Handgun calibres
 

The idea is to post the calibre of your dream handgun (you know, the one you would have if this were a perfect world). And then post a calibre of the handgun you like to use best, or might realistically use in the future.

Dream gun - .50AE (yeah, kind of trite)

Realistic - .45 although I'm not sure which gun I'd like to fire these off with.

** Please remember that this is for handgun calibres only, thanksssss

Interesting thread topic. I have a .22 rifle that I really like a lot. It's light, has almost no recoil or report, and makes teaching gun safety to my kids alot easier since it eliminates the "big noise fear factor". Then they throw clay birds for me as I shoot my 12 gauge. What a fun day.

hehe... clean off... oh yah...

shrug ive shot .22 rifles a bunch... i like em... good for target practice... uve done a little deer hunting with my grampas rifle... its a "thirty ot six"... i dunno where the . goes in that... and ive shot my uncles handgun... he said it was a ".39 special" i dont know what makes a special different from a regular but thats what he said...

.357 sig
 

I can't believe I ever wrote what I put in there. How I have grown...

.500 S&W Magnum - "It shoots through schools!"
http://www.smith-wesson.com/Products...163500_lrg.jpg
http://www.smith-wesson.com/Products.../blast_500.jpg

http://www.corbon.com/500s&W.htm




But seriously, I am very happy with my 9mm.

a .38 sounds good to me.

I love the .45 auto. I've fired a .357 Colt Python, whoa those suckers have a kick. Fired the 9 mm, didnt like that too much. Havent fired a .40 auto or the .357 sig but would very much like to.

I would like a nice, small revolver in .32 h&r magnum.

For anything else I want to stick with .40

Dream Cal/gun combo: STI Grandmaster ( Life's too short to own ugly guns! ) in matte black, with low-profile night sights and porting, throwing 210-grain 10mm Auto. Load with either Gold Dot, HEX-round, or Glaser Bluetips.

Realistic Cal/gun: Para-Ordinance LDA with normal-capacity magazines, low-profile night sights, throwing 230-grain projectiles of the type described above.

Dream revolver: S&W Model 29 .44, 6-1/4 barrel, target trigger and hammer, gold-topped front sight. Throwing hot-loaded a/b/a/b/a/b mix of solids and expanding rounds. This one is getting ready to be my backpack gun, also carrying a few CCI shotshells for small game.

where the hell did you quote that from?

Very few guns can blow your hand clean off from recoil. and 0% of them are manufactured hand guns :D

.39 calibur is a nice blend of power, and accruacy.

No brainer
 

.454 Casell, the worlds best varmit hand gun.
But for more than one gopher I'd prefer the metal storm system:

http://edition.cnn.com/2003/BUSINESS...orm/index.html

See it in action:

http://www.metalstorm.com/





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I mean if you're going to pull the Freedom-of-speech card, don't be a hack, come up with something interesting. Fashion Old Glory into a wisecracking puppet and blister the system with a scathing ventriloquism act, or better yet, drape the flag over your head and desecrate it with a large caliber bullet hole.."- Dennis Miller

My wife carries a .40 in compact sig. , I carry a 9mm bretta, you should carry the largest cal. you can shoot safely. I can do head shots (triple tap) with my 9 at 25 yards. My wife can do head shots (double tap) with her .40 at 20 yards. But you put the .40 in my hands and i can not shoot well unless its within 15 yards.

But if i were to dream, i would carry 2 .44 mag Desert eagle nickle plated power houses, using PMC 240gr rounds. With my .44 rifle i have shot cracked the engine block of an old truck.

It's the .30 caliber round developed in 1906, thus, 30/06 or "thirty ought six" Same for the 30/30.

You're joking right? the movie Dirty Harry!!!

And yeah it's a bunch of bullshit.

That metalstorm stuff
 

Is fascinating, especiallt the ability to package multiple round types into one barrel.

"It's the .30 caliber round developed in 1906, thus, 30/06 or "thirty ought six" Same for the 30/30"

.30-30 refers to the caliber of the bullet and then the grains of black powder behind it. Quite a number of calibers were given such nomenclature. .45-70, .30-40 Krag, .45-90, .30-30, etc. .30-06 does refer, however, to the caliber and the year it was developed. It is one heckuva good round for taking pretty much every type of large game in North America.

My dream caliber handgun is easy to pick - .357 Magnum. Great caliber, all around useful, easy to shoot. I'd put it through one of the sweet K-frames put out by the S&W Performance Center. Currently, I out it downrange with my M-686

.22 Handguns are fun. .50 cal.....Honestly, Ill bet they are cool and all, but why do you really need one? Ill bet you cant rip off more then 10-20 rounds in one sitting.

Personaly, the .45 long colt is what I would love to have.

I'm partial to my .45 Springfield Ultra Compact. Handles nice and it makes big holes :)

I'd go witt a .50 magnum 440 grains that jus sounds like it could punch a hole with a 6 inch radius through a human head. :crazy:

yer right about the 06, but the 30/30 was actually a 30cal in front of 30 grains of blackpowder....yup, it started life as a blackpowder round.


edit, ....oops, didnt see the other post :D

My favorite? My colt compact of course...of which I have two.

I've never seen a man be able to stand up to a .45 round...

There are numerous cases where a suspect continued to fight after being shot with a 9mm......

"Ideal" caliber is such a subjective thing, especially since accuracy counts for more than bullet energy.

That being said, I want a SIG229 in .40 S&W for a carry gun at some point. Eventually I do want a Kimber .45 or possibly a Colt Commander 1911.

My dream caliber would have to be .44mag.. but they arent too practical. Realistically I like the 9mm or the .40. Glock 26/27 all the way.

Never heard of 39 caliber? 38 yes...38 special, is essentially exactly the same size as a 357 magnum round (not as heavy of a projectile, i think), and is an ecomical way to use such a weapon at the range.

I agree with the 'highest caliber you can effectively employ' advice. I am trained with a nine and extremely effective. Through a variety of weapons. MP-5, Berretta, Glock, Sigma. 15 yard trips on a pie plate. I am also such with a few .45 ACP weapons. Of note is an m1911 built on the Aberdeen Proving grounds in Maryland. Man do those dawgs make beautiful machines.

That being said, I doubt I would ever opt for anything other then a 9mm luger or .45ACP.

Oh and must concur on Kimber's rendition of the 1911. Very nice job indeed.

OK..OK...that pie plate thing is only most of the time. I often jerk three or four per 17 with my sigma.

Re: Handgun calibres
 

Remember ... the bigger the caliber the more BUMP you will perceive . Shooting a 50AE Hand Cannon is not all the fun it's cracked up to be ... #1 the expense even with hand-loads . The BUMP even with shooting gloves will make your hands numb and twitching after 20 or so rounds . So a 45 is an excellent choice for an afternoon of shooting .
My favorite cal is the .38 . I can shoot competition with any other caliber all day at 25 to 50 yards without a mere flinch from wad cutters . Also they put perfect holes in the 10X ... to me thats gun control .

I'd suggest Umberti's replica 1875 Remington "Outlaw", chambered for .45 Long Colt.

Look at my avatar. The .357 has been my fave for a loooong time.
My Para in .38 super gained the upper hand for a while, but these days
it only comes out to play when I'm bangin' away at an IPSC match.

I don't understand the question completely.

As far as I know there aren't any restricted handgun calibers. So anything is obtainable - the only limiting factor is the $$$ you'd have to shell out for it.

It took me years but I've been collecting all my most desired handguns over the past several years. In California you never know when they'll become restricted so I'm getting them while I can.

My latest purchases:

HK P7M8 - being discontinued by HK. They're making only 500 more - each one numbered. I just purchased #357 of 500
http://www.hyattgunshop.com/images/Z...m/DSCF0327.JPG

S&W M29-10 with 6.5" barrel - the .44 magnum I always wanted. Unfortunately it's the "reissued" version with the lock ... If I had my choice I'd get an early one from the 70s when the blueing was much better. Still, the 6.5" barrel seems about perfectly proportioned with the frame. And it came with the mahogany case, too.
http://www.budsgunshop.com/catalog/i...29%2041348.jpg


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Well, on second thought here are some guns I want but can't get for various reasons ...

An old artillery Luger - this carbine version would be nice. But I don't have $17,000 to spare for one. You bet if I had one I'd shoot it, too!
http://nas4.atlanta.gbhinc.com/GB/06...3621817968.jpg



I'd like an ar15 "pistol" but California doesn't allow them:
http://www.impactguns.com/store/media/oly_oa-98.jpg

Or one of several selective fire pistols like:

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedi...69/G18_mag.jpg
Glock 18

http://world.guns.ru/handguns/cz75fa.jpg
CZ 75 automatic

Or other class 3 weapons:
http://www.wildwestguns.com/Bushwack...ushwacker1.jpg
The lever action Bushwhacker - has 5 rounds of .457 magnum or .50 Alaskan! Shown here next to a .44 for size comparison.

I would have to say that it would be a choice of 2 guns. I carry a colt defender .45. I personally like the slow and heavy approach to my bullets. I used to carry a S&W Highway patrollman. It is a .357 caliber. I also don't mind carrying the nice little compact charter arms .38 that my granpa has, it only has five shots, but you cant get anymore reliable than a revolver. I have shot numerous 9mms and for personal protection, I just don't feel comfortable carrying one around. There is something about the .357 or the.45 that have more energy and have more knock down power. Thats just my personal prefernce though.

woohog1, for personal defense I carry nothing smaller than a .40S&W - usually a .45 (a commander-sized s&w 1911 PD or HK USP-C). I've seen the aftermath of many handgun wounds and there is a huge difference between what a .45 or .357 does and, say, a 9mm.

Re .38s and 9mm...not a great difference, actually in their inability to stop anyone, unless you are fortunate enough to hit a vital organ ( a round placed exactly 'twixt the frown lines between the eyebrows...or plumb-smack-dab in the heart...or are lucky enough shatter a thigh bone...right or left). Other than that, you are sadly, as Dirty Harry so delicatelyputs it "...shit out of luck!"
You will forgive the crudity above, but both rounds are useless! A Law Enforcement photo of a mutt who absorbed thirty-one (31) 9 mm rounds before turning up his toes is quite vivid in my mind, as is the reality of how the US military and Law enforcement have bought the small caliber hype hook,line and sinker, to the detriment of both organizations.

An addendum....I was first issued an M-1 Garand some fifty-eight years ago. It was a joy and a comfort to me in Korea (twice) and again,
in Vietnam. In Vietnam, I had the autonomy and the option to choose what weapon I would carry. I MR'd an M-1 Garand from an RVN unit.

I have an M1 Garand today...and it is still a joy and a comfort to me...as are two .45 Auto's and a .45 Long Colt.

Your comment scares me....lol

45/70 BFR, but on the restricted list here....

http://www.shootingusa.com/SIGHTING_...NG/SI-7-5L.jpg

I currently compete using an early Trooper MkIII in .357. Happy with the accuracy, win most comps.... Also have a 1943, .303 SMLE, mainly because of its military history.

Modern ammunition in 9mm does just fine stopping the bad guys. Where the military loses out is that they have to use ball ammo, which sucks no matter how big a pipe you dump it out of.

I own a Sig P220 .45, and as far as I know it's the best gun for me, so it looks like I already own my dream gun :)

The .357 Sig round is just about perfect for a defensive handgun round from a physical / ballastic standpoint. Decent bullet size, weight, energy, and the ability to carry a large capacity in a small space. An excellent compromise between the faster 9mm and the heavier .45, beating out the .40 S&W in most areas.

This round is not popular with gun or ammo manufacturers and will most likely be like the .45 GAP: forgotten. Cute, useful, and never taken seriously.

Realisticly .45 just because it has enough stopping powero to stop pretty much anyone but is small enough to keep under control even if you were half asleep.

But i would rather have a nice big blunderbuss. A 3/4 inch barrel would do just fine. I dunno if that would be rated in a caliber though. kinda like a 10 or 12 gauge shotgun