What is your favorite handgun caliber?

[shouldazagged]

In quiet, ailing old age, no longer able to walk the woods or hunt, .38 Special is everything I need a handgun to do. But since I went back to revolvers only, twenty years ago, it's always been my choice.

No bears to speak of in this city.

 

[badge 851]

41 Remington® Magnum

 

[Abbynormal]

Revolver: In most of the Continental US, a .357Mag/.38Spl,
Ammo: Fed 357B: 125 gr SJHP for humans, 158 gr cast or SJHP for game.

In higher altitudes and bear country: .44 Mag 240 gr JHP

For autos: Winter 125 gr HP .357 Sig & Summer: 230 JHP .45 Acp

.357 Sig works better that the .45 Acp in winter, as the velocity
doesn't drop as much after hitting a heavy outer garment as the .45
and still opens up better than the slower .45 HP's which get clogged up.

 

[one eye joe]

I will be as bad as everyone else and suggest several

22 LR is one of the greatest all around cartridges
9mm is a go to but I am a 45 ACP guy for sure in semi auto
357 for the reasons above, but a slow stopper in 45 LC is awfully nice

I AGREE WITH YOUR CHOICES OF THE .22LR AND THE .45 COLT.....

MY EDC FOR MORE THAN 3 DECADES, AFTER CARRYING ONE IN VIETNAM FOR A YEAR (A THROW AWAY, WITH THE NUMBERS GROUND OFF), WAS A COLT, SERIES II, MARK IV, GOLD CUP. AS A RESULT, I DEVELOPED A DEEP ADMIRATION, AND AFFINITY FOR THE .45ACP CARTRIDGE.....

IMHO, THE FULL POTENTIAL OF THE .45ACP CARTRIDGE, WILL NOT BE REALIZED, OR APPRECIATED, UNTIL IT IS FIRED FROM A REVOLVER. THE MOST ACCURATE OF MY S&W REVOLVERS, WITH IRON SIGHTS, AND THE ONE WITH THE BEST STOCK FACTORY TRIGGER, IS MY M625-3, MODEL OF 1989, WITH A 4" BARREL, IN .45ACP. ITS NOT AS VERSATILE AS MY M686+MOUNTAIN GUN, BUT ITS A FAVORITE OF MINE---AND A KEEPER.....

NO DISRESPECT INTENDED, BUT I HAVE NO INTEREST IN THE 9MM......

 

[Chukar60]

I will answer my favorite chambering is the 44 mag. However, I am not a big fan of the full house 44 loads and find myself shooting mostly 44 spcl or reduced 44 mag loads.
Second would have to be the 45 Colt.
So now I am wondering why I own more 357's and 38's than I do big bores?

 

[oldfart64]

What is your favorite handgun caliber? It can be revolver or autoloader.

Mine is the 357 Magnum.
Because I can shoot a powerful round and also the wonderful 38 Special, police choice and a bad-guy stopper for many years, even when the 45 Colt round was available. You can shoot both with in a 357 Magnum revolver.

Next, 9mm.
Cheap, ubiquitous, autoloader that will get the job done. Still, not up to the 357 Magnum for power and versatility (i.e. 38 Special).

Please participate.

God bless,
Birdgun

right now, my own load for .38 +P. However, I always have a sweet spot for a good .22LR target load.

 

[medic15al]

.38 Special, .45 ACP, and .45Colt full power black powder loads.

Sweet to reload those wadcutters and semi-wadcutters and blast away.

 

[Tom_R]

.45 acp
.38spcl
9mm
.44 spcl

 

[BigBill]

I'm not fond of autos, I have them and can shoot them accurately but I like revolvers more.

My favorite calibers,

357 magnum. Most of us started off with the 357 magnum revolver. Recently I returned back to the 357 magnum. So we go full circle back to where we started. She can still run with the big dogs.

I'm new to the 41 magnum. So far I like it. She's loud when she speaks and doesn't care who hears her. Lol

The 44 mag has always been my favorite caliber. I have ccw more miles with the 44 mag than any other caliber. She's the biggest dog.

The 9mm Luger/parabellium, the 9mm makarov, the 45acp I can take it or leave it.

 

[rubiranch]

My favorite is .357. I'm quite fond of my 28-2.

 

[SeamasterSig]

I enjoy reloading and shooting several handgun calibers and would like to try some rifle calibers, too. But if it had to be just one, east of the Mississippi, the 357 mag/38 spl is probably the most useful caliber combo. Really, 38 spl +p is plenty of power for most situations. There's not much a 158gr SWCHP can't handle at around 1000 fps. If that can't do the job, there's always a 158gr hard cast SWC at over 1200 fps. And for those rare times when even that is not enough, there's 158gr JHP or 180gr hard cast wide flat points in 357 magnum. And a J/K/L frame is easier to carry and conceal than an N-frame.

West of the Mississippi, I'd probably say 44 mag/spl or 45 Colt. I don't have 45 Colt, but I like the idea: One size of brass that can be loaded mild or wild.

 

[Scott in NCal]

Favorite, 38 special cartridge, 357 Mag chamber , Blackhawk convertible, mostly shoot 9mm.
Runner up.
40 cal Glock 35. 9mm and 357 Sig barrel.

 

[Hithev]

357 magnum, because you can do almost anything with it, from 38 wadcutter as light and pleasant as 22 lrs, through several different speed/weight 38 specials for training and enough defense power without overpenetration, up to the 357 , just in case....

 

[shocker]

22 and 44 mag. With bulk 22 back down to 4 cents a round I'm catching up with all the shooting I missed during the panic. Been shooting 44 mag for gasp, 36 years now.

 

[ErnieDeBord]

The 44 Mag, aka 6" 629 has always had a warm&fuzzy spot in my heart

 

[mg357]

.38 special

 

[sw282]

Favorite handgun caliber? 44mag??

Tacky tacky tacky. Oh so T A C K Y

 

[sparkyvega]

.22 LR hands down in both revolvers and semi-autos (and rifles, too)!

 

[DonD]

Holy Cow, 75Vette!!! Smith & Wesson should be sending you Christmas and birthday cards for all your loyal support. Nice.

As for my favorite caliber, impossible to choose, .22LR, .357 & 500 Mag, all three get my love for different reasons. Don

 

[colt_saa]

FAVORITE?

TOUGH, Tough Choice, I so much enjoy my 45s and my 357 Magnums. . . . Then there are the 22s and the 38s. . . . not to mention new comers like 356TSW, 357SIG, 9x23 Winchester and how can we forget the mighty 500 Smith and Wesson Magnum. . . . but my favorite handgun caliber has to be the 41 Remington Magnum.

The 41 Remington Magnum is amazingly accurate in revolvers, semi-autos, single shots and even lever guns.

Funny thing is that I got my first one by accident. A buddy of mine had just bought one and several weeks later was served with divorce papers. He needed fast cash for a lawyer, I gave him his asking price even though I knew nothing about the cartridge back then. That revolver is the 6" nickel Model 57 in the lower left corner of the group photo above.

Today, almost 4 decades later, I still own and shoot that same model 57

A close second to the 41 Magnum has to be the 10MM Auto cartridge. I got involved with this cartridge back in the early 1990s. The first two I ever purchased were a Smith and Wesson model 1006 and a Colt Delta Gold Cup, yes I still own both of those as well

Over the years I have converted many semi-auto firearms to fire this fine auto-loading cartridge. I have even re-chambered my 10MM Auto revolvers to fire the more powerful 10MM Magnum cartridge.