Favorite handgun caliber?

[PBinWA]

I like my .44 Mag but my .44 Special S&W Titanium is pretty easy to shoot and very light. Want a .454 but I have this small tractor addiction that interrupted my handgun addiction. I've almost got all the attachments I could ever need (and a few I don't) so I suspect the .454 is only a year or two away.

I like guns that are a challenge to shoot.

 

[PineRidge]

Smith may have been partial to Wesson but give me a laser coupled to a Smith & Wesson any-day. /forums/images/graemlins/cool.gif

 

[RobertN]

#1 is a tie; 44mag and 45ACP
2nd probably .357mag
3rd 22lr

Honorable mention .375JDJ

I like larger rounds that make larger holes in a pistol cartridge. The 45acp is pretty good at that. It has so many pistols to fit, and has done so well in competition.

I really like the 44mag. Others have come in more powerful, but the 44mag still has decent power. And, it has proven itself for accuracy. My favorite combination is 44mag in a Desert Eagle. With my old setup, before UPS lost/stole it, I'd shoot 100m steel targets for fun, offhand, unsupported. That 44 had the accuracy and power to knock down the steel easily. And, it fired so smoothly in that Desert Eagle...

I like the combination for the .357mag(and 44mag for that matter) to load easily as hot mags or light specials in the same revolver. I also like the 357 revolver paired to a lever action like the Marlin 94CS. Sweet!

The 22lr, well it is cheap! It's nice to shoot with the 44's too; the big bore stuff will make you flinch eventually... The 22lr is a nice plinker, cheap, and easy to shoot.

The honorable mention... I had the opportunity to run a bunch of rounds thrrough a TC Contender barreled for .375JDJ. If you are not familiar, it is a .444 Marlin round, neck formed to .375. I got some praire dogs with that, at 200+ yards. It was scoped. I was sitting, and resting the pistol on my knees. That pistol and round are noted for exceptional accuracy. The owner has taken deer, antelope, and elk with the setup. Oh, and prairie dogs...

 

[strokerduster]

been shooting 17mkII for about six months now. very fast (faster at 175 yds than 22lr leaving muzzle) and very accurate. as far as i know, long gun only now, but ruger mkII bull in 17 could be interesting. ammo still a little too high to just burn.

 

[RobertN]

If you like those rounds, check out some of the rounds in that TC contender(especially in the JDJ aftermarket calibres). The 375jdj that I mention in this thread is AWESOME! It is not, however, a revolver cartridge. It is a handloaded custom round too. But, it is really nice. The pisto I shot was 12", ported, and scoped. It maintained sub-MOA at 200 yards.

I take that back; it is available in factory rounds(expensive ones...)

375JDJ ammo

Check out some of the stuff these guys have. There are a couple others that would be nice besides the 375...
SSK/JDJ page

 

[RedRocker]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( And I hope you don't carry it cocked and locked /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif )</font>

Well of course not. NOT! I usually carry a Sig 229 40. cal though.

 

[HGM]

I've always had a fundamental issue with an unloaded gun. It's just another hammer. Guns were meant to be loaded. You just have to be safe and sure of who may get ahold of it. You surly wouldnt want a kid to grab your loaded .45 .

My son is so accustomed to firearms in the house that they may as well be lamps. He doesnt pay them much attention. If he gets the notion, I have never told him "no" you cant see one. All he has to do is ask, he can hold it and even shoot it if he desires. I believe this is one of the main problems we face. Some people would rather their kids be ignorant about guns than learn safty. They in turn become interested in the taboo, eventually getting hurt or hurting someone else. So I also have to be carefull when his freinds come over..**** shame.....

 

[genelp]

For self-defense: 45 ACP (Colt series 70)
For fun: .22 caliber, (I have it in a model 41 Smith) This is actually my favorite calibre, its cheap, accurate and since I have bad hearing it's the easiest on the ears.
For hunting: I've only used a .357 Magnum on groundhogs, I've hunted deer with a .357 Mag, but consider it to be very marginal (but its the only heavy handgun I own). If I try a handgun for hunting larger game again I would look at some of the short center fire rifle rounds chambered in a TC or something similar

 

[Sigarms]

Guess I'm lucky to an extent, no kids yet.

All of my handguns are "loaded" in the safe, and if single action, cocked and locked (sorry RedRocker /forums/images/graemlins/crazy.gif). Ok, reread your post /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

I've always held the notion that a gun is ALWAYS considered loaded, and such, will be.

Guns are always locked in the house.

When and if I have children I probably will have to do some "re thinking"

Whenever at a range, if another person wants to "look at my gun", as long as he seems he seems to practice "safety on firearms" I will do so. But...if I hand him semi auto (I always hand it over empty) and he dosen't pull the slide back to verify the there is no round in the chamber, I will ask for the gun back. Likewise, even if someone offers me thier gun and I see them empty it before handing it to me, I will still rack the slide to verify the camber is empty.

Seems redundant, but...

What amazes me about the .45 and high power if you think about it is the age of the design and how little it has changed.

Makes me realize what a geuiness (sp?) John Browning was.

Like having a seventy year old tractor design still in production with nothing or little changed about it.

Remeber as a child my uncle handing me a pump twelve gauge to shoot. Took it from it and pointed it downrange. He asked for the gun back, asked me to turn around and gave me a good hard kick in the butt. I started crying and he told me to NEVER take a firearm from someone else without checking to make sure it was unloaded first, and then you load it yourself. That was a lesson I never forgot.

 

[SimS]

Dargo;
I too have a S&W .500 and I recommend stepping down on the bullet weights. There is a big difference between the 275 - 400 grain bullet weights and the heavier bullets. It is much more comfortable with the "lighter" bullets. The heavier bullets (> 440 grain) sometimes cause the gun to jam due to the heavy recoil causing the shooter to double up on the trigger. Even with the lighter bullets, you can deliver tremendous energy downrange. Good Luck.

SimS