A Conundrum, wrapped in a Declaration

National Ammo Day will be here in a few weeks. As a good NoR member I always try to do my part, but I confess that the symbolism is my only reason for doing so.

Lemme 'splain.

I routinely buy something in excess of 500 rounds in various calibers every month because that's my average rate of usage. And you can hold the snark, that equates to a bit over two range sessions a month. Since my "home" range is an indoor operation, I've deliberately stocked my gun safe with suitable calibers of rifle with which to practice. This means a selection of .22 lr and .22 magnum long guns that operate in the same fashion as my center-fire rifles do (bolt action, lever action, etc).

In addition, I own an equivalently sized revolver and semi-auto pistol in .22 lr with which to practice in lieu of my Colt Commander .45 acp main carry gun and S&W Airweight .32 mag back up/pocket gun. I also have a Heritage Rough Rider single action in .22 for those occasional John Wayne impulses.

As you can see I've given some thought to exercising my interest in a fashion that suits my environment. As that changes over the years, I'll no doubt continue to change right along with it. I buy a new (to me) truck every few years too, so what?

Returning to my problem, the 100 round ammo buy on Nov. 19 just doesn't seem all that significant to me. I've tried sticking to only those rounds I normally don't fire very often, but the increase in unit price results in a decrease in my normal purchasing habit. I should point out that I'm a shooter, not a hunter, and didn't carry over any interest in militaria from my own service days. My non-standard calibers are purpose driven selections that seem appropriate to me, but aren't something I have either desire or room to stock in levels exceeding 1k.

So, do I just "Man Up", make the symbolic gesture despite the feelings of inadequacy and get on with my day? Or is there some alternative action I could try? It's no good telling me to save up either. Have you been following ammo prices this past year and more? If I can justify the expense to myself (a sometimes disturbingly easy task, I'm afraid), then I make the buy - before the price inevitably goes up. Probably by next week, if recent trends are any example.

On the problem-rating scale, I'm not sure this example even registers - see yesterday's post for comparison. And I exert a good deal of effort to seeing to it that my life stays that way too. Still, there remains a vague hint of disquiet that I'm missing an opportunity here.

Annoying that.