Diversification of firearms collection

[Mark W.]

I walked into a BiMart today just to see what they had. No need to buy anything I reload virtually everything but maybe the first box or two of ammo for a new firearm in a new caliber so didn't need anything I have been very well stocked for years Just the way I am.

But there on the shelf were a few .30 caliber bullets I could have added to my stash. But again I didn't need anything. I keep looking and notice they have on the shelf some boxes of round balls. In of all sizes .451 and .490 the two round ball sizes my Remington 1858 Cap and Ball revolver and my .50 cal Hawkin style rifle use. Heck I normally cast my own round balls I got about 50 lbs of lead around here. But dang last time I looked I was virtually out of .451 and only enough .490 for maybe a short afternoon of shooting. The price was decent about 15 cents a ball. So I picked them up.

As I was standing in the VERY slowly moving line with only two women ahead of me (but luckily they had both thought to bring coupons and buy stuff from the ads no one had ever heard of and then to need a manager to do an over ride) I had plenty of time to contemplate (what I am not sure but I had plenty of time) So I got to thinkin about how the many who have firearms mostly for self defense or government take over or what ever reason have 1 or 2 handgun calibers and 1 maybe two rifle calibers (if you include .22rimfire) and maybe they have a shotgun.

When conditions like we are seeing now pop up as they seam to every couple years lately. those guys or gals are to be polite screwed. They are the first to see their calibers disappear due to the huge demand by all the other guys or gals like them. I have 7 handgun calibers and 9 rifle calibers and 2 shotgun gauges. And some of them are not really common but still stocked at most ammo dealers.

I think Diversification is a good thing

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[GOG]

I took the opposite approach and minimized calibers and just stacked the ammo deep.
I sold all the other firearms and have backup firearms in the calibers I kept.

I pared down to 7.62 NATO, 5.56 NATO, .22LR, 9mm and 12 Gauge. It keeps it simple if a little boring, but I'm old and I've owned a bunch of great and interesting guns over the years. I also have nobody to pass them on to.

 

[HaveGun]

I don't think there is any wrong answer. I have defensive pistols in 9mm, .40 S&W, and 10mm. Rifle calibers are much more varied. I can hunt for the rest of my life and pass down my hunting rifles and ammo and my son could hunt for the rest of his life.

When I was at the LGS a couple of weeks ago, the ONLY caliber left on the shelf was one I happened to have a rifle in; .257 Roberts. So there's that.

I've been tempted to pare down my defensive firearm collection to just one or two, just because I feel guilty for not being intimately familiar with all of them. Being very good with just one or two guns is an attractive alternative to having a bunch to choose from, but not really getting really familiar with any of them.

 

[Member 34319]

Chiapa X Caliber comes to mind reading this.

 

[OldTengu]

I don't think there is any wrong answer. I have defensive pistols in 9mm, .40 S&W, and 10mm. Rifle calibers are much more varied. I can hunt for the rest of my life and pass down my hunting rifles and ammo and my son could hunt for the rest of his life.

When I was at the LGS a couple of weeks ago, the ONLY caliber left on the shelf was one I happened to have a rifle in; .257 Roberts. So there's that.

I've been tempted to pare down my defensive firearm collection to just one or two, just because I feel guilty for not being intimately familiar with all of them. Being very good with just one or two guns is an attractive alternative to having a bunch to choose from, but not really getting really familiar with any of them.

To the point of not being familiar with your firearms;
This is why, even though I have quite a few pistols in a variety of calibers, I have chosen to have similar platforms. Glocks and 1911 clones dominate the collection. Am working on making my shotgun collection redundant as well.

 

[Esam85]

I have lots of varying calibers that said I only stack ammo and mags for my commonly used guns. it is just to expensive to do anything else.

 

[kisfish]

I have also gone the other way. Had lots of different calibers. Been thinning them out. Makes it easier for me I jave same bullets and powders for multiple guns

 

[v0lcom13sn0w]

diversification is a good thing. one of my goals is to be able to pick up ANY common pistol, rifle, shotgun, pcc, sporting rifle or whatever and be able to know how to load it and work the action and safety as if i own one myself. im mainly thinking for SHTF if i find weapons on the dead.

 

[American123]

I took the opposite approach and minimized calibers and just stacked the ammo deep.
I sold all the other firearms and have backup firearms in the calibers I kept.

I pared down to 7.62 NATO, 5.56 NATO, .22LR, 9mm and 12 Gauge. It keeps it simple if a little boring, but I'm old and I've owned a bunch of great and interesting guns over the years. I also have nobody to pass them on to.

You have no one to pass them on to?

This is something I have considered for myself decades into the future. For example, I was the only 1 out of many relatives who were interested in firearms passed down from previous generations. I'm hoping to raise my kids to appreciate them as much as I do, or at least respect their importance and keep them in the family down the road. I'm quite a ways away from that, but still.

If you don't already have a plan PM me the details of how you want your firearms "estate" handled. They could be passed down to newer shooters, donated to ranges, or I suppose if you wanted to go the Egyptian royalty route you could be buried with them.

 

[Capn Jack]

Aside from the air guns and BP it's just ARs in different calibers.

"I suppose if you wanted to go the Egyptian royalty route you could be buried with them."

I intend to be cremated.
If I can take the ammo too, that should be quite a party.

 

[American123]

Stack deep some main calibers you shoot often. Keep the other stuff and a basic amount of ammo available for them. Seems to cover all bases except for house fire. Another strategy is to use like minded family/ close friends as secure storage. A bag with some mags and accompanying tool seems to play well into the diversification strategy. Don't want to have all your eggs in one basket.

 

[The Heretic]

I did both diversification and standardizing while at the same time trying to keep things simple.

I started (years ago) with Glocks in 9mm and AKs in 7.62x39. Same pistols and rifles for the three of us.

Then we evolved about 5 years ago to PS90 and Five Sevens in 5.7x28, while acquiring 10K rounds of ammo over time.

As many know, I also have the SIGness. SIGs, 226s, 229s and 227s in 9mm, .40 and .45 ACP with a couple .22 conversions. All of these SIGs are very similar in operation, shape and size, while at the same time covering the three most common defensive cartridges. Again, plenty of ammo for each, and when you take into account that there is 10K+ rounds of ammo total for all of them together, if SHTF, that is plenty of ammo.

Add onto that the fact that if I have relatives/friends/neighbors who need a sidearm, then I have some sidearms to spare.

The rest is diversification; .45 Colt (+.454/.460), .357 & .44 mag, .30-30, .30-06, 5.56, .45-70, 12/20 ga + .410 and of course .22 rimfire. If SHTF, I expect that at least some of those may show up in barter, or be asked for in barter.

E.G., I don't really expect that I will ever need the 1K rounds of .44 mag that I have stocked up, but I would not be surprised that if SHTF, that someone may ask for some .44 mag, and hopefully have something I need in trade for it - I would probably hold back a couple hundred rounds for myself - for hunting.

If I run out of defensive rifles to arm people, then I have hunting rifles, which are better than nothing, and in some cases (sniping) serve a purpose, if not, then having someone doing some hunting is good - either way, someone will be thankful for having a rifle/shotgun and/or handgun rather than a slingshot.

I am not so much a fan of simplification as I am of choosing popular and standardized cartridges. There is nothing that prevents me from stacking deep all of these different cartridges except for the funds to buy it, and in that case, there really is no difference in stacking up 70K rounds of ammo for the different firearms I have than the same amount of ammo for only two or three calibers.

If I ever expend the 10K rounds of 5.7x28 fending off zombies, I will be very surprised, but I will still have thousands of rounds of 5.56x45, 7.62x39 and 7.62x51 left when the 5.7 runs out.

 

[The Heretic]

Another strategy is to use like minded family/ close friends as secure storage. A bag with some mags and accompanying tool seems to play well into the diversification strategy. Don't want to have all your eggs in one basket.

Nothing like a little wildfire to convince me of that fact.

OTOH - I don't want to have too much stored at my kids place such that if they have to hoof it to my BOL they are either carrying too much weight or leaving valuable ammo/guns behind.

 

[oremike]

Random numbers:
3 shotguns
6 rifles
8 revolvers
8 autos
50 cal ammo can full for each

 

[LDmax]

...or I suppose if you wanted to go the Egyptian royalty route you could be buried with them.

Good idea, there could be some spooky bubblegum in the afterlife

 

[MaxwellEdison]

I subscribe to the philosophy, "Variety is the spice of life." So I like having a little bit of this and a little bit of that. I also like having slightly weird or unpopular firearms that are actually great firearms, but which for one reason or another didn't meet with much market success. "Hidden gems", as I call them. (E.g., one of my favorite and best performing 9mm pistols is a Grand Power P1 I picked up for $299, brand new.). I also love my CZ-82 in 9mm Makarov. Weird caliber, but back in the day you could pick these pistols up in almost-new condition - with two mags and an unused surplus leather holster - for $179.

On the other hand some people treat their firearms like implements or tools, and they only want the tools they need and will use regularly. Practicality is the name of the game. Nothing wrong with that, either.

Regardless of whether a person diversifies or pairs down their collection to just a few calibers and/or firearms, one should always have sufficient ammo on hand for whatever items they do have. For the past decade or so I have always operated under the assumption that any and all ammo could effectively disappear tomorrow. So I stock ammo accordingly.

My great grandkids will still be shooting that CZ-82 regardless of what happens to ammo imports.

 

[HaveGun]

To the point of not being familiar with your firearms;
This is why, even though I have quite a few pistols in a variety of calibers, I have chosen to have similar platforms. Glocks and 1911 clones dominate the collection. Am working on making my shotgun collection redundant as well.

I'm pretty much there. All my defensive pistols are polymer and striker fired with three having safeties in the same location, six having no safeties, and same manual of arms. Glocks, M&Ps, a Taurus and a Sig.

No funky actions like DA/SA with de-cockers or anything to add complexity. So, not bad.

I don't count the 1911 as a defensive pistol, nor my single-actions. Though the Ruger Bisley is occasionally carried in the woods.

 

[Spitpatch]

1 ) If you count your guns you might have a problem.

2) Celebrate Diversity.

 

[The Heretic]

No funky actions like DA/SA with de-cockers or anything to add complexity. So, not bad.

To each their own.

DA/SA with a de-cocker works for me just fine - just like a DA/SA revolver, only better (safer de-cocking than older revolvers that don't have a transfer bar and easier) and the trigger can be made better yet while still being safe. Never heard anybody say a revolver was complex to operate.

Now if you are talking mechanical complexity, then yes, DA/SA with a de-cocker is mechanically more complex - even without the de-cocker. But I still strongly prefer my SIG classics to striker fired guns.

IMO/IME striker fired triggers suck - at least every one I have tried. YMMV.

 

[The Heretic]

1 ) If you count your guns you might have a problem.

I have a math problem; every time I count my guns I come up with a different number. It is like they multiply or something.