Hording Ammo

oldfriends · February 2002

Just wondering if I have a character flaw or am I somewhat normal. (In this instance at least) I tend to hord my ammo. My logic is that if I shoot it, I won't have it any more. I very seldom shoot what I have stashed away. When I go to the range, I usually go buy what I need. I continually add to my stash. I always look for a good deal on ammo at shops and shows. Usually most of what I buy ends up in my vault, closets, corners, etc.Ed

Life is Tough!It's Tougher if You're Stupid

guns-n-painthorses · February 2002

Better to have and not need, then to need and not have!

idsman75 · February 2002

But sweetie, I'm just holding it for a friend. Honest!

Lowrider · February 2002

I counted mine a few weeks back. I thought I was THE MAN with my 5000+ rounds of various calibers. Then my brother laughed and told me he had about five times that much. Now I feel like a chump who needs to buy more ammo.

Lord Lowrider the LoquaciousMember:Secret Select Society of Suave Stylish Smoking Jackets She was only a fisherman's daughter,But when she saw my rod she reeled.

mcneely77 · February 2002

I try to keep a certain amount on hand. But what I do before going to the range is buy however many I expect to shoot, leave it at home and take some of the older stuff from my stache. I like to rotate it before it gets to old. Thats just me, not necessarily a recommendation.

wundudnee · February 2002

Lowrider,You're like me with just enough ammunition to hold out till help gets there.

"If stupidity got us into this mess, then why can't it get us out?" Will Rogers

AdamsQuailHunter · February 2002

Oldfriends:I think you are missing out on a source of cash to invest in ammo. I saw your post on another question regarding the catalpa worms. They are extreemly good catfish bait on the Suwannee River. I have planted 6 trees, but alas no worms. When I can find them for sale at the local flea market --- which is rare, I will buy as many as I can afford. They are generally around 10 cents each --- when you can find them. I always put a few on the trees, but the birds eat them before they can mature and go to ground to pupate.You might want to consider "harvesting" them by tapping near the leaves they are on with a long cane fishing pole, putting them into the paper "cricket" cages with a few leaves, and selling them at the local flea market. Alternatively, you might just harvest them and sell them to someone who does sell at the local flea market or to the local fish bait store.Use the proceeds to buy more ammo to store in the olive drab military cans.

cbxjeff · February 2002

Lo & WU,I'm with you. If things get bad, there is no help comming.

cbxjeffIt's too late for me, save yourself.

oldfriends · February 2002

AdamsQuailHunter:I guess it's worth a try. We tried using them for fishing but didn't have any luck. Being originally from Colorado we were probably using them wrong. Of course, then I'll have to import grasshoppers or something to shoot at. Thanks.Ed

Life is Tough!It's Tougher if You're Stupid

Iconoclast · February 2002

Including the boxes of collectible .22s, I'm sure that the count in my house would go well into 6 digits. Until I started selling my collection, I know I had more than 5,000 different singles. And shooting ammo . . . when I reload, usually I wait until I have at least 2K empties (in handgun calibers)& load them all, enough to last a while. Then there's the bargains one finds when it's cheaper than the cost of reloading and the .22 bargains - I have something like 5K (left) .22 which were exposed to a flood and given to me. I rinsed them off, air dried them and haven't had a misfire yet. Match ammo, no less. With ammo, I guess I'm like some you other guys w/ firearms! No matter how much I shoot & sell, it always seems like the count increases from month to month. LOL!

v35 · February 2002

You guys have diseased brains with all this hording of guns, ammo and hi-cap mags.I only own a Remington #4 Rolling block 22that I reload 50 at a time from range discarded brass. I hammer out the firing pin indentation then reprime with a slurry of strike anywhere match heads. Cases are loaded with a pinch of Bullseye powder and spent 22 heads found at the backstop of a 100 yd range. Finishing with a crimp from a wire stripping tool and I'm all set.The money saved got me a membership for a peephole at a mens only club.

niklasal · February 2002

The more ammo, the better. Guns are nothing but expensive paperweights without bullets.

NIKLASAL@hotmail.com

wundudnee · February 2002

v35,Stop, you're scaring me!Mens only?

"If stupidity got us into this mess, then why can't it get us out?" Will Rogers

Old hickory · February 2002

OK - I have a thing for paper shotgun shells. They're all I use for hunting.I have probably 200 boxes in all guages - 16 being my favorite. I guess there's nothing to me that smells better than burned nitro powder left in a paper case. As long as I'm baring my soul I have to say that Remington Express with the yellow seal on top really look great to me. I shoot them and assume they'll last the rest of my life -I'm 50- Everything I have that's post WW2 has always been reliableI've shot some Remington shells from the 30's that have worked fine but I wouldn't hunt with them. As far as boxes go you can't beat the Peter's duck boxes from the 40's and 50's plus you can shoot the ammo and still get$10-$15 bucks out of the box!!! Guess I've said enough

dheffley · February 2002

Mark the date purchased on your ammo boxes, then rotate it. When you go to the range, take your oldest ammo and replace it with newer fresh ammo on the way back home. I try to keep at least 2000 round of ammo for each caliber I shoot. That's a lot of ammo.

Save, research, then buy the best.Join the NRA, NOW!Teach them young, teach them safe, teach them forever, but most of all, teach them to VOTE!

daddo · February 2002

Ammo must last a long time. Shot 20 rounds of 300 H&H that had sat around since the early 60's, all shot just fine. Two of them had split the neck- don't know why!

Iconoclast · February 2002

daddo, without doubt, ammo from the 60s should shoot just fine if it has been stored properly. Cracked necks can result from most anything, but rarely - IME - are seen in post-WW2 ammo. Possible sources of the fault include improper neck anneal or sizing at the factory which caused stress fractures over time. If reloads, could be simply work hardening of the brass. Some earlier loadings had the problem from interaction of the earlier smokeless powders with the brass alloys of the time. Interestingly, the most reliable ammo for long term storage is the old BP stuff. If the powder isn't contaminated and the primer fires properly(the Achilles Heel of almost all ammunition), most BP shells will shoot no matter their age. I was amazed to learn of this a few years back, but after reading about it, decided to shoot off some BP rounds I had in a variety of calibers, including old .22 RF. Better than 90% of it shot just fine. Now this was stuff that had been in my family and had always been stored properly. My understanding the % drops off, but still is on the order of 50 - 75% on randomly tested ammo. And as Beach pointed out to me once, there have been cases of BP mortar shells and the like detonating when amateurs monkeyed with them. I've also shot a bunch of pre-WW2 ammo over the years. Some of it goes, some of it doesn't. Nothing with which I'd defend my life or take hunting, but for S&G shooting when people give it away because "it's old" it can't be beat. Other side of the coin is when someone thinks it's pure gold because "it's old." But that's another tale, and far more humorous.

Hording Ammo

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