Determining bug out ammo requirements

[Grand58742]

Okay, so determining your ammo requirements for a BOB or any kind of

[SeldomSeenSlim]

Very nice write up. Especially this part.

“But Soldiers and Marines carry as much ammo as they possibly can! Sometimes fifteen to twenty magazines!” some will exclaim. They sure do and tend to go out looking for trouble which you should not during a bug out.

[EX121]

I really like the concept of stealth, well said.

[Matt In Oklahoma]

but i've seen you shoot and you need..... LOL naw just kidding :)
Good posting. My GMHB is also my hunting pack and i also hike with it so I know how much them mags weigh cause i use the bag all the time combined with my EDC. As i've aged my philosophy has changed on buggin i carry less and ninja more

[WiseOwl]

Good post Grand.

Last weekend I went to scout some hunting property and took a very light version of my BOB, just a day pack for hiking around 25 acres. I did have 650 rounds of .22 and 60 rounds of .308 just incase we found an area to shoot in.
The weight was noticeable. I could only imagine carrying double or even triple that.

Some folks think that in a SHTF world, they will be like Arnold in Commando after he breaks into that pawn shop and goes up against a country.

I know if weight is distributed evenly, you can add a lil here and there but you are 200% right, ninja'n is the only way to go. Besides, who wants to run for their lives carrying 100lbs of "dead weight"

[kappydell]

What is practical ain't always the same as what you want.
I'd LIKE to be 20 yrs old again knowing what I know now, but t'aint practical or likely. Ditto having all the ammo I'd like. But being able to hit what you shoot at is far more practical so you need carry less. Excellent comments about 'shoot & scoot' which goes against the media Rambo images we are inundated with nowdays. They can't hit you if you arent there. Tactics trumps mere firepower.
Loved the post - sounds like you have been knee deep more than once.

[jimmycthemd]

Ok, for my part here's what I have. 1911 with 3 extra clips. Shotgun (you heard it) with 15 rounds 00 buck and 5 rounds slugs. It's a Mossberg 500, pretty light. If the 'bad guys' are more than 30 yards away, I'm outta there anyway. Like has been stated many times....stealth and avoid confrontation. The reason I picked these two guns? I already own them and am not into getting the 'latest and greatest'. I've had both of them for 15+ years and I know from EXPERIENCE that they're solid as a rock....what ammo does/doesn't work in them and their (and my) strenghts/llimitations.

[240gr JHP]

I work in an urban area that is the epicenter for violent crime in the KC area. I would have to go about 3 miles to get to a bridge over the Missouri river and another 8 miles home. I have not considered keeping a poncho, jacket, or blanket at work to conceal a long arm. There is usually an AK or 870 in my trunk but nothing close to 150 rounds. This thread has caused me to rethink my situation. Thanks.

[Grand58742]

I work in an urban area that is the epicenter for violent crime in the KC area. I would have to go about 3 miles to get to a bridge over the Missouri river and another 8 miles home. I have not considered keeping a poncho, jacket, or blanket at work to conceal a long arm. There is usually an AK or 870 in my trunk but nothing close to 150 rounds. This thread has caused me to rethink my situation. Thanks.

To each their own. Maybe 150 rounds isn't "enough" for a particular situation. Or maybe it's too much. AK rounds tend to be a bit heavier so carrying 7 to 10 mags might be a bit of a haul for some. I bought a chest rig from Hawkeye, originally thinking 3 mags might not be enough. With other stuff attached (IFAK and doodad pouch) it is just about right weight wise. So 120 rounds carried, another mag or two in the bag.

Maybe not for all, but hitting what you aim at is a far better idea than extra rounds.

[jimmycthemd]

Maybe not for all, but hitting what you aim at is a far better idea than extra rounds.

Well said. I've been at the range several times and seen folks just blasting away at the target and barely hitting the edges. I take enough time to shoot a good tight pattern. Pounds of lead downrange doesn't count unless you can hit what you're aiming at. IF you have to fight, the idea is engage quickly with extreme prejudice then break off and get outta dodge ASAP. My goal is to remain unseen and, if attacked, cover my family's retreat and get outta there.

[SeldomSeenSlim]

I work in an urban area that is the epicenter for violent crime in the KC area. I would have to go about 3 miles to get to a bridge over the Missouri river and another 8 miles home. I have not considered keeping a poncho, jacket, or blanket at work to conceal a long arm. There is usually an AK or 870 in my trunk but nothing close to 150 rounds. This thread has caused me to rethink my situation. Thanks.

There is a story from a gun board of a guy that walked out of NOLA after Katrina. He was geared up. His reports were that LE looked at him like he was military, military looked at him like he was a LE and the rest of the folks just saw a guy with an AR-15 and combat gear with a "don't mess with me" attitude. He minded his business, didn't look for trouble and walked out without major incident.

Avoidance is always the best option, but it is not always possible. Reminds me a bit of when I was younger and running around in the honky-tonks. You don't want to come off as the tough guy that everybody wants to fight, but you also don't want to look like a victim that's easy pickings.

People make judgements on what they see. They will make judgements on the clothes you are wearing, the vehicle you are driving, your size, age, etc. Those judgements can be wrong. Someone driving a Prius might seem weak, but could be a professional fighter. Seeming weak and being weak are two different things, but the latter is only found out in a confrontation and avoiding confrontation is the goal. On the flip side, appearing to be very strong can lead to people wanting to test that strength. If you look like a soldier, people will expect you to be a soldier. Not everybody in the world has a good outlook towards LE and military and that could make a person a target.

This might be one area where appearing to be a typical suburbia gun nut could be a plus. Having certain pieces of kit would avoid the 'gang banger' with a gun look, but not so much as to appear to be some form of authority with a gun look. Just a guy with a gun that looks like he has a plan and should be left alone.

Food for thought at least. It's a tough call for sure.

[SeventhSon]

Very good points. The mission dictates the needs.

I've been in a few STHF moments in my life and planned/packed accordingly. When in Iraq, I packed as much ammo as I could. Even more if we were mounted. Like you said, we went looking for bad guys.

During Hurricane Katrina, I bugged out then bugged back in. Having my guns and ammo was important because there was looting and unsavory people roaming but luckily I never had to fire a shot. Water and food was a priority. We were without power for six weeks. Piles of ammo was a pretty low priority.

Now, I have a plan for likely scenarios and plan my load outs based on that.

[boltgun308]

I know SF guys that only carry 4 mags on a mission while most will only carry 6. A few guys don't even carry a handgun and just add 2 mags to take its place or some other piece of equipment.

Carrying a shotgun and 150 rds of buck or slug is a recipe for a dirt nap in any enviroment unless someone with a rifle is with you, and I still wouldn't do it. Shotguns are for breaching and really tight CQB operations. They should not be your main weapon.

Most here would do well to actually speak to some of the guys that go into harms way and find out what their loadout is. And I'm not talking about cops. They have to carry from their trunk, helo, boat etc usually only short distances and usually 90 percent of the time have multiple numbers against only one bad guy.

[JUSTIFIED]

My legs are getting tired reading this thread! LOL

Until we sell our current home, if something happens while I'm at work, like an EMP attack, and I'm in the field I might have to travel as much as 13 miles to get to the BOB I keep in my Mountaineer then 22 miles home. Depending where I'm working I might be better off going from my work location directly home which is why I'm in the process of making my workpack a smaller version of my BOB. I think I lean more stealth than carrying a large amount of ammo for a brief trek. I've got a weeks worth of food in my pack so I can last a while if sneaking around causes me to take more time getting home.

Among other things, for about a year I've been doing daily squats with weights to build up my leg strength. I'm not getting any younger and I need all the help I can get! Any thoughts on what the weight of the pack should be for the average Joe like me to carry long distance?

[JUSTIFIED]

Am I better off with a .22 rifle and chunk of ammo or an AR15? Seems like I read an average AR 15 weighs 8 lbs. then there's the ammo. I assume a .22 rifle might weigh a bit less than that, but then there's the problem of accuracy, etc...