How Much Ammo Should You Have on Hand Right Now?

Recent ammo shortages have made a lot of people pretty anxious. Now that supplies are slowly getting back to normal, some people are still overbuying, which is only going to lead to more shortages — we aren’t out of the woods just yet. 

Prices for ammo are still quite a bit higher than they were before the pandemic started in 2020, which is bad news. It’s been especially hard for hunters to get all the ammo they need to go on summer 2021 hunting trips, or even make their plans for the fall. 

Another problem is that people are taking less trips to the shooting range in order to conserve ammo. That’s such a shame considering that August is National Shooting Sports Month.

So the question becomes this: how much should you reasonably have on hand? That’s even if you can get your hands on some extra bullets these days.  Let’s take a look.

The Ammunition Market

In a survey by Southwick Associates, which specializes in the outdoors, researchers found that only 17 percent of the people they interviewed were happy with the amount of ammo they owned. 50 percent of those people had canceled some of their hunting and shooting activities from April 2020 to April 2021. Four out of five of them had found stock of ammo low or non-existent in their usual shopping spots. 

43 percent of those same people reported that they are unsatisfied with the amount of ammo they had in storage at their homes. 72 percent of them were also concerned about future ammo supplies.

It’s probably going to continue to be tough to buy ammo for the rest of the year. 

In Ideal Times

So in the best of times when there aren’t any shortages to consider, the question becomes how much ammo should you have on hand at all times? The general rule of thumb that is recommended is 1,000 rounds to store, and another 1,000 rounds for practice for each gun that you own. 

Store Your Ammo Properly 

Buying ammo is an investment, so you want to make sure that you are storing your ammo correctly to maintain its shelf-life and stability. Store all your bullets in a cool, dry, and dark place. Humidity and moisture are not your friends when it comes to ammo. 

Be careful about stacking too much ammo on top of the other since that can cause damage over time. You need to consider keeping it in a locked location, or one that isn’t easy to find, in order to prevent theft. 

That’s a lot to consider when purchasing ammo, storing it, and making sure you have enough on hand. If you find that your stock is low right now, the best tip is to just keep calling around to your local gun shops and checking retailers you like online. The stock will eventually go back up and finding ammo will become easier, hopefully, in 2022.