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When I hear people buying up ammo in bulk I have been wondering what kind of ammo they are purchasing, especially for handguns. Self-defense ammo is really expensive so what type of rounds are those people buying up in bulk? Just regular cheap "practice" ammo? Is there something in between hollow point and regular round nose bullets?

Buying a dozen extra boxes of critical defense might break the bank for me, but a few hundred extra rounds of "range ammo" is pretty easy to come by.

My concern would be the effectiveness of those cheaper rounds against aggressors (who/whatever they might be).

"Cheap" FMJ ammo will kill just as well as FMJ if you put enough rounds in the right place. Might even kill 2 or 3 lined up in a row with one shot!

If the World was truly beyond recovery, I'll be using FMJ.

I am just wanting to make sure putting a box of 50 rounds of FMJ .38 special into my bug out bag isn't a stupid thing to do since that will be the pistol that will reside in the bag ready to go.

I will also have 1 reload of self-defense ammo in there too. FYI, did you know that 5 rounds of .38 special fit perfectly inside a film canister? Film canister fits tightly in a bandoleer too.

That will do fine. But maybe more like 200 instead of 50.

But, really.......bigger holes ARE better! Especially with handguns. Bigger holes bleed out faster!

For me, its FMJ ammo. I have enough hollowpoint ammo set aside that I should be okay in most emergencies (If I blow through 200+ rounds of JHP ammo it truly is the end of the world and I'll be using a rifle more than pistol at that point anyway).

Right now, I'm trying to buy so I WON'T have to buy next month if prices/availability go nuts, and because ammo never seems to get cheaper, just more expensive.

That reminds me, I could use some more 9mm and 12 gauge ammo. Off to the store!

Its a weight issue. I already have water, canned food, copies of documents, zip ties, tarp, duct tape, small first aid kit, can opener, knives, flashlight, etc so its pretty heavy. In fact, i need to prune it down because right now its way too heavy. Its an old police "duty bag" so it has handles or a shoulder strap. I will probably be keeping an eye out for a backpack to use instead.

If civilization collapses to the point where you think you will need to kill hundreds of people, where are you going to go? What are you going to do when you get there? Money will be worthless. There will be no food or gasoline to buy. Your "papers" will be useful in the outhouse or as tinder in the absence of a functioning legal system.

Cigarettes will be worth their weight in gold until the smokers go cold-turkey. Insulin and antibiotics will be valuable quite a bit longer.

- Jim

seamusTX wrote:If civilization collapses to the point where you think you will need to kill hundreds of people, where are you going to go? What are you going to do when you get there? Money will be worthless. There will be no food or gasoline to buy. Your "papers" will be useful in the outhouse or as tinder in the absence of a functioning legal system.

Cigarettes will be worth their weight in gold until the smokers go cold-turkey. Insulin and antibiotics will be valuable quite a bit longer.

- Jim

hence why 50 round box seems reasonable to me.

Firearms require quite a bit of industrial infrastructure: metal mining, refining, and machining, sulfur, sodium nitrate, etc., supply chains, and a stable society to sustain all this industry and commerce.

Anyone who thinks this kind of TEOTWAWKI scenario is worth worrying about needs to acquire and learn how to use a sword, bow and arrow, and spear. Also acquire and learn how to train horses, donkeys, mules, and camels. Camels are ideal for the southwestern United States. Jefferson Davis tried to get the U.S. Cavalry to use camels, but his efforts were interrupted by the late unpleasantness.

It would also be necessary to figure out what to do when one's spouse or relatives think one is completely off one's rocker and try to get one committed.

- Jim

seamusTX wrote:
{snip}

Anyone who thinks this kind of TEOTWAWKI scenario is worth worrying about needs to acquire and learn how to use a sword, bow and arrow, and spear. Also acquire and learn how to train horses, donkeys, mules, and camels. Camels are ideal for the southwestern United States. Jefferson Davis tried to get the U.S. Cavalry to use camels, but his efforts were interrupted by the late unpleasantness.

It would also be necessary to figure out what to do when one's spouse or relatives think one is completely off one's rocker and try to get one committed.

- Jim

Well said, Jim

seamusTX wrote: Cigarettes will be worth their weight in gold until the smokers go cold-turkey. Insulin and antibiotics will be valuable quite a bit longer.

- Jim

I also intend to have on hand bulk unroasted coffee (kept right is good for years) and I will be able to provide fresh roasted coffee as long as there are heat sources available. People without coffee will be all and grumpy
I intend to get into bee keeping for honey to produce mead. Alcohol also will be a hot commodity. Until then i'll just keep on making 5 gallon batches to store long term (mead is good for 10-20 years if stored right).

But seriously, for me, I plan for sort term disasters mostly. Have enough food/water/supplies/ammo for a few weeks to a few months of breakdown. If its going to be longer than that then we need a long term societal solution anyways (communes, townships, etc). I can't really imagine being 100% on our own for more than a few months. Something would have to give.

seamusTX wrote:Firearms require quite a bit of industrial infrastructure: metal mining, refining, and machining, sulfur, sodium nitrate, etc., supply chains, and a stable society to sustain all this industry and commerce.

Anyone who thinks this kind of TEOTWAWKI scenario is worth worrying about needs to acquire and learn how to use a sword, bow and arrow, and spear. Also acquire and learn how to train horses, donkeys, mules, and camels. Camels are ideal for the southwestern United States. Jefferson Davis tried to get the U.S. Cavalry to use camels, but his efforts were interrupted by the late unpleasantness.

It would also be necessary to figure out what to do when one's spouse or relatives think one is completely off one's rocker and try to get one committed.

- Jim

Mrs. Anygun gives me one of those looks when she sees more ammo delivered.

After the abomination took office, she was with me as I placed one of my preciouses in the safe. As I closed the door she asked "What are you going to do when the abomination comes to take them all from you?"

I responded "You will find out because you will be right beside me handing me full magazines."

She said "I did not sign up to that cold dead hands doctrine."

I reminded he "You married me. It is an all or nothing deal."

Yes, TEOTWAWKI scenarios are far fetched. I prefer to dream of looters during civil unrest or other scenarios.

Anygunanywhere

They - whoever "they" may be - are not going to go door-to-door confiscating weapons. That would be expensive, messy, and raise eyebrows.

They will ship your job overseas and bust your investments down to chicken feed. All of this will be explained as sadly necessary adjustments to the free market.

Then they will introduce a $1 per round ammunition tax, which will be upheld by the courts.

Then you will have Walter Mitty's Second Amendment - if we don't already.

- Jim

seamusTX wrote:They - whoever "they" may be - are not going to go door-to-door confiscating weapons. That would be expensive, messy, and raise eyebrows.

They will ship your job overseas and bust your investments down to chicken feed. All of this will be explained as sadly necessary adjustments to the free market.

Then they will introduce a $1 per round ammunition tax, which will be upheld by the courts.

Then you will have Walter Mitty's Second Amendment - if we don't already.

- Jim

Probably right. This does not eliminate the need for some serious ammo supplies though. If it is already purchased they can't tax it.

Anygunanywhere

anygunanywhere wrote:If it is already purchased they can't tax it.

The National Firearms Act is retroactive, and your great-grandaddy's hand grenades from the Spanish-American war would not be legal if you had any.

Anyway, if they tax ammunition at a ruinous rate, every shooting range and gun club will be out of business except for a few that only the wealthy can afford. There will be nowhere to shoot and no new shooters except for military marksmanship teams.

That is pretty much what happened in Europe, South America, India, China, etc. It's not a secret. Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan realized it in the 1980s.

- Jim