Achieving a lifetime supply
Over the past four years I have focused on attaining a lifetime supply of shooting stuff. During this process, I have sold over 15 firearms and acquired a handful of redundant (backup) ones.
The first priority was preparing for SHTF - the guns I will need. Then there are the guns I want for hunting and that I shoot for fun.
This allowed me to reduce the number of calibers/gauges to:
.22 LR
.223
.308
9mm
.38/.357
.40
12 ga
20 ga (only because I enjoy hunting upland game with it - but it is not needed)
Calibers/ga eliminated (or soon to be):
.22 Hornet
.243
.270
.30/30
.30/06
.300 Win Mag
.380
.44 Spl and Mag
.45 ACP (sadly, this made sense to eliminate)
.45 LC
28 ga
Anyway, reducing the number of toys and calibers frees up space and cash. The cash is used to stock up on components. I do not "sub optimize" by chasing performance. By that I mean I do not stock a powder that is ideal in one caliber/gun but so-so in the others. A 1/4 MOA, or 50 FPS improvement is not important to me. If I cannot justify 8 lbs of it, I do not need it.
It pained me to add the .45 ACP to my "eliminate" list. Doing so eliminated the need for LP primers. I had a dedicated 1050 set up for .45 ACP at one time - sold it and used a 650, but could not justify it either. I have not loaded .45 ACP for over three years as I amassed a good supply of reloads and converted to the .40 for full size carry. Getting rid of my .45 ACP guns, brass, primers, and bullets, will net about $4000. That buys a lot of components for the guns I need/use, and is part of being prepared. Right now powder and primers are available. Who knows what the future brings.
Investing in powder and primers is smarter than buying a new gun. If you do not have a minimum ten year supply of powder and primers for the guns you NEED, is it smart to buy a gun you WANT?
Achieving a lifetime supply gets easier as we age. There is less time left and the amount of shooting ebbs. I have gone from 20k a year to about 5k due to health issues, but hope to be back in the 10k range next year.