Most popular calibers?
- Thread starter Butzbach
- Start date
Are you talking firearms, ammunition, or reloading equipment?
If I were looking to have a well rounded die setup so friends could come over and use my equipment and hang out, have a reloading party.
380
9mm
38spl/357 mag
40
45
233
308
You may run into some low volume hunting cartridges as well
44mag
243
30-30
30-06
45/70
I would skip 7.62x39 and 7.62x54R as most cases are steel and tend to be berdan primed, making them fairly impractical to reload for.
I would talk to your local friends / gun shops. probably only a few sell reloading supplies, and most can probably tell you the most common calibers.
Another thing to consider is powder, primers, bullets. Your friends will have to bring their own. You would have to help them research their loads as well before starting.
If I were looking to have a well rounded die setup so friends could come over and use my equipment and hang out, have a reloading party.
380
9mm
38spl/357 mag
40
45
233
308
You may run into some low volume hunting cartridges as well
44mag
243
30-30
30-06
45/70
I would skip 7.62x39 and 7.62x54R as most cases are steel and tend to be berdan primed, making them fairly impractical to reload for.
I would talk to your local friends / gun shops. probably only a few sell reloading supplies, and most can probably tell you the most common calibers.
Another thing to consider is powder, primers, bullets. Your friends will have to bring their own. You would have to help them research their loads as well before starting.
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Several manufacturers of reloading equipment have that data. Top Ten sales lists of calibers, rifles, dies, etc. can be found with good Google foo. With all the best of lists, one has to dig a little deeper than say in 2010.
There are a few versions of this article from 2015 that keep popping up...https://bestguntrader.com/the-top-10-most-popular-centerfire-rifle-cartridges-in-the-united-states/
But I'd not go by a 2015 list.
22LR, 9mm, 223 had the highest distributor order rate in 2021 in the US. But 2020 and 2021 are kind of whack years.
Sadly, MidwayUSA and some of the other online sellers have changed their layouts to make finding out what they sold the most of harder to find. But the ammo sales from MidwayUSA are 9mm, 223 and .308. But they have been out of stock on 22LR for eons and that is just what is being made and shipped today.
There are a few versions of this article from 2015 that keep popping up...https://bestguntrader.com/the-top-10-most-popular-centerfire-rifle-cartridges-in-the-united-states/
But I'd not go by a 2015 list.
22LR, 9mm, 223 had the highest distributor order rate in 2021 in the US. But 2020 and 2021 are kind of whack years.
Sadly, MidwayUSA and some of the other online sellers have changed their layouts to make finding out what they sold the most of harder to find. But the ammo sales from MidwayUSA are 9mm, 223 and .308. But they have been out of stock on 22LR for eons and that is just what is being made and shipped today.
9MMand223only
New member
U wanna guess what I will say? There is really only 2 calibers that matter.
9MM and 223. Everything else is just less utility and more unique use.
9MM and 223. Everything else is just less utility and more unique use.
I would also say 7.62x39, and possibly 7.62 Nato/308 as well, but those seem to be the fundamental 3-4 if your talking defensive/military in the US.
Depending on ones objectives, conditions and standards, there's a lot that qualify.
"Caliber" originally meant bore diameter in hundredths of an inch.
26 caliber long range match rifles and ammo first became popular in the late 1980's. That's when longer and heavier good quality match bullets were available from Sierra.
"Caliber" originally meant bore diameter in hundredths of an inch.
26 caliber long range match rifles and ammo first became popular in the late 1980's. That's when longer and heavier good quality match bullets were available from Sierra.
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.22LR for sure would be the top of the list... After that I would have no idea. I know what's popular to 'me' though 
and I think that is all that matters in the long run to all of us.
Questions like this always brings to mind that little story/skit Rush L. had on his program of the poor guy who couldn't figure out what floor to go to and asked "which is the most popular floor and he'd go to that one" ....
and I think that is all that matters in the long run to all of us.Questions like this always brings to mind that little story/skit Rush L. had on his program of the poor guy who couldn't figure out what floor to go to and asked "which is the most popular floor and he'd go to that one" ....
Average Joe
New member
9mm & .223
your right, 38spl is a very common round, most revolvers I see are in 38/357, or 44mag. but 38/357 are a lot more common
The OP asks us for the “most popular” cartridges based on sales data, then ignores any facts, tells us we are wrong, and gives us his personal preferences. Kinda sounds like a troll…..
https://www.fortunebusinessinsights.com/industry-reports/u-s-small-caliber-ammunition-market-101915
.
https://www.fortunebusinessinsights.com/industry-reports/u-s-small-caliber-ammunition-market-101915
.
"Caliber" is a term with multiple meanings, and which one is "correct" depends on context.
Caliber is bore (or groove) diameter in either English or metric units.
Caliber is ALSO barrel length in units of bore diameter. This definition is most commonly used in artillery. (and most commonly in the US, in Naval "artillery"). Our Iowa class battleships main guns are described as 16 inch 50 caliber rifles. Those guns have 16" diameter bores and the barrels are 50x16" long.
The other, and common use of caliber is done by gunmakers, (and dealers) who under the heading of "caliber" list the cartridge name the barrel is chambered for. Look at any listing for a firearm, and you will find the category "Caliber" and under that heading are the cartridge names the gun is made in. Rifles, pistols and shotguns, all are listed that way.
This is the common convention of all their literature.
I would assume the OP is looking for cartridge names when he asks "most popular caliber". But, that's just me...
If I'm not mistaken the last thread from the op was requesting most common cartridges to buy die sets for teotwawki and was subsequently closed. I'm guessing this is the revised idea but it will probably get closed as well as it seems to be unproductive and digressing.