Storing Ammo

Do you store Ammo? If so, why?

I have stored ammunition for 25 years at least. Every person who shoots usually stores some ammunition. If you shoot on any type of regular basis you would need to store some ammo. It wouldn’t make any sense to go to the store every time you shoot unless you only shot every 4 or 5 months. But these days sometimes the ammo you want is not in the store. Plus, ammo can be expensive, so buying in bulk just makes economic sense. If you and a family member takes a gun class, you could be looking at anywhere from 500 to 1000 rounds in just one weekend. Couple that with a regular schedule of practice shooting (anywhere from 50 to 200 rounds) then having 5 thousand rounds stored may only get you through about 2 to 3 months worth of ammunition. I shoot at least 100 rounds of ammunition per session at the range, sometimes more. During the Summer months I do this weekly. That’s 400 to 500 rounds per month. 5000 rounds doesn’t sound like a lot of rounds to store anymore does it? That is just me shooting. If my wife and kids join me, you could conceivably double that amount per month. That doesn’t include hunting, sighting in rifles, and breaking in a new gun. Would I be called an extremist to have 10,000 rounds stored? If someone were to ask me why I store ammo I would say “Because I shoot.” Of course if you don’t shoot, you may not understand how much ammunition you would actually go through.
There was a survey taken at this website that concludes that most people on average store between 1000 and 5000 rounds. I think I would agree that this amount is probably the average.
http://www.handgunforum.net/home-defense-target-ammunition/23761-how-much-ammo-do-you-have.html

There are various reasons for storing ammunition. As LDS members we are encouraged to store “enough food and clothing, and, where possible, fuel also, for at least a year ahead.” Does this include guns and ammunition? According to a regional Conference talk given by Elder Dallin Oaks the members in that region should work on their food storage not "arms and ammunition." Now I may be wrong, but I suggest Elder Oaks was trying to make a point to his audience. I don’t think he was referring to the Church as a whole. There is a reason talks like that are not recorded and distributed. When I go to a Stake Conference in California and hear from a general authority, I am not receiving counsel to members in Spain or North Carolina. Some may not agree with me and I respect that. Our leaders are called of God. But they are men with their own opinions. They will not go against Church policy or doctrine, but I know Elder Oaks has legal opinions just as Elder Nelson has medical opinions. I do agree that if you don’t have food and water stored then your focus should probably be there rather than ammo.
I have been shooting my entire life. I’ve hunted, competed, and instructed and my hobby is guns. I enjoy them, but I try not to let them dominate my life. Just as anyone with an interest that could take over their lives I’ve had to rein in my involvement at times. We all should have balance in our lives. Just as we should balance how we use our time, it can be a financial burden to store ammo. A little at a time is the best way. I do like the economy of bulk buying. That way, instead of buying 100 rounds at a time, I try to buy 1000 rounds at a time less often. In the long run it’s more economical. But we should practice moderation in all things. Practice moderation but we should be realistic. If you want ammo for protection, hunting, and just survival reasons, pick a number of rounds to be comfortable with. But unless you practice some, protection and hunting won’t happen, so allow some ammunition for training also. Unless you want to compete or something more intense, you can probably practice with 50 to 100 rounds every few weeks. (For you operators and competitors out there, I know this isn’t much). With that amount you can maintain a moderate skill. I would also recommend training. Take more than just one class, but something on going. Just as we need to continue medical and other training, using weapons and self defence is something that should be learned over and over again. When you hear in the media about someone being arrested and having “thousands” of rounds “hoarded”, you’ll have a better idea if the facts are exaggerated or not.

I know of no restrictions or laws of the amount of ammunition you can keep and store. There may be local restrictions so check and be aware of your local ordinances and laws. In storing ammo you need to keep in mind ammos enemies. Moisture and heat are NOT your friends when you store ammo. You may have seen in the movies or TV where ammunition “went off” in a structure fire. This is not true. What does happen is the ammo will explode individually. It will not be like random rounds are shooting all over the place. The danger is real for small, low velocity shrapnel going every which way. This is what the experts found.

NRA technical expert Julian Hatcher and his team conducted numerous tests. Page 145 of "The NRA Fact Book" states:
“When small arms ammunition is burned, cartridge cases may burst open and bits of brass may fly about, but not with any great velocity, and usually not with force enough to be dangerous to life. The bullets generally have even less velocity than the brass cartridge cases, and it is necessary for the powder to be rather strongly confined to develop any velocity in a bullet. The Sporting Arms and Ammunition Manufactures’ Institute (SAMMI) reported a demonstration made by taking a large quantity of metallic cartridges and shotgun shells and burning them in a fire of oil soaked wood. The cartridges and shells exploded from time to time, but there was no general explosion of throwing off of bullets or shot to any distance. … The test showed that small arms ammunition when subjected to fire will not explode simultaneously but piece by piece, and then the material of which the cartridge and shells are composed will usually not fly more than a few feet.”
Subsequently, NRA staff conducted similar tests and surrounded the fire with cardboard. They found that neither the cases nor the bullets that flew any distance had enough energy to penetrate the cardboard.

So this means the danger is not what fiction depicts. This is one of the reason there are more restrictions and warnings about where you store your gasoline than anything about ammunition.
After all this I will repeat my original question. Do you store ammo? And why?
Love to hear from you.

Semper Paratus

Burn