What's Your Favorite Handgun Round? Why?

[Foodfuzz]

This is almost like picking your favorite gun. So many good ones to try and choose the one you like best. Of course a lot depends on your use such as hunting , target, defense, or just plinking. Of them all I think I would pick the .38 special. It can be used for just about everything you could use a handgun round for in the United States. It can be loaded down for target use and plinking or powered up for hunting. Not the best for everything, but a good compromise, including price.
Bob

 

[greyhawk178]

158 gr , .357 Mag, SJHP...

 

[Ron H.]

Sir, mine would have to be the .45 ACP. It can be had in autos and revolvers, is very accurate and readily available, and offers plenty of power without magnum drama.

JMHO, FWIW.

Hope this helps, and Semper Fi.

Ron H.

 

[Indiana George]

"...plenty of power without magnum drama."

Ron H.

- Insert Big Grin Here -

 

[Marshall 357]

158gr LSWC HP .357MAGNUM WHY BECAUSE I LOVE .357'S AND I CAN RELOAD NOW!!!!!

 

[USAF385]

.357 Mag


Why? Cause I just love it!

 

[bmhiii]

+1 on .357 Mag, just cause...

 

[RonJ]

357 Mag 158gr JSP. If it were more readily available I might be inclined toward the 41 Mag.

 

[feralmerril]

.44 special. Accuarate as any. Easy to reload. Can be loaded to low end of .44 mag. Well balanced round with a lot of knockdown. Doesnt have the usual wrong sized chambers of a .45 colt. Can be loaded up to the same. Doesnt kick like or have the muzzel blast of .357s, out performs .44 wcf, easier to load than that one and has better cases & life. Most of all the guns made for it are the best and handel better than the heavy barrels on versions of the 29, 25 and 41 mags. The only gun out there that might change my mind is a model 29 pre lock mountain gun.

 

[Wheelgunner840]

.45 ACP
.357 Mag.

In that order.



WG840

 

[vytoland]

+1....38 special

 

[M29since14]

That's a hard one! I have to agree on .45 Auto. I really don't need more power than that, here in Indiana, and I like it in autoloaders better than anything else.

If we were speaking strictly of revolver rounds, a 44 Magnum. But I rarely shoot magnums any more, so I would probably be just as happy with a 44 Special, if I had one I was really attached to.

 

[redlevel]

.22 long rifle in a S&W Model 63 or Pre-18.

.38 Sp 3.0 grains Bullseye/148 gr. SWC in a K-frame or J-frame

.45 Colt 255 gr swc 8.0 to 10.0 grains Unique in a Ruger Vaquero or S&W Mountain Gun.

Can't narrow it down any more than that. I picked favorite rounds and favorite guns. How's that?

 

[BlackSky]

.32 S&W Long. Why? Because it's inexpensive, it has enough recoil to let you know you're shooting a real gun, not so much recoil that it get's annoying or reduces accuracy, it is a time tested and proven accurate round and even works for self defense realizing it's no knock down round like a .45 or .357 but history has shown time and time again it can kill the human animal with ease.

 

[Gutpile Charlie]

Any time I see a "what's your favorite _______" I always find it difficult to answer.

If got different "favorites" for many different occasions and situations.

Now, as far as pistol calibers go? Well, some are large, some are small, some make big bangs, some make small bangs....however... just for an all round caliber, I'd have to vote for the lowely .38 Special. That covers all kind of situations and some of the best revolvers ever made.

I like the lowly 148 gr DEWC and HBWC. I like the 158 gr. SWC, I even like the 125 gr. HP defensive rounds.

Do I like .357, .45, .44 Spl, 44 Mag, 9mm, 40 S&W ? You betcha! Hey, I even like the 7.62x25, .380 and the 9x18. Hell, they are all good. They all go bang! But, when the smoke clears...(please pardon the pun), I always fall back to the .38 Spl.

 

[Deek]

.45 ACP
Reason - cause no matter what I use, my 25-2 or my SW1911Sc, the target doesn't lie.
Second, .38 becuase the target looks pretty good too.

 

[trapper704]

Thats a hard one. I like the 22 for fun plinking and could survive on small game with it. I have a mod 28 .357 thats also pretty versitile, but if I could have only one revolver, it would have to be my mod 25-5 45 LC, it can do anything and if my skin depended on it I have all the faith in the world that it can put about anything in North America down.

 

[GatorFarmer]

9x18mm Ultra/Police (not Makarov).

 

[Crazy K38]

180gr .40S&W FMJ or JHP

 

[Class III]

45 ACP out of any of the listed below, in the order listed.

S & W 1911SC
Colt Double Eagle Officers Model LW
Colt Double Eagle Commander (primary BUG to the S&W 1911SC)
Kimber Compact Aluminum (Series I)
Kimber Comcact Custom (Series I)
Colt Double Eagle Full Size
Norinco 1911A1, including ramped Barstow comp'd barrel, and lots of STI Ti components. I LUVS me a 4.5# trigger for action shooting. Now if I could only figure a way to make it feed ammo from a belt!

Class III