Favorite revolver cartridges

Status
Not open for further replies.
brutus51 said:
I'll start with mine:
1. 45 Colt, big&slow is the way to go.
2. 44Mag, perfect for handgun hunting
3. .357 mag
4 .44 special
5. 38 special
6 .22 LR
Click to expand...
---
.357 Mag. - the do-anything that needs to be done with a handgun cartridge
.45 ACP/.44 Spl - two good general purpose do-it-all hammers - tied for 2nd in my book
.45 Auto Rim - a good special-purpose do-it-all hammer
.38 Spl - one of the most accurate defensive rounds known
.38 S&W/Colt NP - just plain fun and a good alternate defense round for in-the-home use
.32 S&W Long/Colt NP - THE most accurate handgun round ever produced
.22 LR - cheap, fun, accurate... what more could you want?
 
P5 Guy said:
Since all but two of my handguns are firing projectiles 0.355 to 0.357 which rounded up to have two digits would make my favorite THIRTY SIX caliber. :what:
IOW 9mm and 38SPL/357MAG. The two not 36 caliber are 22LR and 44SPL.
Click to expand...
---
So... I guess what you're REALLY saying is, your favorite handgun cartridge is the .38S&W/Colt New Police (dia. .360")? :)o_O:thumbup:
 
RevolvingGarbage said:
I’m looking forward to loading up .45AR cases myself, also for a Webley. I’m really only lacking a proper bullet for the oddball throat/bore diameter combination. Which do you use? And have you ever tried hp-38/w231 for a powder?

Staying with the topic, though I have several calibers of revolver and more than one in the classic .38 Special chambering, the older and slower .38S&W has proven to be more enjoyable to shoot and reload for. It’s also seeing a lot more use in my carry rotation these days in my every day “small” guns.

It’s strictly enough cartridge for defense, low recoil and noise to shoot and slightly lower impact on valuable reloading components, and also has lots of historical relevance. It may be an unusual choice but the .38S&W is certainly my favorite revolver cartridge.

I’ll also add, there’s no reason why the same cartridge case couldn’t be loaded to near-or equal to modern 9x19 or .357 magnum pressure levels if a modern handgun handgun designed for the pressures involved was around to use it in.
Click to expand...
---
I use the 265 gr. hollow-base .455 dia. Reed's in OK City, OK, carries the ones I buy but there are other cast boolit makers out there selling them. You want the hollow base, IMO. It's what the revolvers were made for and they are much more accurate then solid-base, even when cast to-size. I like to use a moderate amount of Unique or Red Dot, same charge as for a swing-frame S&W No. 3 top-break (Schofield). IIRC I got my sarting load from the Lyman's 45th or 49th. Can't recall which. Pretty sure the Lyman's 40th also has loading data for the .45 S&W.

I also appreciate the .38S&W for what it is: a close-range defensive round. I load mostly to the old 200gr. "Super Police" spec's with Unique (200 grain LRN @ 850fps from a 4-inch Colt Police Positive) and 145gr. (145gr. LRN @ 750fps from a 5-inch S&W 1905 Hand-Ejector) regular full-power loads with Bullseye for targets IN SOLID-FRAMES. In the break-tops, I use strictly FFg and 140gr. soft lead. No sense stressing 100+ year old metal.

GT Bullets sells a very interesting 160gr LSWCHP in .360" you may want to check out. It does some serious damage to milk jugs at 20 paces from a snub-nose,. 2-1/2" Iver-Johnson Cadet ;)
 
Last edited:
I'll say this, from my experience, the .44 Magnum is champion for long range shooting, while the .45 Colt takes honors for heavy bullet weight and up-close shooting.

When i was chorographing my loads, I hit 1715 f.p.s. with the .44, never got to 1400 f.p.s. with the .45. I never got the 1900 f.p.s. or so others were able to get out of the Super Blackhawks.

Bob Wright
 
BobWright said:
When i was chorographing my loads, I hit 1715 f.p.s. with the .44, never got to 1400 f.p.s. with the .45. I never got the 1900 f.p.s. or so others were able to get out of the Super Blackhawks.
Click to expand...
I won't argue your point but all I can say is ouch! :eek:
 
BobWright said:
I'll say this, from my experience, the .44 Magnum is champion for long range shooting, while the .45 Colt takes honors for heavy bullet weight and up-close shooting.

When i was chorographing my loads, I hit 1715 f.p.s. with the .44, never got to 1400 f.p.s. with the .45. I never got the 1900 f.p.s. or so others were able to get out of the Super Blackhawks.

Bob Wright
Click to expand...
---
Holy smokes, Smokey! I can't imagine that in a 7-1/2 inch barrel! My fastest load for the SBH is a 300 grain Sierra JSP moving 1220fps. That was with a near overload of 17.5gr of 2400. I like 2400 for its consistency and the HUGE library of loading data there is for it but there are slower, better powders, I admit. That 300 grain load gave up a nice fireball, good accuracy, hit like a freight train, convinced me the Dragoon grip was a truly brilliant idea. I rolled a 250lb boar hog with that load over in the Suwanee Preserve and couldn't get the bells out of my ears for a week. Ruined both shoulders - of the hog, I mean. I decided it was better suited to the M77/44 though.
 
This is only a list of calibers I have firsthand experience with.


.22Short; prefer it to the long in revolvers.
Nice, quiet, and plenty accurate.
Still enjoy LR, but Shorts are just fun.

.32S&W; good alternative to .22 rimfire, reloadable(uses very little lead and powder) light recoil, variety of guns(antique-modern, revolvers and rifle/shotgun inserts).


I haven't shot .32 Long yet, will report back as soon as I load some up.
I have read/heard the .32S&W Long is VERY accurate.

.38Special/.357; adequate for medium-large game, more oomph for CC, ubiquitous and available in variety of firearms.

.45 Colt; better for medium-large game, legendary performance, from Cowboy loads to heavy hitting +p+ loads.
 
.41 Magnum, .45 Colt.

Truthfully, that's all I have left in revolvers, anyway... got rid of everything else.

The only thing that would get me back into other revolver cartridges is a nice, well-priced Dan Wesson .357, or a Smith 63.... but that's not going to happen anytime soon.
 
Geez, it might be easier to ask which rounds I didn't like....

But given the OP's question; Here are my pics.....

1. .44 Special...too many years of reading Keith, Skelton et al...I've been hooked since the late 60's. It's practical too....215 gr GC LSWC's at 950-1200 fps for carry most any where here on our KY farm...240's to 1100 fps for deer through the Marlin Carbine...200 GR XTP's for whatever...it's just a great round.
2. .357 Mag...as versatile as any cartridge on the market. Mild to really wild, it'll do most everything a .44 Spl can do, and can be found (when we're not in a frenzied buy anything pandemic), in most crossroads stores.
3. .41 Mag...have the guns, like the ballistics, the bores and cylinder throats match on most guns, and it'll do more than the .44 Spl will, but I just haven't had a lust affair for it for quite as long.
4. .32 Long and .32 H&R...Ruger makes those dandy Single Sixes for these two useful trail cartridges...call 'em reloadable .22's if you like, 100 gr of LSWC at 1150 fps is no laughing matter, or 650 fps in a cute little Colt Police Positive for walking the dog down the lane. No recoil, superb accuracy from a pair of Ruger SS's, and a Smith M16 bought before the "collector nerds" found them. All will easily do sub-2" groups at 25 yds with 72 yo eyes doing the steering...open sights too! And really economical use of my dwindling supply of wheel weight bullet alloy.
5. Lastly but should probably be first...the lowly .22 LR. Try shooting them again and see just how easy it is to hit without a handful of recoil messing up your grip continuity...I've got an even half dozen here now...really enjoy binking the steel plates out to 50 yds with them...and up close keeping a cylinderful on a postage stamp from the 15 yd line. Useful, what we all started with, and still a good choice for all but serious social encounters of the negative kind.
 
The .22LR will always be the one I enjoy the most.

The .44 Special is not far behind.

Nor is the .44Mag.

The .45 Colt has to be in the top five. I have a Dillon 650 dedicated to it.

The .38 Special has to be here as well. Though I prefer to shoot it out of .38-chambered guns.
 
^^ Seems like .45 Colt must be #1 if you have a press dedicated to it. We need a green with envy smilie. :what:
 
.45 colt for woods carry and similar situations (My favorite is a Colt New Service)
.45 ACP for defense (I've carried a Kimber Custom Classic for 25 years)
.22 LR (My favorite is a Colt Woodsman.)
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Similar threads

H
  • Locked
Revolver caliber versitility.
Replies
5
Views
474
Claude Clay
C
G
  • Locked
Here's a partial list of the S&W Revolver Models
Replies
12
Views
2K
Moonclip
M
W
  • Locked
Post your DA S&W's
Replies
0
Views
419
wwace
W
A
  • Locked
S&W Snubbies
Replies
5
Views
1K
Mike Kerr
Mike Kerr
N
  • Locked
Alphabet Soup (Revolver Frames)
Replies
10
Views
874
Mike Irwin
M
Back
Top