ammunitionWhat is the most common type of round in the United States? Is it the 5.56, 7.62, or something else?
Without comprehensive reporting from each manufacturer and importer of ammunition and components, you will not get a reasonably accurate laundry list of the rounds manufactured broken down by caliber. Short of that, you will get anecdotal information of where the popular calibers may find themselves…
In military circles, the procurement of 5.56x45 will eclipse other calibers like 9x19, .50BMG, 7.62x51, with a smattering of .45ACP and .40S&W. Purpose calibers will round out the procurement.
In LE circles, you will find mostly .40S&W, 9mm, some flavors of .45 (ACP and GAP) in duty holsters and patrol rifles typically chambered in 5.56 with .308/7.62x51 filling the role of most DM rifles.
In civilian hands, everything under the sun represented.
Though, some annual reporting to the ATF does break down the manufacture of pistols and revolvers to major calibers and will give a good idea what the majority of handguns are chambered in for a given year. 2009 is the most recent and comprehensive report. Linked below: http://www.atf.gov/statistics/
http://www.atf.gov/statistics/download/afmer/2009-firearms-manufacturers-export-report.pdf
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