Caliber War Thread

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Tallball

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Could we have a thread like this just for fun?

I'll try to be mildly serious, but mostly not serious. :)

Keep in mind, my statements are barely even supported by rational opinion or urban myth.

My favorite handgun caliber is obviously 22lr, because I shoot way more of it than anything else. I also have a bazillion handguns and rifles chambered in it, and even a tiny revolver the size for a Barbie doll to use. I don't try to use it for SD because the bullet looks so small. I already have several holes in my body bigger than that from a recent surgery.

25 and 32 are okay for killing squirrels or rabbits... or for other people who aren't me to hunt grizzly bears with for all I care. The ammo seems kind of little for big mean two-legged critters. This is purely subjective and based on a data set of nothing.

Most of my SD handguns are chambered in 38 special because I grew up with 38 revolvers and they're easy to shoot. It looks like it would make an okay-sized hole through someone. I keep HP ammunition in them because I usually have some. My preference for 38's is absolutely probably not due to laziness and ignorance on my part. It's way more scienterrific than that.

9mm is fun to shoot, but it has that clangy slide thing that dings my hand sometimes, and things jam it up and you can't shoot it from your pocket or against someone's body. Don't even have any HP ammo for it. BORING. The ammo is from like from 1901 or something. OLD and BORING!

44 and 45 are like 38 special, but they go boom louder, and make your hands go up in the air more, and put slightly larger holes through things. They're more exciting, but a little bit slower to shoot. And really, I'm too lazy to shoot off 10 pounds of gunpowder with every shot, and knock the walls down and everything. Too much trouble.

40 and 45acp are sort of the 44/45 of automatics. They're more boomy and exciting than 9mm and put slightly bigger holes through things. I'm really supposed to load this 10-pound machine with 2 pounds of ammo and have slides flying around and everything? Way too much trouble!

As you can see by my logical and well-supported proof, 38 special is obviously the best SD cartridge in the world, for everyone! :)


 
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LoL! It's funny to be older. My first presidential election I voted for Sam Houston.

There is a new handgun caliber called 30USC or something... I guess it's named after the school where my sister went?

Anyway, I don't even know how to add someone's number to my phone and I also didn't understand how "apps" could be something to eat, so it's not really going to be possible for me to learn about a new caliber at this time. Maybe I will be less busy in the 2030's.

9mm parabellum is old and boring because it is over 100 years old and I choose to be bored by it. :)

38 special is not old and boring, because it is over 100 years old and I choose not to be bored by it. :)
 
You call the 9mm old and boring...isn't the .38 S&W Special a bit older yet?

The ".38 Long Colt" (precursor of the .38 Special) was older than the 9 x 19 (9mm) but the same diameter bullet was used years before that for ".380" guns. While I have both .32 and .380 pistols, the one I would reach for first is an SP-101 in .38 Sp. or my .357, depending on which is closer.
 
LoL! It's funny to be older. My first presidential election I voted for Sam Houston.
I feel ya, man. Some days my joints creak like the oarlock of the boat I was rowing across the Delaware with George up front. :what::D

.22 is fun, because there is no recoil, or close enough to it. 9mm is no fun because there isn't enough recoil. .38 Super is fun because it does have enough recoil, and gives you practice looking at headstamps when you pick up your brass. .38 Spl is fun because you don't have to chase your brass after you shoot. .357 I like as well, it reminds your hand to hang on tighter.

Then you cross the magic divide to the .40's. I like all of them, .40S&W is my favorite. 10mm is another one that reminds you to hang on a bit tighter. .41 Magnum makes me happy I don't shoot my .44 Magnum, and my two .45's (one an ACP, the other a Colt) make me smile because I'm throwing big bullets at low speeds and could do it all day as long as I don't run out of ammo.
 
I like too many calibers to war over them. I’m weak like that. I just embrace them.

.32 H&R, .327 FM, .357 Mag, .44 Mag and .45 Colt make up 100% of my reloading diet.

They also make up the core of my shooting (probably 70%) with .22LR, .22 Mag, .223 and .308 rounding out most of the rest.

I don’t count the Blackpowder rifles in the same vein of shooting. It’s a separate hobby for me altogether. .36, .45, .50, .54 and .58 cal. A 69 cal (?) hobby cannon brings up the rear and is used only on the 4th of July.
 
I like .357 Magnum, 10mm, and .357 Sig. To me, these are goldilocks cartridges.

I think that where defensive use is concerned, velocity is important to terminal effectiveness. I believe energy matters in a way gel blocks can't quantify. I believe the first shot is the most important one. And so I believe in carrying the most powerful cartridge one can shoot well. For me, that's the three listed above.
 
This thread is starting awful tame but maybe it’ll get heated and shut down like all the rest. Maybe everyone is too busy wondering if male 45ACP can give birth to 9mm?

Okay, okay. It's burn time. ;)

I occasionally wonder to myself, if the really reason so many .45acp fans switched to the 9mm when the FBI re-adopted it..... was just because they were getting older, weaker, and less capable of shooting that big old slow flying potato. And they didn't want to admit it, so used the FBI trading down as an excuse to carry something weaker.

:neener:
 
If it goes "boom", I like it. It all depends on what I want to shoot on a particular day.

Some days, I want to shoot 38 Special wadcutter target loads. Somedays, I want wrist snapping recoil of some magnum ammunition. Most days, it is something in between.

I like shooting revolvers, semi-autos, and single shots.

I have handguns and reloading tools for something north of 30 different cartridges.

It is a difficult decision each time I go to the range.
 
I think the 2mm Kolibri is all you need. So small they won’t even know they’re hit until it’s too late. Plus, think how many rounds would fit in a service size pistol?

Interesting. A .106 diameter, 3gr bullet traveling at 660fps might really sting!
 
Okay, okay. It's burn time. ;)

I occasionally wonder to myself, if the really reason so many .45acp fans switched to the 9mm when the FBI re-adopted it..... was just because they were getting older, weaker, and less capable of shooting that big old slow flying potato. And they didn't want to admit it, so used the FBI trading down as an excuse to carry something weaker.

:neener:

Poking the 45ACP guys in the eye is a way to get this thread going!:D If it doesn’t, the earth has definitely shifted WAY off it’s axis.
 
IMO there is no such thing as caliber war only caliber discussions. That said...
If there had been a "caliber war" of SD calibers 9mm won.
22/25/32 - never in contention to win
38/357 - writing on the wall by the late 80's - by the 1990's tapped out.
357 Sig/10mm - stepped into battle with some LE support but ultimately regulated to niche caliber.
45 acp - put up a good fight and bounced back a bit with the 1994 AWB and 10 round mag limits, but ultimately not winning.
40 S&W - Started strong, put up a heck of a fight, but weak wrists, shot timers and "modern" enhancement of the winner did it in.
9mm - There is no disputing that 9mm is the winner of any "caliber war" that occurred.
 
I like all different calibers & cartridges. I think we need to look at why something was developed and for what purpose.

25acp - a more reliable cartridge for defense than 22lr. For people that want a gun the size of a 45acp cartridge

32acp - for handguns that are the size and weight of a 45acp loaded magazine. Better than a sharp stick.

380acp - or short 9mm will effectively do what the 9mm does in a smaller package. Great for pocket carry when it is difficult to carry a 45acp.

9mm - the capacity king. Makes up for poor marksmanship, but also needs to make up for lack of power that you get from a 45acp. It's simple math it takes 5 - 9mms to equal one 45acp (5x9=45).

10mm - the FBI replacement for the 9mm. Needed more power. Why didn't they just go with the 45acp??? Oh yeah marksmanship agents need more capacity (can't hit what they shoot at).

40 - FBI replacement for the 10mm less recoil but more capacity than the 45acp so they can miss more.

45acp - do I need to explain? Yes it has less capacity than the 9mm and needs to be shot from larger handguns than the mouse cartridges. BUT WHAT A HAMMER WHEN YOU NEED IT!!!

As I said at the beginning I like all of the different cartridges and carry a 380 or 38 most of the time. And aways have a handgun on my person where I can legally.

The vast majority of data from defense situations has identified that the 380acp and up are affective in defending yourself. And high capacity guns manly resulted in more shots fired but not more shots needed. The the average shots needed to stop attacks was 1-3.
 
I had a caliber war with myself. 45acp, 9mm and 22lr won in handguns and 556 and 22lr won in rifles.

I do have a bunch of 38sp and 357 reloading supplies set aside just in case a whim happens......
 
As a youngster, my first handgun was a Colt New Service in .45 Colt, so have always been partial to that round. The Ruger Blackhawk that has had the most rounds fired through it is a 7 1/2" barreled gun with over 20,000 rounds fired through it. But closing in on that is a Super Blackhawk in .44 Magnum, or course.

As to the .22 R.F., I did do some hunting with that round, but have shot nowhere near the quarter million rounds I have fired through my centerfire revolvers. One thing abut the .22 is that the empty cases go into the scrap brass bucket, and I have to shoot whatever the factory offers. Not so with my more manly calibers, which allow me to dump as much, or rarely, as little, powder as I desire prior to stuffing a bullet into the case mouth. You see, centerfire cartridges allow more glee even after being fired.

My take on the subject.

Bob Wroght
 
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