Once you have procured a firearm, or ideally several firearms, your next course of action is to adequately supply yourself with the ammunition you’ll need. It’s been said that there’s nothing more useless than an unloaded gun, and when someone is trying to break your door down that is certainly true. You need the firepower to sustain you through whatever we have to go through, and when you have firearms and an abundance of bullets it provides a sense of security that will put you in a better frame of mind to survive what we have to go through. This is a cornerstone of prepping.
Bullets always have a sense of scarcity surrounding them. There have been times in the past where ammunition is hard to come by. There have been times when I’ve wanted to stock up and the only thing you can find from popular retailers is 22 caliber ammunition.
Obviously, you should use your ammunition sparingly and only fire a weapon when it is abundantly necessary. You need to get all of your target practice in before the SHTF, not during. Every bullet you have will be currency to get you out of a difficult situation. It could also potentially be a way to procure your next meal if you turn to hunting. Each and every bullet has a purpose, and the more bullets you have in your arsenal the more of an advantage you’ll have weathering the difficult storm ahead.
`In 2020, when there was a mysterious shortage of toilet paper, there was also a shortage of ammunition. Ammo factories weren’t considered “essential” and many were forced to temporarily shut down during the pandemic. This made the shortage even worse for a while. It’s good to stock up on bullets when you can, and once the lock down hysteria subsided the market for ammo normalized again. Shortages always seem to occur in lockstep with when you need it the most, so this is a key item to procure for survival. You might even want to start stocking bullets before you own the actual firearm. The next time a crisis hits, ammo could all but disappear.
Where Should You Start?
There are many different types of firearms you can buy. Our best advice to aspiring preppers is not to get too caught up with specialized rifles and more niche guns. We have noticed that when ammunition becomes scarce, these become the hardest to procure bullets for to the point they almost feel nonexistent. These 3 different calibers of ammunition are our go to choices.
Thoughts might differ on this, but if I could only have one gun to endure a calamitous situation, it would be a 12 gauge shotgun. This is especially true in regards to defending my home. When things pop off, my 12 gauge will be within arms reach very close to my barricaded front door. It’s important to have pistols also, because if you’re forced to leave your home you need guns you can conceal and use inconspicuously, but the shotgun should be the cornerstone of defending your home. That being the case, you’ll need as many 12 gauge shotgun rounds as you can stock up on. Buy the rounds before you buy the shotgun!
From there, you might want to consider .22 ammunition, since it is the most widespread and common caliber of bullet. Having a long range .22 rifle is a prudent choice, especially if you retreat to a bug out location, and a .22 caliber pistol could be a good choice for your spouse, since you’ll probably want them to be competent with firearms and to be your trusted backup as well. You can buy .22 ammunition cheaper than any other caliber, and I’ve always found that to be a universal truth. You can store hundreds or even thousands of rounds compactly and transport them easily as well.
Lastly, I have a strong preference for the 9mm pistol for a multitude of reasons. For starters, you’ll generally realize that both the gun and the ammunition comes at a lower cost than most calibers. The reason for that, and another benefit to it’s ownership is it’s availability is widespread. The very generous ease of handling matched with its low recoil make it very popular. I feel most comfortable with this pistol and this will definitely be in my waist band holster when things pop off. Most importantly, the ammunition is wide spread and is very reasonably priced.
