There are an estimated 12 billion rounds produced each year of various calibers in the United States.
The rounds produced are of all different sizes and calibers, from handguns to rifles. These days that simply doesn’t seem to be enough, so stockpiling ammo can be difficult. It’s still possible, but make sure you avoid common ammo stockpiling mistakes if you want your stash to be useful.
So what are the common mistakes people make that you should consider?
1. Storage Options
The number one enemy of all types of ammo, from shotgun shells to rifle rounds, is moisture. Ammo should be stored in containers that keep moisture and humidity from interacting with the ammunition. Ammo shelf life, if stored in the right conditions, can be almost indefinite.
Ammo that isn’t stored right can have a shelf life as low as 3-6 months, depending on how much humidity gets into the stored rounds. This would be a disaster if you found yourself needing to access these rounds. When questioning yourself where to store ammo, always go for a clean, dry place that’s out of sunlight.
2. Calibers
While a lot of people who own guns own more than one, consider which calibers are most important. In times like these, where ammo is scarce and expensive, having the right kind of ammo on hand becomes even more vital. Keep the ammo on hand you’re going to use.
This means that while you may like your .32 Walther, it’s not going to be the most useful gun in your inventory. You need to make sure you have primary defensive and hunting rounds, rifle or shotgun, stored first. Create an ammo stockpiling strategy that works for your situation.
3. Bulk Is Better
Buying your round in small amounts, so 20 per box with rifles or 50 per box with handguns, is not the cheapest way to do it. If you want to get the best bang for your buck, consider going up to 250 rounds or even buying cases.
An added benefit to purchasing in bulk is that ammo will often come in moisture-proof containers. This way, you kill two birds with one stone and avoid common ammo stockpiling mistakes.
4. Easy to Get
Focus on stockpiling the most useful ammo possible. Some of the choices may change depending on what you consider your walk-out gun or your hunting gun. Typical rounds that fall into this category are 5.56, 9mm, 22lr, 12ga, and other common calibers.
9mm may be the best, most practical caliber outside of a rifle. You can find more info here.
5. Accessibility
When you end up with thousands of rounds, it can be hard to store them in an easy-to-use manner. It is pointless to have a barrel full of bullets if you can’t take that barrel with you or move it out if necessary. Make sure that you have your rounds ready to go in moveable and easy-to-handle containers.
Common Ammo Stockpiling Mistakes
Now that you know how to avoid common ammo stockpiling mistakes, you can get back to building up a useful and effective stockpile. Have a strategy and a plan for how to store, deploy and use the ammo so that when the time comes, you’re ready and your ammo functions.
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