Hey guys, times have changed. A lot of unpopular center fire ammo is up to $1 a round. Go shopping and get a thrill.
About 1990 a buddy and I went to a gun show. A vendor was selling off, or trying to, all his obsolete 45-70 ammo. He'd had it on the shelf for over 10 years without selling a single box. He'd been asking $3 a box, but offered it all to me for $2. So after his talk about how it was obsolete, I agreed and bought it all. My buddy offered to carry the rifle I'd just bought. Not far along, another vendor had a bunch of nearly the same ammo. When he heard I'd paid $2 a box, he offered me his for the same price. We had to go to the car, it was too heavy. Its a fun story I tell often, but really I've only shot up one 20 round box of it. The rest lives in an ammo can and I shoot reloads. These days the factory ammo is $40 a box of 20 ($2 a shot) and just the bullets cost a bundle.
And then about 4 years ago I was a sucker again and bought a really nice .32 Colt revolver. I think I had to pay $200 for the gun. But 32 Colt ammo is .299 in diameter, and 32 S&W won't even come close to chambering. So I began a quest for ammo. Its even what convinced me ammo sellers are pretty much crooks (at best). They sell you the box, but don't buy unless you get a peek inside. They hate that because it spoils their game. Lucky for me my gun show buddy had some. Then I lucked into a few more boxes that really were Colt diameter. The old 32s are fun to shoot, but I've got no idea how to reload rimfire ammo. Keep looking, the internet is full of odd things.
And to the OP. If you go on vacations, print yourself a list of gun shops at your destination and along the way. Its the little dusty ones that hold the best hope. You just never know what you'll find.
Had some other stuff I didn't even recognize...mostly rifle calibers. Thanks.
The same facts seem to fit.
