The Best Handgun Cartridge For You?

22rf: cheap and easy!

murf

p.s. my second favorite handgun cartridge is going to be 150 years young next year (45 long colt).

.357 MAG. In my Dan Wesson pistol pack with options for 2/4/6/8 inch barrels and a selection of various grips for concealed carry (small round butt) or target grips.

Toss up between the 9mm and the .357, but in the end, I'd go with the .357 for its versatility.

In heavy loadings it is a minimum hunting or excellent self defense round, in light loads, a great target or new shooter training round.

Because the majority of 9mm guns are semi-autos, they generally require a more potent load just to make the gun function, so not quite as versatile.

All of them, obviously
That whole question is like asking what's my favorite bacon.
I mean, really!

I second what Armored farmer wrote!

There are three worthwhile pistol cartridges:

1. The .22 Long Rifle. Everyone needs a .22 pistol. If you don't understand why, go ask your mother.

2. The .45 ACP, especially in the gun designed for it, the M1911. Ideal for concealed carry and defensive use.

3. The .45 Colt. I especially like it in the Colt New Service. It's a great woods and hunting gun.

38-40 +P+

The 38-40 fires a 40caliber 180gr bullet out of a case holding 39gr of water. Thats a slight bit more capacity than 44 mag, but it is neutered by a 12k psi limit. 44 mag runs up to 3 times that pressure. So then enters the 357/44 Bain and Davis. A 44 mag case necked down to 357, which propels a 160gr bullet at 2000 fps out of a 10" contender. That would be a heck of a round for hunting, if i didnt have a rifle and was stuck with just one pistol. But thats not a part of the criteria...

In all reality, 44 special works well for me. I carry a 5 shot 3" revolver in 44 spl every day. It can be downloaded for smaller vermin and can certainly take a deer at the right distances.

38 spl would be second, followed by 10mm

40 S&W .. 180gr bullets

Ditto with the 40 S&W.

10mm. Too versatile not to be the answer for me.

Well, I just can’t make a decision on this.

Pat Riot said:

Well, I just can’t make a decision on this.

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I’m with you. I have never been nor will I ever be monogunmous.

BigBlue 94 said:

38-40 +P+

The 38-40 fires a 40gr bullet out of a case holding 39gr of water. Thats a slight bit more capacity than 44 mag, but it is neutered by a 12k psi limit. 44 mag runs up to 3 times that pressure. So then enters the 357/44 Bain and Davis. A 44 mag case necked down to 357, which propels a 160gr bullet at 2000 fps out of a 10" contender. That would be a heck of a round for hunting, if i didnt have a rifle and was stuck with just one pistol. But thats not a part of the criteria...

In all reality, 44 special works well for me. I carry a 5 shot 3" revolver in 44 spl every day. It can be downloaded for smaller vermin and can certainly take a deer at the right distances.

38 spl would be second, followed by 10mm

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Does it shoot a 40 grain bullet or a 180 grain bullet? Ive never owned or shot a .38-40.

Stay safe.

44SPL

My favorite must be 22lr. I shoot it the most. But it has limited uses.

The one I shoot second most is 38 special, so I guess I would go with that.

first off I hate this dystopian world mostly because it would probably force me into the cartridge I don't love.
I'd have to go 40 S&W because I can have a pocket pistol, full size hi-cap and I can duplicate 10mm heavy bullet loads in a 1911 or revolver by loading to 1.250 OAL.

I really enjoy shooting .22LR and it is probably at least 95% of what I put downrange. But honestly it is just a plinking, target and pest/small game kind of a deal.

My personal favorite is .38 Special.
Not as versatile as .357 but also not as rude...


What I've really come around to here lately though is .45 Colt. Pleasant to shoot, low pressure and rather versatile. I just wish ammo didn't cost so much off the shelf.

If I had to live with just one caliber it would be 22LR.

The reasoning is that it is reliable in a wide range of different handguns as well as many different rifles and both my sister and brother-in-law have 22LR rifles. Also it's easy to toss a year or three worth of ammo into a bug out bag. The 22LR is perfect for my sister who is very noise and recoil averse and works in the Beretta Bobcat and Rossi RB22 that I gave her. The Bobcat is small enough that she can carry it in a pocket rather than a purse and so always available. It has been super reliable in her Rossi RB22 and as a bolt action recovery from a miss fire is simple and fast.

22LR is cheap enough that they can shoot as often as they want and so they can stay proficient with both their rifles and pistols. I have my choice of rifles, pistols or revolvers and from small get off me pocket pistols like the Annoying Cricket Taurus PT22Poly to my preferred carry the S&W Kit gun to my favorite rifle, my 1949 Remington 'Speed Master' 241 or a newer Ruger 10/22 Take-down or a half dozen or so other great choices.

Mine is the 44-40, I have 7 guns in that caliber. Fun to load, easy to load, despite what "expert's" say, and fun to shoot. A close 2nd is the 45 Colt, then the 45ACP. Anything smaller is just too small for my big fat fingers to reload for.

Smaug said:

I just re-read the thread title. It's one HANDGUN cartridge. Gonna hafta change to 9 mm, since I wouldn't have to press this handgun cartridge into service for hunting.

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Since my primary weapon for gun deer season is a handgun, 9mm would be low on my list. I'd rather have too much for CWC, than too little for hunting deer. I'd be torn between .357 and .44 if I had to make that choice, but I don't.......so I won't. I'm much more happy with a multitude of caliber choices in handguns. Don't really need to list the advantages of any.

Whenever I hear comments praising 9mm, I think about its attributes. It’s easy to shoot, not to much recoil. It’s cheap to purchase, with modern hollow points it could potentially be just as effective as a larger round. No doubt about it, it’s an effective round to chamber a gun in.

I often then go to my area and look at a 9mm HP I have on my shelf above my reloading bench, it’s next to an assortment of bullet samples I cast. I often compare it to a 44 special, since that’s what I carry.

44 special, 9mm, 44 special bullet (RCBS 44-250-K)

I used to carry a .45 ACP case in my pocket, along with a 9mm case, and I'd astonish the young troopies by putting the 9mm case INSIDE the .45 case.

Man oh man, I have always wanted to try 41 magnum. Problem is lack of guns chambered in it. But a Blackhawk in 41 is something I always am keeping an eye out for.

WisBorn said:

41 mag time!

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Seems to be the most prevalent argument for .41 mag, is where it falls between the .357 and .44. Maybe if in the real world we were actually restricted to having "just one caliber", it would ring truer. I personally see no huge advantage of the .41 over the .357 as compared to what it lacks compared to the .44. While MHO is that the .44 is a better deer cartridge than .357, I have taken more deer with my .357 revolvers than with the .44s. What is also important to me, is how much more enjoyable my .357s are at the range when I want to shoot all day. This is what would make the choice difficult. But since I do not have to make that choice.......I don't.

This is no way means I have any problems with a .41. Just don't need a "in-between" caliber.