One Gun per Caliber: What Are They?

Calibers to choose from:

.22 – not interested

.32 – S&W Hand Ejector (32 S&W Long)

.380 – Llama Micro-Max (Miniature 1911)

9x19 mm – Browning Hi-Power

.38 Special – S&W “J” frame (Model 36 or 37)

.357 Magnum – S&W Model 27

.40 – not interested

10mm – not interested

.41 Magnum – not interested

.44 Special – not interested

.44 Magnum – S&W Model 29

.45 acp - 1911

.45 Colt – not interested

But what about:
38 Super
357 Sig
500 Magnum
50 AE
25 ACP

I had to divide this in two. There are guns that I love, and then there are guns that I use a lot, for carry and competition. There is some overlap, but it's not total. There are guns on the "love" list that I would hate to give up but would have to in favor of a more practical choice.


GUNS I LOVE

.22 -- S&W Model 41

.32 -- Colt 1903 Pocket Hammerless

.380 -- SIG P232

9x19mm -- SIG P239

.38 Special -- S&W Model 64

.45 ACP -- Springfield Range Officer 1911


GUNS I USE A LOT

.22 -- S&W Model 41

.32 -- Kel-Tec P32

.380 -- SIG P232

9x19mm -- Glock G26

.38 Special -- S&W 642

.45 ACP -- Springfield Range Officer 1911

.22lr- Ruger MK3 (All steel, known for longevity.)

.32 ACP- FEG AP 7.65 (Value vs quality is very favorable.)

9x18- CZ82

9x19- CZ75B (Good capacity, known for durability, decent trigger, low bore axis and steel frame reduce percieved recoil.)

.40S&W- Springfield XDM (Lifetime warranty, very durable, good capacity, relatively low recoil)

It's an exercise in critical thinking, no different than "What goes in a good bug out bag?" or "What's your EDC and why?" Each of us have reasons for what and why these choices are made from practical to tactical. No need for anyone to disparage either question or respondants.

Skylerbone said:

It's an exercise in critical thinking, no different than "What goes in a good bug out bag?" or "What's your EDC and why?" Each of us have reasons for what and why these choices are made from practical to tactical. No need for anyone to disparage either question or respondants.

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Except I don't see much dialog about the choices. If I said I absolutely had to have a .357 SIG (or a .357 auto mag for that matter) would anyone ask why or would they just post their own list?

Ok, I'll play:

For .22 I'll go with my Dan Wesson 22 with it's 6" barrel: dead accurate and a great gun for target and small game. Very heavy, but I can deal with that.

I'll take a 4" Ruger GP 100 .357, as I can use it effectively for target and defense.

Ditto a Redhawk in .44 Mag, good for hunting and target. 6" barrel on this one.

For 9mm I will stick with my beloved S&W 5906, perfect for HD and target use.

In .40 we will go with the Glock 23, outstanding carry piece.

In .45 ACP I will select the HK USP Compact .45 in V1 for flexibility of manual-of-arms options and smooth shooting characteristics.

I don't like this scenario, but I'll give my input:

22LR - my 1948 S&W pre 17 K22 - It belonged to my grandpa

38 Special - S&W 442, no lock

357 Magnum - S&W 627 PC Jerry Miculek Special

44 Special - Ruger Flat top Bisley Blackhawk 4 5/8"

44 Magnum - S&W 29 6 1/2"

45ACP - Colt 1911 Gold Cup National Match series 70

Except I don't see much dialog about the choices.

Click to expand...

Well then post that, not so difficult. I chose the Model 41 as a fun, reasonably accurate target model. The Walther makes for a discreet carry gun, sleek and snag free. The BHP can be carried but it's also a classic. The Python (or Coonan), both fun yet serious hardware as are the 29 and 1911.

My thinking does not favor a scenario where I need 6 Glocks for "über" reliability that must all be carried, bulging out if holsters and pockets. I am not so impractical as to be free of concealable weapons either. It's a balance of what I want and what I feel I need because the scenario dictates that I choose. Far fetched? Maybe...there are countries with far tighter restrictions where purchasing one means getting rid of the one (and only) you have. I responded because I felt like responding, same with any other thread.

.22 - Dad's Ruger MkI (and a set of spare parts)

9x19 mm - Something Glock; 26, probably, with a few extra mags of varying sizes.

.38 Special - no-lock S&W 642

.357 Magnum - Dan Wesson 15-2 Pistol Pac. Why limit yourself to one barrel length...

.44 Magnum - Colt Anaconda

.45 acp - Custom 1911 of some sort

.22 -- Ruger Mk II or Mk III

.32 -- Seecamp LWS

.380 -- Walter PPK/S

9x19 mm -- Glock 19 or Browning Hi Power

.38 Special -- S&W 642

.357 Magnum -- S&W 686

.40 -- no idea

10mm -- no idea

.41 Magnum -- no idea

.44 Special -- Charter Arms Bulldog or Colt New Frontier

.44 Magnum -- S&W 629 or Ruger Blackhawk

.45 acp -- Colt 1911

.45 Colt -- Colt Single Action Army

Calibers to choose from:

.22 - Ruger MkII

.32 - CZ 50

.380 - Colt 1903

9x19 mm - CZ 75 BD Police

.38 Special - Colt Detective

.357 Magnum - Chaippa Rhino 200DS

.40 - S&W M&P

10mm - Colt Delta

.41 Magnum - Smith and Wesson Mod 57

.44 Special - Smith and Wesson Mod 696

.45 Colt - Uberti Schofield 5"

Late arriving here, and haven't taken the time to think, so I'll rattle off the first few things that come to me.

.22LR: Ruger SR-22.

.32ACP: Taurus TCP (PT732) if I could find one, or Kel-Tec P32.

.380ACP: Ruger LC380.

9x19mm Luger: Ruger P95 (simply because I already have one and do well with it.)

.357 Magnum: My dad's Ruger Police Service Six (which became mine upon his death.)

(holding off on sixth gun/caliber for now.)

Okay, I'll play, and I'll provide an explanation for each choice too.

For this scenario, a new FEDERAL law states you're allowed 6 handguns, but only one per cartridge. No duplicates. Conversion kits not allowed. Spare parts must be bought with the gun. No spare parts after that. Reloading not allowed. Serial number designated to specific cartridge. IE; a .357 better not be found with .38's in it.

Calibers to choose from:

Click to expand...

The ones I'd have to get:

.22 - This is the really hard one because ideally I'd want both a revolver and a Semi. I'd go for a revolver, and would be torn between a pre MIM S&W 617 and a pre MIM S&W model 63. I'd have as many parts shipped to the dealer as I could afford to play within the rules. If I could game the system I'd have a gunsmith remanufacture it before I bought it, mark it ".22 Rimfire", and include both .22 LR and .22 Magnum cylinders.

.357 Magnum - My heart says a pre-MIM 4" bbl S&W 686. My head says go with a Dan Wesson 15-2 pistol pack with several bbl lengths as someone posted above, or with a 4" Ruger GP-100. Either way, I'd get a medium frame .357 Mag revolver so I could shoot standard loads and the already existing factory Cowboy loads that replicate .38 Spl target loads in a .357 Mag case. I suspect that in this scenario ammo manufacturers would start offering .357 Mag ammo with names like light / cowboy (low pressure .38 Spl equivalent), medium (standard . 38 Spl equivalent), medium plus (.38 Spl plus P equivalent), and full (standard full pressure .357 Mag). I also suspect that S&W, Ruger, and Taurus would quickly bring to market their own versions of the DW easy change bbl system. See also theoretical lightweight alloy versions below in .38 Special comments.

9x19 mm - Springfield Armory XD-9 (not XDm) / HS Produkt HS-9 for near Glock durability, and the close enough to Ruger SR9 grip that fits my hand so well. If I knew they'd be close to as durable as a Glock 19 or SA XD / HSP HS I'd get a SIG P250 or P320 in 9mm. The modularity of those two models would allow for sub compact, compact, and service grip frame and slide sizes without violating the one SN per caliber rule.

.45 ACP - See above pistols in 9mm, change model / caliber. Despite its lower energy, the momentum of the big 230 gr slugs are close enough to 180 gr 10mm auto in terminal ballistics. It's also very likely that we'd see .45 Super cases factory loaded to full pressure and labeled as .45 ACP +P+ in this scenario.

.45 Colt - Ruger Redhawk. See .357 Mag ammo level and theoretical easy change bbl comments above.

The tough ones:

.380 - My factory hard chrome slide P3AT is my favorite summer deep carry gun. Being a portly gent in the hot & humid deep south that combination of small size and corrosion resistance is really tough.

.38 Special - I'd probably get a S&W 442 over the P3AT for long term durability. If, in this theoretical scenario, S&W were to come out with a no lock 386 with easy change bbls (as noted in the .357 Mag comments), or Ruger with a GP100 version of the same I'd probably skip having a .38 Spl revolver.

Alternately, if the same revolvers were offered in .38 Spl but could handle .357 Mag pressure levels then .38 Spl +P+ loaded to .357 Mag levels became a common and SAAMI / CIP accepted factory loading. In that case, since I live in the lower 48 states, I might skip the .45 Colt and use such a .38 Spl as a legal duplicate of my .357 Mag.


The if under particular circumstances:

10mm - If it was offered in the same pistols as the .45 ACP models I listed above, and various pressure levels of ammo were widely available I might consider this as a replacement for .45 ACP.


Calibers I'd skip:

.32 - I don't have any desire for it with tiny pistols like the Ruger LCP and Kel-Tec P3AT in .380.

.40 - It gets squeezed between 9mm and .45 ACP for me. It's also replicated by current light 10mm factory loads.

.41 Magnum - It gets squeezed between .357 Mag and .44 Mag / .45 Colt for me.

.44 Special and .44 Magnum - They can both be replicated by various levels of current factory loaded .45 Colt ammo.


Is this the kind of critical thinking you were hoping to generate David E?

22 - Ruger Mk II


.380- PPK


9x19 mm- Browning Hi power


.38 Special- Model 10


.357 Magnum-Model 28


.44 Magnum- Model 29 six inch


.45 acp-colt 1911

I could make do with less than 6. I think I've shot a .22 ANYTHING twice in my life, so I could skip the caliber altogether.
9mm: CZ-75B.
.357 Mag: 6-inch S&W 27 (have this).
.40: Glock 23 (have this).
.45 ACP: Glock 30 (have this)

The one problem I see, is that if this actually happened, .357 Magnum would not likely be on the allowed list, because they can shoot almost all .38-caliber cartridges.

.22 - H&R 999
.32 - Mauser HSc
.38 Special - S&W Model 10
9mm - Jericho/Baby Eagle
.44 Russian - Uberti #3 Russian Top Break. OR .455 Webley Mk VI
.45 Colt - S&W Model 625

22 - Ruger MKIII

.32 - hmmmmm

.380 - Sig P238

9x19 mm - S&W M&P 9c

.38 Special - S&W 637

.357 Magnum - New Vaquero

.40 - S&W 4040PD

10mm - Colt Delta

.41 Magnum - S&W Model 57

.44 Special - S&W 624

.44 Magnum - Ruger Vaquero

.45 acp - Colt 1911 Commander

.45 Colt - Colt SSA

.22 - M&P22

.380 - LCP

9x19 mm - G19 G3

.357 Magnum - Ruger Revolver

.40 - XDM 3.8 compact

.45 acp - HK USP Tactical


That's six and I tried to make them all different guns, although I have not shot them all.

I'll limit my choices to what I have in my safe just because I have justified SOME reason when I bought them.

.22 Ruger Mkiii. It's a very solid design that needs little in the way of real maintenance. Just flush it out every so often, and it should run for a lifetime+. Great for plinking, great for harvesting tree rats in an emergency.

.380 Ruger LCP. It's small, it's light, it still feels like a "real" gun without breaking the bank, and with a simple hybrid handall grip and a stronger recoil spring, it's not a bad shooter (for what it is). I go out the door, she goes in my pocket.

9mm FNX-9. I would be tempted to say a Glock 19 or 26, but I never could warm up to a Glock. I've had several, and they are all gone. The FN fits my hand, is well made, and can be shot DA or carried cocked and locked. I'm going to be honest, I really like the looks of this gun too.

.357 Ruger SP101 w/ 2.25" barrel. I was tempted to go with my Blackhawk, but I don't really have much use for it. Same goes for my Vaquero. Both beautiful and capable guns, but I just have them for having sake. The SP101 is what I carry when I can carry something bigger than the LCP. 158gr soft points are good medicine. While not a "kit" gun, it's my favorite gun to pack on a hike. There isn't much in my neck of the woods that can't be taken care of with even a short snubbie stoked with .357.

.40 S&W FNS-40. This was the gun I purchased on a whim that really turned me onto FNH pistols. It's light, it's sleek, it shoots really well, and it's chambered in a caliber that doesn't fly off the shelves during an ammo rush. Actually, that's why I bought it. 9mm, .38 special, .45, etc were all GONE. Boxes and boxes of .40 at decent prices where plentiful. I feel the need for one good striker-fired and one good hard hitting caliber in my collection. The FNS-40 fits the bill.

.45 Springfield Armory 1911 Loaded. If you forced me to pick one gun that could do most everything I require of a handgun, this would be it. It's solid, accurate, beautiful, and reliable. If I could pack it every day, I would. Fantastic example of a classic design that still works.

Too many guns to give up as some are for winter carry, some for summer. I could never make that decision. Ah... it doesn't really matter.... I'm not giving up any, Federal law or not! But I appreciate your interesting scenario.

My selection 6 out of x

Here are my selections (I may never get to own these based on CA rules, but it's nice to have hope):

.22 - Benelli M95E Atlanta .22LR handgun

.32 - pass

.380 - pass

9x19 mm - easy, the H&K P7M13

.38 Special - pass

.357 Magnum - S&W Performance Center V-Comp 629 5" barrel with comp

.40 - pass

10mm - pass

.41 Magnum - pass

.44 Special - S&W Performance Center 629 2 5/8" barrel

.44 Magnum - S&W Performance Center V-Comp 627 4" barrel with comp

.45 acp - H&K HK45

.45 Colt - pass

Heaven forbid that it ever comes to that but I'll opine

Calibers to choose from:

.22 - Ruger 22/45

.380 - This one is easy - Glock 42

9x19 mm - Glock 26 - reliable, accurate (enough), and easily concealable

.357 Magnum - S&W 686 + with a 4" barrel

10mm - Glock 20 - FOR ME it is the best woods gun, it is on my hip whenever I am out on my property with my dogs.

.45 acp - This is the only one I would have a hard time deciding...either my Ed Brown Kobra Carry - accuracy combined with fantastic fit & finish, or my Glock 30S, accuracy and a real workhorse.