.455 above the 45 Colt in historical significance? In
England maybe, but not in ‘Merica!
9mm is also cheaper than all the other ones listed (I think)...in some cases MUCH cheaper. It would be a shame if cartridge prices deterred gun owners from more range time.
Well there’s a rose in the fisted glove
And eagle flies with the dove
And if you can’t be with the one you love, honey
Love the one you’re with...
#2 – .357 Magnum
I love my GP100 revolver. It is my favorite.
The 10mm is a very accurate round, with lots of power. The second point is why target shooters got to dislike it which led to the development of the .40cal.
On another note, I have an irrational hatred of the 9mm. I just can not stand that round.
2, 3, 4, and 7. are my pick...the rest? meh.
#10, the 10mm was superseded by the less powerful, but more versatile .40 S&W. it should be on the list with the .357sig
the 9mm is the most overrated....the elite teams like the Seals and Special forces have replaced the 9 with the tried and true .45ACP (they have miniatureized lots of pocket pistols like the original LCP in .380 and made them into the new LC9....I might consider it then...a little more power in my pocket)
I own and carry a .380....it is not a top ten in my book but is pretty versatile.(minimum caliber I would stake my life on...but still worry about it is not enough)
the .38 S&W is way too weak for just about anything.(I own 2 breaktop S&Ws in this caliber...cool but not something I would stake my life...when shooting at 10 yard targets I can follow the bullet by eye to the targets...SLOW)
the .38 Special is moderately low power but with enough power to be considered something to stake my life on....Dad carried one for 22 years in the NYPD...model 10 S&W
the 41 magnum should be on the list...problem is it never made it in popularity. that was a shame and the blame must be put on the ammo makers not making proper ammo for self defense back in the day...there is better ammo out there now...plus you can reload..
for revolvers.... .357 magnum is the best all around...power and carryability...my Model 19 K Frame is carryable and enough for a 1 shot stopper.
.44 magnum is fun....I took down two large does with this caliber(fell right down...never got up)....I would not want to carry it though. (except Ruger is coming out with the GP 100 in this caliber...it will be a 5 shot revolver and I cant wait to try one...must be a byotch of a recoiler though)
.455 Webley....I guess if your British?? Of all those braketop webley guns that made it back to the good old USA most were rechambered for .45ACP
ancient calibers that were GREAT, but except for CAS, defunct.....44-40 AKA .44WCF, 38-40 AKA .38WCF and .32-20 AKA .32 WCF. these will take down man or deer....the .32WCF being the least of these...
For hiking in the wilderness and stopping bad guys, the 10mm has been my favorite for decades now, right there with the 45LC and a 44 magnum, but age and arthritis have given me an appreciation for 9mm +P loads and high capacity mags. My wilderness time is confined to elk hunting, and my 325 WSM can do the stopping that needs to be done.
Ruger MKII + .22LR
S&W J-frame + .38 Spl.
Makarov + 9mm
Colt M1911A + .45 ACP
Colt SAA + .45 Colt
Browning Baby Auto + .25
Etc. (Just sayin'; it takes a well-liked combination to make the bullet worth having -- like the Webley and Walter Mitty, for instance)
***as a .380 was used to assassinate Franz Ferdinand and kick off World War 1.***
I believe the firearm used was an FN 1910 .32 cal. Another source said it was an FN 1900 .32. I used to have one just like it years ago.
The 9mm was never popular in the USA till all those war surplus firearms came back with WWII GIs, and tons of surplus German corrosive ammo began to be dumped on the US market.
I carry three kinds of handguns when I conceal carry. One is chambered in .357 magnum, another in .45, and the last one in .380.
I carry the .357 and .45 in the winter when the large guns can be easily concealed. The .380 in the summer (and hope that it will do the job if called upon...not sure it will. Summer represents a dangerous period to me.
Someday the supply of .22LR will catch up to demand. Even hoarders will stop once they have a pallet or two.
My response to “the list”:
#9 – .38 S&W
Why is .38 S&W on this list? Not because of its popularity in America, but because under the name .38/200 it served for over 30 years in the holsters of the British and Commonwealth military forces, and soldiered on for years after that as the police revolver of those same nations. It was eventually phased out in Commonwealth use for the 9mm cartridge fired from the BHP. The .38/200 was chambered in a number of revolvers during WW2, with the most notable being the Webley Mk IV and the Enfield No. 2.
*** For the WW2 years, there were an awful lot of Smith and Wesson Military and Police revolvers manufactured with a five-inch barrel and given a “V” serial number, and ALSO chambered in .38 S and W, and given the name ‘the Victory model’. It was issued to U.S. Naval aircrews.
#6 – .38 Special
I don’t really have to justify the .38 Special making this list, but perhaps I’d have to justify why it’s not in the top 5. While it’s dropped down to number six in favor of other cartridges, one could easily make the argument over brown liquor that it, and not the cartridge selected is the greatest handgun cartridge of all time. Certainly, there is no more ubiquitous revolver cartridge than the .38 Special, and over the 115 years of its existence it has certainly put a lot of food on tables and bodies in the dirt. Like others on the list, despite its age, it is still a viable choice for self-defense even to this day.
*** My number one choice for a handgun, and preferably a S and W Model 15 Combat Masterpiece.
#5 – .455 Webley
The cartridge of an Empire. Served from 1891 until World War II, and was used in the legendary and iconic Webley revolvers. It’s been around forever, and at least for me is mentally linked to some of the most interesting periods in history, which are frequently glossed over by American firearms enthusiasts. When I think of the .455 Webley, I think of box formations of British infantrymen fighting off hordes of spear-chucking tribals, with officers standing in the midst of the formations calmly firing their Webleys at targets of opportunity.
*** Do NOT forget the immortality given to a Webley-Fosbury automatic revolver, due to a particular award-winning film noir entry!! The author thinks to that movie, “ZULU”, about the company of men at Rorke’s Rift, and their heroism.
#2 – .357 Magnum
These days, most guns chambered in .357 Magnum will likely see only a handful of true magnum loads. Most will be shot with .38 Special +P their entire lives, and never see the wear and tear of true magnum force. But the .357 Magnum is perhaps the most versatile cartridge in existence today. Loaded up with 200 grain hardcast bullets and it will kill most things that walk in North America, and yet loaded with 158 grain JHP it’s an effective and controllable self-defense round. Only its relatively short service life keeps it out of the number one spot.
*** Had it not been for the S and W .38/44 Outdoorsman, and folks like Elmer Keith, there would not have been the evolution from .38 Special, to .357 Magnum. The .38/44 Outdoorsman was what Elmer Keith used to create high powered .38 Special handloads, that could only be used in the N-frame sized Outdoorsman, and would make a niche for semi-wadcutter bullets, before the “registering” of the .357 magnum cartridge. Gen. G.S. Patton was an owner of such a ‘registered magnum’ revolver.
Got some #1’s, #2’s and a #9’s snubbies. Sold my #2’s and #3’s.
The .357 can’t be beat for fun. Exploding paint cans, swollen supermarket cans are just a few things you can do with that hand cannon.
For what it does and it’s availability I would say that the .22 LR is pretty good.