If you could have only one handgun, what caliber would you pick?

CW5 Jack Cardwell — Thu, 01 Feb 2018 18:04:04 -0500

Response by Cpl Ivan Dominguez made Feb 1 at 2018 6:08 PM

Cpl Ivan Dominguez — Thu, 01 Feb 2018 18:08:15 -0500

I thought for sure that there would be some die-hard .45 caliber guys on here! 9mm is just so universal (and common), it's hard to beat.

Response by CW3 Harvey K. made Feb 1 at 2018 6:21 PM

CW3 Harvey K. — Thu, 01 Feb 2018 18:21:08 -0500

.45 ACP, because it is easier reloading the .45 case than the 9mm.

Response by SGT Jim Arnold made Feb 1 at 2018 6:29 PM

SGT Jim Arnold — Thu, 01 Feb 2018 18:29:33 -0500

I chose a cheap but effective 9mm that I can use in both my rifle and pistol with 1 type of round. much easier to carry 1k rounds and shoot 2 different weapons. I would of chosen the .357M but weapons are too expensive

Response by CPT Lawrence Cable made Feb 1 at 2018 6:54 PM

CPT Lawrence Cable — Thu, 01 Feb 2018 18:54:03 -0500

If I had to chose one for everything, I think a double action .357 Magmun with at least a 4" barrel, preferably a bit longer as a personal preference. Big enough to hunt medium size game, more than adequate for self defense, plus you can shoot .38 Special if you need something a bit lighter.

Response by Alan K. made Feb 1 at 2018 6:55 PM

Alan K. — Thu, 01 Feb 2018 18:55:07 -0500

Only one?.....My FN 5.7 A round for every purpose, even hunting if you had to. Dead flat to 100+ yards. I call it the "Gamechanger"

Response by CWO3 Dennis M. made Feb 1 at 2018 7:12 PM

CWO3 Dennis M. — Thu, 01 Feb 2018 19:12:20 -0500

.40 S&W all day long!

Response by SMSgt Thor Merich made Feb 1 at 2018 7:56 PM

SMSgt Thor Merich — Thu, 01 Feb 2018 19:56:52 -0500

Trick question. Some handguns shoot multiple calibers. For instance my S&W model 586 revolver will shoot both .38 Special and .357 Magnum. I own a S&W .460 that shoots 3 calibers without changing anything. It shoots the .45 Long Colt., .454 Casull, and the .460 S&W magnum.

If I had to choose only one, it would be my S&W 460V revolver. It has a 5" barrel so its easy to carry but can shoot any of the above calibers. If I am plinking, I shoot the .45LC cowboy. It's low velocity round, almost no recoil. For killing things, even really big things (think Kodiak bears), I will load the .460 Magnum round with a Hornady Custom FTX bullet. Its a 200 grain bullet with 2200 fps muzzle velocity. At 100 yards its still screaming at 1715 fps.

Response by TSgt George Rodriguez made Feb 1 at 2018 8:23 PM

TSgt George Rodriguez — Thu, 01 Feb 2018 20:23:12 -0500

I have a 44 magnum revolver and if that's the only gun that would be my choice. I do carry a 9mm as my every day carry.

Response by Cpl Mark McMiller made Feb 1 at 2018 8:27 PM

Cpl Mark McMiller — Thu, 01 Feb 2018 20:27:11 -0500

.45 ACP. The bigger the hole, the faster the bad guy bleeds out. I'm not buying the modern ammo makes 9mm as good as .45 bullshit.

Response by MSG Walter Rogers made Feb 1 at 2018 9:00 PM

MSG Walter Rogers — Thu, 01 Feb 2018 21:00:21 -0500

7.62 x39

Response by CPT Jack Durish made Feb 1 at 2018 9:11 PM

CPT Jack Durish — Thu, 01 Feb 2018 21:11:16 -0500

.22 mag... Not the man I used to be. Won't be out stalking terrorists, that's for sure. But, if ever I happen upon a bad guy, the .22 mag should be enough to enter a brain bucket and ricochet around until I get their attention.

Response by TSgt David L. made Feb 1 at 2018 9:51 PM

TSgt David L. — Thu, 01 Feb 2018 21:51:13 -0500

It's like a Unicorn! No such thing! Or Lays potato chips! Can't have just one!
Just to play along, 1911, .45ACP! LOL

Response by SSG(P) Dan Keene made Feb 1 at 2018 11:11 PM

SSG(P) Dan Keene — Thu, 01 Feb 2018 23:11:39 -0500

Only 1 pistol, I'd choose a 7 inch 10mm. It works for game and opposition.

Response by CSM Randall Wayt made Feb 1 at 2018 11:12 PM

CSM Randall Wayt — Thu, 01 Feb 2018 23:12:34 -0500

.45 acp. Because short, fat and slow will still do the job.

Response by GySgt John O'Donnell made Feb 2 at 2018 12:00 AM

GySgt John O'Donnell — Fri, 02 Feb 2018 00:00:14 -0500

9mm parabellum, because it is one of the most widely used cartridges in the World, can be used in a pistol or rifle, can take down small to medium, and is excellent in self defense role.

Response by SSgt Christopher Brose made Feb 2 at 2018 2:18 AM

SSgt Christopher Brose — Fri, 02 Feb 2018 02:18:35 -0500

I'd have to narrow the question down a little. Revolver or semi-auto? If it's a revolver, I'd probably go with a .357 -- between .357 ammo and .38 Special ammo, I'd be able to get ammo for it anywhere, and I know that a .357 will have all the knock-down power I'd need in most situations, including disabling an automobile engine if I decided that's what needed to happen.

For a semi-auto, I'd go with a 10mm. The ammo isn't nearly as universally available as 9mm or .45 or .40, but in this case, the benefits of the cartridge outweigh that consideration and make it the optimum choice for me. It's more powerful than any of those other cartridges, and more will fit in an equivalent .45 magazine.

Response by MSgt Private RallyPoint Member made Feb 2 at 2018 3:13 AM

MSgt Private RallyPoint Member — Fri, 02 Feb 2018 03:13:30 -0500

Probably must would say 9 mil because of availability. Others .45 acp bigger hole. Personally I like the .40 cal. I believe it does get overlooked quite often. Buffalo Bore also makes a nice 200 grain hard cast lead flat nose outdoorsman round for the .40.

But this is all subjective to personal experience or opinion.

Response by CWO3 Private RallyPoint Member made Feb 2 at 2018 4:08 AM

CWO3 Private RallyPoint Member — Fri, 02 Feb 2018 04:08:23 -0500

.357 is versatile and fairly effective, you can fire .38 for target to save money and get a rifle in same caliber and be set, there are more extreme calibers in handgun and long guns but this is a decent midpoint for most applications, I shoot a Dan Wesson model 14 and it's pretty accurate, if you factor in spouse she can fire .38 rounds or maybe consider 9 mm for both

Response by SPC Brett Curry made Feb 2 at 2018 5:57 AM

SPC Brett Curry — Fri, 02 Feb 2018 05:57:34 -0500

You can't beat the knock down power of a 45. The only caliber weapon made specifically for war, trench warfare at that.

Response by SGT David A. 'Cowboy' Groth made Feb 2 at 2018 6:10 AM

SGT David A. 'Cowboy' Groth — Fri, 02 Feb 2018 06:10:14 -0500

I'd go with a good .44 Colt.

Response by PO1 Private RallyPoint Member made Feb 2 at 2018 11:50 AM

PO1 Private RallyPoint Member — Fri, 02 Feb 2018 11:50:41 -0500

9mm is what I am most trained on (Beretta). I would rather be effective with a 9mm with 17 rounds then a 1911 with 7 or 8, though I do like .45 ACP.

Response by CMSgt David Allen made Feb 3 at 2018 5:08 PM

CMSgt David Allen — Sat, 03 Feb 2018 17:08:32 -0500

The .45 ACP has been my go to caliber the past 32-years. My favorite is the Sig Sauer P220. I like the 230 grain bullets. I use FMJ for range work, and JHP (Gold Dot) for EDC. The 9mm comes in 2nd with me, especially with the evolution of the ammo. I also occasionally carry either a Sig Sauer P225, or recently a Sig Sauer P320 Carry, both nice weapons.

Response by MSG Private RallyPoint Member made Feb 3 at 2018 9:07 PM

MSG Private RallyPoint Member — Sat, 03 Feb 2018 21:07:14 -0500

I have carried .38 cal revolver (S&W 66), .357 mag (S&W 686), 9mm (H&K P7M8, Sig P226, P228) and now .45 (Glock 21SF) with different agencies over the past 32 years. I have also carried .380 to .45 as an off duty or backup. The best revolver was a Colt Python, .357 mag. The most punishing on ears and accuracy was a S&W Mod 29 .44 mag.
In the end, I prefer a compact slim 9mm with a good hollow point +p ammo. My preference is the Springfield XDS. It is very reliable and highly concealable.

Response by Sgt Bobby Armentrout made Feb 5 at 2018 6:24 PM

Sgt Bobby Armentrout — Mon, 05 Feb 2018 18:24:13 -0500

Hands down the 9mm. The argument about which pistol round is best has been going on since before my grandfather was born. The FBI beat this horse to death about 20 or 25 years ago and came up with the following conclusions:

1) All pistol rounds basically suck.
2) Shot placement matters more than caliber

So when you consider the widespread availability of ammunition, the advances in terminal ballistics of the last 20-30 years (especially in this caliber), the fact that you can get more ammunition in the mag, and better accuracy with smaller shooters... I'll take my 9mm and 10 million rounds and practice, which is the really deciding factor most of the time anyway.

Response by LTJG Richard Bruce made Mar 2 at 2018 10:26 PM

LTJG Richard Bruce — Fri, 02 Mar 2018 22:26:58 -0500

Carried the standard mod1911 45cal during USCG service. Great sidearm, but I bought a Beretta M84 (Cheetah) for personal use. I liked the open slide design to prevent jams. I wanted a larger magazine (13 rounds). Liked the compact size. Quick field stripping make cleaning easier. Rounds (380) have less power, so I load hollow points.