Security & Self-Defense Archives

To be effective as a prepper, you need to have the right supplies on hand to get through an emergency or disaster situation. Once you have that, you need to be able to protect those supplies, yourself and loved ones. This means some sort of defensive weapons with a firearm of some type being top of the list. When considering how much ammo a prepper needs there are a few main considerations. First, what are you defending and from what? Second, how long do you need the ammunition to last? And third, where do you live? Thinking in terms of stocking up for a long-term emergency when ammo is scarce, living in a suburban situation, I use the following: 50 pistol and 100 rifle rounds per month stockpile (or 600 pistol/1,200 rifle rounds per year available). If ammo ever becomes scarce, you obviously won't blow it all on target practice - but imagine having enough in reserve that you could. That would be like having a mattress stuffed with money when the Great Depression hit! In terms of prepping wealth, you would be rich. Buying Ammo Based on Local Infrastructure It's all about first-world problems versus third world problems. I live in the United States, a first world nation with a fantastic infrastructure – for now at least. But what if the SHTF? Any major power can experience pockets of chaos when things go wrong in a big way. That’s when your little slice of heaven can become “second world” or even third world as compared to what you are used to. It’s not a good idea to run out and buy a huge amount of ammo in one fell-swoop if you can avoid it. That causes a run that drives up the cost due to increased scarcity. Anyone who remembers 2013’s ammo shortage knows what I mean. Even 22 LR rimfire, which is about the cheapest ammo you can get, went up by as much as 6x in price! If you can afford to buy in bulk occasionally, that is best (BUT don’t clean out the shelves). For most ammo types (9mm, .357,.38 wadcutter, 22 LR and .22 Magnum) I use an online supplier with free shipping whenever possible. But if you don’t have the cash, consider buying two to three months’ worth, each month while you build your stockpile. This way, in four to six months you have a year’s worth of ammo. It’s basically building an ammo piggy bank. If you carry a pistol for self-defense the hope is that you never need it for more than target practice – but with 600 rounds per year (50 rounds x 12 months) you are well prepared if you do. For rifle ammo my disaster survival budget is 100 rounds per month between target practice and regular hunting. If you live in a densely populated city, you might rely more heavily on your pistol and not have options for hunting. In rural areas your rifle probably gets more use. Ammunition for Barter You will notice in this post I focus a lot on 22 LR ammo. I'm in no way suggesting the 22 is the best possible prepper caliber, but I am saying it is the most common caliber weapon in the United States. Most of us learned to shoot with a .22 and I don't know anyone who has a rifle that does not have at least one .22 "squirrel gun" somewhere in the house. Even the famous AR-15 style assault file has a .22 option with the Smith & Wesson M&P 15-22 Sport. Having ammunition for the the most universal firearm is always a good idea. Even if you don't personally think you will rely heavily on a .22, consider having at least one .22 rifle and plenty of ammo. It's a great primary shooter for small game and an excellent backup weapon for home defense. That said, 22 LR rimfire ammo will always be in demand. Any you don't shoot yourself can be used to give to those who need it or to trade for something you need. Having an Ammunition Baseline When I first thought about serious prepping some years back, the original ammo purchase I made was for 400 rounds of 22 LR rimfire for the Ruger 10/22 carbine (my only gun at the time). I bought the Ruger years before for cheap target practice when 22 LR rounds were about five cents each (I miss those days!). I didn’t have much money, so I left the ammo in its original box, threw in a couple silica bags, and wrapped the cheap cardstock box in brown paper grocery bag paper taped like crazy. I just priced that same 400 rounds of “Browning BPR Performance 22 Long Rifle 36 Grain Hollow Point Rimfire Ammunition.” It was $32.99 at OpticsPlanet.com (with free shipping for purchases over $50). So, let’s say you buy 800 rounds for $66 to get the free shipping. At 100 rounds fired per month between target and bagging small to medium size game, you would have eight months of ammunition reserve. That’s just $8 per month to help you survive a SHTF situation! A .22 is not the top choice for a SHTF situation however the same rules apply with 9mm or .357 or any ammo. If possible, consider buying a pistol and rifle that can shoot the same ammunition. It makes stocking and budgeting ammo usage so much simpler. There are plenty of rifles made for traditional handgun ammo today. If you have regional restrictions on semi-automatic rifles, I would suggest looking into a level-action repeater. Henry makes a model that shoots .357 and .38 just like a S&W wheel gun. My ammo baseline was just that 400 rounds back in 2006. I kept adding to it each month, always being certain to use my oldest ammo first for target practice. Tip: Mark the date of receipt on the ammo carton when you get it. Now use your oldest rounds first when working in your ammo rotation for actual use. Tracking Ammo Cost The cost of ammunition fluctuates like the stock market. Although you can always find a price variance between vendors, it's also a good idea to track the general average cost by using a site like AmmoPricesNow.com. The below chart is a screenshot for .22 LR ammunition but they have it for a lot more. Just click the image to visit the site and then find the ammo type of interest to you. Credit: AmmoPricesNow.com Here are three of today's top online sources for getting the best deals on ammunition of every caliber, whether buying in boxes of 50, bricks of 500, or buckets of 2,500: OpticsPlanet.com (They specialize in scopes but have dirt cheap ammo and free shipping over $50) BulkCheapAmmo.com CheapAmmos.com Pro Tip: Always check the CPR price when comparing. That stands for Cost Per Round. It's the simplest way to find the best deals without doing a bunch of mental math given the volume of some ammo packs. Ammo Care and Degradation Don't let your old ammunition degrade. This is one of those things where it's better to be safe than sorry. A lot of people overlook proper storage for their ammo, but that can be a costly mistake if you get stuck with weak or dud rounds. And as you know, when it comes to prepping, being cheap is not an option. For example, say you buy that $33 box of 400 rounds of .22 long rifle (LR) ammo and want it to last thirty years. It might be fine just with all rounds loose in the cardboard packaging it came in. But why risk letting moisture in if you can buy a decent air-tight mason jar for about a dollar and store it there? Just always be sure to store it in a cool, dry, and dark place as much as possible. Placing mason jars in brown paper lunch bags or cardboard boxes it a cheap and easy way to keep them out of direct light (and NEVER leave ammo in a glass jar if in direct sunlight – that jar can quickly become a magnifying glass and extreme heat and bullets do not mix!). Magazines and Speed Loaders It's a good idea to prepare with some additional and up-to-date ammo clips or speed loaders. If the SHTF and you are loading your semi-auto one round at a time your troubles might be over sooner than expected - in a permanent way. Having sufficient ready-to-fire ammo can help you handle issues professionally when a disaster occurs! And that means ready to pop in the chamber – not ready and waiting in your pocket. Looking at the most common rifle out there - the Ruger 10/22 uses a 10-round rotary clip that sits flush when inserted into the rifle. I still have mine along with two backup rotary clips that can be pre-loaded as well as two 25-round banana clips. That’s eighty rounds of easily accessible ammo when needed. It's not my first choice for repelling an invading hoard, but it's a lot better than poking them with a sharp stick. For a typical 9mm semi-auto pistol you usually have about fifteen to eighteen rounds in a standard clip for a full-size handgun (not a pocket mini that typically fits 10 to 12 in the clip). For example, the… Glock 17, houses 17 in the mag plus one in the chamber (17 + 1 for 18 total)Glock 19 (most popular 9mm is the US) hoses 15 in the mag and 1 in the chamber.Sig Sauer P226 holds 15 in the mag and 1 in the pipe for a total of 16 rounds ready to fire.Berretta M9 also accommodates 15 in the magazine and 1 in the chamber for 16 total.Ruger SR9c is a smaller weapon ideal for conceal carry that also takes 17 in the mag and 1 in the chamber. How to Save Ammo Cost for Target Shooting In a perfect world you want to do much of your target practice using the weapon and round you will rely on most – but that’s not always necessary. If you are trying to get your breathing down and learn to make simple adjustments such as shooting from standing, kneeling, and prone positions – use the same or a similar weapon with more readily available ammunition. Same Gun - Different Ammo I learned to shoot handguns using a Smith & Wesson .357 revolver at age sixteen. True 357 rounds were expensive. I was earning minimum wage of $3.35/hour in an after-school job so I shot mostly with .38 special rounds (about 40% of the cost of .357) for general target practice. I'd also do a couple runs of .357 to stay familiar with the kick. Practicing the basics with lower cost ammo allowed me to shoot twice as much - but I still made certain to always throw in some .357 rounds since the power is basically doubled. Guns vs Firearms If you want some super-cheap training on safety, weapon handling, and target acquisition, consider training with a gun that is not an actual firearm (depending on the state you live in). I’ve shot recoil-spring break-barrel .22 caliber pellet guns that are the same weight and have more kick than most 22 rifles. Pellet rifles can be perfect for practicing the fundamentals without having to go to the range (if your backyard will accommodate it). This is not a weapon of choice for hunting or defense, but can be fantastic for learning the basics of shooting. As far as cost of pellets go, a single “milk carton” of 1,260 Crosman pointed hunting pointed pellets can be had for $16.99. That’s about one and one-third pennies per shot. If you want to go super cheap go with BBs. That same brand of Crosman Copperhead 4.5mm Copper Coated BBs is $9.99 for 6,000. That’s just one penny for six shots! Of course, you would not hunt any small game with these – but they are good for developing short-range shooting basics (except feeling recoil). What’s Next? Now that you have a better idea of the quantities of ammo you will need, let’s take a look at the guns themselves with this post – Prepper Guns on a Budget.