How much ammo is too much ammo? And who gets to say?

[vito]

I think it is too much ammo when it becomes likely that you will die before using what you have and there is no one to leave it to.

The shortages of the last year or two have changed the entire perspective many of us have about how much is enough. I used to feel OK with a brick of 500 22LR, and only when that box was almost empty would I stop at the store and buy another brick. For awhile now I have gotten into the habit of always asking about 22LR when at the gun store and buying whenever they have any. I happened to count up my stockpile last night, after shooting about 200 rounds at the range. I found I still have almost 3,000 rounds on the shelf. Now that 22LR is becoming accessible again, I plan of not buying until I drop below 1,000 rounds.

For the other four calibers of hand gun that I shoot, I probably have about 500 to 600 rounds on hand for each caliber, and even with the shortages that is enough to let me sleep comfortably at night.

I think that the way things are moving, ammo shortages will soon be a thing of the past and most shooters will no longer even think about stockpiling ammo but will feel confident enough to just buy what they plan on shooting for the day and not worrying further about it.

[Shipwrecked]

In England we are limited by certificate on how much ammunition we can have for any caliber we are entitled to posses. I don't see this as a bad thing. I'm allowed enough to get me through about a year of shooting at any given time and I can to up to my limit as and when. If I get to do a lot of shooting then on renewal I can ask for more and this is shown by my purchase history.

To stock pile is selfish against people who enjoy the same hobby when stocks are low. Unless you are a crack speed loader and the zombies are coming when are you going to need over 1000 .22lr? If you have a lr mini gatling fair play but you can only pull the trigger so many times. On full bore there is a fair amount of reloading done here if you are a serious target shooter or have different needs to factory loads. Once the primer is in it is counted as loaded. Other than that people buy ammunition in small quantities as they need it.

An Air rifle is enough to bugger some one up but we don't have this need to have personal defense weapons in the home. Last place I lived that needed that was a 3rd world continent and even then thousands of rounds was over the top. .22 WMR is a handy round for PDW and will turn someones head or heart on its arse. Gang bangers have wacky weapons and our gangs have hand guns, but they are not often used and then only in house. We don;t have the same home invasion laws as you but if someone came into my house in the dead of night then I will give my all to ensure my brood is safe and do what is needed, but that doesn't include sleeping with arms reach to a firearm like when I was abroad.

Different places , different ideas- and I couldn't afford the plaster work after letting loose with a 30 round mag !!!!

[Skans]

In England we are limited by certificate on how much ammunition we can have for any caliber we are entitled to posses. I don't see this as a bad thing.

It is a bad thing, but hopefully you will never have to deal with any of the reasons why it is a bad thing.

Europe was the epicenter for the only two world wars our planet has ever seen. Ireland has had and on-and-off civil war for many decades. Since then, England has had a huge influx of foreigners, many of whom have not assimilated and some of whom hate western civilization. But the boldness of your intolerant immigrants pale in comparison to what is going on on the other side of the tunnel in France. Is it possible that in the future the nation formerly know as "France" might not try to wage an invasion on your land?

But, if that doesn't concern you, England is also well stocked with bold gangs and thugs who know that they can attack unarmed people at will, that the laws will protect them, and that such attacks are quite profitable. If I were a poor, immigrant teen living in the slums of London, why wouldn't I organize with other thugs and simply take what I want from you, your friends and your children? Who's to stop me?

Perhaps your luck will hold out, and you will die an old man in your sleep softly slipping away after a long and happy life. However, it is certain that your country will see horrific armed conflict again at some point in its future. Your leaders have ensured that the civilians would be utterly defenseless in the face of an armed invasion, terrorist attacks from within, or during a natural disaster.

You might say "we have a well equipped military and police to handle such situations". To which I would ask "Really?" Sort of like our well equipped police in New Orleans during the riots and looting following Katrina? Where the Mayor out-right lied to the people about the size and capability of its police force. Yes, lied to his electorate! This is but one example; but one that happened in my country, during my life just a few hundred miles away from where I live.

Being kept unarmed and poorly supplied with ammunition by a ruling government is not a good thing.

[vito]

And thank God we have a Constitution which doesn't give the government the authority to say how much ammunition we are allowed to buy. I guess Shipwrecked has accepted the concept that the government can regulate his ability to shoot and defend himself for his own good, and being the government they MUST know what they are doing! Learn from history; where governments control arms and ammunition and know who has firearms and who does not, inevitably at some point the arms are confiscated. Look what a handful of desperate Jews did in the Warsaw ghetto with a tiny collection of firearms. Imagine if the general Jewish population had possessed arms at a similar level to ownership in the U.S. I doubt that it would have been quite so easy to round them up and ship them to their death in the camps.

I also question the statement about not "needing" guns for self defense in the UK. Violent crime is approximately 500% of the U.S. rate, while admittedly gun homicide is far lower. The UK also has had numerous cases of homeowners using deadly force to protect themselves or their family members and then either being prosecuted for doing so, or losing their entire home or farm in a civil suit by the aggrieved home invader who was injured or killed.

Despite the hoarding, and or re-selling of ammo during this recent period of shortages (and when did it become a crime to buy a product and re-sell it at a profit to willing customers?), the free marketplace works. I have a lot more faith in the market than I do in the government.

[44 AMP]

people ask this all the time, and everyone has a different opinion. Often the question goes something like this...

when are you going to need over 1000 .22lr?

This kind of question automatically imposes the idea that having more than you "need" is a bad thing. That it is greed, or gluttony to have more than what someone else decides you "need". You are being asked to justify having more than "need".

In some parts of the world, it is customary for most people to shop for food daily. In other places, weekly. People in more remote locations may only go to market monthly.

People who go to market every day or two might think the fellow who shops for a month at a time has more than he needs.

Now, what happens to that fellow who shops every couple of days when he goes to the market and the shelves are bare? He goes hungry. Often because he's hungry, he's upset, and blames those who still have food for his own hunger. Its not right, but it is a common thing.

people ask "how much do you need?" I ask back, "how much is enough, if you cannot get more?"

[jimbob86]

In England we are limited by certificate on how much ammunition we can have for any caliber we are entitled to posses. I don't see this as a bad thing.

Some people are comfortable in their bonds, apparently.

"May your chains sit lightly upon you....... ." - Samuel Adams

[vito]

44 Amp, you hit it right on the head. If I was told that I could no longer buy ammunition, a stockpile of 50,000 rounds might not be enough. Now that ammo is starting to appear with some regularity on the shelves, my current stock of about 5,000 now seems OK. I doubt I will ever go back to where I keep no stock, and just buy what I need each time I am planning to go shooting.

[TennJed]

Originally Posted by jimbob86

Some people are comfortable in their bonds, apparently.

"May your chains sit lightly upon you....... ." - Samuel Adams

I agree. I shouldn't have to ask permission to have more than a few months worth of ammo.

[Levant]

Shipwrecked, I have to ask. Do you know any survivors of WWI or WWII? Either in England, France or Poland?

I'm just curious; do those people support the limited arms that the UK has enforced?

[44 AMP]

Lest we forget

73 years ago the England was asking the American people to send them guns. Not just asking the American government, but the American people to send them guns (any guns) so they would have something more than broomsticks and cricket bats to face a Nazi invasion.

And you know what's really amazing (by today's standards, anyway), a lot of Americans did just that. Sent them guns. And not just sell them guns, but sent them on loan to England. And a few of them even came back home again after the war.

This was due, in part, to the fact that they had "peace in our time". A govt guarantee that the worst would never happen.

When something bad happens, promises that it won't happen are worthless.

I'll always be able to get more works fine, until it doesn't. Then what?

The Ant and the Grasshopper

Speaking as an Ammo Ant, I've got no obligation to feed the grasshoppers, and I'm tired of hearing them chirp their complaints....

[45long]

I've heard all the statements about " as much as I can afford, or enough to fill my closet, and so on.

Hoarding all the ammo because of the Obama scare is selfish and ridicules. all we have to do is go back to buying it in the amounts we all did before the scare and everyone will have it available again and not have to stand in line when the store opens on delivery day.

I personally haven't bought any 22lr in 4 years. I still have 5 bricks left.

For all you "end of the worlders "out there, In your lifetime you'd never use up more that a couple thousand rounds to hunt with. So the only reason your doing it is to sell it. That's wrong, selfish, and unfair to everyone else. Not saying don't stock up ,just saying don't be greedy.

I remember when I could buy a couple cases at a time when my kids were still at home and shooting. Now I can't get a single brick or sometimes even a box to go shooting with my grand kids. Just askin, if you don't shoot 100,000 rounds don't buy them,especially all at once . You can still get your stockpile up if you just buy a brick every week or two.

One thing about this shortage, if you have a local business or people you know that's selling guns and ammo at ridicules prices during this Obama scare ,you've learned what crook NOT to trust or do business with .

[GM2]

I don't know, Never thought I had too Much.

[45long]

However, I believe in the power of the free market and it will eventually stabilize, with or without the guy who collects 27k rounds. When it does, most of those guys are going to be selling at a loss, realizing that they won't use that much is 5 lifetimes.

I have to agree. I 'm waiting for all that reloading equipment that's going to be pretty much given away. Hope someone bought some H110 or universal powder. I'll have cash in hand .

[NWPilgrim]

I can certainly understand guys who think 2,000 rds will last a life time. My Dad was an acid hunter and would guess he never fired more than 300 rds in the 50 years after leaving the Marine Corps.

However, please do not project your activity and habits on those of us who shoot that much in a year or month, and some who shoot twice that in a week. There are plenty of us in the 27K range that will use it up in the next few years easily.

If your plan is to wait until guys like me will sell in desperation, then you will be running near empty for a very long time. Face it, some folks buy in large quantity because it makes sense. I hate paying 100 ct prices.

[Levant]

Originally Posted by 45long

Hoarding all the ammo because of the Obama scare is selfish and ridicules.

<snip>

I personally haven't bought any 22lr in 4 years. I still have 5 bricks left.

There are those who will say that 5 bricks is ridiculous. And if that's what you had after 4 years of not buying, how much did you have? Ridiculous amounts, I'm sure. Maybe you only had 5 bricks... That's even more ridiculous. Some will say that stocking a 4-year supply of ammunition is selfish and ridiculous. This sounds like you defined the pot and kettle and still called the kettle black.

Originally Posted by NWPilgrim

My Dad was an acid hunter

I disagree with the idea that alcohol and guns don't mix. Until the last 100 years or so, there were no safe water supplies in most of the world which is why just about everyone drank ale or beer - even when they had guns.

But acid and guns just don't mix.

[Levant]

I have to agree. I 'm waiting for all that reloading equipment that's going to be pretty much given away. Hope someone bought some H110 or universal powder. I'll have cash in hand .

It's not going to happen. If you had the money to buy it before, why would you give it up? Do you think those who have bought ammunition will get confident that there will be no more attacks on the right to keep and bear arms? Or ammunition?

People buy how much ammunition they want. Some even buy thousands of rounds - even 5 bricks of .22LR.

Panic buying around political events generally doesn't mean people are buying more than they want; mostly it means they're buying what they want sooner than they might have bought it otherwise since they realize there might not be future opportunities. Sure, some of it is rethinking the threat and our wants changing based on politics but no one is buying more than they want. And I don't think how much a person wants ever goes down. Did you ever want less?

To quote the precocious girl on the ATT commercial: More is better

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=48-tcRiBNj4

[Skans]

It's not going to happen. If you had the money to buy it before, why would you give it up?

If ammo becomes more available or more affordable, then people will sell off their reloading equipment and supplies. Not everyone, but many will. I know this because I sold off my reloading press, dies, supplies, etc. many years ago. I reloaded for a 22-250 rifle because factory ammo was about $1/round back in 1983. Once I got rid of my 22-250, I was tired of reloading and was glad to eventually git rid of my reloading stuff.

See, I don't like reloading - it's a PITA and takes up a fair amount of room. I'd bet I'm not the only one who feels that way.

[bikerbill]

Need is relative, of course ... a while back I could buy 550 rds of .22lr for less than $10, so all I needed was a box at a time ... I haven't seen those boxes anywhere for a while. I got an email from a well-known gun catalog offering 50 rds for more than the 550 used to cost. Do I wish I'd "hoarded" 10-20 boxes when I had the chance? You betcha. Do I wish I'd stashed a bunch of .45 when I could? Am I glad I bought a lot of 9mm when it was available cheap? Of course. And it's nobody's business.

Except ... As others have mentioned, our government has no right to determine what's "enough" ammo for me to own. Of course, our current government seems to ignore the Constitution and many laws to further their own plans, so it would not surprise me to see them try to limit what we can own.

I ignore those who say people who stash ammo are hurting our hobby. These years of shortage have shown me that's a bogus issue. If ammo ever returns in quantities which make it affordable, I'm stocking up ... Suggest everybody do the same ... I'm just quessing that supplies will never return to pre-Lyin' King levels.

[TennJed]

Originally Posted by 45long

I've heard all the statements about " as much as I can afford, or enough to fill my closet, and so on.

Hoarding all the ammo because of the Obama scare is selfish and ridicules. all we have to do is go back to buying it in the amounts we all did before the scare and everyone will have it available again and not have to stand in line when the store opens on delivery day.

I personally haven't bought any 22lr in 4 years. I still have 5 bricks left.

For all you "end of the worlders "out there, In your lifetime you'd never use up more that a couple thousand rounds to hunt with. So the only reason your doing it is to sell it. That's wrong, selfish, and unfair to everyone else. Not saying don't stock up ,just saying don't be greedy.

I remember when I could buy a couple cases at a time when my kids were still at home and shooting. Now I can't get a single brick or sometimes even a box to go shooting with my grand kids. Just askin, if you don't shoot 100,000 rounds don't buy them,especially all at once . You can still get your stockpile up if you just buy a brick every week or two.

One thing about this shortage, if you have a local business or people you know that's selling guns and ammo at ridicules prices during this Obama scare ,you've learned what crook NOT to trust or do business with .

Call me selfish if you want but for the last few years I have bought a few bricks most chances I get. I haven't gotten the chance to in the last year, but I will continue to do so in the future when its available

Doesn't have a thing to do with Obama or the End of the world. 22lr will continue to go up in price. I have 3 kids. I hope I will die with more than my kids can shoot up.

It would have been nice if my father or grandfather had several thousand rounds of 50 year ammo to give me.

I don't know what the future bring with availability or price. I would like my kids to not have to worry about things (everything college, home to leave them ect). If they don't want to shoot up my 22lr hoard then they can sell it for more than I paid.

You may not like it, but you ain't my family

[Levant]

If ammo becomes more available or more affordable, then people will sell off their reloading equipment and supplies.

You're right. I should have quoted the quote you had quoted. Reloading gear may hit the market - though I would never sell mine under any circumstances - but ammunition won't.

Some are buying ammo just to sell so they'll probably sell and have to drop their prices. I don't think those who bought for themselves will be selling.

For me, if I don't have family I can count on to entrust with my guns and shooting supplies, I won't be selling it either. I would rather give it away here in another 20 years to someone who takes their rights and liberty very seriously.

[NWPilgrim]

Originally Posted by Levant

I disagree with the idea that alcohol and guns don't mix. Until the last 100 years or so, there were no safe water supplies in most of the world which is why just about everyone drank ale or beer - even when they had guns.

But acid and guns just don't mix.

Aack! Bad typo. The old Marine would not be pleased with that appellation! Of course I meant to type AVID HUNTER. Two sight in shots before each season and he was spot on in the field. Never knew him to take more than one shot per kill.

Just got back from shooting with family today. Fun! We blasted through at least 500 rds of 9mm, .40, .223, 12 ga and .44 magnum. Nice to be able to shoot as much as we want and not have to buy a single box at the store today. It is all still there for the next Joe thanks to our thinking and acting ahead.

[Nick_C_S]

Seriously, I was wondering what an "acid hunter" was I don't hunt. So I thought it was some term I wasn't aware of lol. Typo never crossed my mind.

This time of year, my loaded ammo is somewhat depleted. I'm a handgun sport shooter. In the warm months, I shoot more than I load; but in the cool months, I load more than I shoot.

I'll be stocked again by spring

[Powderman]

Hm. As it has been said already, it's a question of personal liberty. If one person believes that 100 rounds is enough, that's fine. If someone else wants 1000 rounds available, that's OK, too.

If someone wants enough to make a two foot thick carpet of ammo on the floor that they can roll around in, yelling, "Bullets! Bullets!" at the top of their lungs, well--more power (or should that be powder) to them as well.

No one should be able to set a limit on how much ammunition you should hold.

[44 AMP]

There are people who stockpile ammo for various reasons. And there always has been. Serious hobbyists of various shooting sports (including informal recreational shooting) often have what many would consider large stockpiles of ammo.

Those of us in that category are often regular purchasers, buying a little (or sometimes a lot) at fairly steady rates. People like that were not the cause of shortages, and were as impacted, or even more impacted by the recent rounds of panic buying than the rest of shooting public.

In the last couple rounds of the panic buying, it became clear to me that it was people speculating on ammo that were my main irritation. Particularly the ones who had never before had any interest in firearms, but had good size chunks of disposable income.

While I am a fervent supporter of capitalism, in my mind's eye I see a fellow who has likely supported every gun control measure he ever heard of, with two dozen cases of 9mm stacked in his garage, probably hidden from casual view, as an "investment". That I find deplorable. But, that's just me.

[22-rimfire]

There have been various threads on this subject and generally it is all about 22 rimfire ammo which is the least expensive. I really don't know how much 22LR I have and really have no desire to inventory it to make me feel good. I do know that I probably have enough promotional ammo to last me years shooting an average of 500 rounds a month. I don't have that much target grade 22LR unless you consider CCI SV target grade. In which case, I have a good bit.

Centerfire inventory is more defined and I try to keep enough that it doesn't bother me if I shoot 100 rounds on a given trip to the range. I normally don't shoot that much centerfire on an average range trip. It is a money thing for me.

I do pay attention to cost and replacement cost. The shortage that developed last November-December (essentially a year ago now) made me hesitate to shoot what I had unless I had a purpose to the range trip.

Things are starting to get back to normal now, but only starting, since I never see 22LR at Walmart and I do not visit at 7:00AM in hope of buying 3 boxes. I haven't seen any since last December in fact.

In general, I used to try to buy regularly and buy more than I shoot. It builds up.