All of us have our pet calibers...but what if TSHTF

[festus]

How do you intend to feed your hog if you can't find the right kind of ammo?

I intend on having the 3 most common caliber pistols 9mm, 40 S&W, 45ACP so that if one supply temporarily dries up, I will still hopefully be able to provide some sort of defense.

The same with shotguns, 12 ga and 20 ga.

Rifle is just the same. A military caliber and a .22

I have a decent enough stock pile but prepare for the worst and pray for the best.

It is better to have it and not need it than to need it and not have it.

 

[HK4U]

All my auto's are at this time 9mm. I would like to add a couple 45's. Between my wife and I we have one 44 mag revolver one 357 and a 38. Of course the 357 can use 38 also. My long guns are 5.56/223, one action bolt 308 and a 12 gauge shotgun. I would like to also add something in 7.62x39.

 

[wolfhunter]

Pistols are .45, 9mm & .22
FAL is 7.62NATO (.308)
12 Ga pump
.22 carbine
My bolt action is 7mm RemMag, but I got it before I was thinking of SHTF situations

 

[toreskha]

I think I'm going to stick to 9mm and .45 ACP as my main handgun calibers. Might as well keep it simple. There's also no chance of mixing the two up in adverse conditions.

If you did happen to find some .357 or .40 and didn't have a gun to go with it, it's not a total waste. Ammo would be liquid capital that could be traded just like money. You could probably swap someone some .40 for .45 on a 1:1 ratio.

 

[Mr. Vegas]

.45's and 22's for me, Also got a good pile of 30-06 for the rifle.
I pick up all my brass when I shoot now, been looking around for some reloading equipment to get started on that....I'm having a hard time even finding re-loading gear!!!....

 

[boris]

hmmm....

i am stocking up on.22LR, 9MM Makarov, .38 special{ i got a question about that...} and 7.62x 39. and i got a pretty good stash since i started buying during the clinton era and i always buy a box or 2 when i can. now for the question. is .38 S&W the same as .38 SPL and if not, can i fire the S&W thru my Mode 10 Smith?

 

[abock33]

Have a decent stock of 45 and 5.56. need to up my 40sw and 30-06. On a side note anyone know about taking a 30-06 winchester and adding a sleeve to make it shoot .308? Guy at work says they make one. Have any of you heard of this?

 

[rockwerks]

12 ga and a couple of 40 S&W. load my own

 

[fredmaidment]

I am fortunate that I was able to source about 100 rds of .380ACP hollow points for my Bersa. Makes it easier to deal with the recent shortage of .380ACP.

My bolt action is 7.62x52 rimmed. While uncommon in new rounds, there's lots of cheap ex-military coming out of eastern Europe.

Otherwise, I have .22LR and .45ACP. Makes it easy to source.

 

[CathyInBlue]

I think the only thing to do about insuring that you always have ammo for a gun that you have is to have guns in every common caliber. Having a 9mm automatic and having just salvaged an entire crate of .45ACP is like Alannis said, "It's like ten thousand spoons when all you need is a knife."

Keep handguns around in .45ACP, .40 S&W, 9mm, and .25ACP. Keep revolvers around in .44MAG, .357MAG (.38), and .22LR. Keep rifles around in .308, 7.62x39, 5.56 (.223), and .22LR. And of course, a 12 ga. just because. You would have to happen across a bonanza of .380 ammo to find yourself SOL for ammo.

Although, if you had moon clips for your .357, I think .380ACP would actually feed nicely. Hmmm. Though, I wouldn't try feeding it through a .38 S&W, even though they fit.

Just stay away from the "experiemental" calibers like .357SIG, .455 Webley, and you'll do fine.

As for the person who was confused over .38 S&W vs. .38 Special (SPL), they're both cartridges of comparable dimension, but the SPL falls in between S&W and .357 Magnum in case length. You can feed SPL ammo through your .357, but I wouldn't suggest .38 S&W through your .357 with any regularity, since it's 4/1000 of an inch larger, it will result in accellerated barrel wear.

 

[BigSlick]

My handguns are 9mm and .40 and I'm well stocked on both. Long guns are .22, 5.56, and 12ga. Was able to get my hands on some Lake City 5.56 M855 before my source dried up. My AR will shoot both .223 and 5.56 but really likes the LC ammo. I agree with Toreskha’s note about trading ammo. Probably would be worth more than gold in a SHTF situation. And there’s no such thing as to much ammo.

 

[1911 Headbanger]

I focus on 45 ACP, 308, 12 ga. and 22 LR. They are my main "Survival Calibers". I also have secondary's in 9mm, 40, 223, 7.62x39, 38/357 and 30-06. I do have numerous other pistols and rifles in various calibers. But I focus on those main calibers and the guns, mags and ammo supply for them. The rest may be expendable and barter material. My wife is more comfortable with 223 because she's somewhat petite, and even though she likes the Glock and 1911 and shoots it very proficiently, she loves a 4" 357 mag revolver and is very fast and such a badass with it. So who am I to argue? The 30-06 is my sporting round and the 9mm and 40 are there because it may be the ammo availability issue. I also have a couple of 44 mag revolvers that I deer hunt and hog hunt with every year.