I have been of the opinion that the most common calibers are the way to go, at least for my first few guns (non-collector items). What good is it to have a gun if you can't find any ammo to put in it? So, rounds like 9mm, .40, .45, 12ga, .22, .223/5.56, 7.62x39, .38/.357 etc. seemed like good choices.
I recently came across a thread on a different forum where the OP was trying to decide between two rifles. One poster left a comment in favor of the rifle chambered for the less popular cartridge because he could still find that during the last shortage while all the stores near him were out of the more popular one (I forget which rounds they were talking about, but the point is the same).
This started me thinking about how it may be smart to have a gun or two chambered for a less common, but still available, round. For instance, if another shortage happens you can bet that .223 is going to be flying off of the shelves, but will those couple of boxes of .45-70 on the far end of the shelf be snatched so quickly? For handguns, 9mm will be in high demand, but maybe something like .44, .41, 9x18 will still be around. These may be bad examples since I'm not an ammo expert.
So my question is, does it make sense to purposely shoot a less common round (not something totally obscure though), and if so, what might some good choices be?
I know the right answer is to reload your own (or stop by Andy's house
), but that still requires being able to find components or factory ammo to start with. I would consider ease of reloading as a factor to consider when choosing a caliber.