I dont think the 5.45 is going anywhere. Shipping or customs hold ups might make it hard to find on occasion; but its always around. The new AN-94 is 5.45 calibre, and the AK74 is still in servcie in Russia as  mentioned. In any case as long as people still have 5.45 calibre weapons and fire them, they will want it and it will be around. I have an AK74S and AK74SU in 5.45 and they are far more enjoyable to shoot than any of my 7.62AK's or SKS's. Plus I just plain like the round... Which some people dont get considering how much I dislike 5.56mm.

Is it dead or dying????How many places around you carry it in stock all the time???
How many places can you go to this very minute and find 7.62x39 or 5.56...Even walmart has it...So when SHTF has happend or getting ready too...You can go to wallymart and get some...
Yes you can always find the ammo.
Same as finding ammo for a 7.5swiss....Mail order..
Keep the rifle but dump the IDEA of it being your SHTF weapon.....

5.45 will never go away.  The Russkies already have the tooling and capacity to manufacture it.  Even if they were to drop it themselves sometime in the future, do you think they'd just throw the tooling away, or would they manufacture it to sell to us?  Also, there isn't a lot around now because the Russians are putting all available resources into production of 7.62 for the Iraqis, so they ain't making any right now.  It'll all get better shortly.

MBR

If there is no 5.45 because all the Russian factories are too busy turning out 7.62 for a little country called Iraq then their manufacturing capacity is greatly overrated.

During the cold war they could take on Western Europe, China, and the U.S., all at the same time, but filling an ammo order for Iraq is too taxing for them.

Surely you're not ignorant enough to believe they just crank it out as needed?  Or do ya think maybe they have a few billion rounds stockpiled?  How long do you suppose it takes to make, say, 20 million rounds?  A couple hours?

MBR

That's nothing. Lake City is up to 1.5 Billion rounds per year out of one factory!

The IMI factory used to advertise it could produce one million 5.56mm rds per day.

ETA: 20 million is less than a weeks work for one U.S. ammunition plant. With all the ammunition plants in Russia and an ammo shortage lasting a year or more already, Iraqi orders are not the problem. Something else is going on.

All I'm saying is raw materials and production and machine time that would normally be devoted to producing commercial ammo are being used elsewhere.  I realize TCW probably turns out a few more rounds than that.  Clear?

MBR

I don't think the 'Wal-Mart will have it' argument should be a deciding factor in anyones SHTF-planning scenario for too many reasons to count.

I don't know that many SHTF-conscious people who would get within a 100 square-mile radius of a Wal-Mart (which would be crawiling with looters Katrina-style) minutes, days, or even weeks after the much-ballyhooed apocalypse occurs.

I also have my doubts that anything at all would be left on Wal-Mart shelves by the time most of the people prepared for such an event would happen to find their way to one.

I do get the general sentiment though: If local chain stores carry it, the chances are higher that you might encounter the ammo SOMEWHERE after a SHTF situation occurs.

I agree with that.

I agree more with the idea that I should have everything I need for an extended period of time BEFORE something bad happens....and not rely on what I might be able to find AFTER something bad happens -
which is why I have a lots of 5.45 on hand right now.

Well here is the answer:

Buy or Build one or 2 AK74s  in 5.45x39 Get Ammo.

Buy or Build one or two AK47s  7.62x39 Get Ammo.

Buy a Vepr or Arsenal AK in 5.56x45 Get Ammo

Now you are covered! End the discussion , it is getting OLD!!!!!!!!!