Do you simplify ammo?

lazarus · Oct 13, 2016

Or do you just stock up on whatever? I've got so many different manufacturers ammo in each caliber I own I feel like I want to simplify so I am only carrying 1 or 2 per bullet weight. Like just IMI and Federal m193, just PPU and IMI m855, etc.

I guess some of it is a desire to load up on what is ballistically very similar and shoots well so I don't have a box of X and then run out and be shooting a box of Y, then a box of Z, etc.

I guess I dot have a ton of centerfire experience so far. With the same bullet weight and construction, does most stuff shoot very, very close and I shouldn't fret? Just dump it all in an ammo can and be done?

Lately I've just been stocking up as I've been gotten a new gun in a new caliber and buying a ton of different stuff on sale. I probably have a couple of years (or maybe more. Probably with my casual shooting) of ammo and was thinking finding the 1-3 types that shoot the best and just buy that stuff when it is on sale so I eventually standardize around just 1-3 types.

Example I was looking at IMI, federal and PPU "m193", IMI and federal "m855", PPU and Australian outback 75gr BTHP

Similar schemes for .308

I am settling on only one hunting ammo in .308 and a small game and a medium game in .223.

22lr also sort of settling on just 4-5 types, CCI minimags and Velocitor for hunting, automatch and federal 525 bulk for plinking and Aguila target for more precision stuff.

It seems with a moderate collection as well as availability of everything going up and prices down I don't need to buy what is available and as cheap as possible.

Mark75H · Oct 13, 2016

lazarus said:
availability of everything going up and prices down I don't need to buy what is available and as cheap as possible.

That may only last 3 more weeks

themoose06 · Oct 13, 2016

Yeah. If you need anything or plan on getting anymore ammo, do it now. If Clinton gets in Ammo prices and anything related will surge and be bought up. If Trump gets in maybe a slight change but i'd be doubtful it would be much of an increase

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j_h_smith · Oct 13, 2016

I've bought so much ammo throughout the years, I've got a little bit of everything. If I were to give someone advise today. I would go on line and buy what you can in all the calibers you own. I think 500 rounds are the minimum for some of your firearms and would go as far as to say that 5000 round of your most common or most used rounds would be a minimum. Buy from 1 company if you can and ask for a discount if you're spending big money. It's probably too late for that, but it never hurts to ask.

A few years ago, I bought a large amount of ammo and I actually got 10% off the entire purchase. I don't know if that will work today.

Good Luck!

GunnerGunz · Oct 13, 2016

I just buy what is less expensive at the time I need to stock up. I have not noticed any huge accuracy (so far) in the ammo I purchase to shoot. The ammo I purchase are for my fun guns .22 pistol & rifle, 762x39 for the SKS, 765x54r for the Mosin and 12 gauge for shot gun. The rest I hand-load and are plenty accurate for whatever I need it for. So to sum it up I just shoot what ever is within hand reach and dont fret about consolidation because I shoot what I have before buying more. I have enough to wait out the Hillery onslaught if she becomes President.

outrider58 · Oct 13, 2016

themoose06 said:
Yeah. If you need anything or plan on getting anymore ammo, do it now. If Clinton gets in Ammo prices and anything related will surge and be bought up. If Trump gets in maybe a slight change but i'd be doubtful it would be much of an increase

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Yup.

Being a reloader, I have learned what most of my guns(the ones that count, if you know what I mean) like to eat and load as much as I can. That helps keep things simple right there and it also keeps down the need to rezero every time I change ammo(which in this system, I rarely do.).

kalister1 · Oct 13, 2016

outrider58 said:
Yup.

Being a reloader, I have learned what most of my guns(the ones that count, if you know what I mean) like to eat and load as much as I can. That helps keep things simple right there and it also keeps down the need to rezero every time I change ammo(which in this system, I rarely do.).

This: don't stock up on ammo your gun does NOT like. Find what it likes and buy that.

lazarus · Oct 13, 2016

So it is generally more that a gun might not like a few types, but enjoys the other s and the others are all likely to be ballpark the same?

What about storage? All my boxes, especially in .308 since they like to pack a lot in big styrofoam or plastic dividers take up a lot of space. Drop a bunch of the same type, but different head stamp in an ammo can? Sort by specific bullet and maker in to freezer bags and drop in to an anmo can? Other organizational methods?

Right now I've got about 4K 22lr and I shoot maybe 1000rnds a year, 1080rnds .223-5.56 and no idea what I'll shoot a year as I finished building my AR-15 last night (I'd assume 300-400 on the high end), about 240 of .308/7.62 and probably shoot 60-80 a year, maybe 80 of 00 buck and no where to shoot it, 25 slugs and basically just zero or three hunting a year and 5 sighting in a year, a slowly dwindling box of steel shoot for geese, a couple of boxes of turkey sheels with none used and 6 boxes of #7.5 with probably a case used a year and a box of #6 for squirrels and rabbits with none used. I've got a box of slugs, a couple of #4 buckshot, a box of #6 and 3 boxes of #7.5 in 20ga. I also have a couple of hundred .44 mag bullets, a couple of pounds of powder and a slew of primers for my muzzleloader.

Other than target shells for my shotguns I'd guess on the low end I have 2 years of ammo and maybe 4 years in the high end. Right now my biggest limiting factor is time. I don't have an AGC membership yet, so the two closest places I have to shoot is Cresap, 35 minutes away and Hap which is 30 minutes away. Of the 5 or so times I've been to Hap every time I've gotten there after 10am I had to wait 1+hrs to shoot, the one time I got there at 9:25 there was never a wait the entire 2.5hrs I was there.

A lot of times all I've got is maybe 2hrs of spare time and it might not be right when Hap opens. And it might not be on a Sunday when Cresap is open to the public.

I think if/when I join AGC my opportunities and amount of time I can spend shooting will skyrocket. I live 10 minutes from AGC. But I doubt I'll join till late next year at the earliest. My free time just isn't going to open up for at least one more year, which is the double edged sword of being a member would save me time and allow more shooting, but joining takes a little bit of time and if I am spending the money on a membership I feel like only being able to go a few times doesn't make it worthwhile.

lazarus · Oct 13, 2016

Oh and in the last 10 weeks I've bought up 1080rnds of .223/5.56 and 40rnds of 7.62. I think very soon my wife is going to get really pissed if she sees another cabelas or gander mountain box show up (but they keep sending me coupons and having sales and with discounted gift cards...when it works out to .25 a round for decent brass cased 5.56 and .55 a round for decent 7.62...)

Black Friday I might not be able to resist a good deal or three, but I just can't buy more right now between actually having spent a lot of money on ammo and my AR-15 and not wanting to piss my wife off...

I also need magazines. I've only got a 20 and a pair of 10s for my AR-15. I am going back and forth between spending Veterans Day squirrel hunting and driving up to Cabelas to buy a few 20 and 30rnds PMAGs. I may end up doing both. A little morning hunting, drive up and then back for some evening hunting. Anyone know of a good place just I've the line off 495 in Virginia on the North side or in Gettysburg? Those are the closest places to me to get to free states. Preferably with decent prices on PMags (baring a big post election price hike). I don't need 50 mags, but I would like to pick up 3 or 4 and Cabelas may not be worth the extra drive to only save a few bucks (but I'd prefer not to spend $30 more on something like 4 mags between higher price andnskaes tax. That is worth a small amount of extra gas and another hour of my time). I'll try to pick up more mags in a few months when I have more spare money.

Uncle Duke · Oct 13, 2016

I'd put a stash of .223 away that your rifle likes, and don't touch it. From there, I'd look at remaining inventory and stock up on 22LR, then .223, and then .308. Probably in that order. Best guess would be that your ammo quantity usage probably follows these 3 mentioned cartridges in that order. You want to be positioned to be shooting SOMETHING if things get tight, and guns without ammo are little more than expensive paperweights.

And if you have a hole in your inventory, I'd most definitely buy what I need now.

DaemonAssassin · Oct 13, 2016

lazarus said:
So it is generally more that a gun might not like a few types, but enjoys the other s and the others are all likely to be ballpark the same?

What about storage? All my boxes, especially in .308 since they like to pack a lot in big styrofoam or plastic dividers take up a lot of space. Drop a bunch of the same type, but different head stamp in an ammo can? Sort by specific bullet and maker in to freezer bags and drop in to an anmo can? Other organizational methods?

Right now I've got about 4K 22lr and I shoot maybe 1000rnds a year, 1080rnds .223-5.56 and no idea what I'll shoot a year as I finished building my AR-15 last night (I'd assume 300-400 on the high end), about 240 of .308/7.62 and probably shoot 60-80 a year, maybe 80 of 00 buck and no where to shoot it, 25 slugs and basically just zero or three hunting a year and 5 sighting in a year, a slowly dwindling box of steel shoot for geese, a couple of boxes of turkey sheels with none used and 6 boxes of #7.5 with probably a case used a year and a box of #6 for squirrels and rabbits with none used. I've got a box of slugs, a couple of #4 buckshot, a box of #6 and 3 boxes of #7.5 in 20ga. I also have a couple of hundred .44 mag bullets, a couple of pounds of powder and a slew of primers for my muzzleloader.

Other than target shells for my shotguns I'd guess on the low end I have 2 years of ammo and maybe 4 years in the high end. Right now my biggest limiting factor is time. I don't have an AGC membership yet, so the two closest places I have to shoot is Cresap, 35 minutes away and Hap which is 30 minutes away. Of the 5 or so times I've been to Hap every time I've gotten there after 10am I had to wait 1+hrs to shoot, the one time I got there at 9:25 there was never a wait the entire 2.5hrs I was there.

A lot of times all I've got is maybe 2hrs of spare time and it might not be right when Hap opens. And it might not be on a Sunday when Cresap is open to the public.

I think if/when I join AGC my opportunities and amount of time I can spend shooting will skyrocket. I live 10 minutes from AGC. But I doubt I'll join till late next year at the earliest. My free time just isn't going to open up for at least one more year, which is the double edged sword of being a member would save me time and allow more shooting, but joining takes a little bit of time and if I am spending the money on a membership I feel like only being able to go a few times doesn't make it worthwhile.

Ziplok bags of 100 rounds, in an ammo can. When going to the range, pull however many bags of ammo you think you are going to shoot.

The ammo cans are stackable and will minimize wasted space.

outrider58 · Oct 13, 2016

And I wouldn't worry too much about differing head stamp dates. As long as it is the same ammo maker and round, you should be fine. You're not shooting matches with the stuff, center mass is usually good enough, right?

HordesOfKailas · Oct 13, 2016

I really only concern myself with stocking the same brand in a given caliber if the gun is finicky. For instance, my 10/22 is good, but still a semi auto 22LR so I try to stick with ammo I know it likes and shoots well. For my 686+ or 870 though, they seem to shoot everything accurately and reliabily. If your gun digests everything you throw at it, I wouldn't worry too much.

ironpony · Oct 14, 2016

All good info but it makes me wonder about waiting for a black Friday matters sale, will there be anything left and why discount it, just a thought. I talked to a rifle manufacturer yesterday and they will no longer be offering 80% lowers (next week is the last week) since 100% 's are more profitable and are selling like crazy!! Most here know the company and I believe this info is related to this thread in means of availability of related items. Is it wrong to buy the ammo then find a gun that likes it? have I been doing this backwards?

Doctor_M · Oct 14, 2016

My collection is diverse, so my ammo stash is very diverse. I've got over 40 different calibers and just about every gun likes something different. I've got guns that gobble up the cheap stuff and some that are very finicky. When my wife asks what ammo I want for my birthday or Christmas, I tell her, buy whatever you put your hands on... chances are, I can use it.

That has only not been true once... so I will have a karma coming up shortly :-)

PowPow · Oct 14, 2016

Look at it this way, we're performing a valuable service when buying ammo. Our UPS drivers have a reliable fitness plan. :lol2:

outrider58 · Oct 14, 2016

Doctor_M said:
My collection is diverse, so my ammo stash is very diverse. I've got over 40 different calibers and just about every gun likes something different. I've got guns that gobble up the cheap stuff and some that are very finicky. When my wife asks what ammo I want for my birthday or Christmas, I tell her, buy whatever you put your hands on... chances are, I can use it.

That has only not been true once... so I will have a karma coming up shortly :-)

Sounds like a Catholic gun collection. You have a lot of mouths to feed Doc! :lol2:

Doctor_M · Oct 14, 2016

outrider58 said:
Sounds like a Catholic gun collection. You have a lot of mouths to feed Doc!

To paraphrase Monty Python's The Meaning of Life...

Every caliber is sacred

Monty_Python's_The_Meaning_of_Life,_Every_Is_Sacred.png

travistheone · Oct 14, 2016

i keep mine limited to a few calibers. i have no use for small amounts of random calibers. everything has to be available at walmart.

jimbobborg · Oct 14, 2016

If you ever come down my way, Quantico Tactical has Magpul PMAGs, 5 for $50. They also carry mags for S&W, SIG, and a few others. Okay prices on ammunition, too. There's a Dick's across the street, and a Gander Mountain around the corner.

Do you simplify ammo?

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