Your cartridge and what you use them for

[lawboy]

Hi, all. I am wondering what handgun cartridges you all shoot and what you use them for. I am less interested in the guns but listing them is okay also. My main interest is knowing what cartridges you shoot regularly and what type of shooting you actually do with each, even if you use them all for the same general plinking, say so. I think it will be interesting to know what use people are putting the various cartridges too. For me, it breaks down as follows ...
.22lr -- bullseye competition, steel plate shooting, rimfire pistol silhouette competition (not so much of late), training new shooters.

380acp -- CCW gun infrequently, some target shooting to remain familiar with gun (Makarov), sometimes a step up gun for new shooters when teaching the semi auto handgun.

9mm -- CCW gun, regular practice on paper targets and steel plates, teaching new shooters, though I don't use the 9mm much for that as I find the 45 is actually a gentler round when loaded to target levels.

38spl. -- steel plates and paper targets, almost exclusively double action shooting in my revolvers. I use a lot of 38spl. for indoor gallery shooting on a weekly basis. I also use it alot when shooting with my daughter, 17, who owns a S&W M64 2-inch. I find this an ideal cartridge for teaching new shooters on centerfire handgun.

357mag. -- CCW, steel plates out to 100 yards, IDPA competition from my CCW gun.

10mm -- steel plates out to 100 yards, paper targets. A step up gun for intermediate shootes whom I have already gotten hooked on shooting!

44spl. -- paper targets from 7 yrds to 50 yards, steel plates from 25 yards to 50yards, new shooters, shooting with my good shooting buddies when we ant to bring out the big bore wheelguns but don't feel like taking a pounding from magnum rounds, nor concentrating a lot on the 100 yard gongs, which we reserve for the 44 mag. Also a fine way to savor custom wheelguns!

44mag. -- steel plates at 100 yards. hunting.

45 Colt -- steel plates from 25-100 yards, hunting. A variety of loads from mild to stout are used in the same cases as I have found my gun does not like Schofield-length brass. Rarely used on paper targets.

I think that is about all the handgun cartridges I shoot and/or load for, and the uses I put them too. Let's hear what you all are doing. Regards.

 

[Ala Dan]

.22 LR - mostly plinking

.32/.380ACP - used primarily as a back-up self defense cartridge

.38 Special - hot weather, light clothing primary CCW piece

.357 magnum - frequent self defense scenarios

9m/m - occassional self defense cartridge

.45 ACP - main self defense package from a variety of platforms

.223 Remington/12 gague - SHTF cases

 

[Brian Williams]

357, for most everything.
22lr, for a lot of plinking and some target.
45 ACP, range plinking
9mm, carry and range plinking

 

[Vern Humphrey]

For handguns, I say there are only four (or four and a half) useful cartridges:

1. The .22 Long Rifle. Everyone needs a good .22 pistol. That's how you learn to shoot, burning up lots of cheap .22 ammo. The .22 is a superb target pistol, and is a great small game getter.

2. The .357 Magnum. A great defensive cartridge, good for hunting at short ranges, and for small game with .38 Special loads (this is the "half" in "four and a half.") I frequently carry a .357 afield, and will often tuck a .38 Special snubbie in my waistband or pocket when going out.

3. The .45 ACP. When teamed with the pistol designed for it, the M1911, this is an unbeatable defense pistol.

4. The .45 Colt. Like the .357, it is incredibly versatile and can take much larger critters.

 

[Vitamin G]

.22lr - Ruger Mk II and a Ciener Conversion Kit for a 1911
I use the kit for the most part to introduce new shooters. I used to use the ruger also, but its taken a sabbatical since I realized I was using the gun my father gifted to me for my 18th birthday as a "loaner".

.380 - Kel-Tec - Selfdefense/backup gun. I'll let some people try it to show them that .45acp might not be so bad... "Look, sometimes its the type of gun rather than the size of the ammo. Shoot thing compared to the Hi-power in 9mm"

9mm - H&K p7, FM hipower. Browning hipower practical. All around fun cartridge for introducing people to shooting, who are ready for a "step up" from .22lr

45acp - Kimber TLE II, Norinco 1911 - Advanced beginners (is that an oxymoron?) with factory loads, or people with small hands who dont like the BHP ergonomics, shooting 200gr SWCs over 4.0gr of bullseye.

10mm - Glock 20, Colt Delta Elite - Carry gun, "Heh, try THIS" gun. I carry a 180grJhp. Basically can load anything from target rounds to magnum level performance. The versatility king.

 

[jac714]

.22 LR Bulseye, plinking, small varmits (rats, squirrels etc...)

.45 ACP CCW, SD, HD

10mm Mid sized Game (Deer)

 

[sw460mag]

my new #1 is my S&W 460mag i shoot a lot of 45lc
#2 ruger mII 22 cal
#3 S&W686 in 357

 

[M2 Carbine]

22LR- Plinking

All the rest have some roll as home defense or car guns and as just fun shooting.

.380, 9x18 and 38 Special- are shot on my backyard range because I don't like losing 9mm, 45ACP, etc brass in the grass.

45ACP is my primary carry choice but .380 is carried more because of the clothes I wear.

.223, (Kel PLR-16- pistol) has become the primary HD and most fun shooting gun.

40S&W- I have thousands of rounds loaded for the several pistols I have but can't remember the last time I shot one.

Shotguns- Six, that I very seldom shoot but are around the house loaded.

30.06, 7.62x39, .223, M1 Carbine, etc are used for punching holes in paper, as are the rest of the guns.

 

[bpisler]

22lr is for plinking

38spl,for carry,plinking and target practic.

357,for carry,plinking and target practice,

44spl.for carry,plinking and target practice.

 

[Seismic Sam]

My cartridges are ALL handloaded

and are:

9mm - Taking to range for teaching people how to shoot gun big enough for CCW purposes

10mm - Killing paper with a pleasant, light recoiling caliber

45 Super - Killing paper with bad intentions, at 700 ft-lbs. per shot - recoil that wakes you up

.440 Corbon Magnum - making everybody at the range ask me what caliber Desert Eagle that is

50 AE - It's like riding the tilt-a-whirl at the county fair - it's a fun ride!!

500 S&W - It's like riding the Ejection Seat at the State Fair - hang on for dear life and enjoy the thrill!! This is my "workout" gun, and after 50 rounds of this I can shoot ANYTHING else and the recoil is neglible.

50 GI - My carry caliber - feels like a Norma spec 10mm load with a little something extra in the recoil

 

[Dr.Rob]

.22 Plinking, small game. 38 gr Federal hollowpoint or CCI Stinger.

.25 just for grins/range toy CCI aluminum cased ammo... it's not like I reload for it.

.380 HD/range toy

9mm SD/HD/IDPA/Plinker

.357 Mag SD/HD/Backpacker (I don't shoot 38's in mine) Alommost exclusively 158gr ammo

.357 Maximum Hunting

.44 Mag Hunting

.45ACP SD/HD/Camping/IDPA

 

[popbang]

357 Magnum: Shooting paper
38 Special: Shooting paper, plinking, CCW
45 Colt: Shooting paper, IDPA, Plinking, CCW, Hunting, Long range shooting

 

[Lou22]

My preferences:

.380 ACP - carry for smallest pockets - Kel-Tec P3AT.

9mm - standard (everyday) carry - Kahr PM9.

.45 ACP - carry where pocket size allows - Taurus PT145 (love that power!).

.38 and .44 Special - carry where I want something different - Charter Undercover and S&W 296.

Lou

 

[lawboy]

Thanks for the responses, all are interesting. Keep them coming!

 

[foghornl]

.22 rimfires...general "fun gun" shooting & training on the cheap

.357Mag I have 2 Ruger SA's...again fun gun shooting. There is just 'something' about blazing away with a good SA revolver.

.45ACP 2 1911-A1's & KP-90 Ruger...'Things go Bump! in the night' AKA Bedside Table Companion guns.....and, shooting .45ACP from a Single Action revolver just seems.....uhmmmm 'odd'

 

[MCgunner]

.22 -- Practice, plinking, small game, anytime I need a small caliber (snakes, etc)

.380 -- Self defense/concealed carry when I HAVE to

9mm -- Self defense, IDPA, and concealed carry

.45ACP -- Plate and pin games, occasional IDPA type stuff, and occasional concealed carry

.38 spl -- Self defense/concealed carry, outdoor carry, small game, plinking, you name it. Most versatile caliber of the lot.

.357 -- outdoor carry, revolver pins, deer hunting

.45 Colt -- outdoor carry, hunting deer or hogs

.30-30 Winchester -- handgun hunting anything big that walks in Texas out to 200 yards...long range hammer

7mm TCU -- IHMSA

 

[cookekdjr]

I change guns often but these chambering are most often in the mix:

1. 22lr- the do anything caliber. I use it primarily for plinking and target practice. I have carried it a couple times for self-defense, but only when I realized all my larger-caliber guns were either sold or in transit (I buy alot on auction sites). I don't recommend getting in that situation, by the way. My favorite platform for this chambering is the Browning Buckmark.

2. 32 H&R magnum- this caliber really should be more popular. I've carried this alot in a j-frame because it holds six rounds instead of 5, and the recoil is much softer than .38.

3. .357/.38- I don't know how many guns I've had in these two chamberings. Two Rugers (Blackhawk and GP100), several K-frames, several j-frames, and a Taurus. Most often this has been in the form of an alloy j-frame I could throw in my pocket. I think the ideal platform is a mid-sized revolver. A .357 revolver is the most versatile handgun you can buy. I used mine for ccw, plinking, home defense, and as a car gun. If I still lived in the country, I'd use it for hunting, too.

4. 9mm- I used to hate this caliber until I realized: 1) I shoot it better than almost anything; and 2) there are countless loadings that replicate good .38 and .357 loads. I currently carry a Glock 19 as a CCW and car gun.

5. .44 magnum- I used this in a Ruger Redhawk. This is a soft shooting gun that will kill anything that walks. Very accurate round, and .44 specials are a perfect self-defense round. I used this for home defense and plinking. I actually bought this to hunt with, but after I cancelled a hog hunt I had to sell the gun to pay some bills.

6. .380- My current CCW is a SIG p232. I owned a p230 previously. I'm not a big fan of the caliber, but I prefer European surplus ammo which is pretty hot and accurate. The p232 fills the role of the S&W j-frame. Its a little larger and a little harder to conceal, but I was able to take a 30 minute walk with my wife last night while this thing rode comfortably in my shorts' front pocket. It holds 7+1 rounds, and I shoot it much more accurately than the j-frame.

7. .40 S&W: I carried this in a G27 when I worked with a certain drug enforcement task force. This might be the best personal defense cartridge for autoloaders. For me, the recoil is generally worse than the .45 ACP, and I'm not as accurate with it as .45 or 9mm. But there are many platforms where this caliber shines (most folks, in fact, shoot the G27 very well), and in my personal experience, its performance on the street is unbeatable. It offers more capacity than the .45, and its performance is hardly diminished in short-barreled platforms. I'm looking to add a p239 in .40 to my collection.


There are many other guns and chamberings I've shot and carried, but these are the ones I've used most often. I'd like to add something in .45 ACP, and another Makarov, or so, but these chamberings are the ones I've owned/shot the most.
-David

 

[mattw]

.45 ACP - Killing targets and animals.
9mm - Plinking.

 

[crawfish]

.22lr, .22mag, .223Rem, 7X30Waters .41RemMag, .41GNR, .41GNR#2, .411JDJ All hunting

.32Auto, .41RemMag, .45GAP carry

 

[ewb45acp]

.22 short, and long and long rifle: Range fun and pest control.
9MM MAK: Range fun.
9MM para. : Range fun.
.38 spl: Range fun and occasional CCW.
.357 mag. : Range fun.
.38 super: Range fun.
10MM: Range fun.
.45 ACP: Range fun and primary CCW.
.45 Colt: Range fun.
.44 mag. : Range fun and woods carry.
.36, and .44 round ball: Smokey Range fun.

 

[pinotguy]

List is fluid but currently:

9x23 Winchester - Range and CCW

10mm - Range only, maybe CCW later

41 Action Express - Will be strictly range or nothing at all if I can't find ammo. Have started a 1911 build in this caliber.

 

[gbran]

CCW; 9mm Glock 26. I'd prefer a 30 round 600 Nitro pocket pistol that kicks like a .22, but................................

Handgun hunting, small game; .22 WMR. I can get flat trajectory, great accuracy with the right ammo.

Handgun hunting, large game; .454 Cassul. Very flat trajectory, extremely accurate, lots of energy, velocity and penetration. Easier to carry than the S&W 500 Magnum. Can also shoot .45 Colts for fun and game.

Have many others, but these are my most used.

 

[Glockfan.45]

22 lr for plinking, .45auto for everything else.

 

[1911 guy]

Just a few calibers.

.22LR for squirrels, small varmints and plinking.
.223 for far away varmints.
12ga for everything else
.45ACP for carry and range practice
.308 for deer when hunting out of state.

Also got a few muzzleloaders that cover these criteria, but nitrate paper probably wasn't on your mind when you said "cartridge".

 

[Black Majik]

.22 : To teach new shooters how to shoot, learn basic fundamentals. Get rid of my flinching

9mm : basic plinking round. Target practice

.45 ACP : to feed my 1911s