As much as economically possible. :bthumb:

 

I agree. I can still find it but the prices have gone up. Glad I bought what I did when I did before this madness started.

 

5k ???

 

OP stated reasonable amount,I realize more is better and that we may enter a protracted ammo draught but I would like a feel for this as I'm new to HM2.

I'm WELL prepped for my other rimfire /centerfire stuff,have had years to do so.

Just curious as to what might be an OK amount to some folks.

 

I've always used the basic load and operating load approach. I track the number of rounds I fire each month by caliber. I then multiply that by 12 to get the yearly average. Two years worth of ammo is considered the "basic load". I then add one more year's worth as the "operating load". I try to start the year with both a basic load and an operating load and start scrounging for ammo when I get close to the basic load. Even if I can't find ammo before shooting into the basic load, I still have enough for a while.

An example would be if you averaged 25 rounds a month then 800 rounds is your basic load (25 x 12 x 2) and another 400 rounds would be your operating load for a total of 1200 rounds.

Just my way of doing it.

 

I think this is the best answer as this is basically what I do. Calibers I don't shoot much or not at all (.303 british) I might have 100-200 rounds. Things that I shoot all the time and would miss shooting I have a 2 or 3 year supply...however if something super cheap comes along I buy it.

 

CCI makes all of the 17m2 ammo and once what is out there now dries up it won't be made again for a matter of a years, How many I don't know. They are not going to stop making 22 ammo to make .17m2 ammo in my opinion. Several thousand is the correct amount for me. I don't know how much you shoot so you will have to take the long dry spell that's coming into account and buy accordingly.

 

To my knowledge they did 2x runs of 17 hm2 between 08 and 16..... this is solid advice.

 

I don't shoot much through mine, not as much as some here do.

I have a couple of cases of Eley, that I strictly use for hunting and 3 bricks of Hornady.

That pushes me just north of 5k. I have not bought much HM2, the past couple of years, too busy stacking 22LR.

IF I am being honest, the past two years, I have probably shot 2 boxes. A good cleaning and than seasoning shots, followed by a couple dozen squirrels meeting untimely downfalls.

With 4k of Eley, I feel like my hunting needs will be fulfilled for my lifetime. The Hornady I shoot is not too shabby either, but I use for plinking more than anything.

I think if you keep 5k on hand, than you are probably in good shape. I know a couple here, burn up a good bit every year, shooting sage rats, out West. I think those guys should probably get closer 7.5k

That is a bunch of ammo, I know. But if you go back to 2013 and read this sub forum. They literally went over two years, with out production of HM2.

When price stabilize again, I will probably get 3 or 4 more bricks. If Eley were to start producing them again....pffft. I would mortgage the house

 

I'm a pessimist, get more than you think you will ever need, and then double it or more. Nobody knows what the ammo future is going to bring in the next four years, 8 yrs, or more.

 

I have 3000 rounds of Eley and Remington in 17 hm2 and don’t have a rifle to shoot them.

 

I hunt ground squirrels all summer and use give or take 500-1000 per year. I have somewhere around 5000, give or take. Now on that I normally also shoot equal amount of 17hmr, 17wsm and 22mag as well as bricks of 22lr. The rest are much harder to find in my area so I expect my hm2 usage to triple. I keep buying as it is available. It's my favorite round. What's yours?

 

All depends on how much you like to shoot. I think everyone should have at least 1 case of 22LR stored up in case of times like these. That's 5000 22 LR. 10000 even better! For 17hm2, depends on how much you shoot it. Maybe another 2000 at least if you don't use them up plinking. With handgun ammo I'd say at least 500 but 1000+ even better! 22 LR can take the place of larger calibers for hunting and self defense in a pinch.

 

The only rimfire on the shelves at my LGS is three bricks of Hornady .17m2 (I know its made by CCI), nothing else. I've got enough that I sold a case of Hornady to a friend, leaving me with something well over that on my own plus considerably more Eley and Eley made Remington. I'll not sell anymore.

 

Thanks all.....some really good information given!!

I'm sitting a bit north of 5K rounds of 17hm2.....no where near my 22lr stash,My 17HMR and 22mag is about the same as the HM2.

I guess I'm a pessimist, but I'm afraid the shooting sports are going to take a "hit" like we've never seen.

 

How much ammo should you have? I would say as much as you can get your hands on without it being a financial burden on you.

I don't have an HM2 but I have about 5,000 rounds of 17HMR and wish I had bought more when it was cheap.

I'm sure the 5,000 rounds will last me until the shortage is over but the prices will probably never be as low again as they were a year ago.

 

I have around 600 rounds..Probably last me the rest of my life..It is just not that cheap of a plinking ammo..If I ever do run out..I have so many other caliber Firearms and ammo to shoot. It would not be a big deal..Now if you only own one Firearm and is is a 17 Mach..You may want more

 

The dilemma most of us have is what to do about our current situation. Which IMO, will get worse. This situation has dramatically effected the way I shoot. I have several bricks of 17Mach2 and use it primarily to hunt squirrels and just fun plinking. The fun plinking is gone.

 

I have 3k plus of 17Mach2 ammo...it is used for squirrel hunting only and will last my son and I a long time....22 ammo approx. 7500..12 and 20 gauge ammo 18 cases each...I saw the writing on the wall and invested $4k in reloading equipment and supplies...I will be %%%%ed if i will be denied the simple pleasures of shooting!

 

This is my 2nd response to this thread. I do have to say that even though I have some ammo beyond my normal use pattern, I don't have nearly enough to be satisfied. This is my fault. There were plenty of bargains in 2019, but I kept postponing more buying. For example, I found Hornady 17HMR at a shop in Livinston, MT for $89.99 per 500 and NO TAX. I only bought one brick and wish I would have bought all 8 bricks they had on the shelf. That is 18 cents per round. On ammoseek, there was only one ad and it was for 70 cents. It is getting worse

 

HM 2 ammo

5 yrs back ..I bought up what I could find of Eley and Remington/ Eley made ammo... probably have 4500 rounds of that.. and 2500 rounds of Hornady ammo.. now days ..I use it mainly for tree squirrels..and have went to my Savage B Mag in 17 WSM.. for general varmint shooting..even my 17 HMRs haven't seen the rounds fired ..sence going to the B Mag..the last several yrs.... but I really like my HM2s for late season squirrels in Northern Michigan....when ammo prices were cheap during the Trump yrs before COVID... I was buying bricks of 22 ammo.. so now I'll wait out the Biden yrs.. and buy more when prices change for the better..that could be 4 or 5 yrs..

 

It still available in quantity around here at regular prices. It's the only thing still on the shelf.

 

I need around 1,000 rounds per year for tree squirrels. Maybe a few more.
And around 500 rounds per year for pest and little zero verification occasionally.
Have around 6500 rounds on hand of hm2.
I’ll pick up some along the way if I see it available.
Might even order another (3rd) lilja sport taper hm2 barrel for my cz455 actions.
I’ll be more sparing with my hm2 ammo. Till things get substantially better ammo availability wise.
Got plenty for hunting.
I’m not big into target shooting.
Love the round.
Just got done eliminating a pest that was stealing my cat’s food on porch.
One shot with illuminated reticle in Nightforce scope on cz455 took good care of the pest.

Hopefully ammo will be plentiful again soon.
Don’t need any 22 lr. Got around 20,000 rounds on hand. And don’t shoot it much due to my love for hm2 round. 22 lr has become boring to me.

 

next questn--

Where do you store your supplies? Indoors/airconditioned? Garage? Bedroom closet?

If I keep it in the garage (and it does get pretty hot here in a Texas summer), any suggestions for protecting it from heat and humidity?

 

Where do you store your supplies? Indoors/airconditioned? Garage? Bedroom closet?

If I keep it in the garage (and it does get pretty hot here in a Texas summer), any suggestions for protecting it from heat and humidity?

Only thing I'll say - avoid storing in basements. Be weary. Even with a dehumdifier.

 

Imo, After the inflationary/currency devaluation cycle ammo will be at least 2x what it was in 2019 and with all the new fun owners sucking up production good luck finding some......
I want 1 more round than I have heartbeats. Last 'shortage' I didnt shoot much, now Im shooting when I want to. There is no sense in me leaving ammo to somebody else.
Thats my perspective from age 68.

 

In regard to 22 LR ammo, the previous ammo shortage was a Blessing to me because after it was over I determined that I would stock up so as to never run out of my preferred small game hunting ammunition. Since then, two of the makers have discontinued that particular Subsonic HP ammo (Remington and Fiocchi) so I bought sufficient quantities of each to hunt many years.

Have a case or three of subsonic target ammo, but I only do match shooting as a way of keeping sharp for all the small game/varmint hunting that I do almost all year round.

In regard to Centerfire, I'm pretty well stocked for hunting ammo. The only area where I am in short supply and caught completely unprepared is in 6.5 Creedmoor target ammo. I have part of a case of Accubond ammo for hunting, but for practice and scope zeroing I only have one measly box of Hornady Black left. And I have two Creedmoors--so I feel really stupid. I was so certain that Trump would win the election that I didn't buy them when I could have and now they are as rare as "unobtanium".

 

Given our OP's original observation and concern about 17Mach2 ammo "drying up", I would suggest buying it when you can find it. Especially if you plan to shoot it frequently. I've quit plinking with my Mach2 to conserve.
I recently bought a 20ga skeet gun on a deal I couldn't pass up. Looked into my 20 ga ammo stash and was surprised how little I have on hand. I shoot many different guns and cartridges and I failed to notice the dwindling supply. That was just dumb on my part because I ran across some recently, but thought I had plenty, so passed it up..

 

I have 3K or so rounds on hand. Use it to dispatch nuisance squirrels around the house. This amount should last a while especially since it only needs one round per squirrel. I love my 452Varmint.