most common & easily found big game round in the U.S

[Swampman]

The myth that handloads are better continues on but it's still a myth.  Few handliaders are careful enough to produce good or even safe ammo and the best powders aren't sold to the public.

[mcwoodduck]

Swampy, if you think factory stuff matches good handloads, I can see why you like walmart...stick with it....

No one is going to argue with you about it that hand loads can be made that will out do factory stuff.  Although loaded ammo now is really good with the premium bullets that is what made hand loads that much better.
The problem comes when TSA desides the box you have ammo in is not a facotry box and confiscates your ammo at the airport as you are headed out for a hunt.  If you at least have run a few boxes of what Wally world has on the shelf and know that you can get on paper quickly when you get to the hunting area you are ahead of the game.  Having ammo that the local stores will have is another.  What you can use in your back yard is going to be very different if you came out to NC to hunt deer there with me and the local stores will not have anything strange or exotic.  Good luck trying to find a box of Weatherby 300 or 257 in a hurry.

If I had to limit my self to one Big game rifle.  That would be hard as I have about a Dozen.  I would have to say I would have to look at what I was going to use it for 90% of the time and then choose from 308win, 30-06, 7mm Mag, 300 Win Mag and 338 Win Mag.
If it were going to be 90% east coast deer and pigs 308, 30-06 would be my choice.
90% out west for deer then the 7mm Mag or 300 Win would be a flip of the coin.
If it were going to be west and could be mixed between deer, pig and elk.  the 338 hands down.  No way wall mart in NC is going to have a box of 338 win.  But Before I headed there there would be two or three boxes headed there by UPS
30-06 will do everything but you will e limited to sane shots depending on ability and distance.  Will 30-06 kill deer , elk, and pig out to 300 yards and more.  Yep.  Are you ale to hit a deer, elk, or pig at 300 yards or more?  the belted 7 and 300 take a little of the guess work out of bullet drop.

[Dee]

Swampy, if you think factory stuff matches good handloads, I can see why you like walmart...stick with it....

I was thinkin the same thing. I can load a better round than a factory and not even try, and have been for 40 years

[Wyo. Coyote Hunter]

   Dee, you sure have that right...I have had a very few factory loads in hunting rifles shoot under one inch at onehundred yards...that is not a problem to achieve with good handloads, and usually and higher speeds than fact. stuff...Having a few boxes of factory doesn't hurt...I have some for most calibers, but none of it matches the handloads I can produce..not only that but for the price, once one has brass, you can load probably a hundred rounds for the price of 30 factory shells. No point in talking to swampy...he can support walmart...they need it..

[charles p]

I have flown three different times from NC with rifles and handloaded ammunition (CO, WA, and MT).  Never had anyone from TSA ask a question.  Did not use a factory carton either.  Is it a new requirement that ammo must be factory loaded?  I think the loaded ammo was in my checked suitcase each time but I don't remember.  For certain it wasn't in a carry-on bag, though I mistakenly flew to the Caribbean last year with a loaded 25-06 in my jacket pocket.

[Lloyd Smale]

before you badmouth wildcats keep in mind that at least half the comercial round out there were wildcats at one time. Rounds like the 243 708 280 2506 22250 and the list goes on and on. Id about bet someone back then thought they were noveltys too.

[Wyo. Coyote Hunter]

  Charles, when I did some checking this spring the  ammo had to be in a factory box OR in a suitbable ammo box like we buy for reloads..it is good to have a copy of the reg.s with you..when coming home from Africa, a woman in new york, was going to give me grief over my ammo in ammo plastic boxes...I told her I have the  regs in my pocket and a plastic box for ammo is ok...she turned to her worker and said take care of this guy...she was a big black woman a planned on giving me grief..when I had the reg.s she shut her mouth and went on to harass some one else...we went on to Pit. with no problem...

[mcwoodduck]

I have flown three different times from NC with rifles and handloaded ammunition (CO, WA, and MT).  Never had anyone from TSA ask a question.  Did not use a factory carton either.  Is it a new requirement that ammo must be factory loaded?  I think the loaded ammo was in my checked suitcase each time but I don't remember.  For certain it wasn't in a carry-on bag, though I mistakenly flew to the Caribbean last year with a loaded 25-06 in my jacket pocket.

When I was looking to fly back to NC with fire arms I read the rules and then stopped in the Airport to get a few items clearified.
One was factory packaging.  It says Ammo is to be in facotory packaging.  I get the slip in my luggage all the time that they were in it and search for this or that.
In the 1987 I was in Greenville NC airport on the plane side of security with my shotgun that they took from me at the gate and loaded on the plane.  things have changed a lot.

[mcwoodduck]

before you badmouth wildcats keep in mind that at least half the comercial round out there were wildcats at one time. Rounds like the 243 708 280 2506 22250 and the list goes on and on. Id about bet someone back then thought they were noveltys too.

I have never bad mouthed a wildcat.  I sometime question why some here want to reinvent the wheel and have thought of a few wild cats my self.
What I said was you may not want that as a traveling rifle.  I aslo tossed in a lot of factory ammo as well.  What may be a staple in your neck of the woods may be an oddity where you are headed and you may have to wait a couple of days for UPS to get ammo to you.  If you are a die hard wild cat fan you may want to ship ammo a week or two ahead so you are sure some ammo will be there.

[Swampman]

I guess it depends on what you call better.  I'd say 75% of the firearm problems that I troubleshoot are handload related.  Folks seem amazed when you show them that the gun functions fine and shoots sub-MOA with factory ammo.

Few people understand the concepts needed to produce safe and accurate reloads.

Factory ammo is 10 times better than it was 10 years ago.  Reloading is a way to save money or feed a gun that factory ammo isn't availble for.

[Lloyd Smale]

ive hunted for nie on 40 years now and have traveled around a bit doing it. I have yet to forget my ammo or have it not show up or run out. Id be one dumb sob if i let something like that happen. This debate can go on and on. Basicaly theres nothing wrong with factory ammo if thats what your gun likes. dont be fooled into thinking they do some majical process that a handloader doesnt. If anything the oposite is true. I just picked up some factory 165 280 ammo mostly because it was cheap and i need brass. I got 10 boxes for the price of the brass. I figured id pull the bullets and save them for later and dump the powder. Just for grins i started weighting the charges, mostly because i wanted to figure out what they were using for powder. With the speed they were gettting and the charge weight and by apperance i narrowed it down to 4831. Now the surprising thing. I found the charge weights varried up and down 4 full grains between shells out of the same box. Now i know handloaders that dont quivel about .4 grains up and down but i dont know a one that would load ammo with a 4 grain varitation. Amazingly that ammo shot into just over a inch and a half at a hundred yards out of my featherweight but that gun shoots under an inch with a good handload. Im sure thats not the case for all factory ammo but it does show you that there not weighting every charge that goes into your ammo.

[Cheesehead]

I believe the 308 Winchester is the most common with over 100 factory loadings. It is currently a NATO round which puts it in the lead, an important consideration.

Cheese

[dks7895]

I agree with Cheese on the NATO comment.  I prefer the .223 Rem for smaller critters, and the .308 Win for larger ones.  Home defense is the 12ga and/or 9mm.  I use the trusty .22LR for plinking and squirrels.

The .30-06 is a great round, and deserves all its merits.  However, I prefer the .308, due to the reduced recoil and short action in the bolt platform.  My Marlin XS7 shoots $14 150gr Federal Power-Shok soft-points at sub-MOA with little effort.

[mrussel]

QUESTOR,
As far as the lead ban in CA. I live just outside the condor range which is the only area where solid lead projectiles is prohibited.
The condor is the only reason for the lead ban but doesnt affect the whole state.
Its funny because you CAN still use lead bird shot to hunt upland game birds in the condor range as well as target shoot with solid lead projectiles in desognated shooting areas on public land in the condor range! Why you cant (hunt) with a solid lead projectile & can with bird shot in this area is beyond me.

here is a 2 part video giving you a detailed description of this ban & its location. I found it to be interesting.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JGem-lo4mNM
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xtZ_YkPTzMA&feature=related

 The problem is that Condors like to feed off gut piles. If there happens to be a lead bullet in there,the condor can eat it and die. In fact,I read an article in the paper maybe 6 months ago about that. They found a dead condor,with lethal levels of lead in its system and a lead bullet in its stomach. Not much doubt about what happened there. I know there are some that claim lead bullet bans are some sort of conspiracy to take away our guns,but it has happened on more than one occasion and the number of condors is only in the double digits. (I think state wildlife biologists have better things to do than kill condors and plant lead bullets in their guts as an evil plot to take away our guns,in fact,most of these guys are hunters and outdoorsmen.) Im sure there ARE gun control or wacko animal rights types that want to ban lead ammunition because they know its a easy way to make ammo more expensive and that it will dissuade some from hunting,but that's a different issue. One thing to keep in mind is,the wildlife biologists know damn well,if there was no hunting THEIR jobs would evaporate as the Pittman Roberston Act money that pays their salaries would dry up. I say,if gun control types want to spend their resources banning lead free rifle ammo for hunting,they are shooting themselves in the foot. (At least they wont have to worry about the lead)

 Actually,lead free rifle ammo doesn't bother me at all. Lead free bullets are relatively affordable and its not like I'm going to go out hunting and blow 200 rounds missing deer and elk. Lead free shotgun shells on the other hand are a royal PITA. I only have one shotgun that can shoot steel shot,which is the only lead free ammo you can get at a price that inst appallingly high. The others have to shoot bismuth or that tungsten/plastic composite stuff and the cost is so high,that its prohibitive.

[dukkillr]

QUESTOR,
As far as the lead ban in CA. I live just outside the condor range which is the only area where solid lead projectiles is prohibited.
The condor is the only reason for the lead ban but doesnt affect the whole state.
Its funny because you CAN still use lead bird shot to hunt upland game birds in the condor range as well as target shoot with solid lead projectiles in desognated shooting areas on public land in the condor range! Why you cant (hunt) with a solid lead projectile & can with bird shot in this area is beyond me.

here is a 2 part video giving you a detailed description of this ban & its location. I found it to be interesting.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JGem-lo4mNM
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xtZ_YkPTzMA&feature=related

 The problem is that Condors like to feed off gut piles. If there happens to be a lead bullet in there,the condor can eat it and die. In fact,I read an article in the paper maybe 6 months ago about that. They found a dead condor,with lethal levels of lead in its system and a lead bullet in its stomach. Not much doubt about what happened there. I know there are some that claim lead bullet bans are some sort of conspiracy to take away our guns,but it has happened on more than one occasion and the number of condors is only in the double digits. (I think state wildlife biologists have better things to do than kill condors and plant lead bullets in their guts as an evil plot to take away our guns,in fact,most of these guys are hunters and outdoorsmen.) Im sure there ARE gun control or wacko animal rights types that want to ban lead ammunition because they know its a easy way to make ammo more expensive and that it will dissuade some from hunting,but that's a different issue. One thing to keep in mind is,the wildlife biologists know damn well,if there was no hunting THEIR jobs would evaporate as the Pittman Roberston Act money that pays their salaries would dry up. I say,if gun control types want to spend their resources banning lead free rifle ammo for hunting,they are shooting themselves in the foot. (At least they wont have to worry about the lead)

 Actually,lead free rifle ammo doesn't bother me at all. Lead free bullets are relatively affordable and its not like I'm going to go out hunting and blow 200 rounds missing deer and elk. Lead free shotgun shells on the other hand are a royal PITA. I only have one shotgun that can shoot steel shot,which is the only lead free ammo you can get at a price that inst appallingly high. The others have to shoot bismuth or that tungsten/plastic composite stuff and the cost is so high,that its prohibitive.

what types of shotguns do you own that can't shoot steel?

[mrussel]

Swampy, if you think factory stuff matches good handloads, I can see why you like walmart...stick with it....

 Theres nothing wrong with the ammo you get at walmart. Its solid name brand stuff. I do agree though,there is no comparing properly made handloads,or even the ones made by my meager reloading skills,to factory ammo. Factory ammo of course has to fit all rifles chambered for that cartridge. A fire formed hand loaded cartridge fits that one rifle that it was loaded for,perfectly,and has the load adjusted to what shoots best from that one single rifle.

   Still,many people rely solely on factory ammo,and for those people,there's nothing wrong with buying Walmart ammo. I know some people dont like Walmart for philisophical reasons. One good reason not to like Walmart is that they stock mostly (except for their guns and ammo) cheap Chinese made junk. Still,there IS something to like about them. They sell not just ammo,but long guns. (and I understand they still sell handguns in Alaska at some stores) They take alot of flak for that and in fact,they stopped selling handguns because of that. They still sell long guns though (I guess that's the 'happy' middle ground) Ask yourself,what other retailer that size has decided that they still want to deal with the negative press they get from that.(Sears,most hardware stores,Kmart,and most other national chains have stopped selling guns long ago) One COULD make the argument that if Walmart has a gun,or gun related item you want to purchase,that there is a certain logic to making the purchase from them and helping to prove to them that it IS a good business decision to keep selling guns. If its not,then the gun control people will be able to stop fighting the nations largest retailer (and I THINK they nations largest gun and ammo retailer) and put their resources else where,as well as gloat for years about how even the nations largest retailer learned that selling guns was not a viable thing to do) I see the downsides to patronizing walmart,but where their guns and ammo is concerened theres an upside as well,and I guess you have to decide where the balance lies yourself.

[mrussel]

The myth that handloads are better continues on but it's still a myth.  Few handliaders are careful enough to produce good or even safe ammo and the best powders aren't sold to the public.

Thats simply not true. There are two reasons people handload. First is for cost of course,second is for accuracy. Ask yourself why people who are serious competitors don't buy that "Black Adder Super Tactical Sniper Extreme Match Grade" ammo (or whatever you find in the crazy super expensive stuff at your local gun store) for 60 bucks a box. Its not cost. If they could buy something off the shelf that would be better than a handload,the would do it,whatever the price. (These are the people who drop 5k on upgrades to a gun as if the money was toilet paper)

 Your right,there are plenty of people that don't know how to make a safe hand load. (A good hint is follow whats in the book as a minimum load,until you know enough to know that you need to go hotter) As for careful,Ill agree,a sloppy handload is not going to be accurate and is also going to be dangerous.

 Still,by that same logic,I could say that the myth that a well maintained rifle can be accurate continues,but its still a myth. After all,many shooters don't even clean their rifles and let the bores rust away after shooting surplus ammo,and even if they DID properly maintain their weapon,it wouldn't matter anyway,because they just don't care or pay attention enough to the fundamentals to be able to hit more than a dinner plate sized group at 25yds. Therefore,go buy some old piece of junk with a rusted out bore and blast away with your eyes closed because that "good equipment plus good skill" stuff is just a myth.

 Of course (most of us) know that's just not true. If you have a solid rifle,and do your part right,your going to get some nice tight groupings. If you use a well made hand load carefully made for YOUR rifle,your going to get an even better group. There are other ways to get there,that's true. (it wont work as good,but you can get closer) You could buy every conceivable brand,and loading you can find on the market,and choose the one that works best for your rifle. If thats what you want to do,then fine,go for it.

[mrussel]

Swampy, if you think factory stuff matches good handloads, I can see why you like walmart...stick with it....

No one is going to argue with you about it that hand loads can be made that will out do factory stuff.  Although loaded ammo now is really good with the premium bullets that is what made hand loads that much better.
The problem comes when TSA desides the box you have ammo in is not a facotry box and confiscates your ammo at the airport as you are headed out for a hunt.  If you at least have run a few boxes of what Wally world has on the shelf and know that you can get on paper quickly when you get to the hunting area you are ahead of the game.  Having ammo that the local stores will have is another.  What you can use in your back yard is going to be very different if you came out to NC to hunt deer there with me and the local stores will not have anything strange or exotic.  Good luck trying to find a box of Weatherby 300 or 257 in a hurry.

If I had to limit my self to one Big game rifle.  That would be hard as I have about a Dozen.  I would have to say I would have to look at what I was going to use it for 90% of the time and then choose from 308win, 30-06, 7mm Mag, 300 Win Mag and 338 Win Mag.
If it were going to be 90% east coast deer and pigs 308, 30-06 would be my choice.
90% out west for deer then the 7mm Mag or 300 Win would be a flip of the coin.
If it were going to be west and could be mixed between deer, pig and elk.  the 338 hands down.  No way wall mart in NC is going to have a box of 338 win.  But Before I headed there there would be two or three boxes headed there by UPS
30-06 will do everything but you will e limited to sane shots depending on ability and distance.  Will 30-06 kill deer , elk, and pig out to 300 yards and more.  Yep.  Are you ale to hit a deer, elk, or pig at 300 yards or more?  the belted 7 and 300 take a little of the guess work out of bullet drop.

 TSA confiscates non factory ammo?? If that IS the case,just reload that Winchester brass,seal the primers (gives you that nice factory primer sealed look) and put them back in the Winchester box,problem solved) If your REALLY worried about them confiscating your ammo,ship an extra box to yourself at your destination.

[mrussel]

I have flown three different times from NC with rifles and handloaded ammunition (CO, WA, and MT).  Never had anyone from TSA ask a question.  Did not use a factory carton either.  Is it a new requirement that ammo must be factory loaded?  I think the loaded ammo was in my checked suitcase each time but I don't remember.  For certain it wasn't in a carry-on bag, though I mistakenly flew to the Caribbean last year with a loaded 25-06 in my jacket pocket.

Wow,you are lucky. Getting caught with something like that makes some TSA guy look like an idiot. When you make TSA look like a bunch of incompetent clowns,they take it out on you in a big way.

[mrussel]

QUESTOR,
As far as the lead ban in CA. I live just outside the condor range which is the only area where solid lead projectiles is prohibited.
The condor is the only reason for the lead ban but doesnt affect the whole state.
Its funny because you CAN still use lead bird shot to hunt upland game birds in the condor range as well as target shoot with solid lead projectiles in desognated shooting areas on public land in the condor range! Why you cant (hunt) with a solid lead projectile & can with bird shot in this area is beyond me.

here is a 2 part video giving you a detailed description of this ban & its location. I found it to be interesting.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JGem-lo4mNM
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xtZ_YkPTzMA&feature=related

 The problem is that Condors like to feed off gut piles. If there happens to be a lead bullet in there,the condor can eat it and die. In fact,I read an article in the paper maybe 6 months ago about that. They found a dead condor,with lethal levels of lead in its system and a lead bullet in its stomach. Not much doubt about what happened there. I know there are some that claim lead bullet bans are some sort of conspiracy to take away our guns,but it has happened on more than one occasion and the number of condors is only in the double digits. (I think state wildlife biologists have better things to do than kill condors and plant lead bullets in their guts as an evil plot to take away our guns,in fact,most of these guys are hunters and outdoorsmen.) Im sure there ARE gun control or wacko animal rights types that want to ban lead ammunition because they know its a easy way to make ammo more expensive and that it will dissuade some from hunting,but that's a different issue. One thing to keep in mind is,the wildlife biologists know damn well,if there was no hunting THEIR jobs would evaporate as the Pittman Roberston Act money that pays their salaries would dry up. I say,if gun control types want to spend their resources banning lead free rifle ammo for hunting,they are shooting themselves in the foot. (At least they wont have to worry about the lead)

 Actually,lead free rifle ammo doesn't bother me at all. Lead free bullets are relatively affordable and its not like I'm going to go out hunting and blow 200 rounds missing deer and elk. Lead free shotgun shells on the other hand are a royal PITA. I only have one shotgun that can shoot steel shot,which is the only lead free ammo you can get at a price that inst appallingly high. The others have to shoot bismuth or that tungsten/plastic composite stuff and the cost is so high,that its prohibitive.

what types of shotguns do you own that can't shoot steel?

 JC Higgins model 21. Its a really nice old shotgun made back in the 50s that shoots really nice,but its not going to be able to shoot steel shot. That would tear up the bore in a very bad way. Its well known that old shotguns like that cant take steel shot,but the softer lead free shot,like bismuth or tungsten composite are so expensive,that rather than spending the price for a box of shells you might as well shell out the $300 bucks for a new shotgun that CAN fire steel shot,as it will pay for itself rather quickly. Still,its a shame I cant use the JC Higgins.

[ironglow]

  We have had a lot of comment concerning "preferences" ..but the original question asked, "what is the most common & easily found big game round ?"..
  I suspect that varies with the location; some areas of "shotgun only" big game seasons, the 12 ga slug is likely at the top of the list. Where I live, probably the 30/30 is #1..judging by what dealers stock. The .223 Rem would perhaps be there, except many don't consider it as a big game round.....although it sure is popular..

[wreckhog]

The 270 is more common here now.

30-30 gets bought more but 270 is always in stock.

[dukkillr]

.270, 30-06, .308, 300 mag, 243, 30-30... probably in that order or something very close.

[boondocker]

If I have to rely on anything it will be factory ammo.  It is better than anybody's reloads.  There is currently no need for wildcat cartridges.  They are a novelty, nothing more nor less.

30-06, 30/30 and 270 is the most common in our area of NE Pa. at the big box stores. I say there are some folks that shouldn't consider reloading also.
I do not even consider factory loads as reliable cartridge. I will shoot it to get casings but i prefer my own loadings for hunting.
Factory loads are fine for people who do not want to tune. I will take my reloads any day. I have chrono'd factory verses quality reloads.
I have tuned more accuracy and reliable ammo that can be purchased at walmart etc. Anyone to make a statement like that has never
reloaded or has no concept of it. Anything factory made of can be tweaked to better performance. Factory specs have a wide variation on Qc
verses neck turned ,weighed loads, bullet seating etc. Unless you listen to the walmart fire arm specialists.

[mrussel]

If I have to rely on anything it will be factory ammo.  It is better than anybody's reloads.  There is currently no need for wildcat cartridges.  They are a novelty, nothing more nor less.

30-06, 30/30 and 270 is the most common in our area of NE Pa. at the big box stores. I say there are some folks that shouldn't consider reloading also.
I do not even consider factory loads as reliable cartridge. I will shoot it to get casings but i prefer my own loadings for hunting.
Factory loads are fine for people who do not want to tune. I will take my reloads any day. I have chrono'd factory verses quality reloads.
I have tuned more accuracy and reliable ammo that can be purchased at walmart etc. Anyone to make a statement like that has never
reloaded or has no concept of it. Anything factory made of can be tweaked to better performance. Factory specs have a wide variation on Qc
verses neck turned ,weighed loads, bullet seating etc. Unless you listen to the walmart fire arm specialists.

 I bet you COULD get very close to what you get from handloads,but I bet it would be prohibitively expensive. You would have to control all dimensions of the chamber and cartridge on the order of less than a 10 thousandth,as well as tightly control the powder charge used. In fact,you would probably want to control most of the other dimensions of the weapon to that point. It would probably cost so much you could never justify it.

[ironglow]

  Although factory fodder is better than ever, it is after all, mass-produced. I seriously doubt the factory stuff can reach the level of expertly done handloads...just my $.02

[mrussel]

 Although factory fodder is better than ever, it is after all, mass-produced. I seriously doubt the factory stuff can reach the level of expertly done handloads...just my $.02

I was speculating on whether it might be possible to make something that could. Not so much a cartridge,but a weapons system. You can imagine that the army might be willing to pay a fortune for such a thing,if they could get as good as hand-loads (I watched a documentary where they showed them hand-loading up the snipers ammo,so I think that pretty much answers the question of whether hand-loads are more accurate) If you could make the tolerances of both the gun and the cartridges to ridiculous and expensive degrees,I bet you could get similar accuracy. The question of course is,who is going to pay $10 or more per cartridge.  My thought is,when you factor in the skilled personnel needed to manufacture custom hand-loads,the equipment and space they need to work,and the support personnel needed to keep them doing their jobs (IT people,building maintenance,etc) it MIGHT be more economical if there were someway to just buy it in a box,even if it did cost 50 times what normal ammo costs plus it would have the added advantage that you could stockpile a bunch of it. Of course,the missing thing you cant stockpile is skilled snipers. As far as I know,such a weapons system does not exist,but it seems like it could if they spent a lot of money on it.

 Thats an aside of course to the hand-loading question.

 Actually,come to think of it,the government CAN stockpile skilled snipers. They can do it by encouraging children,from a young age to take part in shooting sports ,but that's a whole other discussion.

[shvlhead.45]

In responce to your core question, the .270, .30-06, and .30-30 seem to be the most common calibers available from my observation.  The .243 and the 7mm Mag come in pretty close to those mentioned above.  My observation is watching the stockage levels at Wallie World, and the mom and pop stores in the rural communities that cater to hunters. 

.223/5.56, 7.62X39, .357 SIG, .40, .45 ACP and .45 Colt, .380 ammunition don't stay on shelves very long but 9mm, .38 Special/.357 Mag, and 44 mag seem to always be on the shelf when everything else is gone.

Most use the bolt gun in their favorite flavor but I prefer a single shot.

[jamaldog87]

I know here 7.62x39 you can find anywere.  I would say any ammo that has been out for 20-50 years or there a lot of guns in that cal. you will find.

The walmart here in pinelllas  38 Special,40S&W,9mm, 223, 30/30 ,22LR and 308 are always there. I have not seen a box of 44mag in sometime there.


the most common used for big game  hunting are:  243 Win,7mm-08 Remington 7mm Remington Mag ,30-06 Springfield ,300 Win Mag ,308 Win 

easily found: 223 and 7.62x39. You can always find it in any state were one can buy a ar or ak.

[mrussel]

In responce to your core question, the .270, .30-06, and .30-30 seem to be the most common calibers available from my observation.  The .243 and the 7mm Mag come in pretty close to those mentioned above.  My observation is watching the stockage levels at Wallie World, and the mom and pop stores in the rural communities that cater to hunters.  

.223/5.56, 7.62X39, .357 SIG, .40, .45 ACP and .45 Colt, .380 ammunition don't stay on shelves very long but 9mm, .38 Special/.357 Mag, and 44 mag seem to always be on the shelf when everything else is gone.

Most use the bolt gun in their favorite flavor but I prefer a single shot.

 I think some of that is supply too. They order VAST amounts of 9mm it seems. Even when it was scarce at Wallmart I noticed that when they got it in,they would get 15 boxes of 9mm to 1 or 2 boxes of some other calibers. The 9mm would be gone in  a day (I dont use it,but I noticed what was there). They would get in a few boxes of other stuff like 32acp,which I did use (reload it now) and maybe 5 boxes of 45acp (which again I did use) and it would all sell out in a day or so. The 32acp would sit there for a few days and some stuff like a box or two of 25acp would stay there for a week.Now they are getting maybe 50-100 boxes of 9mm at a time and it stays for a while,but thats becuase they stock so much now. I guess it may also be becuase if your looking for cheap ammo,and you see 3 giant 250 round boxes of 45acp at Walmart,if its scarce you might grab them all just to make sure you have it next month. (Not to mention the people that try to resell it and the ammo hoarders waiting for Armageddon) If I know Im going to need 250 rounds next month and the month after that,and I see 750 sitting there,I'm going to buy it all,just so that I have it available in the short term future. On top of that add the hoarders who are stockpiling the stuff (which is a foolish thing to do,for the price you pay for 1000 rounds of loaded ammo you could buy the equipment to reload ammo and have 10s of thousands of rounds whenever you need it,and stock pile relatively cheap primers,bullets (or lead and cast your own) and powders. ) which puts even more strain on supply. Once supply increased I dont see that anymore. Most ammo is in stock at my local Walmart now. Before they had to have a 2 box maximum or if they got in 10 boxes of 45 someone would buy every last one. I spoke with one of the employees at that time and he told me that Walmart had just struck some sort of a deal with the suppliers to get more in. Apparently there was a real supply problem and they just could not get it. He told me that by the middle of the next month the supply problems would be fixed and sure enough,they were. Now that the supply is fixed,I think its a little more accurate to look at the shelf at Walmart and determine whats "common" as before it was too closely wrapped up with how many they ordered vs how many the supplier actually sent vs how much in demand it was.

 I know I always see 30-06 and 30-30 and 308, none of which I use in my old military guns :-(

 As a side note, ( I guess this whole post is one) I'm not too worried about stockpiling ammo in case its banned. First,if ammo and guns REALLY were banned,the reloading supplies I have would be enough to last me the rest of my life. After all,where could I shoot? Its like machine guns. I could easily get a semiautomatic and convert it to a machine gun if I really wanted to. I then would have no place to shoot it. Thats how people get caught,they make a machine gun,then go shoot it somewhere,someone hears and calls the police. The police come and investigate and I bet sometimes,they find its a perfectly legal machine gun with the proper tax stamp, and they go away (here,probably after saying "Thats a nice machine gun,wish I could afford something like that on my police officers salary",in other places after harassing the poor guy who had it. Similarly,if all guns were illegal,then shooting it,even in the middle of nowhere,is going to result in a call to the authorities and your arrest in most cases. In any event,if it really really came down to it,brass it CAN be home made. A lathe is a tool no one should be without and can cut and even form brass,if you have ever seen how they make the ends of brass musical instruments,its stretched and formed rather than cut. (Spend your ammo money on a lathe,rather than 5000 rounds of loaded 45acp ball from Walmart) Primers CAN be made too if you have the chemistry skills not to blow yourself up,in fact,just being able to make primers (I think berdan would be the way to go) and brass cases would be tradable on the black market for all the powder you need. In fact,even powder COULD be made,but would be much more difficult due to processing and requirements for uniform burn rates. The fact is though,none of that would be necessary as the black market would supply all the guns you need,in fact isnt the core of the argument against gun control,it does not work becuase once you decide to become a criminal,you no longer choose to obey the law.