The pistol caliber you keep going back to
- Thread starter mrt949
- Start date
I just love these all inclusive blanket statements...
.357 primarily a revolver round? yes, but I have two different .357 semi auto pistols... cone shaped grip? ok, but grips can be changed...
Far more difficult to shoot a revolver accurately and rapidly than a semi auto??
WHICH ONES???
They aren't all the same, and different guns and calibers makes just a tiny bit of difference!
Clearly, you have never shot a 9mm Bolo Broomhandle Mauser..
As to the pistol caliber I went back to, that would be .357 Magnum. I have lots of others, but that one was the only one I'd ever left. Somewhere around 30 years ago I sold my Model 19 and was "done" with the .357. I had guns on both sides, so I figured I just didn't need the .357 any more.
That lasted 2 or three years, until I saw an unfired, in the box Model 28 6". My Dad had a 6" 28, that was the gun I learned .357 on, and well, you know, I just had to have it. I actually lasted almost 10months before I broke down and shot it, and damn glad I did.
No safe queen now, it came with the target hammer and trigger installed and it now wears pachmayr grips, and is my favorite DA revolver.
Omaha-BeenGlockin
New member
9mm
Finally said screw it and started accumulating handguns in .22, .40, .45, 10mm, .357 and .38 also---none of which are going anywhere.
Finally said screw it and started accumulating handguns in .22, .40, .45, 10mm, .357 and .38 also---none of which are going anywhere.
For about the last 6 or 8 months it hasn't been a question of which caliber that I keep going back to. It's been what ammo is on the shelf when I go to check on availability.
As unbelievable as it sounds, I have started shooting a beautiful Colt in .38 Super because I can still buy a 50 round box for less than $30.00 locally.
So my "go to" calibers of .45acp and .38spl stay in the safe until ammo prices get realistic again.
As unbelievable as it sounds, I have started shooting a beautiful Colt in .38 Super because I can still buy a 50 round box for less than $30.00 locally.
So my "go to" calibers of .45acp and .38spl stay in the safe until ammo prices get realistic again.
I have always been a 45acp fan. I have owned a 1911 pretty much continuously for the last 40 years or so.
I have also owned 38/357 Revolvers pretty much continuously for the last 40 years or so. I have moved up in size however. J Frames are no fun to shoot. My small carry revolvers are a 2" S&W 64 and a 3" S&W 66. I have found they belt carry just fine, and are way easier to shoot accurately. I also have a 3" Adj Sight GP100, 6" GP100, 4" S&W 686, and my newest Steel Challenge revolver a 5" PC 627.
I like the 40 S&W pretty well as a carry handgun. In a Glock I find a 45acp to be just to big for my hand size. I have owned about every Generation of G21, and have traded off every one of them. My first Glock was a G22.2. At the time I was not all that thrilled with it. My next one was a G27.4, I thought it would be a very good size for a carry handgun. I found it to be a little slow on target due to the small grip. I traded it in on a G23.4 and was happy with that size Glock for a carry handgun.
Then one day I walked in to my local gun shop and he had a deal for me. He produced a Glock Model 38 Gen 3. I did some reading/research on the G37 and G38 and the 45GAP cartridge and was very impressed with what I learned. I purchased the G38.3, and shortly a G37.3 to go with it. As stated above I have always been a 45acp fan. The 45GAP will do about anything a 45acp will with 185 and 200 grain bullets. The 45GAP's smaller case size is no issue until you start taking up powder space with a 230 grain bullet.
I have had some work done on my G23.4, G38.3 and G37.3 pistols to make them more shootable. I have been carrying my G38.3 for a few years now, and I am totally happy with it. I have 5 gallon buckets of once fired 45GAP brass so ammo will never be an issue as long as Dillon makes reloaders.
I skipped the caliber I fire the most, 22 LR. I currently have two handguns in 22 LR not counting my Contender. I have a 6" S&W 617 Ten Shooter that replaced the 4" 617 Six Shooter that I had owned forever. I also have a Ruger Mk IV that replaced the MK III I had also had for years. Everyone needs a 22 LR handgun for cheap trigger time.
In Big Bores I have owned several 44 Magnums over the years. My current Big Bore is a Super RedHawk in 480 Ruger. It is a hunting handgun, and does this job very well.
22 LR
38/357
40 S&W
45GAP
45acp
Unlike most younger shooters I am no 9mm fan at all.
Bob R
I have also owned 38/357 Revolvers pretty much continuously for the last 40 years or so. I have moved up in size however. J Frames are no fun to shoot. My small carry revolvers are a 2" S&W 64 and a 3" S&W 66. I have found they belt carry just fine, and are way easier to shoot accurately. I also have a 3" Adj Sight GP100, 6" GP100, 4" S&W 686, and my newest Steel Challenge revolver a 5" PC 627.
I like the 40 S&W pretty well as a carry handgun. In a Glock I find a 45acp to be just to big for my hand size. I have owned about every Generation of G21, and have traded off every one of them. My first Glock was a G22.2. At the time I was not all that thrilled with it. My next one was a G27.4, I thought it would be a very good size for a carry handgun. I found it to be a little slow on target due to the small grip. I traded it in on a G23.4 and was happy with that size Glock for a carry handgun.
Then one day I walked in to my local gun shop and he had a deal for me. He produced a Glock Model 38 Gen 3. I did some reading/research on the G37 and G38 and the 45GAP cartridge and was very impressed with what I learned. I purchased the G38.3, and shortly a G37.3 to go with it. As stated above I have always been a 45acp fan. The 45GAP will do about anything a 45acp will with 185 and 200 grain bullets. The 45GAP's smaller case size is no issue until you start taking up powder space with a 230 grain bullet.
I have had some work done on my G23.4, G38.3 and G37.3 pistols to make them more shootable. I have been carrying my G38.3 for a few years now, and I am totally happy with it. I have 5 gallon buckets of once fired 45GAP brass so ammo will never be an issue as long as Dillon makes reloaders.
I skipped the caliber I fire the most, 22 LR. I currently have two handguns in 22 LR not counting my Contender. I have a 6" S&W 617 Ten Shooter that replaced the 4" 617 Six Shooter that I had owned forever. I also have a Ruger Mk IV that replaced the MK III I had also had for years. Everyone needs a 22 LR handgun for cheap trigger time.
In Big Bores I have owned several 44 Magnums over the years. My current Big Bore is a Super RedHawk in 480 Ruger. It is a hunting handgun, and does this job very well.
22 LR
38/357
40 S&W
45GAP
45acp
Unlike most younger shooters I am no 9mm fan at all.
Bob R
Variety is the spice of life. I have .22 all the way up to 12 ga. Diff calibers for different purposes. The .22 cal. became boring to me and since I could afford it, I preferred the .22 Mag. I have a Rem 597 semi-auto rifle for it. .380 for a pocket gun. My gun for the .38 SPC/.357 Mag is stainless and a wheel gun and it was a bitch to clean, but fun to shoot. My fave is Browning High Power in 9mm. A classic pistol. H&K makes a great .40 cal. in the P30L. My .45 is a Ruger P345, lighter, thinner and smoother action then the classic 1911. Did I mention that the BHP is my fave?
For the future I would love to get a so called 1908 in .380, a beautiful classic pistol which has the lines of my BHP, simple yet functional. A .45 LC may also be in my future as well...Just realized the thread was about pistols, so 12 ga. does not apply.
For the future I would love to get a so called 1908 in .380, a beautiful classic pistol which has the lines of my BHP, simple yet functional. A .45 LC may also be in my future as well...Just realized the thread was about pistols, so 12 ga. does not apply.
bamaranger
New member
"should" go back to
Should be the .357 mag, possibly the .44 mag. Loaded all up, I could hunt deer size animals, loaded down, a plinker. Chambered in a revolver (of course), I will not be huntng brass all over the country side after a shooting session.
But I recently started loading and shooting .45 acp again.
Should be the .357 mag, possibly the .44 mag. Loaded all up, I could hunt deer size animals, loaded down, a plinker. Chambered in a revolver (of course), I will not be huntng brass all over the country side after a shooting session.
But I recently started loading and shooting .45 acp again.
My "go back to" has been, for....jeez....my whole life it seems...is the .22lr.
I don't mean as a self defense round. I have carried 9mm and 40 more than any other for self defense, only because out of 28 years as an LEO, my agency issued Glock 17 and Glock 22s for 25 of those years, so I always carried a variation of those (19 or 23) off duty just for the sake of simplicity.
Yes, I own and shoot USPSA and IDPA with 38 Special to 45ACP on revolver and 1911 platforms...got it all covered...
But dang if I don't really just like shooting 22lr for pure fun, plinking, marksmanship, zapping critters around the house here in Flagstaff, and just seeing how far I can stretch the 22lr. A VERY close second would have to be mild 38 Specials out of old pencil barrel and snubby K Frames like the Model 10s and Model 15s. It's a toss up.
There's a lot to be said for low to mild recoil calibers when you're over 50 and have had your hands busted up due to career related injuries over the years.
I don't mean as a self defense round. I have carried 9mm and 40 more than any other for self defense, only because out of 28 years as an LEO, my agency issued Glock 17 and Glock 22s for 25 of those years, so I always carried a variation of those (19 or 23) off duty just for the sake of simplicity.
Yes, I own and shoot USPSA and IDPA with 38 Special to 45ACP on revolver and 1911 platforms...got it all covered...
But dang if I don't really just like shooting 22lr for pure fun, plinking, marksmanship, zapping critters around the house here in Flagstaff, and just seeing how far I can stretch the 22lr. A VERY close second would have to be mild 38 Specials out of old pencil barrel and snubby K Frames like the Model 10s and Model 15s. It's a toss up.
There's a lot to be said for low to mild recoil calibers when you're over 50 and have had your hands busted up due to career related injuries over the years.
I seriously can't stay away from .40 S&W... I keep planning on buying something else, but then another crazy good deal on a .40cal pistol appears on my path.
Case in point, I found this online for $359.99 NIB early this week...
Smith & Wesson M&P40 Shield 1.0 Performance Center
Personally, I blame the FBI for spreading the sentiment that .40 S&W offers no tangible benefit over 9mm Luger, as well as Urban Legends about how destructively volatile the cartridge is thanks to Bubba's unnecessary unloading/reloading of his carry gun on a daily basis, not to mention his penchant for experimenting with handloads like they're his favorite quadruple-decker Bacconator Burger.
But then again, if it weren't for them, then I probably would have never even bothered to buy a .40cal pistol to begin with... Honestly, I completely ignored it until the market was flooded with cheap .40s, only to discover that I loved it.
Case in point, I found this online for $359.99 NIB early this week...
Smith & Wesson M&P40 Shield 1.0 Performance Center
Personally, I blame the FBI for spreading the sentiment that .40 S&W offers no tangible benefit over 9mm Luger, as well as Urban Legends about how destructively volatile the cartridge is thanks to Bubba's unnecessary unloading/reloading of his carry gun on a daily basis, not to mention his penchant for experimenting with handloads like they're his favorite quadruple-decker Bacconator Burger.
But then again, if it weren't for them, then I probably would have never even bothered to buy a .40cal pistol to begin with... Honestly, I completely ignored it until the market was flooded with cheap .40s, only to discover that I loved it.
I am fairly caliber agnostic but I do seem to always find my way back to .45 ACP. Not because I think it’s superior in any appreciable way, but just because I like it. I like the recoil, the sound signature, the history etc. I just plain like the old .45 AARP dammit. .
Although I have NEVER bought into the various caliber X is wildly more effective then caliber Y etc. I do have to say, while I don’t actually agree with the following .45’ism it is, however my favorite and cracks me up.
“9mm, it’s kinda like .45, only set to stun.”
. Although I have NEVER bought into the various caliber X is wildly more effective then caliber Y etc. I do have to say, while I don’t actually agree with the following .45’ism it is, however my favorite and cracks me up.
“9mm, it’s kinda like .45, only set to stun.”