September is National Preparedness Month. Be ready! Have a plan and make an emergency kit. The Shooter’s Log has all the information you need to prepare for disasters.
It’s not if, it’s when.
I’m a shooter who likes to hang out with other shooters. My group of shooting buddies regularly goes through a lot of ammo, mostly .22 LR, 9mm, .45 ACP, and 5.56 for the AR-15s. Oh, and 7.62×39 and 5.45×39 for the AKs, 7.62x54R for the Mosin Nagants… oh dear. We really do go through a lot of ammo. However, each of us has a stash of ammo that stays absolutely untouched, just in case the s&*t ever hits the fan. The SHTF stash is spoken about rarely in person, in hushed tones and only with close friends. More often, it is discussed over the Internet, where folks take comfort in relative anonymity, as if the government will track you down and take you away for hoarding ammo.
In reality there is no legal limit to the amount of ammunition we can possess here in the USA, despite that forwarded junk email you got claiming that a new “arsenal law” will soon take effect. The SHTF stash is more common than a lot of people want to admit. Simply, it’s the high-quality stuff you don’t intend to shoot just for fun, carefully stored in a cool, dry place. Hopefully the SHTF stash stays carefully packaged for the rest of your natural life. But should the unthinkable occur—social unrest, government tyranny, foreign invasion, or green aliens from Mars—just how much SHTF ammo will you really need? The answer is “probably not as much as you think.”
I know some guys who really live by the motto, “Buy it cheap, stack it deep.” A very good friend of mine liked to buy a case of corrosive surplus 8mm Mauser ammo with every paycheck, back when that stuff was super cheap. I don’t know how much he has, but if he gets paid every two weeks and he followed this plan for two years, he would have nearly 50,000 rounds of 8mm ammo. That’s pretty close to a lifetime supply, assuming he continues shooting it through five-shot bolt-action Mausers. Not everyone can afford to do what he did, but I’ve seen posts on the Internet seriously suggesting that 10,000 rounds of ammo is a “minimum” cache to survive the coming troubles. Really? Let’s think about this from a practical standpoint and work it backwards. Don’t think about how much ammo you have in reserve; think about how much ammo you can actually carry!
Let’s assume that your SHTF gun of choice is a high capacity semi-automatic carbine, such as an AK-47 or AR-15. And lets assume that when the lights go out and things go bad, you’ll be wearing a standard style chest rig with enough pouches to hold six 30-round magazines, all day every day and sometimes at night too. Further, you’ll have one more 30-round magazine in your rifle ready to go, giving you a total of 210 rounds of ammo on your person. If you’re rocking polymer Magpul P-Mags, that’s 28 pounds of ammo and mags to carry wherever you go. Kalashnikov fans, those steel AK mags and the ammo in them weigh even more!
The rifle you’re carrying started out as a lightweight carbine, but after adding a rail system, a red dot sight and a tactical light, its about 10 pounds now. You’ll need two liters of water in a CamelBak (five pounds), some food (two pounds), a sidearm and its holster (nearly three pounds loaded), ammo for the sidearm (two more pounds)… phew, we’re already at 50 pounds worth of stuff. Then, if you’re super tactical like me, you sandwich yourself between two Level IV stand-alone ceramic body armor plates. Weight: 15 pounds, not including the weight of the plate carrier that holds them. If you think this sounds ugly, I’m actually going easy with these estimates—our young soldiers out in harms way often carry much more. My point is that 210 rounds is a pretty standard combat loadout and if you’re tempted to reply, “I can carry a lot more than that,” you need to start thinking about what other important things you’ll leave behind in the name of carrying more ammo.
Your 210 rounds of ammunition is actually quite a lot. The chances of you blowing through that much ammo all at once with a semiautomatic firearm are pretty slim—no matter the circumstances. Only high volume of fire events such as “break contact” drills or defending against a “human wave” assault (the zombie guys just got all excited) are going to see that much ammunition expended. Your chances of surviving a scenario like those even with plenty of ammo aren’t very good, either.
But let’s say you kept seven more spare mags in a duffel bag behind the seat of your truck, and you managed to resupply while the Chinese paratroopers regrouped for a second assault on your apartment building. We are getting silly here, but for purposes of argument, we’ll say you survived a massive, video-game style firefight in which your trusty carbine expended double the amount of ammo you can actually carry. That’s a total of 420 rounds. Now, if you somehow survived not one, but two of these epic firefights, you would have used 840 rounds of ammo. If your SHTF stash had originally consisted of a single 1,000 round case, you would still have more than enough ammo left over to fill five 30-round magazines.
The bottom line is that you personally don’t need 10,000 rounds of ammo to survive a SHTF situation. If you want to buy extra ammo to hand out to your friends and neighbors if things go bad, that’s great and I’m sure they’ll appreciate it. Maybe having extra boxes of rounds available to barter in exchange for other necessities is a good idea, too. But at the end of the day, a couple of cases of quality rifle ammunition stashed away for yourself is more than enough to see you through any realistically foreseeable circumstance.
How much is too much and what amount isn’t enough? How much ammo do you think is the perfect amount to stash for SHTF? Tell us in the comment section.
I think there really is no limit to SHTF ammo supply or any kind of supply for that matter, assuming you know your plan and have come to terms with it. I plan on trading for most things and reinforcing civilization as a concept rather than letting it die and us all go to hell. A trader needs stock. As much stock as possible. Guns and ammunition, rice and beans, alcohol and poon, games and books will be the staples of living.
Ask a vet…ask a vet, that’s been in a firefight or two or three how much ammo they used and how long the fight lasted. I have heard audio of live fire contacts and a very audible; “I’m out!” And someone throws them a couple more mags. 210; 7mags @ 30rds ea. is probably the standard load out it that is in a resupply situation…In a grid down situation when is your next resupply. One month, two, a year or ten year plus. 1000 round might be ok for short term; o e week to three years but what about ten or, god forbid, 20 years what then???
Bug out is what you can carry. At my SHTF house, I have 30,000 rounds of .223/55gr. 2,000 rounds matched; 50,000 rounds 9mm 155gr, 5,000 rounds .308–all match grade, 100,000 rounds of .22 varies , a lot of CCI velocitor and stinger. 3,,000 rounds 12 ga. OO and slug. And adequate weapons to go around. 155 acre perimeter with water. Bug outs come to me.
I think a minimum 1,000 rounds for every member of your household, if you plan on handing out rifles to your neighbors, you might want 500 rounds for each neighbor. I recommend the good stuff like Federal XM193 and IMI M193 for yourself and your family, and the cheap steel stuff for your neighbors and with which to barter.
There’s a lot of hotdogs out there that want a fight, but those people don’t know what a fight really is. War is two or more people trying to kill each other, you’re trying to kill someone who is trying to kill you and the people you care about, your closest friends, and in case of SHTF your family too. An eye for an eye makes the whole world blind.
Wow..I’m so under prepared I guess. Well I loaded 2200 rounds of #1 buckshot (15 pellet loads). I got 25O0 rounds of 5.56 for a mini-14. I got 400 rounds for a 38 special, 300 .357 for my revolvers, I am loading 600 rounds of .357 for my Rossi 92 and 300 .223 for my rem 700. I got 50 rounds of .40 cal for my Sig…..that’s all I can do. But hey I’m getting old and probly won’t make it long anyway. At least my kids will have something. I can only do what I can do.
A firefight to protect ones home from an ouside assault by multiple equally armed assailants¿¿¿¿¿Hell just be sure to have funeral expeces prepaid.
The welfare Obamatrons will not be the big worry they will spend days banding together close to gov facilitys or be ordered to stay put, and unless you are going out to loot rob and steal some insurance necessityd you should be safe for days.
IF the copd come knocking you damned well will turn over your extra food and of course your guns, the local preachers willbe with cops collecting food Faith Based Charites under FEMA AND DHS) and you do not shoot cops or religious nuts trying to steal your food for their faithfull ,AMEN!
A shotgun slug fired under 60 yRds will penetrate both outer walls and multiple plaster ones.
A heavy solid copper or penetrTor round will go full length of your house and cleR through your neighbors.
Hiding behind couch and range or reftigerator will not save your but and heave forbid some bad guy does not have tracer rounds.
You gonna have your old lady and kids furing and being object of outside guns, thTs macho of you and you from a house position even under flooring firing through air vents in blocks how long does a block last and stop anthing.
You and loved ones need enough ammo so that after acertaining that local police cannot control mobs you and family can fight way out of immediate danger, not pretty but killing anything blocking your path, just like Obama welfare queens.
YES A PACK each WEIGHING UP TO 80 #’S FOR YOU AND WIFE and 50 For light built teens should be on hand. YOUR SPARE AMMO AFTER 240 IS IN PACK AND THOUSANDS MORE AT YOUR DESTINATION.
PENETRATING ABILITY OF PENETRtor and multiple other calibers will go through 8″+ tree, autos and heavy glass. straw bales.
So unless you have been in a real firefight where in you even with trained mates against trained men and even at times been outnumbered and outgunned you have no fn idea of what a sad place you would place your family in.
My credo has been that you only need enough ammunition to take the other guy’s ammunition.
@Steve Orpin
In other words, you’re one of the parasites the rest of us are preparing to defend ourselves from . . . like with a head shot?
That may work out fine with a lot of the lukewarm gun owners who have shot maybe one box each out of their M4 and compact .380 before putting them in the closet, but with people who are well trained and prepared, that’s a formula for a very short life span.
CTD Shooter’s Log moderator.
If you people do not fix the “Reply” function so that when I click on “Reply” in the email it takes me directly to the comment I want to reply to, I will leave this forum. There is no excuse for this total incompetence.
I guess what bothers me most about this article, is that the author is being naively optimistic in assuming that any of these scenarios would be short in duration, and that somehow, the feds would get things under control within a week or so. Frankly, I’m not that optimistic.
A hack and crash of the power grid would hamstring any government response. If you live anywhere near a concentration of Obama’s welfare recipients, they will be desperate and all over you in short order.
I guess my point is that you need a solid ammo, food, medical, and life support supply. Where is the harm in being over prepared compared to the harm of being under prepared?
Arm, train, equip, prepare. If you are over –prepared, no worries,. But if you are under-prepared . . . you’re dead.
Great advice Mikial, there’s no such thing as being too prepared. Many people wildly underestimate how fast things can go bad and how long it can stay that way. Even if one survives the initial event you still have to deal with the aftermath.
Properly stored ammo will keep for a long time, and we all want to have as much as we can get our hands on. However, in a combat zone, troops carry a standard issue and get resupplied as needed.
I think it best to have as much as you can properly store, and stored in a number of accessible places rather than store in one place where you can be cleaned out.
I’d also recommend people stock ammo for specific purposes. 500 rnds of .22LR for hunting small game like rabbits, or a .410 for birds, will last quite a while. Same with ammo for bigger game. For self defense or combat ops, you’d want more stores because they get used up rather quickly in a fight.
You might own several weapons in different calibers, but, for WTSHTF, you might want to take specific ones and leave the rest stashed. In that case, it’s probably better to make sure you have plenty of ammo for the ones you take, and less for the ones you stash.
A silly article. Likening SHTF requirements with a military that moves, shoots, and communicates against hostile enemies that have Armor, air cover and more is simply dumb. Personally, my view of SHTF has me on my porch or maybe some “deliberate defense” positions protecting me and mine… not on “search and destroy” missions. You might need thousands of rounds if some mob from the cities runs across your property. You might just sit on those rounds if the nearest road is twenty miles away. It has long been axiom in my beloved Army that “all plans go south when the first enemy incoming is received”
. The Ammo load isn’t a problem when you are defending your home. You aren’t going on 20 mile marches with it. So you don’t need all the types of ammo needed in the article… weight isn’t a problem. So go with 308 and hit the bad guys with AR-15’s at twice the range they can achieve. (Lesson learned in Afghanistan, btw.)I prefer 308 and 40 S&W because they are both government issue. All the AK and other non-NATO… non-Leo ammo may dry up. But when NATO STD and LEO Std ammo dries up… we’re dead.
The Basic Load I carried in the Army for a single patrol was 160 rounds. Sometimes I wanted more before the firefight was over. Other times I went home with all 160 rounds.That could be eaten up in a single firefight. Then we might go weeks before we shot another round. The lesson here is that the bad guys don’t follow any rules you might envision. They just try to kill you. Projecting how many rounds you might need is like projecting how much insurance you might need to fight Pancreatic Cancer or a heart attack. Its not up to you. Just take your best “shot”.
I want as much as I can… until God lets me into His morning briefings.
I have read every response on this topic and no one has mentioned anything about tossing a good cleaning kit in their bag along with a sharpening stone. Maintaining your equipment is one of the most important things to be prepared for.
Damn straight!
I keep a good stock of CLP, Hoppes #9, and Gun oil. Have a cleaning kit in each bag. Also get a can of Wheel Bearing Grease. It works great as a gun lube, and 1 can should last a very long time.
I follow the “one is none and two is one and more than two is better” saying when it comes to my “arsenal”. My arsenal consists of 2 9mm hand guns, two 223 rifles,3 308 rifles (I just love the m14) 4 22 rifles (2 savage with scopes and 2 Henry survival)and two shotguns( one with exchangeable barrels). My ammo stockpile consists of 2000 rounds of each caliber.
My bug out load out for weapons is 9mm hand gun 3 16rd mags,308 with 5 20rd mags,Henry (broke down) 1 10 rd mag . In addition I pack
96 9mm,200 308,200 223 and 200 22. my wife’s load out is 9mm with 3 16rd mags,223 with 5 20rnd mags. I also carry a home made weapons cleaning and maintenance kit. Each of us carries a combat first aid kit and all the other essentials are divided between our packs. My pack runs around 80 t0 90 lbs and the wife’s around 50 lbs.
In addition if there is time to load the game carts or vehicular bug out we add 1 or two bags with an additional 308,223,22( with scope) rifle and the shotguns. Also add double the total ammo load out as the packs. These bags also hold a large amount of all the other essentials to a long bug out.I also have three “resupply” caches with additional ammo and essentials.With this I feel we are prepared for an extended bug out.
The thing I like most about your comment is that you are looking at a variety of scenarios. The article is . . . amazingly naive.
It’s easy to be negative about the article and go so far as to declare it “amazingly naive,” but it certainly stimulated thought. The author presented a scenario that may not be realistic in our preparation mindset. I think about protecting my “paper-mache” home, aka., stucco, and maybe getting off 50 rounds before a wildly, lucky shot through the wall takes me out. Sure, I have in excess the quantity of ammo recommended, but the reality of the situation is that if you’re home isn’t bullet proof, it really doesn’t matter how much ammo you have stashed.
I don’t know how many people remember when SKS’s were selling for $69 (you had to buy 5 at a time to get that price) and a 1,000 round case of 7.62×39 was about $39 or $49 … but I put back 2 SKS’s and 4 cases of ammo and figured that would be a plenty if there ever was a SHTF event … until I saw Turkish Mauser’s selling for $39 (also if you bought 5 at a time) and a 1,200 round case of Turkish 8mm for $59 or $69 … I put back 2 of each of those too with the SKS’s … I greased up the rifles and sealed them in plastic and the ammo was already sealed … I put them inside the wall of a closet, sheet rocked and painted over them and they haven’t seen the light of day in close to 20 years. Now we’ve moved and the house is one of our rentals but I doubt anyone will ever find them and I’ll know where they are if I ever need them.
Am reading a great deal about .22 s. Heard this from an old man many years ago, so long ago in-fact that I am now the age old ‘that’ old man. His advice; ‘When it hits the fan, have 3 weapons, a rifle, a handgun, both in .22 and a good knife. Almost every home has a .22 rifle of some sort, so ammunition will be no problem. Most people will run at the first sign of trouble, so you won’t have to fight to resupply.’ This may be simplistic, but for a fact, there will be plenty of .22 ammo out there, having been overlooked by those that think the .22 is a worthless round. More people and animals have been killed by the lowly .22 than all calibers combined. I am a ‘big bore’ fan, but a .22 rifle or pistol may well be my salvation when TSHTF. While others are scrambling for a diminishing supply of large caliber ammo, I be sitting back with thousands of easy to carry ammo watching them get a stroke trying to carry a few hundred big caliber rounds.
For SHTF I stock about fresh 40 factory rounds for my SMLE bolt action, iron sighted rifle, with which I have years of practice and am very competent with. Since I am a bullet caster and reloader, I stock extra primers, powders, fired brass, and wheel-weights rather than completed rounds, and always have several hundred cast bullet loads built for everything from plinking to deer hunting at the ready should the need arise. Same with my pistol, a 1911 with a mag inserted, and two more in a pouch on my belt. As for hunting I am mostly a bow hunter and use all traditional tackle I made myself, bows, strings, arrows, etc. and I know primitive trapping. So, don’t really do .22’s anymore.
In a all out crazy situation, you will either get new weapons with ammo, or won’t need your’s anymore. Best wishes and good luck to all.
It never hurts to have spare ammo. Just see to it you have rifles for that ammo as well. Take care of the brass. And even if you will never reload buy some LEE reloading equipment and components while you can. A gun safe usually have space available if you stack it carefully. Lead and dies for making your own bullets might help. Buy components while you can.
Keep in mind that the barrel of a rifle has a limited life before it gets worn out. Try to balance stores of rifles and ammo against each other.
10 practical rifles for hunting might be better than 1 premium rifle if money is limited. We aim to please 🙂
Gold and silver coins might be practical but rifles with ammo
might give higher profits in a prolonged barter situation.
Buy cheap and stack deep.
Walmart is not in the business of storing your ammo.
A .22 LR round is a practical , multi-performance , minimal-recoil , low noise report and muzzle climb/blast , lightweight to carry around over long distances , easy to stash with only 10 “bricks” providing 5,000 rounds , CHEAP and widely available with an estimated annual production volume of 2-2.5 billion rounds .
Moreover , .22LR firearms are marketed at lower-cost prices .
A SHTF scenario requires STEALTH and judicious utilization of limited resources , much like how a smart sniper would operate in the field during an assigned mission .
Never engaging in an unwise and wasteful full-blown firefight a’la Rambo every now and then in order to survive .
A sturdy slingshot could take the place of a gun when hunting small game and its ammunition is virtually limitless . It shoots quieter , thus negating unwanted attention.
Finally , 22LR rounds can be lethal contrary to popular opinion .
Israeli operatives use a silenced .22 LR rifle during field ops .
The OSS/CIA were issued suppressed HighStandard HDM pistols .
USN Seal units are mission-equipped with AWC TM-Amphibian “S” weapons that can fire underwater .
and . . . .22LR weapons were successfully employed during the
attempted Ronald Reagan assassination
Kauhajoki school shootings
Jokela school shootings
1979 Cleveland Elementary School shootings
as well as the assassination of Robert F. Kennedy.
My weapons of choice would be a Kel-Tec SU-22 carbine/Walther P22 pistol combo plus some fragmentation grenades to cover my withdrawal from an unexpected massive assault .
But above all , no matter what weapon one has during times of grave peril
never hesitate to call upon the Almighty for the ultimate in
guidance , protection and provisions .
He is the BEST there is . . . from here to eternity .
God is the best there is !
To quote a green beret I know. ?”If I get shot with a .22 and find out about it, I’m gonna be pissed” …. just funnin’ ya. A reliable .22 is a must for any survival prep, but not as a defensive weapon. As a secondary weapon, something for a second shooter who lacks experience with heavier calibers, yep.. to hunt small game or the random removal of a warlord while you put those ninja skills to work, uh, OK, but not a go to.
The weight consideration is paramount, many of us “enthusiasts” do not have the physical where with all to hump a combat load and that over burdened BOB. Too many fail to simply wring out thier collected gear. I know the first time I ran my body armor in a fairly low impact rifle class, I was rethinking what the hell I had configured pretty quickly, by the first lunch break I was down to water, ammo and an IFAK on my carrier and took that lesson to heart. Weight =pain
A trained and well disciplined shooter only needs one round to change the outcome.
Then, all the hoarded Walmart ammo will be available again.
viral, charcoal, and ceramic filters,=2 pounds
portable cooking/boiling system = 2 pounds
survival canteen(bandaids, rain poncho, emergency heat blanket, flashlight, matches, magnesium) = 1.5 pounds
2 liters of water 4.4lb
spare clothes = 3 lb
105 rounds of ammo = 14 lb
2 lb food grain/beans
toiletries= 2lb
sentimental valued items such as pictures, bracelets, etc=0lb
watch = .2 lb clothes on (brisk morning) = 4 lb+ boots = 8lb
ar15= 8 pounds
marginal accessories = 5lb
under 60 pounds = survivor expert!
prepared survivor = + sleeping bag, fishing gear, snares, journal, paper, pencils.
= 80-90 pounds gear to haul.
keep a belt on without stuff on it for a tourniquet.
I suggest to establish an area, bury surplus supplies, or stow in a makeshift hidden location, such as a small hole in a ridge wall, or in brush, then mark the surrounding area but not the exact location.
shelter is key for survival. underground shelters take time to build, but with some wood, a shovel, and time, you can build an underground shelter in weeks.
@ Anonymous.
Unless a “Fully Stocked” Drug Store, or Hospital Pharmacy on Wheels comes with your List. I’m Stuck Where I Am…
Good article, particularly in that it brings up the oft-ignored point: if you have to “bug-out” you must carry everything you want to keep. As a “young soldier in harm’s way” I’ve never carried more than eight rifle magazines at a time, nor more than three pistol magazines, but add that to body armor, helmet, and a pack, which might have extra ammo and you are much heavier and much slower than you were before you donned all of it. I find that keeping my total gear weight (clothes, boots, equip., everything)under half my body weight allows me to stay mobile enough to cover distance in a fight (though not nearly as well as a “light” load of 50-60 lbs), and I can function with two thirds my weight while traveling, but have to ditch the pack for a fight lest I be pretty much a slug. Consider I’ve been in the infantry eight years and have had to condition my body to this and you can see that weight will drag you down. If you have a bug-out kit I recommend going on a 72 hour hiking trip with it to decide if it’s reasonable, and don’t just hike; move at least twelve if not twenty five miles a day and practice maneuvering and shooting in bad terrain. How’s the kit now? How comfortable are you with the shelter/water/food you are able to carry; don’t have a buddy bring in re-supply: live out of your pack for just three days and you may get a new perspective.
That said the 28 pounds for seven magazines is ridiculous. I have always used the aluminum STANAG 30 rounder and full to the top with 5.56 (slightly heavier than equivalent .223 by virtue of thicker brass) and 1.1 pounds is what each one weighs, so if we assume that’s my scale rounding down from 1.14 we’re still under eight pounds. The heaviest steel AK mag I have weighed was three pounds- full of steel cased ammo. In light of these more reasonable weights I do recommend carrying one extra “combat load” in the pack if at all possible.
Here are some examples of loads I’ve carried in the past year (the first two for the Army):
8 M4, 3 M9= 8.8+2.2=11 lbs. + 7lbs. for 240 5.56 and 1.5lbs for 45 9mm= 19.5lbs
6 M14, 3 M9= 10.2+2.2=12.4 lbs. +9lbs. for 120 7.62×51 and 1.5 for 45 9mm= 22.9lbs
7 AK, 3 G19= 21+2.1=23.1 lbs + 9.5 for 210 7.62×39 + 1.5 for 45 9mm= 34.1lbs
You may note that in any of these cases the primary weapon has fewer than 500 rounds and the secondary fewer than 100. Now if you have a site at which you can subsist for months or even seasons, perhaps you would stock up a little more ammo, but remember if someone happens on you and you can’t hang around then whatever you can’t carry you leave for them.
Going to stay at your site no matter what? Consider the recent movie- in the real Operation Redwings there were fewer than 60 taliban fighters but four SEALs couldn’t hold them off for twelve hours. Numbers are a killer. Going to hike to a better hill? You have to carry your stuff up there and not get “treed.”
Urban environment? Remember Randy and Gary? According to Durant when they arrived it was them, him, and both crew chiefs still alive plus, for a short time, a helicopter orbiting; these were some of the hardest and best men in the world- they didn’t last an hour.
Two things you can never have enough of in a gunfight: time and ammo. Stock up.
I’ve not the time to read all the responses to ensure I’m not repeating, and, I’ll keep it “bullet points”:
– You may need to teach others to use your firearms, you’ll need ammo for that
– You may need to check your sights, scope, or functioning, you’ll need ammo for that
– You will want ammo to stash, wherever your cache is, in addition to your personal carry load
– If you are on a hunting/gathering trip, you will probably need less than if you are holed-in at home, but, you’ll need enough for either
– If you can work WITH your neighbors, you’ll want to arm them
– If you are in flight, you will carry less
– You will want ammo to kill with as much reach as possible (distance is life), take game of any size, and kill with one shot to not give your location away… and the AR-15/AK-47 rifles won’t do that
– While you are hoarding ammo and guns, have you considered that ALL firearms related paraphernalia might come under scrutiny? Get your non-perishable brushes, patches, solvents, lubricants NOW! Patches are cheaper by the yard at JoAnne Fabrics… it’s called white flannel
– The reason that .22 LR is currently unobtainium, is because it is the primary round used for training, pistol-hunting 90% of what will be protein available to eat (birds, rats, small animals, etc.), and the small-change currency of WTSHTF
– .50 BMG will be essentially useless by any except expeditionary teams going after materiel, law enforcement, or military vehicles
– If you are lucky, you might survive 5 sorties… that’s 1000 rounds for combat, add training/maintenance needs, and hunting (how many deer can you carry back home on each trip?) and you are at about 1400 rounds per rifle, 500 rounds per side arm, and 3500 rounds per .22 LR; all for about 3 years of sheer hell you may eventually choose to not even endure… so, definitely don’t forget that .22 LR pistol
Very well thought out and stated
I would like to point out that unless my math is wrong, at 11.8 grams a round for 5.56×45, 210 rounds weigh 2478 grams, or just under 5.5 pounds. Adding the magazine weight into it doesn’t bring you anywhere near the 28 pounds. Can you tell me where you got your numbers from?
Thanks
My goal it to hopefully read the tea leaves, see the writing on the wall so to speak. At first sign I plan to take my tribe to va. Where I have 22 acres. the down side is it is not so easy to defend a parcel of land that big without support so my idea is this. Saying yes to well armed squatters of friends and neighbors who can each use a parcel of my land to squat and defend and at the same time they must grow a select crop that can be shared amongst ourselves and the other neighbors that I will grant the same rights. Sort of like settlers on the frontier with your neighbors to come to the rescue only these neighbors will be somewhat closer.
They can build, grow and come to one another’s aid if need be.
I served over 20 years in a combat field and from experience, I can tell you with 100% certainty, there is NEVER such a thing as having too much ammunition. Yes, you have to hump it in and if unused hump it back out if not expended, but hey, when the SHTF, you will be grateful you had those excess rounds for suppressive fire or an all out melee if up against a superior force of sheer numbers. It does happen. Not daily, but it does happen at times. If you can afford it, have the space to properly store it and are not a psycho bent on criminal acts, have at it…stockpile to your hearts content. Blessings of liberty to you all!
I don’t like to over think things so I opt for simple answers. You can have all the ammo in the world but it is worthless if your gun breaks and you can’t fix it. For that reason, I have an AK-47 as my main survival gun They have passed the test of time as being simple to fix and darn near indestructable. As a precation I have tw where oneis for parts. I also get Russian surplus ammo in sealed cans of 440 per. The cans are cheap, waterproof, easily transportable, easy to stack and store, but most importantly, they are sealed so ourside air does not get in so easily and slowly destry the propellant. This makes the ammunition good for decades. For a close in gun, I opt for a 1911 .45 cal. pistol. They are very robust and have good knockdown power plus they can be easily fixed. Lastly, I have a Ruger 22 cal. rifle. The ammo is dirt cheap, the rifle is close to indestructable, and it is the go to weapon for small game to feed the family
Interesting comments, but would think the issue of ammo would be framed by what and how much it would take to run a well regulated militia for when the SHTF. Such would be necessary to the security of you and your neighbors just as our founders envisioned for a free state and freemen to survive. No man is an island. Where can one bug out to anyway? Would be a short lonely trip in the SHTF scenario would think.
Well the Public is NOT the Military. The Military infantry gets resupplied regularly with unlimited Ammo, food, and extra gun parts, and everything else, and as they are surrounded with a platoon with them, to share the same identical magazines if needed. As a single lone wolf or with a partner in SHTF, we are on our own, no Calvary or Air Support to fend off the wave of Zombies or otherwise. I suggest and prepare like this is your last chance in life to ever acquire any of these products. The entire economy and culture could come crashing down like during an EMP event, that could last for years. There will be no supply trucks moving, or additional forces coming to our rescue. So you prepare with everything now for the rest of your life. Your Ammo will last for 40+ years if you store it properly. So you never have enough, and it will be the best monetary currency post SHTF / WROL. And I would guess that Ammo or guns will never return to the cheap priced prior to the Gun Ban scam late 2011. Regardless of what your Load out is, you will surely be in more than one shootout when the feces hits the fan. Remember during the Viet Nam War – Troops used 250,000 bullets for every insurgent killed. You think 10,000 Rounds is plenty enough??? I think NOT. LOL
Great discussion, but the one topic missing is about air guns, specifically small caliber pellet guns. One poster mentioned the problems associated with hunting with loud firearms and suggested a bow. Good idea, but another alternative for a hunting weapon is a silenced pump or single cock pellet gun in .22 or .177. Yeah, it won’t help when the Chinese storm your apartment building, but you can silently harvest small game. You can also carry several thousand pellets easily.
So, what about a large caliber handgun for last ditch defense and a reliable pellet gun with a few thousand pellets to see you through a long term SHTF scenario?
Well reasoned and thought out article and something to think about. As we stand at this moment the most likely scenario is economic collapse where a major portion of the 47% that live off of the rest of us, could see their checks and other services be reduced or just go away. If that happens, then those of us that are still independent are going to be targets. Our homes, cars and businesses will be looted and destroyed by the angry and entitlement-minded mob. (think Occupy movement) Should this happen, we will each be faced with a decision – to either defend the homestead or business, or get out of the way. Which choice you make will depend on many factors that are difficult to ascertain at the moment. Your location, the duration and depth of the event to name just a few variables. If you and your neighbors decide to stand and defend, then having a large stock-pile of ammo and supplies is going to be needed. I know that some of my neighbors have done little to nothing to prepare and will need my help. If you are faced with no other choice but to leave, you have to understand that you are not going to be able to take all of it with you. Bug-Out bags, that are weight appropriate for you will be your only option at that moment. Plan for both options and you should be able to get through the event. One last thing. This may seem silly and up until recently, I wouldn’t have thought much about this…. But, due to the ammo shortages and expense, I’m thinking of moving my handgun practice to an Air-Soft platform. I know toys shouldn’t be substituted for for the real thing, but I see the value in at least keeping the muscle memory up and running as well as having a little fun in the process. I’ve noted that the range where I shoot has suddenly become much less used, some days it is barren with no one shooting. I think many are just sitting on their stocks of ammo and reloading components which is a normal and natural response to the condition we find ourselves. But, practice by any means should continue, be it dry fire or the use of a reasonably inexpensive alternative such as Air Soft. Each of us has a different situation and a list of possible scenarios and solutions that are dependent on many factors. Choose the top two or three that seem to be the most likely to you and prepare accordingly. If you’re wrong then hopefully a kind and like minded neighbor will be willing to lend you a hand. As Americans, we do tend to be pretty good at helping each other fill in the gaps. I have at least some hope and faith in that idea.
You stockpile isn’t about what you burn through in a firefight – but about what you need to survive for the long term as well.
How many shots are you going to take as squirrels, small birds, cats, and other tasty critters in a week? Month? Year?
How many shots will it take to train in your group?
How many deer, hogs, dogs, and turkey will you need to kill per year to stay well fed?
I expect most shooting contact with people to envolve less than 20 rounds (1-2 per bolt gun fron the nests and 3-8 from each semi-auto on the field) even with four people on your side shooting.
So, you can have more than you need, but you can never have too much unless you have more than your guns can hold up to shoot. Even 3 shots per day averages to 1000 per year (so 30,000 is not a ridiculous number for long term lifetime survival).
The hoarding isn’t so much to survive a military-style firefight day in and day out. What about the moderate SHTF scenarios, like we’re seeing now? You can camp out day and night in front of Cabela’s, waiting for their stock truck to arrive, and still not get any ammunition for your rifle. And who wants to pay over $2 a round for .223 from a questionable online site? Those guys who stocked up last year, or even back in 2007, are laughing at us poor suckers now who either can’t go to the range because our guns are empty, or can’t afford to go to the range because what ammo we can find is so expensive.
Not to detract from the article, because it’s very well reasoned (if you abandoned your home and headed for the hills on foot), but having a large stock of ammunition is just plain smart. Those who plan ahead aren’t caught like the poor schlubs who can only throw their gun at an intruder in the middle of the night in frustration because they can’t find or afford a single round to put into the bad guy. Or even the person with a gun who misses with every shot because they have just enough rounds to load the gun but not enough to practice with it.
Can you imagine if the zombie invasion begins in the midst of a shortage like we saw in 2008 and now in 2012/13? Because, let’s face it, when has SHTF when it’s convenient?
Bartering?!.. are you serious?!who are you going to be able to trust to barter with? You’ll end up getting into a firefight just TRYING to barter. The only people you’ll be able to trust is your immediate family, so bartering is pretty much irrelevant. I don’t think hunting will be an issue. First of all you don’t need that much ammo to hunt, but if you do, think about the many other guys who will be hunting too, you’ll be competing with them for the prey. Even if you’re not shooting at the same animal, they’ll hear your shot and come after you. Unless maybe you live really really really far away from other people. You’d have to go with a bow ( which is still somewhat audible) or a blowgun. I’m just stocking up on tons and tons of canned food, bottled water, securing the house ( lining the inside with sandbags) and booby trapping the perimeter. Come on & get some!! C’mon & gittit. Get some, get some, get it! I’ll eat YOUR sh-tty ass if you dare. (kidding, unless it comes down to that)
Even given all your arguments, there are at least two justifications for having a good stockpile on hand.
1) You can sometimes get real bargains buying in bulk.
2) It just feels good to have. 🙂
I like to stock up when ammo is plentiful and cheap, then use that during shortages. Once the shortage is over I restock. (I tend to shoot more than most people, being retired and a five minute drive from an outdoor range.)
I also handload. Even for cartridges where normal prices are low enough that handloading provides no real savings. Sometimes I want a specialized load which is hard to find or nonexistent from commercial sources. Sometimes I just like the relaxation of going through the process.
All well and good considering bugging out or the last stand against te zombie apolcalypse. . . But what about hunting for food storage supplement? The numbers above are also sufficient in the caseof a Katrina event, ridingnout the power outage and repelling looters. But if i need to hunt. . .?
Wow, you guys are a little nuts thinking you’ll need or get a chance to use that much ammo. Let’s be realistic and practical. For an AR-15 setup the military has found that about 210 rounds is about the optimal ammo needed considering you’ll likely be carrying other gear/equipment/armor or even just out of shape even if you’re not. If you want to carry on the really heavy side I’d estimate to carry no more than 700 rounds. A guy named, Nut N Fancy on youtube always makes the mobility vs firepower argument. During battle most soldiers prefer to be mobile rather than bogged down by weight, as weight can easily get you killed if you’re not mobile/quick enough. If you can get through 700 rounds of ammo and still be alive/not serious injured then you’re having a super good day, but I’d err on the side you might not even get through 200-300 rounds before death/serious injury. Life is no video game and there are no re-spawns. Also, don’t believe the stuff you see on movies where people have massive fire fights and yet nobody can seem to hit anything. In real life death comes quick and fast in a confrontation..especially confrontations of closer range(300m or less). Also, high tech/quick acquisition weapon sights like Eotech have greatly up the ante in the game. I highly recommend an Eotech with extra batteries(AA) and flip up iron sights as a backup. You don’t need to remove the Eotech to use the flip up iron sights on most modern flat-top AR clones. Position the Eotech about 5-6 inches ahead of the rear sight(SWAT configuration) to give you good awareness of your surrounding environment. Btw, I’m former military and lived with an M-16/A2 over in the desert along with other bulky gear. A good rule of thumb is K.I.S.S as for most anything in life.
I agree with all the above and every situation is different but this gives others ideas they may have over looked. I have spoken to other neighbors and some have the same cal. as I do. I reload and now starting smelting lead recently with a small supply of 600#’s lead. All my rifles and pistols are set up so that I can have minimum 2 of any of my firearms same cal. .22lr, 5.56/.223, 7.6sx39, 9mm, .410, .12ga. I managed to store 10k .22lr, 1k 556 62gr lap, 1k 55grsp, 1k 55grfmj, 1k 12ga, 500 .410, 3.5k 9mm. This is shtf stock for SD, bartering etc. and I have components to load 4.3k 556 various weights, 6.5k 9mm, 3.5k 12ga. I am still working on food/water supplies as well as strategically placed SD items on my property. Also make a map of your area with meeting places marked by area A, Zone A, 1,2,3 etc and give a copy to the trusted members. OOOps off topic I guess what I like for SHTF is .22LR for small game hunting and non lethal use, very cheap so get a lot. Everything else is hunting and SD but you need to know what each cal. is capable of like barrier penetration-glass, brick, walls, vest, fence etc. Don’t want to hit your ally next door or family member in next room. I keep on hand soft point fmj, hp’s, lap, 12ga slugs, #1,#4 buck and bb shot 4,5,6,7,8 fletchetts if I decide it’s warranted. Nice thing about reloading is that you can custom manage your loads to suit your needs. Always stock up on ammo for the gun you intend to use and practice with those ammo/gun combination.
I know this is about ammo but Im going to go on and list a lot of stuff here
Number one thing on my list is plenty of 550 paracord. You can always use this stuff for anything. If Shit does hit the fan I kinda hope its during the summer that way I can sleep in tall trees. I like to keep 2000 feet of paracord for all kinds of purposes. In this situation you could make a hammock. You can take it apart and make snares and use it for fishing.
Everyone was right about the ammo stash needed but I would prefer to what you can handle and what you feel you can comfortably carry around.
Guns and Ammo. I keep a tactical sks with 1500 bullets, .45 with a few hundred bullets, and a shotgun with a few hundred bullets. Although this is about 100 pounds already. Im in the process of making a duffle back pack out of paracord that way you don’t have to worry about your bag having too much in it and it eventually giving away then you don’t have anything to carry your stash.
One thing me and my best friend always do is keep a go bag in your car. I carry all my ammo with me everywhere I go.
When you buy a first aid kit they usually arent the best in the world so make sure you buy other first aid supplies to go with it. Keep this in your go bag.
Water; you should find a military water bag that goes on your back. And keep a back of bottled water in the truck with your go bag is always a good idea.
Knives are always good for more silent kills. I keep a hunting knife, pocket knife, and a fillet knife.
If you plan on going the wilderness route like me its also a good idea to keep a large mosquito net to keep all kinds of bugs and stacks out while your trying to sleep at the minimum.
One bad thing about the wilderness that you want to remember is that you cant really build a fire without being seen if anyone is around. So if you plan on doing a fire and you have a camp set up or a spot to sleep in a tree I would go a good ways away from where you are to cook and eat.
There are also many places you can get freeze dried foods and stuff like that to be able to eat in a survival situation.
Batteries arent the cheapest thing in the world but this is sumthing that should be bought atleast once a month. A lot of batteries have a shelf life up to 10 years now. However the contradiction to this is they have to be stored at the right temperature so if your on the go of if your in an area where it gets really hot or really cold these may only have a year or two for shelf life.
Another thing to think about is clothing. I like to keep a pair of boots that are just broke in but then not worn after that until its time you really need them. Long johns for under your clothing for winter you want to think about your outer ware too it needs to be able to keep your warm and my choice is always camo. This will help you blend into the woods to be harder to be seen and easier to be overlooked.
Another thing people should think about if you have a little bit of money is to build a bunker you can get a livable size made for about 80k I would personally like a bigger size so Im thinking 200k for when I get the chance to make one. If you live in the city or a town you wont be able to do this. Also another way to make a bunker its cheap, its a lot of work; however attracts way less attention while its being built. Keep in mind it will have limited water proofing fireproofing and not very much nuclear or chemical proof is to actually build it yourself with concrete blocks.
Another thing you do when you do make a bunker is you dont tell anyone about it. I wouldnt even tell my family until it was time to go inside of it. You also don’t want it to be found easy. If people know you have
a bunker they will come there when shit hit’s the fan. The people who will do this will probably be the ones that didn’t believe this would eventually happen so they will use up your supplies faster and more likely for you to die as well. Also if people know about it or stumble across it people will try to take over it or destroy it with you inside.
Always remember to loot your kills for additional ammo guns and food. You need to make sure you do this quickly because if you used guns to get the kill odds are someone heard you and they are on the way. Kinda like the zombie thing. That’s why you always carry a tactical or hunting knife if you can safely get a kill that’s the way it needs to happen.
Your own source of solar power can be good and can be very bad. It can help you out and make you live life a little more easier but if people notice it even if you have a bunker they don’t know about they will destroy your house until they find it or may start living above you.
I can keep going on and on lol. Thank you for the thread I enjoyed it lots.
And to the comment about about the helecopters and such, how long do you think that will last when there wont be inports and outports of gas you wont have people on oil rigs anymore to provide the government gas. And our own troops will probably not be trying to do this to us they arent the ones that would be against us its the Federal Government itself. Just hopefully we get Romney in office and build our military up and maybe we wont need all of this. You got to also remember that if our Economy completely crashes then the whole world is going to be dealing this the same shit as us in a SHTF situation. Yea china is super rich but their economy wont be any better than our because who are they gonna sells hit too? What I really see coming is a civil war again were doomed if we get Obama back in office and were doomed if we get Romney in office.
Well the way I see it is just like most of you. I have plenty ammo and guns but when the S.H.T.F. and we start shooting, the black helecopters come after us with their infared eyes, 50 cal guns, and hellfire missles. We, trying to protect our selves and friends and family become labeled as terroist groups and when they start throwing all that high tech stuff at us, we may not need much ammo at all. If we survive, we will be wisked away to a FEMA camp somewhere, never to see the light of day again.Now if its just Zombies, that a diffent senerio.
a few hundred rounds for a one day event is one thing. what about the next day and the next. No army truck is bringing me resupply, I have what I have. Buy LOTS of ammo for the long term future not one day event.
you’ve got a wonderful blog the following! would you like to make a number of ask threads upon my blog site?
I think people are talking about two very different situations here. First a SHTF situation seems to be an event in which you are forced to leave so naturally you can’t carry thousands of rounds comfortably. Second if we are talking about home defense and providing after a collapse then you can’t have too much. IMHO while none of my neighbors nor I actually talk about this stuff we all have ammo and guns somewhat stockpiled. Most of us work together with our gardens and take advantage of the fact we live in a somewhat remote area. We are pretty much already in a position to deal with a collapse.
Community is everything. The idea people are going to bug out on their own and survive is kind of ridiculous. Who’s gonna stand watch while you sleep? Stocking in ammo is great for bartering, but also great as a force multiplier. We survived before together, and we will survive again together.
I don’t stock ammo in large quantities for myself, but do so for the neighbors who will be there “without” if things do go downhill in the future. Not everyone is of the mindset that things may get to the point where neighborhoods might just have to band together (as in olden times) if the bottom falls out.
Someone has to look out for those who come to the party too late.
No man is an island.
I keep a relatively small stash outside of my plinking ammo. For my plinking ammo, the more the better, of course. It goes really fast. An hour or two at the range or in the back yard can add up to a couple boxes of 50 rounds really quick and easy, so I usually like to keep 1,000 – 2,000 rounds on hand. For home defense/SHTF ammo (always good quality, usually Winchester, always hollow points), I have 500 rounds of each: .40 S&W, .380, and .45 ACP. I don’t have any shotguns or rifles (yet). But I figure 500 good quality home defense rounds for each handgun is a good stockpile, and I leave it at that and have the luxury of using my entire ammo budget for plinking rounds.
Interesting thoughts. But let’s say the welfare checks stop cold. About 5-7 days later, groups of former recipients begin moving out in search of supplies.
They will target residences where they perceive greater wealth is located. These groups could consist of 10-20 people or more. And there likely will be more than one group.
The need to suppress an assault from such as this is a very real possibility. So at the least more than one gun firing at once against possible multiple wave attacks. Remember, it will be paramount to keep everyone far away from the house to prevent fire being introduced to burn you out. That means LOTS of heavy fire to take down as many as possible as fast as possible.
Improbable? I sure hope so, but with economic collapse becoming a very real possibility, I don’t think anyone can say impossible.
Too much ammo would be very much like being too rich or too thin. Very difficult to do.
You’re right Gary. That’s what I’ve always been saying. When the hoodlums in the street gangs finish looting their own neighborhoods they’re going to head out to new neighborhoods to loot. These groups of roughly 10-50 will be armed with mostly handguns but may have some ARs or AKs. They most likely would have no compunction about killing anyone, but would be limited by the amount of ammo they had since they probably did not stockpile. Ammo would be high on their list of items to look for. Neighbors would have to band together to protect against these gangbangers. Long guns would be the best defense against these guys due to the limited range of their handguns. You don’t want to get into an “OK Corral” type of situation with them. Because these guys probably have no military training, they could probably be quickly discouraged from approaching with only a handful or two of neighbors. A well prepared neighborhood watch would be vital.
Thanks for the article very imformative. I also think everyone should be prepared with the load-out they deam appropriate but keep
in mind that in a shtf situation you will want to break off contact and not get involved in extended firefights as an individual or small group of individuals. The hypothetical “zombies” will overrun you if u stay put with ur your large cache of ammo and any organized modern force will snuff you out with large numbers of troops, artillery, air support, and or armored vehicles/tanks. Just as we do it to insurgent snipers and small groups of insurgents hold up in a particular location
Better to have too much, than not enough.
Ok. I agree with most of you, but the article does make since. Unless you have an armored vehicle to carry all of your supplies, whether it be food, water, weapons and ammo, or family, you still have to weigh your options of what is necessity and what is insanity! In case the family is “on-the-run” with you, one sidearm and one long-range weapon for each family member is sufficient. Each person being responsible for their supplies and weapons. In my family, which numbers 6, the youngest being 14, all have been trained to be proficient with handguns and long guns. We don’t just go to the local range and blow away 500 rounds! We are all trained in “one shot one kill” ideals. If your curious, no, i’m not ex-military, but i have read alot of military training manuals and my father is a retired Police Officer. But, back to the point… Unless you have a bus to haul everything, or you have a strong hold at you residence, there is a limit to ammo. My goal is 1000 rounds for each of my weapons that i currently own. I believe that gives you all you need to defend and to barter for other supplies if needed. If your all alone when “The Big One” comes, it only makes since not to take more than you can carry! I have two bug-out-bags loaded for that “just-in-case” moment! Ammo, a camelback, MRE’s, assorted tools, knives, portable shelter, etc. If i were out on my own, i figure, with a little luck, i could realistically survive 3 months without restocking supplies, except water. As far as fire-fights, try to avoid them as much as possible! Whether it’s a Zombie Paradise, a Foreign invader, or a government meltdown, planning is key. As far as a China or Russian invasion, remember, there has never been a Foreign invader on our home-turf! They just know better! Even Yamamoto, the Japanese commander that led the raid on Pearl Harbor, knew his orders were not without ramifications! Thanks guys for a great conversation idea!
Very Good points and well said, I’m a man in green and believe me he’s not joking about all that gear adding up. The only thing id like to add is in the initial contact of a fire fight most soldiers burn through the majority of there combat load within the first 5 – 10 min (keep this in mind when fighting the hordes of Russians and screaming wolverines!) and though a fire fight feels like it last FOREVER! hey don’t normally last much longer than that. A 3 day assault pack with an extra combat load or two and if you can remember to conserve your ammo you will make it a long way and it will serve you well.
OK so you spoke of the rifle and ignored the handgun Ammo. Most people are stashing for their rifle and handgun. I have always planned for the 200/50 carry rule, 200 rounds for my 308 and 50 rounds for my 45, but that is not my stash, only my evade bag
That’s all well and good but the idea is to keep enough on hand for when finding ammo at a reasonable price, if it’s even available, is really hard if you only store 1000 rounds and a SHTF situation is a prolonged interuption of the domestic supply chain occurs that 1000 becomes it for you possibly for a very long time. Another point is if ther eis a prolonged disruption of the supply chain (say Iran does something stupid in the Gulf and there’s a global problem, ammo will be a valuable asset for barter simply because the general rule of thumb is that most people will be caught short, wouldn’t it be nice to be able to trade a box of 223 ammo that you have 10000 rounds of for some missing food that you can’t get. If you live in a state where private sales of firearms are ok, that barter example becomes even better for you if you were to, for example, be able to trade an extra mosin nagant and 100 rounds of ammo for something. you get the idea.
like the story, but to me i feel like there is always room for more ammo in the home stash
For going out scavenging & foraging.. I can certainly see the advantage of not weighing yourself down with more than 250 rounds of ammo…. but I believe in having a wide diversity of weapons & ammo on-hand at your home fortress… instead of having one single weapon [like a AR] and a large quantity of ammo like .223 / 5.56.
I look at it this way… in a SHTF situation, I’m going to try and make every single shot count.. not just burn through ammo….but you know you will have some misses. I live in a city / town of approx. 30,000 people. If I had 500 rounds of .223 and managed to hit [not necessarily kill] say 200 ‘zombies’ or looters.. that would pretty much be the equivelent of taking out every man living inside 1 city block in my neighborhood of 3 bedroom houses. That is a significant #.
Now, add to that AR & its 500ish rounds….. a mixture of various handguns and a pump shotgun [w/ 18″ barrel]. You can have 500+ rounds of 12 ga. ammo in BB / buckshot / slugs [[and target loads– of which you can get 100 round bulk packs for approx. $23]], and 500+ rounds for each of your big bore handguns.. and a few 1,000 .22LR rounds [[which are dirt cheap]]… all stashed away.. then your pretty much prepared for any situation that might arise.
Try to look at it like half of your stock pile of ammo ends up in a pile of dead & wounded Zombies or looters stacked up all around your home… that is gonna be one heck of a big pile!!!!! And keep it in mind that a number of other men & women in your city will doing the same thing on various scales… depending on the amount of ammo & weapons they have on hand… it could turn a town into a real war zone in a hurry…
The link in the article takes you to the CTD page for a case of 5.56x45mm ammo.
The page states “This is a 1,000 round case. For a pallet, order 105 cases.”
Now that’s a lot of ammo!
You have to think long term. Yeah, you’re probably not going to go through that much ammo at any one time, but what if the stuff does hit the fan and you have to rely on what you have for an extended period of time. Your only sources of food might be what you can scrounge, kill, or trade for. In that case, you will need as much ammo as you can stash.
Lead/copper/brass can be considered as precious a metal as gold or silver in the right format and amount.
Do not discount the idea that the article stated that ammo could be used as a source of barter. Buy as much as you can afford and always rotate it when you go to the range…
don’t forget to police up all the left over ammo from all the dead Chinese when it’s safe.
Great points. Plus if you and you’re buddies survive a 1000 round shootout, someone is going to need bandaids. Make sure your first aid skills and gear are on par with your shooting.
Personally, I stock up on ammo (and reloading components) as a hedge against inflation and other political changes that might increase prices.