Soon to be obsolete rounds?

I didn't even watch the video. If I could predict the future I would have become a very rich person just by buying lottery tickets. I doubt his insight is absolute just as anyone else's isn't.

I have a 1914(?) French Revolver that shoots 8mm French Ordinance sometimes referred to as 8mm Labelle and I would say it is in essence obsolete. From what I read Fiocchi is the only company that produces it and they only run a batch every 5 years or so

Ah, yes, the .45 GAP.

Nutshell-wise:

I can still imagine one of Glock's engineers looking down into a .45 ACP case and asking "Vy do zey need all zat room for zuch an itty-bitty bit uff powder? Ve can make zat case shorter und haff a schmaller magazine."

Then they found they needed a special non-canister powder for zee schmaller case and strongly recommended the round not be reloaded.

"Ja, bud vat aboud the Amerikan reloaders?"

"Shcrew zem."

I'm not signing this one.

"Obsolete" is the wrong word. In military parlance when something is declared obsolete it is withdrawn from service, all examples are turned in.When I enlisted in the Army in 1967 the M-1 Rifle, M-1 Carbine and BAR were all obsolete. "Discontinued " , "no longer manufactured because of no demand" would be a better description.
The pin fires, the large bore rimfires, e.g.
The 38 S&W should be "obsolete", but because of the large number of revolvers chambered for it, it is still in demand.

The only "Russian" ammo "at risk" (other than the old Nagant revolver rounds) is the 5.45x39. Mostly from a lack iof international adoption.
7.62x39 was adopted by many nations, so the production spread to many nations. Much like 9x18, there are plenty of factories turning out the ammo. Even 7.62x25 seems safely international as well.
The sun has yet to set on the 44 russian--far too early to call it darkness.

.40 S&W becoming obsolete? Somehow I don't think so. Still a ton of .40 guns being produced. Ton of ammo out there as well. I have moved more to the 9mm and .45ACP as I get older, but I still have .40 guns and plenty of ammo.

kje54 said:

"it is in essence obsolete"

Agreed. Obsolete definition is, and I paraphrase: no longer in use or no longer in common use. The 8mm Labelle is still available but not a commonly used round hence obsolete. All the rounds mentioned in the video are still available but again no longer in common use which is why I agree with the fact they are "obsolete". Heck even obsolete rounds can and in some cases have made a resurgence in popularity like the 45-70. Just because something is obsolete doesn't automatically mean it's extinct.

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I agree with you. I just wanted to say (and I apologize for nitpicking) that Fiocchi calls this 8mm Lebel, and even that is actually incorrect for the revolver round. 8mm Lebel was the name of the French Army's rifle cartridge in WWI. Lebel was an actual person who helped designed both the Lebel rifle and ammunition, and he had nothing to do the with the revolver or its cartridge.

I don't know a correct name for the revolver cartridge. If I am trying to be a stickler for accuracy, I just call it 8mm French Revolver. It's not like there's a whole bunch of those.

BTW, I listened to the first part of the video, about 40 S&W, and then shut it off. We have had that discussion way too many times here to listen to it again.

It seems to me the 41 Magnum has been becoming "obsolete" ever since it was invented. I mean, even that guy that did the did the video sort of claimed that when the 41 Magnum was invented, people were scratching their heads and saying, "what for?"
I don't much care one way or the other. I have a 41 Magnum, I like it, and I wish more gun manufacturers would build more guns chambered for the 41 Magnum. But in the end, I also have a L-Frame 44 Magnum (a Smith Model 69) that I would choose over a 41 Magnum in the same gun.
So I guess I'm one of those rotten guys that are helping the 41 Magnum become "obsolete." Don't worry all you 41 Magnum fans though - I predict the 41 Magnum will still be around after I'm gone, and there will still be people claiming it's becoming "obsolete."

Some say the 7.62x39mm is a doomed caliber and that we should all throw our Simonov and Kalashnikov rifles into the sea.

I’m not convinced yet. Time will tell I suppose.

There's obsolete and obsolescent.
Everything in that video going by his metrics is obsolescent not obsolete.

The only one I've seen even just a bit obsolescent is the 45gap/41 mag. Everything else I've seen on the shelves recently.
Even the 45gap I saw on shelves at the beginning of this kerfuffle, but not since.

And as a dedicated shooter of some REALLY obsolete cartridges (10.75 berdan, 450-577, 577 snider, 11 Murata and 50-70) nothing is obsolete with time, money, Mapp torch, lead and a good solidly mounted press.

And good old fashioned American refusing to do the sane thing and buy something modern and easier to deal with.

Obsolete when the first one was sold - 25acp.

I have like two obsolete calibers in my collection, .25-20 and 7.7 Arisaka. Im sure at some point 7.7 will be made in runs or I can find some 2nd hand. .25-20 I hope Remington or Winchester do a run eventually. Looking on Gunbroker fairly newer ammo for .25-20 is around $4 a round and there's not much for sale. But there is a lot of rifles listes in that caliber and I know a lot were made so I keep hoping

.308 Norma said:

It seems to me the 41 Magnum has been becoming "obsolete" ever since it was invented. I mean, even that guy that did the did the video sort of claimed that when the 41 Magnum was invented, people were scratching their heads and saying, "what for?"
I don't much care one way or the other. I have a 41 Magnum, I like it, and I wish more gun manufacturers would build more guns chambered for the 41 Magnum. But in the end, I also have a L-Frame 44 Magnum (a Smith Model 69) that I would choose over a 41 Magnum in the same gun.
So I guess I'm one of those rotten guys that are helping the 41 Magnum become "obsolete." Don't worry all you 41 Magnum fans though - I predict the 41 Magnum will still be around after I'm gone, and there will still be people claiming it's becoming "obsolete."

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I think 41 magnum would be great in a 5 shot GP-100, but nobody listens to me.

‘Internet Influencer’ droning on and on, saying nothing new, and using creative definitions of words like ‘obsolete’. 100% useless BS.

Monac said:

I agree with you. I just wanted to say (and I apologize for nitpicking) that Fiocchi calls this 8mm Lebel, and even that is actually incorrect for the revolver round. 8mm Lebel was the name of the French Army's rifle cartridge in WWI. Lebel was an actual person who helped designed both the Lebel rifle and ammunition, and he had nothing to do the with the revolver or its cartridge.

I don't know a correct name for the revolver cartridge. If I am trying to be a stickler for accuracy, I just call it 8mm French Revolver. It's not like there's a whole bunch of those.

BTW, I listened to the first part of the video, about 40 S&W, and then shut it off. We have had that discussion way too many times here to listen to it again.

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The revolver ammo is often called Lebel but it is actually 8mm French Ordinance.

^
"...8mm French Ordinance."

Shouldn't that be "Ordnance?"

Just being a "nit-pricker."

I've had a spell checker red-line "ordnance" with the "correction" " to "ordinance" and nearly clicked on the "correction" myself. Had to add it to my "Dictionary."

Then there's the wisecrack, "Spell check is my worst enema."

Whew. Almost ran out of quote marks in this one. I got three left. " " " There. That ought to do it. Never could figure out why you are limited to an odd number of quote marks. Should be an even number, wouldn't you think?

Terry, 230RN

I do look at a lot of things on You Tube. Mostly for entertainment, some for learning odd bits.
I have noted that many You Tube videos are made by those who would NOT be issued a license for the information they possess were that needed. (It isn't, God Bless the United States!) I've noted many videos are intentionally controversial to generate viewer numbers and made You Tube think they're germane to anything. Frankly, ammunition makers already keep track of what sells and what is obsolete.

jmr40 said:

Obsolete isn't the same as extinct.

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^^^This. One definition of obsolete is "no longer in general use."

Compound bows have basically made recurves and straight bows obsolete but, many folks still use those traditional tools of the trade. Was a time 50 years ago when many gun rags called the 16ga. "obsolete". I have seen a coupla resurgences since and my old Fox SxS in it is still my go to pheasant gun. Don't tell the dead roosters it's obsolete. Regardless of what many claim, the .45 Colt at one time was pretty obsolete. Cowboy action type shooting, nostalgia and gun forums have put it back on the front burner. Same can be said for Lever guns. Pump .22s, while at one time were the rimfire to own, are now harder to find for sale than hen's teeth. Doesn't make them any less effective than they ever were.

230RN said:

^
"...8mm French Ordinance."

Shouldn't that be "Ordnance?"

Just being a "nit-pricker."

I've had a spell checker red-line "ordnance" with the "correction" " to "ordinance" and nearly clicked on the "correction" myself. Had to add it to my "Dictionary."

Then there's the wisecrack, "Spell check is my worst enema."

Whew. Almost ran out of quote marks in this one. I got three left. " " " There. That ought to do it. Never could figure out why you are limited to an odd number of quote marks. Should be an even number, wouldn't you think?

Terry, 230RN

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Quotation Marks

deleted, double post.

Jack Ryan said:

Obsolete when the first one was sold - 25acp.

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Why do say this, Jack Ryan? I am not a fan of 25 ACP, but there wasn't any other viable choice for a mini-auto back in 1905 or whenever Browning designed it. IMO, it's better than 32 S&W (but not 32 S&W Long), which a lot people were using for self-defence at the time. "Obsolete" is not the word that comes to my mind for it until about 1990 or so. "Ineffective"? Sure, I'll give you that, but it was a good choice for a class of pistol that people found useful then.

Obsolete is a strong word. In some instances trends come and go, just to return later.

Case in point, I've wanted a Colt Delta Elite in 10mm since the 80's when I saw it. Didn't have hots for Bren Ten (I do now... dang) but as my IPSC race gun was a Gold Cup in .45, I thought it'd be great. Fast forward to 2011, I came across a LNIB Delta Gold Cup for sale in Austria, I had to have it so I arranged all the paperwork, bought it and had it shipped to me. Great!

While people seemed to appreciate the rarity of the particular gun, I got more than a few chuckles from people, wishing good luck finding ammo for it. .40S&W was mainstream at the time. When I rechambered my Para 16-40 Limited to 10mm a bit later (I didn't have the heart to shoot the Delta as much as I liked, much less CCW it) I was pretty much the only one who thought it was a good idea. Now the tables are turning as we speak. 10mm is more or less mainstream and some are even predicting the demise of .40S&W.

Predicting the future is nigh on impossible. Anything can happen. I lean heavily on sure bets like .22lr, 9mm, .357Mag, .44Mag, .223Rem, .308Win, .375H&H and so on, but I also have guns in quite a few other calibers, even ACTUALLY obsolete oddballs - anyone ever heard of 7x53R? Sako used to offer factory loads for it in the 60's; without necking dies to form brass from 7.62x54R I'm hosed.

Speculation is sometimes fun, though.

As far as the 41 mag I like mine, but is enough rounds of ammo being sold each year to keep it alive???

That is normally the question that needs to be asked about the longevity of a cartridge.

I have dreamed about having a 8mm Remington Mag built for years. Ammo is getting tough to get. I have been looking for 8rm ammo during this shortage to see if it is going to be restocked???