what caliber do you like and why?

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First: .22LR, hands down

Second: .32 Magnum/S&W Long, excellent small game round, easily and economically reloaded.

Third: .38/.357, everything the .32s can do these can do better, and we move up into effective larger game hunting and self defense.

Fourth: .44 Special, the best large bore for my perceived needs. Versatile, accurate, pleasant to shoot. Due to haveing some arthritis in my hands, I no longer shoot heavily loaded .44 Magnums or .45 Colts at "Ruger levels". However I do use a .41 Magnum with standard magnum loadings, that is to say with 210 grain bullets, nothing heavier.
 
44 Special without a doubt! Easy to reload from range foder to game taker and a reliable manstopper if you reload for it. Fun to shoot, very accurate, pleasant recoil, and a favorite with shooters, as opposed to sprayers, for generations. Dennis
 
I like the 45 ACP revolver's like the S&W 25s and 625s for defense or competition . A walk in the desert or mountains seems to call for a 44 Special like the Model 24 or one of the 44 Hand Ejectors.

Dave
 
I like many different calibers but for different reasons...

If I had to pick a favorite it would be the Versatile 357 magnum. I carry it daily. That said ,a 44 special would do fine for that purpose along with many others.
 
I like most all of the older Handgun Calibers/Cartridges.


Different ones are at the top for their own applications or anticipations.

.41 Magnum comes to mind as what I would elect when on long Automobile trips or for some Hiking or Camping.


.45 Colt also, for those and other contexts too.



.45 ACP - 1911, or, .38 Special, for routine Carry...or both at once if anticipating dicey passages.


.38 S & W, for some moods...


.22 Long Rifle...is very nice, for what it does so well.
 
I Like to shoot the .38 Special.
I own a vintage K-38, a 686 and a 638, my daily carry.
I have Square D loader , use Missouri bullets and shoot to my hearts content.
 
.22 and .44sp

.22 for plingking because they are cheap and fun.
.44 special for SD. Good fat bullet without the blast of the magnums.
.45 acp would be good, but not many wheelguns available
 
My three favorites are all in the "40's": .41 Magnum, .44 Special, and .45 Long Colt. Make it a Ruger, S&W, or a Colt and I'm in my own little slice of handgun heaven.
 
Have ya got a month?
It'd take me that long to decide. :D

.38 spl - cuz they're light in the recoil dept.
.357 mag - cuz they're manly & that's what I keep near me for sd/hd
.45 Colt - cuz nothing screams John Wayne, Gene Autry & The Lone Ranger any louder.
.223/5.56 - cuz that's what I carried back in the 70s & 80s
9mm - cuz that's what the kids like
 
9mm Luger

My favorite caliber is the 9mm. It's the highest capacity full power cartridge. Price is good, easy to reload, quite a few options for bullet weights also. Magazine capacity is great and it's much lighter than the 40 or 45.

If it was a perfect world and all ammunition cost the same as the .22 LR. I would probably say the .45 acp then. I don't live in a perfect world so I go with the caliber that I can afford to shoot the most and still feel comfortable carrying. For me carrying 9mm reinforces that I will need to hit the target accurately.
 
OK so really what we all agree upon is you probably need..., two new guns in different calibers..., maybe three..., to be fully satisfied. Sorry to break the news to you..., now go out and buy! :D

LD
 
.44 mag, then .45 acp, then .357, then .32-20. 44's are just a hoot. 45ACP's are boringly accurate in a 1917 Colt revover. 357 is as basic as it gets, so everyone should have one or two. The .32-20, that's JUST for fun.

Oh and 357 Maximum is just bragging about the fun I have. :)
 
I don't try to talk anyone into buying anything, or out of buying anything. The .357 Magnum is certainly my most-favored handgun cartridge, for the widest range of purposes, whether carried in SP101 snubbies, or 3"-6" GP100, Speed Six, and S&W K-frame sixguns. I also really like the .45 Colt, but as I have small hands, too small to properly handle N-frames and Redhawks in DA mode, my only .45 sixguns are single actions, which keeps the .45 Colt from being an everyday carry cartridge. Not that I feel unarmed with a single action; my chief wants me to tote authorized weapons 24/7, and he will not authorize single action sixguns for official purposes.

I do have a soft spot for the .41 Magnum, which served as my duty cartridge from 1985 to about 1991. Yes, it was an N-frame, a Model 58, and I had to shoot it DA with a less-than-ideal grip, in order to get enough finger on the trigger, though the trigger was customized by being dressed-down quite bit to help in that regard. This compromised grip may be why the base joint of my shooting hand thumb is having some issues these days; I fired plenty of magnum loads back in the day.
 
.45 ACP cuz it's the same as my 1911

I have a 625 5" Bbl. and in .45 ACP or .45 AUto RIm the
recoil is firm but very manageable n problem shooting
a lot of rounds in a session with the big N-Frame.

I've always wanted a 41 Magnum great ballistics and BC/SD

Randall
 
If you are mainly carrying and shooting for fun, the 38 Special is a great little cartridge. A S&W M15 is a hard one too beat. If you paln to use it for more serious uses, you need to step up the caliber. I carry and recommend you go to a 45, either the ACP or long Colt. I carry a 4" N frame in 45 ACP but hte one cut for the 45 long Colt would be a good one also. I am not sure of the current model numbers but the Mountian revolver series would be a good place to start. A great revolver and with the 45 caliber holes, not much weight. And both cartridges benefit from handloading in these revolvers. I skipped over the magnum cartridges as for my style of hunting, they do not provide me with any advantage over the easier to shoot standards. The 45s are great cartridges and worthy of consideration.
 
Let's keep it rolling.
These are great excus...I mean reasons... to give to the boss for buying another gun.

Plus, just think of all the money I can save by reloading. :D
 
looks like i'm gonna have to get myself a 1911 in 45 acp, then a 44 magnum so i can shoot 44 mag and 44 spcl. i already have a 22 lr, i thought everybody did so i didn't mention it lol.
 
Stay with a revolver, it is familiar to you and available in all your favorite cartridges.
 
.22LR - Because it's cheap, no recoil, and fun
.380 Auto - Because it fits in my Kahr P380 (and that fits in my front pocket)
9mm Luger - Because I can get 17+1 in my Glock 17 (for when the zombies come)
.38 Special - Because it's great for breaking in new shooters
.357 Magnum - Because there are terrific 7-shot and 8-shot S&W revolvers to be had
.44 Special - Because it's the jack of all trades caliber, mild to wild, and easy to reload
.45 Colt - Because sometimes you want to go hunting with a handgun

Pick one? That would be like trying to pick your favorite child...
 
From my name you can tell I may be biased :D

If it can kill a 200lb person it can certainly take a 125-150lb deer. Sure you can get bigger, but then you suffer defensively. I don't know many people who can unload a .44mag in rapid fire at 7yds and keep ANY rounds on a paper plate, or a barn door for that matter. Not to mention the cost of even attempting that kind of practice regularly with bigger calibers. Especially being as you can shoot .38's.
 
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