Caliber War Thread

[BLACKHAWKNJ]

I wonder how many UK/Commonwealth soldiers complained about the lack of stopping power of their .380/200 aka 38 S&Ws ? Bill Jordan said the 38 Special is the most powerful round the average man-i.e. most of us-can hope to master, need to re-read my Charlie Askins books but IIRC he never discussed man-stopper calibers.

 

[I like star wars]

.22-.25-.32acp-.38spl-9mm-.357magnum caliber war Im a lover not a fighter

 

[trekker73]

Great thread by the OP. Im a fan of minimal as well. 22LR, 38 special. I did a fair bit of research on 38 special JHP projectiles that actually expand at 38 speeds, since most wont.
What won out was the Remington golden sabre 125grain SJHP(825-850fps), then the speer 135grain gold dot HP(850-875fps), next probably the remington 125 gn SJHP. This last one needs more +P power, aka about 930fps min to expand,( which remington +P UMC ammo does) and when it does, wow, the nose fragments and the rest of the bullet penetrates. Also the 110FTX in factory ammo. Surprisingly of all the XTP bullets in this cal the 158xtp HP grain starts expansion earliest( its not a softer bullet than the others over all, but its nose will peel back before the 110, 125 every time). It needs closer to 1000fps so not your standard 38 load.
There were some factory options I didnt get my hands on to try.

I also used these bullets for medium game in levers. Dont tell anyone but the 135 grain speer and rem 125 SJHP at 1200-1300fps( which is what the factory UMC ammo runs out of the longer barrel) put small hogs down with authority

 

[brutus51]

Not to change the subject but did Gaston Glock have a masters degree in ugly?

 

[WrongHanded]

Not to change the subject but did Gaston Glock have a masters degree in ugly?

No, that was his associates degree. His masters was in marketing.

 

[Old_Grouch]

Obviously the .30 Super Carry is the absolute best handgun cartridge. It's the newest, ergo it must be better than anything else. If not why was it invented? Now, if anybody ever necks the .38/45 Clerke up to .45 caliber we'll really have something.
As far as rifles go, I don't think anyone can argue against the undisputed king; the .22 Eargesplitten Loudenboomer.

 

[Tallball]

I think it's a darned shame that no one has mentioned 10mm. I'll give it a try.

There was a terrible FBI tragedy, and the administrators had to pretend that they'd done something afterwards.

A fun thing about administrators is that they rarely learn anything. In the 70's or so, when the effectiveness of 38 special was being doubted, 357 magnum was sort of an answer for that "problem". The solution came with problems of its own, notably that 357 magnum can be challenging to shoot quickly and accurately.

If 38 special wasn't good enough, there was 9mm. But 9mm is basically rimless 38 special +P. The administrators brilliantly cogitated the amazing fact that 10 millimeters is bigger than 9! That would show all of those busybodies out there that the administrators were doing something. They were giving each agent an extra millimeter!

But since the 10mm is a whole lot like 357 magnum in an autoloading pistol, it came with similar problems, most importantly that it isn't easy to shoot well, and many LEO aren't "gun people". Yes, the administrators had not learned anything. Shocking surprise!

Apparently there was some more cranial/rectal inversion, and the ultimate answer to the problem (that was the answer to the problem) was 40 caliber S&W.

In case you've forgotten, those are the pistols that all of the LE agencies were ditching like a farmer's field a few years ago. You could get one for $70 and a pack of gum. And that was the improvement over 10mm.

 

[jak67429]

I have put numerus 1000+ pound bovines down with 1 shot from a 22mag pistol. also a lot of 500+ pond swine. so a 22 mag is all you need.

 

[Agsalaska]

I have no idea why people still shoot .45ACP. The .45 Gap made it obsolete years ago.

 

[WisBorn]

The only GAP I have seen was the space between the ears of the people that bought the .45Gap.

(Me bad)

 

[WrongHanded]

I think it's a darned shame that no one has mentioned 10mm. I'll give it a try.

You've gone too far. Sasquatch angry!

But seriously, it's hard to make fun of the 10mm Auto. After all, it is the best auto loading handgun cartridge in the world. Ever.

 

[WisBorn]

You've gone too far. Sasquatch angry!

But seriously, it's hard to make fun of the 10mm Auto. After all, it is the best auto loading handgun cartridge in the world. Ever.

You mean after the 45acp

 

[tubeshooter]

Well, what with 9mm being so cheap and everywhere and all, I don't see why a body would need anything else.

Because isn't caliber about being in the absolute best shape to lay down the most 2-legged critters necessary with the most possible strong-enuf ammo on tap? Isn't that any and everything??


Nothing else matters.
Everything else is time wasted.
Check the memo if you didn't get it.

If you run into something in the woods, enough of them will get it done.
You have plenty available.
Capacity will cure everything.
Who knows? Maybe .30SC is even more betterer.



Oh yeah, and every grain of powder you drop into a fired case is good for your soul.
If you only buy factory - you ain't right!

...or at least it may not fit with where you sit in this "gun" hobby...

 

[Choctaw]

You mean after the 45acp

The 45 ACP is a decent entry level round for novices and ne'er-do-wells, but the 10mm is the bee's knees.

 

[WrongHanded]

You mean after the 45acp

Exactly!

Let me tell you a little story. It's 1982, and 45acp is the best auto loading handgun cartridge ever created. It is simply amazing. But oh wait! What's this? 1983, you say? With the 10mm Auto, you say? The new best ever auto loading handgun cartridge in the world, you say?!

Oh my! And the world was forever changed for the better. So yes, 10mm (the best ever) did come after the .45acp.

Legend also tells that when loaded to its original potential, it's more powerful than factory loaded .44 Magnum. And it's probably true, because I read it on the internet.

 

[cfullgraf]

Is it too late for me to start shooting the .400 Corbon in my 1911s? Does anyone still do that? It would be the only handgun chambering besides .45 ACP and 9mm I would be interested in at this time.

I have two 1911's chambered in 38/45 Clerke. I enjoy shooting something bit different in a 1911 than the old 45 ACP or 9x19 standbys.

 

[cfullgraf]

Well, what with 9mm being so cheap and everywhere and all, I don't see why a body would need anything else.

As I said earlier, if it goes bang, I like it. The platform a cartridge is shot in is as important to me as the cartridge itself.

357 Magnum is an awesome cartridge, but there are just not many semi-auto guns built for that cartridge.

Conversely, a 1911 is an awesome firearm, but not many versions are chambered for revolver cartridges.

 

[CDW4ME]

357 Sig/10mm - stepped into battle with some LE support but ultimately regulated to niche caliber.

I think it's a darned shame that no one has mentioned 10mm.

 

[DR505]

I am having a nomenclature war…caliber is bore diameter, a cartridge is something entirely different. The .45 ACP, .45 Colt, and .454 Casull are all .45 Caliber but different Cartridges!

 

[WisBorn]

Exactly!

Let me tell you a little story. It's 1982, and 45acp is the best auto loading handgun cartridge ever created. It is simply amazing. But oh wait! What's this? 1983, you say? With the 10mm Auto, you say? The new best ever auto loading handgun cartridge in the world, you say?!

Oh my! And the world was forever changed for the better. So yes, 10mm (the best ever) did come after the .45acp.

Legend also tells that when loaded to its original potential, it's more powerful than factory loaded .44 Magnum. And it's probably true, because I read it on the internet.

I suppose you read that the 10mm is more powerful than the 44mag and 41mag someplace other then THR!
Can I get a XDS/Shield sized 10mm

 

[Choctaw]

I am having a nomenclature war…caliber is bore diameter, a cartridge is something entirely different. The .45 ACP, .45 Colt, and .454 Casull are all .45 Caliber but different Cartridges!

I want to be your friend since you used the term 45 Colt instead of 45 Long Colt. You must be a learned man.

 

[Rodfac]

This old doggerel 'bout the .45 ACP says it all, from my viewpoint. It's from from Stebbin's book: "Pistols - a Modern Encyclopedia published by Stackpole in the 60's. Best Regards, Rod

LINES TO MY LADY .45

For wide open spaces a rifle's all right,
Where there's time, space, and distance, and plenty of light,
But for work on the instant, when the shooting is tight,
You can't get the slant with a rifle.

And I'll say that at times it's all very well,
But for deviltry, death, and the raising of hell,
The Colt .45 is unusually swell
And will go where you can't with a rifle.

You can splatter a dollar at seventy feet
With stunning precision that's pleasing and neat;
And I'll still make the claim that the Colt can't be beat
And will do what you can't with a rifle.

So when something is crashing the alders ahead,
And it's death to that brute, or you in its stead,
Let the Colt automat, the fist-filling gat, the chunky blue cat,
Chuck its competent lead.​

 

[CapnMac]

The 45 ACP is a decent entry level round for novices and ne'er-do-wells, but the 10mm is the bee's knees.

Until you move up to the .50gi

 

[Gerd33]

I considered arguing for the 45-70, but it didn't feel right since I sold my BFR a couple of years ago.

 

[Agsalaska]

I am having a nomenclature war…caliber is bore diameter, a cartridge is something entirely different. The .45 ACP, .45 Colt, and .454 Casull are all .45 Caliber but different Cartridges!

If you are having that battle going on in your head right now you are taking this thread WAY, WAY, WAY too seriously.