Stockpiling Ammo

[searcher451]

Stockpile? I'd like to be able to stockpile -- at least a little bit for steady range work. But you have to find it before you can stockpile it, and finding it is getting awfully hard these days, what with all the stockpiling that's going on by someone out there. I scored three boxes of Winchester White Box 9mm 115-grain 100 rounds on Monday at the local WallyWorld, the first time in 10 weeks that I have seen any in stock. It'll be gone in two trips to the range, and it'll last that long only because I'll mix in some .22 rounds.

The current ammo situation is like that Miller beer commercial with Jim Mora: "Stockpile? STOCKPILE? Are you kidding me?"

 

[gregormeister]

I have several thousand rounds of various calibers at the homestead but thats been in the works for awhile. I basically stockpile on reloading components and what not, as I am more of a hunter then a shooting fanatic.

Reloading has been a pretty easy to get commodity until the last several months, I was at one of my local haunts a week ago to pick up 2 Lbs. of IMR 4198 when a guy next to me shared the fact that he was up here from West Virginia because down in his neck o' the woods they are selling out of powder primers and lead faster then they can keep up with. All I could think of was this gentleman rolling around on hills of powder, primers and supplies that were PA imports Just kidding, but I did decide to go to drastic measures.

Needles to say I left with 1 lbs. of IMR4198, 1 lbs. of IMR4064, 2 lbs. of IMR4895, 100 Sierra 223. bullets, 100 Barnes 270. bullets, 2lbs. of greendot powder and 300 9 mil bullets, and one very angry wife who had to reconfigure our checkbook!! I guess I'm being greedy but I want my boys to be able to enjoy shooting and hunting when their of age and I don't want to worry about supplies that have rose 200% in price, and an even angrier wife. Just my 2 cents but I'm a young avid hunter thats why I've been buying.

 

[Hungry Seagull]

No angry wife here. In fact, she tells me that we must have a minimum of three months shoot plus three reloads for everything on hand.

 

[Lightninstrike]

jlg I got it. Some folks need to work no their sense of humor.

Being ornery here, but do I need a reason to buy as much ammo as I can afford? I just like being able to grab what I need and head to the range without having to visit the store.

 

[tjj]

I've been around long enough to never say never for anything to happen. I certainly hope the shtf scenario will never happen but you've got to be alert to the fact that we, America, have never been so far down the socialist road before. That presents an uncertainty in people's minds about the future. Uncertainty breeds fear and fear brings on what we've been seeing in the guns and ammo business here lately. I won't condemn or condone what people do to make themselves feel more secure in times like these because we've never had times like these ( in our lifetime anyway). So I say...smokem if ya gottem. Do what you feel you need to do to secure your own family's future.

 

[Ben Shepherd]

I imagine I have close to enough. Always bought in bulk when it was on sale(remember when SA 308 was 8cents/rd?). Not really to hedge against TEOTWAWKI per se, but against other unforseen events, ie.:


1. Recent shortage of ammo and loading components? I can ride it out. I loaded a couple thousand rounds just last weekend without having to scramble all over hades for primers.

2. Got divorced a couple months ago. She took her income, I got to keep the bills. Bad situation financially? Absolutely. But- because I had both food and "gun stuff" stored, I'm doing just fine. In fact, I'm shooting more now than when I was married, and she isn't helping me burn ammo anymore, so even with me shooting more it's lasting longer.

 

[MagnumDweeb]

Been stockpiling for a year and a half, and have just finished buying tons of surplus ammo for 7.62x25 and 7.62x54r. Ammo prices just keep going up. I've stopped shooting .44 Magnum, I've only got five hundred rounds left factory new. And my reloads are getting incredibly low.

I realize my stockpiling is in all likelihood an expression of undue paranoia but "better to have it and not need then need it and not have it", there is not a strong running gun culture in Central Florida, and ammo is either sparse or ridicuosly expensive. I'm glad I bought all my reloading components in 9mm (powder, primers, and projectiles) in the 5,000 round alottment because 9mm at the local gun ranges is between 14.99 and 17.99 ***. I'm reloading fifty rounds of 9mm for just under seven bucks. I bought an additional 'k' of 9mm to where it came out to 12.50 a box of fifty and it's good reloadable ammo(four reloads in the mild range).

But now I can't find primers at retail(the local guys stopped ordering them intentionally), they are selling ammo I know that they are buying from Walmart, saw a local range employee buy up all the .40, .45, .22lr, and 9mm just as I finished my purchase of some .30/30, .38 Special, and .223(my 'k' is in transit about to be delievered). I got so steamed, but now I don't feel an ounce of sadness about bringing in reloaded ammo when they ask you not to. They bought a 50rnd Winchester white box of 9mm for 11.99 and sell it at their shop for 15.99. I'm still back ordered from Cabelas for small rifle primers (glad I got four+k sitting in the safe), and powder for .223 and .308.

 

[lesterg3]

Buying ammo and reloading supplies is like buying everything else.

When supplies are short and people can't get what they want they are going to complain. It does not matter what you believe about future or potential events, market demand exceeds manufacturing production. I don't see any change in this in the forseeable future, too many people are afraaid of Obama, and what his policies might produce on the homefront.

I buy what ever I can get my hands on, and I'm am not going to say I'm sorry.

Here in SC it is really funny when they predict a snowstorm, thousands show up at the grocery store to buy milk and bread, and there are always a few who did not get there soon enough screaming about it at the service desk, why didn't you have more, when is it coming.

OH woo is me, what am I to do. It is truly funny, because snow never lasts more than a day or two here, you'd think these people are going to starve.

 

[ACBMWM3]

For all of the concern that I've been reading for the last couple/three months on the Internet about how folks are stockpiling ammo and EBRs - I have to admit that I'm just not seeing that.

My area is the opposite.
The largest gun dealer in the area purchased pretty much all the XM193 5.56 the local supplier had (I know, I have a dealer account with them as well)
They have about 70 cases of 500 rounders just sitting in the show room for $260 a pop. People where walking out the door with 3 cases...
Wolf, the three Bears Barnaul doesn't last more then 30 minutes in the store...
I have 6 different wholesale accounts and none have had a quality ammo stock in more then 2 months because all the large stores have it on backorder already...

 

[Afy]

I hope everyone realizes that my post was tongue in cheek. I don't own 4 AR's and I certainly can't shoot them with my toes.

I'm not sure of the legality of taping marbles to a bottle rocket. But legal or not, it would be a very dumb idea. I doubt seriously that a bottle rocket has enough power to even move a marble much less throw it with deadly force.

Whew.. had me going for a while.

 

[EHL]

Whew.. had me going for a while.

You didn't get that joke??? He had me rolling over on my side, at "toes"!

On the subject though, I just bought 500 rnds of .223 even though it wasn't best of prices, it's reloadable and it's available. ($45 for 100) They are the ONLY shop here in SouthEast Idaho with anything in stock. I can't find components for anything else either. I can only find lots of 40S&W?? Wierd!

 

[DCortez]

I stockpile because others have stockpiled. When my family and I go shoot, we easily run through 1,000 rounds. On a slow work week, we'll go to the range twice a week.

 

[earlthegoat2]

What about stockpiling reloading components??

 

[rondog]

I don't know about stockpiling, but I'm been gathering brass/bullets/primers/powders for the last year for about 9 different calibers. Only ammo I've really bought is a couple cans of 7.62x54R, and some milsurp .30-06, some .44mag stuff, and 14 boxes of .38+P that I got great deals on from some private sellers. Oh, bought 4 bulk packs of .22lr that was on sale at Big 5.

So, loaded factory ammo? Not a lot. But reloading components? My wife thinks I'm insane. But me starting reloading was HER idea! Now I just need to slap together a reloading bench in the basement and start putting them together. I've got 14 gallons of .45acp cases alone, all cleaned and polished, and probably 4gals. of those are already primed.

 

[jard]

Reloading components are just easy to stock pile. A lot of places will give you 1000 free primers if you buy 9000. Why wouldn't you.

So you get 10,000 small pistol - and 10,000 large pistol. What about magnums? Powder comes in 8lb jugs and is a way better deal than the 1lb offerings. 8lbs of powder will load A LOT (tens of thousands; 8 pounds = 56 000 grains) of pistol rounds. And if you use different powder in different calibers, then there you go, you need another 8lb jug.

Then you get into rifle components!

 

[jlg]

Reloading components are just easy to stock pile. A lot of places will give you 1000 free primers if you buy 9000. Why wouldn't you.

So you get 10,000 small pistol - and 10,000 large pistol. What about magnums? Powder comes in 8lb jugs and is a way better deal than the 1lb offerings. 8lbs of powder will load A LOT (tens of thousands; 8 pounds = 56 000 grains) of pistol rounds. And if you use different powder in different calibers, then there you go, you need another 8lb jug.

Then you get into rifle components!

That's exactly why I haven't gotten into reloading yet. I'd be "saving money" so much that I'd go broke.

 

[mljdeckard]

I agree that in a SHTF situation, the only reason to have more than a combat load you can carry is to have it to trade for other goods. If I am in actual combat, and I survive longer than one load, I should have plenty of weapons and ammo available to me.

 

[lesterg3]

Deleteing

 

[camslam]

Why accumulate or "stockpile" ammo?

The old boy scout motto is enough for me on this one.

"BE PREPARED".

I love reading posts by people that accuse those that accumulate large amounts of ammo as "gun nuts", "revolutionists", or whatever the other description of the day might be.

The bottom line for me is this:

A gun is only as useful as the bullets that can be fired out of it. For you guys that don't see the relevance of having ample stores of ammunition, that is your decision. However, there are many scenarios that can and do happen where having a healthy supply of ammunition and magazines is a good thing.

For those that poo poo the idea of needing lots of ammo, magazines, guns, etc... I would ask them why do you even bother having a gun? Chances are you will NEVER need it to defend yourself. So why have it?

I am happy that I own several firearms, plenty of ammunition and magazines for them, and will continue to "accumulate" as allowed by monetary restrictions.

 

[rogertc1]

They say that there is a shortage of Gold too because everyone is buying it.
In a way ammo has been better than gold.

 

[fireman 9731]

I wouldn't say that I stockpile ammo...

I usually keep around 5000 rounds of 22lr, and maybe a 1000 rounds of 12 gauge. If I shoot a hundred rounds I go buy a hundred more rounds and just keep my supply as a "cushion" in case of whatever.

I reload everything else I shoot so I usually have enough components for about 500 rounds of each caliber. I only reload 2 calibers so its really not that much.

If I had thousands of dollars to fritter away then yes, I would probably go buy lots of ammo with it just so I don't ever have to worry about buying ammo again.

But thats the catch, Money is my biggest constraint that limits my shooting so I would say that if I had all kinds of spending money then yes, I would probably keep a few more thousand rounds on hand.

Now is the difference in 10,000 rounds versus 1,000 rounds going to make a difference in a SHTF scenario?

I doubt it.

The bottom line is that its better to have it and not need it than need it and not have it.

Personally I don't think anybody needs 10,000 rounds of ammo. But if somebody wants 10,000 rounds then I don't know why they shouldn't be aloud to have it.

 

[454496]

I believe people are stockpiling ammo because of fear.
Fear that the USA will collapse like the USSR.
Fear that there will not be enough money to play all the police officers.
Fear that the politicians will force ammo prices to go higher and higher.
Fear of another weapons bans.
Fear of the government.
Fear that know one really knows what is going to happen.
We The People will always have fear till we remember that we are the government of the USA and the politicians are only employees.

 

[KarenTOC]

I don't know if you can call it stockpiling, but once I discovered I could pay for ALL my purchases at the cash register where I'm required to pay for my ammo, every time I go to Walmart I grab a box of whatever they have in a caliber I can use just to avoid the long line up front. I now have what is, for me, a reasonably decent supply of ammunition in various calibers.

Of course, my "stockpile" probably only equals what some of you guys shoot in one day at the range lol.

 

[Phydeaux642]

I bought a bunch of 9mm not quite two years ago. I bought it because it was on sale for $12.99/100 WWB. I'm glad I did now that it's $20.00+ a box. I buy a box here and there, maybe more when it's on sale or if it's something I'm trying to get a few of. I have a lot of .22 but that's what I have been shooting lately.

 

[SilentStalker]

All I can say is that you guys must have some serious cash to be stockpiling this much ammo, buying equipment to become self-suficient, shooting at the range 2 times a week and blowing through 1000's or rounds, etc. All I can say is wow. That must be very expensive. What in the world do you do for a living?