Caliber & gun preferences thru the years.

[roundgunner]

Caliber & gun preferences thru the years.

I keep coming back to the “why the .45ACP in a revolver” thread.

In my 20s I used to think the 357 revolver was the best, most versatile, revolver to have. A couple friends and I spent hours and many Budweiser’s trying to convince our young lieutenant to get the Oldman to authorize us to carry them. It never happened. I always shot the issued 1911 well considering it was so loose it rattled like a tool box.

In my 30s I joined a club that shot bowling pin matches. I soon switched to a 44 Mag. I considered that my best, most versatile, revolver. I loved the full power hand loads for goofing around, mid power was great for bowling pins, and I used it for splitting firewood at the same time while practicing pins by cutting 4 inch pieces to length. One or two hits with a 44 on frozen wood split them pretty well.

I think I was in my late 30s when I bought my first personal 1911. A colt 1911-A1 if my memory is correct. I really only got it so my oldest son could get familiar with it before joining the Army. We shot it a lot, however, it never liked to play nice. A club member gunsmith took it for a week to tune it up and when it came back it was nice. One of the other members then offered me the full amount I originally paid for it. That was when I bought my first Kimber. That Kimber Classic Custom Target soon became a regular visitor to the range. Shortly after I ended up getting a 3” Ultra Carry Kimber. I started carrying one of them as often as a revolver. I still have 4 1911s but hardly ever carry one anymore. If I carry a semi auto now it is a M&P. I have one full size in 45 that seems to shoot with less recoil than a 1911. I also have the fear of pulling it out when in trouble and forgetting to thumb the safety. Too many years with a revolver. I have 2 full size M&Ps in 40 that I really like also. Another nice to carry M&P is a 40 compact. I like the 40S&W round but if I knew I was going to have a handgun in my hand when trouble came, it would be a 45.

When I aged to my 40s I got a S&W 610 (10mm or 40S&W) to use in revolver competitions. The full moon clip is so fast to reload. I found the 610 to be a pretty versatile revolver and shot it for a few years. I was sitting at a table with Jerry Miculek, who if you don’t know him is the fastest revolver man ever and is just a regular guy to talk to. He showed me how you could drop a full moon of 45acp round nose into the gun held below waist level from shoulder high! It would go in every time!
Shortly after that I got a 625-3 in 4” and now I think the 45acp revolver is the best, most versatile, revolver to have. I think that is the gun I shoot best. I also have a 2” 625-10 that I like, I’m wearing that right now. My most used bowling pin revolver is a 6” 25. After reading Tom Turners post about the 3” 45 he likes so much I may have to watch for one. After all the 3” 44mag is my favorite 44.

Some of the data from the 45s surprised me.
With 230gr Hydro-shock
The 2” 625 sends them at 847
The 3” Kimber is 788
The 4” 625 is 910
The 5” 1911 is 927.

I feel like the 45acp is the best, most versatile, fighting handgun cartridge today.
I also think the 45acp revolver is the best, most versatile, revolver to have.

I may end up changing my mind again but somehow I don’t think so.

I’m looking forward to hearing how some of you have changed thru the years.

 

[Ron H.]

Sir, the .45 ACP is a great cartridge--accurate and effective without a lot of fuss or drama. If I could keep only one handgun, it would be a .45.

JMHO, FWIW.

Hope this helps, and Semper Fi.

Ron H.

 

[ladder13]

What'ya shoot outta that 625-10?

edited: oops, hydrashocks

 

[Snapping Twig]

My first pistol was a 6" 586 I bought new in the early 80's when I was in my late 20's.

I shortly found a 6.5" 29-2 and since I was casting before I owned pistols, cost of shooting was never an issue and the .44 showed itself to be a superior sidearm IMO.

Today I own several .44's and no trip to the range is complete without at least one. Woods... that's what I carry exclusively.

As time went by I realized that a man needs a semi auto pistol, so to that end I selected .45acp and a P 220 to house them. I have total confidence in that pistol and that round. I later used that pistol to defend my family and we are all alive today because of it. No shots were fired as the barrel looks a mite larger than life from the working end and the BG's skedaddled when I offered it to them.

In the earthquake of 89 I carried it to take my wife to her emergency station at her hospital and stood guard there until security relieved me this at the doctor's request. They had asked me to stay until security arrived.

Later I took and then learned to teach the Gunsite course. Needless to say, the 1911 is now a favorite. Something about old slab sides that fits my hand and feels so right makes it a favorite. I bought a Kimber CDP and soon learned that they could be finicky and mine was no exception. It fed factory ball no sweat, but it didn't like my 230g cast TC over 5.3g W231. Unacceptable. I did everything I could short of sending it back to ream the chamber, but when I found a DW CBOB for sale I sold the Kimber and took the CBOB into my armory. I will NEVER sell the CBOB. What a fine weapon!

I bought a .45colt and (25-7) and found it to be quite useful. If I didn't already have such an affection for the .44, that would be my woods carry pistol, but the .44 is my favorite, so I use the colt for fun at the range and it is without doubt the most accurate pistol I own.

So, to answer the question, I like the .44 the most, always have. For SD I favor the .45acp in a 1911 but in times of trouble past I had a P 220 and used it effectively.

I still have a 586 and I consider it my economy shooter as it uses 1/2 the lead and powder and feels just like my N frames, this makes practice cost less.

 

[roundgunner]

What'ya shoot outta that 625-10?

edited: oops, hydrashocks

I got a box of Speer Gold Dot Short Barrel 230gr recently. Shoots nice and I like the way it has the giant hollow point with soft plated lead. It should expand. I haven't done any speed checks or expanding tests yet. All the stuff I have read about them has been good.

 

[cjw3]

Except for a brief time when I had a .44 Charter Bulldog (don't get me started), I have had a .357 of one sort or another for over 30 years.

When my agency issued Glock 22's, I didn't especially think good or bad about it. After using Glocks for a while, I have decided that they (in .40) will do whatever I need doing with a semi-auto.

With the primer shortage, I have come around to appreciating .22 rimfire more than previously. Some days one or more of them is all I take to the range.

 

[Ted E Bear]

I started my " handgun shooting career" shooting my dads S&W mod 15 duty weapon when I was 8 years old. I shot numerous calibers thru the early to late teens, then when I was 17 along came a Remington-Rand 1911A1 45ACP. The gun belonged to friend of dads that was a master sergeant in the U.S. Army. Like you stated before, it rattled like a bucket of bolts, but man could that thing shoot. Needless to say I was hooked on the 45ACP 1911's. When I turned 21, I had saved enough money ($149.95) to by a Colt Government Model 45ACP. That was 1973, and I still have that 45.
When I started my law enforcement career, my dept did not have standardized weapons, so we "run what we brung" so to speak. I carried my Colt 45 until the dept issued the S&W Model 66. We carried those for 4 years, till the city's bean counters decided it was not cost effective to continue to issue/maintain weapons to it's police officers. We then again started to carry our personally owned firearms, but they had to be revolvers, either 38Spl or 357Mag. I purchased a S&W Mod 19, and carried that for 4 years until we "conned" the brass into letting us carry 45's. By that time, I had purchased a Colt Combat Commander 45ACP, and I carried it the remaining 12 years of my career.
I have collected several 45's over the years, both 1911's and revolvers. My favorite 45 revolver has to be the S&W mod 625 3 inch Lew Horton. My favorite 1911 is the Government Model I bought when I turned 21. Every time I go shooting, those old 45's goes with me. It's like taking along old friends.

 

[tripledipper]

I keep it simple, .22lr & .38sp, due to ease of shooting and availability and affordability of ammo.

 

[ElToro]

1911s, sigs and S&W revos. in .45, .357 and .44.

i love them all. my sig 220 was my first handgun and my 4 inch 19 was my first revolver. i wouldnt feel underarmed if everyting went to hell with either one of them.

 

[BLACKHAWKNJ]

First handguns owned-and fired:
Browning HP
Colt M1911-yes, an M1911. Long gone alas.
Handgun I learned to shoot with:
High Standard Victor
Bedside handguns:
Colt Trooper .357
S&W M-57 4"
Handguns I fire the most lately:
High Standard Victor
Browning HP with Ciener Conversion Unit
Colt Mark IV with Ciener Conversion Unit.

 

[Vulcan Bob]

My first handgun was a K-22, learned how to shoot. Second handgun was a 1942 Colt 1911A1. Everyone told me you couldent hit anything with the old service pistol but they where always in awe of the 45ACP cartridge, how it would knock a man for a loop with a hit to his thumb or such. Well, they were wrong on both count's! Havent been without a 45 ACP ever since. Nowaday's I have handgun's in just about every common caliber out there, but the 45ACP is still one of my fave's.

 

[K1500]

9mm when I was young, craved capacity, and didn't believe the old farts about the superiority of 45's...

Now 45's (autos) and 44's (wheels). I still have the 9's and 357's, and enjoy them but I carry the bigger guns.

 

[ContinentalOp]

My first gun was a Beretta 92FS. Not exactly the best choice for a first time gun owner, but it was the popular choice at the time (LAPD and LASD had recently adopted it). Looking back I realized the grip was too big for me and the DA/SA transition wasn't without problems for me. However, that gun's had over 4,500 rounds through it, from the cheapest, dirtiest commercial reloads through premium JHP, and has never jammed.

Then I took a shooting class and the instructor let me try his custom 1911A1 .45ACP. It was great! I eventually ended up with 2 custom .45s, one that turned out nicely and one that quickly became a money pit. No gun has ever fit my hand as well as a 1911A1.

After a hiatus from shooting I decided to purchase some more. I went about it a little smarter this time. I went to a couple of different ranges where I could rent guns and tried a variety. What I found was that I tended to shoot the .38 revolvers better than the semi-autos. I came across the S&W 65 in my avatar (as well as pictures I've posted elsewhere) and just had to have it. It's second only to the .45 I inherited from my dad.

I still like semi-autos, though, so I also own a Glock 23. I like the simplicity of it (a big part of what drew me to the revolver) and the fact that it's basically a tool (as opposed to my 65, which is akin to a functional work of art to me).

Right now I'd say I lean heavily towards simplicity of operation, so I will likely stick with S&W DA revolvers and Glocks.

However, I wouldn't turn down a good 1911A1 if one was offered to me.

 

[josephthreedogs]

As in flying and motorcycles they say you usually end up with what you started with, that being said my first gun was a Colt Python and that is still my go to gun.

 

[tops]

I have a 6 in. Python, a 6 1/2 in. 29-2 and a pre 70 commerical 1911A1 .45ACP. They have each had their own use through the years and I don't want to pick just one. I know that with either gun I don't need to worry about the bullet. Any bullet in either gun is good for offense or defense. Larry

 

[The Highlander]

I shot my first .45 acp revolver last year, and I'm definitely gonna get me a 625JM or something similar. Great gun.

I started with a .22 lr, and still own and shoot more of them than anything else. The .357 is probably second.

But, as much as I love revolvers, I just don't shoot them as well as semi-auto's. So, the .357 SIG, 9mm, .45 ACP, and 10mm are what gets the most use, other than the .22 lr, that is.