Which calibers would YOU drop?

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Yoda

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I'm thinking of trimming down to a smaller numbers of calibers, if for no other reason than to save space. I'd also like to get rid of any calibers that may not be in common use in a decade or so.

Given that, which calibers, if any, would YOU ditch?

.17 Mach2: I have a few single-shot rifles that were converted from .22 LR to .17 Mach 2. I haven't seen any of this ammo in a while. Is it dying out?

.17 HMR: I have some other rifles in .17 HMR, plus a matched set of Tararus Tracker revolvers in .22 LR and .17 HMR. I really like the caliber, and I hope it stays around. Will it?

.32 Magnum. I have just one gun in this caliber, a Ruger SP-101. I thought about reaming out the cylinder to take .327 Magnums, but Ruger advises against it. I also have one of the original .22 SP-101s that's identical in every way but caliber. I got them both for a lightly-built girlfriend, but that didn't work out. I think they make a good set, but not if I can't find ammo for one of them.

9mm Makorov. I've got two PA-63s in this caliber. I'm thinking of converting them to .380. What do you think? Will Mak ammo still be around in a decade or so?

.44 Special: Never mind. I'll keep them.

- - - Yoda
 
Id get rid of the 32 mag. I like my 38spls and 357mags for revolvers. The 17s are fun little guns, wicked fast and very accurate and the mak is just good cheap fun.
 
I'd drop the .32 magnum. You've already made a case against it with the whole girlfriend thing, and I don't think it accomplishes anything that a .38 special / .357 magnum doesn't already do.
 
There is a difference between perhaps wanting to sell and needing to sell. I would keep them all if you are simply thinking a benifit to reduced amount of calibers. We generaly take up . or save, little space with ammo.

You are correct however in being concerned regarding ammo availability for calibers that you mention. They do have the "possibilty" of becoming obsolete.
The 32 is an easy fix by stocking up on some brass for reloading if need be.
The rimfires would require an investment quantity purchase if one is concerned they may not be able to buy them in the future. I generaly keep about 5000 rounds for 22LR for example.

The lessons of the 5MM Remington are that it is possible for rimfire ammo to disappear. With a stockpile however, you could have turned a lot of profit by owning 5000 rounds of 5 MM
 
If these are firearms that you enjoy, simply stock up on the ammo and forget the worries. Trust me, it's worth the investment. If you change your mind down the road, the ammunition you stocked up on will probably be more valuable than when you purchased it, rendering a profit. It's a win-win scenario.

For example, when I saw the writing on the wall about 7.62x25 drying up in certain areas, rather than ditching the firearms that I own chambered for it, I stocked up. Several thousand rounds will keep both my M57s fed just fine. Heck, most the rounds are still hermetically sealed and will stay that way until it's time to use the stuff. If I were to sell the ammo today, I could easily sell it for twice what I paid for it, possibly more.

As for the .32 Magnum (I always suppress a snicker whenever I use the "magnum" moniker with this cartridge), I find the idea of reaming the cylinder out to accept the .327 Magnum intriguing. What excuse did Ruger supply to dissuade you from going forth with this project?
The SP101 is a stout revolver that has, to my knowledge, been successfully chambered for the much more punishing .357 Magnum.
 
Judging from your post, I'm guessing you do not hand load.

None of your chosen calibers are what I would call "mainstream", with .44Spl being the closest, but at probably $20++ per box, I can't imagine you get to shoot it much. Your others fall into similar territory.

Since you asked...I would rather own one cartridge that I can shoot regularly than a bunch I can't.

Fize you, I might consider selling them all, buying a .22LR pistol (and maybe a .22LR rifle) and a .38/357 revolver and a single stage press.

And then adding to that as time goes on.
 
Not a bad idea to sell off a few calibers and buy more mainstream chambered guns. As long as theres no sentimental value.
 
Keep the 44 special if you like it; a 17HMR rifle and Tracker in 22. Sell the rest. I don't see the 17HMR going away any time soon. If you like the Taurus in 17 HMR, keep it.
 
I sing nothing but praises for the 17M2, but I'm probably in the minority and much as I like the caliber, I won't bet on its future.
 
I also want to trim my list of calibers down. I want to go so far as trim to 3 pistol calibers and 2 rifle calibers, namely:

.38spc/357 mag
9mm
.45acp
.223/5.56
.308/7.62

In your case I might only keep the .44spc, as it is probably a cool revolver. If it isn't, I would purge them all. Keep in mind that I have no idea what other calibers you own, so my opinion is based on my collection.
 
Yoda,

I can understand Ruger's discomfort of the idea as the .327 magnum operates at twice the maximum pressure as the .32 Magnum. I've read of some other manufacturer offering the conversion service and I can't think of many other revolvers off-hand that are "stronger" than what Ruger offers.

I'd personally go through with it even if it void the warranty. It's still a .32 magnum, just one that has the option for something greater when it's needed.
 
Among the given choices, I would get rid of the .17 Mach 2 because it is far rarer than he other ones. You have to a couple single shot rifles that probably don't get much use.

The .44 Special isn't going away anytime soon. even if companies stop manufacturing new guns chambered in .44 special, it's used my too many .44 Magnum people for practice to be discontinued.

Any cartridge that was used by the Soviets for a decent amount of time won't fade (completely) from use in the next 30 years (if not longer) simply because the sheer quanity of guns already produced for it. The super cheap surplus might not be as cheap but there will be ammo available for it.

.17HMR It sounds like you're a pretty big fan of this little varmit round. Personally, I never understood it's popularity but the same can be said about alot of other cartridges. It won't be going away anytime real soon.

Best of luck.
 
I'd decide which guns I didn't want and not worry about calibers. All those are going to be around for a long time.
 
.32 is going to be around, has been since the .32-20 which we had to re-invent as the .327. Since the .32 H&R has been around for 27 years, and the .327 guns all shoot it as well, there's 100's of thousands of guns chambered for it. So even if the .327 isn't available (and being a straight walled cartridge it's drop dead simple to reload), the .32 H&R, which can be pushed to some pretty respectable levels (as Buffalo Bore does) will be available.

And Maks are still selling like hotcakes, the only thing slowing them down is dealers keep raising prices as they get more popular, if they went back to $150 there'd be no stopping them. $11/50 for good ammo doesn't hurt.
 
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