Availability of your caliber ammo...

[Rachen]

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.

 

[Pathfinder45]

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....

 

[kozak6]

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.

 

[jimbob86]

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.

 

[FrankenMauser]

"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.)

 

[Doyle]

My only "oddball" caliber is .260 Rem. I added a 7mm-08 to my hunting lineup this year specifically because I wanted to switch to all copper bullets and the only factory load for .260 in all copper is Barnes (which can be a bear to find).

 

[Old 454]

I reload all my own ammunition...I cast my own bullets.

I buy my components when there plentifull.
I stockpile for when times are dry.
Dont depend on store bought ammo...ever

 

[Rachen]

How in the hell does someone go off hunting and forget or lose their ammo?

Well, I had once loaded a whole darn BATCH of .45LC, 25 rounds, without charging them with powder first.

Yep, you got that right. Twenty five rounds, bullet had been loosely placed over them already. Went to do something. Came back and proceeded to seat the cases, without powder. And no, I wasn't drunk. And everything was successfully salvaged. Recharged and reloaded within minutes.

Sometimes these things happen to the best of us. Lots of guys who hunted during muzzleloader season would be warming up or sighting in at the range and forget to load powder first, then projectile.

 

[T. O'Heir]

"...How in the hell does someone go off hunting and forget or lose their ammo?..." It happens every day. Drove the half hour to the local range one day to find I had left the bolt at home. People will leave mags at home too.
It's mostly about your level of senility. If you're forgetful and tend to leave stuff behind when you go hunting, it matters. If you're not, it doesn't.
That'd be the only time shooting something odd will bite you.

 

[44 AMP]

I can understand how some one could think they packed their ammo, and didn't.

What I could never understand is how someone "forgets" they have a gun in their bag at the airport!

 

[Mike38]

My "oddball" cartridge is the 7mm STW. Got the rifle in 2003, and ammo was fairly easy to find. Not at places like Walmart, but my favorite local gun shop had a few boxes any time I needed it, for the first couple of years anyhow. That pretty much dried up. I reload, so it didn't bother me much. Five or so years ago I was in a place like Bass Pro, or similar, don't remember which store exactly. I saw one box of 7mm STW on the bottom shelf, covered with dust. Picked it up to look at the price, $75. $3.75 per round? Wow. Needless to say I put it back. Found a guy on the internet that had 300 pieces of new brass for sale, so I bought them all. I can reload them 5-6 times each, so I figure I have a lifetime supply of ammo to feed it. To heck with factory ammo.

 

[44 AMP]

for the first couple of years anyhow.

This is a common enough problem, a new round is the hot new thing, everyone wants to check it out, demand is there (if the marketing worked), and there's lots of ammo around to see it becomes a popular item.

Until there isn't. Lots of good, useful rounds have literally been abandoned by manufacturers when sales get below a certain desired level. Even many which are still "supported" become scarce, and production becomes "seasonal".

Everyone had the uber magnums and ultra short magnums, everyone has various new 6.5mms TODAY. What is it going to be in 5 years? 10??

seen an 5mm Rem Mag rimfire lately?? Not from Remington.

Even the .32 Winchester Special with well over a century of use is "seasonal" production. Meaning, they only tool up and make more when stocks reach previously determined low levels.

And, the price of some niche rounds is beyond barking stupid. Sure, I realize there is an economy of scale, and military calibers are cheapest due to that, and I can understand $20 for a box of .223 and even $40 for a box of .222 (understand, not agree or be happy) but $75 for a box of .221 Fireball?? And ok, big bores use more materials and are less common, but is $90-100+ for .458 Win REALLY justifiable? (and not with "premium bullets)

of course, I don't think I ought to be paying $3+ for a gallon of gas, either..but that's just me..

 

[Charlie98]

I guess for me it would be availability of reloading components. The most obscure cartridge I load for is the .348WCF. It has been a challenge finding loaded ammunition... except for the boutique ammo companies, Winchester is the only one making loaded ammunition for it, and only every few years from what I've seen. (Edit: I just found that Hornady also loads factory ammos for the .348! Not that I'm interested, but it's nice to see.) The big shortcoming is brass, however. It's out there, but it used to be priced pretty ridiculously; that has changed recently, though, since Starline started offering it. Even though the .348 has it's own bullet, not shared with anyone else, I've not had problems finding jacketed or cast bullets.

I guess part of it is anticipating your needs. I also load for the .41MAG... in all these years I've never said "Gosh, I don't have any ammo!" or "I was counting on WalMart to have my ammo, and they don't!" Luck favors the prepared... and I'm prepared to load .41 Magnum.

 

[mr bolo]

I have a East German Makarov in 9x18 that I havent fired since 1995 because the ammo is too scarce, nobody ever sells it in local gun shops, it took 20 years until I found a place that sells it retail

I also have a Tokarev in 7.62x25 with the same problem, NOBODY sells it locally, my only choice was attend a cr@ppy gun show to look for a few boxes, and many times they dont have any either.

so I converted it to 9mm luger

I dont do mail order on ammo, if I cant get the ammo locally or places like WALMART

I wont waste my money buying a firearm in a "oddball" caliber" it's annoying to own guns with uncommon ammo, unless you just keep it as a collectable and dont plan to use it.

ONLY common, easily available ammo for me.

 

[jgrns]

I have a LOT of 9x18 Makarov ammo I'd like to get rid of...if you can figure out a way.

Aside, I'm new to the list, an FFL 01/03 and Vendor. My personal wants are .25-20. I shoot Lever Action Silhouette and since Starline doesn't/won't manufacture the brass I'm relegated to resizing .32-20 down to .25-20. Not a real easy task.

 

[jgrns]

You are aware of the new CA ammo laws...???

 

[dakota.potts]

Any main guns I want to shoot (self defense, competition, target shooting) it's important to me. 9mm, .223, and 6.5 Creedmoor. I only recently got a .40 because I wanted a Glock project and used .40 models were much cheaper.

I have a couple guns I would have to buy special ammo for. One is a S&W Lemon Squeezer in .32 SW. I have a ton of .32 acps (I love the vintage ones for some reason).

Also, the last gun I need to finish my 1897 Browning Patent Collection is a Colt 1902/1903 Hammer in .38 ACP. I'll gladly pay a boutique ammo loader for a box or two to shoot those on rare occasions and enjoy the history.

I don't reload yet but hopefully that will change

 

[Ruga Booga]

I reload so no worries. I would say my "oddball" cartridges are 303 Savage and 7.35 Carcano.

 

[luger fan]

I shoot a 9mm Flobert. A rimmed rimfire round that shoots #6 shot. It is mainly for European farmers for pest control. Classic arms is selling them for $399 with 1000 rounds of ammo. NO recoil and as quiet as my suppressed 10/22.

Try finding THAT at Wallmart.

 

[44caliberkid]

I jumped the gun and built a 22 Nosler upper, then the Valkyrie came out 6 months later. Ammo is strictly a buy online proposition. Stores will have all the other Nosler calibers, but never 22. I have 40 cases to reload and just don't shoot it much.