Been thinking, what is the best handgun calibre. Not best handgun. Best calibre for say target and combat.

 

You'll probably have to be more specific in your needs. Any round will put a hole through a target. A .45 will have the best stopping power. But if you want something to carry for defense, you'll have to consider how many rounds your weapon will hold. I picked .40 for a nice balance between stopping power and capacity.

 

If I had to pick just one caliper for target/combat , it would be a 9mm.

It will do the job in self-defense and is relatively cheap to fire at the range.

Personally, I wouldn't mind a S&W Model 500, or 105 howitzer

 

man , did you open a can of worms. thats like asking a golfer what is the
best club in his bag. gonna keep this short and say the 9mm glock if i
could own only one firearm. BTW i don't like the caliber or the platform.
dbr.

 

9mm is a great basic pistol, good prices on ammo as well as easy to find anywhere if needed. Not the best for stopping power, but some hollow points and they do the trick just fine.

 

Target? 9mm or .357Sig
combat? Are you going to Iraq, or just CCW?
Iraq answer: As big of a bore, with the hottest round you can buy!
CCW Answer: Find a nice .40 in a compact package. Personally, I'd avoid the Glocks loaded in .40 simply because they have a track record of coming apart. My preference would lean towards the Sig-Sauer, or a 1911 variant chambered for .40. The upside to the 1911 variant would be the ability to change out to .45 with a few minor swaps at a later date if you decide that the .40 doesn't have the punch you need.

Either way you go, 9mm/.357sig/.40/.45, you should spend a few hundred rounds on the range before you slip it into the holster and carry it. Get familiar with the loads you plan on keeping in the chamber. I run about 400 rounds to familiarize with the nuances of the weapon, then another 100-200 rounds of "duty" ammo just to familiarize myself with the recoil & noise. If you can go to an outdoor range and put a few mags through the gun, do so cautiously without hearing protection. The reason I suggest this is rarely will your opponent allow you the time to put hearing protection in/on before allowing you to dispatch his/her threat!

HTH,
Dave

 

im kind of a Noob to handguns, ive only shot 3 in my life, a ruger .22 semi target, a .357 S&W snubnose, and a Sig semi chambered in 9mm.

Of those 3, the 9mm was the funnest to shoot because of the semiautomatic action and the gun felt real nice in my hands. But, the .22 was by far the most accurate, and it doesnt cost much to send 500 or a thousand rounds through the barrel. and the .357 was just a beast to shoot. short barrel and large calibre equaled no fun!

 

[QUOTE=Dave S]combat? Are you going to Iraq, or just CCW?
Iraq answer: As big of a bore, with the hottest round you can buy!


I just got back from Iraq earlier this year and as far as I know they do NOT allow you to bring "personal" weapons over with you.

BTW Iraq really sucks.....

 

I don't doubt the personal weapons ban at all. I have heard, however, that "independant contractors" are not barred from procurring and taking personal weapons. I can only imagine that getting State Dep't approval and BATFE approval to bring it back would be hell-on-earth!

As far as Iraq sucking... I'd give my left (pick a part) to be able to go back over there and help finish the job we weren't allowed to do the first time! My hat is off to you, my fellow veteran. Thank you for the job you do, and thank you for keeping MY country free!

 

My thanks to you also my fellow Vet, by the way I am a SAILOR that has been part of the 1st Navy unit unit to receive the BIG RED 1 Combat patch, and it is indded my pleasure to help in keeping OUR country free.
GO NAVY BEAT ARMY.........

 

LazyK,
I noticed how you spelled caliber, took a look at your profile and see you are in the UK. I thought your former PM John Major took all your handguns quite awhile back?

Never the less, here's my take...
I have a "couple-few" pieces, revolver and semi.
Hands down, my favorite is a Taurus model 605 .357 with a 23/4 inch barrel.

To "play" with at the range I can use .38 loads or .357.
For CCW it is small and fits nicely anywhere and is light.
For the nightstand I use .38 loads, I don't need the extra muzzle flash of a magnum blinding me at night.
For CCW I use .357.

I think whatever weapon you have in your hands is better than no weapon, even a .22 is a lethal weapon in the right hands. It's all in what you plan to do with it. With a heavy coat you can pack a Desert Eagle .50 cal (one would ask WHY?). Shorts and a t-shirt you can't. That's the time for a snubbie in an elastic waistband holster system.
It all comes down to what you are able to become skillful with, be able to afford and be able to comfortably, legally conceal.

If you're looking for home defense purposes, a Mossburg model 500 shotgun loaded with #9 birdshot. Why birdshot and not buckshot?
Simple, it's called penetration. Buckshot can and has gone through the house and injured a family member in another room or out of the house and into the neighbor's. The bird shot will totally tear up whatever it hits. It will go through one panel of sheet rock but not two. Homes have two pieces between rooms, so others are safe.

Read, understand and comply with all laws and obtain professional training before bringing a firearm home (if they let you).
Please.....

 

ABSOLUTELY...training is a MUST for all owners. It's not thegun that kills, it's the person who pulls the trigger.......

 

I can't believe I spelled caliber with a "p".

 

So, ya just put new brakes on yer ride, eh
Maybe you were watching Army of Darkness with Gort, the robot!
Hahahaha

 

I'm with Steve_250 on this question. If you are an inexperienced handgun owner you can't beat a .357. It is capable of covering a wide range of skill levels and use requirements.

If you want to remain inexperienced, by an exotic caliber that you can't afford ammo for.
Then you can fire a few rounds and put it in a drawer. With the .357 you can burn anything from cheap .38 special wad cutter reloads or cheap factory new .38 loads for a little more money. You can shoot these all day long without breaking the bank, which is exactly what you need to do if you plan to use the revolver for self defense.

Then you can work up to some hotter loads in .357 to find and familiarize yourself with your load of choice for defense use. You can also shoot .38 snake / rat shot from the .357.

There are a wide array of revolvers chambered for this versatile round so you need to decide which side of the coin you are leaning toward, target or defense to help narrow down barrel length, sight type, grip style and finish. I like to shoot targets just as well with my short barreled revolvers as with the pistols that I have that are so called target pistols. It?s a lot of fun.

I have many handguns both semi autos and revolvers but I still prefer a DA revolver for personal protection because they never jam, there is nothing to do except pull the trigger to make it work, and a misfire is cleared by simply pulling the trigger again. They do carry fewer rounds than a semi but if you need more than 5 or 6 you might need to seek honest work.

The dual caliber (.38 special / .357 magnum) feature as well as the wide variety of revolvers to handle it would make the .357 Magnum hard to beat for a one gun owner.

Gene