Poll: Only 1 Handgun Caliber

[nammac]

I chose .45 ACP, because needing to shoot anyone twice is just silliness....

 

[Pops1911]

.45acp because John By Gawd Browning is a Saint! LOL

 

[Kruel J]

I chose .45 ACP, because needing to shoot anyone twice is just silliness....

Yep, nobody has EVER survived being shot by a .45ACP. Although a few have outrun it from what I've heard.

 

[orygun]

I'm glad .22 LR wasn't listed. That must be saved for another thread.
And I'm glad this is a "semi-auto" thread, cuz that gives me just one more gun to "need".

There are three semi auto calibers that I may carry; 380 ACP (John did more than just the 45), 40 S&W and 45 ACP.
If forced, I would have a tough time deciding between the 40 and 45 for most any duty, but this time of year the 380 rules. It's too easy to hide in a pocket holster.

I suppose it also matters, are we limited to just one gun, or just the one caliber?

 

[orygun]

Yep, nobody has EVER survived being shot by a .45ACP. Although a few have outrun it from what I've heard.

That's funny!
I heard the same statement about a 38-55 from Dad years ago.

900fps out of a 45 is a decent round. That's not fast in the bullet world. I've shot a bunch of 230gr hardball 900fps rounds at 100 yards with a Commander length 1911 and was pretty surprised with it's trajectory and accuracy. You can certainly see the delay between firing and the bullet striking the target or berm, but once I figgered out the amount of hold over, it was fairly easy to make a good hit.

 

[Connor Murphy]

I had good reasons to leave it out. .357 magnum is a rimmed cartridge, it's not reliable in semi-autos. This is a semi-auto only poll.

Plenty reliable in a Coonan.

 

[Kruel J]

That's funny!
I heard the same statement about a 38-55 from Dad years ago.

900fps out of a 45 is a decent round. That's not fast in the bullet world. I've shot a bunch of 230gr hardball 900fps rounds at 100 yards with a Commander length 1911 and was pretty surprised with it's trajectory and accuracy. You can certainly see the delay between firing and the bullet striking the target or berm, but once I figgered out the amount of hold over, it was fairly easy to make a good hit.

I just like giving .45ACP die-hards a hard time. Frankly my most prized possession on this rock is a 1911A1 that my great uncle carried in WWII. I've fired it, and it will be the last thing I own when my eyes close. It's the ONLY individual thing I have named in my will. It will be gifted to a history museum.

The rest of it the wife can sell off. Or recycle because at that point I really won't care. Noveske and Glock paperclips anyone?

 

[Certaindeaf]

Simple, 9mm. Enough penetration to easily brain elephants with standard pressure ball.. and then there's the much more exotic loadings that solve other requirements handily. The 9mm is unequaled in ammunition selection.

 

[Kruel J]

Simple, 9mm. Enough penetration to easily brain elephants with standard pressure ball.. and then there's the much more exotic loadings that solve other requirements handily. The 9mm is unequaled in ammunition selection.

This.

 

[11Charlie]

9 mm plain and simple.

For reason's already posted.

 

[etrain16]

I really don't get the caliber debate. Any round, even a .22lr can stop an attacker, even kill, with a single shot, if the placement is right. I still have never heard of any person willing to stand there and be shot with ANY caliber - heck, I wouldn't want to be shot with a simple .177 airgun pellet. So, for that reason, I would feel comfortable with any of the calibers listed.

My personal carry has been 9mm since I started carrying. I like having extra rounds because, under pressure, people can, and do, miss their target. And I have little doubt that if most people are hit with even a single 9mm, the threat is going to stop. For those very rare instances where someone is so jacked up on drugs that they don't even feel it, it appears 45acp will do no more to stop them than 9mm.

I do like .40SW and .45acp and have guns in both calibers. My bedside gun is a .40SW I don't have a favorite caliber among them. I would really consider carrying any of them.

 

[nammac]

Like @etrain16, I also embrace and carry multiple calibers... Among them, Shield, Combat Commander, G30 and XDs. all in .45 ACP. I've also been known to carry an XDs, G19 or Kimber Micro 9, all in 9mm... Other times it might be a 2" .38 or Taurus TCP .380...

It all depends on my attire, activities and where I'll be. I'm not opposed to other calibers, just prefer the .45 if it's practical to carry it...

 

[bsa1917hunter]

I said .40 S&W.

There are better cartridges for different uses, but I believe the .40 is the best compromise. Easy to shoot, cheap to shoot, and availability is great. Velocity and energy is high enough it could be used for survival purposes.

I also said 40, but only because 22lr wasn't in the list...

 

[Velzey]

.38 Super Auto in one of these!
Someday my project will be complete!



But if I had to go by the goofy cartridges listed in the poll I would pick the 10mm Auto. We all know how hot it can be loaded and it works great for taking deer sized game at range. It can also be loaded down for plinking and small game hunting with light bollits.

 

[Jamie6.5]

If it's limited to cc pistol platforms then it would have to be the 9mm.

But if you include large pistols and the light carbine platform, then it has to be the 10mm.

 

[eightyeight mag]

There is just something about a mag full of 45 that makes me happy.

 

[Mygrainman]

Well It's obvious what we need here.. The versatility of the 9x19mm luger and the knockdown power of the 10x25mm Auto.
the answer is the 9.5x22mm Lugato.

 

[MrMillspecer]

I like my .45 and reload it and enjoy it. But many of my practice rounds for the .45 have around 380 fpe and my 9mm SB practice ammo has 400. And the weight of 100 rounds of .45 vs 9mm kinda seals the deal. I do believe I can shoot my 1911s slightly better than my combat 9s accuracy wise or the pistols themselves are a bit more accurate, need to prove this. But still 9 rounds vs 15-21 rounds and lighter overall weight. Thus why the 9 kicked my 45 out of my go bag. Believe me the choice wasn't easy.

 

[DunRanull]

Only one "handgun caliber"? Looks more like you meant only one SEMI-AUTO handgun caliber, altho you didnt specify "semi-auto handgun". Having said that I would probably go with the .357 revolver in the United States. My choice in semi-auto is and always has been the .45acp. Or .22LR

 

[coop44]

It's a wonder no one has brought up the 400 corbon, good numbers between 40 and 10MM.