living in a Gun friendly State ...
For Home Defense ... Civil unrest or any other crazy shit that might happen.
223/556
9MM
45
Bare Minimum?
GTG?
living in a Gun friendly State ...
For Home Defense ... Civil unrest or any other crazy shit that might happen.
223/556
9MM
45
Bare Minimum?
GTG?
Last edited by Robert Mitchum; 10-28-2023 at 03:29 PM.
Have to know your primaries, but I’m going all in on 9mm for home and hearth, and I’m comfy with 1k of the good stuff. One nice thing about 9mm is that 1k GDHP doesn’t take up much room. I actually have a good amount of .45 ball, but that’s because I enjoy shooting 1911s, not because of zombiehamascartel hordes. I’m a lot more concerned about sourcing practice ammo in the next decade than defensive ammo.Originally Posted by Robert Mitchum
OMMV.
”But in the end all of these ideas just manufacture new criminals when the problem isn't a lack of criminals.” -JRB
I have around 1000 rounds of personal defense 9mm (mostly HST and GD) and around 500 rds 5.56 personal defensive ammo.
AND a few hundred rounds of 12 g Federal Buck and Slugs...because I still believe in the gage.
Most of my limited funding goes into components and/or 9mm range ammo.
Always interested in other's thoughts and opinions on this topic.
ETA and clarify: I rotate out my carry ammo every 8-12 months, hence the volume of 9mm SD rounds I keep.
Last edited by Jamie; 10-28-2023 at 05:39 PM.
I have a hard time imagining a home defense scenario where I need to expend more than 500 rounds of ammunition that I survive. So that’s my “minimum reserve” number for my primary pistol and rifle calibers.
That said I’m a pogue compared to many of the steely eyed killers on this forum so YMMV.
My biggest concern is weathering the seemingly constant ammo supply crisis. The way I figure is that if I always have a couple years of “training” ammo on hand, if by some chance I survive the 1000 round “Battle of Baptist Road” I can always use the hardball training ammo in a pinch.
Your carry gun 1000 rounds isn’t for a hypothetical extended battle. It is for: 1) your loaded carry gun and spare carry mag(s), 2) your loaded ready mags, however many you feel like you need to have at home/in the vehicle, 3) annual replacement for the ammo in your carry gun and carry mags.
If you actually use your gun in a defensive fight where you expend rounds, you are in an anomalous situation that you are prepared for by carrying your gun. Good for you! If you use your entire carry mag, reload, and use all of that one, you’ll be on the national news. If you are carrying a G19 or equivalent, that’s 31 rounds.
With 1K rounds of your carry ammo at home, only expending 31 rounds annually when you rotate it out for fresh, you won’t run out for 32 years. That is surviving the waves of ammunition shortages comfortably, in regards to defensive ammo.
Surviving the ammunition shortages in regards to practice ammo is, of course, another story.
I guess I am OK with what I have for Defensive purposes.
9MM 1,400
45 1,400
223/556 1,400
Build up the number of rounds you want to have in reserve. Draw from that stash when you shoot. Then order replacement ammo equal to the number of rounds you shot. I would order the replacement rounds first, just to make sure they are on the way. Supply and price may dictate how many rounds you shoot in a session.
Even if you don't shoot regularly, order 2 or 3 boxes of ammo every month or two. It will accumulate and be there when you get in some range time.
One option is to buy a caliber you absolutely may not need. Last time ammo supply got sketchy, I bought a Glock 20 in 10mm. Just to have another caliber option in the stable. In the end, it's personal preference as to what is a comfortable number of rounds to have on-hand.
I'll chime in with an alternate viewpoint.
I'm a stereotypical retired guy on a mostly-fixed income. On top of that, I'm taking unplanned care of my adult daughter and her son/my grandson. I don't have a bunch of disposable income. So I've had to prioritize.
I'm a handloader, so most of my practice ammo I make myself. I was unusually prescient in laying in a couple of cases of primers pre-Covid, so my practice needs have been covered. I try to keep a few hundred rounds of defensive ammo on hand in the calibers I use - mostly .38 Special and 9x19, but also .40 S&W and .45 ACP. I've got a sleeve plus each of low-recoil slugs and eight-pellet Flite Control for the 870. I've got a can of M855 and a few hundred rounds of M193 for the AR, plus two full mags of 55-grain Gold Dot.
I'm also a software-over-hardware guy (though I love me some hardware). My upcoming expenses are a local class covering defensive shooting in a crowded environment and John Hearne's Who Wins, Who Loses class.
If the zombie apocalypse ever occurs, I'll just use my handloads if I need to. Zombies don't sue.
"Everything in life is really simple, provided you don’t know a f—–g thing about it." - Kevin D. Williamson
Prayers for taking of your daughter and grandson. Though not the same, I took care of my parents in their later years. It's a responsibility for sure.
I don't have more than a few hundred rounds of defensive pistol ammo for anything I own. I can build it if I want it however, just don't feel a need to have it on hand. I know, I'll go to jail if I use my own loads but I just can't see that as a problem in a zombie/Jihadi apocalypse. I have plenty of target loads however.
I just bought a semi-auto shotgun so might buy a few boxes of #2 buckshot or whatever I can find. If I run out of ammo I know where to find a lot more. My neighbor has more than enough for all of us and he would share. He's one of those survivalist that you read about.
I have one neighbor that doesn't own a gun. The other two would be a challenge however in a firefight. One of them is an Army vet (squad leader) with two tours in Iraq. I'm guessing he could set up a pretty good defensive perimeter with 5-6 of us in the neighborhood.
Last edited by Borderland; 10-28-2023 at 07:38 PM.
In the P-F basket of deplorables.
Reply With Quote