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

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Nope, I added quite a few this year. But I do have some rules pertaining to rifles. I have to be able to form cases from 7.62 or 5.56 brass. This cuts costs down a lot. And I have a healthy supply of LC brass to form them from. These rules work well until a friend or relative calls and wants to unload a bunch of firearms. That's how I ended up w/ a bunch of new ones and a need for another safe.
 
I am just starting out and only have four. Part of me wants to try all kinds of different cartridges but then I remember how I barely have time to reload for those 4. I will probably add a couple but I plan on always keeping my caliber count limited just to keep it simple.
 
UKWildcatFan - I'm fortunate in that I have not actually had to "pare down" the numbers I have as I've just kept things rather simple.

I try to keep a goodly supply of .22/.22 Mag, .38/.357 Mag, 7.62x39, 12 ga., .243 and .380. I reload for the last two and have for years but I'm just starting to reload for the .38/.357.

I also have a .25 and .32 ACP but I don't keep much on had for those two.

What I like to do is have multiple guns that use the same ammo. I have a handgun/rifle combo for the .38/.357 Mag, and 3 rifles/2 handguns that shoot either .22 LR or.22 Mag. One handgun does both.
 
I use to buy whatever struck my fancy and ended up with a very eclectic collection of calibers and guns over time that actually had very little use or utility for me. The more I got into the oddballs, the less I seemed to shoot and I really was losing interest in guns and shooting in general, the fun just sort of seeped away. One day while looking at a safe full of guns, finding I had no real good defensive weapon, nor any real useful weapons in general. Also I had very little ammo on hand in general. Not liking this situation, I decided to make a wholesale change.

These days only one "oddball" remains, a .475 Linebaugh, which I keep along with a couple of .45LC/.454's, all of which serve to which serve to satiate my big bore fixation and quench my thirst for something different. I shoot these guns far less than my "regular" guns, but still several times a year and have them in reserve should I desire to hunt or have need of a back up with some serious power.

The vast majority of my shooting is handled by just a handful of cartridges, which I stock in quantity. .22LR, .38 Special, and 9mm are all fired every trip to the range whether indoor or out and when I hit the outdoor range, .223 and 12 gauge come into play. I stock these rounds in quantity and find they serve my needs quite well.

For me, streamlining worked very well.
 
Yeesh...here goes.

.256 winmag, 32sw, 32swl, 32acp, 32 mag, 327fed, 380, 9mm, 10mm, 7-30 waters, 38spl, 357mag, 38sw (again), 44 mag (again), 223, .270, 30-30, 308 (again), 30-06 currently. 40sw in the future for sure since I have 10mm now. Looking very seriously at .20 practical, 6.5 grendel, 30 luger, 357 max, and 22 cheetah.

I love to get out on my bench. Having a desk job makes me want to be productive after a long day of staring at a computer screen, so any excuse to produce ammo is welcomed by 1/2 of the people who live in my house. The wife thinks the honey list is more important.
 
PapaG said:
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.
Click to expand...
You know, I've never tried o cast shotgun slugs. How big a pot do you have? Any interesting profiles around? Or, do you just find ones for pumpkin balls?
 
Yes and no. Over the decades the number of calibers has ebbed and flowed. On more than one occasion I got serious about reducing the number and it felt good. Then it creeps back up. Rinse and repeat. I have gotten more judicial about adding a new one these days though.

In the grand scheme of things, though, meh, it doesn't really matter. Have fun, shoot what you want, and call it good. Life is way too short to sweat the small stuff.
 
I like having several calibers to load for. Not only is the variety interesting, in times of component shortages, I have more flexibility, and thus less chance of getting completely shut out.
 
If you have "settled" on a few calibers and list 10 or more, I am not sure you are really settling. :) But I am the last one that needs to be judging anyone.

I try not to invest in a new caliber if I can. However, for calibers I don't shoot much, I just don't stock up on ammo. 6.8 SPC was in the category until recently. I have come across prices as low as $0.50 per round in the last year.
 
The calibers I stock for are limited
22lr
9mm
223/556
308
12ga

Would love to get rid of 12ga but everyone says I have to have a shotgun

The guns in each caliber are duplicates so I can learn and practice with as few guns as possible
 
22 all flavors
380
9mm
38/357
45acp
45Colt
30-30
5.56
7.62x39
12 gauge
20 gauge
Fixin to chop out 45's but then again maybe not.
 
Hm, let's see...

.22LR/.22 Mag
9mm
20 Gauge
12 gauge

I may be adding back .30-30 and 5.56 down the road, the last couple years have been rather tough financially, but I should be out of the woods in 8 months or so and be able to rebuild the collection again, but i won't just wantonly accumulate a random bunch of "good deals", each firearm will serve a purpose, no more collecting for the sake of collecting....
 
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.
Click to expand...

The folks in marketing want you you to believe that any thing after the 30-06, in a .30 cal, is the next BBD(Bigger better deal).

I feel, if you can't kill it with a 30-06 or .308 Winchester (in north america), then you need to learn how to shoot/hunt better. Not saying I wouldn't feel more comfortable with a .338 in brown bear country, for hunting though, either the 30-06 or .308 Winchester is all you really need.

Of course, YRMV :)
 
w129 said:
The folks in marketing want you you to believe that any thing after the 30-06, in a .30 cal, is the next BBD(Bigger better deal).

I feel, if you can't kill it with a 30-06 or .308 Winchester (in north america), then you need to learn how to shoot/hunt better. Not saying I wouldn't feel more comfortable with a .338 in brown bear country, for hunting though, either the 30-06 or .308 Winchester is all you really need.

Of course, YRMV :)
Click to expand...
I often refer to the 30-06 as the "Alaskan do-it-all" rifle. even thought I don't have one.

I keep meandering between rebarrelling my Savage 110 from 243 to 30-06, which would dump one caliber as I already have the M1 in 30-06, but then I think about how light the recoil is on the 243, how it's cheaper to shoot (less powder per shot), how it might make a good caribou rifle for my son, that I always meander back to keeping it in 243.

So much for "streamlining" my logistics chain.
 
I paired down my odd calibers several years ago. I only have standard calibers at the moment. I don't really plan on adding anything odd in the future. Perhaps a .243 bolt gun and a .357 rotary mag rifle eventually.

.22 lr
9x19mm
.357 Mag
30-06 Springfield
5.56mm
12 Ga.
 
Rifle cartridges:
.22 LR
5.56/.223
6.8x43
.243 Win
.30-30
.50 muzzleloader
One shotgun:
20 guage
Pistols:
.22LR and Winchester Magnum
9x18
9x19
.38 Special
.357 Magnum

Some could go away and not break my heart. Some have. No longer have any:
.45 ACP
.40 S&W
.32 ACP
7.5x55
7.62x39

Could see dumping the 6.8. Son loves it, though. Niche cartridge.
Would stop stocking 9x18 if my wife picks a different pistol.
Never have hunted with the .30-30, but my dad gave it to me.
.357 has limited utility for me, but I love the gun.

I could see cutting down to 9x19 and .22 in handguns, a shotgun, and in rifles, the .22, 5.56, and a hunting rifle - probably my .243, b/c shot opportunities are usually outside .30-30 ranges here. 6.8 could also work, and if I went all in on that, I could get out of 5.56, too. But why would I want to? I have so many cases for 5.56, I'll never run out.

I have a lot of .40 brass, too, and was tempted several times this year to get one, but I think I'd rather just sell the brass. If CMP will sell me a GI 1911, I'll probably add some limited amounts of .45 ACP to the stockpile so I can shoot it a couple times a year.

Can't think of another cartridge I'd add at this point.
 
I try to be a minimalist, but it's difficult with the marketing machine here in the US. I did the same as others when I moved from a state that made buying and selling handguns a PITA (go to LPD, obtain purchase permit, buy within 10 days, return to LPD for inspection, no FTF sales without the permit. In fact you had to have your copy of the permit with you if you had the gun outside your home.)

When I left that state I had four handguns;
.22LR semi-auto (S&W 2206TGT)
9MM semi-auto (Glock 26)
9MM semi-auto (Glock 19)
10MM semi-auto (Glock 20)
I have since moved to a state that does not require handgun "registration". I started making gunshows a hobby, combined with my increase in disposable income, I went a little overboard. I have bought and sold at least 25 handguns in the last several years. Some for no other reason than I liked the way it looked/felt/etc.

About 6 months ago I looked at my "accumulation" (not collection, that would imply a method to my madness) and decided to minimize my accumulation.

This what I'm down to
Cartridges-(Handguns);
22LR (2)
9x17/.380ACP (4)
9x19/Luger (5)
38spl & 357 mag (0)
40 S&W/never liked the 40 S&W, bought post Sandy Hook (2)
10mm (1)

I will not be adding anymore handgun cartridges, I had a 44mag, but never got past the recoil flinch, so 10mm is my big bore.

Cartridges-(rifle);
22LR (1)
223/5.56 (3)
300BO (1)
30-30 (1)
308 (1) may re-barrel this to 7mm-08
9x19 (1)
12 gauge (1)

I reload for all but the 30-30 and 12 gauge.

I'm enjoying my collection and don't plan on changing any time soon, but, then again, change is the only constant in life.:)
 
I don't shoot much because I can't afford it, but I thought about calibers long before I bought my first gun. I decided to stick to a few calibers and a single gauge, one in each category (with one exception so far). Thus I plan to only buy:

.22lr
9mm
.357
5.56/.223
7.62x39*
.308
12 gauge

*not really an exception, so much as a new category carved out for SBR.

So far I only have guns in 5.56 and 9mm.
 
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