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Every prepper knows it’s a great idea to stockpile ammunition when preparing for a major disaster. You can use it for hunting, self-defense, or barter. But which types of ammo should you stockpile? If you plan on bartering, then you don’t want a bunch of calibers that nobody wants. And that’s just one consideration.
In this video, Reality Survival & Prepping talks about what he thinks are the 5 best types of ammunition to stockpile for a collapse.
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Here are his picks:
- .22 LR – Very common, good for hunting small game, very light and small.
- 9mm Luger – Great for self-defense, fits in a wide variety of handguns.
- 5.56×45mm or .223 Remington – Also very common, cheap and effective.
- .308 Winchester – Widely used, works in AR10 and bolt-action platforms.
- 12 Gauge – You can do a lot with it — hunt, defend yourself, etc.
In the video below he makes a much more detailed case for each caliber. What do you think of this list?
Being disrespectful to anyone who served is unbecoming.
“Beware the old man in a young man’s war.”
You may disagree with him, but he’s not ~wrong~
Papa would agree about the handgun: .44 and . 45 were his preferred choices, but Mother couldn’t handle the recoil. She had a . 38 revolver.
As the first female Chief Detention Officer in our county, she used it as her service piece. Rarely did she wear it. (Jail isn’t the place for it!)
When the Sheriff’s Office or ABC or ATF or Texas Rangers, etc. expected to find women at crime scenes (meth labs) she’d wear it out in the field.
If any women needed patdowns, she was the one to do them, but she always removed her . 38 and locked it in the cruiser for security and for safety.
not reai i s a damn good name I would guess you have brown eyes. I am a 74 year old ret mustang Li Col of Marines Kimber or Springfield
do not jam 18 rounds you must pray and spray. any pistol fight you cant end in 5 or 6 rounds you should have staid out of.. your m4 is an im provment on a piece of junk. I used m14 in the nra 600yard course, I have a springfield m1a national match if your m4 is so good we can start at 1000
yards paper or me you get first round iiiffff I miss we move to 900 how about that skippy
no guts no glory
No matter what weapon or ammo people stockpile, everyone is scared to use it as of lately (2020 being the definitive year). By all rights, the air in America should be FILLED with the scent of gunpowder currently (December 2020). The corruption is deep and it seems as those who died for our freedoms and liberty died in vain. Our founding father are rolling over in their graves. Shame on us.
Could not agree with you more. There are two parts to the 2nd A. We only using the first.
Sad but true. I see a civil war coming. Probably ww3 as well. We need people like Our early presidents.
One round I noticed youve left out,, .22 WMR. I own two pistols, a revolver and an autoshucker. Its a round that can reliably take larger game than 22LR, which I also have. The ammo is a bit more expensive than 22. LR, but you can easily carry a hundred round box in your pocket, or 90 rounds in my 3 magazines.
My revolver is a .22 LR/ .22WMR Convertable, but in that I also have a .22 LR, semi auto, and rifle, its diubtful I will ever use the LR cylinder, buts nice to know its there. One overlooked item is birdshot rounds, which I have in 22LR, .22 WMR, & .38. They are great for pests and nasty critters that like to bite you like snakes. I got the revolver for my wife as she is an avid angler, and it could come in handy in a lot of the places she fishes. At real close range, the birdshot round, in the face, would be a good round for your home, as a backup. It may not dispatch a bad guy, but they arent goi g to do much with no eyesight.
While I agree that autos rule the day in a SHTF situation, there are a lot of folks out there with revolvers, whether they use them for self defense or hunting, .38/.357, .44 special/magnum, .45 Colt all have both pistols and rifles chambered in them so you carry 1 type of ammo for both pistol and rifle. Ideal? No. But if it’s what you have and are comfortable with, go for it. Also .30-30 might not be a bad choice to have a case of, for barter if nothing else.
barter ammo and get shot with it
Your recommended ammo list is essentially a Recommended Weapons list. I disagree with some of your choices.
I carried a 9 mm Beretta in the Army for my last several years’ service, and I shot very accurately with it. But I do NOT prefer the 9 mm.
Based on my military experience, if you want to stop someone in their tracks, the caliber does NOT begin with the number 3. It should start with the number 4. My preference is either the .45 ACP or .45 Colt, aka “Long Colt”. After 23 years in the Army, moving from Private E-1 to Major O-4, I carry a Taurus Judge revolver which accommodates either .45 Colt or .410 gauge shotgun shells. My other preferred carry pistol is a .45 ACP M1911A1.
I’d prefer the AK vice the AR platform. Bit more power and more reliable under difficult conditions.
Agree with the 12 gauge shotgun recommendation, although I prefer a side by side double barrel to a semi-automatic. I grew up hunting in Nebraska, and I love a 12 gauge double barrel. And if worse comes t worst, nothing I know will survive both barrels from a .12 gauge.
Seriously the 45 vs 9mm bullshit debate? Again??? 9mm is supreme! Yeah .45 1911, will likely jam if using anything other than ball ammo but you have 7+1 rds vs my 18 rds of 147gr JHP.
Ak vs M4 ? Modern M4’s are highly reliable and highly accurate with optics, heel, even with iron sights but everyone has optics! Most AK’s are built like shit and usually have canted sights, a”quality” Ak would run about $2k plus, and not worth the expense.
Double barrel vs 870 marine pump 8+1 ? really??? or vs semi auto benelli ???
Who would only chose two rounds vs 9 or 8 of 00 buck ?
Your choices are archaic and of a bygone era. So you were in the army, cook? quartermaster ? desk jockey? Nah, those don’t exist you were an SF MARSOC SEAL commando who taught the SAS how to shoot ? Put-leese! Go sit in a rocking chair old man.
I would assume the reasoning on going with ..22LR vs .22WMR is the fact that companies aren’t really making it eight now and it’s at the top of the list of calibers to become obsolete. Here in NC I haven’t seen 1 box of .22wmr since 2019. I’m pretty sure it’s right up there with .357sig amd .40S&W as being the first calibers to go bye bye. Companies are more fo used on popular calibers like 9mm .45acp.
“No such thing as stopping power” My 1oz 12gauge slugs might argue with that statement.
Always good to have ammo types you may need. Also you can Macgyver the type of weapons you may need. In doing so you can go beyond the need for knowing / having ammo types and use almost anything in, near or around you to serve that purpose. Study history as to what the prisoners of war developed and what the prisoners in the Nazi death camps created as well. You can learn a lot from those who came before. History always repeats itself.
The ammo to stockpile is the caliber/gauge for the firearms you own. The presentation though, is aimed at someone who’s just getting started. With that in mind, his choices are solid advice.
I’ve stockpiled a lot more calibers than he mentions, but these are for firearms I’ve owned for years. For that reason, my list is different but that reflects what I’ve bought and used for 40+ years.
He does give good advice about purchasing ammo that you may not have a firearm for, solely for the purpose of barter/trade. That’s sound and solid advice. I don’t own an AK or SKS variant rifle, but I do have close to 500 rounds of 7.62 x 39 stored just for that purpose (I keep 30-06, .308, 7mm Mag, and .45 ACP in varying amounts just for that reason alone, my goal is 500 rounds of each).
One thing that a beginning prepper should look into, is reloading. Having a press and components on hand to reload the ammunition you use, may be a life and death decision depending upon which disaster one finds themselves in. If we’re looking at a “TEOTWAWKI” situation, being able to reload for your guns will be a must, because in that case ammo will not be replaced anytime soon. The ability to reload, also makes one a valuable member of any group in a societal collapse. Reloadings an investment in your future. A sturdy press, dies in the calibers of guns you own, Powder measure, primers, powder, bullets and a manual are all you need to get started. Fancy presses are a convenience and not a necessity. So a basic setup is all you really need.
This is a good video for someone new to prepping or just starting out. The emphasis on military calibers when buying your first gun(s) is sound advice, for a couple of very valid reasons. One being cost. Surplus military ammo is usually cheaper than the box of 20 or 50 rounds of hunting grade ammo (in some cases, buying surplus can save you 50% if you watch for sales). Avoid the Combloc ammo if you can, as most is not reloadable. Two, after the collapsd, military ammo may be the easiest to scavange, as it may be lying around the country side.
The presenter mentions .22LR and I agree with him that every prepper needs a .22LR pistol and/or rifle in their arsenal. If you can only have one and not both, choose a rifle over a pistol. Pistol hunting small game is possible, but it requires a skillset that takes years to develop. Using a rifle, the learning curve is much lower, and takes less time to become proficent.
Alan,
As usual your list and the video got it right. Even if you don’t have firearms in those caliber listed, barter is going to be the method of commerce after shtf.
I would also recommend being able to reload spent ammo. The first thing that comes to mind is, the tried and true Lee Loader. Especially for it’s small size, the included instructions, and ease of use. You’re not going to get match grade quality, but it will give you hunting and self defense quality ammo if you use proper care. Or trade the reloads and keep the factory ammo. Obviously the above implies bullets, primers, powder be kept on hand also.
Keep the good stuff coming.
I would add to the list .45 acp for more stopping power than a 9mms. and for those with sks and ak 47″s 7.62×39
No such thing as stopping power.
Granted this is Hollywood filming magic (Fictitious) at work, the picture quality is poor, take into account it was produced way back it 1976 before computers and before Hi-Def. was invented.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X2s7DLuvZXU