the ultimate revolver round for.....

J

JERRYS.

New member
self defense against human attackers. not something that can double as a hunting round or use in the woods on four "legged" critters..., not something for grandma or little Jane....

I say the .44 special 190gr. LHP by Underwood or Buffalo bore seems to be [on paper] the best of power, penetration, expansion, without excessive recoil or blast.

now, while the Ruger GP100 and even the old J-frame sized Taurus 445 snub can easily handle such rounds, fair warning is given for the more delicate Charter Arms. That said, even Charter Arms guns can fire a very modest amount of this round.

what say you?
 
I say whatever you have on you at the time. The revolver I carry most frequently is a S&W Model 66-2 with a 2 & 1/2" barrel. It is loaded with .357 Magnum.

I am sure the .44 Special will get the job done even if you have to choot'em again. The same rule applies to any of my carry firearm or at home my home defense shotgun.
 
.357 for me. So many platforms for the round with the ability to shoot .38’s. Cheaper, excellent accuracy, penetration, could go on and on but won’t. Yeh, it is loud with substantial muzzle blast especially out of a snub but that is ok with me.
 
Well, I have carried a .44 Special for some time, but then switched over to a .45 Colt. Either one, with pro[er ammunition, will get the job done, and quite well in fact.

I've never used the 190 gr. .44 bullet, but have always preferred the 240 gr. bullet in the .44 and the 250 ~ 255 gr. bullets in the .45. You really can't go wrong with either.

My .44 Special:



A later .44 Special:



Current .45:



Bob Wright
 
From what I have seen online the 44Spl CCI Alumium cases 200gr GD seems to be the top notch SD ammo for the 44Spl ....
I think Underwoods 200gr LWC would also be a good choice....

I carry Federals 200gr LSWCHP in my Charter Bulldog ..

30nhm4z.jpg
 
Ideally, it would be one that yields adequate power at the lowest decibels. So a 45 Colt or 44 special would be likely candidates. A 357 would be too loud, but a 38 Special might be OK. The 44 WCF and 38WCF would also be worthy of consideration.
 
The one you're willing to carry, is the ultimate answer, but I like my 41 Special in concept, although when switching from summer carry to 41 Special as a winter carry, the weight feels like a boat anchor. Suspenders help a lot.
 
the ultimate revolver round for.....
self defense against human attackers.

Not having ever shot another human, let alone many with the same cartridge to enable a significant amount of data, I can only speculate and/or give an opinion that is unsupported by data. In short, I do not know. However, it seems I do remember a site (years ago), that supposedly compiled data from different cartridges as to their relative "stopping power" from forensic shooting data. It seems to me that the data and conclusions were discredited at some point. So, unless you are going put credence in unsupported personal opinions, you may have to just go by postings such as this:
https://www.outdoorlife.com/top-10-self-defense-handgun-loads#page-4
 
From what I have seen online the 44Spl CCI Alumium cases 200gr GD seems to be the top notch SD ammo for the 44Spl ....
Click to expand...
Speer loads that same round in nickel plated brass cases as well. I prefer that over the aluminium for actual carry.
I haven't had any experience with the 44 Spcl aluminum, but I did experience bullet slip causing my LCR 38 Spcl. to lock up while an inexperienced shooter was "limp wristing" the gun. Using some now discontinued Blazer Aluminum +P FBI loads. When I shoot it there has been no problem. But why take a chance.
Something about the aluminum casses don't grip the bullet as tight as brass.
 
The ultimate round is not evaluated on the basis of stopping power alone. That is a common misconception of the Internet as it avoids the interaction with skill and practice.

The best round and gun is the one that you can shoot quickly and accurately under significant stress.

Blasting holes in jello with a big bore is fun but ...
 
There is no answer to this because every one of us is different. The gun you can get to quickly (carry mode has a lot to do with this) and deliver fast, accurate rounds on target is the best gun for you. But not necessarily for anyone else.

Put up two silhouette targets at about 5 yards and make them at least a yard apart. On someone else's signal draw from concealment and fire two shots on each silhouette. If you can't do that in under five seconds (3 sec would be better), and get good hits on target, you need to re-think your gun, your ammunition, and your carry method.

YMMV,
Dave
 
There's no such thing as 'stopping power'. Physics doesn't allow it. Only a shot to the central nervous system of any beast will maybe stop said beast.
The best hand gun cartridge, revolver or not, is the one you can shoot the most accurately.
"...from concealment..." That'd be called murder in most places.
"...the more delicate Charter Arms..." Assuming you mean the Bulldog, that is a long way from being delicate, my boss in the gun shop I worked in long ago, had one. Regularly loaded with 240 grain SP/HP's, forget which, but he tried a hot 265 one time that cracked the factory grip. It didn't bother the wee, 19 ounce, revolver in any other way.
 
Bill Jordan said:
"Speed and power are fine but accuracy is final."
He also noted the 38 Special is the most powerful round the average man-i.e. most of us-can expect to master.
I also wonder if we need to redefine "stopping power". I think we expect "struck by lightning" or "zapped by a phaser". We keep hearing of the case of some "Terminator"-like individual absorbing vast amounts of lead-Charlie Askins mentions one such case-and I agree self defense training should be based on a worse case scenario-"overtraining" as I heard in my Army days, but how many actual cases are there ?
 
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