Six calibers that are going to be obsolete

The guy writing the article has probably never shot anything more powerful than a cap gun (research exclusively on you tube) His editor told him to say something provocative to get people to buy an obsolete rag.

jmr40 said:

The way the article is written it is a bit over the top. But factually correct. All 6 of those have either never been popular, or are in decline. I've owned 3 of the 6 and actually like them. But just because I like them doesn't change anything. The 40 S&W is the most recent to begin the slide toward being obsolete and it may take a while to get there. But make no mistake about the direction it is headed.

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How long before it’s rebranded as 10mm special?

the US government killed the .25, not the market. Some of us are holding out on CZ bringing the .25 back with Colt. I would buy one today. Yea, I could get a .32 for the same size and weight (not really, but thats what they say), but I could also get arthritis from shooting 32acp in a .25 size gun.

StrawHat said:

These articles are written just to sell magazines and get a rise out of the readers.

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Bingo!!!

This is the gun magazine version of: "Ten ways to tell if your man is cheating!" or "3 Sure-fired techniques to ensure that you are pleasing her!"

Purchase bait drivel. *Count-Downs*/*Top-Tens* and competitive, nonsensical lists are the single easiest way to determine click-baits or impulse buy claptrap.

Not even CLOSE with the exception of the GAP likely sliding into obscurity.

The .40? The jury is still - and for a long time to come will remain - *out* on that red-headed step-child. 10mm short.... What the hell?!?

Todd.

“No cause is lost if there is but one fool left to fight for it.” -Will Turner

I am carrying a 455 Webley as a woods gun, and hunting deer with a AR chambered 30 Remington AR. Call be back when they write and article about real obsolete cartridges.

The writer says 32 H&R Mag will die because of the .327 Mag....

If that were true then it seems the .38 Special shoulda died a while ago.

I think the .327 Mag actually helps the 32 H&R Mag stay alive

This is a grain of salt, please take ...

40sw will not go anywhere anytime soon. It was too big for too long. 32 acp is the same. Exact same argument could be made for 9mak which didn’t make the list. .25acp kinda fits as well but in mousegun form. 22short would fit the bill there as well.

On the flip side of that, 41 mag and 45 gap never really took off like they probably should have. 41mag is an excellent round worthy of a lot more popularity but it is sandwiched in between 357 and 44 mag and gets overshadowed by those more popular rounds that can fit the same niches. 45 gap had potential that was never realized, and I think that is most likely an issue of it being named Glock and chambered exclusively for Glock pistols.

My heart sank a bit when I saw 32 mag. It’s arguably among the best J frame cartridges ever. 6 shots instead of the 5 that 38spl gets but enough pop to not ever miss the energy level of the 38. I have long considered 32 mag to be the ultimate glovebox gun as it can shoot weaker rounds easily, but step into the light magnum category for defensive purposes or to put down an injured deer on the roadside or something of the sort. Could easily put meat in a pot if needed. It had its heyday but now it is fading.

OK, I get it. Everyone is entitled to their opinion. Here are mine.

.32 ACP - This caliber has been around for over a hundred years. There are probably a million or more firearms ( I have 2) in this caliber out there. Although there appears to be a availability shortage right now I believe there are enough enthusiasts of the .32 ACP that it's going to be available for many years to come. I will add that at the current price, $80 to $100 for a 50 count box, unless there is a correction in the market, it's possible the .32 ACP just might price itself out of existence.

.25 ACP - Another caliber that's been around for a long time. The author relates a story that during the Prohibition era his grandfather witnessed someone get shot several times with a .25 and was able to retaliate. The .25 ACP available today is not the same as what was manufactured 90 years ago. Hornady offers a decent self defense round. 35 gr polymer tip. I have these in my Beretta 950 and feel confident when I carry it which, I admit, is not that often. Although I don't see the demise of the .25 auto anytime soon ammo availability is scarce right now,

.41 Magnum - See my avatar. There is a fan base for this caliber but is it enough to keep it in production I do not know. Ammunition was scarce and fairly expensive pre COVID and it appears even more so now. Shooting large caliber handguns is something that is a little to much for me now and I have sold all of the ones I had except the .41. Have had it for sale at different times over the last couple of years and never got a nibble.

.32 H&R Magnum - I love shooting this through my Ruger SP 101 .327 Federal Magnum. Finding ammunition for the .32 H&R and .327 Fed Mag is the problem now. I haven't seen any for sale for at least 10 months. Unless the availability corrects itself we possibly could see the end game here.

.40 S&W - I believe there is a big fan base for the .40. I think most of us remember 30 years ago when the .40 became available. Wow, everybody and their brother had to have it. Like the author alludes to the popularity of the .40 waned when the FBI no longer supported it. Current availability doesn't seem to be a problem. In the last couple of years I have seen many of the firearms chambered for the .40 on the resale market. I do believe there is enough .40 enthusiasts to keep it relevant for the foreseeable future.

.45 GAP - I do not know anything about this caliber. No opinion other than I wouldn't mind shooting one.

WestKentucky said:

45 gap had potential that was never realized, and I think that is most likely an issue of it being named Glock and chambered exclusively for Glock pistols.

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Glock is not the only company to chamber the 45 GAP.

Baloney! The 32 HR Mags are quite popular for those in the know! Best J frame round out there for a light pocket gun. SW should bring a Scandium 632 to the market!

I read this article as well. Regarding the .40 S&W, if it was on the way out, wouldn't we see manufacturers stop making new generations of firearms in this caliber? Or any of the mentioned calibers for that matter? I wish the writer of the article could back up what he was claiming by providing production numbers of firearms in these calibers.

40 is a fun novelty and ill keep loading it. 32acp is a very, very valid defense option. I agree on 45 GAP though.

There will always be some old geezer who will save them from extinction. I had an old Lyman loading manual that had a list of obsolete cartridges. They are still being shot somewhere today. Look at the 5mm Remington. Geezers like old stuff.

I wonder if there'll be a follow-up article on .38 Super's 2 previous deaths and two subsequent *resurrections*?

Todd.

I read an article years ago by a gun writer who actually admitted that most gun writers know more about writing that they do about guns, and I've found that usually applies to other subjects as well.

I never understood the .41 Magnum except, of course, as Something To Sell.
Law enforcement? What could it do for a cop that a heavy .44 Special or a reduced .44 Magnum couldn't?

Jeff Cooper described the sheriff that would not yield to his .45 Automatic blandishment, a revolver man all the way. So Jeff and his cronies found him a 3rd model .44 and loaded him a case of SWCs about like .45 +P.

GNP said:

I read an article years ago by a gun writer who actually admitted that most gun writers know more about writing that they do about guns, and I've found that usually applies to other subjects as well.

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Which speaks poorly of them as the art and skill of *writing* itself seems to be as lost as the mandate for research.

Todd.

I mostly agree, but I don't think any of them will become "obsolete" as in, no longer made. Probably with limited amounts being made, less flavors to choose from, and increased prices when they can be found. Like 16 gauge, or 30-40 Krag. I disagree on the 40 S&W, at least for the foreseeable future. It was marketed too successfully, with too many guns in that caliber in circulation that will last a LONG time.

As long as it's being bought, it ain't obsolete. Millions of .25's and .32's out there, and a butt load of police turn in .40's were sold in the past two years.

They're not disappearing anytime soon.

Taking another slant on this subject. Why does everyone get defensive of calibers that they like that others deemed are obsolete? I love using cartridges others think are obsolete.

Obsolescence only applies to a cartridges as used buy a group, like LEO, and military, or "Hunters in General", or "Competitive Longer Range Shooters". In a population of one-user no cartridge can become obsolete, or more accurately obsolescence doesn't apply. If the individual can maintain the needed ammo and functional firearm then the cartridge is never obsolete for that individual.

11mm French Ordinance (to pull a cartridge out of obscurity) is obsolete in any and all conceivable ways possible to analyze it as a cartridge. Yet I am sure there is someone out there that on occasion loads up a Model 1873 with 11mm FO and straps it to their hip and carries it for some purpose that most of use a much more modern and common cartridges and firearm for. There is no way 11mm French Ordinance is not an obsolete cartridge for any and all organized use of the cartridge and yet for that rare individual it is perfectly acceptable for their needs. Obsolescence does not mean its capabilities have diminished it simply means it is no longer in common use. The reason for obsolescence is often something better has come along but better is measured in many sorted and arguable ways.

41 Magnum was never un-obsolete, as it was never adopted buy any sizable group of users, military, LEO, or even hunters. Same can be said for my beloved 30 Remington AR.

I was surprised when the 40 S&W was introduced and thought it would never go anywhere but after 20+ years it has built a considerable fan base and I doubt it will go anywhere any time soon ... and even as much as I don't care for it, I have 2 ... but I also have 9mm barrels for them!