I've reduced calibers a LOT, and am happy. You?

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UKWildcatFan

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I've traded and sold to shed 13 calibers and now I'm down to 17HMR, 22/22Mag, 38/357, 9, 45ACP, 45LC, 30-30WCF, 5.56, 7.62x51, 30-06, and 12g. Much happier now. Less mouths to feed so I can concentrate on the stacking up of reloading components. I feel happy about my choice to do so. You adding calibers or no, or reducing? I'll always remember seeing .40 on shelves when nothing else was.
 
I have done similar not only condensing calibers (bullet diameters) but also mainstreaming to ones components are always readily available for.

It took awhile but I realized that a beautiful custom 300 h&h really doesn't do anything a 308/30-06 doesn't in terms of range time and reloading.

Even my halo prized low wall target rifle is chambered for the lowly cheap easy to load for 30-30
 
Pretty much staying the course with: .22LR, .22WMR, .380, 9mm., .38 Super, .38 Special, .357 Magnum, .44 Special, .45LC, .45ACP, .223, 7.62x39mm., 12 gauge, and 20 gauge. Still satisfied with these selections and have plenty of ammo for all of them so yes, I'm happy.
 
Good heavens no. Part of the fun is making up different rounds. Then reaching into the safe and just grabbing something for the day. While monogamy may be the "ideal" for men and women, with firearms variety is the spice of life.

Call me fickle if you will, but at least I'm selectively fickle.
 
Just added two new ones last week, 25-20 Winchester and 460 S&W Mag. I'm much happier now with bullets, brass, and dies on the way! What can I say, I enjoy a variety of guns!

Caliber
.22 Long Rifle
.25 ACP
.25-20 Winchester
.270 Winchester
.30-06 Springfield
.303 British
.30-30 Ackley Improved
.30-30 Winchester
.32 ACP
.32 S&W
.32 Winchester Special
.338 Winchster Magnum
.35 Remington
.357 Magnum
.38 Colt
.38 S&W
.38 Special
.38 Super
.38-40 WCF
.40 S&W
.44 cap & Ball (.451 RB)
.44 Magnum
.44 Special
.444 Marlin
.45 (.457 RB)
.45 ACP
.45 Cap & Ball (.457 RB)
.45 Colt
.45-70
10mm
12 Guage
20 Guage
45-70
460 S&W Magnum
5.56 x 45 NATO (.223)
7.62 x 39
7.62 x 51 NATO (.308)
7.62 x 54R
8mm Mauser
9mm Luger
 
I currently have firearms

in the following calibers:

22LR
204 Ruger
223
7.62x39
308
45-70
32 H&R
380 acp
9mm
38 special
357 Mag
357 Sig
40 S&W
44 Mag
45 ACP
45 Colt
454 Cassul
460 S&W
500 S&W
Almost forgot the street sweepers. (shotguns)
410
20 Gauge
12 gauge
I see no need to down size. I also have die to reload at least 10 more calibers.
 
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When talking economics...it makes sense. However...

some of the guns I own have nothing to do with that side of gun ownership. First, let me say, I do not own any "high end" or valuable firearms. I can load eleven calibers but I don't shoot all of them often...so they don't really cost me much year to year. On top of that, they came to me from family...so they didn't cost me when they came into my possession.

But I don't want to turn 'em loose, I want to hand them down to other family.

I'm happy where I am. I have a friend that only has two rifles, two handguns, and one shotgun...he is very happy. Shoots a good bit and shoots very well. His firearm group is perfect for him.

And that is all we need to do. Find our set of guns that suits us.

That is what makes this hobby such a fun thing. We can stop where we like or go as far as the bank account allows.

Fun, isn't it?
 
I keep adding CALIBERS and CARTRIDGES. No sense reducing any in my opinion. It's fun to work with new stuff.

Besides, except for cases which last a long time, many components are usable in multiple cartridges so keeping an inventory of components is not too difficult.
 
Just sold my 45-70. That leaves me with a few:
22lr/22mag, 17hmr, 32 acp, 25acp, 380acp, 9mm, 44 spec/44mag/45acp/45colt, 38 spec/357/38s&w for the small guns, 22lr, 17hmr,22wmr, 222, 223,30 carb, 30-30,308,243,30-40,7.7,44magX2,444,30-06,30-40,7.7 for the rifles. 410, 20, 16, 12, 10 ga for the shotguns, and .31, .36, .44, .45, .50, .56, .58X2, .72 for the muzzle loaders.
I think I'm about to cut down a little.
Almost all the centerfires I can and do load for, most I can and do cast for.
Add in the 12 and 20 slug guns.
 
I haven't really cut back on calibers, but my new rule is I only buy new firearms in calibers that are either military standard or can easily be formed from military brass, like for instance 7MM-08. I only shoot one real odd-ball, a .41 mag, but I cast my own projectiles and have a good supply of brass, so even that is not much of an issue. I was tempted to get a new .270 WSM deer rifle, but decided that a .308 win would probably work just about as well. I suspect that many of the new calibers will be orphaned in a few years, like WSM, WSSM, SAUM, RCM, etc.
 
No plans to shed calibers. I don't own that many at least from my point of view. They include 22 rimfire, 22 WMR, 38/357, 40 S&W, 41 mag, 480/475 in handguns, and 22 rimfire, 22 WMR, 223, and 270 win in rifles. More guns in 22LR than anything else. I don't see any reason to add or subtract calibers.
 
I probably have the fewest calibers of anyone here.

9 mm, .22 LR, .30-30. That's by choice. (I'm a kit minimalist,
party because of my quasi-nomadic lifestyle, partly because that's all I need.)

I may add .233/5.56 next year. Not sure yet.
 
Neat thread. Over the past year I have shed myself of the 17 hmr, 45-70, 45 acp and 270 Winchester. I think that is all but could easily wash my hands of the 44 mag and the 30 carbine. This may sound odd but the only 308 in the safe may even be on its last leg.
I've added one... The 410. No regrets. Still no room in the safe however.
 
Interesting.

I have...let me think...3 rifle calibers, 3 hand gun calibers, 2 shotgun gauges, (and one of those I have in different chamber lengths), and 22LR (of course).

I would like some simplicity. The problem is, all of my guns are family heirlooms, and I don't want to sell any of them. Additionally, I have sold...5 guns in my life, and, even though I have zero use for any of them, I' regret selling all but two.I was fortunate enough to be able to buy one of them back.

So selling guns to "shed" calibers makes great sense to me, I just don't see an area where I can do it. However, I would like to add rifles or hand guns in the hand gun calibers I already own. If the CMP comes through with those 1911's, I'l be adding yet another caliber.

But I would love to be able to store fewer types of powder, fewer sizes of primers, etc. I just don't see it happening.

Edit: at some point in the future, I WILL be eliminating one caliber; once the 22LR is gone, it's gone-I'm not buying any more.
 
sappyg said:
...wash my hands of the...30 carbine.
Click to expand...

I'll take your 30 carbine off your hands. Thinking about getting back into that. Had a commercial copy once. Sold it. Looking in to just buying WWII guns only for a while.

So there I go...ADDING calibers when I should be eliminating.
 
Yep, I've trimmed down a good bit, trending from less common boutique calibers to plain vanilla, but effective and available everywhere standbys. At one time I was interested in having a variety of different calibers, but at some point loading all of them became a chore, and it really sunk in that most of them overlapped so much with common, widely available calibers that I wasn't really accomplishing anything by loading 6.5x55 and 9.3x62 as opposed to .270 and .30-06, etc. Plus with my new little mini-me at home now, I really don't have a whole lot of gun time, and I'd rather be loading and shooting a few calibers, than loading a bunch of calibers and not shooting them very much.
 
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Maybe someone could start a thread on the cartridges they will always keep. For now I'm going long on:
22lr
223
243
7.62x39
30-06
38 special
357
9mm
12 gage
20 gage
410 bore
 
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