Friday, January 9, 2009

Stocking Ammunition

Once you’ve provided for the proper amounts of food and water storage, medical and first aid supplies, emergency shelter needs and have seeds stored along with the necessary tools to grow a garden, your next priority should be building a stock of ammunition for use in defensive or hunting situations. There is a simple way to accomplish this without ruining your budget or endangering your safety.

Three Reasons to Stock Ammunition

1.) The main reason you will probably want to have a supply of ammunition is that more ammunition may not be available or simply cannot be purchased if things go bad.

2.) If things go really bad, ammunition will suddenly become a very high demand item.

3.) Ammunition, when properly stored, will more than likely be around longer than you will and will almost always be more expensive later than it is now.

The first thing you will need to do is not panic. Running out and buying a huge amount of ammunition will ruin your budget in a big way. Having 5,000 rounds for a shiny new gun that you hardly ever shoot is not the way to start. You will need to make a few simple decisions before proceeding.

You should first decide whether or not the main purpose of your firearm is for defense or hunting. In some cases, it may be both. Once you determine your firearm’s major purpose, then you can begin your ammunition storage program. For defensive purposes, you will need to buy very specific types of ammunition to achieve maximum results. For hunting purposes, you will also need several different types for the different hunting scenarios. If you are using a firearm for both defensive and hunting purposes, you will need to stock additional amounts in excess of the amount for a firearm used strictly for hunting.

Most guidelines favor stocking a minimum of 500 to 1,000 rounds of ammunition for each of your firearms, while some say even more is needed. You will ultimately have to decide how much ammunition you need to stock.

The simplest way to build your stock of ammunition is to buy 2, shoot 1 and save 1!

Practice is the only way to become proficient with your firearm. Practicing this procedure will allow you to build your ammunition storage as you become more proficient through practice. No matter what size package or type you buy, ALWAYS buy 2, shoot 1 and save 1. One is used for practice and the other goes into your stock of ammunition. Most shooters buy in amounts that already fit into their budget. Example: If you normally shoot a hundred rounds of .22lr when practicing, buy 200 rounds and put the extra rounds into storage.

Eventually, you will be able to build a substantial stockpile of ammunition without wrecking your budget. Remember to rotate your ammunition stocks each time you make a purchase. Ammunition has a very good shelf life when properly stored but should still be rotated to give you the maximum storage life.

Staying above the water line!

Riverwalker

16 comments:

scoutinlife said...

Sound Advice stock heavy on the 22 ammo cheap to shoot and practice with compared to all others........

riverwalker said...

To: scoutinlife

Too many people make the mistake of too much ammo and not enough practice. .22 is cheap to shoot, if I shoot a hundred rounds, I buy two hundred rounds to replace it. Practice with the plain stuff and save the high velocity stuff which is somewaht more expensive for when you're doing some serious shooting.

Thanks scout.

RW

Anonymous said...

Your system of stockpiling ammo over time is sound. I do not feel you can have too much ammo since, as you mentioned, it will be in short supply some day. Think of it as an investment.

Anonymous said...

I agree with Survivaltopics. I actually suggest having 5k for the primary and half that for the secondary. I do not think one should buy that all at once because it would break the bank in many cases.

Anonymous said...

just my .02 in here...I picked up a 30.06 from a guy that owed me money,came with 200 rd's of ammo.I took it out a yr or so ago,shot great,no prob..took it out a couple of months ago,put in 3 rd's..the second shot didn't go off.So,after clearing it and all,there was a bullet about 1 inch into the barrel.Came out easily with a cleaning rod,but in a combat situation,would you know if you jacked it out,or if you ran out and reload? Luckily,we were on the range,so we caught it.A major disaster averted,but...
Dean

Ryan said...

I suggest not getting too stressed about self defense and hunting or whatnot, at least for awhile. First get at least a couple hundred rounds for each weapon you own. After that look to stock more for the useful weapons (be they defensive or hunting) and don't bother with less useful ones. For example your 12 gauge pump is useful and the single barrel 16 gauge Grandpa gave you is less useful, A full sized 9mm is useful while a subcompact .25acp is less useful.

Get more ammo for the useful guns. I think 3k for a defensive rifle is ideal but 2k is probably acceptable. For a pistol 1k is ideal but 750 rounds is probably just fine. For a shotgun 500 rounds is probably good.

Grumpyunk said...

I like your formula. I would add that you should reload what you do shoot.

I'm currently using a friends reloading equipment (and his knowledge) and have been buying equipment of my own a piece at a time. Save your brass! Go in with 1-2 others and order in bulk to save HazMat charges on primers & powder too.

You can save a lot on your ammo costs once you get set up. Yes, the initial cost is there, but in the long run it's a winner.

riverwalker said...

To: survivaltopics

I believe Jeff Cooper called it "ballistic wampum". It will be like money in the bank,I mean your pocket (bank may not be too good a palce for your money right now).
Thanks.

RW

riverwalker said...

To: jennersen

Sounds like ralistic amounts to stock. Start with 2 or 3 hundred rounds and build from there. Save a little money for eats. Thanks.

RW

riverwalker said...

To: theotherryan

Excellent point about stocking ammo for most useful guns first.

Thanks

RW

riverwalker said...

To: Dean

Glad everything turned out OK! Got to be careful. Stay safe my friend!

RW

riverwalker said...

To: Grumpyunk

Reloading is a good thing. Unfortunately, fire codes are pretty restrictive in my area as far as how much primer and powder can be stockpiled. Thanks.

RW

gott_cha said...

I try to store my ammo in cans or crates for easier "grab & go"

I also believe you shouldn't keep all yer eggs in one basket either.

Don't store it all in the same place,...spread it about some,...if you ever get raided you got a better chance of not losing it all that way.

riverwalker said...

To: gott_cha

Very good advice. Definitely better to spread it out and not risk a total loss. Thanks.

RW

Anonymous said...

I just wanted to say that I very much agree with your post and I'm in the process of slowly stocking up as we speak.

riverwalker said...

To: Rick

It doesn't have to be a budget breaker when you are stocking up. With current shortages and limits being placed on purchases by some stores, buying a few boxes at a time makes a lot more sense than trying to get everything you might need all at once (which could be really expensive). Thanks.

RW

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