Tam, over at View From The Porch, had a post about how the .327 Federal pistol will shoot several cartridges – .32 S&W, .32 Long, .32 Mag, .327 Federal, and .32 ACP. She opined that for those of us scavenging for cartidges after the apocalypse, this multi-caliber functionality might have an appeal.
That got me thinking about where we’ve been and where we’re going in terms of the ‘one-gun, multi-cartridge’ pistol. (Note there’s a difference between multi-cartridge and multi-caliber.)
The most common would be the .357 Magnum – it can fire .38 Special and .357 Magnum (and .38 Colt if you somehow stumble into a hardware store that hasn’t been open since 1927). Ditto .44 Magnum, but I’ll bet there are plenty of .44 Mag shooters who have never even seen a .44 Special. The .45 ACP revolvers shot .45 ACP and .45 AutoRim. Smith and Wesson’s seemed-like-a-good-idea-at-the-time .460 Smith and Wesson will shoot .45 Colt, .454 Casull, and .460 S&W. The guys at Ruger have a Redhawk that’ll shoot .45 ACP or .45 Colt. The old Ruger single actions in .32-20/.32 Mag, .38-40/10mm, .45 Colt/ACP, 9mm/357 still turn up but you better make sure not to lose that extra cylinder. (And, really, how hard would it be for Ruger to come out with a convertible double action revolver, hm????) The Survivor/Medusa would shoot pretty much anything in the .38/9mm range but it was kind of a sucky gun to begin with. These are all examples (and, yes, I know there are others) of a multi-cartridge gun….but they are all of the same caliber. Once you get into multi-caliber guns things get more interesting.
A multi-caliber revolver is quite a trick to pull off since a ready barrel change would be required and thats a feature found on very few revolvers. (Looking at you, Dan Wesson.) But, when you get to automatics, its a different story. Ruger had a P89 that was a ‘convertible’ that let you swap between 9mm (.35 caliber) and .30 Luger (.30 caliber) with just a barrel change. HK had a switch barrel auto back in the day (HK4) that let you shoot .22, .25, .32, and .380.
The larger Glocks lend themselves to this sort of thing and I have seen setups where people will have a Glock that can toggle between .40, 10mm, and .357 SIG. When it comes to autos, the real bottle neck is the breechface…the cartridges often need to share a similar rim diameter.
The undeniable king of claiber conversions is the Thompson Contender which is a single-shot but has no equal in terms of versatility and potential caliber changes.
Its an interesting things to ponder….what pistol would give you the highest odds of finding ammunition for it in a crisis? There are people who are quick to point out that if a fella had a 10mm, .38 Super, .40 Smith, or .41 Magnum he could probably have found ammo during the last ‘ammo drought’ when 9mm, .45 ACP, and .357 couldn’t be had for love nor money.
There is a little merit to that. Problem is, if the caliber is obscure enough that people leave in on the shelf during a crisis then it is probably obscure enough that most stores won’t have any of it in the first place. Sure, your local Cabela’s will probably carry .38 Super but the local KwikeeMart probably won’t…so you’re back to square one.
What would be the most common calibers to find for your pistol in a world gone mad(der)? For the autos, I’d think a man with a 9mm would have an easier time of it than a .45 ACP devotee or .40 S&W fan. In revolvers, I’d say the man with a .357 would do pretty well for himself.These are, of course, centerfire cartridges. Probably the most ubiquitous ammo will be .22 LR and having a couple pistols and rifles chambered in that cartridge would be a paramount idea. And, yeah, .22 Mag or .17 Whatever is a zippy little mofo but you’ll find a hundred or more rounds of .22 for every round of any other rimfire you come across.
Of course, some folks figure any cartridge will work if you stockpile enough ammo for it. Well, yeah, that’ll work….if you’re never away from your supply, if your supply remains safe and secure, if you’re supply can last you for your anticipated lifetime, if if if…..
This, in a roundabout way, gets us back to one of those classic survivalist discussions about ‘cartridges for the end of the world’ or some similar hot-stove-league topic. I settled that argument, for me, years and years ago. I’m confident that, given the chamberings of my pistols and rifles, I’ll not have the worst time trying to find ammo down the road.
I was about to say that someday someone will come out with a modular pistol frame that will enable a broad spectrum of caliber and cartridge swaps. And then it occurred to me that we are probably 90% of the way there with SIG’s 320 model that uses the fire control group (FCG) as the legally-defined firearm, letting you buy all the barrel/frame/slide/mag combinations you want without the hassle of federal paperwork.
Hmm. I should investigate that a bit. I’m sure the aftermarket will be jumping onto that platform and getting us all sorts of barrels and whatnot. Hmmm.
With a handgun being the last line of defense, outside of a knife I guess, I’ve already started thinning the heard to the big four. .45ACP, 38/357, 9mm and .22. Only have one .40 Glock left now, ironically the one by me right now!
Got rid of the .44 mags and feel my step a little lighter for it, always think of the line in Taxi Driver when the gun dealer says it’s a great gun if you are going to Africa to hunt elephants.
The Makarov seems to not want to leave the herd yet but will probably get rid of it soon. Pretty sure a 9x19mm will chamber and shoot a 9x18mm round but I wouldn’t want to trust my life to it.
Really like the Ruger Blackhawk with the 9mm cylinder and I always have to hunt for that darned thing because it is so rarely used. Could use that gun to hammer fence posts and it would still shoot just fine. If I ever get down to just one, it will probably be the GP100 in 6″ ss.
9×18 Makarov will not fire out of a .380 or 9×19 gun. The mak bullet is too large a diameter.
Very true. 9×19 and 9×17 are .355 dia. Makarov or 9×18 is .362 dia.
Pressures are higher on the Markarov. I have two that fire the 9x18mm. And a 9x19mm.
I should know that but as I slide further into the depths of dementia, I will probably wind up throwing my bullets at bad guys.
The cartridge thst never was. I tried to find a pistol for my then wife in the 327 Federal magnum round. If I found a pistol. There was no ammo. Find ammo then the pistol was impossible to locate. Just a short time ago Federal debuted another wizzbzng cartridge in the 30 Super Carry. Every single magazine I get on firearms. And I get a ton of them touted the 30 Super Carry as the round to have. At least Federal got its ammo out at the same time as the pistols began to pop up in tbe stores. Usually by this time. Meaning a year or so in. We would be seeing some follow-up articles on how well this combination worked in the field. In real life use and situations. So far. Crickets. Nothing. I get a lot of catalogs. No ammo being carried. I even look for the Federal 327 magnum. Nothing.
Anybody have any idea about the Super Carry. Seems these two cartridges became obsolete before they had a chance to see much use. Even some of the company’s that made guns that were tested do not have them listed in their current online catalogs. At least with the 30 SC I could envision a loading with the Honey Badger bullets. But guess that to died aborning.
Both .327 Federal and .30 Super Carry use .312″ projectiles.
I know a guy who just bought a 30 SC gun and loves it – but he’s an odd guy!
Zero that is a good discussion topic for sure. Every time I head to my retreat/hunting house trailer ( 325 miles from my primary base ) I wrangle with what weapons to bring. Yes I have a few chosen standards I leave there but I never like to put to many eggs in that basket as I’m fearful of theft as I’m not there to much ( perhaps once every 3 weeks ). So this 4th July I’m toting a couple of shotguns for sight in/patterning, 2 rim fire handguns ( one new Ruger Super Wrangler) and Taurus Judge .45Colt/.410. Now if the SHTF and I’m stuck up there would I be ok with just those ( add an SKS and a S&W M&P 15/22 always there ) so I’d say a qualified yes, although a couple of my AR’s and my SOCOM 16 in ?308 would be more comforting. It’s just trickling all the rifles and pistols up all the time and back gets to be a bit of a hassle sometimes.
Let’s not forget the advantage to having a rifle/carbine and pistol in the same caliber. The sweet Winchester 1873 lever rifle chambered in .357 is an awesome combo with my Ruger and S&W pistols.
I have a Smith and Wesson M&P40. With a barrel change, it will shoot .357Sig. Change the barrel and magazine, and it will shoot 9mm. Three calibers, one pistol.
You can drop a 9mm conversion barrel in a .40 or .357SIG Glock and it will function just fine.
https://www.recoilweb.com/the-multi-caliber-glock-solution-for-ammo-panics-hail-hydra-167337.html
Ace Dube and others sells shotgun chamber adapters in a multitude of different rounds. Accuracy with no contact from bore is ‘Rotsa Ruck Pal !’ but at least it can be fired. These adapters are desperation, but at least a shotgun to a single projectile is possible.
I have a Savage 24C Camper combination with an 18″ 30-30 Winchester sleeve for the 20 barrel. Inside 100 yards – deer chest cavity accurate, about 6″ groups at 100 yards with factory Savage sights.
Yes. Very good course work articulated here Commander. As a gun store peddler I was an on the ground rubberknecker to the gun and ammo droughts through the years. I also remained a sideline spectator to those new created calibers and much hyped guns. I can only continue to stress that folks just stay in their lane with common military and Leo adopted calibers and gun model platforms. (No, not bull pup rifles that xyz country uses, think repair parts too) The logistics tail to the big picture of things has been proven to be more important than any beard boy operator tactics or snazzy talisman kits. That learning curve of those various events should have been highly motivating to those preppers / survivalist types. You are your own supply depot when things grind to a halt, so stock accordingly. It will be a bit of time to pass before “muh barter for things” becomes possible, and then be common so as to maybe have availability. Sometimes being mundane, average, and commonplace is it’s own attribute.
Stay frosty.
Logistics is what wins wars. Big ‘for real’ wars and ‘stay out of my neighborhood, you zombie biker cannibals!’ wars. Standardize your critical gear: ammunition, magazines, guns (so you need fewer spare parts on hand), batteries… ‘Perfect is the enemy of Good.’
Instead of worrying about ‘What gun should I get to be able to use oddball unlikely-to-be-encountered ammunition?’ invest in some basic reloading gear, to include bullet-pullers (inertia and collet types) and casting gear to make bullets in your standard cartridge’s diameter and weight range. This will allow you to break down oddball ammo and use at least the powder and primer to load rounds for your standard pistol.
And of course, buy plenty of factory ammo to begin with. If you actually need to use a handgun for self-defense, you’re not going to be firing thousands of rounds from it. Set aside a couple of hundred rounds of performance ammo — quality JHP loads for example — and 1000 or so of the cheapest (but reliable) FMJ loads for practice, using to put down meat animals, etc.
I really don’t understand this obession about multi-caliber firearms.
Aside for very specific circumstances, like as a bugout weapon when space and weight would be a huge issue and you count on finding ammo along the way, would you rather have a pistol with two or three interchangeble barrels or two or three actual firearms in different calibers that you can fire simultaneously, thus allowing you the opportunity to give one to a family member or an ally to multiply your firepower?
Thanks from Italy,
Daniele
.32 S&W, .32 Long, .32 Mag, .327 Federal, and .32 ACP are all rare now, if not unicorn cartridges….
Want flexibility? Decide who the enemy will be, stock weapons that will fire the same ammo – it’s just that simple.
.32 ACP is still very common and abundant in my area. Many new pistols are still chambered in that caliber.
If you’re picking your guns based on some imaginary post apocalyptic cartridge availability, you’re a weirdo.
If you’re doing so and they aren’t 9mm/5.56/12ga, then you’re a dumb weirdo.
There are many excellent reasons to own a .32 snubby. Logistics are not one of them.
Whether for end of the world apocalypse stuff or simply grabbing a box of ammo at a small hardware store the .32 sucks.
That said it’s kind of a moot point because it’s a gun for an expert in a specific. I haven’t know anyone who got onto .32 wheelie boys that didn’t already have a couple .38’s and a 9 or three.
You forgot .22/.45/308 and the granddaddy 30/06
M&P40 or Glock G22/23 are both easily converted to 357Sig or 9mm. 357 Sig is a barrel swap, same mag. 9mm is barrel swap and mag swap.
Some recommend a 9mm recoil spring as well. I haven’t had any problems using the .40 spring.
Many 45 ACP pistols are robust enough for 45 Super or 460 Rowland conversions.
In an M&P45 conversion, all it took was a recoil spring swap to run 45 Super. Now I have a pistol that shoots a 255gr hard cast bullet at 1100fps. That puts it in the same ballpark as 460 Rowland and 44 Magnum. It’s now my dangerous game pistol for the woods of NE Wa and North Idaho.
I have a Taurus 692. Durable, double-action, four inch barrel that’ll shoot 38/357 and 9mm with second cylinder. It uses moon clips and I’ve heard the 9mm cylinder can shoot 380 with different moon clips but I’ve never done it. Four calibers from one very stout handgun
9mm and .380 should both shoot from the same moon clip.
My Ruger lcr in 9mm won’t hold .380 in the moon clips, a little smaller diameter
I did some research and TK makes 380 clips for the 692
The solution, at least in a large part, is to have what the enemy has making scrounging for ammo easier. Take one enemy out, resupply. And by enemy, I don’t mean your next door neighbor.
Another advantage of the multi- revolvers is that they are often ‘travel compatible’ in restricted locales, e.g., CA, while providing some options for resupply along the way if needed. I try like h$%# to stay out of there, but a 45LC/45ACP Ruger was on their ‘acceptable’ list in the past. And of course many 357 are listed, providing two common cal options. Agree on the advantages of rifle/pistol pairing – although 357 long guns are like hen’s teeth made of diamonds. My 45LC pairing works for me. Ruger 22/22mag convos are pretty common and not too expensive since people think they are whimpy. Another personal fav is the combo shotgun/rifle in common cals – I can’t find a 12 / 308, but my 20 / 223 is pretty handy even if they are one and one shot guns.