Agreed, it is always a gamble to just pick up the latest and greatest wonder-caliber shortly after it is released. On the other hand, that very hesitation by many of us to support a new caliber is what often leads to its downfall. At the very best, the caliber is widely accepted by law enforcement and ultimately the military (though ten years in the Army has convinced me that 5.56 and 7.62 NATO are not going anywhere any time soon); at the very worst the caliber finds a niche market at best and eventually becomes obsolete or is no longer manufactured. Somewhere in the middle are cartridges such as 10mm that meet some initial success and acceptance but ultimately takes a backseat to less powerful but much more popular rounds such as .40 S&W or 9mm.
I can't speak much as my current SHTF rifle is a 7.62mm Enfield, but ideally such a rifle and/or pistol will have plentiful replacement parts and ammo for the foreseeable future. The AR-15 in 5.56mm has a wealth of parts stockpiled in most parts of the country. In an absolute worst-case scenario, parts can be obtained from a local National Guard armory or picked up from others who didn't fare very well. My Enfield is good enough for me, though, as it is rugged and all but unbreakable.
True, if all hell breaks loose or society as we know it disappears (think 1984 or The Road), knowing that ammo is available for limited time in vast quantities would give me much piece of mind. I haven't stood at the gun counter and counted, but Walmart probably has over a thousand round of .223 in each of its stores (and more than that of 9mm); military bases keep many tens or hundreds of thousands of small arms rounds; and even the local police station or abandoned squad car could be a source of ammo.
That said I personally don't believe that we will ever have to worry about such a catastrophe. To each his own, and whatever interests you doesn't have to seem practical to other gun owners. If hell ever breaks loose in this country, any gun is better than none. If it gets to the point where we have to acquire and scavenge for ammo, most of us will already be dead, and weapons will likely be as available as (or more available than) the ammo to feed them with.
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