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Old November 28, 2018, 02:21 AM   #1
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Availability of your caliber ammo...

I got thinking on this, having heard it every time anyone asks about this or that caliber, someone comments on the availability of ammo. I don't mean the store being out, I mean the store doesn't carry it.

How important is that to you, really???

Not being able to get your "odd ball" ammo at every mom & pop country store, or at WalMart??

I always see someone saying "oh don't get that. ammo is scarce", and while there are rounds that are today not very common, we are living in a golden age of ammo availability (for a hefty price), what we don't have is widespread distribution of everything. Cowboy action shooting has revived nearly all the once common but long obsolete and out of production rounds, both from the actual cowboy era and from others as well. you pay through the nose for the rare ones, but you can get them, usually via the Internet.

But is that a problem, or a matter of concern?? Those of us who have really uncommon cartridges tend to build up a supply of ammo, usually whatever we consider enough, and then some...

So, do you avoid an uncommon caliber, niche rounds, obsolete rounds, because you can't just pick up a box at Walmart, or not? Do you pass on a really cool gun, because its not in a "common" caliber?



I don't.
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Old November 28, 2018, 02:54 AM   #2
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Well for me, I tend to do a lot of brainstorming before I settle on something. Because when I settle on something, I tend to stick to it for very long term. Instead of a collection of loose tools strapped into a belt harness, I prefer a multitool or a pair of multitools containing all the bits, files and blades that I need for the job.

So when it comes to choosing a rifle and a handgun, the key things that I consider are:
1. How available is the ammunition going to be? Is this caliber a common find in most gun stores and sporting goods outlets?

2. How about reloading components?

3. Are the spare parts for the guns' mechanisms easy to come by, or, in dire situations, easy enough to replicate and machine on my own?

After considering these items, that is why I settled on straight-case cartridges and a large bore revolver suitable enough to hunt medium and even some species of large game.

My main "journeying" gun is a Remington revolver with a cartridge conversion. For now, this combination suits my needs perfectly. The .45 Long Colt is one of the most versatile rounds out there. I can load black powder or smokeless powder or black-powder substitute. I can load em' up to full capacity for hunting and defense. And I can load em' down for range practice. Components for reloading are very plentiful and available in most places. I don't even need a press. Just a hard surface, a mallet to seat the various parts of the cartridge, and a crimping die. The cases themselves can handle a lot of use since this kind of ammunition produces relatively low pressures. Yet powerful enough to whack a full size hog. And most importantly, the gun itself is easy to repair and maintain on the field.

When I make a decision about something, I usually "think ahead for 7 steps". I weigh my options and think about the benefits I can get on the long run. Not to mention any possible disadvantages as well. That goes with everything else too, not just guns. If there is a new car out on the market that just compels my senses, I am not going to purchase it until it has been on the market for some time and people's reviews of that particular vehicle is plentiful. And then I look at things like gas mileage and how the sucker handles weather.

Making hurried decisions are the main cause of wasted money, wasted effort and sense of vulnerability. I prefer to be tactical and be in calm control of any situation that arises.
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Old November 28, 2018, 03:43 AM   #3
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I have a few oddball chamberings (7X57, 444, 7BR, 40-70 WCF, 32-20, 218 Bee, you know, the usual stuff). I reload everything I shoot, so it really doesn't matter what the store has in stock.
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Old November 28, 2018, 08:00 AM   #4
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I like calibers that are less mainstream, 7MM TCU, 250 Savage, etc. Since I reload to feed them the only availability I'm concerned about is brass. The less popular calibers only get new runs of brass every few years. If I flew to hunting trips I might be more worried about easy to get ammo since "my" ammo might take another flight. Of course I guess my gun could too, never had to deal with it.
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Old November 28, 2018, 09:14 AM   #5
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I hunt with over 30 wildcat cartridges that I developed and only I produce . That is about as far from common as you can get . One good point is if any of my rifles ever were taken by someone , they could never get any ammo .
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Old November 28, 2018, 09:24 AM   #6
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.22, 9mm, .380, .44Mag don't seem to be a problem at most any local gun store, including FMJ, SHP and other variants. 6.5 mm Hornady ELD is actually pretty popular also.

.50 BMG is seldom on any shelves at local stores (even in Texas), but Ammoseek.com is your friend with a solid dozen and another score of 50-Friendly stores. Online places that do carry BMG usually have a broad spectrum of rounds, ball, AP/API/APIT and match.
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Old November 28, 2018, 09:26 AM   #7
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How important is that to you, really???

Not being able to get your "odd ball" ammo at every mom & pop country store, or at WalMart??
I'd say that it is pretty important to me. 10mm is the "rarest" ammo that I shoot, and it's not rare at all anymore. I buy it in bulk-bags at gun shows, but I can get it most anywhere. Someday, maybe I'll take up reloading again. I reloaded when I was in college because I had to - I think of it about the way I think of having to eat Ramen Noodles - you can develop a taste for it, but if you don't have to.....then why?

Last edited by Skans; November 28, 2018 at 09:36 AM.
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Old November 28, 2018, 09:34 AM   #8
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I've had some oddball stuff in the past, 280, 338/06, 35 Whelen, 300WSM, etc. I didn't sell them because ammo wasn't readily available off the shelf. But owning them did prompt me to get into re-loading. I sold them after discovering that other than just being different, they didn't do anything other rifles I owned in more common cartridges would do just as well.

I had other rifles in common cartridges with too much history to sell, so the oddball stuff hit the road. Had I felt they offered me some advantage I'd keep them.

One oddball round that I feel serves me a niche is my 10mm G20 and G29. Ammo isn't everywhere, but I have a good supply on hand and when I get a chance to buy some I stock up.

When I bought my 6.5 CM it was just beginning to be popular and at 1st I considered it in the oddball category. It has since reached the point where it is certainly mainstream. Ammo is everywhere, even Walmart and even high quality match grade ammo is reasonably priced.
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Old November 28, 2018, 11:57 AM   #9
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As a reloader, I don't really care.
All that matters is being able to obtain or form brass - and, in the case of wildcats or really obscure or obsolete cartridges, being able to obtain dies for a reasonable price. (Even if "reasonable" might be $300+ for a cartridge that I really want. )

But I have plenty of friends that are factory-ammo-only people.
One of them had such a difficult time getting enough 9mm and .22 LR during the 'Barackolypse' that he sold half of the .22s and 9mms, and bought a Five-Seven. ...Because 5.7x28mm ammo was still on the shelves almost anywhere he looked.

Another friend had an 8mm Remington Mag. He hunts all over the country every year, and only used that rifle. But, again, the Barackolypse had an impact. He couldn't get ammo and Remington wasn't going to be producing it while everything else was selling like crazy. So, he rebarreled it to 7mm Remington Mag. ...Arguably an upgrade, and he can get ammo pretty much everywhere.
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Old November 28, 2018, 12:28 PM   #10
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For me, not particularly important.

I'm set up to load everything that I shoot regularly, and have components.

For some of the rounds, like .32 ACP and .25-20 greater availability would be nice but they're niche rounds for me and they're expensive as all hell to buy, so I don't shoot them much.

I did see 3 boxes of Winchester .32 ACP for sale at a Southern States store in the Tidewater region of Virginia a few days ago, but I was NOT going to pay $36 a box for ball ammo...
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Old November 28, 2018, 01:02 PM   #11
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Only slightly "off" caliber I have is 38 S&W and I don't rely on it, easy to reload.
Not a full fledged "prepper" but I believe in stocking up.
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Old November 28, 2018, 01:03 PM   #12
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There is something to be said for ammo commonality, if you're part of a group, and especially if you're the guy in the group who forgot / lost his ammo.

But, if you aren't that guy, then, not so much. This lesson was taught to me early in my deer hunting days with my father, uncle, and some of our other relatives/buddies who hunted together. We hunted in the Adirondacks, mostly "drive hunting", with drivers and watchers. Get up 0 Dark Thirty, pack up, head out so we could be getting on the mountain about first light.

One time, as we were unloading our rifles and gear getting ready to cross the field to the woods, it turned out that Hiram had forgotten his ammo. So, he's trying to bum shells from the rest of us. He had a .30-30.

I couldn't help, I had a .308. Art had a .30 Rem. Lester had a Marlin .35. And Dad had a Winchester .32Spl. BUT, the other three guys with us all had .30-30s, and each gave up a few shells so Hiram had a full load for his rifle and enough for a reload. And we went on with the hunt. In this case, ammo "commonality" was serendipity, but for Hiram that day, it meant the difference between hunting with us or having to go back home, or to town and wait for the store to open, for ammo.

Another friend told me about a place he remembered from growing up, a Mom & Pop gas station/diner/general store in a little town "on the edge of the wilderness". During hunting season, the place would open at 2-3AM catching the hunter traffic on their way to the woods. Gas, coffee, breakfast maybe (and of course, a bathroom, ).

What made this place memorable was that there was a long set of shelves with at least one box, or partial box of about every kind of ammo known to man. And the owner would sell them by the round! And, on top of that, if you didn't shoot them, he would take them back, minus a small fee. Some of that ammo was decades old, but when you are 4 or 5 hours drive away from a store (which can only really be counted on for common stuff), and you find you've forgotten your ammo, a place like that is a miracle. and a double miracle when it actually has the "oddball" round you shoot.

Yeah, he gouged, $3-4 a round (in the 70s!), but when the only other place you know for sure has your ammo is 150 miles away, and you need it, its pay up, or go home. And, like I said, if you brought it back, he'd take it back, and give you back most of your money.

Nobody does business like that these days, so it seems. "Stupid" business model, to modern thinking, having all that money tied up in inventory that rarely sells. But, I think he knew what he was doing, Save one guy's hunting trip, and you've got a customer (and likely a friend) for life.

Every time that guy comes through town, if he needs anything, he going to stop in your place, maybe just for a cup of coffee and to shoot the breeze, but he's going to bring some business. And, he's going to tell his friends, too.


On a different tack, still on the subject of "common" calibers, one often hears the advice to stick to A or B so that in times of disaster (or TEOTWAWKI - which we don't do here at TFL) you can get ammo "resupply".

The usual argument involves "finding" common ammo "in the ruins" or taking it off the dead bad guys who tried to kill you, or joining up with others who use the same calibers.

I've never considered these as very realistic. Realistic is, the only ammo supply you can count on is what you ALREADY have.

Finding ammo resupply in "the ruins"
Long shot. Not impossible, but not likely,#1) it's called looting, and you could be shot! (and by "good guys")
#2) unless you are the first guy there, any common calibers are the first ones taken...that box of 7x61 Von Hofe Express in the abandoned shop or home doesn't do much to feed your AR or AK, or ….

I'll leave out taking ammo off the bad guys...not something for discussion here, its something for bad post apocalypse fiction novels.

Join a group? Ok, maybe, but expect that if you're bringing more to the party than they are, your stuff will be taken and "shared" with the group.

In short, if you're sticking to only the most common rounds, thinking you'll be able to get ammo when normal channels are dried up, Don't. Keeping it real, when there is a disaster, when martial law is declared, the first things done are to suspend LEGAL sale of firearms, ammo, and alcohol.

All you can really count on (until normal business returns) is what you already have. And since that's the case, if you have an uncommon round, and your own supply already, its not an issue, is it??

The niche rounds survive, because they do something a little bit better than the more usual stuff. Economy isn't usually it.
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Old November 28, 2018, 01:06 PM   #13
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Aside from .22 and an occasional 9mm JHP purchase, I’m trying to remember the last time I bought ammo at the store instead of ordering it online and in bulk.
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Old November 28, 2018, 01:20 PM   #14
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How important is that to me, hummmm! Let's see I reload everything but let's say I take my 30-06 hunting somewhere and lose my ammo. So I go buy a bx of some in the local gas station. Now I strongly suspect I'll have to go zero the rifle all over! And if that brand's accuracy is just not acceptable what's next? That was all the gas station had so off somewhere else to get something else, hopefully it will work. Hummm, what if it doesn't? I think the answer to this is don't forget your ammo at home and don't loose it! Being honest with myself, maybe the answer is not to hunt with reloads but rather some ready available commercial ammo. Then all you really need is an outlet somewhere near by that sells what your looking for.

How in the hell does someone go off hunting and forget or lose their ammo?
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Old November 28, 2018, 02:15 PM   #15
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While at my age I don't plan on adding any new calibers I really don't see having or adding unusual calibers as a problem. My last "new" caliber, for me, was .38 Super and when I bought the gun I bought 100 rounds of loaded ammunition and ordered 500 cases from Starline. I think those who roll their own may have a differing thought than those who don't. I never let the fact that 38 Super is not exactly readily available in my local Walmart influence my decision to buy the gun. Interesting topic though.

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Old November 28, 2018, 02:46 PM   #16
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Originally Posted by SIGSHR View Post
Only slightly "off" caliber I have is 38 S&W and I don't rely on it, easy to reload.
Not a full fledged "prepper" but I believe in stocking up.
Good question, I’m not a ‘doomsday’ prepper either but how many rounds of ‘each’ do you try to keep on hand? I’m at about 350 or so, each, .380 and 9mm with about 50 12g...a gent I know says 1000 rounds ‘minimum’..

BTW...150 rounds each of ‘target’ .380 and 9mm..when you consider shipping, a wash at Wally World..even with tax(8%)...
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Old November 28, 2018, 08:08 PM   #17
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I buy my firearms based on the availability and cost of ammo. I shoot .22, 9mm. 5.56 and 12 gauge mostly because they are the cheapest in their categories. I have a little 38 Special +p and a little 357 magnum (because 357 magnum in a snub nose isn't fun).
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Old November 28, 2018, 11:40 PM   #18
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I buy my firearms based on the availability and cost of ammo.
That works for a lot of people. Nothing wrong with that.

I buy my firearms based on what interest me. Either cartridge or mechanism, or both together, and availability of ammo at common retail outlets doesn't mean much to me at all. (centerfire, I do buy .22RF at the store, or would when my stock gets below 5k rounds...)

Here's my list, off the top of my head,
.22 Hornet
.221 Fireball
.222 Rem
.223 Rem
.22-250
.243 Win
6mm Rem
.25-06
6.5x55 Swede
.30-30
.30-40 Krag
.308Win
.30-06
7.62x54R
7.7 Jap
.303 British
8mm Mauser
.350 Rem Mag
.375 H&H Mag
.45-70
.458 Win Mag

.32ACP
.9mm
.38spl
.357 Mag
.357 AMP
.44Spl
.44 Mag
.44 AMP
.45ACP
.45 Colt
.45 Win Mag

there might be another one or two I've forgotten about... and there are more than a few others I have had, but no longer do...

More than a few of those aren't on Walmart shelves and some of them aren't usually on the shelves of even well stocked gunshops, and a couple of them NEVER are.
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Old November 29, 2018, 12:05 AM   #19
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No consideration to me whatsoever. I handload for one thing. And for the other, ordering ammunition to your door really eliminates the need to go to Walmart for ammunition. Good old internet.
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Old November 29, 2018, 01:13 AM   #20
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Quote:
How important is that to you, really???

Not being able to get your "odd ball" ammo at every mom & pop country store, or at WalMart??
Availability isn't really the issue for me. What is an issue is that WalMart's prices on ammo are typically very good. So good that even buying in bulk and shopping around, I can't usually beat them by the time you figure in shipping.

So it's not that I want to be able to run to WalMart and ALWAYS see my caliber of ammo on the shelf. It's that I want to be able to buy my ammo at WalMart prices.

It's a fine distinction, but there it is.

There's a second issue. I have what I consider to be "high-volume" calibers that I shoot a lot and "low-volume" calibers that get much less use. I have some oddball low-volume calibers and that doesn't bother me a bit. But I wouldn't pick an oddball caliber to be one of my high-volume calibers because I don't want to be buying a ton of non-mainstream (and therefore more expensive) ammo when I can be having just as much fun shooting another caliber that costs a lot less.

In both cases, it's not so much availability as it is price that causes me to sometimes choose more common calibers.
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Old November 29, 2018, 01:51 AM   #21
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How important is that to you, really???

Not being able to get your "odd ball" ammo at every mom & pop country store, or at WalMart??
That would be quite important to me, since firearms are not just a recreational tool, but a survival implement. When you need to use it the most, and you cannot find ammunition for it, it would just become a glorified paperwork.

If I were to get a semi-auto handgun right now with more tactical features and increased magazine capacity, I would choose between .45 ACP or 9mm. Even .40 S&W would behind the main choices, as the first two are the most commonly available calibers. I definitely would not be considering 10mm, .357 Sig or 5.7x28. I would rent them at a range just to have fun, but as an investment, I would only go with most common calibers that are also used by law enforcement/military.
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Old November 29, 2018, 02:43 AM   #22
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How in the hell does someone go off hunting and forget or lose their ammo?

People are fallible. Even if you are not, surely you must know plenty of other folks that can't live up to your standards.... I know that I have triple and quadruple sets of keys, especially car keys. I don't lose them, but I have family members that have a chronic problem about it.
How about the fellows that went driving off to go hunting and realize when they got there that that they brought everything they thought they needed but somehow the guns got left at home? These things happen....
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Old November 29, 2018, 05:46 AM   #23
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My first pistol back in the day was chambered in 7.62x25. The internet wasn't much of a thing then. Walmart doesn't carry 7.62x25. At the time, almost no gunshops carried it. If they did, it was likely they'd gouge like crazy on the price because it was "rare". Even in recent times, I've been to gunshows without one single round of it, and it's not even a particularly scarce cartridge.

I left that pistol behind on most outings. Some outings, I had to limit to one magazine for demonstration purposes.

If I had chosen a 9mm, I could have brought it every time.

That almost happened with our Mosin Nagants, but my father became annoyed and bought a huge pile of silvertip during a visit to J&G Sales. In retrospect, that was probably because it was the first time he saw it for a reasonable price.

Leaving that pistol behind still weighs on me. These days, the internet makes things much easier. However, I don't reload yet, so I'd prefer to keep things much easier on myself and stick to common calibers.
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Old November 29, 2018, 09:28 AM   #24
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How important is that to you, really???

Not being able to get your "odd ball" ammo at every mom & pop country store, or at WalMart??
"Oddball" can be subjective: Apparently, the local buyer for Wally World thinks 7-08 Remington is an "oddball" and does not stock it in the 3 stores nearest me.
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Old November 29, 2018, 12:04 PM   #25
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"Oddball" can be subjective: Apparently, the local buyer for Wally World thinks 7-08 Remington is an "oddball" and does not stock it in the 3 stores nearest me.
I agree.
Some people think .25 ACP is "oddball".
Others think .220 Swift or .32 H&R are "oddball".
One of my friends thinks 8x57mm is an insanely stupid thing to be shooting in this day and age. To him, it definitely fits "oddball".
I know plenty of people that think pretty much all of the short mags and mega-mags are "oddball". (RCMs, RSAUMs, WSMs, WSSMs, RUMs, Weatherby's .378 and derivatives, etc.)
Certainly plenty of people think 8mm Nagant is "oddball".

There's always the crowd that thinks anything you can't buy at WalMart is "oddball".

After you work through all the layers of what different people consider "odd" you may find yourself staring at people like me, that think pretty much everything is cool (except .25-06 - that failed abortion needs to go).
The only things I find 'odd' are the cartridges that seem to be an answer in search of a question (.357 AR, .50 Special), a reinvention of the wheel (such as .22-204 and .375-8mm Mag), cartridges (or factory loads) that work really hard to do a job that something else already does better (.308 MX, .30 HAM'R, and more), and/or factory cartridges that started out with great promise but got neutered when the marketing department pushed the cartridge another direction (.17 WSM, for example [it should have been .20 caliber, but the marketing morons wanted their magical 3,000 fps for ad copy]).
But even then... I still accept all of them.
(Except .25-06. Screw .25-06.)
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