# What's your CAP on ammo



## JAGER (Oct 10, 2012)

What's the forums (My fellow prepper brothers and sisters "Shotlady") thoughts on how much ammo is enough for a SHTF situation? I'm not going to say how much I have and what firearms I have (Eyes are on us) but, most of the calibers match. e.g all my pistols are .45 ACP & 22lr. SO, what is your magic number of enough per caliber? ::rambo::


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## AquaHull (Jun 10, 2012)

JAGER said:


> What's the forums (My fellow prepper brothers and sisters "Shotlady") thoughts on how much ammo is enough for a SHTF situation? I'm not going to say how much I have and what firearms I have (Eyes are on us) but, most of the calibers match. e.g all my pistols are .45 ACP & 22lr. SO, what is your magic number of enough per caliber? ::rambo::


What you said


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## JAGER (Oct 10, 2012)

LMAO!!! OK Point taken!!!!!


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## rice paddy daddy (Jul 17, 2012)

One has to remember, we are civilians. There will be no choppers airlifting in more munitions. As Clint Smith once said: no one who has ever survived a gunfight has ever wished for a smaller gun or less ammo.
Since I'm not going anywhere, "bugging in" so to speak, the only cap on ammo I have is the depth of my wallet. I'm not going to have to carry it on my back.


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## AquaHull (Jun 10, 2012)

My worry is the weight, and not for me to carry, but for the 1/2" 40 year old particle board floors in my home with the polyester curtains and the redwood deck.


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## survival (Sep 26, 2011)

Minimum 1000 rounds is a good number to start with for the calibers that you own, when you hit those numbers focus $ on other prepping items that you might be neglecting. Its funny to watch youtube "prepper" videos and its all about "guns". You can't eat a gun!

Minimum: 10,000 of .22 and shotgun ammo (hunting) for trading. 

Aqua Hull: Dang her black heart and her pretty red neck


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## shotlady (Aug 30, 2012)

I dont have a cap i have minimum standards that mirror survivals. my boys dont have my caliburs, so i stock at their houses too. I can barter ammo. i wont be a gold or silver collector/ trader. hell i even suggest you have caliburs you do have for trade, but first have a rubust storage of your own.

heres how i figure. there are 47,000 people in my 4 block area. i maybe like two of them. lol theres 21 million people in socal the cities blend together theres no true distinction. I still do not have enough ammo. kept in rolling suit cases i can walk out with it orride a bike and hook it to the back, or drive out with it. and you may need to shoot some things twice.

i love the smell & talk of gun powder in the morning!


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## JAGER (Oct 10, 2012)

OK, Now I don't feel like a nut for going over the norm with ammo. With that said I'll slow down on my ammo and start buying some other preppers goodies. By the way check this out. Next pay day I'll be getting the 400+ can organizer!

The Harvest 72" Food Rotation System


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## AquaHull (Jun 10, 2012)

Thats about the same as my whole county shotlady

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Newaygo_County


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## rice paddy daddy (Jul 17, 2012)

When the Wife (she who must be obeyed) found out how much I had squirreled away in the house she about had a heart attack. Made me move it out to my barn (as opposed to HER barn).


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## Denton (Sep 18, 2012)

Years ago, my chiropractor and I were talking about currency (he doesn't take credit cards), and the difference between currency and money.
He said he buys gold and silver. I said I buy silver, lead and brass. While ammo is technically not real money as it will not last indefinitely, it will last long enough for me. Its value is not going to be lost, and I will be able to use it for trading when we run into bad times.

Since then, he has added the extra metals to his list, too.


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## Irish (Oct 5, 2012)

What cap? You can never have enough of something that may save your life in my eyes!


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## jmh033089 (Oct 23, 2012)

Min. 1, 000 and never a cap, at one point I use to have 10,000. All depends on the person and what situation.


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## shotlady (Aug 30, 2012)

I may live in a fancy highrise, but the amount of people here really bring down my standard of living. wow just ruin this rual texan gal's day. every day for 14 yrs! i cant wait till my sweet little baby comes home from ****edupistan so i can move and start living my life the way its meant to be.


hahaha rice paddy daddy! looks like you got busted. shell be happy one day you had all that! and im sure yer happy everyday knowing you have all that! this ole gal aint mad at you!


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## rice paddy daddy (Jul 17, 2012)

shotlady said:


> hahaha rice paddy daddy! looks like you got busted. shell be happy one day you had all that! and im sure yer happy everyday knowing you have all that! this ole gal aint mad at you!


Doesn't everyone have 1000+ rounds of 1954 Bulgarian ammo for their Mosin Nagants?


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## shotlady (Aug 30, 2012)

every one i know would think its a grand idea!!


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## survival (Sep 26, 2011)

rice paddy daddy said:


> Doesn't everyone have 1000+ rounds of 1954 Bulgarian ammo for their Mosin Nagants?


Yes. Unless the worms got through the pvc pipe and cosmoline filled tube. ;-)


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## rice paddy daddy (Jul 17, 2012)

Ahhh, 440 round sealed cans. The dealer had 'em priced at $37 because he thought there were 100 rounds in the can. I guess he couldn't read Bulgarian. I couldn't either and it was a pleasant suprise when I opened one.
Yes, they are corrosive, but that's OK.


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## randy grider (Nov 2, 2012)

a case or two of defense ammo (.223,7.62X 39,30-06,9 mm, .45 acp)then you can never have too much .22, for hunting, bartering, and even self defense. Its so cheap its just silly not to have plenty of it on hand.


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## Dropy (Apr 18, 2012)

Cap...WHAT CAP???? I buy till i run out of cash or the store runs out of ammo!! Then i go to another store. =)


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## shattered (Nov 9, 2012)

Start reloading... then you'll open an entire new world of acquisitions. Just bought another 10K of 9mm RNL 125 grainers. Guy in the next town has a MagnaCaster setup and has his lead priced very fairly. And this weekend ought to be an eye opener at the local gun show. One guy sells small pistol primers at $95 per case of 5K... about $20-30 under retail.

Oh yeah... first post... and here we go...


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## armyguy (Nov 9, 2012)

Well as far as ammo goes. I stick with the normal or common calibers like 9mm, .22 , .223, 12 gauge and so on. Why? Because you can bet the next guy next door has them also. So I only buy firearms chambered in common calibers.

So what is the cap? minimum 1000. To be safe 5000 per caliber type but seriously there is no cap. It does not hurt so much if you put aside some money every month and then go buy a huge bulk order or when ammo goes on sales or do what everyone is doing, which is buying a box every paycheck.

Ammo is currency, also ammo prices kept going up. Most of us already double if not triple our investment because prices of bullets has double or triple since.

So how much is much. Well if you have multilple bug out location then stockpile them in all those location. Ammo is heavy and think about how much you can carry if you have to abandon your location. Think about the other stuff you are also carrying. So it is always better to have ammo dump along your escape route. Get buckets, put them in and buried them for easy retrieval. Ammo can last a long long time if kept dry. so no worries.

Think or imagine a firefight, most police firefight last less than 5 minutes because no one carries enough ammo to last longer. So for example I can shoot 500 rounds in 20 minutes (this includes alot of reloading the magazines) at the range. So you need at least 1000 rounds to sustain a firefight. If after firing 500 rounds and you still havent nuetralize the problem you should seriously plan to make an escape and abandon your location with the other 500 rounds you have. Off course these are all just senarios I am making up. But I just want you to see what i mean. Most locations say your house or your bug out cabin probably will not hold for long if it was being assualt by more than 3 people at the same time. if you are the only person returning fire. So always plan your escape route and buried stash of ammo and supplies along your route. so you can easily retrieve and keep moving. Or at least let you regroup and make a skirmish attack to retake your position (ie. your house or bug out location). 

So all these talk about buying 40k rounds of ammo per calibers and such are useless unless you can defend your location. so always always buried stashes along your escape route. If can throw in a cheapo handgun or what not into these buckets just incase you need one. 

lastly, to answer your question of what is a CAP for ammo? Well if you can keep 40,000 rounds per caliber types then you should have enough to last a few years. But do you know how much space that takes up? So what I think is the best is to have a couple of thousand rounds in each bug out location and also along your escape route or even around your bug out location so you can resupply yourself if you are force out of your location. You dont have to buried these buckets deep.make sure youc an retrieve it in a hurry. 

I am an archaeologist, I work in central america and I have reopen excavation trench with buckets of wash ceramic sherds in them that are buried back in the 1970s and well the buckets still looks like brand new. even the sharpie writing on them. and the ceramics inside are still dry and nice. So the main enemy of plastics are UV rays or sunlight. so if they are away from sunlight they can last for thousands of years. that is my two cents. I love buckets


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## UnknownCertainty (Nov 9, 2012)

^^^ Great explanation, armyguy! I'm still trying to buildup my ammo, but your post definitely got me thinking. Thanks!


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## mwhartman (Jun 26, 2012)

@armyguy -- good post. I'm not sure that I could load and shoot 500 rounds in 20 minutes with a handgun. My AR is a different matter


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## Smitty901 (Nov 16, 2012)

There is no CAP, I reached the enough level long ago but not stopping just move selective


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## SOCOM42 (Nov 9, 2012)

I guess this phrase fits the bill regardless of your wallet or goal. Plenty is good more is better. 

As r.p.d. Said there is not going to be any uh1b coming to an lz with ammo, or a dust off to haul your ass out either.

You go with what you got.

Personally i would never barter ammo. 

When the shtf, all that is in country, is all that there will ever be.

I would not be surprised if imports were stopped, because it is an epa hazardous material.


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## LunaticFringeInc (Nov 20, 2012)

Great post by armyguy on several points.

You cant have too much ammo. Thats just a fact. Until I have enough to last me the rest of my life I am not satisfied with the amount I got! I do have more of somethings than others. 22 rim fire for example is just one. I have no way to reload it so its straight up a consumable. As such I have a gang of it in my stash. I have a considerable amount of 45, 9mm, 223, 7.62x39, 308 and 12 guage, but I can reload all of these at least 5 times if not more provided I have powder and primers and bullets! Just one more of many considerations to be made.

Another point that armyguy makes is a fire fight. While you might go down on the first shot fired, you might also be the last one standing. If your that guy thats the last one standing I promise you will have more than likely expended a higher number of rounds in the process than you ever thought imaginable. One of the biggest eye openers for me on the three tours I made to the middle east, was the number of rounds expended in an engagement! There were times when I could make some well aimed shots, but there was some times when the action was fast and furious and I wasnt able to take 2-3 minutes lining up my target and taking one well placed shot. A few times when we were ambushed we went through 200-300 rounds in a matter of minutes!!! Despite we usually took some casualties in the process. Just trying to make the point that 1000 rounds aint a whole lot where the rubber meets the road.

I will be realistic, ammo is heavy! You aint going to be able to hump a lot of it and your gear too. Armyguy makes the good point of having some stashed about in various locations for use as needed. Just about everyone of the remote areas I camp or fish at has 550 rounds (which fit rather nicely in a 20 ounce soda bottle I might add) stashed at it. Why, what if the weather changes and I am stuck for a couple of extra days I didnt plan on? What if while camping I decide to do a little plinking or have a oppertunity to bag a little small game for dinner. I have what I brung and I have the extra if I need it. I keep a pretty serious stash at my bug out retreat as well. If I bug out I aint got to carry everything I got including the kitchen sink. Oh did I mention how heavy ammo is?

Reloading...I do it and keep the maximum amount allowed by law on hand. When the ammo drought last election hit and everyone was hating life, the range was wide open with no lines...I was able to reload what I wanted to shoot. With a bit of a drought starting now, I aint worried about it much, not like many other folks are starting to. Reloading is a force multiplier! With 3-4 powders I can reload just about anything I might want to shoot with adequate performance although maybe not optimal. This means if I am running low on 45 I can just reload some! For example with Unique and Blue Dot I can reload just about any pistol or shot gun load I want. That covers a lot of ground! It allows me to buy in bulk too which saves money for other things I need to buy. It also turns that 1000 rounds of brass cased commercially loaded ammo I have into potentially 3000 to 5000 more rounds if I have the ability to reload it. Thats what I mean about being a Force Multiplier!

Just some food for thought...


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## Piratesailor (Nov 9, 2012)

Never a cap.


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## C5GUY (Mar 22, 2012)

I am still looking for more storage places. No much ammo is like too much money...it's a fairytale.


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## Alpha-17 (Nov 16, 2012)

Minimum: 2,000 for combat rifle, 500 for each Pistol, bolt gun, or shotgun. 

Maximum: I'll let you know if I ever reach it.


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## Fuzzee (Nov 20, 2012)

It's pretty simple for me. As much as I can afford, and have space for.


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## Smitty901 (Nov 16, 2012)

Every time I watch the news the number goes up


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## rickkyw1720pf (Nov 17, 2012)

Why have a cap it doesn't age and if it is in the box you can always resale it. Wolf 5.56 around 10 years ago sold for $100 for 1000 rounds of 5.56 now it's around $230 a box of 1000.


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## inceptor (Nov 19, 2012)

We should have a limit? I sure hope not.


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## Mainzer (Nov 10, 2012)

*Some folks say 2000 per gun but I don't know how they know that or what it's based on? Practical answers might be..."as much as you can afford", "as much as you can carry", etc. etc.

I started out trying to reach the 2000 level for my M1As and did "OK" up to a couple of rifles. Now I'm up to five rifles and it would likely bust me to store 10K of 7.62. Rim fire .22 is a different matter: Somewhere in my stash will always be 10/22 and a MkII Rugers so everytime I see a deal or a sale I buy some. Likewise my 870 Remington. The ARs are sort of like the M1As. I stopped accumulating 5.56 at about 5K rounds.

I collected firearms for a lot of years before I started thinking about prepping so I have .303, 30-06, 7.62X39, 6.5 Swede, 7.5 French, 8mm Mauser, etc, etc, etc. I guess in a bad situation it's all Ballistic Wampum according to Jeff Cooper?*


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## celticdad98 (Nov 9, 2012)

Smitty901 said:


> Every time I watch the news the number goes up


What he said!!!!


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## JDE101 (Nov 9, 2012)

James Wesley Rawles in his book, "How to Survive The End of The World As We Know It" recommends a *minimum* of, 2,000 per battle rifle, 500 per hunting rifle, 800 per primary handgun, 2,000 per .22 rimfire, and 500 per riot gun. And 3 times that amount if you can afford it. You can never have too much ammo, in my opinion! As other have said, it can be used for trade and barter as well.


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## shotlady (Aug 30, 2012)

i picked up another 1000 rounds tonight. 500 9 and 500 40. my friend owns a reload facotory and he delivers.

he brings me 308 tomorrow.


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## Sr40ken (Nov 21, 2012)

I have 1500 per caliber (4 calibers) and growing since I reload. I have in waiting 8 pounds of gun powder several thousand primers and growing numers of brass. 
A cap? depends on the situation. But since I don't know the situation the numbers will grow.


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## BigRat (Nov 17, 2012)

Unfortunately I keep on shooting too much of my stash, so it only increases slowly. But hopefully it pans out in the practice, as not needing to shoot as much:mrgreen: My numbers are slowly starting to get up there though. I do try to keep all my guns in LE/military calibers 5.56/.223, .308/7.62x51, and .40.

BigRat


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## Meangreen (Dec 6, 2012)

I don't think I will ever have enough ammo. Enough cubed maybe:wink:


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