Thinking about swapping to only one caliber

[militant]

I am thinking about getteing rid of all my handguns to switch to either 9mm or .40. It seems like I have too many different calipers to stock ammo in all of them. Have any of you done this?

[dfsixstring]

I thought about doing this. I got rid of my .45 because of ammo prices - and I didn't really care for the .45 I had. I intended on going with just a 9mm. When I started looking at ultra compact 9mm pistols, I just couldn't find anything that suited me. I ended up going with the LCP. So, my goal of narrowing to 9mm only branched out to yet another caliber. Oh well...


RST4S
SR9c
LCP

[Mystro]

It's not a bad idea as far as saving money and keeping things simple. If you did, I would go with the most powerful most commercial and readily available round.
That would be the 40s&w. I carry mine in and out of the woods so with a round that can shoot 400-675ftlbs, I think you will be covered in most situations even if press into a less than ideal situation in and out of the woods.
The 40 has come down way in price now that most police departments are using it.

I think in a emergency, every gun owner should own at least one 9mm, 40s&w, and 45acp. With a revolver cartridge like a 357mag or 44mag as a well rounded option to your autos if you can afford it.

I am using a different philosophy of gun ownership. I like to own at least two guns of every caliber. That way if the country goes into crisis, I can shoot any round I can find. This includes the 10mm 357sig, 41mag etc....
I also keep at least 1k of round in every caliber. My gun safe is like a master woodworkers tool box. :D

[Zhillsauditor]

Yeah, in my experience it doesn't work. I like guns too much to keep it to one caliber, especially since I like both autos and revolvers.From handguns I shoot:


22lr
357mag / 38spl
9mm
45acp (with a revolver, S&W 625)
380 (my mouse gun)
I do turn down guns in calibers I can get substitutes for (e.g. I can get a Glock in 9mm, so would not buy one in .40)

[MonsterB]

I agree with Mystro. A good option is to get a gun that you can buy conversion barrels for. I have a few 22s, a 38, a 357, a 9, a 40, and a 45.

[Mystro]

Think about if the crap hits the fan and you find all the popular calibers like 9mm, 45acp are picked clean. What you will find left on the shelf is 357sig, 10mm, and other oddball calibers. You want a gun to shoot these rounds as a worst case scenario. I really do own a gun that shoots everything from the 454casull down. Get your self a 10mm or 357sig and consider it like buying a fire extinguisher for your home. You don't have to shoot them all the time but in case of a emergency, you will be glad you have too many rather than too few.

[TunnelRat]

I did that for a period. Ended up buying other guns in different calibers again. You don't have to stock ammo for it if you don't want to, but it's nice to know you can shoot those other calibers if you want to. I find this to be nice as if the local Wally World runs out of ammo of one caliber I can always pick up something else. Conversion barrels are another option too, but that doesn't give you the excuse to buy more guns.

[pilpens]

Making things standardized is nice. Keeping firearms in same caliber means less equipment to maintain and support the firearms owned.
=====
I only have firearms chambered in common calibers (.22, 9mm, .45, 38/357 and 38 only).
I reload centerfire rounds I shoot the most (9mm and 38). I guess reloading is similar to stocking ammo as you do not have to buy everytime you go shooting.
I keep a box of .45 ammo at home but it lasts a while because I seldom shoot my 45.
.22 I cant keep stock, I shoot it too often.
=====

[Zhillsauditor]

Think about if the crap hits the fan and you find all the popular calibers like 9mm, 45acp are picked clean.

Um, that's a really bizarre reason for owing lots of calibers. If you really think that is going to be an issue you need to prepare for, I would suggest going to one caliber and getting a reloading setup for that one caliber, with enough components for lots and lots and lots of bullets. Then, you are set.

[serf 'rett]

I am thinking about getting rid of all my handguns to switch…


Perish the very thought! All I consider is which is the next caliber to get!

Have any of you done this?

Nope, but I could still strap on all the pistols I own. I have bought more than one pistol for a single caliber. Between your two picks of 9mm and 40S&W, the 9mm ammo is cheaper to stock. Since you didn’t elaborate on what you do with a pistol and your only opening post parameter indicated you had “too many different calipers to stock ammo” we would need more information to fully discuss the advantages and disadvantages of the two proposed calibers (which has been pretty well hashed out many times during caliber wars).

If your problem is lack of cash to stock ammo, perhaps it time to consider reloading your own ammo.

[militant]

I currently have a 9mm, a .40, a .22.

[Mystro]

Its not the main reason but is one of the reasons. I do reload all my calibers as well but really only concentrate on 454, 10mm and revolver cartridges. 9mm/40s&w/45acp is too cheap to buy for me to worry about reloading them unless of a emergency shortage. I try to cover all contingencies when it comes to guns and ammo.

Quote:
Think about if the crap hits the fan and you find all the popular calibers like 9mm, 45acp are picked clean.
Um, that's a really bizarre reason for owing lots of calibers. If you really think that is going to be an issue you need to prepare for, I would suggest going to one caliber and getting a reloading setup for that one caliber, with enough components for lots and lots and lots of bullets. Then, you are set.

[serf 'rett]

If we are going to think in terms of the end of the world as we know it, then we would need to consider one meaning of stocking “beans and bullets”. At one point I thought this was simply hunker down mode during which we would need the beans to eat and bullets to protect our food stores; however, if cash/gold/silver/etc. becomes worthless, then we may find both beans and bullets become the new currency. If bullets become currency, then what would you want to have… the more common 9mm used worldwide, the 40S&W to swap with law enforcement, the 45ACP so you can cut deals with the old timers or some more exotic caliber? Personally, I’m keeping my purple hull pink eyes while first trading off my lima beans because of the gastrointestinal effect of the limas.

Interesting thought.

[serf 'rett]

I currently have a 9mm, a .40, a .22.

Got to go with Mystro's comment about pick either the 9mm or 40S&W and reload.

Do not be fooled by the claims that you see and hear about there are no savings in loading 9mm. Buy components in bulk and the savings are there. My single stage setup, with a number of bells and whistles, cost about $600.00. My payback period was about 4000 rounds of 9mm.

[Mystro]

The problem is if you go with one caliber and actually like the gun culture, you will miss out on a lot of excellent guns and fun. Kinda like going through your life with having sex in just one position. :p

http://i272.photobucket.com/albums/jj182/TheMystro1971/OOOHKitty.gif

[hoytinak]

I "simplized" my firearms by cutting down to a couple of calibers. So far it seems to work for me.

handguns: .22lr & 9x19
rifles: .22lr & .223 & .308 (thinking about cutting the .223 & .308 for a .243 as I think that'd fit all my needs....plinking/hunting yotes/white-tail)
shotgun: 12ga

[tahunua001]

in my personal experience, switching to just one caliber is just too hard to do. I have a pair of 9mms(one for target/home defense and one for concealed carry) a single 45(which can serve as woods defense and concealed carry) and a 22lr which is good for varmints, grouse and much cheaper practice than any other handgun round out there) I am perfectly happy with this setup and have no want of other calibers out there right now. going with all one caliber I would agree with many others in saying that the 40SW would be a good round to do it with, it's kindof a jack of all trades master of none cartridge. it's not great against larger targets(IE charging moose/bear) and it's too much for smaller targets(IE grouse, rabbits) if you are trying to save meat. it's got better ammo capacity and ammo prices than 45 ACP but less ammo capacity and higher prices than 9mm.


glancing through some of the previous posts about SHTF I am a bit tickled though. if you are actually planning on facing a situation like that then you should already be preparing for a situation like that. you don't wait for society to collapse and then go..."UH OH, I forget to get ammo. I sure am glad that I bought a 10mm because there might be ammo at the store when I get there". you buy the round that handles most tasks well and is cheap to stockpile, if you ever see a SHTF situation then you should already have a couple boxes set asside for just such an emergency. IMHO it's better to have parts interchangeability than oddball stuff that stores will not instantly run short on.

for instance, if you have a springfield XDM40 and your neighbor has an XDM45 that he shoots match with and your XDM40's trigger breaks it is easier to run across the street and get the stock trigger gathering dust in his basement than it is to dodge and duck your way across town looking for a part for a macarov.

not to hijack the thread....PROCEED WITH THE CHLOROPHYLL!

[TunnelRat]

My comments weren't about SHTF, just to clarify. Quite simply I've been to Walmart and all they have is 40SW or 45ACP as all the 9mm has been bought.

[Dashunde]

I have been giving a lot of thought to narrowing everything to 40S&W.
I think it combines nearly the capacity of a equivalent 9mm with the power of a 45, but I bump into some issues with it:
- Its a nasty round in a very small ccw, so its undesirable for that purpose.
- I think its more likely to travel through the house (from a G22) than the slower, fatter 45acp (G21) thats in my nightstand now.

Over the years I've swapped in and out many pistols to arrive at those listed below, all with specific purposes.
I don't really want to mess with that success quite yet :)
There are more, but these are the ones I actually use and practice with often:


22lr - Buckmark Hunter, excellent range pistol with accuracy well beyond my eyesight... that thing could keep us fed on squirrels and rabbits (if need be) till they run out, or run away.
22lr - NAA-22lr - Fantastic little 4 inch 4 ounce pocket revolver, it vanishes in a Levis change pocket or just about anywhere.
.380 - Great fit for the LCP - super easy to carry in several different ways
9mm - I really like it for my micro-9 ccw (PM9) but not for much else.
40S&W - Glock 27, its a whole bunch of firepower in a very small great shooting package. Its my all-purpose go-to pistol.
45acp - Glock 21, Nightstand duty and its a great range partner too.

I suppose I could eliminate 9mm and 45acp by trading the PM9 for a PM40 (ouch) and the G21 for a G22.
But as things are, I've got a good ammo supply for all calibers, and if ammo dried up for any one I can fall back to the others.

If the SHTF I'd head out the door with the Buckmark and the G27 + its 9mm barrel.

[NWPilgrim]

Tried that many years ago to save money. Settled on the .40 and most of my pistols are still .40. But then some family members don't lie the .40 so I got a 9mm Glock, and I had a hankering for a hi-power which was much more available in 9mm. Then I got to missing my 1911, and .38 revolver and Makarovs were so cheap and...

Give it a try but I bet you will migrate to more. Not a bad idea though to concentrate on one caliber for most of your "practical" guns and practice which will save money. But don't be surprised if you find a really really good reason what you just have to add another caliber someday.

[tahunua001]

My comments weren't about SHTF, just to clarify. Quite simply I've been to Walmart and all they have is 40SW or 45ACP as all the 9mm has been bought.

I was referring more to comments made by other users here.

[stalkingbear]

I couldn't get by with just 1 handgun cartridge. I have to have my .22 Ruger mk2 for plinking & small game hunting, my .40 (in 2 guns) for defense, and my 41mag for deer hunting and practice.

[labhound]

I've got handguns in .22LR, .380, 9mm, ,38SPL, and .45ACP. Long guns in .22LR and 12 gauge. Buy your ammo when it's on sale and stockpile all you can.

[TheGoldenState]

More the merrier.

For Hanguns I have

.22, .380, .38, 9mm, 9para, .40, .45, .357, .44mag, .500mag


Rifles in

.22, .38/.357, .223, .308, .300winmag, .300 ultramag'

SHogtuns in

.12g, .20g, .410


Ammo prices suck:mad:

[ritepath]

Now that I have all the main calibers covered (22 (4) 380, 38, 9mm's (3), 40, 45) I want another 45 or 9mm.

Life is too short to have only one flavor. The consolidation of calibers too closely follows the "survivalist" way of life for me.

I want full sized 45.

[militant]

I almost just kept my 12 gauge, mosin nagant, 10/22 and 22/45

[reaganmarine84]

I went through this dilemma myself a few years ago. I decided to simplify and narrow things down to the least amount of calibers I felt comfortably with. I chose to go with .380,9mm and .40S&W for handgun calibers. And .22LR,12 ga. and 7.62 for my long guns.

Really simply put:yea,9mm and .40 will be the first to go,BUT,it will be found everywhere post TEOTWAWKI. I focus primarily on 9mm because it is found absolutely everywhere around the globe and in every country. The .40 and .45 are pretty much an American thing mostly. Oddball calibers like the .357SIG,10mm and .45 GAP will be on the shelves but in VERY small quantities. Not enough to sustain any type of mass demand. If I find a battlfield pickup,chances are it's going to be something I can use. i.e. 9mm. that caliber is everywhere. It's like the .22LR of handgun calibers.

Long guns: same thing. Staying with what is going to be found everywhere on the planet.