whats your preferred pistol caliber?

[Hook686]

.357 magnum ... in a Desert Eagle for a pistol and in a S&W 627PC in a revolver.

 

[deadshot2]

Depends , are we talking handguns or pistols ?

Uh, aren't pistols handguns too?

 

[Mikej]

just wondering what everyones preferred pistol caliber is. i go with 9mm its not too expensive and gets the job done

Which ever one I'm shooting at the time!

Mike

 

[gunfreak]

40

 

[Rapid1]

10mm

that said, I usually carry a 9mm.

I prefer to shoot my 10s though.

 

[Nightshade]

.40 cal

 

[M67]

A 9mm +P 124g Rem jhp, will get the job done, and do it very well. Anything else i need to shoot, that the 9mm won't cover, will get wacked by a 12g 00 buckshot/slug, or a hi powered rifle.

 

[pacific keeper]

Uh, aren't pistols handguns too?

Pistols and revolvers are both handguns . Pistols are semi-auto . Too much fun to leave the wheel guns out .

 

[chemist]

To all those who think that muzzle energy of a pistol slug is the be-all and end-all;

The intent of a SD round is to inflict traumatic injury, preferably so great that the neuromuscular shock it creates is enough to immediately incapacitate an adversary. Kinetic energy is a necessary but not a sufficient condition to ensure that injury. Energy doesn't simply map onto injury.

When Bear brought bowhunting into the 20th century, he used a simple recurve bow and 29" arrows to take African big game. He reported taking a bull elephant that dropped in its tracks after a hit with a single arrow, which sank to the feathers. That arrow delivered around 100 foot-pounds of energy, maybe a little more. But it had two things going for it that the average slug does not: a cutting mechanism and a large cross-sectional density.

Some hollowpoints mimic the cutting (rather than crushing) penetration mechanism better than others, if the petals are sharp enough. That's what made the Black Talon rounds work, and it's why surgeons hated them: they could easily cut a doctor's hands. (BTW, you can still buy them; they're called Winchester Ranger SXT now.)

But even a "field point" on an arrow has tremendous penetration, because of its enormous cross-sectional density compared to a slug. The field point looks and acts like a FMJ, but it's backed up by that long, slow-moving shaft pushing it steadily through the target. And that's why the cross-sectional density of a projectile is important to its effectiveness, distinct from its kinetic energy.

Energy isn't the only "conserved quantity" that we could look at; momentum is also conserved. While most of us recognize kinetic energy as force•distance, momentum is less often visualized as force•time. Given two slugs with equal energy, the heavier, slower one carries more momentum, so it will apply its force over a longer time inside the target. Looked at a different way, the fast, light slug allows less time for the target to overcome its inertia and react. That makes the faster slug tend to "overdestroy" the first few inches of the target, the same way that a "brisant" explosive wastes its energy near the surface of a soft target.

Why are there so many different chemical high explosives used in the military? Why isn't the most powerful one always the best choice? The simplest explanation is that the high detonation rate of the most brisant materials like PETN is too fast to couple into a soft target like a building. It's great for steel, but not effective against a soft body. That's why ANFO, which is just about the lowest-detonation-rate explosive out there, is the best choice for leveling a building: it pushes it over, rather than pulverizing the surface.

So it is with pistol slugs striking a soft body. (No fair comparing vastly more powerful rifle rounds to pistol ballistics.) A slower, heavier slug couples its energy in better, dissipating it over a longer time. It's why a 230gr. .45ACP FMJ moving at 900 ft./sec. can be stopped by a Level IIA vest, but it takes the much higher-rated Level III vest to stop a 125gr. .357Sig FMJ that's moving at 1410 ft./sec. The .357 slug with its high impulse is better suited to coupling its energy into the harder ballistic vest, even though the 230gr. .45 is proven and lethal against an unprotected body.
Personal armor - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Anyway, that's my take, and it serves you right for asking. Here's somebody expressing it another way:
Terminal Ballistics

PS: It's .45ACP for me.

 

[trixter]

My wish finally came true, got my XDM 45ACP. I put about 50 rounds through it today . didn't hit much but had a ball, This is more fun than a man ought to be allowed to have.

 

[datguy]

My wish finally came true, got my XDM 45ACP. I put about 50 rounds through it today . didn't hit much but had a ball, This is more fun than a man ought to be allowed to have.

My XDM 45 compact is 1/2 of the reason .45acp is my favorite caliber. My 1911 is the other reason. I am most consistent with my 45s. I have a 9mm, 22LR and .380 pistol also. I like shooting all of them, but the 1911 is the most smiles for me.

As said above, once you start reloading ammo cost difference between calibers becomes a non-issue. At least to me.

If you don't reload, at least save your brass. Chances are if you enjoy shooting a lot, you will probably get into putting together your own ammo.

 

[deadshot2]

chemist-

Your analysis is correct. It overlooks one point however. A HIT from any sized bullet is still more effective than a MISS from the most lethal, heaviest, exotic, bullet one could imagine.

People should carry a firearm, in a caliber, that increases their likelihood of hitting something more often than missing.

FWIW, several years ago a Schuck's Auto Parts store near 72nd and Portland Ave in Tacoma was "robbed". Someone was attempting to steal a motorbike from the floor display. An ensuing gun battle erupted with a Customer shooting the "perp". He hit him 7 times with rounds from his .45 ACP. Even after being hit all 7 times the robber was merely "down". They took him to the hospital where he survived. So much for that magic "Lethality" of the .45 ACP

 

[robbalot]

Good to see the kids mostly playing nice in the sandbox without the usual scratching and biting that this topic stirs up.

I mostly carry 9mm and my mags are loaded with DPX 124gr +P.

I prefer .45acp as a defense caliber (actually I just love 1911s), but in compact my 9mm gives me what I consider a more practical defense capacity.

 

[pacific keeper]

My wish finally came true, got my XDM 45ACP. I put about 50 rounds through it today . didn't hit much but had a ball, This is more fun than a man ought to be allowed to have.

Try dry fire practice @ home . Make sure the weapon is clear and use snap-caps if you're worried about damaging the weapon . Focus on the front sight and make the hammer fall on a good sight picture . Oh yeah , and get some reloading equipment . when you get to the range , start at distances that you can consistently get good hits . Move back as groups improve .

 

[mortre]

45 reloads still cost me quite a bit more than 9mm reloads. Not saying it doesn't close the gap some, but 45 is still more expensive.

 

[chachie420]

.40 all the way for me!!...its cheap to shoot ,well I bought 37 boxes of winchester ranger T- bonded (jhp) for 13.49 a box ...you just have to keep a eye out for deals!!

 

[chemist]

I guess I'm at an age where I have more money than time, so my shooting is limited by my schedule, not the cost of ammo.

 

[deadshot2]

I guess I'm at an age where I have more money than time, so my shooting is limited by my schedule, not the cost of ammo.

Just wait until Retirement. There'll be plenty of time for both shooting and reloading.

As for shooting, it's Monday. Will be on the range, like like every Monday, at 9 AM. That is my schedule

 

[mjbskwim]

chemist-

Your analysis is correct. It overlooks one point however. A HIT from any sized bullet is still more effective than a MISS from the most lethal, heaviest, exotic, bullet one could imagine.

People should carry a firearm, in a caliber, that increases their likelihood of hitting something more often than missing.

This has been my argument for caliber forever. 500S&W isn't very deadly in the hands of a 100# girl
Preferred caliber for what ? My preferred caliber,overall is the 22lr .Fun to shoot and cheap.Both my 22 pistols shoot great.

For carry,I don't care.They all work if I do my part.But if I was knowingly going into battle,I would take my 10mm G20 over my beloved 1911.
Because of capacity and because I believe the 10mm possesses the best characteristics of the 45acp and the 9mm better than the 40S&W
All those cool things chemist was describing.

 

[PORet]

I'm very conflicted, I carry a Glock in 40 S & W, but my first love was a S & W Model 19, .357 Magnum. I loved that gun, it was so accurate it made me look good. And I know how well a .357 Mag will stop a bad guy.
But I have the Glock now and it is very impressive, a great close quarters gun. So for now I will sigh over the loss of my first love, and continue practicing with my Glock.