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9mm Ammo: How much is "too much"?

turn_key21

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Sep 22, 2014
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Friends,

How much ammo would/should one keep on hand? In the current age of uncertainty and fluidity in availability of ammo I wonder "how much is enough"? (I tend to think you can NEVER have TOO much) but just as a general preference how many rounds would be a reasonable "minimum" to keep on hand at any one given time?

As is always the case I welcome and appreciate your comments.

Stay alert, Stay alive!


-Turn_key21
 

Maverick9

Regular Member
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Apr 7, 2013
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1,404
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Mid-atlantic
Do the math.

You go to the range once per week and shoot 50 rounds. That's 200 rounds a month, 2400 rounds in a year.

You go to the range 3x a week and shoot 100 rounds. That's 1200 rounds a month and 14000 rounds in a year.

And those are on the low side. If you do a gun instructional you'll run through 500-1000 rounds easy in three days.

You talk about ammo scarcity, but even if you just forget about that, just using the firearm(s) you shoot means you are probably going to want to have at least a year's supply, because buying in bulk is cheaper.

If you shoot three calibers or more then you sort of have to convert the spare bedroom into a gun closet and armory, lol.

I am of the opinion that less is more and we've cut back range visits to once every two months. It's sad because it's a hoot to perforate targets.
 

OC Freedom

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Feb 20, 2014
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ADA County, ID
I keep 10,000 rounds on hand in each caliber I own. I don't shoot the factory ammo so my 10,000 rounds per caliber never goes down, I reload.
I can safely reuse my brass cases in pistol calibers 10 to 20 times depending on brand, caliber, and powder charge. It cost me around $5.50 to $6.00 dollars for a box of 50 rounds of 9mm. Reloaded with used brass.

The ammo shortage never had an effect on me for I learned from the Clinton gun ban in "94" to be well stocked and prepared for gun, magazine, and ammo bans.
 

WalkingWolf

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Jul 31, 2011
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North Carolina
.9mm Ammo: How much is "too much"?

No such thing as "too much". As long as you can afford it, and want it, what the rest of us think does not matter.
 

MSG Laigaie

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Jan 10, 2011
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Philipsburg, Montana
I am of the opinion that less is more and we've cut back range visits to once every two months. It's sad because it's a hoot to perforate targets.

It is my opine that you must look at what you want to accomplish at the range, not just a pile of brass 'cause it's fun. My main purpose is to put a few rounds into "the threat".
As I generally do not shoot someone until I have spoken with them, I train to a "conversational distance". Twenty feet is a good mark. I stop by the range about once a week or every two weeks, (family membership) and shoot a magazine or two just to ensure that I am hitting COM. I don't need to fire of hundreds of round to simulate a real world situation.

Now there are times when we go to the range and shoot for hours. THAT is fun. Still, the smaller amount of rounds, fired a bit more often, keeps my skill set up. Rain, cold, sick, well, does not matter. You do not get the "yellow sticky" that tells you when you will need that firearm.

As for back up ammunition.....I keep five k of each calibre as a base. Then I add what I need for range fire and fun shoots. I do go a bit over on .22 tho. The best ammunition for barter is .22 because so many people have at least one in the house. I picked up five K of .22 just last month and I will get more as I can find it. I just do not pay fifty bucks a brick, that is just stupid.
 
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WalkingWolf

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North Carolina
I usually shoot a few rounds a week, shooting is like riding a bicycle, once you get proficient, at least for me I stay proficient. Yesterday I was showing a neighbor my 32-20 police positive, and put a few rounds in a brick at 30 yards. I tend not to worry about COM training, I learned a long time ago how to hit a rabbit with a 1849 Colt pocket pistol. If you can hit a rabbit or squirrel with a pistol, you can easily hit COM on a human. Just pretend the target is holding a rabbit COM. My targets for pistol shooting have always been small, tin cans, bottles, bricks.

Now that 22LR is available, shooting it is a good way to save money and increase skill. That same neighbor was asking me about buying a rifle for plinking and was shocked at the prices of center-fire rifles. I told him if his only use was plinking, get a 22. They allow a person to learn the basics without fighting recoil, noise, and muzzle flash.

I still shoot with a 22 revolver and rifle, pellet rifle, and airsoft pistol. No need for silencers 22 rifles are quiet, airsoft and pellet guns make virtually no noise. And for city folks save going to a range to shoot. For me the main reason for shooting center-fire is making sure that my firearms function, or are broke in. Once that happens they may sit in the safe for years. I am not any better shot than anybody else can be, but shooting thousands of rounds will not make you a great shooter. Practicing the basics will, and that can be done with dry firing or any other inexpensive method. I worked along side police officers who fired the same amount of rounds I did or more, and still could not hit the broad side of a barn.

Practice your grip first, this is the most important part of shooting, a gun should be just like pointing a finger, or even throwing a baseball. Proper grip will put it on target with less effort. Proper form is the next thing that is important, learn to shoot correctly from different positions. Trigger control and sight picture come hand in hand, and can be accomplished with dry firing or a airsoft pistol.

Ammo properly stored will last for centuries, there is no need to shoot it up and replace it with fresh ammo. Back when I got my first 1911, around 1979 I bought a case of WWII ammo. That ammo was over 35 years old and functioned just like new ammo, and it probably saw some moisture at some point in time. I have washed accidentally ammo in the washing machine, then loaded it in a gun and it fired just fine.

As I said before, buy as much ammo as you want, shoot it as much as you want, it is a personal choice. You can never have too much, but you can have not enough. Just know that if the your bank account is not up to shooting thousands of rounds to be effective, you do not need to.
 

solus

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one of my problems is the range i utilize specifically prohibits drawing from my holster which i find quite annoying as it is not how a SD situation will unfold or transpire ~ oh, my firearm is out at the ready position and now the bad guy will manifest themselves within in my SD sphere of engagement.

but i have, moved to shooting every 3 months and normally put 200 rounds down range at various distances so 1.2k of target ammo.

OC, hadn't discerned the cost for reloading was as low as you portray...might have to engage in that 'past time' as that is a significant savings for target ammo. favor could you PM me some info, from your perspective for reloading equipment...thanks

skid, i'd be worried about a problem like occurred in far eastern city in 1988.

ipse
 
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skidmark

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Jan 15, 2007
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Location
Valhalla
I just noticed - there's a decimal point in there!!

The OP included a decimal point in his caliber designation. Did he really mean to discuss stockpiling ammo that is 9/1oths of a millimeter in diameter, or was it a Freudian typo?

stay safe.
 

skidmark

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Jan 15, 2007
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Valhalla
Solus -

Technology might be both your friend and the answer to your dilemma.

Thanks to laser emitters (no, not laser grips or any other type of laser sighting device) it is possible to prctice shooting without expending any live ammo. I have an emitter that fits in the chamber like a cartridge, and another that fits down the barrel from the muzzle. Both use inertia to activate a laser "blip". You can buy all sorts of reactive and reflective targets, but a 2" x 2" square of aluminum foil scrunched up and reopened works just as well as the stuff they sell for $50+. 95% of my practice is dry fire with the emitters. As there are physical aspects to live firing that using an emitter cannot simulate, live fire practice is still essential.

There are also gas-powered pellet guns that perfectly mimic the size, weight, and first trigger pull operation of some of the popular firearms. A good trap will reduce the odds of your landing on your fourth point of contact after slipping on an errant pellet - which is why I don't use them. I do a lot of my practice as "Repel Boarders!" and going around trying to find little pellets just does not seem worth the effort.

It is probably best to do these sorts of practicing inside you home, as opposed to the alley behind the local stop&rob, no matter how well you know the clerks and the local cops. (You can ask how I know but I'll never tell.) But if you do take your practice outside remember to carry a BUG and work on your transition from primary to BUG. (Learning how to buff out small scratches that come from dropping the primary is another skill you ought to have - as opposed to not learning how to abandon your primary and transition to the BUG in a way that might save your life.)

stay safe.
 

Maverick9

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Mid-atlantic
.9mm - 'es a noob. Pretty obvious. Be nice.

On the range and practice stuff I had an ex-LEO who runs a gun store tell me of a drill he liked above all others.

He said: Go to the range where you can shoot up close and at alternate targets (if you can) and tie a bag to a rope. The bag can just have stuffing in it (like gym heavy bags).

He said Just load one round in your firearm. Say 'go' and have the friend (who is way behind you) pull the rope over a short course.

Then, he said, Draw and fire that one round as soon as the bag moves. Reload the one round and go again, over and over.

You can vary the direction the position, the distance, but the key is that the 'movement' causes you to draw and fire that one round. The 'result' is hitting the target at, oh 10 feet?? But you're keying in the draw and the instinctive sighting and the motion.

Soon, he said, you can draw and hit a squirrel-sized target who runs out from behind a tree with ease.

That, he said is a useful skill, and if you can do that you can draw and snap fire at CoM on a bad guy rushing you.

(Note: I think he uses the 'one round, one shot' as a safety element.)
----

Obviously you have to 'be safe' and you don't stop training other skills. I like the YT of the guy who does the up close drill putting multiple rounds in small targets and I like the idea of 'sewing machine' draw and fire on the way to the target.

----

Most of the time, though we don't do draw, we just stand at the bench and fire about four mags into the target which is about 25 yards. I hope to move beyond that next year.
 

Hevymetal

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Joined
Jan 22, 2012
Messages
261
Location
Clinton Twp
Originally Posted by WalkingWolf View Post
No such thing as "too much". As long as you can afford it, and want it, what the rest of us think does not matter.
^ this or as much as you can afford.

Now also consider this food for thought.

If history has taught us anything, it will only continue to rise in price and diminish in availability (Never know when they are gonna require a DNA sample to purchase ammo). Think of it as an investment in you and your family's future. If you think you can't afford it now, imagine in 2-3 years it may go up another 50% or better.

Properly stored ammo can last decades. Will it be as readily available as it is now in 10 years? Will it be more expensive? $10 a round? Who cares if you have invested in 20,000 rounds years prior for a "just in case scenario" and you have all you need.

You can never have TOO much. Just my humble opinion.
 

solus

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Aug 22, 2013
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Ojhri Camp ammunition depot of the Pakistan army?

stay safe.

and after they put dirt on it to put out the magnesium fire...then dug it up three weeks later to see if the magnesium had quit burning only to discover they reignited the magnesium with exposure to the air and again launched projectiles throughout the city, killing even more people across the city ~ or so i read about!

ipse
 
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OC Freedom

Regular Member
Joined
Feb 20, 2014
Messages
646
Location
ADA County, ID
one of my problems is the range i utilize specifically prohibits drawing from my holster which i find quite annoying as it is not how a SD situation will unfold or transpire ~ oh, my firearm is out at the ready position and now the bad guy will manifest themselves within in my SD sphere of engagement.

but i have, moved to shooting every 3 months and normally put 200 rounds down range at various distances so 1.2k of target ammo.

OC, hadn't discerned the cost for reloading was as low as you portray...might have to engage in that 'past time' as that is a significant savings for target ammo. favor could you PM me some info, from your perspective for reloading equipment...thanks

skid, i'd be worried about a problem like occurred in far eastern city in 1988.

ipse

I thought that I would post your request here for any others that might be interested instead of a PM.

I like to use LEE Reloading equipment over other brands, not that LEE is better than the other manufacturers, but for the reason of being the best bang for the buck. My suggestion is that if your interested in reloading you find someone who does reload for an experienced reloader can help you avoid the mistakes that can be dangerous.

You will need a reloading press, powder scale, carbide dies for pistol reloading, caliper and/or micrometer, a max cartridge gauge, reloading manual, and a brass tumbler with accessories (these are the minimum items to start reloading).

Midwayusa.com is a pretty good place to pick up a press, I would recommend the LEE Pro 1000 progressive. The best prices I have found for plated bullets is Extremebullets out of Reno NV. and they sell em in bulk. Primers I prefer are CCI which can be picked up at most gun stores. My favorite powder for all non magnum pistol rounds is Winchester 231.

At current prices if you have the used brass it will cost $7.00 for 50 rounds of 9mm My earlier statement on price for 50 rounds reloaded 9mm is what I paid for my reloading supplies and of course prices did go up slightly. $7.00 is much cheaper than what I can find 9mm ammo for new as we all know to well. For 44 magnum the price runs about $40.00 for 50 rounds and if you have the brass you can reload it for around $10.00.

The LEE press will come with carbide dies in the caliber of your choosing through Midway. Carbide dies do not require case lube as standard steel dies do, and using case lube sucks, so whatever press brand you buy try and get carbide dies, but carbide is only available for pistol calibers and rifle will only offer steel dies. One more thing is for a reloading manual, your first one you buy should be the Lyman 49th reloading manual which can be purchased at Midwayusa for $23.99.

I find reloading to be a chore like laundry, but I like the money you save. As the saying goes---if you reload you don't really save money, you just shoot a lot more.
 

solus

Regular Member
Joined
Aug 22, 2013
Messages
9,315
Location
here nc
OC, outstanding info will begin the search for reloading equipment and supplies...

again, appreciate your time and effort...

you have a mdl number for the lee i should be seeking?

ipse
 
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