# How much is enough?



## Auntie (Oct 4, 2014)

I hope this is the right section to post these questions. It was my husbands 'job' to deal with ammo so I have a few questions. I don't go to the range and shoot, I don't go hunting for deer and such. I have 6 shot guns and 1 pistol for protection against predators 2 and 4 legged. I did have a chance to go target shooting about 6 months ago and did well.

How much ammo should I have on hand? Are the metal boxes the best way to store the ammo? Does it go bad? How often should I clean the guns? I know how to clean a pistol, is it the same principle for a shotgun? Would I be better off taking them to someone and having them cleaned?

Thanks


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## rjd25 (Nov 27, 2014)

Auntie said:


> I hope this is the right section to post these questions. It was my husbands 'job' to deal with ammo so I have a few questions. I don't go to the range and shoot, I don't go hunting for deer and such. I have 6 shot guns and 1 pistol for protection against predators 2 and 4 legged. I did have a chance to go target shooting about 6 months ago and did well.


I would recommend getting a .22LR bolt action rifle if your budget permits.



Auntie said:


> How much ammo should I have on hand?


I keep a minimum of 1000 rounds for each type of gun that I have. Every time I go to the range I try to replenish it. I would like to have 2000 rounds for each but my wife would kill me if I dropped 500$ on more ammo.



Auntie said:


> Are the metal boxes the best way to store the ammo? Does it go bad?


The most important thing with ammo is keeping it dry (this includes moisture). If kept dry, it should last 100 years or more. Ammo cans aren't bad, plastic baggies are good as well inside of ammo cans. I wouldn't store pointy rounds loose incase of accidental discharge.



Auntie said:


> How often should I clean the guns? I know how to clean a pistol, is it the same principle for a shotgun?


If you are using corrosive ammo (not likely with the firearms you listed) you should clean it after every use. I clean my guns every time I use them anyway even though I use non corrosive rounds. Handguns you can probably get away with 200-300 rounds in-between cleanings with no issues. A clean gun is a happy gun.



Auntie said:


> Would I be better off taking them to someone and having them cleaned?


I think anyone here would tell you that you are better off learning how to do it yourself and having the supplies and knowledge on hand because you may not have the "pay someone else to do it" option in a SHTF scenario. You will also gain a working knowledge of how your gun operates which is an added bonus.


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## E.H. (Dec 21, 2014)

Honestly first thing I gather from this post is you need more range time; and maybe some training. I try to make it to the range once a month. I keep about 1000 rounds of 22LR, 9mm and 7.62x39. I also keep 500 birdshot and 100 buckshot. If I shoot it I replace it. I store it in magazines, empty magazines are useless. Whatever doesn't fit in magazines if left in it's packages and stored in ammo cans. Learn to clean your own firearms. This is one of the first steps in learning to clear malfunctions.


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## rjd25 (Nov 27, 2014)

E.H. said:


> Honestly first thing I gather from this post is you need more range time; and maybe some training. I try to make it to the range once a month. I keep about 1000 rounds of 22LR, 9mm and 7.62x39. I also keep 500 birdshot and 100 buckshot. If I shoot it I replace it. I store it in magazines, empty magazines are useless. Whatever doesn't fit in magazines if left in it's packages and stored in ammo cans. Learn to clean your own firearms. This is one of the first steps in learning to clear malfunctions.


I don't know how I feel about storing in magazines. I've read about issues when people do that weakening the feed spring and causing issues with the feed.


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## E.H. (Dec 21, 2014)

Magazine springs do not wear out from being loaded. This is a common misconception. Even amongst firearms professionals. Springs wear out through use. As in loading and unloading/shooting not from simply being compressed. Now if you have cheap unreinforced magazines the feed lips may deform but metal magazines or quality polymer magazines should not suffer from this. Another common misconception is stretching springs that have been compressed for a long period of time helps retain their life. This is simply wrong and over compressing or over stretching will weaken the springs.


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## Boss Dog (Feb 8, 2013)

Keep in mind that you can be as detailed or less, depending on your needs and wishes.
The best and cheapest place to get cleaning supplies is Wal-Mart.
The best and cheapest place to get ammo is Wal-Mart. Just pick up a box or 2 at a time as you can afford it until you have built up a good stock. If you decide you need some premium defence ammo you can find it at a local gun store but, it will probably cost twice as much as your practice ammo. Sometimes Wally has some, often not. All indications are that premium defence ammo only expands about 10-15% more than regular hollow points like you will find at Wally's. You decide if it is worth the cost.

I like both of these you tube channels, there is a lot of info there ans I can easily wile away the hours watching.

Semi-autos





Revolvers


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## Boss Dog (Feb 8, 2013)

Sorry, I got mixed up and thougt you were asking about cleaning pistols.

semi-auto





pump





Quick clean


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## Boss Dog (Feb 8, 2013)

Keep as much ammo on hand as you think you'll need. I have a-plenty. I store it to hedge against price hikes or non-availablilty at a later time.
My brother only keeps a few boxes for each gun. Most of mine is in the original boxes inside ammo cans. You can find ammo cans at local gun stores (expensive), some pawn shops (a little cheaper), and sometimes Wal-Mart has them. If they don't have the metal cans, they usually will have plastic ones that look just like the metal cans.
Really, just about any wood box/crate or sturdy plastic tote will do, depending on how much you're putting in them. Ammo is heavy. 

On the shotgun cleaning, I don't feel the need to dis-assemble them for cleaning unless you're shootinig a lot or it has been long time since it was done.


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## Smitty901 (Nov 16, 2012)

You never have enough. That said no one can afford enough so there must be limits.
Hand gun : have enough so that you can shoot now and then with out dropping below 200-500 rounds. Not really an amount that will break the bank.
Shot guns Number of weapons X 100. 
Once you have those numbers on hand you can build on it little at a time. Buy a box of rounds for you hand gun or shot gun when you see a good deal.
Ammo does not really go bad. It store in a reasonably dry place and avoid large Temperature changes . Ammo cans are fine as long as the are in good condition.
If they sit on a floor place an insulator under them.
Rotate your ammo Use your old stuff first.
No one prep you make can over whelm the others so ammo has to be limited at some point due to cost. With an example of a 9mm hand gun 115gr ball can be had often for 22-27 dollars for 50 round box and 35-37 for 100 on sales. SHTF you don't need to worry about high cost 158gr JHP, It becomes a non issue. Picking up one or two now and then does add up over time. Same with shot gun sales.
A Bg is not going to walk away just because you did not shoot him with the high cost super ninja 12ga magic shell. The same round you will use for hunting food will stop him also. Shot gun shells often come up on pretty good sales be ready to buy when price is right. 

There is no right answer to how much. You set a base what ever you pick , get there, then build on it as you can. Good luck


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## pheniox17 (Dec 12, 2013)

Practice!! 

How much ammo is enough?? Well unfortunately there is no such thing, some rounds over age do funny things to sporting rifles tho don't know about your selection

But there is nothing I can improve on that hasn't already been said, but will reinforce practice!! Goto the range more... As in really go shoot as much as you can... Anything more than once every 6 months please!!


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## Diver (Nov 22, 2014)

Your ammo will last virtually forever if it is kept in a cool, dry place. The ammo cans you refer to are air tight, so they keep the ammo dry. They are great for ammo storage and for that matter storing lots of other things. Cleaning guns is something you should do from time to time, not only to keep the weapon in good condition (Rust can be an issue if it is not used regularly.) but also to maintain your familiarity with the weapon. I also recommend range time. You don't want to be figuring something out in the middle of a crisis.

The "How much ammo?" question has been discussed, but I think is worth discussing again from time to time. No one has the perfect formula for how much is enough. I like to put it in the context of the rest of your disaster preps. Do you have a month's worth of food and enough ammo for Armageddon? You might want to buy some food instead of more ammo. I'm going to get some blowback for that bit of sacrilege. 

On the other hand, let's say you start going to the range regularly and the only thing that happens is another Sandy Hook. Ammo prices go through the roof, and availability disappears for 2 years or more. You'd like to keep up your range time without dipping into your prepper inventory. Given it is now 2 years since Sandy Hook and .22LR is still normalizing, I'd say a 3 year supply for range usage might be a nice thing to have on hand. If you go to the range once every 2 weeks and shoot 200 rounds, that is just over 5,000 rounds per year, 15,000 rounds for the 3 year period.

That is a significant investment, which is why you'll hear people talking about buying a box every few weeks and setting it aside. That's just a sort of savings plan for accumulating their inventory.


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## Notsoyoung (Dec 2, 2013)

Some quick opinionated answers in no particular order:

First and foremost, practice, practice, practice. Spend time at the range actually shooting your firearms. If you have the time and finances, take a NRA approved class. Many ranges have them. They will teach you safety, marksmenship, and how to clean your firearms. There are some ranges that give classes specifically for Females. If nothing else it might give you a chance to meet other women who are interested in firearms. At the range I frequent there is a group of 4 - 6 women that are occasionally there the same time that I am, and they seem to have a very good time burning up some rounds. Also a good idea is to buy some "dummy" rounds and practice loading and dry firing your weapons at home.

Ammo storage and shelf life: I store my ammo in military surplus metal cans. There is a reason that the military went that route. The most important thing is to keep your ammo dry, and in a cool place. Off the top of my head, I believe that I heard somewhere that ammo should be stored in place where the temperature remains above 34 degrees and below 94, or something to that effect. This prevents condensation and extreme temperature extremes affect the powder. I have fired ammo that was over 70 years old without any problems. Some additional hints, throw some of those moisture absorbent packets in the container that you store your ammo in. I do that but also put a cup of rice in the bottom to absorb the moisture, and if things get desperate I can always eat it later. If you can't afford the metal ammo cans, you can always use the tuperware type containers. 

How much ammo to stock up on: This is a tough one and everyone has their own opinion. The way that I do is to prioritize my ammo by cost, availability, and what I think I will use the most in an emergency. An example is that presently the ammunition that I have the most of is .22 caliber long rifle. It is the cheapest, so I can afford to buy fairly large amounts of it at a time, but right now it is also difficult to find regularly, so I usually buy 3 or 4 hundred of them at a time. The next largest amount that I have is in .223. This is what I consider to be my primary SHTF weapon, so I have more of it then I do for something such as my .40 cal pistol. Generally speaking, I personally started out with the goal of having 500 rds per pistol, 250 rds for hunting rifles and shotguns, 1,000 rds for .22's and my primary SHTF firearm's (Rifle and Pistol). It took me a while to get there, buying a box or two per month or when on sale. Once I goal, I re-evaluated by goals and decided if I needed more or less for each firearm. Surprisingly enough, or maybe not, I didn't find any that I needed less of. In the case of shotguns, you need to evaluate the types of shells/shot/loads that you will need. Slugs, 6 shot, 2 shot, buckshot, sabot rounds, whichever ones you think will best serve you needs for different situations. 

Good luck.
p.s. : You need to learn to clean each of your firearms yourself. Youtube is an excellent resource for that. I strongly believe that a firearm should be cleaned EVERY time after being fired, if for no other reason than to be sure that it is well lubricated and carbon and residue is removed, and the barrel is clear, and I clean all of my weapons twice a year. Most of them probably don't need cleaning that often, but it helps me check for rust or dust, it ensures that they are well lubricated, and as has been mentioned previously, it keeps you familiar on how to disassemble/assemble each firearm.


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## Slippy (Nov 14, 2013)

I was taught as a child to keep weapons clean and in good working condition so I clean them immediately after I shoot them 90% of the time. I did an experiment last summer on one of my weapons to see how many rounds I could put through it before it became gummed up and I got to 1000 rounds and it still functioned flawlessly so I cleaned it. 

How much ammo do you need? Having never been in a fire fight, I may not be the right person to answer this, but I will go out on a limb and say that I doubt anybody who is currently involved in a fire fight ever turned to his buddy and said, " I think we have enough ammo". Just a guess.

My wife buys a few boxes of our most common calibers ever week or twice monthly and I handle bulk purchases. I date most of my ammo and try and rotate as best as possible. I also leave some of the price tags on the ammo so I can take a walk down memory lane and remember when sanity existed. We should not be paying more than 2 cents a round for .22 LR but we are. I, on the other hand, HAVE bricks of .22 LR that I paid 2 cents a round.

As far as storage, most of our ammo is in plastic or metal 50 cal sized ammo cans. Some are in plastic ziploc bags, some are in the cardboard boxes they came in, some are in mylar bags sealed and some are loose in tupperware. I also take bit of vaseline and coat the rubber gasket seal on the ammo cans about once a year to keep it from dry-rotting. 

As far as keeping rounds in magazines, I've never had a problem with the springs failing on ANY magazine. I keep multiple magazines loaded and sometimes I rotate them. I rotate them because I want to, not because I think the mag spring will fail...Just to keep myself engaged. 

Hope this helps.


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## survival (Sep 26, 2011)

Auntie said:


> Would I be better off taking them to someone and having them cleaned?


At this point, I have to pay someone to clean mine. That's when you know you have too many guns.

The ones that I lost in the lake that is.


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## Denton (Sep 18, 2012)

Auntie said:


> I hope this is the right section to post these questions. It was my husbands 'job' to deal with ammo so I have a few questions. I don't go to the range and shoot, I don't go hunting for deer and such. I have 6 shot guns and 1 pistol for protection against predators 2 and 4 legged. I did have a chance to go target shooting about 6 months ago and did well.
> 
> How much ammo should I have on hand? Are the metal boxes the best way to store the ammo? Does it go bad? How often should I clean the guns? I know how to clean a pistol, is it the same principle for a shotgun? Would I be better off taking them to someone and having them cleaned?
> 
> Thanks


Auntie, I have a couple questions for you.

Are you living in a heavily or sparsely populated area, and do you do your shopping in a heavily or sparsely populated area?

What is the crime rate?

When you say pistol, do you mean pistol, or is it really a revolver? There's a difference.


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## dannydefense (Oct 9, 2013)

survival said:


> At this point, I have to pay someone to clean mine. That's when you know you have too many guns.
> 
> The ones that I lost in the lake that is.


Can I has your problems? 

I unholstered the 1911 and cleaned it the other day on a whim, didn't really need it, but it was getting a little dusty around the hammer... Some people crochet...


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## Auntie (Oct 4, 2014)

Denton said:


> Auntie, I have a couple questions for you.
> 
> Are you living in a heavily or sparsely populated area, and do you do your shopping in a heavily or sparsely populated area?
> 
> ...


I live in a sparsely populated area. The crime rate is very low, however we had one person that was hitting houses in the area. He is now enjoying the hospitality of the state. The big crime wave we had was him. Now we are enjoying peace and tranquility again.

According to the definition on Google I have a revolver. Like I said this was my husbands 'job'.

We only shop during day light hours about once a week. The town we go to is bigger than where we live but by no means a large city.

Crime rate in my town for last year, that is all I could find. Murders 0, Rapes 0, Assaults 7, Auto Thefts 8, Arson 1.


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## Auntie (Oct 4, 2014)

I just told my sister we have to find a place to shoot. She suggested we ask our neighbor that has been in the area for 20 years. I will take him some cookies tonight and ask him.

I really appreciate all the advice and recommendations.


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## Denton (Sep 18, 2012)

Sounds like you live in paradise, ma'am.

Got a better idea of the situation, now. 

A revolver is slower to reload than an automatic (Pistol terms, automatic means the next round is automatically reloaded, not that it continues to fire until the trigger is released) and you can speed up the process by buying speed loaders. You'll need to practice reloading with speed loaders, but skilled shooters can almost keep up with those using autos.

Point I'm trying to make is that all the ammo in the world does you no good if you die while reloading. If given the choice between 1,000 rounds of ammo and two magazines, or 500 rounds of ammo and 25 magazines, I'd prefer the 500/25 option.


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## Auntie (Oct 4, 2014)

I do love where I live, it took me two years to find my little slice of paradise. 

Excellent point on the reloading aspect, I hadn't thought about that. Perhaps I should consider getting a different hand gun. The one I have is quite old, it was my father in laws. Seems I have a lot of thinking to do.


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## Diver (Nov 22, 2014)

Auntie said:


> I do love where I live, it took me two years to find my little slice of paradise.
> 
> Excellent point on the reloading aspect, I hadn't thought about that. Perhaps I should consider getting a different hand gun. The one I have is quite old, it was my father in laws. Seems I have a lot of thinking to do.


There is absolutely nothing wrong with a revolver if it is in good working condition. If you wish to buy more firearms, I would suggest first covering some categories where you don't have one, e.g. .22 rifle. .22 rifles are great for practice and for small game.


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## Denton (Sep 18, 2012)

Auntie said:


> I do love where I live, it took me two years to find my little slice of paradise.
> 
> Excellent point on the reloading aspect, I hadn't thought about that. Perhaps I should consider getting a different hand gun. The one I have is quite old, it was my father in laws. Seems I have a lot of thinking to do.


I understand. I have loved wheel guns since I was a kid. It's hard not to love'em, but understanding their limitations is important, and what your particular scenario will most likely be.

An auto allows for quicker reloading the magazines have higher capacity than six rounds, but if you are already good with the 6-shooter, I am a firm believer in accuracy over quantity.


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## Notsoyoung (Dec 2, 2013)

One thing about a revolver, it is slower to reload, but it is the most reliable type of pistol. Less moving parts = less things to go wrong. It's is less important to keep a revolver well lubricated and clean then a semi-automatic. It is not unimportant, just less so then a semi. Most importantly, you have less things to worry about such as a safety, magazine release, or a slide release. Perhaps I should have said that a revolver is more simple to use then a semi-automatic pistol. Frankly I like revolvers allot and own several although I also own several semi-automatics. I carry a semi-automatic when I do the "conceal carry" thing and a revolver when go back packing or hog hunting. There are advantages to both, but in your situation and environment, I believe that were I in your situation a revolver would be my primary pistol. 

Good luck with getting to shoot at your neighbor's place. Hope it works out for you. One thing, find someone to teach you to safely shoot your various firearms.


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## Hawaii Volcano Squad (Sep 25, 2013)

I keep a lot of my ammo in the original boxes inside a cardboard beer case.
Excellent camo in plain sight.
Just put a card board box of REAL BEER over the beer cardboard box with the ammo inside it. If someone wants a warm beer they can grab the case on top none the wiser that the beer case underneath is ammo. Always keep a sufficient cold beer supply in the fridge so nobody will go poking around the boxes of warm beer.
Good excuse to always have beer in the fridge.


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## Doc Holliday (Dec 22, 2012)

Before my boat accident while cleaning all of my firearms (I think I went to the same lake that Survival goes to) I kept 1000's of rounds for every firearm I owned (rifles included) and as a backup I had all the components to reload all of my empty brass at least a few times.

Sounds like you got all the good advice you will need... practice with what you have but do not let your supply dwindle. If you cannot afford to replace then I would keep practice at a minimum until you can replace what you shoot. It wouldnt do you any good to be a great shot if you didnt have any ammo to use when you need it.


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## Deebo (Oct 27, 2012)

In my humble opinion, if you have a little extra ammo, your ok. 
Ammo is expensive, but having a pistol and no ammo equals a hammer. 
I haven't Purchased any ammo in months, becouse of finances, so I haven't went to the range either, but I have a little, if it all went south today, I would be ok.
As for a number of rounds, whatever your comfort level is, I'm not comfortable yet, but close. 
Wish you well.


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## Deebo (Oct 27, 2012)

And, remember, with a good revolver and a dummy round, you can practice dry firing at home, warm and dry. 
This kind of practice is great for trigger hold and flinching, but, PLEASE, have someone trusted show you how to safely do the practice.


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## Hawaii Volcano Squad (Sep 25, 2013)

Deebo said:


> And, remember, with a good revolver and a dummy round, you can practice dry firing at home, warm and dry.
> This kind of practice is great for trigger hold and flinching, but, PLEASE, have someone trusted show you how to safely do the practice.


My friend who also has a youtube gun channel here in Hawaii made me six dummy 357 magnum rounds so I could practice reloading my revolver with a speed loader. He didn't even charge me anything! Was very nice of him.


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## Boss Dog (Feb 8, 2013)

Just outa curiosity, care to share the make and model of said revolver? and pics?... 
I live for nice pics of fine old revolvers! ::clapping:: ... since I can't own them all myself


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## Gunner's Mate (Aug 13, 2013)

1,000 rnds per caliber you shoot, Minimum


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## Auntie (Oct 4, 2014)

Boss Dog said:


> Just outa curiosity, care to share the make and model of said revolver? and pics?...
> I live for nice pics of fine old revolvers! ::clapping:: ... since I can't own them all myself


I am horrible at taking pics will ask my sis to do that for me.


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## rice paddy daddy (Jul 17, 2012)

I like revolvers because I am left handed, and when I learned to shoot all automatics had controls for right handed people.
Yes, I know that modern plastic fantastic autos are ambidextrous, but I have learned to manipulate the controls of a 1911 so I just stick with those.

Several comments on other posts -
Ammo storage temperature is not as critical as some may think. I have enough ammo that I store it in a barn rather than the house. Some of it is in ammo cans, some in the original boxes in cabinets, some in a non working refrigerator. I have a thermometer out there and it gets to be 110+ degrees in the summer. I have fired ammo that was made from the 1940's to the present day and had been in my barn 10 years with no problem.
To test this temperature deal I had a 357 magnum revolver that was loaded and had been in my car for over two years. In those two years the ammo had seen the low twenties during some winter nights, and a lot of 140 and above inside a closed car in the Florida summers. I do not own a chronograph so I don't know if the velocities varied from advertised, but the rounds in the gun + the spare reloads all fired just fine.

The terms "revolver" and "pistol" traditionally were interchangeable when referring to a revolver. "Pistol" referring ONLY to an autoloader is a recent thing. In my younger years Pistol referred to any handgun, and to me it still does. As an example I would point out when Colt introduced his revolver in 1836, it was termed by him and the US Patent Office as "a revolving pistol".


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## Denton (Sep 18, 2012)

True, RPD, the distinction between the two is relatively recent, but it is as recent as I am, so I figure most think in similar fashion. I forget there are some of you around who rode with General Lee.


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## rice paddy daddy (Jul 17, 2012)

Denton said:


> True, RPD, the distinction between the two is relatively recent, but it is as recent as I am, so I figure most think in similar fashion. I forget there are some of you around who rode with General Lee.


Heck, son, when I was in Moses was a corporal.


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