Well, I think that you have to look at this from a couple different perspectives. If you are just looking for self defense ammo off the shelf, I would go with the 357 mag.

If you are a hand loader, the big bores tamed down a bit, will do anything, including follow up shots.

IMO, it is still hard to beat a 45acp from a 1911 as an all round favorite.

And of course we all love 22's

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Pete
I ain't no fortunate son

Every time I shoot one of my 32H&R mags, (Model 16 and Ruger Bisley) it is loads of fun. I seem to have more fun with the 32 H&R than anything else.

Since the OP did not specify for long gun or hand gun, currently it is the 7x57. It is what I am playing with now working up loads and just having a great time shooting it.
Impossible decision for a handgun cartridge.

I really enjoy all my handguns and don't have a favorite caliber.

Currently, I do shoot more 9mm and 40S&W because my CCW is either a S&W 3953 or 4053.

Long BBL life. Easy to find GOOD used rifles. Easy to find deals on open boxes of bullets. Shoots cast lead very well. Try a clamp on muzzle brake for relief from the comparatively mild recoil. Satisfys the imagination.

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"Don't Give Up the Ship"

93% of ALL OF THEM. Always considered the 380 and 9mm weenie cartridges.

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S&W Accumulator

22LR
32Long
32H&R mag
32acp
38special
Not in any specific order. Calibers that fit my favorite revolvers

mmmm will go with 357M and 357Sig

If the question is limited to the specific forum topic, 1980 to the present, our inventory seems to favor .357 Magnums with a couple .38 Specials. We have a majority of .38 Special S&W revolvers, followed by .32 S&W Long, then .357 Mag., and .32-20.

Frankly, I like all of these pictured. They represent the handgun cartridges we reload. At the risk of blasphemy quite a few of them get loaded into Colt, Ruger, and other, iron.

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Ordnung muss sein
SWHF #789

.357 magnum

I enjoy shooting long distance steel with revolvers.

So My choice is easy.

357 Maximum. It once ruled the Silhouette Game.

It runs laser straight out to 200 yards and hits with authority; but the recoil is easily manageable.


Prescut

I like the 32s.

32 swl, 32 hr mag, and 327 Federal.

Fortunately I liked these 2+ years ago and stocked up.

Depends, if I were in an urban setting, it would be a 1911 45acp. If I were out in the wild country/wilderness, then it would be a 629-5 classic 44 magnum. But the truth and reality is, I really don't have a favorite because I like them all.

I’m strange… 5.7x28.

9mm Parabellum.

.357 Magnum. Kind of a coincidence but that's what my favorites guns shoot.

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Kenny
Endeavor to persevere.

22LR because that is what I shoot the most. Second to that would be 45ACP, because that is not only what I reload but the centerfire round I shoot the most. 9MM is what I BUY the most, due to price; but I have not bought any for at least 3 years.

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NRA Endowment member

Easy! It's the 44 Special. It just makes me grin. Sorta like Goldilocks. Not too big, not too small; just right.

Semi-auto centerfire handguns: .38 Super

DA centerfire handguns: .41 Magnum

SA centerfire handguns: .41 Magnum

In a handgun cartridge, honestly it’s prob a draw for me between .38 Spl and .45ACP. The .38 Super and .44 Spl are close behind those...

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Some Might Say.

22LR is my favorite. One reason is because it provides affordable training to allow me to enjoy all the other calibers I own and shoot. I don't own any firearms in calibers I don't care for.

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Μολὼν λαβέ
NRA Life Member

I like them all!!! If money were no object ... I'd shoot .357 S&W Magnum about 90% of the time in (of course) S&W revolvers ... mostly N and L frames. For carrying a lot and shooting a bit in the woods/fields, I would have a K frame at hand. It is not my first choice for lots of shooting as I find the more heated up magnum stuff to be a little bit much for extended range sessions. When it comes down to shooting local matches where time is a factor, I'd have my 625-2 in my hand loaded with some nice 200 gr. SWC (H&G 68) all of course in moon clips (great idea that one!). For shooting a lot at whatnot and such ... I'll not lie ... I'll have a pretty little 18-3 in my hands ... or a lately found early and elegant Ruger Standard Model either of which would be firing whatever brand of .22 LR ammo suited each the best.

Now ... if the talk turns to rifle calibers ... well that is a simple matter. I'd be happy, thoroughly content to face just about anything up to everything with that one caliber that has and continues to rule them all ... the queen of the battlefield ... that .30 caliber rule against which all other pretenders are judged ... of course ... the 30-06 Springfield. JMHO. Sincerely. bruce.

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<><

OK, I am going to be a little different. I load 6 calibers. My favorite is 45 Colt, Can't really tell you why. Have a 25-15, and a Blackhawk 45 convertible. Accurate, and comfortable to shoot. Bob

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-jwk-
US Army '72-'95

In rifles it’s easy. 270 wby. Handguns , it’s a little harder. No matter what I take to shoot at the range. A 38 special pistol is always included.
If I’m doing load development for different calibers a model 66 goes along.
My 4 inch 66 is very accurate. I use it to judge how I’m shooting each particular trip. At my age you have good days and bad.

Anything with a .45 in the designation, .45Colt, .455/.450Webley, .45ACP, .45Schofield, .45Autorim, .45-60, .45-70.

Favorite is easy. .357 from my L frames and Rossi 92 rifle.
Least favorite is easy as well. It's the "new" 7.62 M80 Ball caliber I need to get now, that I didn't have stockpiled before the current ammo shortage, thanks to a rifle present from hubby (right after my recent rotator cuff surgery, LOL).

Sent from my motorola one 5G using Tapatalk

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Slava Ukraini!

My favorite chambering at least in center fire handguns, is 327 Fed Mag. It can be used for casual target shooting with 32 S&WL (or even 32 S&W "Short") and for small game the 32 H&R comes into play. If you are really serious for self defense and even smaller big game (deer or turkey, f'rinstance) the 327 FM comes to the fore and shines. Yes, the 327 Fed Mag chambering is my favorite for CF handguns.

Of course the 22 LR is probably still my most used cartridge, but that's sort of by default for convenience and cost factor. If I have my druthers, the 32 family rises to the top.

Of course this is IMHO, and we're all different so YMMV!

Froggie

Never met a caliber I didn't like but some firearms, are marginal at best.
Is it un-American not to like/own the 38/357s?

380s are carried most often and handloading for quality firearms makes them reliable and very accurate.
They be mini-9s.

The 460 is really nice!!!

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Have Fun/Stay Safe

I'm a competitive Skeet shooter and have a right shoulder that is a bit tender at present. As a result I've been practicing with my 410/28 combo gun with about 70% of the practice being with the 410. Shooting the 410 with a lighter O/U is very similar to shooting a 22LR rifle, no recoil to speak of and not a lot of noise either. A big plus is that 410 forces you to become much more precise and that means that hitting with the larger caliber becomes much more consistent.

So at present 410 is my current favorite caliber but I do have to say the 28 gauge is a close second because when I get frustrated with misses with the 410 hitting with the 28 really gives me a boost.

First off, an anecdote relating to the assertions about sissy or pansy calibers posted here. My best friend, who died from cancer at age 49, was a Lt. in our department. He loved the .44 spl, and that was his second gun, permissible in our manual. The mandatory carry issue revolvers were the S&W 66 and 686. The issue round was the .38 spl +P Treasury load. Given any opportunity my amigo would term this a sissy round. I would respond that if it is such a sissy round, allow me to watch as he shot himself in the foot with this round to see how it felt. Conversation would pretty much dry up then. Until the next time, which there always was, until he left us much too soon.

That said, my preferences:

.22 rimfire LR. Maximum fun. I have three .22 rifles which will shoot <MOA at 50 yards with target ammo. I really enjoy making those dime size holes. We live in such a densely forested area that finding more than 50 yards clear to shoot is a major undertaking.

9mm. My two carry autos, Glock 26 and S&W 6906, are both 9mm. Where I worked, and lived at the time, was gang-central. They always traveled in packs, so I wanted maximum number of rounds available if necessary. I was not concerned about 9mm capability vs something that starts with 4. Shot placement trumps caliber. Opinions vary on this, so even though I am right, I don't try to impose it on anyone.

.38 spl. But, in .357 revolvers. .38 spl was what was used in PPC competition as well as department qualifications early on. Most of us carried .357 on duty, which was allowed. When the department settled on the Treasury load I mentioned above, even though it was .38 spl, it was pretty hot and the ruggedness of .357 spec revolvers was considered an advantage. I carried the same philosophy over to my SA revolvers. For me, a .357 revolver is the most versatile because of the variety of ammunition it can accommodate.

Easy, the .44Magnum for the Big-Boy Calibers... They can be loaded from 240 grain Pills at sub 700fps being the mildest "Puss-Puss" Loads for the Caliber and all the way up to the Heavy 305grain Keith's @ over 1,350FPS that will lay a Moose or a Grizz on his/her arse at 35 Yards and under.

For the little Big-Boy Caliber it's the .38Special that can be loaded to Low 125's in the Powder-Puff-Stuff all the way to the Heavy 158gr Full-Wad Hard Cast "Keith's" at 1,100fps that is a real shoulder/skull breaker for the Big-Bad-Woods critters that still wrecks havoc on pelt and bone!

45 colt followed by 32 S&W L

I did not see a box to check that said all of the above

.38/357-.44 Special- .45 ACP

.45 Colt in 4th place for me

My favorite caliber is: .22 Rimfire, 38 Spl, 357, 9mm, 45 acp, 45 Colt, 38-55 and 45-70, 12 Gauge - so there -LOL!!

What I am getting at is that I use different "favorite" calibers for different reasons. For a specific reason I have a fav, but a one size fits all is not the way I am programmed.

For Squirrel hunting, 22 is my fav. for Bird hunting my go-to is my 12 Ga. for target shooting I like the 38 Spl and 45 acp, and for long range rifle I like 38-55. For woods walking I like the 357 in a heavy cast bullet of 180 grains, for SD I use the 9mm. Not necessarily because its the best stopper, but because it's the best stopper in the size pistol I am willing to tote all day long.

So there is my favorite caliber.

any Caliber.

Don’t go in the woods without a Bigfoot gun,,,,,,,lol

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Plant garlic in the fall

30-06, 45 acp, 44 special, 38/357 magnun. And if I ever get off my duff a martini relined 32-20. Frank

41 Mag, 44 special and 45 Colt in that order

44magnum has always been my favorite in a revolver.