My favorite is the 9mm, loaded with inexpensive cast lead bullets. I used to be able to reload a box of 50 rounds of 9mm for $1/ea, back in the 70's, using bullets i cast myself. It is still the least expensive centerfire ammunition, to buy or reload.

Mostly, I love all the cool pistols chambered for 9mm. I have an elderly Heckler and Koch P9S Target Model, that is just a tack driver, even with cast bullets. I have a P-41 Lahti whose bore can only charitably called 'rough', yet it is almost as accurate as the P9S, and whose fixed sights shoot right to POA.

You could collect nothing but 9mm semiauto pistols, and never run out of guns to lust after.

My most common CCW is my 6906. I still enjoy shooting my 5906. It has the adjustable sights, and has very little recoil. It excels at rapid target acquisition, and fast follow up shots. I even broke down and bought a Glock 19 and 26. They don't get to the range very often, but I appreciate their rugged simplicity. I traded away so many 9mms, over the years. I wish I hadn't, obviously.

And don't forget, they are so easy to find.

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Don

.41 Colt. Don't know why.

.45 ACP
9mm
.38 SPL

Not counting .22RF, these three do it all for me. I have a .44 Mag mainly for fun with mid-range loads.

.45 Colt.
I have several revolvers and a Henry Big Boy in .45 Colt.

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Corripe Cervisiam

45s
ACP and Colt, because I like big bullets

Gun:
S&W 686-4 , Barrel 6", with silhouette front sight,
Ammo:
.357 mag 158 grains JHP @ 1250fps for long range targets
or
.357mag 180 grains cast lead @ 950fps - IPSC load Major
.38 spl 180 grains cast lead @ 740fps - IPSC load Minor (best results)

+1 on .38 Special.

Vast variety of velocities and bullet weights.

Comes in handy carbine form too!

Followed by:
.22LR
.357 Mag
9mm
...in that order.

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But then, what do I know?

4", 44 Special...Does it all, don't forget them custom made shot shells loaded with 7.5 shot...
Right now I'm kinda hung up on blackpowder pistol but mine shoots a .445 ball.

A 41 is my favorite. Whether it is the 41 Special, the 41 Mag or the 414 Supermag, all the 41's I have are as accurate as I can shoot.

.357 Magnum for wheel guns
10mm Auto for pistols

I believe that these two rounds offer greatest range of options in a handgun. They can be loaded low and mild for target shooting and home defense or full power for field use. Plus I get a kick when the "expert" gun store clerks tell me the .357 is outdated and the 10mm has less power than a .45 ACP or .40 S&W.

.38 special

Pretty much anything I can get dies for. Be difficult to name a favorite but I guess I have more fun shooting 9mm and 45 acp but then again 22lr is cheap fun and 38sp, 357 mag....now I've got a headache.

My favorite is the .41 mag and have a few of them. I reload for them so can make anything from a plinking load to hunting ones. I do have a dealer that stocks factory ammo too so getting any is not a problem.
I do own more .357s than anything and simply because so many guns I've wanted are in this caliber. I also have several in 22lr and mag and have shot them quite a bit lately now that my reloading room has been down for repairs.

From .22 to .45acp I have most of them. My favorite is .45acp. What's not to like it's been around for a long time, it's been proven in combat and I like the big one's. Besides .22 is still too hard to come by.

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Psalm 23:4

44 special. No further explanation required.

For me it's the .38 Special. Can shoot a whole lot for very little money (if your a reloader).

But I also like the .357 Mag, .44 Special and .45ACP. All great cartridges for the reloader.

Wow.....a 4 year old thread still going and going and going.....

Funny thing is, the only reason I have to say .38 Special is because it goes with my favorite guns, of which I have quite a few. It has history and, back in the day, and for me that's quite a way back, the .38 Special was the police officer's standard. So I have a fondness for it from way back, and because it is so much fun to shoot in all of my .357 Magnum and .38 Special revolvers.

However, I would not gainsay the utility of the .45 Colt. It was the caliber of choice for cowboy action shooting and still is; .44-40 was my second choice and I have now sold those guns, retaining the .45s for more CAS action. With a grail gun (Model 25-5) on its way to me shortly in this caliber I will probably find myself playing with .45/c a lot more frequently, and maybe packing it if I head into the boonies.

But .38 will likely remain my caliber of choice.

In pistols I can go either way with 9mm or .45 ACP. I kept my CS-45 even after liquidating my various 1911s but if I carry a pistol it's usually a 9mm these days.

Then there are rifles.....but that's a different subject altogether.....

***GRJ***

The 44 Magnum.
Best.Handgun.Cartridge.Ever. (To me)

as in post #111,
357 for revolver,can be loaded nuclear/high velocity or watered down to 38sp levels
10mm for autoloader,again can be loaded nuclear as the original Norma loads were or loaded down to 40S&W levels

.357 Magnum with 158 grain bullets
.38 Special +P with 158 grain bullets
.38 Special with 158 grain bullets

.45 Colt. Fun to shoot. Versatile to reload. Formidable in my model 25-5.

S&W model 25-5
Ruger Old Vaquero 5.5".
Ruger Blackhawk 4.7"
Uberti 1873 4.7"
Marlin 1894

The last 5 guns I would ever get rid of!

For revolver, .357 loaded anywhere between .38 special target rounds and .357 barn burners. Reason, versatile as all get out and the top end is plenty for my hands and wrists, if I care to go there.

For semi auto, 9mm for a whole lotta reasons. Cheap, common, easy to load, good ballistics, not too big or small, been a world standard for a long, long time.

Newer bullets make both of these more attractive in the SD/HD aspect.

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"He was kinda funny lookin'"

Grand old thread, but I'll bite.

.38 Special by and large. It's what I first learned to shoot and grew up with, it's accurate, and it can be had in some very fine defensive loadings. Not too much, not too little. It's perfect in my eyes.

My favorite has to be .45 ACP. I fired M1911s but the M&P 45 I just got might stop me from a M1911 purchase unless something comes into the can't pass up thing.

I like the 9mm and even the .380 ACP, the .38 and .357 are cool too.

What I don't like are snappy rounds. I don't have a lot of experience but the .357SIG and .40S&W don't seem much fun for me. Although for others it is.

My brain keeps going get a .41 revolver, get a .41.....but I don't reload. Even so I keep hearing this little voice. I have to get a .357 first as my S&W collection grows.

Re: OP. What is my favorite handgun cartridge? Well, let's see. My wife left me a nice biscuit for breakfast... I've had my first obligatory mug of coffee, so let's see... "What is my favorite handgun cartridge?" My favorite handgun cartridge is the .38 Special.

I've been shooting it since 1980. Over the years I've handloaded pickup truck loads of the cartridge in all sorts of bullet/powder combinations. I've used it in a cheap second-hand Rossi snub-nose and I've used it in very high end S&W and Colt revolvers. Loaded light it will produce satisfyingly tiny little groups. I've had a number of revolvers that would produce one inch groups w/ good .38 Special loads at 25 yds. For a brief time I owned a Python that w/ my favorite load shot under one inch at 25 yds. On one occasion I fired five groups of six shots from a rest. All were under one inch and two were right at 1/2 inch. There were men watching who saw it and signed the target which had six bulleyes on the paper. Sadly a family member sold that revolver w/o my permission. C'est la vie.

Back in the day when I was just a poor seminary student w/ no money for .357 Magnum cases, etc., I loaded the .38 Special up to nuclear levels. Back then I had a need for speed! I had no hope of ever being able to afford a big-bore handgun. But I had a six inch 28-2. And, long before I realized that heavy hard shooting wears a gun, I loaded handloads for that wonderful revolver that were by any standard hotter than the hinges of the gates of hell. I gave some of those plums to my brother. He called me long-distance and told me under no circumstances to keep shooting such stuff. Did I listen? Of course not! What did he know? Later I learned... my identical-twin brother was not the evil twin for telling me the truth. I no longer load such stuff having learned that there really are loads that really are not safe even for limited use.

Nowadays I load and shoot more .38 Special that any other cartridge other than the .22 LR. The pistol that gets most of my attention is my 18-3. It is just about ideal for shooting anything that needs shooting, paper or whatever. If the target is small game... the .22 LR shines! But, the .38 Special w/ wadcutters or a nice SWC at service velocity is better. Out of a six inch 686, the .38 Special is a death ray par excellent.

There are a plethora of excellent handgun cartridges currently available to the American handgunner. We've never had it so good! There is a load available for just about any need, real or imagined. As soon as the rush at my churches has slowed down a bit, I plan to sit down and load up some more .38 Special ammo. Some of it will be mild... suitable for a pleasant morning or afternoon at the range. Some of it will be maybe a bit more than service level, probably SWC's seated out to get the best use of the case. It's been a bit over 30 years since I first loaded some .38 Special ammo. I've now got not one but two 28-2's, a four and a six inch. And, I'm giving some thought to those old nuclear loads. Right now... it's just thought. And, remembering lessons hard learned, I will of course "trust but verify." Yep. Then again, maybe I'd be better off just letting sleeping dogs lie. Sincerely. brucev.

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<><

45/70 marlin nailed it for me.

My favorite would have to be the 357 Magnum loaded with hard-cast SWC bullets. I shot 6 deer with a S&W 27 back in-the-day using hard cast SWCs. Worked great. I don't use the caliber for deer or bigger game anymore, the only reason I did then was because I only had one gun (the 27) when I was a starving college student, but today I have an even dozen 357s and suspect I'll have a few more in the years ahead.

9mm Parabellum. Been doing the job (in spite of internet myths), for 110 years now. Generally the cheapest to buy in plinking loads, and in +P guise, my Glock 17L gets all the power I need out of a handgun with little fuss. If I want to be a little more classic, my old High Power gives me the nice feel of blued steel and French walnut.