What calibers would you keep?

[beeenbag]

If you were going to cut down to say 5 different calibers/gauges to keep stocked, and only have guns chambered in these rounds, which rounds would they be?

This is all rounds, rifle, handgun, shotgun etc.

For my area, im thinking it would look like this.

1. 12g
2. 5.56
3. 357 mag
4. 30-06
5. 9mm

I would be really sad not having a 10mm though and may bump out the 357 for it.

 

[WilsonCQB1911]

I currently keep the following:

Pistol-
45ACP
38 Super
9mm
.380

Rifle-
5.56
.308
.30-06
.30-30

Shotgun-
12 gauge


Not sure I'd get rid of any handgun calibers. If forced to choose just one I'd go .45. If I could get two I'd add 38 Super.

For rifle calibers if I had to downsize I'd keep 5.56. The other calibers are for guns that were given to me by my dad or for guns I love to shoot but don't serve much other purpose other than recreation. I don't hunt much so I don't have a lot of use for the 30 calibers anymore.

Shotgun I could drop if I had to but I'm more likely to go bird hunting so it has more utility to me than the hunting rifles.

So at a bare minimum, 45 and 5.56. But I have plenty of ammo in all calibers mentioned. So I'm going to keep it all until I least shoot it up.

 

[Pat Riot]

I reload:
.45 Colt
.45 ACP
.357 Magnum
.38 Special
9mm
.30-30
.308 Winchester
.45-70

I buy:
.22 LR
12 gauge

All these are my rounds are for what I want to do with my guns. I won’t be reducing my options any time soon.
Actually, I am considering adding to the list once all the silliness subsides. Perhaps.327 Fed. Magnum, maybe.

 

[Hartkopf]

Just 5

9mm
556
12ga
357 Mag
22LR

Feels like I'm forgetting something........

 

[earlthegoat2]

Definitely 22 rimfire but for me 22 Magnum has more usefulness than 22 LR.

450 Bushmaster
20 ga
30-06
45 ACP.

This is all assuming ammo will be at 2018 levels of availability.

If not I would opt for:
223
9mm
22 LR
308
12 ga.

 

[Zerodefect]

Easy.

5.56/.223
.45acp
.40SW
9mm
12g, slugs, OO, #7, #6.

Sure, I'll have one box of .38sp, and .380acp, and 5.7x28mm, but I ain't stockpiling that. I see no point in selling those just so I don't have to keep track of them though.

 

[huntsman]

12 gauge
5.56
9mm
.40S&W
.380acp

 

[north east redneck]

Only five...that's not an easy one. I guess I'd keep
5.56
.45ACP
12 gauge
.22 LR
.357 magnum

 

[Skeptic13]

9mm
22lr
12g
.223/5.56
.308

Mostly what I shoot anyway. Would be hard to give up the 7.62x39 though. Really like that caliber.

 

[Zaydok Allen]

9mm
45 auto
10mm
44 mag
308

 

[bear166]

It's not hurting anything to keep all my brass around to be reloaded later, so I don't know why I would. But if I did go down to five, I'll take .45 Colt, .45-70, .38-55, .357 Magnum, and .22 LR.

If I'm being honest... That covers everything but my new .30-30 anyway, so not too hard for me.

 

[JR24]

Wouldn't be all that different from what I currently mostly keep/reload/shoot

12 gauge
9mm
.45
.308
.223

 

[twarr1]

9mm
357 Magnum
308
12 ga
22 lr
30-06
Oops that’s 6. It’d be a tossup between the 30-06 and 308. My preference would be the aught six but the 308 has better availability.
I’m glad I can keep all 6 plus a few!

 

[Ranger99]

JMHO-
I'm surprised that a 22LR rifle of some kind
wasn't on everyone's list. Maybe not #1
but tucked in there somewhere

 

[P5 Guy]

22rimfire
38/357
9x19
5.56x45
.30'06

 

[.38 Special]

.44 Special

.357 Magnum

12 Gauge

.30-'06

.22 LR

 

[Ranger99]

From a young age, I always understood the
standard was a rifle capable of taking a
medium/large game animal, a shotgun,
either 12 or 20 gauge ( 16 used to be an
option when I was little) and always a
22LR rifle. I still agree with that, although I
like to have a handgun. Not that many
( in my area) had handguns when I was
real young

 

[coldboremiracle]

22
223
6.5
308
9mm

 

[Pudge]

.308 would allow firearms in .308 Winchester, 300 Blackout, and .30-06 Springfield
.358 would give me .38 Special, .357 Magnum, and .35 Remington
.223 for .22lr and .223 Remington

I don't think tungsten shot would make a 20 guage a turkey gun, so 12ga.

The last one, I guess would be .45 for a big SA, and a 1911.

Even cheating like I did, I'd lose things I intend to keep.

 

[jmr40]

22 LR
12 ga
9mm
308
223

Choosing 308 over 30-06 was tough. But 21st century 308 loads exceed WW-2 era 30-06 performance by a sizeable margin. Of course modern 30-06 will always slightly beat 308, but a lighter, more compact rifle with less recoil is just too appealing. And by a small margin I find 308 more accurate.

 

[jmr40]

I don't think tungsten shot would make a 20 guage a turkey gun, so 12ga.

A 20 ga shooting 3" conventional lead turkey loads through an extra full choke tube is a legitimate 40 yard turkey gun. A 12 adds maybe 10 yards to that. Some of the high end shells makes either a 70-80 yard gun. But I ain't paying $10-$20 for one of those shells. Where I hunt 40 yards is going to be a long shot and I started hunting with a 20 a couple of years ago to have a lighter gun to tote around. You do have to experiment to find the right shell/choke combo, but when you get it right you'll be rewarded with some amazingly tight patterns.

But as an all around gun 12 beats 20 easily. The 20 can put enough pellets in the air, but the shot string gets long making it harder to hit moving game. That isn't a disadvantage when turkey hunting.

 

[Carl N. Brown]

In the 1950s you could count on rural general stores having .22 Shot, Long, Long Rifle, .30-30 and 12 gauge.

 

[John_R]

.22LR
9mm
.38/.357
.45ACP
5.56

 

[WrongHanded]

.357 Sig
.44 Magnum
.308 Winchester
.375 Ruger

And I'd buy a Glock chambered in 10mm.

Now, my wife's list would be completely different.

 

[JR24]

22 LR
12 ga
9mm
308
223

Choosing 308 over 30-06 was tough. But 21st century 308 loads exceed WW-2 era 30-06 performance by a sizeable margin. Of course modern 30-06 will always slightly beat 308, but a lighter, more compact rifle with less recoil is just too appealing. And by a small margin I find 308 more accurate.

There's a reason my .30-06 hunting rifle collects dust in my safe and one of several .308s go hunting with me.

And it's because a lightweight .308 can be carried all day in the field and won't rattle my teeth out at the range. I can blaze away all day with even my wife's Remington model 7 .308 but absolutely hated even checking my zero on my .30-06.

I found my .300 win more pleasant to shoot than that Remington 700.