the ultimate revolver round for.....

The best round and gun is the one that you can shoot quickly and accurately under significant stress.
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You beat me to it.

Given the OP's example, which I think is a reasonable selection (although I prefer a heavier bullet in the .44SPC) I can't shoot a revolver well... as well... as a 1911 or my Kahr. I carried a S&W J-frame .38 for a while... because it was all I had, but I gave it up for, first, a AMT .380, and then a Colt .380 Gov't because I could draw and present those weapons more reliably than that .38. Hindsight being what it is, I should have spent the money on better grips, but the fact remains I shoot an autoloader better.

My ultimate carry piece is just my trusty 4" Kimber 1911 packed with 230grn Gold Dot Short Barrels, Honorable Mention goes to my Kahr CW9... to me the perfect balance of size and power.
 
Anything from 38sp on up to what you can handle. I'm not so much worried about the cartridge as the "launcher" I want a top shelf prooven revolver. If I
am afraid for my life, I ain't toting a second rate firearm. It's going to be a S&W
Colt or Ruger.
 
As long as one can hit what they aim at, most revolver rounds will do the trick. I don't believe there is an 'ultimate' round. I mean obviously it would not be a .22 Short, but certainly doesn't need to be a .500 Magnum... 9mm is what most people use (I think) where 17 rounds is probably needed to do the job (reason for the high capacity) ;) ... <- that's tongue in check talk of course to get an argument going... :)

I prefer the .44 Special/.45 Colt. Heavy sub sonic rounds. But that's just me. My CC is a .44 Special Bulldog (like size and weight) loaded with 240g SWCs. I load what I shoot, and shoot what I load. For the woods, I strap on a Single Action .45 or .44 Special and leave the Bulldog at home.
 
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No CCW here, for home defense my 6" Ruger Security Six and S&W M-28 6" with 38 Special JHPs. I figure at the ten feet or so I will be shooting combined with the weight of the revolvers-especially the M-28- I can get good accuracy and a quick follow up shot if necessary.
 
I am just fine with 38, 357, or one of the 44 or 45 calibers.

My CC revolvers are 38 special, 44 special, and 45acp. I am comfortable carrying any of those rounds.
 
I'd weigh in with a Smith M-19 or M-66 in .357 Magnum with 125 gr JHP's...enough weight to punch through most anything you'd likely shoot with a handgun, and light enough in recoil to be manageable. It was pretty much the standard for police use, nationwide until the advent of high capacity autos. JMHO, Rod
 
357mag 4-6 inch or 38spl in shorter barrel. Best availability and proven track record. Make for good wood defense as 357mag can be heavy or light/fast and deliver around 800ftlb at full power loads. Also available in medium or smaller frame

You’d have to go up in frame size for anything more powerful...I don’t think there’s anything in 44spl or 41mag that can beat the 357mag in raw power at similar frame size
 
There is no ultimate round. It's up to the shooter. If you will diligently practice with it anything from a .22 to a .500 will suffice.
But you sure as hell won't be practicing as much with anything that makes you flinch or leaves you aching after the session.
 
130 grain .270 Winchester!!! It will drop anything in North America dead in its tracks.

Oh, "Revolver" round...? :D I'll have to think on that, as I love ALL my .355" and up revolver calibers.
 
I don’t think there’s anything in 44spl or 41mag that can beat the 357mag in raw power at similar frame size
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The medium frame revolver is identified with the .357 caliber. Larger calibers either have to be lower pressure cartridges or fewer rounds, either due to concerns about what the cylinder walls can support. The large caliber cartridge that maintains the round count is 41 Special. Based on my own gun and loads from Brian Pearce, it is as close to magnum recoil as I care to get and produces velocities approaching the limit recommended for lead or thin plating, sort of the ultimate subsonic round in my mind.
 
It's already been said that "ultimate" is going to be relative here and there are a lot of factors involved.

I think the .44 special is good for a lot of reasons. While I haven't tried the round in question, it sounds like it has a lot going for it. There are also .45 Colt options with similar benefits. The problem for me is that either of those requires committing to a bigger, heavier revolver. I love a Redhawk with the right grips but there are very limited circumstances in which I'd carry one around with me all day. The GP100 could be considered "big and heavy" relative to a lot of modern handguns and it's -1 on capacity in .44 special. It's just too hard for me to justify that with all the other modern options available.

Personally, my favorite revolver round for "self defense against human attackers" is the modern .327 Federal. The exact load depends on the revolver. The 85-grain Hydra-Shok is wonderful in an LCR. Some of the heavier Gold Dots work very well in an SP101 or GP100. Yes, there is plenty of bark and that has its drawbacks. Still, it's decent power and penetration with relatively little recoil and a +1 on capacity.
 
"Big and Heavy" ... Not so with the Charter Arms Bulldog (.44 Special). I don't like any solution for SD that has excessive noise. So relatively slow and heavy is the way to go for me. Noisy enough as is. That rules out the .357 and .44 Mag, .327 Magnum for me.
 
.357 magnum is easily my choice. After butchering, we tested various rounds on cow femures. The .357 was remarkable. Even with a bad shot to an arm or leg, the perp is probably going to go into shock. .45 acp,
.38 Special, etc. penetrated but did not have the "explosive" impact of the 357.
 
.357 magnum is easily my choice. After butchering, we tested various rounds on cow femures. The .357 was remarkable. Even with a bad shot to an arm or leg, the perp is probably going to go into shock. .45 acp, .38 Special, etc. penetrated but did not have the "explosive" impact of the 357.
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This kind of stuff, as well as the "meat target" popularized by Paul Harrell on YouTube, can be very instructive. Yes, shot placement is king. In real-world defensive encounters, things can be complicated. Developing the intuitive understanding of how various rounds in various calibers behave in different media or against different structures can help a lot in the selection process.
 
not that I don't wear hearing protection.... but when shooting inside, the .357 is so much louder than even a hopped up 44 spl.
 
Hearing loss is a real consideration. Since size of firearm is much less of a factor for home defense and shooting indoors is very likely, sound becomes an important factor. For concealed carry out in the world, where anything could happen anywhere and I'm constrained to what I can comfortably carry all the time, I accept a bit more risk with respect to sound.

Speaking of informed consent to risk, wouldn't it be cool it if reviews of guns or ammo had an accurate decibel count along with the rest of the information? "Hearing protection" is a big part of the movement to repeal bans on noise-reducing devices too. Maybe it's worth making this more of an issue in the community.
 
I think the pressure wave is part of what can stun the shooter, i.e. it's not just about decibels. Any sort of rating would necessarily be in the context of specific ammo and even gun specs.
 
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