fear accumulation

[Cement Bench]

Awhile back during a more pronounced pellet shortage I had read a couple of posts with discussions of accusations of “hoarding” ammo, causing shortages for many of the rest of us.

But hoarding really isn’t the correct word.

Hoarding is defined as, “a persistent difficulty discarding or parting with possessions because of a perceived need to save them.” I don't plan on saving any of mine. I'm going to part with every one of them.

But I digress and going forward, I’m going to refer to this perceived activity as “fear accumulation”. I believe if you’re going to accuse someone of amassing something you feel is in excess and you feel this activity has an negative impact on you, then you should have an idea as to what that limit should be. So, let’s hear some ideas. What do you feel is “too much”? Keep it civilized. Don’t be judgmental.

A couple of points to keep in mind, your favorite ammo supplier is currently experiencing unprecedented challenges getting the product to you because of the pandemic. Some points of distribution were/are limiting the quality you can purchase at one time, not to stem the tide of fear accumulation, but to provide peace of mind in their customer base.

So, let’s examine our own ammo bins before we start pointing fingers and crying foul.

What is the right amount a person should have based on the number of guns they have? 3K per gun? 10K per gun? More?

Do you base your buying decision on how many pellets you shoot over a certain amount of time such as a month, six months or even a year?

Know that a lot of competitive shooters will buy quantities of a certain batch code because they have tested to prove more accurate than the previous batch.

Is the accumulation based on something other than fear? Saving money in shipping cost for instance.

Slugs have seen an almost vertical climb in interest, but it doesn’t seem to be necessarily as a replacement for a shortage of pellets.

Personally, I have five guns. In .177, I have one I shoot FT at least once a month competitively, a backup rifle and a loaner. I have one .22 I shoot XFT and do an annual one week prairie dog hunt with and a .25 as a backup for both those activities which I haven’t shot in well over a year.

My ammo supply is, I have 32 tins (mixed brands and weights) of .177, 35 tins (200ct MRD) in .22 and a mere 3 tins of .25 Kings. This current quantity should allow me to shoot for at least two more years before running out.

Is this too much?

And BTW, I own no slugs.

What are your thoughts (and quantities) around ammo? How has the last twenty four months changed your buying habits?


NOW MY COMMENTS, I would agree bought 200 tins of 177 so now I am good until I die
hoarder or just smart when the money is there and my decision to not have to rely on others for my shooting needs

[Trochu]

This is what comes to mind when I read your post:


Have as much money as you can earn, buy as many TVs or cars as you'd like, buy as much ammo as you'd like. If buddy buying the entire stock of ammo at P&D causes supply issues, maybe it's smart of him to buy it if he wants to, there are supply issues. I'm in no position to tell anyone they have too much of something. Although the guys with 3 phones, that's just weird.

[huntinstuff]

True. Hoarding is an incorrect term.

[Twisted Canuck]

I buy as much as I can afford, and when I see I sale I buy whether I 'need' it or not. I bought 21k rounds of .22 lr on sale about 10 years ago (525 bulk packs x 40). It was a very good price, just ove $700. I have less then 3k left. It may have looked like hoarding then. Now I wish I had bought 50k rounds. That same ammo now would be triple the price or more.

[obsessed1]

I wish I was in the financial position to have "fear accumulated" more than I did in 2018-2019. At the onset of covid and the mad rush that ensued I accumulated about 3 years worth of powder, primers and bullets for my firearms. I have also changed what I shoot more often to help my stash last longer. I wish i could afford 1m rounds for each rifle i own lol, I don't think that's overboard in any respect. Certain calibers i have multiple 100s of rounds others i have multiple 1,000s of rounds and others still multiples 10,000s of rounds. What you accumulate is largely based on your perceived " need" as well as expected supply.

Sent from my SM-G950W using Tapatalk

[Grizzly Adams1]

Originally Posted by huntinstuff

True. Hoarding is an incorrect term.

Just because you're paranoid doesn't preclude someone is trying to kill you.

Grizz

[urban rednek]

Originally Posted by Twisted Canuck

I buy as much as I can afford, and when I see I sale I buy whether I 'need' it or not.

X2
I don't know exactly how much ammo I have, but I do know that I could go a long time at my current yearly rate of consumption before I would need to buy any more. I still have boxes of Speer bullets that were purchased from Wholesale Sports when they were at the 58 Ave. SE location.
Yet, having run out of certain shooting supplies during previous supply chain issues, I will still purchase reloading components and ammo when I can find it at a decent price.

I'd rather have it and not need it, than need it and not have it.

[58thecat]

If I see it and want it then I buy it even if I have some already.
Of course I can afford it and don’t rack no credit too so no harm done!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[StiksnStrings]

One shooters needs are another shooters accumulation. There are guys/gals on here that likely shoot more in a month than I do in a year. When I come across ammo at a good price I stock up.

[Ken07AOVette]

I stock up heavily on fishing gear, but firearms and ammo have been backshelved for years. I sold most of my rifles and handguns, went from 150+ to under 15 now.
I have enough ammo for my purpose, but am not going to go out and buy.

[Ackleyman]

No fear here, I don't care what another man buys. Even if I have what i consider a healthy amount i never leave Cabelas or any gun store with at least a few boxes of bullets if they have them. Same with powder. The more the better.
The stuff doesn't go bad.

[bat119]

The prices have gone crazy almost double what they were 5 years ago I don't go crazy buying just enough to last decade or so. The problem is buying a new gun or helping somebody else get into reloading the scramble begins.

[MK2750]

If a zombie apocalypse doesn't happen anytime soon this could get embarrassing.

[Off in the Bushes]

I buy want I what, when I need it. I’d like to think all the money some of you spent on accumulation, ties up allot of your cash. I can’t help but think in a decade how much that money could grow if it was invested and not in material things. Though they are going up too in this case.

[gunluvr]

What no one talks about is how accelerated buying impacts prices. Manufacturers are even scaling back production to keep sales high along with prices. There are only two companies in the ammo business now. They can pretty much do as they please.

[Ken07AOVette]

Originally Posted by MK2750

If a zombie apocalypse doesn't happen anytime soon this could get embarrassing.

Ha!

[Sundog57]

Given the empty shelves in "normal" places like Cdn Tire or Cabela's this year, it's hard to call having a good stock of ammo hoarding or fear accumulation.
There wasn't enough around to allow a couple of days at the range.
As for reloading - tell me where I can buy a pound of H4895... please

[Mr Flyguy]

Originally Posted by Cement Bench

Awhile back during a more pronounced pellet shortage I had read a couple of posts with discussions of accusations of “hoarding” ammo, causing shortages for many of the rest of us.

But hoarding really isn’t the correct word.

Hoarding is defined as, “a persistent difficulty discarding or parting with possessions because of a perceived need to save them.” I don't plan on saving any of mine. I'm going to part with every one of them.

But I digress and going forward, I’m going to refer to this perceived activity as “fear accumulation”. I believe if you’re going to accuse someone of amassing something you feel is in excess and you feel this activity has an negative impact on you, then you should have an idea as to what that limit should be. So, let’s hear some ideas. What do you feel is “too much”? Keep it civilized. Don’t be judgmental.

A couple of points to keep in mind, your favorite ammo supplier is currently experiencing unprecedented challenges getting the product to you because of the pandemic. Some points of distribution were/are limiting the quality you can purchase at one time, not to stem the tide of fear accumulation, but to provide peace of mind in their customer base.

So, let’s examine our own ammo bins before we start pointing fingers and crying foul.

What is the right amount a person should have based on the number of guns they have? 3K per gun? 10K per gun? More?

Do you base your buying decision on how many pellets you shoot over a certain amount of time such as a month, six months or even a year?

Know that a lot of competitive shooters will buy quantities of a certain batch code because they have tested to prove more accurate than the previous batch.

Is the accumulation based on something other than fear? Saving money in shipping cost for instance.

Slugs have seen an almost vertical climb in interest, but it doesn’t seem to be necessarily as a replacement for a shortage of pellets.

Personally, I have five guns. In .177, I have one I shoot FT at least once a month competitively, a backup rifle and a loaner. I have one .22 I shoot XFT and do an annual one week prairie dog hunt with and a .25 as a backup for both those activities which I haven’t shot in well over a year.

My ammo supply is, I have 32 tins (mixed brands and weights) of .177, 35 tins (200ct MRD) in .22 and a mere 3 tins of .25 Kings. This current quantity should allow me to shoot for at least two more years before running out.

Is this too much?

And BTW, I own no slugs.

What are your thoughts (and quantities) around ammo? How has the last twenty four months changed your buying habits?


NOW MY COMMENTS, I would agree bought 200 tins of 177 so now I am good until I die
hoarder or just smart when the money is there and my decision to not have to rely on others for my shooting needs

Depends entirely on the Zombie population!

[obsessed1]

Originally Posted by Off in the Bushes

I buy want I what, when I need it. I’d like to think all the money some of you spent on accumulation, ties up allot of your cash. I can’t help but think in a decade how much that money could grow if it was invested and not in material things. Though they are going up too in this case.

In general buying bulk and finding good deals and stacking deep saves money.
I shoot 30-30 for under .60$/ round and 45-70 for under .70$/ round. Try doing that just buying what you need when you need it...in fact try buying any of it right now....not only that those who stock up will have thier needs covered relying on it being available everytime you need it is a risky business certain years..
When times are good prepare for the tough times....

Sent from my SM-G950W using Tapatalk

[antmai]

Some invest in gold, silver and platinum.
Some in copper, lead and brass.

[Pathfinder76]

Some shoot, some don’t. If you shoot, you need components. It’s that simple.

Call it what you will. I call it forward thinking. IE prepared.

[57charlie]

Originally Posted by gunluvr

What no one talks about is how accelerated buying impacts prices. Manufacturers are even scaling back production to keep sales high along with prices. There are only two companies in the ammo business now. They can pretty much do as they please.

Supply won’t be an issue, haven’t you heard, Trudeau is bankrolling a new ammo factory in the Ukraine.