Single Caliber Concept

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Also, reloading helps, but does not make you fully immune to ammo shortages. In fact primers were gone for longer than ammo was during the last ammo shortage. Powder was gone for months. Bullets had 8+week lead times in a lot of cases. So reloading is great for many reasons; you can get a lot more components than you can loaded ammo for the same money; many of the components can be used in multiple cartridges, but it isn't a magic talisman that will keep you in ammo forever through a shortage.

(Have your components on Nov 1, or you might not be getting them until mid 2017 at the earliest).
 
If I were young and just starting out with sd/hd I would bite the bullet and buy a 9mm semi, an Ar, a Benelli shotgun, and some type of .308 "hunting " rifle and save myself the expense and time of playing with all the other options. Throw in an Esee knife and good holsters and cases for all of the above.

4 calibers, maybe 5 if you added a pocket gun or snubby for warm weather carry.

Fun guns are a different matter, spare me my 44 special, the .410 I'm saving for the grandson, etc. etc.
 
I used to be really wedded to the idea of a single caliber. And for handguns, I guess I mostly am. Good old .38 Special will feed a lot of what I own.


That being said, I now see value in having alternate calibers around. Anything halfway popular can turn into unobtainium rather quickly. I still remember what happened with .380 back a few years ago...




One of these days I might pick up a .40 cal for this very reason. It was the only thing you would see around sometimes during shortages.
 
Fiv3r said:
There are so many variables as whether sticking to one caliber is "right/wrong".

For someone who wants to keep their firearms concise, one caliber makes sense. This is probably good for folks that keep a firearm strictly for home defense and doesn't plan to practice.

I like having a variety in case of an ammo drought. I think I have guns that shoot about 9 different cartridges. I don't reload, so having options is a big plus.

That said, if I were going to grab a couple of handguns and bug out, 9mm would be my caliber of choice. Similarly, if my lifestyle was not stationary (i.e. moved around for work a lot or rented small apartments frequently) a couple of guns in the same caliber could fill multiple roles more easily.

You could also look at guns that shoot multiple cartridges as a similar benefit. My sp101 in .327 shoots .327, .32 h&r mag, .32 long, .32 short, and can even fire .32 apc in an absolute pinch. All of these rounds are 2ND or 3rd tier (maybe even 4th) in terms of popularity, but it does give you more options when the more popular stuff is picked over and hard to find.
Click to expand...
Just curious but why do you think that someone with one caliber doesn't practice much? Speaking as a guy who fires over 5,000 rounds a year that just puzzles me. I tend to think the opposite. Guys with lots of guns tend to care more about the guns than the shooting.
 
Does Pravda say there will be a shortage on ammo and potatoes this year?
 
If you set up for one cartridge, namely pistol, and also cast for it I could see some definite cost and logistical savings. I wouldn't choose any cartridge that has nominal bullet weights that result in less than 50 bullets per pound of lead so 40sw and 45 auto are out. And it should also be widely available with an assortment of powders which meter well.

I think 9mm luger, 9mm mak, 38 super, 38 spl, 380 auto, and maybe 32 auto fit all of those requirements well. With the exception of 9mm luger and 38 super you can really stretch powder on the remaining cartridges and squeeze out some nice price per round.
 
I have hand guns in many different cartridges and have no thoughts of reducing the numbers any time soon. In fact, I will probably add some.

Of course, I reload so I am relatively immune to shortages of factory ammunition. Since 2009, I've kept an inventory of supplies that would keep me shooting for a year or more.

I buy some guns because I am interested in the gun and the cartridge that it is chambered in is just part of the deal. There have been some cartridges that I have gotten an interest in and will buy a handgun chambered in that cartridge.

As far as my defensive hand gun, I stick pretty much with one gun and cartridge. Periodically, I may see a particular gun that I think might better suit my needs and I'll change. But, those occasions are few and far between. I have carried the same cartridge pretty much for the last 35 years.
 
Well...I suppose if I only owned 2 or 3 guns for a single reason, that might make sense...maybe.

But I don't own 2 or 3 guns...and they are not all owned for the same reason.

I agree with the poster who said he probably would not add a cartridge size though.


.
 
I responded early one but have been cogitating a bit.

I thought I would add to the discussion by saying that I keep ammo on hand for guns I do not have. I keep a box (or two if they are small) of stuff like 9x18, 7.62 X25 and .40 S&W about even though I do not currently own guns in those calibers. If I have a guest that needs ammo for those calibers or I pick up a gun in those calibers I am already good to go without a trip to the store.

Come to think of it I have a box of .30 Luger in that lock box in case some weird Swiss guy shows up or great Uncle Harvey I never knew I had leaves me his Commercial 7.65x19 Parabellum.

You never know.;)

-kBob
 
Two basic schools of thought. Have at least one gun of "every" caliber so you can shoot any ammo you can scrounge up.

The other is to standardize on a single caliber for rifles and one for pistols and stock the ammo and reloading components deep.

In between is the most common "right tool for the job" approach so most folks end up with multiple rifle and pistol calibers.
 
Single caliber i.e. one cartridgge/chmbering.

Nah, I've got

.45 ACP 3 1911 variants & a S&W 625 DA/SA Revolver w/full moon clips

9x19 1 - CZ 75B

.38 Spcl/.357 Mag - Model 60 S&W 3" Bbl. W&E adj. rear sight

Sometimes I'm tempted to try a .40 S&W but it passes. why stock
another cartridge with no significant advantage.

R-
 
I guess it all depends on what your uses are. If you are being practical about it and consider what the actual use of the gun will be, its is not irrational to settle on one caliber and be more than happy. We all know full well that 22LR, 9mm/45, 308/30-06, and 12 gauge will literally cover every practical firearm use from home to field. If it fits your use and you have confidence in the performance for your needs, don't feel bad about making that choice for yourself. It is probably the situation for the vast majority of gun owners - buy 1 gun that fits the bill, add ammo, and done.

Gun blog members... well, not so much :)

I would hazard the majority of people on this and other sites are a bit more interested in firearms as a hobby or passion. Having a variety adds to the experience, so placing limits would be just sad.
 
Wake up call once at the range when i realized I was loading
a 1911 single stack 8 rd mag with 9mm luger ammo, DOH!
FYI - 10 rds of 9x19 will fit, function is another issue.

Single Caliber

S&W 625 .45 ACP / .45 Auto RIm

1894 Marlin .45 Colt = same caliber for all three.

R-
 
What's funny is that it doesn't appear that anyone in this thread has a single caliber. The "debate" is between those with a few calibers, and those with more than a few.
 
There is a powerful point to be made in the saying "3 is 2, 2 is 1 and 1 is none" when it comes to owning firearms. So owning three Glocks or 1911's, for example, not only allows the owner to own a bunch more magazines, ammunition and spare parts along with the advantages of training with same type of gun.

Except for the saying "Don't put all of your eggs in one basket."

So....

I have given a lot of thought to reducing my caliber footprint but it seems like 6 months after I sell a gun I find a need for it and I wish I had it back.
 
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Harleytoo said:
So, first off, forget "which" caliber. Which is not important.

The idea is, aside from the obvious cost and consistency advantage, is there an advantage to migrating to a single caliber?

Over the last few years I have found that I have migrated to having essentially three calibers. Of those three, I am down to really two that I have more than one gun for.

So, I am at a point where I am really considering dropping to a singular caliber.

Thoughts?
Click to expand...

Sure.

One centerfire handgun cartridge.

One centerfire rifle cartridge.

One rimfire cartridge.

Optionally, one shotshell cartridge.


I pretty much do that already.


You aren't going to want literally one because there is far too much of a difference between the above categories. You probably aren't going to conceal carry a defensive pistol in the same cartridge you use to hit man/game size targets with effective terminal ballistics and no/minimal holdover at hundreds of yards, as well as introduce new shooters, and hunt birds (or shoot targets) on the wing
 
Warp said:
Sure.

One centerfire handgun cartridge.

One centerfire rifle cartridge.

One rimfire cartridge.

Optionally, one shotshell cartridge.


I pretty much do that already.


You aren't going to want literally one because there is far too much of a difference between the above categories. You probably aren't going to conceal carry a defensive pistol in the same cartridge you use to hit man/game size targets with effective terminal ballistics and no/minimal holdover at hundreds of yards, as well as introduce new shooters, and hunt birds (or shoot targets) on the wing
Click to expand...

I agree that this is the bare minimum for "shooters". Sure, there are people who only have one firearm, for defensive OR hunting purposes, but, if you are asking this question, I am going to assume you are a "shooter". But, I couldn't drop even to the minimum at this point. I own:

Centerfire Pistol - .40 S&W, .45ACP

Centerfire Rifle - 5.56, 6.8SPC, .30/30, .30-06

Rimfire - none for me, but my house does store .22's

Shotgun - 12ga.

For me, this is as low as I want to go to cover what I want to do with my firearms. But I believe some people could be perfectly happy with less.
 
When I sort through this question from a minimalist point of view, it looks like I could get everything done with .38 Special and 12 gauge 2 & 3/4" (12-70). I would not have the right tool for every job, but close enough--except that a few jobs would go undone. Nothing there for long range precision, or for big stopping power in a pistol, or for this or that other purpose that might arise. Nothing there you can load into a high capacity pistol, either--so think New York reload.

But many purposes would be served quite well. The .38 can be loaded lightly with RN bullets and used for small game, or loaded stouter for self defense, and I think the 12 gauge is the most versatile gun around.

No, I haven't pared down my collection to such minimalist standards, but the idea is not unreasonable.
 
I understand the rifle/pistol combo thing, but I think it is actually somewhat silly if this is a "survival" kind of thing. I think an SBR pistol (dot sight, removable stock) or a PDW makes more sense if you are going to try and do everything with a pistol caliber gun and are carrying everything.
 
A compact(plastic) for CC, a sidearm (steel) and a handgun for deer hunting, that would meet all my handgun needs. So yeah one caliber could do it all for me.
 
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Either the .357 Magnum or the .357 SIG appeals to me as a pistol-and-carbine caliber. You get improved velocity out of a carbine barrel, enough to be at least plausible for deer sized game (regs permitting). The handguns are loud, of course.
 
I'll go with 3 calibers:

General plinking and small game, .22 LR

Self-Defense, .45 ACP

Deer hunting, and general woods mooching (when not carrying a .22) .45 Colt.
 
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