Strategy for Ammo/Supply Shortages

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Doublehelix

Doublehelix

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As the political winds change, concerns arise about our ability to get ammo and/or reloading components in the future.

Buried in a couple of other threads, I asked the question about "how much is enough" to stock up on now that the prices are low and availability seems good. Since that question and the few responses got buried under the real subject of those threads, I thought it would best to start a new thread as a dedicated discussion.

I know that people are leary to post exact numbers of stockpiled ammo, for good reason, but I am just asking hypothetically, what seems like a good stock to keep on hand IF YOU COULD?

One year's worth?
Two year's worth?
Five years?

I personally would love to have 5 year's worth of reloading supplies on hand for each caliber, but since I shoot between 15,000 - 20,000 rounds per year, it is just almost impossible to come up with that much cash, plus, have a safe and legal place to store it all.

At the top end, that would mean 100,000 bullets ($$$), 100,000 primers, and close to 70 pounds of powder. That is about $9,000 in bullets for .40 S&W competition rounds (although I obviously have a mix of other calibers).

That just ain't gonna happen unless I win the lottery.

There have been some periods where nothing was available at all, and maybe a better strategy is to save a stockpile for those periods, and don't touch it otherwise, and then continue to buy new for current usage as long as the ample supply is available.

Also, I know that during drought times, I will be shooting less live fire and focus more on dry fire, so there are ways to minimize need when necessary.

I am worried about the future of our sport with all of the crazies with guns giving us law abiding citizens a bad name. :fire:

Maybe I should have picked a more politically correct hobby like needlepoint or crocheting!!! LOL! :rofl:

Thoughts? How are you preparing for a future shortage, and how will your behavior change if that happens?
 
Every round you shoot squirrel one around over time you’ll be more than stocked
 
Personally, I feel one should buy as much ammo as one can afford. And by afford that means after one takes care of necessities and without debt. I have to constantly remind myself that guns are no more than really poor bludgeoning tools when the ammo runs dry. Whenever I have extra money I have to fight the urge to buy another firearm and instead do the prudent action and buy more ammo and replacement parts for the firearms I have. I feel in America many gun households are firearm rich compared to the ammo they have.
 
I have 11,000 rds. of 7.62x39 stored in case future import bans or tariffs hit ammo hard. Also saved most of it for retirement (that was in 2016). The main problem with four AKs is that we are just eleven minutes from the private gun club.

Imagine how often you can burn up 60 rds. on an Action Pistol Range knocking around a target cube from Academy?
Then add my three German-proofed 9mm Sigs and CZ PCR plus the .380 Russian Makarov.

Fairly freq. trips to Academy to replace most of what I consume among the long-term stored ammo equates to a consistent, minor reduction in overall total quantity.
 
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Strategy for Ammo/Supply Shortages

I don't have a strategy I have my system which is pretty simple. I am currently loading using primers I bought in the early to mid 90s. When I am out and about and I see a good price on ammunition I buy some. The same is true for reloading components, I buy some. Powder and primers have a heck of a shelf life when properly stored. When 22 LR was not available I supplied friends and family and when it became available I replenished my stock. Today, at 68 years old I likely have more ammunition and loading components than I will ever need or use so I hope my kids and grand kids enjoy shooting the stuff or my wife selling it. Anyway, the way to remain ahead of the curve is not sell your house or a kidney and buy ammo but to slowly but steadily increase your on hand supplies. Rome wasn't built in a day.

Ron
 
I keep about 1000 rounds of each cartridge I shoot on hand but it fluctuates.

Now that I reload I have decided to maintain a rotating supply of 5000 primers of each kind I use, so I'm working on having 20,000-25,000. But mortgage payments mean it takes time.

As far as powder goes, I built up my stockpile to 15 lbs, but don't want to maintain more than that really. I'm worried it'll breakdown before I can use it up. I changed jobs a little over 2 years ago, and my shooting time took a serious hit as a result. Working on a house doesn't help either.

Brass, I say let it pile up.

Maintaining a stockpile as high as the OP suggests would require an investment I couldn't afford. Not yet anyway.
 
My thing has always been to buy whenever I see ammo on sale, whether I need it or not. It pretty much will never go bad, until a couple of years ago, I was using some .22's with an $8.99 sticker on the bricks.

A few boxes at a time will probably not hurt most, same could be said for buying reloading supplies. We're at a point now where ammo is very cheap in the common rifle and pistol calibers. If you're not stocked up at this point, you must have short term memory loss about what occurred just a few short years ago.
 
Speedo66 said:
My thing has always been to buy whenever I see ammo on sale, whether I need it or not. It pretty much will never go bad, until a couple of years ago, I was using some .22's with an $8.99 sticker on the bricks.

A few boxes at a time will probably not hurt most, same could be said for buying reloading supplies. We're at a point now where ammo is very cheap in the common rifle and pistol calibers. If you're not stocked up at this point, you must have short term memory loss about what occurred just a few short years ago.
Click to expand...

This is exactly what I do for the few things I don't reload and for rimfire.

I try and keep 10K of each size pistol primers on hand and 5K of each size rifle primers on hand. I also make sure I have adequate supplies of powder. I keep plenty of lead on hand also.
 
How much can you afford without negatively affecting your family? How much can you safely store? Store those amounts.

Back when I was single and earning paltry wages I put away what I could. No particular amount, just what my circumstances allowed.

Now I'm long since married and earning several times what I did back then so I can buy and put away even less! Nothing like a wife, kids, mortgage, and car payments to put a heavy crimp on one's shooting budget.

I don't know about you, but in times of shortages I shoot less. I have my "play ammo and components", then there's my reserve stash that is strictly for business until if/when I can get replacements.

Even at my brokest way back when I never considered any firearm "useful" until I had at least a hundred ready to use rounds for it.
 
If my kids didnt shoot as well, I would have had a 5 years supply last year....now Im scrounging.

Nice thing is out of 7, 4 are grown up and gone, though they visit often and tax my ammo stash when they need......LOL!!
 
Doublehelix said:
... Thoughts? How are you preparing for a future shortage, and how will your behavior change if that happens?
Click to expand...
With ammo and ammo components, I have been in Multi-Year Mode for a long while. Even though I have quite a stockpile already, every time I see a good deal I will add to it.

Recently, I placed orders for some of the Federal Black Pack ammo (the products with the $20 Rebate/pack that all of the vendors have been advertising for the past week) in .223 and .45acp ... that I will add to the gazillions of rounds (not counting components) that I already have on-hand.

If a shortage occurs, the only thing that I may change is to spend more time shooting the more populous ammo flavors more of the time.
 
460Shooter said:
As far as powder goes, I built up my stockpile to 15 lbs, but don't want to maintain more than that really. I'm worried it'll breakdown before I can use it up. I changed jobs a little over 2 years ago, and my shooting time took a serious hit as a result. Working on a house doesn't help either.
Click to expand...
All in due time. I am using powder from the early 90s which shoots as well as the new stuff, likewise primers. Little by little things grow so it's not like you suddenly need to run out and buy 300 pounds of powder today. Just maintain what you are comfortable with and what you can afford.

Ron
 
Reloadron said:
All in due time. I am using powder from the early 90s which shoots as well as the new stuff, likewise primers. Little by little things grow so it's not like you suddenly need to run out and buy 300 pounds of powder today. Just maintain what you are comfortable with and what you can afford.

Ron
Click to expand...
Yep, 15 pounds is plenty to load several thousand rounds. I find the more I load the more I want to shoot. Just haven't had much time for it. I'm trying to remain patient.
 
Doublehelix said:
As the political winds change, concerns arise about our ability to get ammo and/or reloading components in the future.

Buried in a couple of other threads, I asked the question about "how much is enough" to stock up on now that the prices are low and availability seems good. Since that question and the few responses got buried under the real subject of those threads, I thought it would best to start a new thread as a dedicated discussion.

I know that people are leary to post exact numbers of stockpiled ammo, for good reason, but I am just asking hypothetically, what seems like a good stock to keep on hand IF YOU COULD?

One year's worth?
Two year's worth?
Five years?

I personally would love to have 5 year's worth of reloading supplies on hand for each caliber, but since I shoot between 15,000 - 20,000 rounds per year, it is just almost impossible to come up with that much cash, plus, have a safe and legal place to store it all.

At the top end, that would mean 100,000 bullets ($$$), 100,000 primers, and close to 70 pounds of powder. That is about $9,000 in bullets for .40 S&W competition rounds (although I obviously have a mix of other calibers).

That just ain't gonna happen unless I win the lottery.

There have been some periods where nothing was available at all, and maybe a better strategy is to save a stockpile for those periods, and don't touch it otherwise, and then continue to buy new for current usage as long as the ample supply is available.

Also, I know that during drought times, I will be shooting less live fire and focus more on dry fire, so there are ways to minimize need when necessary.

I am worried about the future of our sport with all of the crazies with guns giving us law abiding citizens a bad name. :fire:

Maybe I should have picked a more politically correct hobby like needlepoint or crocheting!!! LOL! :rofl:

Thoughts? How are you preparing for a future shortage, and how will your behavior change if that happens?
Click to expand...

I’d like to have enough to get me through 10 years if I needed but that is a lot of ammo. I do a lot of shooting, especially precision rifle. There is also this thing called money that makes all of this difficult. I think I got around 1500 rds of 5.45, 1200 of 5.56, 1000 of .308. I’m out of all 9mm, .45, 6 creedmoor, .243, 6.5 :(. I do what I can.
 
JONWILL said:
Buy primers and powder. Also 22lr, it is crazy cheap right now. There is no reason to have under 5k of 22
Click to expand...


Just got off Cabelas website. Federal Black Label 22lr is between 2 and 3 cents delivered right now
Federal $20 rebate on a pack of 1600.
 
My first really fun .22 shooting began when a friend loaned me his Walther P22 handgun ("Made in Germany"). Perfectly reliable with any brand-except with subsonic ammo.
What a blast! He has no idea how much ammo burns through it, and he seldom touches any of his multiple guns.

As many of you stated, buy ammo as often as you can rationally afford it, unless fever for a new gun can't be properly treated with modern pharmaceuticals.

Such a shame that "gun fever" isn't covered by health insurance. :(
 
I think the simplest way to prepare for the next inevitable ammo panic is to stock as much as you can reasonably afford now. We have an ammunition budget and whenever we find a good sale we buy a case or two. I try to keep a case or two of JHPs on hand as well.
 
Shooting 1000 rounds next year(9mm) is my goal, about 300 will be Jhp.

That will be for my EDC, backup 1/2 as much.

I’m starting from scratch on 9mm so to meet my goal and build a cushion I believe I’ll buy 1500 rounds next year.
 
Doublehelix said:
At the top end, that would mean 100,000 bullets ($$$), 100,000 primers, and close to 70 pounds of powder. That is about $9,000 in bullets for .40 S&W competition rounds (although I obviously have a mix of other calibers).

That just ain't gonna happen unless I win the lottery.
Click to expand...
Primers: 100k isn't such an outrageous number. I know several people in my local reloading club who regularly keep that much on hand. What I found interesting is that in the same space I would need to store 2k Federal primers, I could store 20k CCI
Powder: You're only looking at 10 8lb jugs
Bullets: These take a lot of room. That would be 40 of the Xtreme buckets

But the thing to remember is that you don't have to buy them all at the same time.

You could buy a jug of powder a month or a couple of buckets of bullets to build toward your goal. I'd suggest that you buy the primers in bulk to save on shipping and hazmat; I've found that Federal primers require a separate HazMat fee at 22k...it has to do with the weight/size of the packaging/shipping container
 
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