How Much Ammo is Enough Ammo? Part Two: Do You Need to Stockpile for Everything?

Since the ammo shortage and gun ban scare a few years ago now, many shooters take keeping a supply of ammunition on hand seriously. Some take it more seriously than others. Some take it so seriously, it will weigh heavily on their firearm purchase decisions. I have heard many firearm enthusiasts say they would not buy a particular firearm due to caliber. Not because they don’t like the caliber, but because they currently do not have a gun in that caliber and do not want to stock ammo for it.

I've even heard people say they've sold off firearms or traded them in on others in an effort to consolidate calibers. “I only have 9mm & 40S&W for handguns and .556, .308 & 30-06 for rifles now to make it easier to hoard stock ammo” or “I really like that pistol, but don’t want to buy a reserve for another caliber” are common phrases one hears these days at ranges and forums.

I think this logic is pretty silly, really. While I think it is a wise idea to keep a good reserve of some ammunition on hand. I don’t think most need to do that for every gun and or caliber they have. It could be expensive, and really a waste of money and storage space. More important than that, not buying a new caliber could limit a lot of fun.

I understand the basic logic of keeping a decent supply of ammunition on hand, and I do for certain calibers and specific firearms. As I mentioned in Part One of this series; I buy range ammunition in bulk for practicing with my EDC and I keep a reserve to allow me to train a minimal amount each week for a year. Besides that, I keep a good amount of .556 and 7.62x39 on hand too for my “fighting rifles.” Not that I plan on being part of a big fight. Mostly because they are fun to shoot and when I take those out I tend to shoot a lot.

Speaking of shooting a lot, during the summer I shoot on two or three trap leagues. So I keep a decent supply of different target loads of 12 gauge on hand. I like to reload my own trap loads, so I have different loads that perform well for me for different yardage handicaps and wind conditions. Since it’s not uncommon for me to go through several hundred rounds during a busy week of trap shoots, it makes sense for me to keep a decent supply on hand. Plus reloading shot shells is a hobby in itself for me.

That’s all I keep a moderate to large (for me anyway) reserve of ammo on hand for. Just training ammo for my EDC and a few other pistol options, some .556 & 7.62x39 for fun, and target loads for trap shooting. I don’t fall into the mindset of I need at least a 1,000 rounds for every firearm and every caliber. Just doesn't make any sense to me. Currently I have only a box or two of ammo (if even that) for some pieces in my collection and I’m fine with that. I only take them out shooting once in a great while, and if another ammo crunch hits, I would be fine not shooting them for a while.

Even if you take the prepper mindset of if the world comes to an end and you will need to fend off your homestead to the extreme. Why would you want to, for example stock pile 5,000 rounds of 8mm for the old Mauser you have in the first place? For the same money spent, you could have 10,000 rounds of .556, or 15,000 rounds of .762x39, or the same amount of ammo in either caliber and be able to buy a spare rifle (or two) to fire it from.

Don’t fall into the trap of thinking you need to have a pile of ammo for every firearm you own, unless of course you really want to and it won’t wreck your budget. By eliminating the idea of owning a firearm due to caliber, simply because you think you need to buy bulk ammo for it; you are eliminating a lot of potential enjoyment. Passing up a deal on a Swedish Mauser, a 10mm pistol, or some other intriguing firearm because you don’t currently have the caliber can cause you to miss out on a lot of fun.

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Do you keep ammo for every caliber you own or does the supply of ammo weigh into your decision of purchasing a new firearm? Please comment below or join in on the discussion on the free West Marshland Armory Forum.

Link to West Marshland Forum Post

Link to Part One of this series:
How Much Ammo is Enough Ammo? Part One: How I decided how much.