Ammo question: I am trying to figure out how much ammo I should have.

[-]

Gffnggmgfgbj@reddit

You americans see shtf as one long camping with afternoon headshots from the rooftops. What would one do with 10k ammo? In what situation would this be useful? One should avoid gunfights, and have enough ammo to be able to survive gunfight or two, that would not be avoidable. 10k ammo is just good loot. If not before, after first trade or if word about it goes around. Noone who survived shtf situation in real world didn’t have full storage of ammo or canned food. Check Selco Begovic’s blog for real life experience. Read about balkan wars and life there in the 90’s.

Reply

[-]

SnooLobsters1308@reddit

Well, maybe consider it like cost of living adjustment by geography. $100 doesn't get you the same amount of french frys in USA, as it does in Japan, or in India. In USA, if all of the starving people around you have 500 rounds of ammo and guns, do you want to have 0, 500, or 5000 rounds yourself? In most other countries, few of the civilians already have arms. In the USA, 10s of millions of civilians have arms. Also time horizon. Many here on the forum are planning for 10 year + no civilization. You likely need more ammo over 10 years than over 2.

Reply

[-]

Gffnggmgfgbj@reddit

If you have 50% (you may insert any other percentage) chance to survive a gunfight, you have 25% chance of survival of two gunfights, 12.5% three gunfights, etc. How many rounds do you need for that? Real shtf doesn’t have any target shooting, because any shooting attracts looters. So, to answer your question: 500 rounds

Reply

[-]

SnooLobsters1308@reddit

WOOT for the maths discussion, I was math and statistics in university too. :) I concede your point that more gunfights = less chance to be alive, AND that less chance to be alive = less need for ammo in the future :) . MY point was that in USA, in SHTF, IF you have stuff, there will be gunfights, because there are already so much guns. Yes yes, better to NOT be in a gunfight. But, if you KNOW people with guns are coming to take your stuff, do you really only want 500 rounds? I think it only makes sense that if you are in a country where almost no one has guns, you need less ammo, and if you are in USA where there are BILLIONS of ammo already, you would need more ammo. People outside the USA seem to think that in SHTF, you can have supplies and somehow not need guns. Given 70% of the people in my area have guns, I see no chance of not needing some home defense ammo if SHTF. Like, serious grid down no government anywhere SHTF. In localized disasters, likely little to no shooting. Total grid down for months, there will be shooting. With 100% chance of multiple gunfights, is 500 ammo really enough?

Reply

[-]

DancingMaenad@reddit

That's not really how percentages work. If you flip a coin you have a 50% chance of hitting heads. If you flip it again the odds are still 50%. The odds don't just cut in half every time you "win" a gun fight and move to the next one. Your odds are still around 50% , assuming you even equally matched in skill.

Reply

[-]

Gffnggmgfgbj@reddit

Mathematically this is true (math was one of my collage majors before I joined the military), yet in real world your chances to survive one gunfight or 50 gunfights are not the same.

Reply

[-]

DancingMaenad@reddit

Right. Of course. The odds of flipping heads and flipping heads 50 times in a row isn't the same either. But it isn't decreasing by 50% every turn either.

Reply

[-]

m_m_m_m_m_toasty@reddit

Unpopular opinion here, but preppers in general spend way too much and stack way too deep on ammo. Each person you are equipping should, IMO, stock 5 combat loadouts with their "main" gun. (If you have to go through 5 firefights and can never resupply ammo you are doing something wrong). For an ar15, that's 8 mags, so 224 rounds per loadout, or ~1100 rounds per person. For a shotgun, that's 64 rounds per loadout, or ~300 buckshot/slugs. For a handgun that's 4x mags of whatever you carry. This should be where you spend extra on the "premium" ammos. My brother hunts elk with his 300 mag. He has bagged 6 in 7 years. I'll let you guess how many rounds he has shot. No need to have more than a few hundred in hunting loads. Beyond that, get 200 rounds per year for the main gun and handgun that you are prepping with for training. Then spend your money elsewhere.

Reply

[-]

RedDawnerAndBlitzen@reddit

To clarify, are you suggesting 200 rounds per year for training? Because that’s less than I put through my handgun each month and I still don’t feel like I train enough.

Reply

[-]

m_m_m_m_m_toasty@reddit

We are talking in the context of stockpiling for SHTF. Train away of you know more ammo is coming, but in the event of a major supply chain disruption you need to ration supplies. Dry fire and empty runs are crucial. Load 1 mag to capacity. Keep the second empty. Draw, fire one round, perform an in battery reload (Load empty mag). Return to holster. Repeat, but now do an out of battery reload. With one box of ammo you did 50 quick draws and 50 reloads. You won't win any speed steel competitions with this but in a survival situation it can keep your skills sharp.

Reply

[-]

RedDawnerAndBlitzen@reddit

Gotcha, since OP talked about the two separately I thought your comment was as well.

Reply

[-]

comisohigh@reddit

"For an ar15, that's 8 mags, so 224 rounds per loadout, or \~1100 rounds per person. " One magazine usually carries 30 rounds so 8 x30 = 240 rounds which the typical personal load carry for NATO troops was four (4) magazine pouches of (4) magazines per pouch. Thus this was 480 rounds and one 30 round in your weapon to total 510 rounds. Then usually the restock was a 600 round metal can per person so usually a total of 1150 rounds or so for an initial scurvy.

Reply

[-]

bigbruce85@reddit

Standard combat loadout for m4 was two 3 mag pouches plus on in the rifle, 7 mags total and 210 rounds. That was subject to change depending on situation, but 7 was the standard.

Reply

[-]

Not_Bernie_Madoff@reddit

You shouldn’t fill your mag to 30 capacity. It can cause malfunctions or the mag to not seat properly and be a pain to put in. 28/29 is recommended.

Reply

[-]

m_m_m_m_m_toasty@reddit

I don't load my mags to 30 since they are more difficult to seat properly during in battery reloads when the bolt is closed. I leave 2 out to make it more reliable, hence 28 rounds per mag. And I carry 3 on my vest, 1 in my gun, and 4 in my pack. That's 8 for my "combat /out and about" loadout. Again, these are just my numbers. Some people carry like 15 mags on them.

Reply

[-]

BallsOutKrunked@reddit

carrying 30s a little short is a good idea, they seat quicker / easier.

Reply

[-]

Timlugia@reddit

I am with you, I think average people spent too much on ammo instead of other essentials. Unless you actually shoot them regularly like in competition shooter or attended firearm class frequently. If I was in total SHTF, and survived the first few weeks, there will be so many leftover guns and ammo from the dead. If the initial disaster killed only 10% population, it would mean several million guns and billions of ammo left behind already.

Reply

[-]

Pretend-Management69@reddit (OP)

Thanks a lot. I really appreciate the information. This helps a lot.

Reply

[-]

dirtygymsock@reddit

Do people actually think they're going to be practicing/training with live ammo after SHTF?

Reply

[-]

StarMajestic4404@reddit

I might get a lot of flak for this but I’d say 10 thousand per caliber for your most commonly used guns. This seems like a a ludicrous amount but I say 10k for no other reason than to protect yourself from extreme price fluctuations that happen with ammunition every few years. With that many rounds you are more or less insulated from Covid level ammo prices or if the Feds decide they want to buy several trillion rounds again like they did in 2013.

Reply

[-]

b18bturbo@reddit

My train of thought of ammo is how much do I shoot regularly and with swings of prices increasing or fluctuating I will buy a bunch of ammo when prices drop down so I don’t break the bank when ammo prices skyrocket. On that note I have about 25k rounds but I also have various calibers so when you break it down 3-4K per caliber but 5k rounds for calibers I shoot a lot. For 357 or 44 mag I have 750-500 rounds but everything else I’d store at least a thousand rounds per caliber and shoot everything else.

Reply

[-]

OnTheEdgeOfFreedom@reddit

I suppose it depends on how long your SHTF is going to last, how many people you think you'll need to kill, how well protected they are, and what you can afford. rl;dr: no one can answer this except you, and probably the simpler answer is, no one can answer this, period.

Reply

[-]

uniquelyavailable@reddit

ammo expires so make sure you are diligent about your storage technique and frequent testing

Reply

[-]

Pretend-Management69@reddit (OP)

Do you know how fast ammo expires? I’ve heard this before but never looked into it honestly

Reply

[-]

System-Plastic@reddit

The 2 main enemies of ammo is heat and moisture. Keep it dry and somewhat cool meaning below 115 degrees and it can last over 100 years. The weakest point of the round is the primer. Most general use powders will last almost forever, except in the presence of moisture. The primer is made of a much more volatile compound that decays over time. The decay rate changes based on the quality of the primer. So the best thing to do is use brass cased ammo, in a sealed box with O2 absorbers and it should last over your life time.

Reply

[-]

Not_Bernie_Madoff@reddit

Store it in a dry and cool environment and you’ll have no issues with it.

Reply

[-]

uniquelyavailable@reddit

i think it depends on multiple factors. like humidity, temperature, and the components used to make the round. i have a friend who gets surplus rounds that are outdated for cheap, most of them fire but there are a lot of duds -- which isnt fun if you are in a scenario where you need the round to fire. testing each batch by firing 15-30 random rounds out of it each year and logging the result will help give you insight into how the batch is aging. that way you can keep the rounds in groups and understand their reliability. using the more unreliable rounds first for scenarios like hunting for food. then you can rotate in the rounds you know are more reliable for defense purposes.

Reply

[-]

ThurmanMurman907@reddit

Stored properly, pretty much any modern ammunition will last his entire life

Reply

[-]

uniquelyavailable@reddit

if stored properly and tested regularly, most likely it will last

Reply

[-]

irishbastard87@reddit

I would say you don’t need enough to start a war, but enough to finish it.

Reply

[-]

Foodforrealpeople@reddit

my rule of thumb is i'm always 1 box short (not one case, just 1 box) of every caliber i own. then if i have some "spare" cash not earmarked for other important stuff like deeper pantry or more/better water, deeper med supplies etc, i'll buy a box of something with full knowledge that i'm still a box short

Reply

[-]

ottermupps@reddit

A thousand rounds per caliber per gun is my general rule, along with minimum six standard-capacity mags per gun.

Reply

[-]

ResponsibleBank1387@reddit

How many people live within a hundred miles of you? You’ll need twice much that ammo.

Reply

[-]

Mountain-Chemist4925@reddit

All of it, there is no such thing as too much.

Reply

[-]

tvtb@reddit

There is when you realize that money can be spent on something else (opportunity cost). Geez it’s like you people own stock in ammo manufacturers. Get enough ammo and no more. Spend the rest on food, water, shelter, etc

Reply

[-]

Mountain-Chemist4925@reddit

Basic survival should be first on your list, which would include food, water, and shelter. Beyond that you need to prioritize other items. I saw someone in here asking about diapers recently and another about alcohol. Are those a priority for you? It's not for me, so I'll allocate that diaper and booze money to some other resource. I stand by my statement, get as much ammo as you can. Recent events have shown us how scarce ammo or reloading supplies can be and in a SHTF scenario, ammo could be very useful AND valuable. Have a good day, sir.

Reply

[-]

Malezor1984@reddit

I have two 9mm handguns. I keep 200 rounds of hollow point and probably have 1000 rounds of FMJ that I train with and replenish as I go. Try to keep about that much on me. I have a box of 500 rounds of .22LR for my Ruger 10/22. And 20 boxes of 12gauge shells of various types. Also 2 boxes of 30’06 for my hunting needs. I’m not as hardcore as a lot of these folks here are I guess. But this is all I want to spend on guns and ammo.

Reply

[-]

SebWilms2002@reddit

The primary cost of ammo is going to be the ammo you train with. I used to remember hearing about people that keep thousands of rounds of ammo and thinking that it sounded like a lot. Then I got into shooting myself. Even if you train every other weekend or so, you can go through 10,000 rounds in a calendar year especially with handguns, small/intermediate caliber rifles and shotguns. Large caliber, long range shooting not so much. Its a different discipline entirely. I don't think there is a correct number "to stockpile" to be honest. But if you train, you go through a lot anyways. And it isn't likely ammo will get much cheaper, so buying bulk isn't the worst idea regardless of your post-SHTF expectations.

Reply

[-]

Heavy_Gap_5047@reddit

Depends entirely on how far along you are in other plans and preps. If you're renting your home and don't have more than a months worth of food, then very little ammo. If you have a 100 acre fully self sufficient homestead, then all the ammo

Reply

[-]

EmrldSpectre@reddit

Side note: I don’t want to rely on guns/ammo for everything. That’s how you blow through ammunition. I have bladed weapons (swords, knives, machetes, axes, spears, etc) and a crossbow which I can retrieve the bolt. Once you fire a round… can’t really go get that. I can hunt pretty much anything with it and minor self defense situations can be handled. Anything else, sure, grab your gun. But to answer your question yes it’s a mix of having enough to do what you have to do for an extended period of time but also not so much that it goes to shit or if you need to gtfo your leaving a ton behind for the guys hunting you lol. Personally I’d say between 500 & 1500 rounds per gun depending on the gun.

Reply

[-]

Heavy_Gap_5047@reddit

LOL

Reply

[-]

Deciduous_Dan@reddit

What is your scenario? In a natural disaster, you aren't going to need much. In a war bug out or join up. You can't fight both sides. Some supplies for hunting, and that's about it, spend your money and storage on food and water.

Reply

[-]

New-Vegetable-1274@reddit

Long term storage of ammo is at least a decade if it's done right. So that's a consideration. If the SHTF, we all could be on our own for a long time. This means your home becomes a fortress. If food becomes an issue hunting may become a necessity, so shotguns and hunting rifles will need ammo. Also ammo could become currency. I hate having these conversations but everyday we get a little closer to some dark times.

Reply

[-]

GilbertGilbert13@reddit

You should have more

Reply

[-]

Green_Protection474@reddit

I would say allot because if things go to shit and they are going to get shitty fast.

Reply

[-]

chiefsgirl913@reddit

Hypothetically as much as you can afford. But realistically 5000 rds per gun. Just my guess lol

Reply

Reply to Post

46 Comments