Question How much ammo do you keep on hand?

And now, for a laugh.
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Racer88 said:
Exactly. Unless you have a specific (hidden) destination that offers shelter, and are ready to "run the gauntlet" of anarchists and armed pirates all the way there.... I really don't get the (I dare say romanticized) concept of "bugging out."
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I can see hauling my RV up to a family members property for strength in numbers reasons.....

My pickup could make it all the way from my place to his place in the mountains without ever touching a road if I dropped the RV too, and probably with the RV if I went slow enough.
 
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I should have mentioned that I'd be taking granddaughter 2 with me as well 🤣
 
Definitely going to get shit for this but I only keep on hand whatever's loaded. So not enough
 
Unlike Blanche Dubois, I prefer not to rely on the kindness of strangers. Or their skill as commandos. Ordinary people are sometimes are capable of great valor, bravery. Right up the the part where they get killed. If a community suddenly found itself under siege, it would most likely be a superior force. Not zombies or looters.

On the subject of looters, that's a different scenario. It's been shown that being armed seriously discourages looters after natural disasters like hurricanes. I don't consider storms a "bug out" situation.

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Note the guy on the right with no trigger discipline. He's more likely to shoot himself or a neighbor than a looter. Also, some of the guys from the 'hood would start crying for their mommy the first time they saw somebody's guts hanging out or half their friend's head shot off. Just sayin'. That's not a criticism. It's reality. Very few people can cope with that degree of violence.

Mobile, on the move? They have to find you to surround you. Having done big game hunting in difficult terrain, believe me, no platoon of uniformed bad guys is going to be able to keep up with you if you know what you are doing. First, they have to want you. That means they know you exist and are actively looking.

So-called "bugging out" isn't about some Ramboesque bullshit that exists in the minds of those who think 20 thousand hours playing WoW makes them combat veterans. Running around, blowing shit up then disappearing. Bugging out is really about evading capture. Survival. It's not about being a pretend Seal.

Hunkering down and defending a home is a noble pursuit, but if so, that's where you are going to die if the shit really hits the fan. I make no argument for those that accept that. Me... there's nothing in my house I'm willing to die for. If I had to abandon it, I might burn it down before I left. Scorched earth. Nothing to pillage.
 
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Bongo Lewi said:
Me... there's nothing in my house I'm willing to die for.
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Who said anything about protecting the house or belongings?

If I "bugged out" I would be EASILY found... along with the other thousands or millions also "bugging out." Those bugging out will be the proverbial fish in a barrel.... without the barrel. The roads out will be the "funnel of death."

Bugging out... to WHERE? To hide in the forest? What forest? There aren't really any forests around here. And if there were, they'd be crowded with others who fantasize about bugging out.

It will be 98 degrees out there. And I can carry only so much water. I might be dead before the bad guys get to me.

Oh, wait! What about my family? My daughter will wilt in an hour out there. My wife, too.
 
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Bongo Lewi said:
On the subject of looters, that's a different scenario. It's been shown that being armed seriously discourages looters after natural disasters like hurricanes. I don't consider storms a "bug out" situation.

Bugging out is really about evading capture. Survival.
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But where are you going to bug out to? (generically) :unsure: Will you be spending several hours in a ghillie to go one mile? What are you going to do when you get there?

The scenario I was inferring to above is someone even more hermit-ish than you may have beat you to your hide, made the effort to lug their heavy barrel "hunting rifle" to a strategic vantage point, and is active glassing their domain with a round loaded and 4 more in the mag.

I think in our lifetime probably the worst scenarios are going to be events that SERIOUSLY knock out power in a very large area/cities and/or destroy sewer treatment plants and/or poison water supplies, etc. Events that are going to "send the rats scurrying out of the barn".

Natural disasters will be less-focused and harder to predict. With terrorist attacks the targets are already known and will be the type to have the "most bang for the buck". Look around at your local infrastructure and see how poorly it is protected from attack. Bidet has let the terrorists in, now they are organizing. :eek:
 
Bobster said:
But where are you going to bug out to? (generically) :unsure: Will you be spending several hours in a ghillie to go one mile? What are you going to do when you get there?

The scenario I was inferring to above is someone even more hermit-ish than you may have beat you to your hide, made the effort to lug their heavy barrel "hunting rifle" to a strategic vantage point, and is active glassing their domain with a round loaded and 4 more in the mag.

I think in our lifetime probably the worst scenarios are going to be events that SERIOUSLY knock out power in a very large area/cities and/or destroy sewer treatment plants and/or poison water supplies, etc. Events that are going to "send the rats scurrying out of the barn".

Natural disasters will be less-focused and harder to predict. With terrorist attacks the targets are already known and will be the type to have the "most bang for the buck". Look around at your local infrastructure and see how poorly it is protected from attack. Bidet has let the terrorists in, now they are organizing. :eek:
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You have to find shelter opportunistically. There's no way to decide up front where you are going to find it. That's not to suggest you shouldn't have some kind of plan or destination in mind. To avoid being caught, I'd head for hilly, forested terrain with bad roads - like abandoned logging roads. Or no roads at all.

How long can you do that? Depends on you. The longest I've been literally in the middle of nowhere with nothing but what I can carry was two weeks. I could go a lot longer. An extended adventure in the great outdoors might require you to prepare for seasonal changes in the weather. You can't carry everything needed for that.

Other people doing the same as you can be a threat. Or some guy protecting his castle who also sees you as a threat. It's part of the game, if you want to call it that. If somebody with a long gun sees you first... that can happen. But it also means you fucked up.

I'm not sure the ghillie analogy is the right one to make. That's a sniper thing. It's about you as the stalker, not the stalked. Might not be a terrible idea to have one but every ounce feels like a pound when you are on foot in the back woods.

I have a couple of places to go in different parts of the country. Remote, and there's nothing in either location anybody would want. How would I get there? Depends on what the SHTF event was. The great thing about cataclysm is every day you get to decide what to do because all the rules of civilization no longer apply. :).

People who study such things have theorized that 900,000 years ago, our early hominin ancestors were reduced to only about 1300. Disease, climate changes, dwindling food supply because animals and plants also started dieing off due to an emerging ice age. They had no tools or fire at that time, yet here we are. How did they survive? Some believe migration to a more hospitable latitude.
 
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It’s smart for some to shelter in place. That’s fine if there’s a plan in place and you’re ready for it. Getting out of dodge is in our plan. We will go to the desert, not many will go there as most will look at the woods. That, IMO is not a very smart move unless you are with a planned a prepper group and a fortified location ready to go with an under ground safe shelter. As MGB mentioned rail road tracks may be a great way out of populated areas would be a safer option than roads.
 
Michele said:
It’s smart for some to shelter in place. That’s fine if there’s a plan in place and you’re ready for it. Getting out of dodge is in our plan. We will go to the desert, not many will go there as most will look at the woods. That, IMO is not a very smart move unless you are with a planned a prepper group and a fortified location ready to go with an under ground safe shelter. As MGB mentioned rail road tracks may be a great way out of populated areas would be a safer option than roads.
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+1

A car is a coffin with wheels. Ditto on rail lines being safer.

Desert... water is not plentiful and shelter is hard to find. I spent some time in San Jacinto/Santa Rosa mountains. Loved it there. But that was recreation. I'm more comfortable in forested, hilly terrain. More cover, more water, more critters and edible plants.

I'm unconvinced of safety in numbers. I would not join a tribe. Crowds draw flies.
 
I think it's worth mentioning that my primary reason for keeping a "decent" inventory of ammo is not necessarily for "SHTF." If the shit really does hit the fan, and I need to defend myself, I won't need thousands of rounds.

The real and practical reason for keeping a "stash" is to hedge against those ammo price spikes that tend to plateau for a few years before dropping back down to "sea level."

This way, during the "crazy times," we've got ammo and can still practice and have fun while the others (suckas!) are paying $1 / round for 9mm.
 
Michele said:
As MGB mentioned rail road tracks may be a great way out of populated areas would be a safer option than roads.
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This is nothing new. Outriggers on bikes of various designs have be around for more than 100 years for this.
This guy lives near a stretch of abandoned track and rides his mountain bike on them.
In a "Get Out of Dodge" situation, you won't care if the track is active or not. And it has the advantage of less exposure to others, and is almost silent.


View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NZXf3SVcoao&t=3s
 
no4mk1t said:
This is nothing new. Outriggers on bikes of various designs have be around for more than 100 years for this.
This guy lives near a stretch of abandoned track and rides his mountain bike on them.
In a "Get Out of Dodge" situation, you won't care if the track is active or not. And it has the advantage of less exposure to others, and is almost silent.


View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NZXf3SVcoao&t=3s
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Outstanding! Add electric bike to that setup. Foldable or flexible panels for charging. You could cover a lot of ground pedaling and using the motor to rest and recover - but keep moving.
 
Racer88 said:
I think it's worth mentioning that my primary reason for keeping a "decent" inventory of ammo is not necessarily for "SHTF." If the shit really does hit the fan, and I need to defend myself, I won't need thousands of rounds.

The real and practical reason for keeping a "stash" is to hedge against those ammo price spikes that tend to plateau for a few years before dropping back down to "sea level."

This way, during the "crazy times," we've got ammo and can still practice and have fun while the others (suckas!) are paying $1 / round for 9mm.
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I don’t worry so much about price fluctuations. I keep an inventory and replace what I consume when I consume it. The cost per round averages out. When supply dries up like it did a couple of years ago, I shoot less or switch to practicing with calibers not affected by the shortage.

One of the ranges I frequent does bulk buys every now and then, passing the savings to members. I’ve bought 500 or a 1000 round boxes that way a few times. The price is decent and no shipping charges.
 
Bongo Lewi said:
I don’t worry so much about price fluctuations. I keep an inventory and replace what I consume when I consume it. The cost per round averages out. When supply dries up like it did a couple of years ago, I shoot less or switch to practicing with calibers not affected by the shortage.
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I don't worry about the mild fluctuations and apply a "dollar cost averaging" approach to buying ammo. I'll buy 9-mm anywhere from 15 - 30 cents per round. But I won't buy at $1 / round. I was talking about the price spikes that come with extreme supply drops (and extreme demand spikes) like after Sandy Hook and during the 2020 riots. I'll have enough to hold me without buying any during those times.

I also typically shoot less during those times. And I have also "diversified" my caliber portfolio. :)

Bongo Lewi said:
One of the ranges I frequent does bulk buys every now and then, passing the savings to members. I’ve bought 500 or a 1000 round boxes that way a few times. The price is decent and no shipping charges.
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I buy all my ammo online. The ranges / LGSes here don't pass any "savings" on to members or customers. They take full advantage of the profit potential. Local prices are MUCH higher than what I can get online. The only local place I used to buy ammo at a good price was Walmart, and they quit selling it.
 
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Does no one revert to shooting 22RF when the price goes up and supply goes down. I understand that those that lay in several thousand rounds of 9mm to keep up their practice during the dry spells, but when the real SHTF comes, the dry spell may not pass for quite some time, and there's no way to tell in advance if or when it will pass. Wouldn't it be prudent to have a substantial amount of 22RF and shoot it to conserve the CF ammo? You can fit 5K rounds of RF in a GI 50 cal. ammo can if it is loose or in the old style paper boxes. Quite compact. One could easily stash 20K rounds in a bedroom closet.
 

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