The title can be misleading so I’ll clarify.
With recent events putting many of our citizens in potential danger lawful and responsible gun ownership is paramount.
That said, I was having a convo with a good friend at work and the topic of ammo came up.
How much ammo is enough to feel safe at home?
That depends on your arsenal of firearms. We have enough ammo that would scare most people per caliber. Depends on budget and training. Ammo is scarce, reloading supplies are scarce. Depends on law of supply and demand. How many trips to the range. For some people a box if sufficient. I think the debate over how much, could be the same debate as which is the best brand of firearm. Lucky we live in a country that will allow firearms and ammunition. Maybe except for commifornia. LOL
If you ask how much coffee we have on hand? 2 months supply. Diesel? 2 to 3 months. Meat? freezer full. LOL
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Ive changed my opinion on ammo over the past few months. I used to think people were crazy to have thousands of rounds sitting around. Even picked a few fights on this forum 
… here is my opinion now.
There’s no way to know how much you need. There’s no such thing as too much. There’s only too little if you need more ammo…
Some families may just have one revolver loaded with 6 rounds ready to go. I think that’s a great set up for home defense. Some gun is better than no gun. It would be even better to have a 6 round revolver with 2 spare speed loaders ready to role. I think this is practical and statistically will work for just about any home invasion. Most encounters will be over in 3-4 rounds. Also, one may not have money for hundreds of rounds for HD.
Personally, I would prefer an auto loader with 15 round mags filled with hollow points and have a few spares close by. (If that don’t work we go to the rifle, if you’re going through hundreds of rounds in a fight, chances are there will be some
Guns laying around as well. Good to know how to use different kinds of weapons).
Some people have 100 AR mags under their bed.
All are reasonable options to me. The 100 mags may sound over kill, but it’s only over kill if you didn’t need it… I’d rather have full mags at the end of the fight than have all empty mags in the middle of the fight. I now buy ammo in bulk and I’m trying to maintain a good stash specifically FMJ, because I want to be able to go to still go to the range if A. Things are financially tight and I can’t afford a box. B. Ammo shortage is going on (like now). C. If things hit the fan I’ve got more than enough to go around.
I’m going to share a video from Clint Smith. He has a tendency to be profs in, BUT he’s an excellent instructor. I’m warning you now he uses bad language.
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Range time is definitely over, this is the real deal, it’s why you went to the range. As far as how much ammunition, as much as you can afford and as much is available, if you find it, by it all. Also consider this, there is no red X on the human body, just sayin!
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Skldaho,
I’m with you on that.
And plenty of charcoal or wood.
Scott52, I disagree that range time is over. Yes, the real thing is happening, but my practice ammo is separate. So, I still sneak off to the range at least once a week to make sure my skills are as high as possible. I know what you mean, the training is over at this point, BUT shooting is a perishable skill and I want to be as fresh as possible. My reloading component stocks are high, and I am still able to get components. In fact I picked some up at lunch, so no need to stop my practice routine.
As for how much do you need? Take a look at what you got and buy one more case. Then repeat. It doesnt matter how much you have, you will want more. As for how much is enough? It will be limited to how much you can carry.
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Thanx Scoutbob,
I’ll surely be checking out the video!
I mistakenly bought steel case . 223 ammo and have it as my back up for emergency, if one should arise.
Other than that I have about 100 rounds for each of my other arms but I’ve been told it’s not enough. 
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I did this with 9mm a few months back. Can’t shoot it anywhere locally, can’t throw it away, so that’s what I keep it for 
. It does shoot. It just sits at the bottom of all my other ammo.
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We have different versions of this conversation from time to time. I continue to believe that we’re each responsible for our own decision based on our risk level and risk tolerance, as well as other factors that help describe our personal situation.
If someone is healthy, comfortable in their own home, the crime rate is low, and there is a good support network (police or neighbors), then maybe that one pre-loaded musket hanging over the fireplace is sufficient.
If you’re not as healthy, living in a nice house located in a high crime area, where there’s deficient police response and few reliable neighbors, and nearby rioters are threatening to invade residential areas, then you probably need to up your game. I hope you have some ammo stashed because the mayor closed the local store and the one in the next county is out of stock.
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I believe I have said this before. Make sure you know your local jurisdictions rules on ammunition and powder storage. Many of them will have a limit, and over that you have to declare your place an “ammunition dump”. That can lead to the fire department inspections if they choose to do so.
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I have “Ready Service Ammo” and “Bunker Ammo”. In general terms my Ready Service Ammo is enough to get me into my bunker ammo. I used to shoot competitively a LOT in multipul platforms so as a rule of thumb I would want enough “Ready Service Ammo” to get me through two full house competitions plus a weeks worth of training ammo. I set my bunker ammo to 5X that amount. I in general have enough loading components to cover my Ready Service Ammo X 2. Actual numbers make many folks, ummmm … uncomfortable.
Cheers,
Craig6
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Craig6,
You are the one that has to be comfortable.
Everyone else has to guess when you’ll stop shooting!!! 
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Well, to tell you the truth, in all this excitement, I’ve kinda lost track myself. You’ve got to ask yourself one question: ‘Do I feel lucky?’
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Quade5,
Channeling your Callahan I see.
My wife asked me just how.much ammo I had on hand. She had that exact ummm, moment.
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There’s a point where you have too much ammo?? 
If people don’t like how much ammo I have, they can go back home.
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In my case between my 9mm and 5.56 (insert very scary black gun) I have 4000
rounds. That does not count reloads which if my back is to the wall, I will have
no problems sending rounds down range. I have 4 mags for the 9 and I have 10
mags for the 5.56. The 9 mm mags hold 19 and the 5.56 mags hold thirty. I believe
I could hold my ground for a while if needed. Just sayn. Mike 
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Mike_T,
Hopefully the mob gets the message after the first 5.56 mag is empty
Awesome tools to have at the ready.
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Zavier…my wife also said the same ummmm moment, and said we don’t have enough.
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I follow Clay Martin, as writes for guns America, great combat veteran. If you search him, he has some discussions on ammo and such.
I love Clint Smith and his vocabulary. He has a video on how many guns should one carry, and I quote “nobody getting off this planet alive.”
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