10,000 Rounds

Long, long ago, in a land far away I was preparing to brief some big shots a plan that entailed me and some scary friends of mine going to a scary place to do scary things. The problem was, we had no podium. Priorities, ya know? So we made a podium out of AK47 ammo crates. The only comment one of the VIPs had after the brief was, “nice podium”. Suits…

Since that time I have sometimes fantasized about buying enough AK ammo to build my own podium – that would be about 6 or 7 cases I reckon. Why? Nostalgia I guess. But I never did buy that much ammo.


The Experts Say…
Spend enough time on the Internet surfing survivalist forums or read enough survivalist literature and you will eventually get to the part where folks talk about how much ammo one will need in a TSHTF, TEOTWAWKI, PAW, Obama nation (sounds like abomination) scenario. One number frequently tossed out there is 10,000 rounds.

"You will need 10,000 rounds per main battle rifle" (MBR). Why 10,000? Why not 7,000? Why not 14,000? I suspect that, like my whimsical podium, it’s just a nice round number. I doubt anyone ever sat down and said, “Let’s see here, I will expend 300 rounds per fire fight and I will get into this many firefights over the next 5 years…” C’mon!


It's shiny
People fear or fantasize (take your pick) about not being able to get the ammo they need "when the time comes". Operative word – “they”. See, they are not stockpiling ammo for the resistance cell. They view this as personal ammo for them and their immediate family – most of whom are typically not on board.

Ammo is one of those things that is easy to purchase, it stacks nicely and it’s shiny. It does not require a lot of work or sweat or thought to amass a big ol’ pile of it. It makes people feel good like a bowl of chocolate ice cream makes me feel good. But if I thought about it before I dug into that bowl, I’d realize that the several hundred useless calories I was about to consume would have to be burned off by endless burpees or miles of forest trail – or it will turn to fat. But I don’t think about that when I’m chowing down.

I don’t think folks who toss around big numbers for required amounts of ammo are thinking too deeply either.


The Other Stuff
If one assumes that one is going to expend 10,000 rounds of ammo (because why buy it if one isn’t going to use it?) then one must assume he is going to break some parts. Extractors, pins, handguards. Less common is the call for stockpiling spare parts – it’s not as sexy. But we do see some talk of that. Something we never see is cleaning supplies. If you can’t get ammo at the store – where will you get cleaning supplies? Most guns get pretty dirty after 1,000 rounds. If you are fighting like your life depends on it, you will want a clean weapon right? "We’ll use rags and motor oil." Uh-huh. Cleaning supplies are REALLY not sexy. So no one wants enough patches and CLP and spare rods and so on.

But the thing that really gets me going is the lack of medical preparations. You see, any scenario that one could envision that would require expending 10,000 rounds of “main battle rifle ammo” would necessarily entail bad guys who shoot back. We ain’t shooting cardboard here. This is where brows start to furrow. This is where the fantasy starts to unravel. That same scenario probably has you with people you love and care about – buddies, family members and so on. If you shoot 10,000 rounds at bad guys - they are gonna shoot at least that many back at you. Someone you care about is going to get hit. And live. At least initially.


It’s all fun and games ‘til someone gets an eye poked out
Have you ever seen a gunshot wound? Have you ever seen someone shot through the belly? They live. They hurt. They are very unhappy – big sad face. So, after we win the fire fight with our superior fighting skills… we have to deal with Bob, or Sally, or little Ashley.

We are talking skills and supplies. First aid, Advanced Trauma Life Support, blow out kits, IVs and so on. That’s to get them through the initial stage. Then there is the long term care and nursing required to fight infection, repair torn up bodies and so on. It takes an enormous amount of gauze and tape and tubing and wrapping to deal with one gunshot wound. It takes a whole lot more to nurse them back to health.

So, for those recommending buying 10,000 rounds of ammo for each MBR, why do we not hear about or see similar recommendations for medical gear? Where is their field hospital complete with cots, and sheets, and pans and instruments and more bandages than you can shake a stick at? Where is the staff or the personal training undertaken to handle such situations? It’s not there.

Because it’s not easy and it’s not sexy. It’s not easy to think about a loved one dying over the course of a week from a gut shot. It’s not easy to acquire the skills for dealing with these things – or recruiting those who can. Bandages don’t come in flat black with Velcro or in the latest digi-cam pattern.

Guys and Gals – please think this through.

Should you store up some ammunition? Absolutely.
Do you need 10,000 rounds?
You tell me – are you well rounded? Have you taken care of everything else?

See ya out there.

Is any sick among you? let him call for the elders of the church; and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord: And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him. – James 5:14 - 15
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If you have any comments I’d love to hear them.
If they really interest me, I may even post them.
You can reach me at Joe

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