You can burn through ammo fairly quickly and before you know it, you have nothing left in your stockpile, so it is important that you have enough ammo to see you through.
Your ammunition supply is determined by the firearms you own and the intended applications for them.
Due to training and defensive encounters, where ammo goes fast, firearms used for defensive purposes tend to use more ammo.
Handguns
Your handgun is clearly the most difficult pistol to learn and keep proficient with. A handgun’s small size necessitates expertise and experience to manipulate and discharge efficiently.
Ironically, due of its relative complexity, it is the weapon that many individuals forget to heavily practice with.
For a standard handgun, you should have at least 1000 rounds of defensive load ammo on hand so you may use it for self-defense at home, and these 1000 rounds should last for a long time if maintained correctly.
Shotguns
Self-defense is the most common reason for purchasing a firearm nowadays, and the most popular weapons for that purpose are pistols and rifles.
Though effective for self-defense, the venerable old scattergun is now more of a hunting weapon.
The amount you have stashed away is determined by your use case. If you’re going after smaller game, your ammunition requirements will be minimal – perhaps 500 rounds of your selected gauge and load.
Another thing to keep in mind is the fact that a load built for big game will be fatal to an attacker, therefore this benchmark may also be used for defense.
Rifles
Hunting rifles, such as the.308 Rifle and shotguns do not often require a license to acquire. Rifles often have fewer rounds—between two and five.
However, if you frequently use this for recreational hunting, you should consider making it your primary rifle, especially if you anticipate using it to obtain food for yourself or your family.
Consider storing at least two years’ worth of ammo. It may be used for home defense, although it is better suited for longer distance targets because it isn’t as agile in confined areas as a handgun.
AR-15s
The uses of an AR-15 tend to be for fast deployment of many rounds, but because it may utilize a lot of bullets rapidly, making it an expensive rifle to keep ammo for, you will have to decide whether or not to store significant amounts of ammunition if money and space are factors.
Whatever your application, you should have at least six months to a year’s supply of bullets for regular practice, plus as much more as you can afford.
When Is the Best Time To Buy Ammo?
Timing is critical for ammo purchases because if you don’t keep an eye on the market and the news, you might end up spending far more for ammunition than you should.
In general, the greatest time to buy ammo is soon after hunting season and the holidays, when people have had enough shooting and have spent their money on gifts.
Although the market changes and varies throughout the year, some seasons of the year tend to have more ammunition sales due to the natural ebb and flow of supply and demand.
Some months are consistently better for getting inexpensive ammo than others.
The two greatest times of year to buy ammo are immediately following hunting season and immediately following the holidays.
After hunting season which is usually through October and November, there is a gap in the need for ammo since most hunters take a vacation from stockpiling immediately before the next hunting season, thus demand and prices fall.
However, the holidays arrive fast following hunting season, and many individuals get firearms and ammunition as gifts.
Most folks have spent everything they can after Christmas and are finished searching for the year.
Sales are at their lowest in January and February, which is an excellent time to take advantage of the market and purchase ammunition.
Where To Buy Ammo
There are many different gun stores that you can visit in person which will have a selection of ammo that you can choose from.
It also makes it much easier to ask for help as there will be a vendor there who has a lot of knowledge on the type of ammo you will need and how much you will need of it.
However, there are also a lot of places that you can buy ammo from online. They also have sales a lot of the time which will help you save money whilst being able to stock up a bit on your ammo.
In order to keep updated on sales, offers, and discounts, you can sign up to email updates which will notify you.
Storing Your Ammo
Most ammunition manufacturers will inform you that it has a 10-year shelf life. The reality is that it will survive much longer if properly stored.
The key to ammunition storage is to keep it free from excessive humidity in a temperature-controlled environment.
Ammunition should always be kept in watertight containers, such as ammunition cans.
Ammo cans, which first appeared in the 1950s, were designed to offer a water-tight container to protect ammunition from moisture. Most ammunition cans are now constructed of plastic rather than steel.
While ammunition is very water-tight, it isn’t designed to be waterproof. The crimp of the casing around the bullet is pretty watertight but forcing the primer into the well in the cartridge’s base isn’t always.
That’s why the primers in military-grade ammunition are shellacked over, creating a watertight cover.
You may protect your own ammo by applying a tiny layer of shellac on the primers in commercial ammunition.
Conclusion
When you are first starting out with firearms, the thought of purchasing thousands of rounds of ammo might be somewhat intimidating.
It is important to wait and just purchase what you can afford while staying within your budget if you are on a limited budget.
As well as this, the amount of ammo you need depends not only on the guns that you have but also on the frequency in which you use them.
Therefore, if you enjoy engaging in frequent shooting practice, it is a good choice to keep stocked up.
