# How much 12ga do you keep on hand?



## jbrooks19 (May 22, 2014)

Im working on my 12ga stock pile as it is my primary weapon, secondary is my G22. Will be adding an AK when i get my preps to where im comfortable. 

I currently have the following:

350 target loads (Box says multipurpose shells)
250 00Buck
50 000Buck
400 #6
50 Slugs (Need to add a lot to this one)

Just curious as to what most people have on hand for SHTF. I know enough is never enough.....


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## Wallimiyama (Oct 18, 2012)

I've got about 100 00Buck. 100 #4buck. 250 each of #7shot and slugs. The better half thinks I'm nuts...but I'm pretty sure she'll thank me someday soon.


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## jbrooks19 (May 22, 2014)

I dont know if im a little cray or what but i feel like i need to have around 1000 of each to be comfortable..


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## jbrooks19 (May 22, 2014)

The way i see it, 12ga is a multi use round and serves many purposes and for the man wanting to keep a low profile shotguns dont have nearly the "Scare effect" that assault rifles do.. Thats why it is my primary instead of an AR or AK variant.. So i feel since it is primary then i need to stock pile a TON of ammo, maybe literally a TON, as in 2000lbs haha


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## csi-tech (Apr 13, 2013)

My Mossberg 500 is a great gun. I keep a few hundred slugs, a few hundred rounds of .00 buck and a few hundred rounds of birdshot for, well, birds and squirrels should the need arise. It is my primary home defense weapon. .00 buck is what sits in the tube and I keep slugs in the sidesaddle. I also bought a sling that holds shells. I am currently buying 9mm here and there but I need to bolster my shotshell pile too.


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## Kauboy (May 12, 2014)

My shotgun ammo stock is somewhat pitiful.
The gun itself, adding stock carrier and side saddle along with a "bandoleer" sling, can hold 30 rounds. 27 are 00 buck, the other 3 are slugs.
I have a 25ct. box of target shot and a 5ct. box of turkey shot.

Since I consider my rifle to be my primary, the shotgun needs to be just enough to get me back to my rifle.
Still... I should add to my cache.


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## Beach Kowboy (Feb 13, 2014)

I keep quite a few more than most people probably. I LOVE to bird hunt for one and my fiance likes her 12ga as much as I do. We prlly have 3-400 00buck, several hundred #4 a hundred or so slugs and at least 1500 #6 - #8 for birds. I am int he process of getting a shotshell reloader as well.


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## jbrooks19 (May 22, 2014)

Beach Kowboy said:


> I keep quite a few more than most people probably. I LOVE to bird hunt for one and my fiance likes her 12ga as much as I do. We prlly have 3-400 00buck, several hundred #4 a hundred or so slugs and at least 1500 #6 - #8 for birds. I am int he process of getting a shotshell reloader as well.


I actually just ordered a shotshell reloaded myself.. Gonna start with the Lee Load ALL 2


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## ordnance21xx (Jan 29, 2014)

I have about 3 cases of bird, 00 buck, slug, turkey, and steel shot. find out how much you think you need and double it.


MOLON LABE


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## jbrooks19 (May 22, 2014)

I need more than my wallet can afford haha


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## Notsoyoung (Dec 2, 2013)

Crap, It's obvious to me that I need to buy some more shotgun shells.


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## jbrooks19 (May 22, 2014)

Notsoyoung said:


> Crap, It's obvious to me that I need to buy some more shotgun shells.


You may need to do that! You can never have to many shells....... ::rambo::


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## Denton (Sep 18, 2012)

I have a 12ga Mossy and the Wife has a 20ga Mossy. We have a few boxes for each. Not many, as the ammo takes up a lot more room, compared to the rifle ammo.

Going to have to get a few more boxes of slugs, though, as we'll be knocking some boar in the noggin when I take a few days off.


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## SDF880 (Mar 28, 2013)

600 various type for my Mossberg 500, Saiga 12 and neighbors if they need a box or two at crunch time!


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## Beach Kowboy (Feb 13, 2014)

Does anyone else have on of the older Mossy 500's that has the knob at the muzzle (poly-choke)you just twist to change your choke size? I picked up one when I was in Jr. High at a pawn shop for like $125 out the door and I still love shooting it. I just never see them anymore..


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## paraquack (Mar 1, 2013)

While I don't have a 12 gauge because my wife can't handle the recoil, I found her a 20 gauge Rem. 1100 LT. It's a youth size. A little shorter than the regular 20s. Now this she could handle. Fired off 50 rounds with no recoil problems. 1500+ rounds, mixed 7-1/2 to 00 and some slugs for whatever.


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## Conundrum99 (Feb 16, 2014)

410 Ga 
Sm shot 105	
Lg Shot 
Buck shot	50	
Slug 33	

Total 193	193

20 GA 
Sm shot 250	
Lg Shot 50	
Buck shot	45	
Slug 29	

Total 345	345

12 GA 
Sm shot 450	
Lg Shot 90	
Buck shot	525	
Slug 164	
Steel	180	
1309	
Total 1309

Total 1847


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## Seneca (Nov 16, 2012)

I have a couple of ammo cans and a few loose boxes of 12 ga, laying around, mostly a mix of buckshot and slug. With some bird shot for hunting. I also keep a small dry box of 410 handy.


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## jbrooks19 (May 22, 2014)

i'm just going to start taking my 50cal ammo boxes and dumping shells loose in them to conserve space.. I figure a 50cal ammo can would hold, what, 150 shells? Maybe 200?


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## Chipper (Dec 22, 2012)

I keep a few hundred 12ga buckshot around. Would rather have more 556 or 762 then shot gun shells. I know a ammo can will hold about 600 rounds 556. 

The one exception is 410. I have a pile of 444 Marlin brass that can be reloaded as 2 1/2 inch 410. I can reload with whatever I want for hunting small game or bigger things. Bird shot, slugs, nails, gravel whatever I can find. Plus 100 rounds of 410 is a quarter the weight of 100 rounds of 12ga. Granted it's not as powerful as a 12ga but I'm not hauling one of those around for protection all day. I figure the AR with the single shot 410 on my back to take advantage of any small game. I won't be limited to 100-150 yards of the 12ga when my family lives are on the line.


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## PrepperLite (May 8, 2013)

jbrooks19 said:


> Im working on my 12ga stock pile as it is my primary weapon, secondary is my G22. Will be adding an AK when i get my preps to where im comfortable.
> 
> I currently have the following:
> 
> ...


Not much, about 100 shells of various rounds total. I would like to get to around 300 though.

I will likely bug out, the shotgun will be coming in the BOV but no farther in the event we have to ruff it on foot. The ammo is just to bulky/heavy to be hand carried efficiently in my opinion.


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## GTGallop (Nov 11, 2012)

200 rounds in bird shot.
100 rounds shot suitable for deer - buck / slugs.
50 - 100 rounds misc


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## wallyLOZ (May 12, 2013)

100 rounds of 7 1/2 shot, 20ga
200 rounds of 7 1/2 shot, 12ga
100 rounds 0f 2 shot, 12 ga

A 5 gallon bucket of 12ga hulls
About 3/4 of a bucket of 20ga hulls

50lbs of 7 1/2 shot
25 lbs of 6 shot

2 bags of wads for each
powder and primers

MEC600 single stage reloader

Just need to add slugs and we're good to go.


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## BlackDog (Nov 23, 2013)

I have a list somewhere. Not sure where but I have somewhere north 1000rds of 12ga. It's heavy on rifled slugs and 00 buck with healthy doses of PDX Defender, #4 buck, various birdshot, some heavier shot and a few door breaching rounds.


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## Smitty901 (Nov 16, 2012)

Bug in.... I take all I can get.


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## Montana Rancher (Mar 4, 2013)

I applaud your sense in keeping a 12 ga as your first choice (also my get home bag choice)

The G22 is also a good backup

I would suggest a decent hunting rifle as your 3rd (.270 hint) rather than the most pathetic gun you could own over 300 yards

good luck


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## jbrooks19 (May 22, 2014)

I live in town so a shotgun suits my needs pretty well as a get home gun..


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## Inor (Mar 22, 2013)

We keep a minimum of 500 00Buck, 250 #4 and 250 #6. I am thinking we should also get some #8. 

I do have a 20 ga Mossberg 500, but do not have a single shell for it. That gun is a family heirloom, not so much for shooting. But I suppose I should remedy that as well.


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## alterego (Jan 27, 2013)

I Have Considered Buying Firearms And Ammunition In The Past And Considered The Aspect Of Being Responsible For My Own Safety And Well Being Along With My Family. I Believe That If I Went This Far That I Would Also Need To Get A Job And Pay My Own Bills Possibly Pay Taxes Stop Blaming Others For My Own Short Comings. You See It Was The Previbial Pandora Box. So I Just Voted For A Higher Property Tax Millage To Find More Police And Fire Units In Stead Of Investing In Self Sufficiency.


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## sarge1967 (Dec 2, 2013)

I have about 100 slugs, 250 00 Buck, 100 #4 Buck, and about 200 Birdshot rounds. 
We have 2 870's one is my wife's primary and one is mine, don't consider it my primary though. My Ruger GSR is my primary. If we had to bug out my oldest step son would carry my 870.


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## jimb1972 (Nov 12, 2012)

I pick up a box of 100 target loads every so often, I have no idea how many I have.


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## bigdogbuc (Mar 23, 2012)

I wanna' say I have around 300 or so rounds of it in various types; Buckshot in 00 & 000, Slugs, 2,4,6,8 Shot. I should have more, but it takes up a lot of room! And really, unless you're feeding an "increased capacity" semi-auto, that's a lot of rounds for a pump or a single shot.


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## Go2ndAmend (Apr 5, 2013)

I don't really know how many I have on hand, but it is more than several hundred. Mostly it is #2's, #6's, and #8's which I use for bird hunting. I also have several boxes of various slugs and buckshot, mostly 00 but some #4 buck. What I need to still get, besides more of the above, is a decent supply of the specialty ammo available for the mighty 12 ga. I can't remember the website, but I know there are specialty vendors who sell flares in various colors useful for signaling, cracker shells, salt rock shells, fletch ammo and the like.


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## Doc Holliday (Dec 22, 2012)

somewhere around 500 or so, mostly #4Buck, 00Buck, and slugs.... Im still behind in my bird shot loads, need to get on the ball I guess.


Doc


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## jbrooks19 (May 22, 2014)

Well, just went and bought a 100rd value pack of Federal target loads and 25 more shells of 00 Buck


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## jbrooks19 (May 22, 2014)

I know people argue that 12ga ammo is heavy, i agree. But i dont plan on bugging out and hoofing it. If i have to bug out then ill be driving by truck and in that event ill load all the 12ga ammo, food and water my truck can handle and the wife, kid and I will be long gone!


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## 2000ShadowACE (Jan 14, 2014)

1,200 target loads 7 or 8 shot 2.75 in.
500 #6
300 #4
100 Rifled slugs
100 Sabots
100 #4 Steel
100 #2 Steel
100 assorted odd shells collected from friends who have left partial boxes at the range.


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## tbone1964 (Oct 6, 2013)

500 00 buck
250 rifled slug
250 # 7


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## LunaticFringeInc (Nov 20, 2012)

jbrooks19 said:


> I dont know if im a little cray or what but i feel like i need to have around 1000 of each to be comfortable..


Right! I guess like you, I could probably supply a few folks here and still have some left over.


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## LunaticFringeInc (Nov 20, 2012)

Ill admit...most of the commercial loaded ammo I have I did get on clearance sale at the end of the season from walmart or on close out due to being discontinued due to lack of moving fast enough, often times for less than half price! And yes each time I definitely needed a shopping cart just to get it to my truck without getting a hernia in the process!


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## Conundrum99 (Feb 16, 2014)

Stop by Wally-world today and got a great deal on 00-buck 50 rounds for $25 dollars.


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## BlackDog (Nov 23, 2013)

Conundrum99 said:


> Stop by Wally-world today and got a great deal on 00-buck 50 rounds for $25 dollars.
> View attachment 5586


Daggone it. I never catch the deals at Wally's that you do!


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## LunaticFringeInc (Nov 20, 2012)

These days that's a great score! I scored on WW 15 round boxes that were normally 12 bucks for 5.97 on clearance. Yep I bought every box they had!!! I wasn't about to miss out on a deal that good I don't care how broke I was!


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## vandelescrow (Nov 17, 2012)

jbrooks19 said:


> I actually just ordered a shotshell reloaded myself.. Gonna start with the Lee Load ALL 2


I have this reloader mounted to a 3/4 inch board so it is easy to move/use. I just put a bucket of shot on the other end of the board to hold it down. You can glue felt to the bottom of the board if you want to use the kitchen table and not scratch it.

With this loader you don't need a huge stock pile of ammo, just powder, primers wads and shot/slugs. I use it to reload bird shot and sabot slugs, of which I purchased a smelter and have lots of slugs already made ready to be loaded as empty shells become available.

I do not use the loaders powder drop because it does not look like it will be consistent, but instead purchased the Lee Improved Powder Measure Kit

Also, the same powder I use for the bird shot rounds is the same powder I use for reloading 9mm, so that cuts down on how much you have to carry when you bug out.

Before you buy allot of ammo, make sure you can use those shells to reload. Different shells call for different powder and wads, so just make sure you can get that stuff locally. Primers for shot shell from what I understand are all the same so don't worry to much about name brand.

For bird shot I'm using Winchester AA shells but for sabot slugs I'm using Remington that the brass on the sides is about 1/2 tall. Luckily I found recipes for both where I can use the same wad, but not the same powder. I am crimping my slugs, not rounding them, that way the shells can be reused.


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## jbrooks19 (May 22, 2014)

Just picked up 25 boxes of 00 Buck from Rural King for $2.49 a box..Pretty good deal. It is Rio Royal Buck, seems like good stuff.


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## ekim (Dec 28, 2012)

12 gauge none, but I do have a few 20 gauge shells floating around. They both work pretty good coming out of the barrel, but they 20 dosen't beat my shoulder as bad an for close range (house defense) it's more than enough.


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## csi-tech (Apr 13, 2013)

LGS just got in Speer .00 buck for $2.99 per box. I bought a 50 rounder too. Might grab another.


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## Infidel (Dec 22, 2012)

I stock more 12ga ammo than I will ever need. Mostly because I hope to one day start shooting competitively again. I shot trap for many years and then didn't have time for it anymore but hopefully one day I'll be able to do it again, I miss it.

-Infidel


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## beachbum (May 23, 2014)

anyone ever tried the multi-defence rounds that have .65 lead ball followed my three 00 buck? got some on sale and havent had a chance to use yet. if i like ill be getting the 200 rd bulk box next.


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## ekim (Dec 28, 2012)

Infidel said:


> I stock more 12ga ammo than I will ever need. Mostly because I hope to one day start shooting competitively again. I shot trap for many years and then didn't have time for it anymore but hopefully one day I'll be able to do it again, I miss it.
> 
> -Infidel


I was on a trap team from work when I was younger and ended up using my 20 ga. O/U with 26" barrels. I was one of the top shooters for 2 years with my 20ga. My 12 ga Winchester Model 12 was in the gun cabinet. I shot mostly reloads.


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## bushrat (Oct 21, 2013)

I'm concerned with not only hunting and defense, but also practice to keep my skills sharp. Due to the multi-purpose abilities of the shogun I tend to keep a fairly large amount of shotshells on hand. So, I keep a basic inventory in 12 ga & 20 ga of:
500 Rnds - #7
500 Rnds - #6
500 Rnds - #4 
500 Rnds - #2
500 Rnds - #00
500 Rnds - #000
500 Rnds - slugs

These quantities are per gauge. In addition to that, I will be reloading for both 12 & 20 ga.


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