Ammo poll - Consolidate or Diversify?

[Juna]

If you're on a budget shopping for a rifle & pistol, would you prefer to have:

1) Multiple guns using the same caliber OR

2) Multiple different calibers for diversity (different purpose/range)?

Obviously option 1 makes economical sense in that you could hypothetically stock one kind of ammo only and could make that a caliber that's widely available, but it may sacrifice power or range options. Option 2 gives you more shooting options but costs more for ammo presumably. The recent jump in ammo prices and ammo shortages made this poll pop into my head, and I figured I'd ask the fine folks at THR.

 

[SigfanUSAF]

The solution isn't that simple. The more ammo I buy, the more diversified weapons I find myself buying. I ended up buying a P228 for both carry and range days, and I burn up 9mm and 9mm +p like it's going out of style. I buy ammo for the rest of my collection when I get the desire to go shoot them. It's hard to feed .303 Enfield, 7.62 NATO, 7.5 Swiss, 7.62R, 8x57 Mauser, 7x57 Mauser, .30 carbine, 30-06, 5.56 NATO, 22-250, & 30-40 Krag.
AND THAT"S JUST FOR MY RIFLES!!!!!!!

Buy 'em all, worry 'bout ammo later!

 

[Geno]

Myth of the "Do-it-all" caliber / do-it-all firearm

No single firearm/caliber can do all. In that spirit, I have always found myself looking to maintain a modest collection of task-specific firearms. Seeking out a 1911, a Glock, even an AR15 with a .22LR upper is the means of genuinely deploying those expensive firearms without incurring the expenses of the pricey ammunitions. Live within your means. Buy what you need, not what you "want". Seek dual purpose arms where possible, but see sentence #1.

I have in long guns in:

.22 LR
5.56/.223 Rem
7.62/.308 Win
.300 Win. Mag
12 Ga

In pistols I have:

.22 LR
.22L R/22 Mag
.380
9MM/.22LR
.45ACP/.22LR.

For all I have, I can locate military ammunition to keep expenses low save for the .300 Win. Mag. That, I can reload. I now have all the calibers I will ever have. From this point on, I would probably simply add additional firearms.

Although, I do like the P35 in .40S&W, And the Glock 23C, and the G22. And don't even get me started on the Ferret .50!!!!! Then, I could say I have a long-gun in:

.22 LR; 5.56/.223 Rem; .50 BMG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Doc2005

 

[kilogulf59]

I guess everybody looks at things a bit differently, and much depends upon ones personal situation. With that, here's my take on the question.

With same-caliber weapons one has the commonality of ammo as a plus. However, it is a compromise and with all compromises there are tradeoffs. One either gets a rifle firing a rather weak and limited range handgun cartridge or one gets a handgun firing an exceptionally powerful cartridge. Normally the former rather than the latter but you get my gist.

Generally speaking, the usage of a long gun is different from that of a handgun so I would opt for the task specific or dedicated weapons and ammo. Based on a "survival" type situation, I would avoid police and military calibers only due to the occasional crisis shortages that have popped up in the last few years. Common calibers I would personally consider would be a .30-30 rifle and a .38/.357 handgun or a .30-06 and a .45 ACP. Common enough to find ammo any ware but not likely to be grabbed up quickly by "officials".

BTW, interesting topic and good food for thought.

 

[Samuel_Hoggson]

I have a technical question about this poll. When I tried to vote for both multiple guns in the same caliber, and for multiple different calibers for diversity - as my conscience dictates - my terminal would not allow me to cast such a vote.

Will continue working on the problem, unless someone can suggest a fix.

Sam

 

[diesel_furry]

out of all my guns only two are in the same caliber . my Winchester model 77 22lr and my ruger single six 22lr / 22 mag. all the rest of my guns are dif calibers. i just never liked buying two guns in the same caliber. i currently have 22 dif calibers to pick from . from cheap to lil pricy i like to have alot of options when i go to the range

 

[MrDig]

I own the following Caliber rifles....
.22LR Model 60, just plain fun to shoot
.243 H&R Handi HB, Nice Varmint or Deer gun
.357 Marlin 1894c just got it should be a hoot though
7.62/.308 Ishapore, my first milsurp, could have made a worse choice I think.
30-06 Rem 03A3 sporterized prior to my owning it. Kinda got taken on this deal but live and learn.
I use them all for different purposes but like having a Ruger GP100 6in to go with the .357, Thinking of another carbine in 9mm to go with FM M95 HP. I like the idea of having long guns shoot pistol ammo.

 

[brentwal]

Let me see here

1
8
16
no
30 different caliber/gauges.

WT???

:banghead:

Stupid C&R

 

[EdLaver]

Budget pistol? Budget Rifle? I would get a Taurus 24/7 .40cal and a Romanian WASR-10 AK 7.62x39. Both for right at or around $700 total. Now me personally, I have 9 different calibers:

.22lr
.380
9mm
.40cal
10mm
.45acp
.223
.308
7.62x54r

 

[browningguy]

If I was on a budget I would probably limit my calibers, but would still have a rifle caliber weapon and a handgun caliber weapon. On a budget I'd probably go .223/9mm. Both are widely available and insexpensive for practice.

And in fact if I had to go somewhere in a hurry I would probably only carry the three .223's and either the four 9mm's, or the four .40's.

So I guess I actually choose multiple guns in the same caliber AND multiple calibers.

 

[SteelyNirvana]

IMO thats the fun in shooting and having different calibers of everything.I would someday like to own a little bit of everything.I'm working on it though so far I've got

2 .22's
1 12ga
1 .357
1 30-30

Plan on adding more when the $$$ comes available

 

[DMK]

Diversify, just like your stock portfolio.

Obviously option 1 makes economical sense

Not necessarily. With the ammo prices and availability problems as of late, I'm glad I'm not locked into just one or two calibers. For a while, 7.62x39 was impossible to find, so I shot 7.62x51 then 5.56 surplus went through the roof, and now 7.62x51 surplus is petering out. However, 7.62x39 is starting to come back in and while not as cheap as it was, it's still cheaper than 5.56 and 7.62x51. While 7.5x55 was fairly common, I stocked up on it, now it's getting harder to find. All the while 7.62x54R and 8mm were dirt cheap, so I can still shoot those for pennies. A 9mm carbine would be economical to plink with too.

Diversify and you can ride out the price/supply storms. Buy it cheap, stack it deep. Buy ammo when it's on sale. If you have a lot of calibers, you'll find something on sale pretty often. You can even sell some when the price goes up to fund ammo in other calibers.

 

[rangerruck]

I am down to 6 rounds now, though in hindsight that sounds like a lot. but they are very common, which is what I really prefer. 17m2, 22, 223, 762.39, 762.54, and 8mm. oh wait....9mm as well.

 

[115grfmj]

cheaper an easier to consolidate.......

Makes finding, buying, storing ammo easier.

I.e... Marlin 1894c & S&W 686+ in .357 Mag/.38 special
Marlin m70 & Ruger Single Six Stainless .22lr


Four seperate weapons with differing applications, covering the gamut from
Big game (deer, boar, black bear), to small game, to plinking, to self defense.....only two calibers to store..

The questions is far more about what kind of person YOU are.....are you the type that needs the lastest and greatest of everything. Or are you the more practical kind that can say to yourself that you don't NEED everything, and consolidating would make your life simpler and easier.

I personally am the latter kind .....but....

The problem lies in the fact that no one can tell you what type of person you are and how you should think.....

fun part is the decision .....my advice take your time.....read alot....and examine you own personal needs for firearms.

 

[Glockfan.45]

Huh my vote made it an even 50/50. I say multiple common calibers. That way you know you can always find something to shoot out of one of your guns, plus the odd ball rounds can be expensive for those who are budget minded. I have .45acp, .40S&W, 9mm, .357/.38spc, .22lr, 12 gauge, .223, .308, and 7.62x39 so I can always scrounge up something.

 

[Reginhild]

Different calibers for different purposes.

The only real savings in having one caliber is if you are starting reloading and have to get separate die sets and components.

...otherwise you can find ammo in many calibers at most stores.

...or unless you are out hiking with two guns and can only carry 500 rounds of ammo and just ran out of the 250 rounds of ammo X and can't shoot gun A because it takes ammo X......but wait, you can still shoot gun B with ammo Y.

And what happens when you go with one caliber and then your local store runs out????

 

[CU74]

Both are good.

"Buy it cheap. Stack it deep" - I love that comment. It sounds like a very good gun-owner philosophy, one that I am going to pursue.

For the fun of shooting, I believe in diversity of calibers. At the moment, I have .22, .357, .303, 30-30, 30-06, 7.62x54R, 7.62x39, 7.62 Nagant, 7.5x55, 8mm Mauser and .45ACP.

For a "SHTF" kind of situation, it may be better to have handguns and long guns of the same caliber. I am underpowered at the moment, with only .22 as a common caliber. However, I will add a .357 revolver soon to go with the Marlin lever. Depending upon the income tax outcome, I may also start looking for a Camp Carbine in .45 ACP, but that's not very high on my list. (I have a few revolvers to pick up first.)

 

[dispatch55126]

If you're looking to budget your ammo, get a TRADITIONAL!!! blackpowder rifle is 50 cal...and by traditional I mean a Hawkens or a Kentucky or for the military crowd a Brown Bess or Springfield. You spend an hour at the range and only fire a dozen volleys. Their tons of fun, you can hunt with them and afterwards you can put it on the wall and have a conversation piece.

 

[DogBonz]

On a Budget, was the Key Phrase

Because you asked about being on a budget, I voted for more guns in fewer calibers. If cash is tight, this would enable you to practice more with each gun, whch should make you more proficient.

I do agree that caliber specilization is a good thing. It it true that some callibers are very well suited for some things and not at all good for others. You wouldn't want to use a 50BMG for rabbit hunting, but on the other hand I wouldn't be stalking a Alaskan Brownie with a 22, or shooting 1000 yard competition with a 12ga, or duck hunt with a snub nosed 38. But... There are some calibers that can do, or can easily be made to do a lot of things well. Take the 30-06 for example. There is not a single large game animal, with the exception of Brownies, that I would not feel comfortable taking with my '06. White tail to black bear to moose and elk, the '06 is capeable of taking them all. Not only that, it can be made very accurate for long distance shooting, and if you reload, then one set of dies, one type of primer and powder, and all that you change is the bullet, makes a very efficient and cost effective set-up for the budget rifle shooter.

Get my point?

 

[General Geoff]

I'd like to eventually get my rifles whittled down to two calibers: 7.62x51, and .22lr.

Handguns are a different story though.

 

[alucard0822]

I reload most calibers, and like a variety of arms, some guns use the same ammo, but usually in different formats, like 357 mag S.A. paired with a .357 lever action carbine, 9mm pistol with a 9mm carbine, and of course 22's these are my foul weather pairs for indoor ranges. It's easy to grab 1 carbine, and 1 gun and 1 box of ammo, For the rest They would not be what they are without their respective caliber, 1911 in 45, M1 in 30-06, so to each their own.

 

[lesjones]

Eh. Commonality of ammo is OK if you're worried about SHTF or whatever, or if you're a reloader and don't want to buy a bunch of dies or work up a bunch of different loads. Otherwise if a different caliber is better for your purpose buy it.

 

[10-Ring]

Most models are made in diff't calibers so as you might be looking at a Glock in 357 sig, you could just as easily get one in 9 mm. For me, I went through the great consolidation of '98 just for simplicity's sake and if I wanted to shoot a diff't caliber, I'd borrow something