are there too many calibers ?

[Frank Case]

I have no idea how many handgun and rifle calibers there are, but it seems like there are too many.

There is hardly any practical difference between so many of them.

[Ackrite]

Moms Demand Action, MAIG, VPC, Brady Campaign... would all agree that there are too many calibers.

[robcoe]

Only when they make a caliber that does everything perfectly will there be to many calibers. Right now they all do different things and serve different functions.

What ones do you want to get rid of?

[Ackrite]

He's a troll

[CK_32]

It's called growing technology, progression and experimentation. With out it you would still be shooting black powder and only have the radio broadcasts for entertainment.

[Tank 57]

Are there too many golf clubs?Baseball bats?


One size does not fit all.

[jcourson]

Are there too many golf clubs?

Yes! All we need is a putter. (gotta love the mini golf)

[Tommy C]

No, that would be like saying there's too many tools. Ya gotta have different tools for different jobs.

[VictorFranko]

No Frank, there are too many mentally ill banned members that can't get their dick hard without trolling Calguns regularly.

[WASR10]

There are way too many models of vehicles out there. Makes me sick. Nobody needs a 7 passenger van, do they think they are city transit? No one needs a 4x4 pickup... guys just trying to be Big Foot and Grave Digger. The only car anyone ever needs is a Prius.

[Jet Setter]

It is all about selection and purpose. Can't do it all with 9mm...

[NapalmCheese]

There is hardly any practical difference between so many of them.

There are very practical differences between many of them, namely, the person or people developing one cartridge may not have had access to other, similar cartridges. Likewise, many times a new cartridge will fall just slightly short of its goals, and a new cartridge is derived from he old one. The old cartridge can't be un-invented, it can only become obscure.

[Swagman00]

Every cartridge has a purpose.

If it didn't have a purpose, it wouldn't still be around.

[CK_32]

No Frank, there are too many mentally ill banned members that can't get their dick hard without trolling Calguns regularly.

Oh snap!

[as_rocketman]

Weeeellll... from a consumer standpoint, there probably are. Most new wonder-calibers have some kind of competitive advantage, but chances are a casual buyer won't even know what that is, or know how to take advantage of it.

Other new wonder-calibers are playing a numbers game. Sort of like cars one-upping each other with horsepower or 0-60 MPH figures. That might make it a better car, and it might not.

However, since you have the ability to load your own, to whatever your requirements might be, asking if there are too many calibers is like asking if there are too many different kinds of house.

As for me personally, I don't sweat different calibers too much. I'm more interested in system performance -- and that performance includes considerations like cost, recoil, case life, and availability of components.

Good ol' .30'06, for instance, is long in the tooth compared to current offerings. But it still has more performance than most shooters can use, in many situations.

One of my calibers is .30 Carbine. Not a head-turning round. But the rifle it was made for is just fantastic. That's more than enough to earn a spot on my shelf.

But if you've got a need for something exotic... go for it. Why not?