Best all round caliber

[norahc]

What are your opinions on the best "ALL PURPOSE" caliber for each of the following and why? By all purpose, I mean defensive and offensive (like hunting and long range)?

Revolver
Semi-Auto
Rifle
Shotgun

Personally, for a revolver, I think the .357 Magnum is the best all purpose round. Used by law enforcement for decades, we know it does well in defensive scenarios. It can be used to hunt with, so the offensive aspect is covered. Recoil is controllable, penetration is great, and .38 Special makes a great range round.

For semi-auto, I've got to go with the 10mm as it was originally envisioned and loaded to. I know ammo availability is a big detraction for it, but that is slowly changing. Great defensive round, and outside of a zoo, there's not much on this continent that you can't defend yourself from with a 10mm. Offensively, it is another round that can be used for hunting, and it was designed so that it's ballistics at 50 yards were better than a .45ACP at the muzzle.

For a rifle, I'd be hard pressed to find a better all purpose round than the .308/7.62 NATO. The ability to reach out and touch someone at several hundred yards while still being effective at close range, combined with ammo availability and choice makes this one hard to beat.

For a shotgun, I don't see how there can be any choice but the classic 12ga. The versatility of this round is unparalleled. I'm not even going to bother discussing the defensive aspects of this since they are so widely recognized.

What are your thoughts on this?

[Pedro3101]

For hunting and home defense where amount, cost, capacity and weight are not critical factors

357 mag
45 ACP
7.62
12g

[GlassWolf]

.357 or .41 magnum
9mm NATO
.308 Win
20 gauge (faster recovery, nearly the same terminal ballistics, and cheaper than 12)

[Iwap_Evile]

357 Mag
9MM
.308
12g

[norahc]

I'm curious as to why the 9mm is being chosen. I realize it is a great defensive round, but it fails in the offensive category. Can those of you that chose it explain why?

[GlassWolf]

I'm curious as to why the 9mm is being chosen. I realize it is a great defensive round, but it fails in the offensive category. Can those of you that chose it explain why?

Explain why you think it fails? Firstly, a handgun is NOT an offensive weapon. It's called a sidearm for a reason. It's a secondary, or backup weapon if your primary/rifle fails, goes empty, or you need something for CQC. That said, the 9mm has nearly the same terminal ballistic stats as other handgun rounds, considering that on the scale of smallest handgun round to largest rifle round, the entirety of the handgun round realm is a small percentage of the graph compared to rifle rounds in velocity, penetration, and terminal ballistics. The 9mm has high magazine capacity, good stopping power with modern ammunition (read HP not ball ammo) good muzzle energy, velocity, and penetration, and, most importantly, it's the NATO standard, meaning you can find it in large quantities nearly anywhere in the world.

That's my pitch. :) I have nothing against .45ACP, and grew up shooting that as well.. I just find it's shortcomings to be muzzle velocity and magazine capacity.

[norahc]

Explain why you think it fails? Firstly, a handgun is NOT an offensive weapon. It's called a sidearm for a reason. It's a secondary, or backup weapon if oyur primary/rifle fails, goes empty, or you need something for CQC. That said, the 9mm has nearly the same terminal ballistic stats as other handgun rounds, considering that on the scale of smallest handgun round to largest rifle round, the entirety of the handgun round realm is a small percentage of the graph compared to rifle rounds in velocity, penetration, and terminal ballistics. The 9mm has high magazine capacity, good stopping power with modern ammunition (read HP not ball ammo) good muzzle energy, velocity, and penetration, and, most importantly, it's the NATO standard, meaning you can find it in large quantities nearly anywhere in the world.

That's my pitch. :) I have nothing against .45ACP, and grew up shooting that as well.. I just find it's shortcomings to be muzzle velocity and magazine capacity.

But the criteria was for best all purpose caliber, including offensive capabilities for hunting. I'm not saying the 9mm fails in a defensive role, although it is not my preferred caliber.

[GlassWolf]

Then as I said, the 9mm is the best "all purpose" caliber because you have high magazine capacity, ample terminal ballistics, and the round is readily available world wide.

[Tux]

Personally I'm a fan of the .44. Can be loaded light for target, shotshell for small game, or heavy for bears. It fires in all my revolvers and my next purchase will be a marlin 1894 rifle or similar ruger. I know it is not the most common caliber, but reloading is pretty easy. I like that my revolvers, derringer and rifles can all shoot the same ammo.

Other than that I do keep a couple 9mm's and a couple 12 guages round out the long arms

[Triton]

357 Mag
45 ACP
.308
12g

[Grasshopper]

Revolver- 357 mag, It is extremely effective and you can load 38s in the same gun
Semi auto pistol- Even though I hate to do it, I gotta say 9MM, it's ballistically acceptable, there's a lot of it, and prices are reasonable
Rifle- 30-06, it has a wider variety of applications than the 308- 7.62 NATO, the only downfall is it requires a long action as compared to 308's short action.
Shotgun- 12g for sure. Huge varieties of ammo for all applications and powerful enough to get the job done

[spider22]

Revolver 357 Magnum-good velocity and energy and can shoot 38 specials at the range

Semi-auto pistol-10mm even though ammo can be expensive you can get get lighter loads that are reasonable and have lower recoil for practice but heavier loads are available that have better ballistics than the 357 magnum

Rifle-30-06 This is a very versatile round and very effective for anything native to this continent with the exception of a Grizzly or Alaskan Brown Bear(There might even be an argument there). It can be loaded with various amounts of power. Lighter loads for practice and heavier loads for hunting larger game. Even at 150 grains it would be effective for white tail deer. You can even buy the limited recoil for youths that are effective on larger game.

Shotgun- 12 gauge Versatile enough to use for bird hunting and trap shooting or use buckshot or slugs for hunting and home defense.

[C-C]

.44 Mag
.50 BMG
30-06
16 gauge 00 buck 3 1/2 inch magnum

[michael101108]

.357/38 enough said
9mm is my personal opinion. i'm interested in 10mm though but have no experience with it yet.
.308/7.62
20 gauge

[michael101108]

.44 Mag
.50 BMG
30-06
16 gauge 00 buck 3 1/2 inch magnum

you know the .50 bmg is a rifle round right?

[C-C]

you know the .50 bmg is a rifle round right?

Incorrect, it is the round used in the magnum research Desert Eagle

[norahc]

Incorrect, it is the round used in the magnum research Desert Eagle
Try again.

The .50BMG is strictly a rifle round since it's case is over 5.45 inches long. The .50AE is used in the Desert Eagle. For comparison, the .50AE is the fourth round from the left. The .50BMG is the one on the far right.

363

[Brent]

Try again.

The .50BMG is strictly a rifle round since it's case is over 5.45 inches long. The .50AE is used in the Desert Eagle. For comparison, the .50AE is the fourth round from the left. The .50BMG is the one on the far right.

363

And people thought the S&W 500 had a kick to it, just try the .50BMG and what is left of your arm afterwards, Lol.

[Gunnr]

Incorrect, it is the round used in the magnum research Desert Eagle Bro the BMG stands for Browning machine gun. Not a pistol round by any means.

[GlassWolf]

There are actually quite a few different ".50 caliber" roounds on the market. .50cal only refers to the diameter of the bullet. It tells you nothing of the length of the bullet or cartridge, the amount or type of powder propelling it, etc. Think of it like saying "9mm" That can be anything from 9x19 (parabellum/Luger) to 9x18 (Makarov), 9x21, 9x23, 9x25, .38, .38special, etc... all of them are technically "9mm" in diameter.

An example of .50 cal handgun offerings include:
.50 Action Express
.50 GI
.500 GNR
.500 Maximum
.500 S&W Magnum
Ruger Bisley (.500 Linebaugh)
Magnum Research BFR (.50 Beowulf)
Freedom Arms Model 83 .500 WE (.500 Wyoming Express)
Triple Action Thunder (.50 BMG) Yes there are .50BMG handguns, but they are rather impractical.

[Robomick]

I'm a huge fan of .45 ACP and 12g.

[Gunnr]

Glasswolf, hey brother those 50BMG handguns are real? wow I really thought that the pics I saw were Judge pics that were photoshopped. Deffenetlly not a gun I want to shoot. Well everyone I stand corrected... and feel stupid. Peace
There are actually quite a few different ".50 caliber" roounds on the market. .50cal only refers to the diameter of the bullet. It tells you nothing of the length of the bullet or cartridge, the amount or type of powder propelling it, etc. Think of it like saying "9mm" That can be anything from 9x19 (parabellum/Luger) to 9x18 (Makarov), 9x21, 9x23, 9x25, .38, .38special, etc... all of them are technically "9mm" in diameter.

An example of .50 cal handgun offerings include:
.50 Action Express
.50 GI
.500 GNR
.500 Maximum
.500 S&W Magnum
Ruger Bisley (.500 Linebaugh)
Magnum Research BFR (.50 Beowulf)
Freedom Arms Model 83 .500 WE (.500 Wyoming Express)
Triple Action Thunder (.50 BMG) Yes there are .50BMG handguns, but they are rather impractical.

[GlassWolf]

nah don't feel dumb. It's really just a gun that was built to prove it could be done. It's not the sort of thing you walk into Bass Pro Shops and buy over the counter. They really do exist, but it's more of a novelty. The .500 S&W or even a .460 Rowland would be much more practical if you need something with a lot of power (ie, stopping a bear in the wild.)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nMkiDguYtGw

[Gunnr]

nah don't feel dumb. It's really just a gun that was built to prove it could be done. It's not the sort of thing you walk into Bass Pro Shops and buy over the counter. They really do exist, but it's more of a novelty. The .500 S&W or even a .460 Rowland would be much more practical if you need something with a lot of power (ie, stopping a bear in the wild.)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nMkiDguYtGw I totally agree with you bud. But the .500 and.460 would end up being useless for me as I have a crippled up hand. I guess I'll just stay out of bear country. If a 40S&W or .45 won't stop it then I lose...unless I'm holding my shotty! LOL Peace bro. (I still can't get over that they really make those pistols):p

[GlassWolf]

yeah I have a friend who wants a 4" .500 S&W as his carry gun, but he's 6'1" and 285lbs (former boxer) so he can handle it. I'm a small guy with health problems myself, so I stick to a 9mm, and if I need more power, I'll go to an AR pistol or SBR.

[C-C]

500 S&W mag
.50 AE
.50 BMG
8 guage
That's what I would really like, But here's mine that's m ore realistic

.44 mag
45 ACP
30-06 for bolt action and .30-30 for lever action
12 guage

The reason i prefer the .45 ACP over the 9mm is that the permanent cavity may be the same but the in a human body the temperal cavity and internal shock wave is much bigger.

[C-C]

nah don't feel dumb. It's really just a gun that was built to prove it could be done. It's not the sort of thing you walk into Bass Pro Shops and buy over the counter. They really do exist, but it's more of a novelty. The .500 S&W or even a .460 Rowland would be much more practical if you need something with a lot of power (ie, stopping a bear in the wild.)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nMkiDguYtGw
.44 mag will take out a bear just fine, 500 S&W is a novelty or an elephant gun, a good sidearm for when your running a .458 win

[norahc]

.44 mag will take out a bear just fine, 500 S&W is a novelty or an elephant gun, a good sidearm for when your running a .458 win
Or you go bow hunting for a bear and need a sidearm for when you get treed.

[norahc]

The reason i prefer the .45 ACP over the 9mm is that the permanent cavity may be the same but the in a human body the temperal cavity and internal shock wave is much bigger.

Something to keep in mind...the 9mm may or may not expand in your target, but the .45 will never make a hole smaller than 11mm.

[GlassWolf]

.44 mag will take out a bear just fine, 500 S&W is a novelty or an elephant gun, a good sidearm for when your running a .458 win

That would be Boar hunting. Boar are pretty much small, living armored vehicles, particularly head-on.

[SpringOWeiler]

Well what I actually have....
10mm Auto (At minimum excessive for humans, at max maybe acceptable for larger game)
44 Magnum(Extremely excessive for humans, acceptable for large game at close distances, very accurate out of my 7 5/8" black hawk)
7.62X39mm (Durka Durka,) Im banking on running away from all you full powered rifle cartridge people.
12 gauge (availability and versatility)

[flintlock62]

SD=45acp. Even though I carry 40 S&W
Hunting= 62 caliber flintlock

[otasan56]

357 Mag
9MM
.308
12g

Amen! I CCW a G17.