Best Rifle/Handgun caliber

[lobo9er]

Seeing what everyone thinks is the best caliber to find a rifle and pistol combo 44mag,357mag,44spl etc. So far I'm thinking 357 since you could shoot 38 special also. There are alot of nice choices of lever guns and revolvers available in 357. Another thought was a AR15 6.8 pistol with a carbine to match sounds nice too.

*For Large game Deer, wild pig, maybe black bear. Those are the only large critters around me. I don't have to worry about any kodiaks unless one breaks out of the zoo. Maybe Camp gun would be another use.

 

[Skillet]

oh no, let the caliber wars begin...

 

[wormserco]

It depends so much on what plans are for it I'm unable to answer the question.

Small game? Large game? Self defense? bird?

 

[hso]

None of what's available will handle black bear and I'd be skeptical about pigs (if they're over 150 lbs). .44 mag is marginal for deer and you'd have to be very close.

A better question might be to start out asking what all the combinations are where a pistol and carbine combination exist.

.22: revolvers and semis/bolts, levers and semis
.30: carbine revolvers and semis/semis (anybody know of anything other than semis?)
.357 mag: revolvers and semis/levers and semis
.44 mag: revolvers and semis/levers and semis

AR and AK "pistols" are more of an expensive novelty to most folks (and I still want an AK "pistol" regardless).

I have the .357 mag revolver/lever "set". I passed on a .44 mag lever and wished I hadn't.

 

[Leaky Waders]

and a few more off the top of my head...

44/40 - revolver/lever

45 long colt - revolver/lever

45/70 - bfr/lever

45 acp - pistol/revolver - semi

9mm - pistol/revolver - semi

 

[lobo9er]

Action type isn't important. maybe I should say hunting round that is available in both pistol(revolver or semi) and rifle.

 

[-eaux-]

personal experience, .44remmag is far beyond marginally adequate on whitetail, within 75yds. especially from a carbine. the .44 really shines when piped down a longer barrel.
.357 also a great choice for a combo caliber, though i would rate it marginal for whitetail.
the x-factor is figuring in black bear. that would make me consider .44mag the starting baseline to work up from.
maybe a T/C with short and long barrels in .45-70gov?

 

[hso]

If you're thinking about bear then your only reliable option is going to be 45-70.

 

[pat86323]

bears are not bulletproof. A 44mag or a 357 can has and will kill bears. Just use it within its effective range with quality ammo.

 

[lobo9er]

454 CASULL hows that little guy stack up to 45-70 and are there carbines to match?

 

[hso]

Forgot 10mm

 

[lobo9er]

I have to say I know of more than a few people who take white tail often with a 44mag revolver.

 

[Hunt480]

The 41 & 44 combo's they are excellent,but has anyone mentioned the 475,460,500 that would be fine combo's too.

 

[jmortimer]

.45 Colt - Pre-expanded bullets are better.

 

[redneck2]

Personally, I'd use a .44 mag or .45LC. Either would be adequate. I would have no problem using a .44 for deer to 100 yards or more.

If you think you need power, the .500 would be the ticket. If you ever shoot one out of a single shot rifle, you'll know what I mean.

 

[ClayInTX]

If limited to one rifle cartridge and one handgun cartridge it would be 30-06 and .357 Magnum.

 

[oneounceload]

For the same cartridge, I would opt for a 7-08 in an XP-100 and Model 7

 

[content]

Ammo versatility

Hello friends and neighbors // Ammo versatility wins it for me .357/.38.

Many different types of bullet configurations available, I have 8 different types right now, 9 if you count shot shells.Did a recount and if you count 6, left over.38 blazers and 6, .357 hot loads a friend made up for me 13 different configurations of .357/.38.

 

[exbiologist]

.358 WSSM if you are trying to get around Indiana's Pistol Cartridge Rifle laws

 

[oldfool]

*For Large game Deer, wild pig, maybe black bear."

even though I best like the 38/357 in both revolver & lever action, that phrase speaks 44 mag to me
and,yes, it's gun enough for named game, which does not suggest to me 100 yard shots, but half or less that distance, frequently quite a bit less distance
(depends on how/where you hunt, of course)


they also do them in 45 Colt and 454 Casull of course, but if it were me, I would go 44 mag, lots of nice lever action and revolver choices readily available, and you can download a bit w/ 44 special for other purposes

 

[Clipper]

Anyone who would say a .357 from a rifle-length barrel is inadequate for black bear is, quite frankly, so far out in left field as to lose all credibility with me, and has no idea what they're talking about.

 

[lobo9er]

to be honest i have no hours logged with either 357 or 44 mag so I can not speak to 357 for black bear. But I would think at resonable range .357 would do the trick. I knew of at least one person that carried a .357 revolver as back up to what ever rifle or shotgun that he was carrying and for finish shot while hunting black bear.

 

[Schofield3]

bears are not bulletproof.

We haven't proved that yet.

 

[Schofield3]

I had to share....

 

[Guiding101]

I have had many handgun clients over the years kill decent sized black bear with handguns, and handgun calibers. Inside the hundred yard mark, the .44 Rem mag is a great round. As stated above, the round really shines when pushed out of a longer tube. I have had several clients use .357's as well. Dead is dead. I can honestly say I have never lost a handgun shot black bear. We have sadly lost a few with poorly placed rifle rounds over the years. Handgun hunters (In my experience) tend to focus a great deal on shot placement, much like bow hunters. (I'm sure there are exceptions to the rule). One memorable shot I saw about 6 years ago, was a bear that a young man shot while the animal was facing him with a .41 mag. Now the shot was all of 15 yards, but after caping the 250 lb animal out, I found the round imbedded in the pelvic bone. Really cannot beat that.