All Popular Calibers Have Been Outlawed. What Oddball/Obsolete Caliber Do You Carry

[Hartkopf]

This is all just hypothetical because I dreamed it up and I'd like to read opinions on different calibers. If you think this is dumb, please don't clutter the thread.

Ok since the world has been upside down since 2020, what weird, obsolete, oddball, goofy caliber do you chose to carry if all the mainstream popular calibers were outlawed?

No 9mm, 40S&W, 10mm, 45ACP, 380, 38Special, 357Mag, 44Mag.

Tell us your favorite oddball semiauto and revolver caliber and what's good about it. Some of us are not familiar with obsolete calibers so please include how powerful it is or what it closely compares to.


1)For semiautos I would pick the 45 GAP. It is almost identical to 45ACP and I like Glocks. Easy to reload with 45ACP dies and bullets. It's so useless it's a great caliber for a goofy world.

2)For revolvers I would pick 44 Special. It's big and slow but has the ability to use sharp edge wad cutters or Gold Dots loaded by Underwood that reliably expand. Also easy to reload.

 

[WilsonCQB1911]

38 Super. Great round that works well in a 1911, which is my preferred platform.

 

[Zendude]

I’ll pick 32 H&R magnum, since I already have the equipment to reload for it.

 

[RevolvingGarbage]

I’ll be converting my 1911s to .455 Webley (not the auto version of the cartridge), and fortunately most everything else is either already a .38S&W or could be converted to it easily enough. That just leaves the Steyr L9A1 which will be converted to .32 French Long, or perhaps 9x18MAK would be easier since the magazines would only need a front to back spacer instead of a modification to the width of the feed lips.

Then I start building in secret a crude likeness of a UMP with the naughty parts and an integral supressor and all since whatever government has passed these obnoxious laws will have lost my cooperation entirely.

That was a fun and entirely theoretical thought experiment, thank you!

 

[chicharrones]

.32 ACP

.22 Magnum

.22 LR

 

[lsudave]

Ok, for the mental exercise...

9mm Largo, 9x18 Makarov, 7.62x25 Tokarev. Single biggest reason: I own guns in these, and thus would be armed without further expense. These are all obsolete/surplus calibers that seem to have been proven effective, but got squeezed out for various reasons.

9x23 Largo, a European round used by Spain, closely tied (same?) as 9mm Steyr. projectile and ballistics on par with 9x19 Parabellum, my understanding is that reload data for the Parabellum could basically be used as-is. I have a pair of Star Modelo Supers, to change caliber between Largo and Parabellum I simply swap barrels. I have a stash of Berdan-primed surplus that has been questionable, and a similar sized stash of Boxer-primed that has run great. I haven't tried, but there are some online that say theirs can shoot 38 Super without issue.
Largo got squeezed out not due to any lack of function or power, but because the world standardized on Parabellum instead.

9x18 Makarov- basically a slightly larger, slightly hotter .380. The Soviets moved to this as the largest round that could be used in a blowback pistol of normal size. If you can carry a 380, you can carry a Makarov in the same way. It's not just the Makarov pistol, there are CZ's in this caliber, and FEG made Walther PP clones too. If you look at any design that is in 32 or 380, there's a good chance it could run 9 Mak (assuming it doesn't already have a variant). I'm very comfortable relying on my CZ 82 and 12 rd mags.

7.62 Tokarev- before the Mak, there was the Tok. The TT-33 is very mechanically similar to the 1911 Browning design, but went the opposite direction with ammo: instead of big, slow ammo, they went small and fast. 30 cal in a bottlenecked case, getting around 1500 ft/sec. This has been demonstrated to punch through a good bit of body armor that defeats 9mm or 45acp, it's my basic understanding that the Soviets wanted something reliable vs heavy winter clothing. Again like the Largo, converting a Tokarev between 9mm Parabellum and 7.62 Tok is a simple barrel swap. I have a goodly supply of surplus ammo, and unlike the Largo, this has been very reliable.

 

[Hartkopf]

7.62 Tokarev- before the Mak, there was the Tok. The TT-33 is very mechanically similar to the 1911 Browning design, but went the opposite direction with ammo: instead of big, slow ammo, they went small and fast. 30 cal in a bottlenecked case, getting around 1500 ft/sec. This has been demonstrated to punch through a good bit of body armor that defeats 9mm or 45acp, it's my basic understanding that the Soviets wanted something reliable vs heavy winter clothing. Again like the Largo, converting a Tokarev between 9mm Parabellum and 7.62 Tok is a simple barrel swap. I have a goodly supply of surplus ammo, and unlike the Largo, this has been very reliable.

The 7.62 Tok is interesting. I found some factory ammo advertised with 85gr at 1647fps. Seems like lots of high performance ammo being made for 9X19 that doesn't get those numbers. 357Sig might get there. What is old is new again.

 

[wcwhitey]

.38 Super is a great round! .44 Special or .32 Mag would work for revolvers.

 

[CDW4ME]

Easy. Glock 38 in 45 GAP. Already have one and its the same size as the Glock 19 I carry now.

 

[pairof44sp]

This is all just hypothetical because I dreamed it up and I'd like to read opinions on different calibers. If you think this is dumb, please don't clutter the thread.

Ok since the world has been upside down since 2020, what weird, obsolete, oddball, goofy caliber do you chose to carry if all the mainstream popular calibers were outlawed?

No 9mm, 40S&W, 10mm, 45ACP, 380, 38Special, 357Mag, 44Mag.

Tell us your favorite oddball semiauto and revolver caliber and what's good about it. Some of us are not familiar with obsolete calibers so please include how powerful it is or what it closely compares to.


1)For semiautos I would pick the 45 GAP. It is almost identical to 45ACP and I like Glocks. Easy to reload with 45ACP dies and bullets. It's so useless it's a great caliber for a goofy world.

2)For revolvers I would pick 44 Special. It's big and slow but has the ability to use sharp edge wad cutters or Gold Dots loaded by Underwood that reliably expand. Also easy to reload.

When they outlaw 22, 38, 44, 32, 45, 9, and 40 for being dangerously normal, I plan to switch to .32-20

With 32.20, you can buy cool old SW and Colt revolvers for a little cheaper than normal calibers, chop the barrels, and have a pair of carry guns that are plenty good enough it seems to me.

 

[Dunross]

For guns I already have then 44 Special or 327/32 H&R Mag. 32acp for semi-auto.

 

[huntsman]

.45Colt
And what ever I can convert a Shield or LCP max to

assuming there’s a healthy conversation industry available

 

[The Happy Kaboomer]

Outlawed? No problem I'd just load my own...........In reality........Ain't gonna happen.

 

[Alte Schule]

5.7 x 28/.17 HMR/.22 WMR

 

[JCooperfan1911]

.32 ACP, .45 GAP, and .22 magnum.

 

[WrongHanded]

Ok since the world has been upside down since 2020, what weird, obsolete, oddball, goofy caliber do you chose to carry if all the mainstream popular calibers were outlawed?

No 9mm, 40S&W, 10mm, 45ACP, 380, 38Special, 357Mag, 44Mag.

Excuse me! Are you suggesting that my beloved .357 Sig is NOT a mainstream and popular cartridge?!

Good!

I'll just keep doing what I've been doing.

 

[Rule3]

357 Sig
45 Colt

 

[cfullgraf]

38/45 Clerke, 400 Corbon, 357 Sig, 38 Super, 9x23

Notice the theme? All are chambered in 1911's.

45 Colt and 44 Special for revolvers.

 

[twarr1]

5.7x28 or 44 Special.
@Hartkopf, you should’ve excluded 45GAP and 357sig. Those are 2 obvious choices!

 

[Hartkopf]

5.7x28 or 44 Special.
@Hartkopf, you should’ve excluded 45GAP and 357sig. Those are 2 obvious choices!

True but 357Sig barks so bad that fewer people would actually want to carry it so I left it in. And I wanted the 45 GAP so I left it in.

My hypothetical thread so my hypothetical choices!

 

[Hartkopf]

Excuse me! Are you suggesting that my beloved .357 Sig is NOT a mainstream and popular cartridge?!

Good!

I'll just keep doing what I've been doing.

Definitely an easy conversion for anyone with a 40 that gets outlawed.

 

[WisBorn]

Some people say the 41 Remington Magnum is obsolete. I think they are the same people that say that the 10 mm is just as powerful as the 41mag
I love my 41 mag!!!

 

[Howland937]

Already into the 38 Super, so no big deal. If I needed a larger bore/bigger bullet I'd try out the 460 Rowland. In fact, I've already nearly caved to the temptations.

 

[twarr1]

And I wanted the 45 GAP so I left it in.

Of course!

 

[WrongHanded]

Does the .45 Super count?