[Dorsai]

If one was building up a stockpile of ammo in preparation for an expected long-term (months or years) societal decline, is it better to buy lots of cheaper "target" ammo so that you will have a better chance of not running out, or a lesser amount of "self-defense" ammo that is more effective but that you might run out of sooner?

The good stuff can cost 4x-5x as much or more as the target ammo (about $1/round for the good stuff vs around .20/round for target).

 

[RevPaul]

No option for a mixture of both, so I won't vote.
It truely depends on what type of firearms you own.
If all you own is a sniper type rifle, the you only buy or hand load the best.
If all you have is a .22 Lr, then buy what works, which is generally the cheaper stuff.
Handguns are a different matter, as they are a skill, that requires much practice.
Rule of thumb, 1 box self defence, 3 boxes plinking stuff, on that percentage.
Magazine fed military type rifles, buy surplus mil-spec for that weapon and you get both in one purchase.

 

[gd9704]

For "survival" situations, I would rather have a large quantity of "practice" ammo than a box of "match" ammo.

"Personal Defense" ammo is great stuff, but VERY pricey. I'd rather have more of the cheap stuff.

 

[TackleBerry]

What type of weapons are you talking about?
Some rifles/pistols hate the cheap stuff and others love it.

 

[Dorsai]

What type of weapons are you talking about?
Some rifles/pistols hate the cheap stuff and others love it.

That is something to consider depending on your weapon.

Assume the weapon(s) in question will handle either equally well.

 

[kev]

Is this pistol, shotgun or rifle ammunition? And yes, there is a difference because the hunting factor is then figured in.

For my Remington 280 / 7mm express hunting rifle, I do not buy cheap junk. Its Remington core-lokt 140, or 150 grain. For my sons Marlin 336 in 30-30, its the same thing. I do not buy cheap hunting ammunition. I might have bought one box of cheap monrach ammo, but that is it.

Shotgun - I do not buy cheap shotgun ammo. Mainly because I also use that same ammunition for hunting.

Pistol - I do not buy the expensive ammo for my pistols. I see no point in buying $20 a box, then $12 a box will do just as good. Also, my buddies and I used to reload out pistol ammunition. We would reload a few thousand round nose, to several hundred hollow points.

My ar-15 and ak-47, I buy cheap junk for them. Mainly because all other bases are covered.

 

[test]

I have both, defense ammo and target ammo for my handgun's and one carbine in 40 cal,
rifle is a mixture of hp, fmj, and soft point when it comes right down to it i would'nt want to be hit with any of it

 

[MattSmith]

Well, I voted for lots of cheap ammo, and here's why... The 3 main weapons I use are my Walther P22, SKS, and my 1911 pistol, now the Walther sometimes has feeding problems with cheap stuff, but I wouldn't use it for home defense unless I had to anyways (and good ammo is still cheap for .22), the SKS and .45 will shoot ANYTHING... I've literally never had a feeding or accuracy problem with either of them, and I use the cheapest stuff I can get (other than some handloads and exploding rounds in the .45 for fun)... the 1911 is still on its original 1916 frame that my gread grandpa carried, and it still shoots perfect..gotta love the military .45s

 

[1mountainman]

I'd also have to vote for "both". While you don't need a huge amount of quality ammo you're still going to want to have some, especially for your "reach out" gun. I would agree with the 3 to 1 ratio, or maybe even a 4 to 1 ratio. The main thing is that you want to purchase as much ammo as you can afford. Once you feel that you're well stocked on quantity you can work on the quality. And as others have said, if your gun prefers a particular brand/load of ammo, look for deals on that brand/load. I'd try to find a happy medium and buy both kinds.

 

[Nomad 2nd]

Both.

500 rounds of Corbons should be a decent stash for SD ammo... if you need more than that... you'll be glad to have FMJ.

 

[Proyas]

If one was building up a stockpile of ammo in preparation for an expected long-term (months or years) societal decline, is it better to buy lots of cheaper "target" ammo so that you will have a better chance of not running out, or a lesser amount of "self-defense" ammo that is more effective but that you might run out of sooner?

The good stuff can cost 4x-5x as much or more as the target ammo (about $1/round for the good stuff vs around .20/round for target).

That really depends on many factors.

First, for what purpose is this ammo intended? Self-defense or hunting?

Even if you think society is going to fall apart for a couple months or years, I can't imagine you having daily gunbattles with other people. You might have a couple run-ins, but that would be it. Most problems would be resolved by you simply flashing or pointing a gun. With that in mind, a couple hundred rounds of high-quality antipersonnel ammo (frangible, hollow point, caliber size meant primarily for humans) should be fine.

So, most of your ammo should be meant for hunting. Depending on how good of a shot you are and how dependent upon game you are for food, price will dictate whether you buy expensive or cheap hunting ammo.

 

[commoguy]

for my pistol post shtf i dont see really see any issues of "excessive use of force" so i wont be buying much hollow point ammo its way too expensive getting shot is getting shot and if you practice enough you only need one shot. im only buying limited quantities of pistol ammo but im going to buy lots of rifle ammo because it will be a dual purpose weapon used for both hunting and self defense. after all the reading i have done on this forum the biggest thing ive learned is you have to tailor your plan to your area and needs this is not a one size fits all type of thing.

 

[Andrew1985]

I agree with the statement that more ammo is going to be better in a war-time situation. But I only buy the very best ammo for my guns. I want to know when I pull the trigger its going to do the very best. Thats are Govt problem they buy so much ammo in such bulk and use so much they cant buy the good stuff so are soldiers are forced to shoot crap ammo. Alot of reasons there Beretta M9's have problems. Also with there M-16's and M4's have problems. If are Govt bought better ammo we wouldnt have so many problems.

Target ammo is just that Target ammo not met for killing. Im not saying it cant kill I mean it is a bullet.

Also If you ask any Gun maker they will tell you to NEVER use re-loaded ammo it voids all warrantys. Its bad for your gun and for you.

Use good ammo your life is worth it. Isnt it?

 

[Nomad 2nd]

I agree with the statement that more ammo is going to be better in a war-time situation. But I only buy the very best ammo for my guns. I want to know when I pull the trigger its going to do the very best. Thats are Govt problem they buy so much ammo in such bulk and use so much they cant buy the good stuff so are soldiers are forced to shoot crap ammo. Alot of reasons there Beretta M9's have problems. Also with there M-16's and M4's have problems. If are Govt bought better ammo we wouldnt have so many problems.

Target ammo is just that Target ammo not met for killing. Im not saying it cant kill I mean it is a bullet.

Also If you ask any Gun maker they will tell you to NEVER use re-loaded ammo it voids all warrantys. Its bad for your gun and for you.

Use good ammo your life is worth it. Isnt it?

Milsurp ammo is fine... it's not match (Unless your talking swiss milsurp!)
But it's not crap ether...

The 'no reloading' is for liability. I know many reloaders who reload better ammo than factories.
It is NOT bad for your gun (Although double powder charges etc are)

 

[Hilda]

I always buy Marine FMJ for the .45. My first 1911 was an older Colt, and I adored it, but I used to get a lot of stovepipes with anything other than FMJ. Now, I have a beautiful parkerized Springfield that is "my baby", it eats whatever I feed it, but I still stick with the more expensive ammo, primarily because lead is so messy.