Reduce Calibers? Streamline or Diversify?

Ditch the 243s (Creedmoor does it) and the Rem Mag (covered at both ends by the Creedmoor & the Win Mag).

Maybe add a 30-06 because every man should have one. I don't at the moment, but that will be remedied

If you dont shoot it, or get significant pleasure simply from owning it, get rid of it and buy something you would shoot, enjoy owning.

I see no practical reason to add a cartridge to that list or take one away.

I always far more interested in the arms themselves than their chamberings.

So along this line of thinking, which guns are you willing to live without?

I like diversity and trying new cartridges. If you can afford to feed them, I don’t see any reason to streamline your cartridge selection. Life is short. No need to be boring.

Though there are much better calibers than those that I own and can get the job done better more or less I prefer stream lining. That does not mean that I have less weapons just more of the same caliber.

Fore me it is a matter of simplicity and redundancy so when it come to reloading and handloadig the tools required are less. BTW you own 8 different calibers that I do not own.

I've had all of those except 375 Ruger, and a whole bunch more at times over my shooting career. Your 6.5 Creedmoor will kill every game animal in North America. The 300 and 7mm mags will do it from farther away and the 375 gives you peace of mind on the large bear in Alaska. Realistically, how often are most people in that situation. But anything 26 caliber and bigger shooting a quality 140 gr or heavier bullet will still get the job done. And at ranges farther than most people can get consistent hits

I've sold most all of mine and could do everything I need to do with 308 and 223/5.56. And I have multiples of each. The rifles may be set up differently for different uses, and the bullet choice may change. But there is enough overlap to do it all with those 2 cartridges. I did keep one 30-06 because I'd had it too long and it had too much history to sell. I've also added a 6.5 CM. I like it, but could live without it and do what I need to do with just 2 centerfire cartridges.

And there is nothing special about 308. Pick just about any cartridge that you like and the same can be said. You might prefer 30-06, 270, 300 WM or any of at least a dozen others. I chose 308. I much prefer 223/5.56 as my small centerfire because I have both AR's and bolt guns.

I have one 308 bolt gun with an 18" barrel and a 1-4X scope on it for brush hunting. It is a better gun than my lever actions. Another with a heavy barrel and a powerful scope for target shooting and another general purpose bolt rifle.

For me getting down to basics and just having a few cartridges to load for and buy has simplified life and I'm happy. But a lot depends on your age and experience. When younger I tried just about everything out there. I guess that was just a stage I had to go through. And you may have to do the same.

As someone that has a WIDE range of interests, my suggestion is basically....

Unless you need money, space, or (newly added) one foot in the grave and no one to hand the "stuff" down to why get rid of it.

My thinking on this goes this way.

Unlike other "hobbies" I have had gunz have no recurring costs like a classic car does, no taxes stuff like that....they just take up space, and really not that much space. Now if you want the money for something and refuse to just buy it perhaps selling something to fund a new bobble ok.

Me there are a few guns I own that I really just don't care for, a model 81 in 300 savage, just not for me came in a package deal with an 8 in 30 Rem. But really that is about it.

Dave DeLaurant said:

I always far more interested in the arms themselves than their chamberings.

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That, in a nutshell.

If you are looking to shed a few because of space limitations, or to consolidate ammunition purchases or handloading components, that's another subject entirely. If you are bored with something... sell or trade it off for something that piques your interest.

I could tell you what I would do and why, but without a description of the gun types and what shooting activities you do (competition and what type of, defense needs, what you hunt and where (or intend to do) I couldn't give you any advice worth hearing. Are there other family members in the picture that may have more use for a specific rifle/caliber you have? Also, some of those guns may increase in value in the short term. I don't know if your 45-70 is a Marlin or a trap door Springfield, or if you have handguns in 44 mag or 357.

If I were picking from that list I would want to keep:

1. 308, preferably bolt action
2. 45-70, preferably falling block
3. .44 Mag, preferably bolt action
4. 5.56, one bolt and one semiautomatic

But here is the thing, I am not you, I don't know what you do and value nearly as much as you do.

So, why do you think you even need to make this decision?

I think “caliber consolidation” as an end in itself is silly, unless you have reason for actively disliking a certain caliber. Most of the time people say this, it’s usually in the context of “I’m trying to standardize on .308, 9mm, .357 Magnum, and 6.7mm Bloodaxe” -which is fine as it goes, but usually tells me a person is overthinking and/or only owns a few guns. Or, they primarily only own guns to shoot in very high volume, probably in tactically oriented gun games.

I’d be inclined to eliminate a caliber if it’s a poor performer/you don’t need whatever benefit it brings to the table, and it’s very expensive or hard to come by.

That being said, in your case nothing you have is incredibly exotic, but on the other hand (especially nowadays) some is probably both hard to find and expensive, and that may continue for a while. But I’d think about it in terms of paring down redundant rifles, not necessarily eliminating calibers.

Woo boy, thats a stumper for me. It seems that I still keep adding. (Guns that is, I think I’m done with adding new calibers to hunt ammo-reloading supplies for.).

In your shoes I would keep those that have a definite purpose or I had a need for. The rest are just toys.

Stay safe.

I would ditch the 45-70 because no matter how much people like it you have other cartridges that do everything better with less powder and recoil. I am not a fan of pistol cartridge rifles so I would get rid of at least one. Not sure why anyone needs a .375 Mag Unless you hunt in Alaska but that is your call. The rest are all somewhat useful depending on what your plans are. Some diversity is a good idea in my opinion. Not a big fan of the 7.62x39 but it makes more sense than a pistol caliber rifle to me. A .308, .243 and 5.56 would cover all the bases for me. It depends on what you shooting needs are. All the long range target shooters will want the 6.5 Creedmore. It cost double than a .308 to shoot locally. A 300 Win Mag will reach our farther with more energy than anything else that you have. And to a lessor degree the 7MM RM. Hard to pick for someone else.

I look at it from a reloading standpoint. I then look at it from a casting standpoint. The guns that are cast and reloading friendly are my choices. If you don’t load you should consider that. It adds a new dimension to a favorite firearm. If you don’t cast, you should consider that too for the same reason.

For calibers like 223, consider a simple swaging kit to make your own jacketed ammo. I’m not into that yet, but I save my 22 rimfire cases

FL-NC said:

but without a description of the gun types and what shooting activities you do... ...I couldn't give you any advice worth hearing.

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That was my thought as well. I have zero use for a .300WM or .375, so I would say 'get rid of those...' but those may be the OP's most useful firearms, or their favorite. It's sort of an open ended question... without more nitty-gritty.

jmr40 said:

I've sold most all of mine and could do everything I need to do with 308 and 223/5.56.

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This is basically where I’m at. I have one big game rifle, a 7 mag. Explain to me what it will not do for game hunting. Everything else is because you want it, not because you need it. You can substitute.308 for 7 mag

I have two varmint rifles for prairie dog hunts, a .204 and .223 Varminter. Explain to me they will not do that another would do better.

I have one really nice, really accurate.22 CZ. Explain to me what another .22 would do better.

Now, if you’re into some type competition, there are obviously other platforms that would be preferable. But for my needs/wants/desires I’m 71 and at this point in my life they do everything I neec

I don't have nearly as many and I want to downsize. Ultimately, I think I want to end up with 50 muzzleloader, 30-06 Springfield, 7.62x39 and .22 LR. Not decided between 7.62x39 (don't have any) and .223 Remington (have one, but would get a more versatile rifle to replace it). Thinking about only one of each caliber, which would be the toughest part for sure. Not there yet!

If I were you, I'd dump the 7.62x39s, keep a couple 5.56s and sell the least loved, sell the least loved 308s, keep the best 243 and 300 win mag. Keep the rest. 45-70 is definitely a keeper as is the 375 ruger. 357 & 44 carbine are great to have.

I've got no love for commie guns, especially now that ammos not cheap.

Remember the old saying- "beware the man with one gun, he knows how to use it"

A lot of truth in that. I shoot all my guns sometimes, I always shoot my 45-70. If I've got a man sized target within 300 yards, I'm confident I can lob one in on it with my first shot, if I've got a grapefruit sized target within 100 yards I'll hit it with confidence first shot. I'm no marksman and I'm not a long range shooter but I know that gun and I know how to get it to do what I need.

Obturation said:

If I were you, I'd dump the 7.62x39s, keep a couple 5.56s and sell the least loved, sell the least loved 308s, keep the best 243 and 300 win mag. Keep the rest. 45-70 is definitely a keeper as is the 375 ruger. 357 & 44 carbine are great to have

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If you really want to keep both the.308 and .300 WM, then do it. But logically, there’s little to nothing meaningful the .300 will do that the .308 won’t. And they’re both .30’s. They’re duplicates without being the same.

Same with the .357 and .44. Is there anything meaningful one will do that the other doesn’t?

I recently consolidated my collection. Sold off all the "ok" stuff and bought a few new nice higher end firearms. Rather have a few nice things vs 1,000 ok things. Quality over quantity. In the process, I did get rid of 2 calibers in the process. I am down to 9mm, 22LR, 12GA and 5.56. No plans to add more calibers

Pew-Pew said:

... Rather have a few nice things vs 1,000 ok things. Quality over quantity. In the process, ...

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I think that's an excellent guideline to follow, but done in foresight, not in hindsight.

jmr40 said:

I've sold most all of mine and could do everything I need to do with 308 and 223/5.56. And I have multiples of each. The rifles may be set up differently for different uses, and the bullet choice may change. But there is enough overlap to do it all with those 2 cartridges.
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And there is nothing special about 308. Pick just about any cartridge that you like and the same can be said. You might prefer 30-06, 270, 300 WM or any of at least a dozen others. I chose 308. I much prefer 223/5.56 as my small centerfire because I have both AR's and bolt guns.
...
For me getting down to basics and just having a few cartridges to load for and buy has simplified life and I'm happy. But a lot depends on your age and experience. When younger I tried just about everything out there. I guess that was just a stage I had to go through. And you may have to do the same.

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^^^ This is me as well. I have several guns in .223 and .308 and haven't encountered anything that I want to do that I can't do with one of the guns in those calibers and a proper load. I have a .243 and a couple of Mil-Surp calibers because I wanted those particular guns, but not because I needed the chamberings.

Same is true for my centerfire handguns. They are .357/.38 Special, 45 ACP and 9-mm.

One of my reasons for the limited chamberings is that I hope and expect to leave my guns to my kids and family members, and perhaps they to theirs. These chamberings will be around for the long run, however long that is, and will be as easy to find and affordable as any. (My family all have enough sense NOT to wait until a panic to buy ammo, so I don't pick my guns based upon what might be left on the shelf after a panic has ensued.)