favorite caliber?

[5ontarget]

On an earlier thread, you all listed your favorite guns. What's your favorite caliber? Everyone has their favorites (as indicated by your handles).

What's your favorite brand and particular load of ammo?

["DoubleAction"]

5ontarget; One of my favorite calibers is the .45acp, not just because of the bullet diameter and cartridge case, but the pistols that chamber it.
My favorite .45 acp is the georgia arms +P, with the 185 gr. gold dot bullet; at 1100 fps, these new factory loaded cartridges cost only $13.75 for a box of 50 rds.

[Mikolev]

My favorite caliber is .357sig. I'll admit that I don't have as much experience with it as I do 9mm and .45ACP, but I've developed a new found respect for the caliber after I finally broke down and bought an XD357. THe first time I shot the .357sig was out of a Glock 31 and I was pretty darn impressed by it's power in a realativley small cartridge. It took only a few more times shooting this caliber to be hooked. The statistical ballistics are quite impressive, but you only need fire this round to realize that it would be a potent self defense round. I will admit that ammo is more expensive than 9mm, though, but it's worth the increase in power.

[papercutter]

Mikolev

The .357 sig is a great design for a pistol as the neck helps in feeding and chambering, the spec,s are good, just a little less than 125gr .357 mag , once a popular police man stopper .

It Seems ,,,just a bit odd ball to catch on. Like the old luger 30 cal. necked down pistol round. I like for its " pushing the envelope round " .The few I have shot were very accurate.

I never had any luck with 9mm but , .357 mag & 45 acp can be loaded for most any task.

[Mikolev]

It Seems ,,,just a bit odd ball to catch on

As far as catching on, I'm not sure how it's doing (sales) etc. I would hate to see it fade away, or become overly expensive. I know DA's a fan of .357sig, I bet he knows a little more about it's staying power than I.

The other great thing, though, is that so many .357sig guns can be switched to .40. It's like buying one gun, and getting another for the $150 (or whatever a conversion barrel costs).

["DoubleAction"]

Next to the .45acp in the semi-autos, I probably put the .357 sig as my favorite shooter. I have the .40S&W/ 357sig set up in the Sig 239, 229, 226, and 229 Sport, and all four platforms are extremely accurate at longer distances for me. I truly think many professionals were excited about this cartridge once word got around; the 229 was already receiving overwhelming reviews in the .40 S&W, and when the 357 sig came into the mix, all hell seemed to break loose.
I have been influenced greatly by this smaller diameter bullet, with it's high velosity and energy characteristics. I've taken to the range with various cartridges in the 357 sig, and received alot of attention. Muzzle rise is not really an issue, neither is recoil, with this cartridge; It has a sharper feel, much like a light magnum, but in a semi-auto. I have seen velosities with the 125 gr. 357 sig exceed 1400 fps, which is excellent for a cartridge that can be chambered in the smaller alloy frame pistols.
The 357 sig is a phenominal history making landmark for personnal defense pistols, and I'm sure we will continue see it's popularity grow even more.

[papercutter]

The .357 SIG , .40 cal ,,, walks that fine line of hit provability calculations, high velocity / high energy ,,, yet light enough in recoil, that most any law officer can master it quickly. With the use of frangible bullets that cinder into dust after impact, the over penetrateing .357 mag of yesteryear, would work if revolvers hadn't fallen from favor.
This is why 10mm ( hot loaded .40 ca. ) even .45 , are off the list ,as average schmucks hits wil be less with these kickers.
The neck down rounds .30 luger , 38 /45 , have always been looked at as odd, Hopefully the interchangabitity with .40 will help boost its sale / use .

[tptplayer]

I have shot a lot of .40 S&W and think it is good cartridge. However, it is hard to beat the proven capabilities of the .45 ACP. The fact that you get that much proven stopping power with a relatively low pressure cartridge is a definite plus. There is also a number of fine handguns that support this round. For long range handgun shooting, such as hunting, a faster, flatter trajectory round would be preferable but for self-defense the .45 ACP is a winner.

[TMan]

Okay, favorite caliber for doing what? If it is for self-defense, I like the .45, but for target shooting, it is definitely the 9mm, because it is so much cheaper. The .22LR is even less expensive, and I shoot more of it than anything else, but the 9mm is close enough to the .45 to feel like I'm shooting a real gun i.e. I'm never fully relaxed like I am with the .22LR, which is somehat akin to shooting my air pistol.

I know there are a lot of believers in high-velocity, small caliber bullets, but if I want to stop someone, the bigger the better. If you don't hit a vital organ, the only way you are going to stop someone is through a drop in blood preasure. Scale- a 155mm hole in someone will have a much greater effect than a 2mm hole.

["DoubleAction"]

TMAN; The .45 acp is my favorite self defense round, but there are most occassions where I down size my carry pistol to a smaller lighter alloy frame with a Sig 239. The .40 S&W in the 239 gives me a balance between the .45 acp and a smaller carry option. When I'm not carrying light, I usually carry a Sig 220, Wilson CQB Compact, or my Officer's in the .45 ACP.

[Arclightstrike]

All well and good, bros, but for those situations when you care enough to send the very best, you can't beat a 40mm Beehive round out of an M-79 "Blooper"....(aw, c'mon, I couldn't resist doin' that ;D)

[Fobos]

22LR

Nothing is more enjoyable than burning 1,000 rds of dirt cheap ammo without a care in the world. It's also great for blasting varmints when I don't feel like bringing my AR15 along.

The other two cartridges I like are the .44 Mag and the .45 ACP.

I love the .44 because it is so powerful. It's one of the few rounds in existence that provides me with a feeling of utter comfort in grizzly bear country. The .45 ACP is my favorite CC round. Plenty of size and power...

[Ricochet]

So, Fobos. Would a .45 acp be worthless in bear country??

[Fobos]

Ricochet said:

So, Fobos. Would a .45 acp be worthless in bear country??

Not at all.

My supervisor once shot a black bear in the face at about 10 yds with his Colt 1911. It was dead about the time it hit the ground. The bear had stalked him while he was attempting to call in some elk during hunting season.

There are plenty of stories out there, and the .45 ACP has proven itself against black bear and smaller creatures.

However... grizzly bear are a different animal. Their skulls and hide are amazingly thick. With grizzlies, the concern is more about penatration than anything else. It's freakin scary all the problem grizzlies that get taken down by the Fish and Game Department, only to find out that the bear had several broken bones and other somewhat healed injuries from being shot several times previously. These animals are ungodly, and if you are close enough to see one in the wild, it's because you are being stalked.

The .45 and .357 Mag are viable rounds for taking down a grizzly, but like I said, the raw power of the .44 Mag just provides me with a greater sense of comfort.

[NButler]

Fobos said:

Not at all.

My supervisor once shot a black bear in the face at about 10 yds with his Colt 1911. It was dead about the time it hit the ground. The bear had stalked him while he was attempting to call in some elk during hunting season.

There are plenty of stories out there, and the .45 ACP has proven itself against black bear and smaller creatures.

However... grizzly bear are a different animal. Their skulls and hide are amazingly thick. With grizzlies, the concern is more about penatration than anything else. It's freakin scary all the problem grizzlies that get taken down by the Fish and Game Department, only to find out that the bear had several broken bones and other somewhat healed injuries from being shot several times previously. These animals are ungodly, and if you are close enough to see one in the wild, it's because you are being stalked.

The .45 and .357 Mag are viable rounds for taking down a grizzly, but like I said, the raw power of the .44 Mag just provides me with a greater sense of comfort.

perhaps this would be a good situation for the .460 roland in your 1911

["DoubleAction"]

nastybutler said:

perhaps this would be a good situation for the .460 roland in your 1911

Nastybutler; Well said, and a good point. The .460 conversion barrel is a drop in conversion, available from Clark Custom Guns or georgia arms, it costs less than $300. The georgia arms 185 gr. Nosler JHP will get 1550 fps with 987 ft lbs of muzzle energy, $25.50 for 50 rds; The 230 gr. Gold Dot HP georgia arms loaded,will get 1350 fps at 931 ft lbs of muzzle energy, $28. for 50 rds.
The .460 Rowland is a Hunting cartridge designed for the 1911 platform. For the price of the conversion, and the price of the cartridges, it is difficult to beat.

[Fobos]

Wow.

I've not even heard of the .460 conversion before today. I'll have to check it out.

Thanks for the tip, nasty and DA.

["DoubleAction"]

Fobos; I've met Johnny Rowland and I've seen what the .460 Rowland conversion, in his Kimber, done in comparison to the .45 acp. The damage impact is phenominal. Here is the link to the conversion :

www.clarkcustomguns.com/rowland.htm

[5ontarget]

Brownell's also has conversions to .460 for $275

www.brownells.com/aspx/NS/store/ProductDetail.aspx?p=5003&title=1911+AUTO+.460+ROLAND+CONVERSION+KIT

["DoubleAction"]

These are the my handgun centerfire calibers, in my collection of handguns.