How Much Reloaded Ammo Do You Keep On Hand?

[slowr1der]

A friend has been selling off her husband's estate after his passing. One of the issues she's run into is that she was left with thousands upon thousands of rounds of reloaded ammo in various calibers. She can't sell it, no one wants it for the components unless she gives it to them, or almost does, etc. The dump won't take it, she's literally stuck with tons of ammo and what is probably several thousand dollars of loaded components. However, she was able to sell the unloaded components that he had pretty easily.

This got me to thinking that I probably should keep components on hand more so than reloaded ammo. Finding that balance that I have enough on hand to last for a few shooting trips, but not too much that I'd end up in that situation has been a bit tricky. Do you all believe it's better to leave most of your components unloaded, and just load enough to have some on hand? Or do you go all out and load everything up? I just don't want to end up in that situation, should I need to sell the components, or should something happen to me.

 

[horsemen61]

I try to keep at least 500 rounds of everything I own loaded at all times no more no less

 

[MikeInOr]

I generally load about 1000 rnds of any particular handgun caliber when I am running low on that caliber. It is just easy to go through a brick of primers at one time. This also reduces caliber swaps and primer feed swaps on my Dillon 650.

Rifle calibers, not so much.

I think it all depends on how much you shoot a particular caliber.

I wouldn't want to shoot someone else's reloads either.

 

[ray15]

It depends on how much you shoot. I generally shoot 7-800 rounds per range trip, so it's not excessive to have a few thousand rounds of loaded ammo at the ready. I try to build as big of a stockpile as I can if I have a load I'm really sold on - but the search continues in many applications. The last thing that concerns me is how much loaded ammo I might leave. I can afford to buy the components and have them eventually be thrown away, assembled or not. It's not a savings plan, although I do buy as much quantity as I can when good deals are afoot in the hopes of saving compared to buying them later.

 

[sequins]

I aim for about a thousand of each caliber, I shoot pistol mainly so that really isn't a lot My only rifle has 1000 rds of 223.

 

[ArchAngelCD]

I used to keep more loaded than I do now. You are correct, components are much easier to sell than loaded ammo. No one wants to shoot someone else's reloads.

 

[AZAndy]

I'd probably take a chance on a stranger's reloads, though I'd want to pull a couple of bullets and check charges. If somebody reloaded enough to have that many on hand, they had some experience with it. The best situation would be labeled boxes-- what powder, what bullet, et cetera.

My standard inventory when full is 1400 .45ACP, 600 .357, 600 .38, and 300 .32 S&W Long. That's what I've arrived at over a few years of seeking a balance between shooting time and reloading sessions.

 

[Demi-human]

I don't ever have enough. And it seems I like to shoot the ones I can't go and buy at the store...

I like to try different things often. I also prefer components, to loaded cartridges. Both in storage and purchase. I have plunked mine own handloads, that were fine and on the low side in one of my pistols, into a new pistol, only to have them be incredibly hot. If unknown handloads automatically disassemble a firearm for cleaning, not always is it because they were "shoddy". Though, there is always that aspect as well...

I like to load in batches of five hundred if I am able. I generally have that or less, mostly less. Though I have twice that in Fourty Five Auto, as I have to stock two different loads now.

 

[higgite]

I generally load 300-500 each of 2 calibers at a sitting. I normally replenish when I get down to less than 200 of each.

... She can't sell it, no one wants it for the components unless she gives it to them, or almost does, etc. The dump won't take it, she's literally stuck with tons of ammo ......

IMHO, giving it away, or almost giving it away, is better than being "stuck with it" if she doesn't want it. But, if she doesn't want to give it away and has no other way to get rid of it, suggest she call local law enforcement and ask if they will dispose of it for her. They often do and some will even come collect it.

 

[AV8TOR]

I’d take a chance too but I would also try and reach out to the places he shot and talk with people who might know some history to his shooting first

 

[George P]

I generally load about 1000 rnds of any particular handgun caliber when I am running low on that caliber. It is just easy to go through a brick of primers at one time. This also reduces caliber swaps and primer feed swaps on my Dillon 650.

Rifle calibers, not so much.

I think it all depends on how much you shoot a particular caliber.

I wouldn't want to shoot someone else's reloads either.

And yet a lot of folks buy those "remanufactured" ammo at gun shows all the time. I think it comes down to this - if you knew the person, and whether he was methodical and kept good notes about everything, buying and shooting them is probably not a big deal.

 

[alfsauve]

When I started reloading, 50 was a big deal. Then gradually, with better equipment I moved up to 100 at a time. Finally with a progressive press I moved to 500, then 1000 at a time.

That said, now that I'm retired my plan is over the next 10 years to gradually shift away from reloads to commercial ammo as I get older. I already have moved to shooting reloads only in practice and commercial in competition.

Of course the Grim Reaper doesn't really care about my plans, so my wife too could be left with several thousand rounds of reloads to dispose of in the near future.

 

[Walkalong]

It depends on how much you shoot.

Yep, I load 9MM 500 to 1500 at a time (Well, 1800 last time), .45 Colt 2 or 3 hundred at a time, .44 Mag 2 or 3 hundred at a time,.......my kids will always take my stuff if I get hit by a beer truck or something. There are a couple of nephews and a NIL (?) that would be happy to have it as well.

Depends on your situation.

 

[Fine Figure of a Man]

For some handgun cartridges, when I get down to 2 or 3 coffee cans full I get worried and start loading.
In the winter I sometimes load thousands of rounds of 9mm, 40, 45, 38, 223 and hundreds of rounds of several other cartridges.
I don't care If anyone wants my reloads after I die.
I have friends that reload and I would, in fact probably will, buy their reloaded ammo after their deaths.

 

[Zaydok Allen]

I like to keep 500 of each cartridge around.

Unloaded components would be easier to dispose of if I go belly up.

 

[Armored farmer]

I probably just keep 200 centerfire cartridges reloaded at any one time.
I tend to quit shooting the calibers that i get low on. Right now i need to take the time to cast and reload a bunch of .357 and .45Colt.
I wouldn't be afraid of someone else's reloads, especially if i knew them.
Factory loads arent magically safe.

 

[WrongHanded]

I keep 0-200 rounds loaded in any pistol caliber I reload. My reason being that there's no way I'm going to shoot more than 200 rounds in a range session, and more likely 50-100 of any particular caliber.

But that's not to say I don't have plenty of factory ammo tucked away.

 

[Hokie_PhD]

I also don’t have enough

That said, I try and keep a few months supply of loaded ammo, and a lot lot lot more components.

 

[tcj]

Depends upon caliber. For 38, 357 & 44 usually about 500 per; for 9mm at least 1k and preferably 2k.

 

[HJ857]

I used to try to keep well stocked but invariably whenever I got 400 to 800 rounds tucked away I'd change my recipe. I now load only as much as I expect to use within a month, which is typically not much more than a hundred rounds.

 

[Skgreen]

I set up to load 1 caliber.
"Several hundred to several thousand" before I change over.

 

[FROGO207]

For simplicity I keep about one or two range trips of loaded ammo on hand for each firearm I regularly use there. For hunting ammo I keep 3 boxes reloaded ahead. It will be much simpler to sell things or detect propellant deterioration if not loaded IMHO. You don't have to be dead to need to sell things either so this is part of planning ahead. I also have some factory ammo available in case there is no time to reload for most of my firearms put away as well.

 

[denton]

For hunting cartridges, 50 or so will last me a very long time.

For 223/5.56, I tend to keep 3-600 on hand. That's plenty for a few trips to the range.

Handgun cartridges, 2-500 seems about right. It's easy to go through quite a few rounds in only a couple of trips.

All that said, I keep abundant components on hand so that another 200 rounds is only a short trip to the workshop away.

 

[SamT1]

Anyone worried about several thousand dollars of reloads stacked up would have issues with the amount of powder in their home if all of that was unloaded. If you load rifle you can easily get too much powder on hand. 50# is nothing if your stashing for rifle loading. So load them up!

I suspect if I die today my dad and brothers would have a really good time. If it’s in 15 years my boys will. The loading stuff is insignificant compared to my life insurance and tools the wife could sell so I’m not concenerned what happens to the ammo. I’d hope my boys stock pile it instead of seeing how many rounds dads favorite 1911’s can shoot before destructing.

It’s sad to hear of someone passing with no heirs to pass along their hobbies to. My wife’s grandpa was a collector of junk and when he died the grand kids went for the big tools and stuff. I went home with treasures like cases of motor oil and wd40 as well as what looked like stock from a closed hardware store. He has been gone 8 years maybe and last year was the first time I had to buy motor oil. I still have hardware stock for various projects. It puts a smile on my wife’s face when we need something and I go get it from the garage and tell he it’s courtesy of her grandpa.

 

[buck460XVR]

Like others here, I keep enough rounds in ever caliber I shoot, to keep me shooting at the range for several sessions and what I need to get thru the hunting season. I shoot most of my handguns in several different power levels. Leaving cases empty and having a variety of components means I can reload exactly what I want to shoot, not just shoot what I have already reloaded. I made the mistake a few years back of binge reloading and filling every empty case I had, only to discover I had too much of some loads and not enough of others. Unlike in the OP, I have someone(my two boys) that will happily take and shoot my reloads after I'm gone. They do it now. Still, they will have more components to load themselves left to them, than ammo reloaded by me.