is ammo standardization an issue for you?

Wow, popular title. I thought I was the only one.

My obsession came with an inherited gun room with no order and a lot of different calibers.
During the past few years I decided to consolidate so spent time using up the odd types like .25
.22 short
.38auto I think

I refused to shoot any regular .22 till it started showing up recently.

I have thousands still left of my paired down:
.38 - magnum almost gone
9mm which I reload
.45 which my Dad had reloaded tons
.45lc cause there are a lot of guns using.

Rifle
.223
7.62x.39 for ak's
7.62x54 for Mosin's

As stated this has taken along time cause only have limited time on weekends
But my one fear that they never show in movies is if you need to run down and grab a gun in a hurry
What if you grab the wrong ammo box. Happened with my cousins grabbed Russian ammo and I had brought my Ruger mini 14.
Then you have nothing more than sticks and stones.

The gun room is now meticulously ordered and all ammo quantified and labeled.
 
Standardization is very important to me.... Having too many calibers around just smacks of inefficiency to me.

That's an entirely valid point of view. My point of view is different.

I am gloriously inefficient, if you judge only by the number of calibers and cartridges I own. I even have more than one gun in certain calibers (:eek::D).

Horribly inefficient.

On the other side, I have personal first hand experience with a variety of cartridges and firearms, and don't have to rely only on reading what others have done with them to form my opinions.
 
I've standardized on the following: 22 LR, 22 Mag, 223, 5.56 NATO, 380 ACP, 357 Mag and 10 MM.

I've done so by getting rid of: 25-06, 270, 30 Carbine, 308, 300 Win Mag, 38 Special, 357 Max, 40 S&W, 44 Mag, 444, 45 ACP and maybe some that I can't recall.

I regret getting rid of most everything I got rid of.

So it's probably time I forgot standardization and start building back up. :)
 
I guess .22 and .22mag are similar to .357 and .357 mag.

I though of consolidating, but have too many .22mag rifles.

From you username - 357 - looks like you like that round.

Why not go .357 or 357mag instead of both. I used up most all of the .357mag, but have literally thousands of .357 as my Dad and his friend used to reload them all the time.:confused:
 
Why not go .357 or 357mag instead of both.

I don't understand the word "both." The only 357s that I know of are 357 Sig, 357 Magnum and 357 Maximum. I've never owned a 357 Sig and I ditched the only 357 Maximum I have ever had (a Contender barrel). The 357 in my handle stands for 357 Mag for which I am a huge fan. I currently have and have always had (and always will have) several revolvers and rifles in 357 Mag on hand since I turned 21 almost 40 years ago. The same goes for 22 Mag.

I jumped on the 10 MM bandwagon when Colt came out with the 1911 Delta Elite and never got off.
 
Right. My typo. .38 and .357

Meaning I could just shoot .38 special and forget about the .357mag. But that would be a waste on the .357 mag guns. I have a lot of revolvers.


And the 10mm is good, have a G20, but is still not very popular. Would be hard to find ammo in a crunch or in the back woods outside of major retailers. If you had a 9mm or .45 you could always find someone with some of this ammo.
 
Id say I do but I don't.

I more tend to try to get guns that share bullets at least a bit. Since I reload for everything I shoot....or more can reload them. For instance I wanted a larger caliber ar just for fun so I got a 458socom so I could use the bullets in both that and my 45-70.

I do tend to shoot the same calibers probably 80% of the time though...9mm, 45, 233, 300blk and 308. But I have plenty more that I just shoot every now and then like 10mm 30-06, 45-70, 44mag. Those calibers I just keep a small supply of components on hand compared to my main calibers
 
Yes and it is becoming even more of an issue due to availability. Mostly I handload all revolver ammo and I'm set to start 5.56x45.
I have also divested off all my other or foreign rifles but for the SKS.
I can see myself with just one revolver and rifle caliber in the future if this panicked buying continues.
 
No standardizing in my household. Everyone has their favorite as well as me, but there are plenty to choose from starting with the Ruger 22 lr to the Model 500. We shoot them all with regularity. No safe dwellers.
 
Handguns:
Had it down to 9mm and .22 LR for a long time----recently picked a .45 ACP and .22 Mag------looking to get a .357 Mag and .44 Mag---which opens up the .38 and .44 Specials too.

The .327 Mag seems interesting also

Rifles:
.22 LR----.223/5.56 and .30-06

Heck, I own 4 .223 caliber rifles alone---so I'd say that's pretty standardized

Maybe a .243 or .270 is in the future?


Shotguns:

12 and 20 gauge
 
I have 16 different calibers I own and reload for!!! I have realized that I should be using only two or three cals so last year I bought three 45acps and I'm sticking with. 45 and. 357!!!
 
.22lr
.22wrm
.32acp
.380acp
.38 S&W
.38 Special
.357 mag
.44 mag
.45 Colt
.45acp
.243 win
7.62x39
20ga
12ga

Ammo shortage? Ok, I'll just shoot one of the other calibers until it passes.
 
I like the idea of standardization. And I have cut down on some calibers. But I think it's impossible for me and my wants to ever get down to only a half dozen or so calibers. But I am pretty close.

Here is my list of what I reload for. Keep in mind that I also buy a lot of factory ammo. For example I only use factory loaded in my 7.62x39 chambered guns.

.223
.243
.308
.30-30
.30-'06 (very rarely now. I probably have a lifetimes supply of '06 loaded)

.38 Spec.
.357 Mag
.44 Mag
.45 ACP but very rarely now.

However I have dies to load for probably another half dozen calibers as well.

Regards,

Rob
 
I don need no stinking standardization...

& I'm quite organized & efficient... but still load close to 80 different calibers :eek:

part of this is FIL's fault... we inherited his collection of Contenders ( I think around 30 -35 of those calibers go into Contenders )... throw in a milsurp rifle collection ( all are different calibers ) it doesn't take long for the numbers to start stacking up...

just aquired a Mosin Nagant, & added 7.62 X 54R, & a CZ 527 in 7.62 X 39... I have other semi auto 7.62 X 39 guns, that I was happy buying throw away steel cased ammo for, but figured the bolt action CZ warrents trying to reload, so those dies are on their way

I'm getting close to maxing out on calibers though... of the 3-4 more guns I can see buying in the next couple years... 480 Ruger is the only one I currently don't load for... once the 480 Ruger dies come home, that may be the last new caliber die set I end up buying ???
 
I don't know if I would call it standardization but I do have calibers that meat a certain criteria. I shoot and reload for 9mm, .38 special, .357 magnum, .41 magnum, and 5.56(.223). I also shoot 7.62 x 39 but don't reload for it. The 9mm and .38 special for SD and cheap target shooting. The .357 mag for milder magnum and the .41 for heavier magnum and the .223 for, well you know what it's for. I would love a 10mm but the .41 covers that, would like a short range deer rifle like a 30 30 but the 7.62x39 covers that, would like a .45ACP but the .357 covers that and on and on.
 
I like the idea of simplicity, and I plan on sticking to easy to acquire calibers. Right now I have 2 carry pistols, and both are in 9mm. I also have a .22 rifle for putting bunnies in the pot, and that's it. I had a 7mm08 for deer, but I found that feeding her was too expensive for my taste, and my wife has not quite gotten to the point where she is OK with me becoming a reloader, so I ended up selling it to fund handgun purchases. One day it will be replaced - probably with a .308, just because it is far cheaper to run. I would like to expand a little bit one day, too, and get both a revolver and a lever gun in .357 (perhaps a mare's leg - I think they're just nifty), but that's gonna be down the road a bit.
 
I shoot and reload for a large amount of calibers, including a few obsolete and unavailable rounds. While I do shoot mostly common calibers, (9MM, .45ACP, 5.56, etc) I enjoy keeping and shooting a bunch of different calibers to shoot guns I wouldn't normally shoot. These include 7.5 French, and 7.65 MAS, as well as .30 Carbine.
 
Like Bill i have firearms of many calibers, i buy ammo for all but more for the calibers i shoot more often. No big deal andthe shelf is strong enough for all.
 
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