In the "old days" I had lots of gun choices, and lots of calibers.

It's really hard to carry anything larger than a 1911 concealed, and having all that other ammo became a chore. Try carrying a long barelled .44 mag in the summertime, or a cowboy long colt .45 with shorts and a T shirt. And that extra ammo is really heavy!

About 5 or so years back, I decided to get more organized, and keep what is really more practical, and get rid of the rest.

I decided that 9mm, and .357/.38 spl were gonna be my choice.

Yes, I still have lots of .22 stuff, a lil .32 Tomcat, and the aforementioned .380, and 1911 - but really moved to full size 9s for fun shooting and Zombie stopping, and Compact 9s for carry.

I'm very comfortable with this decision, as the technology of ammo has skyrocketed in the 9mm and .380 ammo, making them very formidable stoppers. It's kinda nice having some of those cannons gone, and I really didn't need those .40 autos, or 10mms.The 9mms and the .45ACP kinda covered them, and I don't regret not having all that BIG ammo any longer.

On the plus side, everything I have gets used more regularly now, and maintenance is less intense with a lot more stainless stuff!

Another addition this past year to my rifle and shotgun cabinet, has been my Ruger AR, basically as a SHTF backup. And, a 1000 round box of .223 or 5.56 aint that big! Even my rifles are kinda standardized now, in .357, .22, and 5.56, plus various shotguns. Gone are the BIG rifles, that seldom got used!

Like I said, I am an accumulator - and even though my stash has shrunken considerably, I do like choices - and most everything is just different enough to be specifically useful.

I could go thru the differences, but that would be better in a different thread.

Ain't it wonderful to have choices, unlike a lot of countries!