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How much match ammo do you keep loaded?


Badlands Bob #61228

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I just spent the afternoon loading match ammo.  While endlessly cranking the press handle, the old mind got to wandering....again.  I feel pretty comfortable if I have enough ammo loaded and ready to go for about 20 matches.  When I get down to enough for 5-6 matches, I start reloading again.  It's just me shooting, but obviously if you're loading for multiple shooters, the quantity would be adjusted accordingly.  

 

How many matches could you shoot with the ammo you keep loaded?

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Looks like around 13,100 rifle/pistol in 16 different chamberings, + shotshells, so... 109 matches - I'm the only one in the household still shooting.

AmmoRoom_02.jpg

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We try to keep at least 6 months of ammo loaded, but there have been times when we are loading the night before a match.  The best laid plans are often circumvented by life.  When we started, way back in 2002, we just bought reloaded ammo from a company in Colorado (National Bullet Company as I recall) and with 4 shooting, it was 2-3K rounds per year.  We did that for about 5 years before we started reloading.  That's a lot of brass!  Then my wife switched to 32s for her pistols and we bought 2K of new brass from Starline.

 

The closest I have ever come to getting it ALL reloaded at the same time was probably about half way, although there was one short period where I actually had all of it cleaned, deprimed, and ready, but life got in the way and now I am back to a few months of ammo and a lot of dirty brass.  :blush:

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I don't have enough right now to shoot a full match. I have 5000+ loaded but in wrong caliber. Unfortunately our next shooting opportunity isn't till January depending on Covid restrictions. I'll have enough loaded by them to get us through early fall. We shoot 30-35 matches per year and I have to load 2-3 times a year based on my brass inventory.

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I used to load everything I had, then I got hold of some bad primers once. I spent months pulling bullets and broke two pullers. I still have some that need pulling from a decade ago. Now I keep around 1k loaded for each firearm and replenish as needed

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When I have bought (I don't reload yet), I have bought a year's worth at a time. Generally would catch a deal when I was down to about six months supply. No longer seeing any deals...

 

Been saving brass for a while, but now regret not ever scavenging my 9mm. Would be nice to have 1,000 cases or more on hand right now.

 

Need a few more things to get to reloading, main item being the press. Smaller items being a brass tumble and chronograph plus a few other items that escape me at the moment...

 

Seems inadequate now... Will work out over time, would like to lay in some small pistol primers and hope they return to market at sane prices during 2021. But I'm probably good through 2021.

 

My main interest in reloading is for this sport, but the other's are worth it too.

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What would I need ammunition for??

 

 I don’t have any guns!!!

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Generally 3-400 rounds minimum on hand. When I got my new D750 up and running I had over 1K. 

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All of it!!!  Well... I won an XL750 at the Battle of Plum Creek in November.... and I find myself crawling on my hands and knees looking for any stray piece of brass that may have rolled off the loading bench... can’t seem to stop loading!

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When I was using only the Lee Turret and only able to load when home on weekends, I tried to keep enough loaded to shoot at least one match with each set of firearms, maybe 2 or 3 matches worth with the guns I shoot most.  I have only been using a 550 for a few weeks now but have enough loaded for 16 smokeless matches and 5 BP matches, plus 3 Wild Bunch matches.  So, 5 or 6 months worth.  It's a nice feeling. :)

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Sawmill Mary shoots 44WCF in pistols and rifle.  Shoot store bought Fiocchi shotgun shells.  She has 500 pieces of brass.  When she's down to one match reserve,  I switch out the 550B and get her caught up.

 

I shoot 32-20, 38 Special,  38WCF, 44WCF and C45S loaded with BlackMZ.  I make up my own 12 gauge roll crippled loads.  I have a gallon of 38 Special brass and keep a few hundred loaded. Got about 500 pieces of brass for each of the other calibers.  Most I keep loaded.  I'm lowest on C45S and they are staged at press waiting for nasty winter weather.  

 

Loading the 12 gauge cut and roll crimped shells take the longest time. I'll generally do 50/day for several days in the worst part of winter. I have enough carry over for next year - if we get to shoot.

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3 hours ago, Badlands Bob #61228 said:

I just spent the afternoon loading match ammo.  While endlessly cranking the press handle, the old mind got to wandering....again.  I feel pretty comfortable if I have enough ammo loaded and ready to go for about 20 matches.  When I get down to enough for 5-6 matches, I start reloading again.  It's just me shooting, but obviously if you're loading for multiple shooters, the quantity would be adjusted accordingly.  

 

How many matches could you shoot with the ammo you keep loaded?

You need to keep your old Senior mind on your reloading when you are reloading.....I've seen what happens when your mind wanders.  :D

 

Kajun

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I have enough ammo for 3 or 4 matches, but most of the time I re-load my ammo after each match.  Shotgun rounds last quite a bit longer.  I probably have enough for 6 matches.

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3 hours ago, Three Foot Johnson said:

Looks like around 13,100 rifle/pistol in 16 different chamberings, + shotshells, so... 109 matches - I'm the only one in the household still shooting.

AmmoRoom_02.jpg

I can hear those shelves complaining all the way down here in Texas !!  :o;)

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17 minutes ago, Yusta B. said:

I can hear those shelves complaining all the way down here in Texas !!  :o;)

I keep waiting for it... :ph34r:

Sure going to be a mess to clean up!

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We shoot almost every weekend usually 2 days, I think that is somewhere in the neighborhood of 10-12,000 rounds a year. Maybe a little more counting WB, Plainsman and Pro Steel. Practice doesn't count.

  We try to keep a little more than a thousand per firearm ahead.

kR

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I keep my ammo in GI cans... I load until I can't fit any more in!  Obviously there's more 45 ACP & C45S in a can than 45 Colt... Even less 12 ga... 

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I try and keep close to 2000 for big matches and 2000 for monthly matches.  If three of us shoot fire and ice and EOT it eats up close to 1500+ rds. I usually keep 500 to 1000 for practice.  Covid has changed that.  I would most likely need more primers in order to shoot Land Run next year.  See how it goes. 

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I keep 700 or so rifle rounds.  Shotgun are hand loaded brass shells, that takes a little longer to load so only about 150-200.  I’ve got everything to load more; brass, primers, and powder.  I figured I’m shooting 2-3 matches per month that’s 50 rifle rounds and 24 or so SG rounds per match, pistol is C&B.  So I got a couple of months ready to go. If I need more I can just spend a day in the peaceful, quite, away from everyone shop, and enjoy myself.

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I just hate the thought of not having enough ammunition for a match,  so while I have several thousand loaded up, when I get three or four matches worth, I reload them 

laramie

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I have enough for about 3 matches right now but since I probably won't shoot until March/April I'll have enough for about 10 matches. Not enough primers for any practice! I've been shooting  a lot of .22's which I have quite a bit of!

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Oct had to have a pacemaker/defib unit put in then an Ambition (sp) so the doctor said take it easy to end of year so I set in the reloading room just loading.  There is about 17000 rounds loaded in .32ACP, .380ACP, .32 S&W Long and Short, .32 H&R Mag, 9mm, 10mm, .38 spl, .357 Mag, .41 Mag, .44 Spl, .44 Mag, .44 Russian, .45 Schofield, .45 Colt, .45-70, .38-55, .25-20, .223, .308, 410 ga, 20 ga, 16 ga, and 12 ga.  All done on MEC jr's, RCBS single stage, SD B, and a 550B using smokeless and FFFg Black or 777.

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12 hours ago, Blackwater 53393 said:

What would I need ammunition for??

 

 I don’t have any guns!!!

 

I was fishing on Norris Lake with Blackwater just a couple weeks back when our boat capsized.   I had most of my pistols in the

boat and now they are on the bottom of Norris Lake.   Blackwater can testify.   I think his boots are still wet.

 

Blackwater lost a few of his pistols also.    Kur-Plunk, right to the bottom of the lake.

Insurance covered the boat loss but not the pistols.   To bad..... So sad!  :(

 

Oh yea, the S&W 627 that I had borrowed from TN Williams was also with me and went to its watery grave with all the others.

Luckily, Blackwater is family to TN and was able to testify to the event.   Glad I had a reliable, honest and trustworthy witness.

Without the witness of Blackwater, I'm afraid that TN would have never believed me..... :o

:D

 

..........Widder

 

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I reload once a year during the winter months for the upcoming year.  In other words I have all reloads I'll need for the 2021 CAS season reloaded and waiting for spring.

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Right now I have enough 38 for 24 matches including multi day shoots.

Two 5 gallon buckets of shotgun shells

1800 38-40

1200 45 Colt

45 acp is about 600

That does not include .223, 9mm or 45-70 

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1 hour ago, Tex Jones, SASS 2263 said:

You need an upright at the middle of each shelf; one exactly under the one above it.

Or, at least turn the shelf boards over twice a year .... :rolleyes:

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2 hours ago, Tex Jones, SASS 2263 said:

You need an upright at the middle of each shelf; one exactly under the one above it.

Like the ones already there? 

I need to do the one to the right too.

AmmoRoom.jpg

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Back when I actually had guns, I would keep about three thousand rifle, the same for pistol and about two thousand SG for cowboy. Other calibers would range from several hundred for a hunting rifle to a thousand or so for various pistols. 
On a side note as I have gotten older I think I may have been in so many boating accidents where everything went overboard that I no longer have any guns. The trauma of those incidents is such that I can’t even remember which lake I was on at the time and I had to sell the boat as a matter of self preservation. :rolleyes: :rolleyes:

Regards

:FlagAm: :FlagAm: :FlagAm:

Gateway Kid

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