Posted on 05/24/2021 11:30:29 AM PDT by PROCON
Throughout history, many different handgun cartridges have been introduced. And there are many reasons cartridges find the graveyard. Some have lived long lives, others have had short but great runs, and some were doomed from birth to have an unloved existence. On this list, there are handgun loads that were bad ideas from the beginning and those that never lived up to their name. But, somewhere there’s someone, his two uncles, and their mother-in-law, who care about each and every one of them. Still, it doesn’t matter. With these cartridges, a little bit of love isn’t enough. These rounds are, or will soon be, about as dead as dead gets.
1. The 32 ACP: Lingering but unloved.
The .32 ACP has been overshadowed by the .380. Richard Mann
Though it was the original sidearm of secret agent James Bond, even the Walther PPK can’t turn the .32 ACP into anything reasonably approaching a decent self-defense cartridge. However, in 1899 when it was introduced, it was well regarded, and since then it may have been chambered in more handgun models than any other cartridge. At one time, the little .32 ACP was very popular, especially in Europe, where its one true claim to fame is being the cartridge that killed Adolf Hitler. But in 1908, when the .380 ACP was introduced, it began putting nails in the .32 ACP’s coffin. Today that coffin is well sealed and all but buried. James Bond has moved on to other handguns and cartridges, and the rest of the world should follow his lead.
2. The .25 Auto: Better off with a shovel.
You’d have to be pretty optimistic to rely on a .25 Auto for self defense. Richard Mann
John Browning is possibly our greatest firearms designer. Not only did he give us the 1911 pistol, the 1894 Winchester rifle, and the Browning Auto-5 shotgun, he’s also responsible for the .45 Auto, and 50 BMG cartridges. But, in 1905 John Browning gave us something we would have probably been better off without—the .25 Auto. Its 45-grain bullet at 800 fps is anemic by any measure; a .22 Magnum is more powerful. My grandfather told me that back during prohibition when he was running shine, he watched a man empty a magazine of .25 Auto ammo into another man’s torso. That other man then went to his truck, got a shovel, and used that shovel to beat his attacker to death. And there you have it; you’re better off with a shovel than a .25 Auto. It wasn’t a good idea 116 years ago, and nothing has changed.
3. The .41 Magnum: The compromise no one wanted.
The .41 Magnum is the Goldilocks cartridge nobody is interested in anymore. Richard Mann
Introduced in 1964, the .41 Magnum was intended to be the ideal hunting handgun cartridge. It was also thought that cops who couldn’t handle .44 Mangum recoil would find it more appealing than the .357 Magnum. With support from the great Elmer Keith, the .41 Magnum was supposed to bridge the gap between the .357 and .44 Magnums. Though a few police departments adopted it, and a handful of hunters seemed to love it, it never fully developed any mass appeal. Today, with the proliferation of 10mm pistols and revolvers that offer great terminal performance with less recoil, it would appear that the .41 Magnum is headed for extinction. The .357 Magnum is easier to shoot, the .44 Magnum hits harder, and there’s just not enough Elmer Keith disciples left to appreciate or really need the compromise the .41 Magnum offers.
4. The .32 H&R Magnum: Not magnum enough.
The .32 H&R Magnum just doesn’t have enough oomph to keep handgun hunters’ attention. Richard Mann
Introduced in 1982, the .32 H&R Magnum was a wonderful addition to Ruger’s Single Six. It offered more power than the .22 LR and the .22 Magnum, and it did not increase the size of the revolver. Unfortunately, as the .327 Federal Magnum has shown, the increase in power the .32 H&R Magnum offered was less than it should have been. The .32 H&R did develop a cult-like following, but it has struggled to survive since it was birthed. Common 85-grain .32 H&R Magnum loads have a muzzle velocity of about 1100 fps and generate about 220 foot-pounds of energy. By comparison, a 100-grain .327 Federal Magnum load has a velocity of about 1500 fps and will generate 500 foot-pounds of energy. Even though .32 H&R Magnum ammunition makes great light-recoiling practice loads for the fire-breathing .327, by itself it just never was “magnum” enough. Since it’s based on the .32 S&W Long, maybe a better name for it would have been the “.32 Extra Long.”
5. The .40 S&W: The FBI kills its own baby.
The once-popular .40 S&W is fading into the background. Richard Mann
A 1986 shootout in Miami left the FBI looking to swap the 9mm for another duty cartridge. Maybe the FBI was partly influenced by suave Miami Vice character Sonny Crocket who carried a Bren Ten, but they ended up choosing the 10mm and a new service pistol, the S&W Model 1076. Ultimately, the Bureau had issues with the Model 1076, and they settled on the 40 S&W, which is essentially a 10mm short. This new .40-caliber cartridge could use high-capacity magazines like a 9mm and hit hard like a .45 Auto. The cartridge took law enforcement by storm, and soon cops and concealed carriers nationwide had the ultimate compromise cartridge. But nothing lasts forever. Shooters struggled to get good hits with the .40, and years of ammunition development advanced the lighter-recoiling 9mm’s terminal performance. In 2015, the FBI returned to the cartridge that failed them in 1986 and essentially killed the .40 S&W. Ironically, as the cartridge fades into forgottenness, its father—the 10mm—is once again climbing to stardom.
I can, um, store them for you if you wish.
Just tie a big ribbon 'round 'em & throw 'em out the plane window one of these days?
The meat target results suggest otherwise. (time index 10:50 or so). As you can see, about the same penetration as .357 magnum in this test (albeit with less damage done via tissue shock).
Actually I found more, but still, I figure both the gun and carts are popular - must be a lot of them out there. I like mine better than the stupid H&K they issued us with.
And yet the 22lr is the Mossad weapon of choice for assassinations.
Read some where tat according to FBI stats no one who defended himself with a 22 has ever been killed by the perp. Most all of the perps I assume abandoned the attack.
Plenty of .40 S&W pistols around to keep this cartridge alive. As Mark Twain would say...rumors of its death are greatly exaggerated.
Bought a pair of them with cross draw holsters from lav swat detective many years ago. Polished & jeweled with six mags. Mags were going for $150 each, if you could find them.
Took both to a 1911 armorer and asked him to take them apart and put together the best pistol. He’d never fired one and said he’d do the work of I fired them first while he watched. He was very excited after I fired them and couldn’t n wait to shoot them. Like a kid in a candy shop, he kept saying; day Um
He built a nice pistol, but they were evenly matched. 3.5 lbs trigger pull that breaks crisp and is dead accurate for each of them.
Kept four mags.
Sold that other with two mags, which still shot great and same trigger for market value and my pistol with four mags ended up costing me less that $900.
Wish I’d never sold it, but it helped pay off credit card debt last year.
If you ever get a chance to shoot the .357 you will be very impressed. Long slide action and long front to rear grip due to long.357 brass makes it a solid grip with very predictable return to sight picture. MUST have large hands though. They breath fire! BBQ a face off if you miss. No loss of ME, like in a revolver due to gases escaping between the cylinder and forcing cone. Most powerful.357 ever owned.
I miss it
Used to bet my buddies when we went to the range...”guarantee someone with chase the ejected brass to try and figure out what it is or someone WILL ASK what it is” incredible percussion...sounded like 454 casul. Should have named it a cannon, instead of after Dan Coonan
I never lost that bet for beers =o)
It might not look as sexy as some of my other guns, but my H&K USP .40 is the best handling handgun I have ever owned. The design, ergonomics and function are perfect.
From what I have heard, the bullet hit the side of the Beast and flattened into a disk that glanced off and hit Reagan.
The reports at the time said the bullet just missed his heart.
I heard that if narrowly missed slicing his aortic valve.
Aortic artery.
That would have been fatal.
I don’t like the trigger pull; it goes almost all the way back before it fires while my Smith .40 moves maybe a quarter inch.
.38+P JHP is
My Favorite
In a 4 inch
Revolver,,
Follow up
Shots are
Spot On!
I’m looking for something with longer barrel and with option to shoot .357 too.
I might settle for a 38 +P but there is so little difference in cost it is not really worth it to not have that option.
I like Ruger Revolvers. Preferably Blackhawks, because of their slow twist on rifling and ability to shoot cast lead bullets without leading.
Cheap shooting.
I reload 5 rifle calibers and 38/357 and 221 fireball pistol.
I have 9mm, but don’t reload for it. I really don’t like 9mm.
And mine is a collectors item. Should really not be shot. It is in almost mint condition. Hardly fired.
Also load 20 ga. and 12 ga. shot shells.
If I walked up with a .22LR handgun, would you let me shoot you in the foot? How about the chest? Head?
If not, why not?
Yep. I've watched a lot of YT videos of people who defend themselves with a firearm and without exception, as soon as a gun comes out, everyone dives for cover.
No one stops to check the caliber.
That was not your original assertion.
Your assertion was nobody cares about caliber because once the gun is shown, everyone scatters.
But not the guy with a 9mm/.40/.357/.45 in his hand, or 5ft away with a knife, or even baseball bat. Or multiple other aggressor scenarios.
In the 3 above, a .22 will not save your life. Even if the aggressor dies a half hour later. Because it is a proven weakling against an armed and determined aggressor.
So your question is a non sequitur.
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