Plinking vs. Hunting/Self Defense Ammo

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  • jtb81100

    Ultimate Member
    May 28, 2012
    2,234
    Western HoCo
    My general rule of thumb for sd/hunting rounds is to have a 5 year supply. For me that is 1 box a year for checking zero and target practice and enough rounds to shoot 1 deer a month for rifle/pistol and 2 birds a week for shotguns. For plinking I currently have about a 1 year supply if I shoot a box a week. My goal is to double that over the next two years then double it again over the next 3.
     

    outrider58

    Eats Bacon Raw
    MDS Supporter
    Jul 29, 2014
    49,815
    My ARs in the house are my "fck. I'm shooting everything and need to go through walls" guns. 193 or green tips. Whatever I have loaded. I don't have 5.56 hollow point sd rounds because of cost. That and my ARs aren't my go to. So my AR plinking ammo pulls double duty. I'm sure someone people use nice HP . 223 deer ammo for sd. That would probably be my go to.
    This is my "SHTF better grab my AR" SD go to. I'm not shooting the guy a half mile away, I'm shooting the guy on the other side of the wall.
     

    THier

    R.I.P.
    MDS Supporter
    Dec 3, 2010
    4,998
    Muscleville
    More is always better, IMO. Never met anyone with too much ammo!

    I know someone, that kept ammo in a site job box, that didn't pay attention when they bought ammo, that when they moved, could not move the box with two guys. Had to empty box, move box, refill, get to new home, empty box, move box, refill box. This borders on "too much" ammo. Especially considering all firearms were lost in boating accident.
     

    Pinecone

    Ultimate Member
    MDS Supporter
    Feb 4, 2013
    28,175
    My slight OCD means that I do everything in round numbers.

    100, 500, 1000, 2000, 5000 are nice round numbers. :D
     

    lazarus

    Ultimate Member
    Jun 23, 2015
    13,678
    My slight OCD means that I do everything in round numbers.

    100, 500, 1000, 2000, 5000 are nice round numbers. :D

    Crap I shot 32 rounds at the range. Well, guess I need to go buy another 968 rounds to even it up again :lol2:
     

    woodline

    Ultimate Member
    MDS Supporter
    Jan 8, 2017
    1,947
    If anyone is really concerned about having a good supply of HD/Hunting ammo but they are stuck with a plinking ammo budget, consider Russian steel case Soft Points in your chosen cartridge. I don't trust their pre-cut hollowpoint rifle ammo to fragment consistently, but the factories pump out decent Soft Points. And they are still available and still pretty cheap. If you end up not needing the extra ammo for anything serious, you can always plink with it. The .308 soft points in particular are surprisingly accurate, though most others are adequate too.
     

    Bisleyfan44

    Ultimate Member
    Jan 11, 2008
    1,758
    Wicomico
    I know someone, that kept ammo in a site job box, that didn't pay attention when they bought ammo, that when they moved, could not move the box with two guys. Had to empty box, move box, refill, get to new home, empty box, move box, refill box. This borders on "too much" ammo. Especially considering all firearms were lost in boating accident.

    So just one job site box?? :sad20::sad20:
     

    Bisleyfan44

    Ultimate Member
    Jan 11, 2008
    1,758
    Wicomico
    3 boxes (150 rds) HSTs for each 9mm and 45 handgun. Plenty FMJ ball for practice :)
    223/556 practice and HD is the same 55 gr ball for the ARs. Again, Plenty
    Less than enthused about shotguns for HD. Defer to ARs.
     

    Biggfoot44

    Ultimate Member
    Aug 2, 2009
    32,877
    I'll even make it potentially Three categories . Inbetween "plinking" and " state of the art , super premium $$$ per 20 rounds SD/ Hunting" , insert " medium- good , inexpensive enough to stack per 50 rounds " , such as WWB, UMC , and occasionally other specific deals . ( When I recently came across Fiocchi .45 jhp for WWB prices , I stacked up . )
     

    ironhead7544

    Active Member
    Oct 27, 2018
    188
    "You can never have enough ammo, unless you are on fire or drowning."

    "You can never be too rich, too thin or too well armed."
     

    jimbobborg

    Oddball caliber fan
    Aug 2, 2010
    17,112
    Northern Virginia
    I have a pretty big stockpile of 9mm ammunition. Of said stockpile, I have only 200 rounds of what I'd call self defense ammunition. The rest is either range ammo or competition ammo. The competition ammo could probably do double duty. They're 147gr coated flat points. And they're soft lead, so they will expand on impact.

    I have other ammunition, which I will not be discussing.
     

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