How much do you really need?

[ShawnDow]

So.. I have been thinking... (ouch)
I have a small cash of ammo.. who doesn't?
But really.. for all that I have, its not like Im going to be holding off the whole world..
I have come to the conclusion, and packed, one of my mil-surp 30 cal cans... with 3 boxes of .40 S&W.. which will fill (and give me a few extra rounds) my 5 mags for the Hi-point carbine (10 rounds ea.), and 5 mags for the Springfield XDM (16 rounds ea.) One box of .32 ACP for my MAB Model D (2 mags @ 8 rounds ea.) and 10 strippers of 7.62X39 for the SKS...
Now in all actuality one mag (for each gun) and stripper are not in the can.. they are at the ready...
But I just cant fathom keeping all of them (the mags) stacked to the hilt in a ready mode... Although I have a lot more of the .40 in a .50 cal mil-surp can... and more -06 (for the savage 111FC) than I know what to do with... I cant see myself being the only one holding the fort... I have the notion that if I had to.. the .30 cal can is quick and easy to move.. (the .50 cal can is heavy as all hell ...) and with small groups combining forces... if one had to bug out..
Or.. since i'm already grabbing the .30 cal... just bring the rest.. Or am I blind siding myself and I need a lot more? and start digging "pill-boxes"?

[GunnyGene]

I think you need to assess your particular situation in terms of defensive/offensive strategy. That will guide your tactics, etc. Your suppy of guns, ammo, and anything else will depend on that. Strategy consists basically of Ways, Means, and Ends. Don't just think about it. Write it down, revisit it and revise your plan as necessary.

If your only recourse is to bunker up, I guarantee you will lose at some point. As has been noted, "a cave is a grave".

[ShawnDow]

Originally Posted by GunnyGene

I think you need to assess your particular situation in terms of defensive/offensive strategy. That will guide your tactics, etc. Your suppy of guns, ammo, and anything else will depend on that. Strategy consists basically of Ways, Means, and Ends. Don't just think about it. Write it down, revisit it and revise your plan as necessary.

If your only recourse is to bunker up, I guarantee you will lose at some point. As has been noted, "a cave is a grave".

thats a scary quote!
ill have to make that assessment plan!

[soundguy]

i agree.

if you ar ein a area that you will have to 'bug out' from.. then 5 million rounds under the floorboard wo't doo you much good.

if you live in an area you can bug in.. then stock the castle!

[GunnyGene]

Yes it is. But it's also reality. The Japanese learned that on Okinawa. Read Che' Guevera's book, and others. Be invisible. Avoid any encounters with whoever might be an "enemy".

There was a Marine on Wake Island that survived with the clothes on his back for 3 weeks after the Japanese had secured the island. Wake is very small. He did it by hiding in the sand, and making sure nobody knew he existed. He ate what he could find or steal. Finally surrendered and was hanged.

[45Auto]

I'd get 1,000 plus for each weapon. Even more for .22lr. The disasters that might come will choke off ammo supplies and make ammo so expensive that it can be used like money. If you have more than you need then you will have more options.

[jack404]

How much do you really need?

1 more than my enemies

[soundguy]

as cheap and easy to store / small size of 22lr, coupled with it's ability to take game or offensive/defennsive ( though somewhat limited ) capabilities.. any survival plan should include a 22lr of some sort.

heck. a 22lr and 10k rnds of ammo will weight near the same as 200rnds of regualr rifle ammo...

[norahc]

My ammo cache isn't so much for the end of the world as it is for me to be able to ride out the changes in ammo availability and prices. Right now I'm at 1000 rounds for each handgun, and anywhere from 500-3000 for each rifle (excluding the .22LR).

My goal is to get to 5000 for each handgun, 10,000 for my AR, 5000 each for the rest of my rifles, and 1000 for the shotguns. The .22LR I'm planning on getting to 50,000 rounds.

[soundguy]

Originally Posted by norahc

My ammo cache isn't so much for the end of the world .

none of us need ammo if the world ends.

I want some ammo if civilization ends though.

[targetacqmgt]

Originally Posted by GunnyGene

I think you need to assess your particular situation in terms of defensive/offensive strategy. That will guide your tactics, etc. Your suppy of guns, ammo, and anything else will depend on that. Strategy consists basically of Ways, Means, and Ends. Don't just think about it. Write it down, revisit it and revise your plan as necessary.

If your only recourse is to bunker up, I guarantee you will lose at some point. As has been noted, "a cave is a grave".

offensive tactics yeah makes sense. I do not move to good anymore so it is night ops for me- quite and slow past any of my known passive defenses

As for ammo picture worse case scenario- ammo is NOT being made for civilian use anymore.

[targetacqmgt]

Originally Posted by GunnyGene

Yes it is. But it's also reality. The Japanese learned that on Okinawa. Read Che' Guevera's book, and others. Be invisible. Avoid any encounters with whoever might be an "enemy".

There was a Marine on Wake Island that survived with the clothes on his back for 3 weeks after the Japanese had secured the island. Wake is very small. He did it by hiding in the sand, and making sure nobody knew he existed. He ate what he could find or steal. Finally surrendered and was hanged.

Never heard that about Wake. My father was a Raider- he did not go on the Makin raid but he did the 39 day "long patrol" and was in the first assualt wave at Bougainville. James Thomas Ament F company. I saw his name when they had the Raider Museum in Richmond VA.

[targetacqmgt]

Originally Posted by jack404

How much do you really need?

1 more than my enemies

Now I LIKE THAT

[rcairflr]

I guess I look at this differently than most or all of you.

I have a good stash of ammunition for the SHTF, but I'm also a lifetime shooter and as such will shoot a lot of ammo over my lifetime.

I'm sure most of you have noticed that over the last 10 years the price of ammo has gone up tremendously, so the more I stash away now, the less I will have to buy in the future at a guaranteed much higher price than today.

[soundguy]

the price differential in old vs new is the dividend it pays..e tc..

[GunnyGene]

Originally Posted by targetacqmgt

Never heard that about Wake. My father was a Raider- he did not go on the Makin raid but he did the 39 day "long patrol" and was in the first assualt wave at Bougainville. James Thomas Ament F company. I saw his name when they had the Raider Museum in Richmond VA.

Spent a week on the island in '79 on a transpac. (VMA 211 - Wake Island Avengers). Not much to do but explore the old fortifications and compounds, drink, snorkle, drink, explore, drink. We found a 30 cal water cooled mg barely visible on the beach on Peale ( one of the 3 that make up the atoll) and dug it up. Our ordnance guys cleaned it up and presented it to the skipper, who put it in his office.

One jap compound was still pretty much intact, almost in the center of Peale, which has a lot of heavy brush. Still had a gallows, and a prisoner hole, and one inside perimeter wall was full of bullet holes. Likely where some prisoners were executed. Very sobering. It might still be there, although there has been some construction since I was there. Interesting to pull it up on Google Earth: 19°17'7.61"N , 166°38'59.77"E .

[SARG]

I did two things to prepare for the future after Obama won.

The first was to set up my pension so the wife would get it all without change after I'm gone ....

And the second was to buy a Socom 16 from Springfield with about 5k rounds of 308 .......

And now I think of how ridiculously optimistic I must have been to think I could last long enough to expend 5 thousand rounds of ammo in a "bad" situation......

I guess I better get to shooting for giggles.

[ryan42]

My problem is the more I make the more I shoot and can never stock up I just like shooting.lol

[Jerryboy]

no one man can stand against the world. but 30-50 people, well armed and dug in, can stand against a good sized portion of it. consider networking with your friends, neighbors, and family. if you only have a very small piece of property, or it can't be built up and fortified, consider organizing with the people you're on good terms with to bug out to their location.

[76Highboy]

Originally Posted by ryan42

My problem is the more I make the more I shoot and can never stock up I just like shooting.lol

Your a man after my own heart Ryan.

[ShawnDow]

I live in a small community... even smaller when the snow birds and terrorist.. oops tourist leave.. about 4k in the winter months.. 10k when we are in full swing of the summer... I have Lake Huron to my East... and not too many roads lead to us.. one maine running N-S and one that goes W.
I figured being a smaller community (hoping) we will pull our heads out of our buts and become the "Family" we actually are (some how we are all related in this town) We are a bunch of hunters, fishers, and farmers here... Id have to say 1 out of 5 don't have a gun and we have at least 5 to each one that does... We reload... come on we are hunters... and we know the woods....
I realize wally world and the local grocers would be raided... but if we pull it together, we could make wally world and the grocers our place of prepping food we get from the land... who the hell would want to take over the Tawas area any way?

I guess what I really meant to ask.. is can one depend on or convince ones small community to become a small defended "civilized" compound. Or will it become one small group watching their own back from another?

[soundguy]

Originally Posted by Jerryboy

no one man can stand against the world. but 30-50 people, well armed and dug in, can stand against a good sized portion of it. consider networking with your friends, neighbors, and family. if you only have a very small piece of property, or it can't be built up and fortified, consider organizing with the people you're on good terms with to bug out to their location.

i agree completely.

My close friends and I have already formulated a BI/BU plan with multiple locations ( primary, sencondary.. etc.. based on location, climate, resources, nature of the problem.. etc.

we got a plan and are not afraid to use it.


as has been said.. it's hard for a single person to hold out.

ya got to sleep sometime..

however.. you want to stay small enough so that your locale can supply you with enough resources.. even if on the move, if you deplete an eara faster than you move thru.. then you have an issue.

[GunnyGene]

Originally Posted by soundguy

i agree completely.

My close friends and I have already formulated a BI/BU plan with multiple locations ( primary, sencondary.. etc.. based on location, climate, resources, nature of the problem.. etc.

we got a plan and are not afraid to use it.


as has been said.. it's hard for a single person to hold out.

ya got to sleep sometime..

however.. you want to stay small enough so that your locale can supply you with enough resources.. even if on the move, if you deplete an eara faster than you move thru.. then you have an issue.

At the risk of being called Obviousman, I'd add don't wait till the last minute. This is a big country, and there will be plenty of warning signs for weeks or months, even years. Just pay attention and connect the dots. Unless it's some end of the world solar flare or something, in which case it won't make any difference where you are.

[Zhurh]

I hauled around 10K of ammo and all my guns clear across Canada, 20 years back on my way to Alaska and they never even opened my trailer door. Most of it was 223 fmj that went for $179/thou back in late 80s; no regrets not even from the wife.

I now got enough reloading supplies to supply all the hunters in my community for generations; laugh if ya want. My grandkids will still be killin caribou with the supplies I bought long after I'm gone. I like that thought.

[jack404]

same here