1000 once fired brass, $44.00 delivered
1000 Montana Gold bullets about $120.00
2000 primers about $50.00
2lbs AA#7 about $50.00

I keep about 500 rounds as a minimum and just sit down at the reloader when I have a chance. Most of the time I pop out 50 or so in 15-20 minutes.

Equipment purchase was about $300 but I figure I can use it as long as I want, then sell it to recover some of the cost.

Brass is reusable for a number of rounds so specific costs per round come down to bullet, primer, and powder with some loss of brass costs based on a FINITE number of reload cycles.

How does 1000 rounds of 40 S&W for about $155.00 sound. And to top it off, they are more accurate than factory (once you get dialed in).

I figure if ammunition gets real scarce, I can start casting my own lead leaving primers and powder the only ingrediants I'd need to purchase.


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## hideit (Oct 3, 2007)

wow a lot of words for the question of "minimun"
minimun would be the handgun full and enough for another reload
or if you have extra clips then have all of them filled

nuff said


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## johnr (Jun 13, 2008)

i bought a 1000 rounds of 9mm at about 8 bucks a box. discount quantity due to distance travel, i could have bought a single box a the same price every day if necessary, just add 45 min travel to each purchase! discount comes from no travel cost/box.

i go through 1-2 boxes per range visit, 1 or 2 times a month. cheap entertainment for me! 

i am down to about 1/3 my initial investment and thinking about buying another 1000 rounds of target ammo. my home defense rounds were a box of 25 at 16 bucks and still have one mag loaded and enough left for another.

for plinking i have a 22lr, some stores seem to have a shortage of cci mini mags but i can find them when i want a 100 round box. no need to stockpile at this time, even with the current "shortages"

YMMV 
john


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## tekhead1219 (May 16, 2008)

hideit said:


> ...or if you have extra clips then have all of them filled
> 
> nuff said


Clips?????:smt033


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## Guest (Mar 6, 2009)

I just increased my "stash" off .22LR by 1100 rds. Wal-Mart has (or probably had by this time) Federal 550 bulk packs for $13.47 so I bought 2. I already have a box of 525 unopened which gives me 1625 plus the open box I already have in my bag so I probably have close to 2000 rds.

The temperature today will break 70 for the first time this year. Taking all that into consideration, I _might_ have enough of a stash to get me through the day!

Plinking does have its advantages!

Scott


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