the ultimate revolver round for.....

IMHO: I believe the Old 45LC using 255gr LRNFP Bullets between 850fps to 900fps would be hard to beat. In a for real, all out shooting scrape, with a hardcore determined adversary. I have always found this particular load to be very comforting. For long walks in the woods by myself.
ken
 
500# jdam

RPG7

4 bore with solids

12ga 00buck


Oooohhh.... you ment in a revolver! Well then, for me 44 special, as stated above with a heavy bullet going slow and reeeal soft. Put that in a mid sized frame 5 or 6 shot and I’ll feel quite wellarmed again bipeds.
 
45 ACP and/or 45 Auto Rim would be likely candidates too. Especially so if using a double-action revolver. Moon clips, anyone?
Myself, being a single-action guy, I would lean towards a fairly low pressure loading in 45 Colt.
 
I created my ultimate winter carry by having a 3" GP100 converted to 41 Special. That would and did edge out a 44 Special with 5 rounds. It can be loaded pretty potent.
 
357 wad cutter or a 41 mag SP or FP any good soft point will do in a 9mm 38spl or any cal above them. 22mag will do the job if you hit the kill zone or you shoot enough rounds from any of the above
 
44 Special

My choice 44 special 200 grain hard cast full wadcutter from Buffalo Bore.

Reloads are 200 grain Barnes TAC-XP hollow point lead free from Buffalo Bore.
 

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My choice for best is the 327 Federal.

It's the only round introduced in this century. Takes advantage of modern metallurgy. Can fit 6 rounds in small frame revolvers.

It can have, depending on factory load, less recoil than 357, but more effective than 38+P (eg, Federal Hydra shok). Or full power with 400+ FPE and 1300 fps from a 2" snub with full power loads (eg, 100 or 115 gr Gold Dots).

And, if you want a light load, there is 32 H&R magnum.

327 Federal is the best caliber for snub revolvers going.
 
but more effective than 38+P (eg, Federal Hydra shok). Or full power with 400+ FPE and 1300 fps from a 2" snub with full power loads (eg, 100 or 115 gr Gold Dots).
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There's a few .38 special +P commercial loads that are much more powerful than 400 fpe.

The only thing that .327 has going for it is six rounds in the small revolvers, but now with the likes of Kimber K6, even that is no longer a huge advantage.
 
HighValleyRanch said:
There's a few .38 special +P commercial loads that are much more powerful than 400 fpe.

The only thing that .327 has going for it is six rounds in the small revolvers, but now with the likes of Kimber K6, even that is no longer a huge advantage.
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Out of a 2" snub? Can you point me to one?

The closest one I can find is the Buffalo Bore Outdoorsman which is a less. And it's a hardcast flat nose -- not really a good SD round.
 
The Buffalo Bore product 20A/20 is the same velocity and weight as the outdoorsman, but a LSWCHP (Lead semiwadcutter hollow point). I just shot some yesterday, and it has the same energy as the outdoorsman. Shown in may YT videos to mushroom out of a 2" barrel.
Feels like a magnum load in my 3" LCRX. I had to switch to rubber grips to enjoy shooting this load! And according to my own chrono tests, this load was hotter or equal to Armscor and Magtech .357 158 grain ammo.
 
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38sp wadcutters because i consistently make hits from the first shot and a snubbie conceal carries nicely.


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I carry a 135gr Speer GD loaded over hs-6 in my 2.12inch barreled j-frame 357lite is what I call the load because I downloaded to reduce muzzleflash. Out of this gun I suspect the energy of this load is approximately equivalent to 9mm+p+. Not a real 357.
I’ll also carry a speed reloaded with a similar 357 lite load with the 140gr xtps.
On my property I don’t have as much of a need for the hollow points so I’ll carry 190gr rnfp at a near max to 357 load. I live in town but coyotes have been known to get into chicken coops around here
I’m considering replacing my carry gun with a 6 or 7 shot 357mag with a 3-4 inch barrel. All the loads I mentioned would get a preformance boost with a larger frame longer barreled S&W.
 
I don't have much of a stake in the discussion as my revolver is not my EDC. It does ride in my glove compartment though.

It is an older Taurus 66 4" .357 Magnum. I don't have anything super fancy in it, just some 125gr JSP from Walmart. It is mainly a range gun.

That being said, I would not carry a short barreled .357 or .38 for self defense.

Plenty of tests have shown that out of a short barrel, even 9mm out of a semi automatic pistol will have similar performance to a .357 magnum.

I believe this is for 2" guns.

9mm has a lot less blast and is easy to shoot. Revolvers are harder to conceal and have limited capacity.

If I had to carry my .357 I would, and wouldn't really feel underfunded. But for the same size and weight I could carry a full-size all steel 9mm like my CZ-85b and have over 2x as many rounds on hand.

I don't know anything about the other cartridges being discussed. I would like to own a .44 Magnum some day though.

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Plenty of tests have shown that out of a short barrel, even 9mm out of a semi automatic pistol will have similar performance to a .357 magnum.
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Oh man, oh man, there's that internet myth again!:eek:
Show me a 9mm that will produce over 600 FPE and I will be a believer.
 
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