Ammo Stockpile Question

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  • Indiana Jones

    Wolverine
    Mar 18, 2011
    19,480
    CCN
    My "stockpile" of ammo is PATHETIC at best. I would like to start gathering a lot of 5.56mm. Guys who keep ammo for SHTF or whatever you're reason being, do you stockpile a certain kind, or whatever's cheaper. Basically my point is I can have tons and tons of steel cased as opposed to less brass. What do you guys buy more of for this kinda thing? I think you could get double the steel you could brass is my math is correct.
     

    MDMOUNTAINEER

    Glock, AR, Savage Junkie
    Mar 4, 2009
    5,739
    West Virginia
    I usually buy 1000 rounds of brass cased .223 for every 3k of steel. I only buy brass cased pistol and .308 ammo. I only buy steel cased 7.62x39.

    All of my Go-To AR's run on steel just fine. I also have extra extractors in my BOB IF I ever need them.
     

    Boom Boom

    Hold my beer. Watch this.
    Jul 16, 2010
    16,834
    Carroll
    Don't bother with high-end stuff. Worst is bulk-boxed FMJ. Second worst is anything where the ammo can otherwise rub, scratch, ding, and dent each other, like unprotected stripper clips. Better is 20-round boxes. Nothing is wrong with quality 55gr or 62gr FMJ. IMI M855 and M193 are the best for most circumstances. Get the best within reason that you can afford to buy in high volume (thousands). Try several boxes each of different stuff. Stick with what works best in your rifle(s), in terms of reliability, accuracy, or ideally both. Regardless of what you choose, anything is better than nothing.
     

    MDMOUNTAINEER

    Glock, AR, Savage Junkie
    Mar 4, 2009
    5,739
    West Virginia
    I try to buy ammo regularly. Even if it's a box a week, I try to buy some ammo a few times a month.

    I used to have a rule, every time I worked at my part-time job, I'd buy a box of ammo. Every day that I worked overtime I'd buy a box of ammo. Every time I shoot, I buy twice as much as I plan on shooting and when I actually shoot, I talk myself into shooting less than half that. It creates a surplus of ammo in short order. Plus it makes you think more about making your shots count.

    I always increase quantity, never decrease. I shot last week, maybe 400 rounds of .223. I ordered another 1k when I got home. Always headed up, never dig into the stash :D
     

    FFMike

    Ultimate Member
    Feb 4, 2010
    1,839
    Howard County
    Reliable and affordable. I have a few thousand rounds of .223 for my AR.... I found that Walmart has the best price (5.97) per 20 for federal AR.... It is great in my rifle out to 100 yards. I also picked up a half case of tracers a few months back at a show.. They are federal as well.... Never know when I might have to throw a few rounds staggered in my mags....
     

    Jimbob2.0

    Ultimate Member
    Feb 20, 2008
    16,600
    I worry more about economic SHTF. Generally my rules are:

    1. Buy frequently
    2. When I need ammo buy at least a case (except for some of the obscure stuff)
    3. Focus on whats a good buy, right now I am chasing down 5.45. I have been drawing down my 9mm pretty badly so I will probably switch over to that for a while too. Then back to 5.56 and 7.62*39.

    Depends on the gun but I will run steel through most, except some of the more precision guns or guns with irreplacable parts. Tend to use brass for pistols in general but I would use steel if the price is right.

    I really, really like the PMC Xtac 5.56 right now, a little more than steel but the cases reload nice and it is very accurate.
     

    haoleboy

    1/2 Banned
    MDS Supporter
    Sep 17, 2005
    4,085
    Dentsville
    Stockpile whatever your gun will shoot without issues.

    If SHTF and we are in firefights on a regular basis, I seriously doubt anyone is going to be policing brass to take back home and reload.

    I buy a lot of steel .223 because its cheap and my AR functions flawlessly with it.

    YMMV
     

    dr_baer

    Active Member
    A lot of good ideas here. All my firearms shoot steel and brass with no problems. I keep a range log of what is more accurate in each firearm. I jumped on the NATO 5.56 green tip penetrater when it came out, but I get better accuracy with Wolf! Since it is NATO penetrater I keep it on hand, but don't shoot it. I buy 1000 round packs at gun shows and they usually sit. When good deals come up on the Internet I usually buy them. I can't pass up the Tulammo at Walmart when I see it, and other types of ammo at Walmart. When I know I'm going to the range I'll buy extra ammo and end up putting some of that away. I use to be a Boy Scout and spent my first life in the military, I believe in being prepared!

    crewdog.gif
     

    pcfixer

    Ultimate Member
    May 24, 2009
    5,947
    Marylandstan
    A lot of good ideas here. All my firearms shoot steel and brass with no problems. I keep a range log of what is more accurate in each firearm. I jumped on the NATO 5.56 green tip penetrater when it came out, but I get better accuracy with Wolf! Since it is NATO penetrater I keep it on hand, but don't shoot it. I buy 1000 round packs at gun shows and they usually sit. When good deals come up on the Internet I usually buy them. I can't pass up the Tulammo at Walmart when I see it, and other types of ammo at Walmart. When I know I'm going to the range I'll buy extra ammo and end up putting some of that away. I use to be a Boy Scout and spent my first life in the military, I believe in being prepared!

    crewdog.gif

    :thumbsup::thumbsup: =1

    My 223 doesn't shoot Wolf to well.
    got a few 223 PMC green tips from aimsurplus, these shot low and right a few inches
    at 50 yds from other ammo I've shot. :(
     

    Gundahar

    Active Member
    Sep 4, 2011
    372
    Actually I like to stockpile ammo. I don't think there is likely to be any kind of natural or artificial disaster where I will suddenly expect to need thousands of rounds of ammo though. Even in a Katrina like disaster, do you seriously expect to pop off 6K rounds at the neighbors/roving biker bands?

    I DO think there are periods of price fluctuation, and even the chance of outright political bans that have to be hedged against.

    Ammo prices right now are going up, and even though I do have a fair bit of it, I wish I had laid in more.


    Gundahar
     

    JDove

    Ultimate Member
    Jun 16, 2010
    2,480
    I have been trying to build mine up as well. I try to buy in bulk whenever I find a sale. I have at least 1500 rounds of assorted 9mm, .40, and .45 and 1500rds of 5.56. Also 500rds of assorted .17HMR and 2500 rounds of .22LR. My 551-A1 will shoot steel case without issues, but that is some dirty stuff. Haven't tried through my AR. I guess if you are talking SHTF, it would suffice but not regular range use. Considering its cost if your rifle will run it, not a bad option I guess.
     

    Schwabe

    Ultimate Member
    Nov 20, 2010
    3,936
    Sho'a
    If the last few years have shown anything .... whatever ammo you buy today will cost more in the near future, even crap .22lr bulk ammo has doubled in price in the last 5-6 years.

    So there is no "bad" investment in ammo, good, bulk or quality ammo, it will all go up and only up.
     

    erwos

    The Hebrew Hammer
    MDS Supporter
    Mar 25, 2009
    13,866
    Rockville, MD
    So there is no "bad" investment in ammo, good, bulk or quality ammo, it will all go up and only up.
    Eh, maybe. If Chinese ammo imports ever come back, ammo prices will take a nose dive and probably stay there. That's the big long-term risk to ammo pricing.

    As for ammo, my current "best storage value" picks would be Brown Bear .223 (steel), IMI .223 (brass), Yugo 7.62x39 (brass, corrosive), Wolf 9mm (steel), and Fed Champ 9mm (brass). That Yugo 7.62x39 is like the deal of the decade, IMHO, and it's taking me a lot of willpower to not just order three cases of it. (If I had an AK-47 in addition to my SKS, I might give in.)

    Oh, and milsurp 5.45x39 is so cheap right now that it might be worthwhile to buy an upper or rifle or two chambered in it just so you could use it as your emergency stockpile ammo.

    One other note, though: realistically, you want MUCH more rifle ammo than handgun ammo. If things ever get bad enough that you need to use your guns frequently, you'll be using a rifle, not a handgun.
     

    Name Taken

    Ultimate Member
    Feb 23, 2010
    11,891
    Central
    Since .308 is expensive and I dont shot it often I piggy back .308 ammo on my normal ammo purchases.

    I try to make an ammo purchase once a month. Pending on funds it'll be anywhere from 75-150 dollars.

    I also purchase 7.62x39 at Wal-Mart each time I go. It's cheap at 4 something a box so if I go for something I'll usually buy 20-30 bucks worth.

    My last gun was a 9mm so I've been getting that piled up...then I'll switch to 12g or .40
     

    zombiehunter

    Ultimate Member
    Jul 8, 2008
    6,505
    To the poster who commented his gun doesn't like steel case: Get it looked at. Probably something off with your chamber. It should run with any SAAMI spec ammo.

    As for what I stock up on:

    Whatever works and is on sale. I just started stacking brass ammo, and only because the chamber in my PLR-16 is kind of hard to get to so the extra scrubbing the steel cases need I just don't feel like putting forth the effort. I also started reloading, so I put 2:1 in my stockpile as my "ready to shoot" pile. SGAmmo.com was having a sweet sale on Ranger JHPs so I picked up 1000rnds. Cabelas runs .22lr sales fairly often and I have about 15k rounds of that. I'd like another 15k just to be safe though.
     

    67temp

    Active Member
    Jun 25, 2009
    901
    Gettysburg, PA
    Stockpile only what you are willing to shoot in your guns. Just because it is on sale doesn't mean you really need or have a use for 2k rounds of 22lr shotshells.

    My theory is zombies or total SHTF isn't going to happen. I prefer to have a stockpile of ammo that totals the amount you could use going to the range once a week for a year, should you suddenly be placed out of work. Say you shoot a round of trap one week, that would a box of 25 shotgun shells. Next week you take the pistol to the range and blow through a 100rd white box of ammo. Total roughly would be 650 for shotgun and 2600 for pistol.

    Same kinda goes for hunting ammo. I have enough stock piled to last through more than two hunting seasons. It would suck to go buy ammo in October for deer season and you find out the ammo you shoot has been discontinued. Now you have to find another load your gun likes and resight the optics.
     

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