How many bullets/shots to you keep on hands?

H

huntingfish

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With the rarity of our favorite factory ammo going on at the moment, I was wondering how many bullets do you keep on hands (at home, not: how many do you bring with you at the hunt)?

Enough to be able to hunt a couple of grouse with a single shotgun
Enough to be able to hunt multiple types of game (birds and slugs) for a single shotgun
Enough to be able to hunt multiple types of games for several shotguns of different calibers
etc...

Same kind of degrees applies to rifles as well.

Just curious how everyone else is dealing with not being to get the exact ammo they are sighted with, etc.

David
 
I keep 5 maybe 10 years worth on hand.

I buy and load up. I know it will keep going up in price or be harder to get with future rules. So when I have free cash I buy lots. There is also ammo I like that you cannot find any more, like 3" copper coated BBs they are awesome for yotes.. I think it's have 1 flat + left.. I bet they are 20 years old.
Play the long game. Don't caught short. Buy what you can and what you like. A look at any gun store ammo shelf right now will tell you how weak the supply chain is especially with the China virus the past 2 years.
If you can. Purchase a few extra boxes each time. You go to buy.
With out ammo your guns are just clubs..
 
I shoot sporting clay every Sunday. I buy 12 flats of shells twice a year. So depending where my supply sits, I could have 3000 shot shells. Buy .22 in 500 bricks. and 3006 three, four boxes when the come on sale. regards Ken
 
Just enough that when need be I don't have to rush out before the hunt to get more ammo. That way all I have to do is load up my gun(s) ammo and gear off I go for fresh food for my family.
 
redbirddog said:
I keep 5 maybe 10 years worth on hand.

I buy and load up. I know it will keep going up in price or be harder to get with future rules. So when I have free cash I buy lots. There is also ammo I like that you cannot find any more, like 3" copper coated BBs they are awesome for yotes.. I think it's have 1 flat + left.. I bet they are 20 years old.
Play the long game. Don't caught short. Buy what you can and what you like. A look at any gun store ammo shelf right now will tell you how weak the supply chain is especially with the China virus the past 2 years.
If you can. Purchase a few extra boxes each time. You go to buy.
With out ammo your guns are just clubs..
Click to expand...

I am pretty much like this - enough loaded up for at least a year's worth of shooting - components on hand for many more. I seldom buy factory ammo of any sort, but recently found some "good deals" for 28 gauge target stuff so loaded up - several years worth now, and I do load for that gauge. Rimfire is a bit different - last time for the shortages taught me to just have some here - so several years worth stashed on hand - definitely not "target" grade - but more like "utility" type to take care of varmint and such. Center fire rifle is all reloads for me - most have had the desired loads established some years ago, so I stock up on components when I see them available. Much more bullets on hand than I could carry in even two trips, so mostly primers and powder to watch for these days. Brass is as it comes - sometimes having odd-ball (like 7mm S&H Super or 308 Norma Mag) does not change much - nobody ever had any for sale anyways... Is a "market" - if someone thinks their 1F Hirtenberger 7.62 NATO brass is worth $0.50 a piece, then go for it - I am not ready and have no need to pay that much, yet. But I have paid double that for 1F Norma 6.5x55 within the past year.
 
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I've got 5 boxes of Winchester Long Beard XR #5 3" shells, fired one shot through a full choke at 25 yards and another at 40 yards to pattern and now I've got 48 shells left. Hopefully that'll last 48 turkeys :)

I always keep a flat of #7.5 shot, 2.75" target loads on hand (also like them for upland birds) and probably a half dozen each of 00 buck and slugs.

Since my primary Browning Silver fires all of it gloriously it is my go-to. I have some cheap .410 as well for ventilating milk jugs but never more than maybe two boxes or so. I think I have 3 full boxes and 1 half box but only because my last range session was cut short.
 
I burn through about 5000 rouns a year. I went through 1100 on Labour Day weekend. I try to keep 4000 rounds at least and I buy 12G ammo whenever I find some on sale. That's just shotgun ammo, of course. I have a fair bit of rifle and pistol too.
 
I just hunt. Very little clay shooting throughout the year. I aim to have 1500 plus rounds of hunting loads in each gauge, 12, 16, 20 and 28. I don’t like running short.
 
Given the way prices, availability and components shortages follow the American election cycle I think it's wise to have at least a 2 year supply on hand and 4-5 years worth is even better.
When the world goes squirrelly it's very nice to be able to wait out the price spikes. Buy cheap and stack it deep has never steered me wrong.
 
redbirddog said:
I keep 5 maybe 10 years worth on hand.

I buy and load up. I know it will keep going up in price or be harder to get with future rules. So when I have free cash I buy lots. There is also ammo I like that you cannot find any more, like 3" copper coated BBs they are awesome for yotes.. I think it's have 1 flat + left.. I bet they are 20 years old.
Play the long game. Don't caught short. Buy what you can and what you like. A look at any gun store ammo shelf right now will tell you how weak the supply chain is especially with the China virus the past 2 years.
If you can. Purchase a few extra boxes each time. You go to buy.
With out ammo your guns are just clubs..
Click to expand...

I also follow a very similar example. Because I hate the thought of running out of the perfect upland shotshell or varmint rifle ammo part way through an open season.
Lots of shotshells! Just south of 1000 varmint cartridges, 22 Hornet and 222.
Better to be fully prepared.
 
I don't use slugs, so no bullets at all. I typically keep about 20 flats of 12 gauge target loads on hand for sporting clays, and enough 28 and 410 components to load 20 flats of each for skeet. I keep 2-3 flats of waterfowl loads on hand, and a flat of 28 and a flat of 16 gauge upland loads on hand. Overall, I have a few years of upland and waterfowl loads, and a years worth of target loads.
 
Lately ive let me reloading duties slide and ive run fairly low on shotgunning ammo. Rimfire i buy a couple cases each year. 5000rnds per case. I have 6500 17hm2 rounds on hand. Enough 4570 and 458wm ammo loaded to stop an invasion if the zombies come riding in on dinosaurs
 
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