[Garand]

In a survival scenario, the only time excess ammo is a bad thing is if you have to hump it through the boonies, if you can cache your excess, there should be no limit set.

 

[John in AR]

The way ammunition is so volatile both price-wise and availability-wise, plus the political hostility often shown toward it, nowadays I see it like an asset rather than just a daily-life consumable. I may have more than I'll personally use, but just as it would be with excess money, gold, real estate or whatever, having more than I need isn't necessarily a bad thing. If I don't use it, my kids can use it or sell it when I'm gone. But just like money, it would TRULY suck to run out before I'm done needing it; so I prefer to err on the side of caution.

 

[John in AR]

Fwiw, I do nowadays have a short (10") AR again. This time technically a pistol instead of carbine, so no need for the nearly-half-pound 5.5" flash hider like my previous 10.5" one had back in the late 80's. This one has effectively a very small version of the KAK "flash can" on it and is very fast-handling. One of the best things about it is that even with its miniscule 10" barrel, it actually has the same power as my bigger and heavier 16" AR, so it's fine not only for defensive use but even for deer-size game.


Of course, that's because it's in .300 blackout instead of 223...

My “10-inch AR15”:

Compared to an sbr-length 223:

• more power with regular ammo (same muzzle energy as a full 16” .223 carbine)
• more power with subsonic ammo (3-5 times more)
• faster to swap back & forth between full power and subsonic (just swap the magazine)
• no adapters or conversion kit to keep track of
• no down time when swapping between full power and subsonic

Boati - in what way is the .223 version of the same-size gun superior?

 

[Garand]

The way ammunition is so volatile both price-wise and availability-wise, plus the political hostility often shown toward it, nowadays I see it like an asset rather than just a daily-life consumable. I may have more than I'll personally use, but just as it would be with excess money, gold, real estate or whatever, having more than I need isn't necessarily a bad thing. If I don't use it, my kids can use it or sell it when I'm gone. But just like money, it would TRULY suck to run out before I'm done needing it; so I prefer to err on the side of caution.

I'm in much the same situation currently. Because of Covid, I've spent more time at the reloading bench than I have at the range practicing or at matches. I'm sure that if I kick the bucket, my brother in law and my 2 nephews will make good use of the contents of my ammo lockers.

 

[John in AR]

My “10-inch AR15”:
View attachment 14382

Compared to an sbr-length 223:

• more power with regular ammo (same muzzle energy as a full 16” .223 carbine)
• more power with subsonic ammo (3-5 times more)
• faster to swap back & forth between full power and subsonic (just swap the magazine)
• no adapters or conversion kit to keep track of
• no down time when swapping between full power and subsonic

Boati - in what way is the .223 version of the same-size gun superior?

Still waiting for an explanation of any kind...