I'm partial to .38 spl, because they're cheap and I have a lot of them. Plus, I can shoot them out of my nightguard or my model 66.

All of them of course.

As much as I love my guns that shoot 45ACP and 44Mag, I developed and constantly verify my skill with a handgun with pistols that shoot 22lr. I have one High Standard 22lr pistol that has made many an extraordinary shot and has hustled mucho dinero from disbelieving chumps at the range!

My first choice .357 Mag 125gr. JHP by Remington out of a 6 inch Model 686
2nd choice would be .45 ACP 200 gr. Cup point by CCI (old, out of production load) looks like a flying ashtray in either a Colt 1911 or a 1917 The 1917 prefers 230 gr. ball ammo. It will do minute of man out to 75 yards all day long.
Regards

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"Very Dangerous-you go first!"

The .44 Special is my all time favorite. Nothing more versatile, and its "cool" factor is off the charts!

22 Long Rifle-enought said.
Centerfire-38/357 Magnum. 38 WCs for traget practice, 357s for defense. (I don't hunt)

.41 Colt, I just enjoy the blank looks I get when I ask for it.

Toss up between .45ACP and 7.62x25, if a modern ergonomic gun was chambered in 7.62x25 I may carry it over my 1911 but probably not.

My shooting buddy's 460 S&W...it turns a close called coyote into red mist....
and it kicks like a mule...what's not to love?

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Adopt a retired Greyhound :)

It's a tie between the .44 Special and the .45ACP for the reasons already stated!!!!

10mm Auto. Not sure why.

hmmmmmm
revolver- .44spl
semiauto- .45acp

They both start with a 4

Chipmunk6

Let me clarify.

357/38 in revolver

10mm in auto.

10mm like 41 mag. it can be loaded up or down to fit the need.

the 45 Colt.....it does what I want....very well....

.38 Special. Can be loaded mild or hot. Lots of different bullet types available. Suitable for just about anything. Pleasant to shoot.

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otis

44 MAGNUM, I have always been amazed at the accuracy in full house loads
and when loaded down,very versatile. It's the only handgun I could shoot @ 50 yds/handheld rest/open sights/5shots into 2.5" --consistently. Pete

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NRA LIFE 1974

9mm ,44 mag ,460, 500 ,45acp ,10mm ,22lr ,40S&W. They were all my fav. when I bought them.

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SC Army National Guard

38 Spl/357 Mag, 158 gr swchp/jhp ; does anything I need done.

Seven pages and only two people for the .40 S&W?

.22 LR will always be my overall favorite. Very practical for small game, target and just plain old inexpensive plinking.

For me, the .22 is a great survival weapon because without refrigeration you are pretty much after "Meal-Size" game and you can carry a lot of ammo in a jacket pocket.

For centerfire the .357 is pretty powerful, with the added benefit of being able to shoot .38 in the same gun.

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USAF 1958-1962

For me it's a toss up between .38 Special and .44 Special. I run lots of both, they are fun to shoot, and I can reload to satisfy just about any need I have to put something down, permanently.
Dave
SWCA #2778

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mr mom
Fire Chief, Retired

For revolver: .41 Mag. Hard hitting, flat shooting, accurate and super versatile

For semi auto: .38 Super. Hard hitting, flat shooting, accurate and dependable

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Cheers, Charles
SWCA #2442

I only see two pages. If there were seven, maybe three people would have said .40 S&W.

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'Merica!

My reloading log sheets show I load more 45 ACP than anything else. I use 45s as my 'go to' guns and plink a lot with them.

Second is 30 Mauser; I got a passel of broomhandles and love to shoot them.

38 Special-

Easy and cheap to reload(I can reload cheaper than current "street prices" for 22LR), accurate, enough recoil to know you're shooting a gun but not so much as to be uncomfortable, and chambered in a huge variety of guns.

If I had Dillon, it would spend probably 90% of its time loading 38 special. Even on a single stage, I often reload it in 1000 round "batches."

I'll also add that with the current shortage of 22LR, when I take a new shooter to the range, I often start them off shooting my 357 lever gun with some light loaded 38 specials. In such a configuration, the recoil is only marginally more than a 22LR(I've yet to have anyone find it uncomfortable) but has the advantage of allowing the shooter to more easily see their holes in the target.

.41spl in a mid frame revolver..........

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dd884
JMHO-YMMV

Not much has changed in five years.

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- The Federalist #46 -

158 gr SJHP .357 Mag. Because, they're fun!

Haven't been physically able to shoot magnum stuff for a long time; and much as I'd like to own a .44 Special, I don't and can't. So I'll go with the versatile .38 Special and the reliability of a revolver.

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Oh well, what the hell.

Another .357 Magnum guy right here.

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-Roger

But if pressed the 38 special for J frame self defense, cost/recoil/accuracy. the 22lr for learning/honing skills for both new & advanced, getting over flinches and back into the zone, a great confidence booster. 45ACP for pure fun & knockdown energy on bowling pins.

Not many 9mm's in this 5-yr old thread! Doesn't anyone like factory loads for $10???

I imagine the answers would be a bit different on the Glock or Sig forums.

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Because of the metric system?

This would be my choice also.

.357 magnum..... cus it will do anything I "need" it to do.... and guns chambered for the .357 magnum can also "handle" any .38 special load out there!!! LOL


That said I shoot more .22lr than anything else!!!

Federal 357mag, 125gr. JHP

22mag, 357 mag and 41 mag work for me.

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Witzell
"The dude abides".

.357 mag, followed by the 45 ACP and then the 22LR....

Wow, we're really doing some tread necromancing!

This is a really tough one for me...for a semi auto I'd go with .45 ACP because I don't have to have the latest in high tech ammo. (I use it in my .45's if available.) the 9x19mm is a very close second.

For revolvers I'd go .38 Special because I can get super light 9 oz J-frames up to (technically) a 47 oz N-frame, although I've been really wanting to try a .44 special.

I just realized I like old and slow!

I'm a big fan of the .357 magnum 125gr JHP from Black Hills. It works well in my handgun and my Henry Big Boy.

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Have Gun Will Carry

In nearly 50 years of shooting, if you asked me at any given time I might have said .38 Special, .45 ACP.

But interspersed in those years was one cartridge that I've always considered way ahead of its time and one that will continue to dominate across most of the world.

9 mm Luger

If shear volume sent down range is a judge of "favorite handgun round" it would have to be the 158 gr. LSWC in .38 spl. at 850-950 FPS.

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NULLI SECUNDUS

For me: .45 Colt (BTW - there is nothing long about it). Why? Versatility and History.

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No good deed goes unpunished.

My favorite is not a "round" at all.
.44 round ball over 40grains of blackpowder in a Remington 1858.

I fit into the 44spl. crowd. For all the reasons listed.

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shoot one gun but shoot it well

Like so many have already said, this is an extremely difficult question to answer. To make it a tad bit easier to answer, for me, I put it into a combination question. If I could only have one handgun, obviously, in one caliber, what would it be.

No doubt in my mind, a revolver, S&W .45 Colt Mountain Gun 4" Barrel. The .45 Colt can be loaded very mild for small game, etc., or it can be loaded pretty hot and can stop, almost anything, that lives in the USA.

I agree!

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No good deed goes unpunished.

For work we carried concealed and were provided with 9 mm Federal Premium LE HST sub sonic 147grain hollow points with a low muzzle flash. Decent penetration, decent ammunition for tactical defense. Recoil is not bad. Retired now and still use it. If they felt it was good round to protect us, for what we needed it for, then I'll keep using it till someone shows me a better alternative.

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Don't leave home without it!

It goes bang every time.

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Don't leave home without it!

I like em all, to heck with trying to pick a favorite.