Is consolidation to one caliber wise?

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orphanedcowboy

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We had an in depth discussion at work last night about the merits of certain calibers. I told my group of about 6 co-workers that I had decided to consolidate my handgun selection to guns clambered for the 45 acp and some thought it was wise while others thought it was a poorly made decision. I have 32 H&R, 380, 9mm, 357, 40 S&W, 44 Mag, 45 Colt, 45 acp, 500 S&W. I think for me, the wise decision is to consolidate. Less hassle with ammo storage, selection and purchasing. I have over 10 handguns in 45 acp, far more than any other caliber, it's a caliber that I am proficient with, it has a wide variety of bullet selection and manufacturers.

I do not hunt with a handgun, so that eliminates the need for the big bore revolvers, and I have several 13rd capacity 45 acp handguns so that is covered.

I have racked my brain trying to find fault in my reasoning, does this sound far fetched to anyone other than a couple of co-workers(that happen to love the 40 S&W)?
 
I've often said there are only 4 1/2 useful pistol cartridges:

1. The .22 LR. Everyone should have a .22 pistol.

1 1/2. The .38 Special. Although you can buy lots of flea-weight .357s, most people shoot .38 specials in snubnose revolvers.

2. The .357 Magnum -- ideal for a service revolver.

3. The .45 ACP, especially in the gun designed for it, the M1911.

4. The .45 Colt -- close to the ideal revolver hunting cartridge.

If you don't carry a snubnose revolver, don't carry a service revolver, and don't hunt, that leaves two, the .22 LR and the .45 ACP.
 
If you do consolidate, just make sure to stockpile some ammo. When we get another ammo shortage like we had recently, .45 ACP, 9x19, and all the common cartridges will be sold out. All you'll see on the shelves is 10mm, .357 Sig, and other cartridges that are not as popular. If you have some guns you like that are chambered for a more unpopular round, you might hold onto at least one. Otherwise, yes, one caliber does make it easier to buy ammo. All my handguns are .45 ACP. I have several calibers of rifles, but all I really buy ammo for now are my .308's. I get what you're saying. I also think you may end up regretting selling some of those guns, unless you have a dream gun that you are thinking about using the money towards. I'm not a fan of selling my guns, but I know folks that do it all the time without hesitation. Guess it depends on your mindset.

I dunno man, tough decision.

Jason
 
Consolidating can make things easy at first. But make sure you choose a common and readily available choice that wont likely disappear. Consolidating can make one obsolete.

DiversityAmmo.jpg
 
I currently only own two handgun calibers (9mm Luger and .45 ACP) but I'll soon buy a .22LR and something big/bad like a .454 Casull or .500 S&W Mag or maybe .44 Mag. So that'll be four calibers.

The above stated, I'm in the process of stockpiling other common/popular ammo for barter down the road... 1000 rounds in calibers I have handguns for and 500 rounds for those I don't. So ammo storage isn't the deciding factor for me.
 
Vern said:
I
've often said there are only 4 1/2 useful pistol cartridges:

1. The .22 LR. Everyone should have a .22 pistol.

1 1/2. The .38 Special. Although you can buy lots of flea-weight .357s, most people shoot .38 specials in snubnose revolvers.

2. The .357 Magnum -- ideal for a service revolver.

3. The .45 ACP, especially in the gun designed for it, the M1911.

4. The .45 Colt -- close to the ideal revolver hunting cartridge.

If you don't carry a snubnose revolver, don't carry a service revolver, and don't hunt, that leaves two, the .22 LR and the .45 ACP.
Click to expand...

That's basically what I've settled on over the years. I got totally out of .38 special for awhile, even trading away my old brass and loading my plinking loads in .357 cases but then an (old style) bodyguard followed me home. I've got a .32 and a .380 that the wife tried for awhile before settling on a 9mm. I probably ought to sell/trade those as they're too small for my old eyes and klutzy fingers to reload and she doesn't need them anymore anyway. Sometimes I think about picking up a .40 S&W pistol or even a .44 Mag levergun but I know one would lead to many and then I'd have to buy new dies, and stock more bullets, and ....

Another thing I like about my current status is that I don't have any cartridges that are "close enough" to confuse and cause trouble. .45 Colt, but no .44 mag. 30-06 but no .308, etc. Do have a son that's getting more into shooting, so mom's old 20 gauge a and a new/used .243 are probably being added to the rifle mix.
 
If it works for you I think it's a good idea. I would venture to guess that 90+ % of firearm owners have only one caliber.

I discovered years ago that .357 Magnum revolvers are ideal for all of my shooting needs, so I sold, traded, or gave away the few handguns I had in different calibers. At almost 63 I don't see me buying anything in a different caliber.
 
Caliber selective choices

Darwin was right. If you are going to sit around reading magazines and sipping champagne, you don't need to make ANY changes. But if you are aware of potential Zombie-oonamis coming eventually, and go w/ the flow, you'll shake out a few calibers. Most-common caliber storage for you truly "... won't be any problem ..." But the larger the bullet, the harder it is to carry bunches of them if you NEED to move out. While you are "on the road" you won't be re-loading very much. Just be as ready as you can, stick to your plan, and prove Darwin right again: Survival Of The Fittest (And Best Prepared.) For me, I'll choose from these two-gun packages: .357 mag, 3" barrel pairs with Desert Eagle, 14" barrel (meat-gun & SD); .45ACP Glock-21, xtra hi-cap mags, Marlin Camp .45ACP with Choat folder (two other guns that were "designed" for 45ACP); maybe take my Taurus Circuit Judge, and a 12ga flare pistol. I have to keep my BOB under 40-pounds. And my pockets will be stuffed with bullets. DAO.
 
Might work for some. Personally, I like having lots of different ones, if for no other reason than I am very unlikely to not have enough ammo for something to go shooting at any given time without having to go shopping first.
 
Personal preference. As far as apocalyptic problems, caliber and ammo supply will probably be one of your lesser worries, despite the attention it gets in the forums.

If you are happy with one caliber that will serve all your purposes, do it and don't worry whether it is a "wise" choice or not. As for us who "sip champagne and read magazines", we will be really bored at the range without some diversity. And I bet we last just as long as you....
 
machIVshooter said:
...if for no other reason than I am very unlikely to not have enough ammo for something to go shooting at any given time without having to go shopping first.
Click to expand...

Isn't that more of a inventory/"stock" issue?

Since my budget is VERY limited, I've been considering the best caliber for the type of handgun I want. It's seeming like .38/.357 is going to fit the bill.
 
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Dunno...I have a foot in each camp...I mean for a while I was trying to get down to 5 calibers. My 12 gauge, .308, 9mm, 22LR...Then I started shooting CAS, so I went with the .45 LC. I saw a .45 ACP revolver in a gun shop, so I bought that, and my RIAs quickly followed. Then my mother-in-law gave me a .38 Special revolver, so I started buying those, then Ruger came out with their version of the Kel-Tec in .380 ACP. Then a friend of mine was moving down to Oregon, and she sold me her SKS, so I had to buy 7.62 x 39 for it. My mother-in-law (bless her heart) gave me an 8mm Yugo Mauser, so I had to have 8mm. Then, for living history classes, I bought .45 and .50 caliber muzzleloaders...So I am back up to a whole bunch of calibers...

I always figured the best way to go would be to stick to a few calibers you like and use, and just buy a lot of guns that use them!
 
Personally, I prefer having weapons of various calibers.
Here's why:

No one firearm is great for everything....

.22LR is great for plinking from rifles or hanguns because it's very affordable (which means that I can afford more range time).
But when it comes to self defense the .22LR is not the best choice.

And while I love the .357 magnum and the .45ACP, I wouldn't want a small light-weight pocket-pistol in either of those calibers.
In fact, I wouldn't even want a sub-compact in either of those calibers.
Those particular calibers perform best from a 4+" barrel and are easiest to shoot from a full-sized handgun (like a Ruger GP100 or a Colt 1911).

The 9mm and the .38 Special are both great from smaller handguns.
 
Down that ROAD myself.32,380 ,9mm , 40 sw,45 acp,38 sp ,357 mag.22 wmr,22lr. I don't shoot as much as I did years ago.Down to 22 lr,32 acp ,38 sp, & 357 mag .Now life is simple.
 
Well, I will be keeping on S&W 29 for a personal reason, but other than that it will be Glocks, XDms and 1911s for me from here on out and whatever I buy in the future.

I consolidated to on gauge, 12ga, in shotguns this past yr even for the wife and daughter and haven't regretted that at all.

Rifle calibers will be different, I don't know if that is even possible.

Supply isn't an issue for me, bought 2000 rds a week of Federal 230gr ball at $15 a box while Cabelas had it on sale, so I am sitting on over 10,000 rds of that plus whatever I had of FMJ and then there is at least a 1000 rds of PD ammo.
 
I see no reason for it unless you reload and even then not really. Storing 50 rounds of 9, 50 of .40 and 50 of .45 is no harder than 150 of .45. Not to mention in times of a shortage you'll have an easier time finding something you can shoot. During the last panic .45 was one of the hardest to find.
 
I'm all about consolidating calibers. Having a stockpile of ammo and being able to take any gun to the range is so much better than having a smaller pile specific to each gun. Or having some for this gun, but out of it for the thing I want to shoot...

.22LR goes without saying, but these days I'm trying to keep it down to 45 and 9mm for autos, and .357 for revolvers. Just .223 for centerfire rifle.
 
Some of the ideas thrown about in this thread are exactly what I own a P250. My first preference is 9mm, but in a SHTF or another ammo shortage, I can shoot .357 Sig, .40, .45, and 9mm.
 
I've done both. I have all kinds of calibers that I keep ammo for but tend to stockpile just a few. This way I have very good versaltility while maintaining a small core of guns that are combat ready.
 
From an old vet, waiting for Obama to stop continually manual re-adjustments of his 'pleasure level', so's my VA and SocSec checks get paid:

I have 2 calibers, and that is enough of a headache for me, and here's why.
1. 9mm ... inserted into any of my BHP's - either that old Remington115gr. JHP load of olde, or those Win. 147gr. FMJTC/JHP, both NON Plus P.
2. .38 Special - SW Mod 15's or Taurus 82 4-inchers; Taurus 851CIA; Rossi M92 16" Lever Action Carbine. Do I shoot LSWC, WC, FMJ, Nyclad today?
3. IF there is any kind of "ruh-roh", which has been envisioned, and written down by any person alive, there is a good possibility that you, or I, will be doing what we do in a day, and like these "flashmobs", will be found in a localized maelstrom, away from our "castlekeep". What we have at hand, will have to do whatever duty it is, to give us the edge to get out of there. Should that be the case, I would rather have the .38 Special-bearing firearm. I am proficient with my BHP's, but not comfortable yanking out a semi-auto. Too many variables at hand. The CIA in the beginning, had to choose between the BHP, and the SW J-frame. You can imagine my surprise, when my source stated the J-frame won out. So, "good enough for government work", good enough for me. In ending, my BHP's are a matte blue MKII with low GI-style sights, and a SHOT show digicamo MKIII with 3-dot sights. Fer sure, not POS's!
 
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