Usage rate varies. Competitive 3-gun shooters easily go through thousands in a year. The average redneck hunter might go through 100 max. A liberal would say that 1000 rounds is a massive stockpile, when it's just a combat load for 3 people.
As for the guy with 40 guns in his safe, he's just ensuring the people around him will be well equipped whether it's voluntary on his part or not.
The real culprit is the system restricting ammo production and threatening to cut off all future supply.
It takes about 1k hours of training or deliberate practice at anything to become professional.
Assume your process is equally divided between 1. grip training, 2. draw training, 3. grouping/aim, 4. recoil control, 5. jam clearance.
Assume for every five minutes of training you expend 10-15 rounds all things being equal. If 200 of those hours are JUST firing, thats 24k-36k rounds for handgun proficiency alone, maybe an equal amount for rifles.
At more than a dollar a round you'll be lucky, if you started a couple years ago, to be proficient within the decade now.
However, on average, regardless of the skill, it takes only about 100 hours of practice to be more proficient than roughly 95% of the public, which in a pinch isn't too bad if you're training inexperienced recruits in say, a militia or community defense group.
There are alternative ways to train without expending a ton of ammo. Laser dry fire practice gives you muscle memory with your gun, and if you have a common model you can often find gas blowback BB or airsoft guns that will give you a feeling of recoil. Even without those tools, dry fire practice can go a long way. You will always have to shoot real rounds every once in a while to make sure your body is reacting properly, but you can nurse your ammo supply quite a ways. Still, not everyone is going to like those options and many would rather shoot real lead or nothing at all.
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