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RPBrown wrote:I had to go home last night and count my rounds. I have been buying at least 4 boxes a week for a couple of years. Then my wife decides to change her EDC from a .45 to 9mm. Humm, do I split it up and buy 2 of each? I think not as we sometimes shoot that each week but at least every other week. So, I started buying 4 of each. Then, she gets me an AR-15 for my birthday this year. Thats another dilemma. Now I buy 4 each of .45 and 9mm and 2 of the .556.
So, my on hand totals are--16,250 rounds of .45, 9,850 rounds of 9mm, and 880 rounds of .556. Then there are my 12 Guage rounds but I didn't count them. So, I guess I need to start buying more to catch up

That sounds like a good start.

Show me the man who knows exactly how many rounds of ammo he has and I'll show you someone who either doesn't have enough ammo or who has too much time on his hands. The same might also be said for guns.

I would have to look in the safe to be completely sure on the number of guns I own, and like you, I would have to count the rounds of ammo. Best guess is maybe somewhere between 10,000 and 15,000 rounds at the moment.

It all depends. The general consensus is that ammo has a fairly long effective life (measured in decades). For practical purposes it is what you might call non-perishable. There is also a very real risk that legislation or other factors could lead to potentially dramatic increases in pricing / decreases in availability. Both of these factors point to keeping a large supply on hand.

Personally, I don't think that a 1-2 year supply is unreasonable. Actual round counts would, of course, depend on the amount of shooting you do. The percentage breakdown between carry and plinking ammo would likewise depend on your personal practice regimen. The person who shoots 100 rounds a week with a 90/10 split favoring plinking ammo would need 4,680 rounds of plinking and 520 rounds of self defense ammo for a 1 year supply. If you have weapons in multiple calibers, the math gets a bit more involved, but is still really straight forward.

My advise would be to look at your shooting habits, and think about how long you want to be able to weather an ammo shortage, then plan accordingly. You should mix in some self-defense ammo, but most rounds will probably be basic FMJ. Part of this will include an assessment of your willingness to ration your shooting sessions if ammo is hard to come by. Maybe you decide that you could get by with one range session a month instead of once a week, etc. If you are willing to ration, then that will also change the math.