Bullet Storage

rodmkr

Temecula California
OK baring the 5 gallon buckets of pistol bullets how much rifle ammo do you keep on hand?
Since I have Wife health problems I am pretty much a stay at home care giver.
Need a project to work off some energy (frustrations) so was thinking about reloading
some rifle ammo.
Do not want to be someone with a ton of loaded rifle ammo like the ones getting
arrested here in California.


rodmkr
 

Brad

Benevolent Overlord and site owner
Staff member
I tend to be component rich and ammo poor.

And how much is too much? Too much is what your estate has to deal with.
 

S Mac

Sept. 10, 2021 Steve left us. You are missed.
Don't want to get political, but is there a limit on ammo possession in Cal or is it just "news" when some crackpot gets arrested and they find a stockpile?
 

RicinYakima

High Steppes of Eastern Washington
Went thru a long period of physical rehab and reloading was on of my "things". I made every rifle case to benchrest spec's and loaded each round like it was for the last shot at the Nationals. Think the total was 800 rounds of '06 and 400 rounds of 308. After almost 20years, there is no '06 left and maybe 50 rounds of 308. Most of this was jacket bullets, because I was unable to cast, just used what I had previously cast. The other thing I did was make a flintlock rifle from unfinished parts, with no powder tools, all by hand. Took a year just to make the lock. HTH, Ric
 

462

California's Central Coast Amid The Insanity
First I heard of fellow Californians being arrested for ammunition possession.
 

Intheshop

Banned
Thinking about it......

On a short list,I have 3 rifles that are "primed N ready" to hunt. 223,7-08,and an '06. For these,and the reason it's the short list is they get shot/hunted during any given week. Go through about a bx of 20 per week. Each of these rifles has 2,20 rd boxes. When the 1st goes empty,start in on the 2nd and hit the loading bench to load up the spent box.

So,3 rigs.... with 40 fresh rds for each.

Long list would be rigs,some dupes on chamberings as above,and about that many other cals. 22-250,243,6mm,308(plus the dupes). On these,possibly none loaded. For instance.... there's a R700V in 6mm,223,308 that have large MTM boxes with "match prepped" brass. It only gets loaded once in awhile.... when that particular rig is "out". On the others since,they're more abt to be brought into short list rotation,they too have a cpl 20 rd boxes each. Some loaded,some not.

A touch confusing. How about this..... big pile of rifles. I only need 3 out and ready. When tired of one of these,or it's on the work bench,go grab another off the big pile. These 3 have 40 round each appetites.
 

358156 hp

At large, whereabouts unknown.
Don't want to get political, but is there a limit on ammo possession in Cal or is it just "news" when some crackpot gets arrested and they find a stockpile?
A thousand rounds of 22LR, a half tube of rusty BBs, and an "arsenal of weapons"? Often a single shot .22, an imported 38 SPL "Saturday Night Special", a broken down Phillipine made .22 that sort of resembles an M16 if you squint your eyes tight enough, a break top 38 S&W with broken springs and no ammo, and a couple of air pistols that also resemble military pistols, again if you squint your eyes tight enough.
 

fiver

Well-Known Member
I could probably dump a 20 or 30rd magazine of 223's out of one of my AR's every day for like 3 years before I had to refill the cases.
I could equal that with a couple of handguns, and make it 2+ years in some of my other rifles, maybe more if I got all the brass out of hibernation and processed it.
that's probably pretty average for most of the somewhat serious shooters in my area though.

others?
I got maybe 100 rounds, and some I only have like 50 cases.
right now I have maybe 9 or 10 rounds of hunting ammo for the 25-06 I actually hunt with, but like 300 rds. for the one I don't have even have a scope on.
 

Bret4207

At the casting bench in the sky. RIP Bret.
I try to have lots and lots (thousands) of 22 LR, a few hundred 22 Short HP and some 22 WRF and Mag on hand. Lots of 32 Long, 38's, 357, 44 Spec and 45 AR, as in hundreds. Everything else tends to be in boxes or bags of about 50. Some stuff is down in the 20-30 area, like the 303 Savage, 45-70 or 8x56R. Much of that is due to not settling on a load or completeing the brass forming. I'm sure if the news could some around here I'd be described as having an "arsenal" with "thousands" of rounds of ammo. Well, yeah, I guess if that is your perception. But to me it's like having multiple sets of sockets or more than one skill saw or cordless drill. I'm sure someone somewhere would see it as excessive. But then, I really don't see why anyone needs golf clubs at all. Clubbing baby Golfs seems cruel and inhumane to me, but I try to mind my own business...
 

RBHarter

West Central AR
About 7-8 yr ago I set a goal for ammo in 5 cartridges .
I made it for 3-4 and I'm still working towards it for all of those where it's practical .
I don't need my goal numbers for a BP cartridge 10 ga or a needle fire rifle ........I actually feel like that much BP might be a little sketchy in a wax sealed wood case with all that nitro paper and musket caps .......
I don't need or want the goal numbers in obsolete ...... discontinued cartridges like 32 Rem nevermind I'd need a 2 nd to buy the brass .

Unfortunately like many of us I would likely have my little collection labeled an arsenal by some Dunzle reporter with parts for dozens of pipe bombs ......so it goes working around house over hauls . It's just a little extra ammo for when family visits and we do a range day .
 

quicksylver

Well-Known Member
I shoot on the average of 5000rounds a year of rifle rounds (cast) dont have much time to "stock pile" even if I did I wouldn't learned my lesson in trap and skeet always some better component coming along .. seems like we are on a role in that regards lately thank god..as for pistol with the 550b and 15 minutes a hundred or so there's no rush there
Guess I just have a bad attitude.. I'd rather shoot than reload. But god bless ya taking care of your wife good luckDan
 

KHornet

Well-Known Member
Believe in having enough to stave off a zombie attack.
That's probably 8-10K rifle and handgun, and some
shotgun.

Paul
 

JWFilips

Well-Known Member
I tend to be component rich and ammo poor.

Same with me! I usually reload a few days before hitting the range ( Shooting rifle)
I do have a large amount of pistol ammo already loaded but Most of it I do not know why I loaded it? It wouldn't be what I want to shoot now!
Most of that stuff is so heavily stoked I get no enjoyment when shooting it now!
When I do shoot pistol most times I load far more milder versions then attempt to use the stuff that I have already loaded!
Just a different mindset back then 10 years ago!
 

CWLONGSHOT

Well-Known Member
Reading the title I thought you where gonna tell us if some over the top method nonone ever thought of to store copious amounts of heavy lead bullets in small spaces. ;)

CW
 

fiver

Well-Known Member
Reading the title I thought you where gonna tell us if some over the top method nonone ever thought of to store copious amounts of heavy lead bullets in small spaces. ;)

CW
5 and 7 gallon buckets work just fine,,, until you need the ones in the back on the bottom row.
 

RBHarter

West Central AR
75# of shot in a 50 cal ammo can . I can get about 60# in 30 Cal can of ingots . 4 GI packed cans of 45 ACP GI ball in the wire bound box weigh 117# . That makes the cans right about 28# each .
 

CWLONGSHOT

Well-Known Member
Raw Casting ingots for me go in small 1-1.5 gal buckets my wife gets me. They are about 1/2 filled and still moveable plus stack well 3-4 high.

Im transitioning cast and or PC coated bullets into quart sized, clear, peanut butter jars. Seems like its gonna work. I found someone selling them cheap and bought a bunch. Im in process of building HD rack to hold them. Coming off a wall so I can access from both sides. Making from 2x10 so I get them two deep. Floor to ceiling and tied to rafters in basement. Now, they are in nearly immovable freezer ziplocks and boxes on the floor. NOT ideal.
Loaded I use 30 & 50 & larger military sealed steel ammo containers. Whats better?!?!? I have a steel locking cabinet I use for common used ammo and other items I use regularly including hand and cleaning tools.That part is working well enough for me.

In this day all I keep on hand is just a couple boxes per firearm and after that terrible boating accident where the entire safe full went deep six there is only a couple of them. ;(

CW
 

fiver

Well-Known Member
you guy's wanna see a mess?,, run your fish finder over the tail end of most of the rapids on the Snake River.
it looks like the British rowed their post ww-2 boats out there and built some reefs.
it ain't no wonder so many AR-15's dot bought during and right after the Obama admin, their predecessors are all laying in those eddies and at the back of the tail currents.