Since everything always turns into a caliber war.

It seems like the general consensus is 9mm which also is pretty much my favorite centerfire round, along with the 38spl and .357mag. I figure if I own a semi-auto with a high capacity magazine and a good revolver, I am all set for most any situation. The rounds work well in anything from a full sized handgun down to a highly concealable revolver or small semi auto.
I also use the .38spl/357mag in my Winchester 94 trapper which can bring down most anything up to a deer sized animal.
Probably my favorite overall caliber is the good ol' 22lr, I know I shoot more of this fine little round by tenfold over any other bullet.
 
i like all diff calibers for different reasons. i prefer the .40 and .45! they just seem funner than the 9mm. yes they are a little flippy so follow up shots take some practice. :)
 
I prefer the calibers that kill whatever I happen to be shooting at without a lot of fuss. If that happens to be huge bears, that would be a 10 gauge 1.5 ounce 3.5 inch magnum shell.

If it happens to be human, that starts at a slightly reluctant tip to 9mm and stops at anything short of a big bore revolver with magnum loads. If that is a rifle, I'm going to go with the .270, probably, with 165 grain polymer tip bullets. One of the same things that I would suggest on deer. For anything bigger, I would probably choose a .416 rigby or a bolt 45-70.

The essential weapons for me:
Semiauto in either 9 mm or 40
.357 DA revolver. (service revolver.)
Big bore revolver capable of hitting and killing people and medium to large critters.

.223 bolt rifle. (no need for anything faster.)
30-06 class bolt rifle in 270 to .30 caliber range.
bolt in .35 whelen
Bolt in 416 remington.

Critters to coyotes, big deer to elk, brown bear to big bear, and rabid bison or escaped circus elephants.

Of course, everyone needs a couple of rimfires.

The nice thing about this list is that except for the rigby, you can pick up the firearms in these calibers, and top grade ammunition for them pretty much anywhere in the nation, and they are versatile to almost any situation.

What a boring, practical list. :rolleyes:
 
My best bet.

1] 9 mil Cheap to shoot. Good over all round
2] 44 mag Not cheap to shoot. Lots of fun.
3] 22 lr You can't beat it.
 
I like 357 magnums. I use them for every thing from plinking to self defense to hunting deer. My favorite 357 magnum is the Coonan Classic. IT is a 1911 style gun and it shoots the bullet a bit faster than a revolver with the same 5 inch barrel.

It is just a very fun and functional round.


My father always said that you only need 4 guns after that it is all wants.

1. Practice/plinking round
2. Self defense hand gun round
3. High Powdered Rifle for big game (small game can use the plinking round)
4. A shot gun for hunting birds.
 
Ok, ,i really like 40cal...it has on average a muzzle velocity of 1000 feet per second,,now some brands of ammo in 40cal are faster and some slower,,so the speed is nice,,second the size(diameter)....its in the middle of 9mm and a. 45,,thus fitting a few more rounds of ammo in the magazine..some people think that the need for high capacity in the magazine isnt that important,,to me it is, ,its like life insurance..10,000 dollars will be enuff to bury you but 50,000 is much better..third,,, the cost of ammo..i have recently purchased two different types of JHP...winchester supreme elite xpdi..that was 28 bucks for 25 rounds and also i purchased a box of remington JHP..they were 26.99 for 50 rounds..either one will do the job,,i think the allure of the winchester ammo is kinda cool...i researched it and its the ammo that FBI agents are issued,,that got me on them,,and the muzzle velocity is pupushing 1.200 feet per sec,,the engery is nasty..the 9mm is good and the 45 will knock an attacker flat on his/her butt..but for the above reasons the 40 wins in my book
 
This topic is like asking what type of gorgeous woman do you like the best?

.45acp is the hot blond, sexy, fun and flashy in public

9mm Luger is the goodlooking girl next door, accessible, stable, you can take her anywhere and she fits right in but she won't rock your world.

9mm Makarov is exotic but low maintenance

10mm and 357sig, respectively, are like dating naughty twins, gawd they're really fun to play with but they wear you out and you are usually sore the next day.

.40S&W is the nasty trailer chick at the bowling alley, not the most attractive but a great roll in the hay and definitely more bang for the buck than the neighbor girl (9mm Luger).

.32acp and .380acp are the girls you settle for when the bar closes, better than leaving empty handed...

How can you not appreciate them all??? Cheers!

:D

Sent from my LG-E739 using Tapatalk
 
I enjoy most all calibers with the exception of .25 and .32, which I find pretty anachronistic.

Why all? Because the downsides of each are vastly exaggerated to win caliber threads.

9x19 ain't particularly weak
.40/.357 SIG ain't that bad of recoil
.45 ain't that...well, nobody really hates .45
 
I already stock .22LR, .22WMR, .243 Win, 9mm, .38, .357 Mag, 40SW, .45ACP; and after my next purchase I need .45LC and .410.:eek:

Of all of them though, I use the my two .40SW guns most.
 
I haven't shot even darn near close to a quarter of all available calibers out there... but nods go to .45 (1911!) and 7.62x25. While I love the power of my .357, I think it would be more suited to me in a lever gun type set up.
 
I really never fired a handgun until Uncle Sam said we're going to make you an MP since we don't have a Comm Center for you to work your MOS that we spent a year training you for. So I started with the 1911 in 1971. I've carried a lot of guns since then and I really always go back to the 45. The one I carry now is a FNP-45 that came with 5 15rd mags. and a crossdraw holster. As many here have said a 9 may expand, but a 45 will never shrink. I do keep a 4" 357 in the nightstand. because it's easier to grab and go if something goes bump.
 
Just depends on what im doing. I carry a Glock 27 only because its small. I wish they made a sub compact that is the same size in a .45

If im on my ATV or backpacking i have a Glock 20.
 
I can do anything I need to do with a handgun if it's a .45 Colt. If I need more gun than that I likely need a shotgun or a rifle.
 
For monthly practice, I go with the 9mm. For SD as well as HD purposes, .45 ACP if I'm using an auto, .357 Mag if it's a revolver...with .45 Colt revolver for strictly HD only...of course, for HD, all of these are only to augment my 870.
 
32 ACP. A perennial long time favorite for the pocket gun.

The first cartridge chambered in the Walther PP; a land mark gun in its own right.
Used by James Bond in many of the novels in a PPK.
Chambered in the VZ61 Skorpion; a fun little full auto blaster.
Triggered the start of World War I.
Probably helped end WWII; Hitler presumably committed suicide with his PPK in 32 ACP.
Colt put out the 1903 in this caliber.

In short, it is one notorious underdog.
 
I like them all. My favorite changes every so often. My current
favorite is the .357 Sig. It's powerful, fast, accurate and deadly.
 
My preferred defensive cartridge is the 10mm auto loaded to full power (200gr. @ 1200fps). It is the most powerful cartridge that I could find in a 1911 package in the 1980s. I get ten rounds loaded ready to go, one more than the venerable .45acp. I shoot both equally well.

I still consider the 10mm auto an "under powered" defensive handgun cartridge. Therefore, if I am ever in a situation where deadly force is needed against a single aggressor; I will proceed as trained: Shoot twice to center of mass, assess and proceed as necessary.

When betting my life on a defensive package I want all the advantages I can carry.
 
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