Just to expand on Alpo's "Which Chambering" thread

[Sgt. C.J. Sabre, SASS #46770]

Which chambering for ANY handgun caliber? And you must explain yourself. 

As for me, I'd go with .357, since I could also use .38 Spl in it, and because I also have a rifle in .357. 

[Chickasaw Bill SASS #70001]

with the 357 , ya can use 

357 mag

38 Spec 

38 long colt 

38 colt short 

and many will chamber 38 S&W 

 

  CB 

[Cypress Sun]

9mm, only because the ammo is so plentiful. If I was relegated to revolver only, .357 of course.

[Rye Miles #13621]

1 hour ago, Sgt. C.J. Sabre, SASS #46770 said:

Which chambering for ANY handgun caliber? And you must explain yourself. 

As for me, I'd go with .357, since I could also use .38 Spl in it, and because I also have a rifle in .357. 

Yep .357 for me too. I have several revolvers in .357 in fact all my revolvers are .357 except for one lone .45 Colt 

I reload .38’s and I have a rifle in .357 also one in .38

[Colorado Coffinmaker]

 

Nope.  None of the above.  Nada.  Still have to go with 45 Colt.  Would also chamber and shoot Cowboy 45 Special and 45 Schofield cases.  Very versatile.

[Sgt. C.J. Sabre, SASS #46770]

6 minutes ago, Colorado Coffinmaker said:

Nope.  None of the above.  Nada.  

There's no wrong answer here. Consider it an opinion survey. 

[Alpo]

1 hour ago, Cypress Sun said:

9mm, only because the ammo is so plentiful. If I was relegated to revolver only

Can still have 9 mm. Just got to work at it.

 

[Chickasaw Bill SASS #70001]

or ya can get a Ruger Blackhawk convertible 357 / 9mm 

seems as they came in 4 5/8 and 6 1/2 in barrels 

 

  CB 

  

[Pat Riot]

.357 Magnum. It has always been one of my favorites right along with .38 Special. 
It’s a great self and home defense round. I could use it for hunting small and medium game and whitetail deer. And I can shoot .38 Special in the same guns. 

[Subdeacon Joe]

First choice I think would be something chambered in .357 Magnum.  Lots of versatility in what you can feed it, therefore plentiful ammo.  Decent power for most applications.

Second choice would be .22 LR.  Lots of ammo availability, low weight, low cost, can be used for small game, and even medium game with proper shot placement.  Short on power for defense against human predators, but when you figure that most self-defense uses don't involve pulling the trigger it's not likely to become an issue.  If it does, 6 or more shots to the face should "discourage" an attacker.

[Cypress Sun]

10 minutes ago, Alpo said:

Can still have 9 mm. Just got to work at it.

 

 

For sure, 9mm in a revolver is entirely feasible as you have shown above and Bill shows below. I had a .357/9mm Blackhawk at one time. Don't remember why I sold it.

7 minutes ago, Chickasaw Bill SASS #70001 said:

or ya can get a Ruger Blackhawk convertible 357 / 9mm 

seems as they came in 4 5/8 and 6 1/2 in barrels 

 

  CB 

  

 

[Cypress Sun]

1 minute ago, Subdeacon Joe said:

First choice I think would be something chambered in .357 Magnum.  Lots of versatility in what you can feed it, therefore plentiful ammo.  Decent power for most applications.

Second choice would be .22 LR.  Lots of ammo availability, low weight, low cost, can be used for small game, and even medium game with proper shot placement.  Short on power for defense against human predators, but when you figure that most self-defense uses don't involve pulling the trigger it's not likely to become an issue.  If it does, 6 or more shots to the face should "discourage" an attacker.

 

I've never met or heard of anyone that wanted a 1/4" hole in themselves, let alone 6, 9 or 10 of them.

[Duffield, SASS #23454]

.41 Magnum

[Pat Riot]

1 hour ago, Colorado Coffinmaker said:

 

Nope.  None of the above.  Nada.  Still have to go with 45 Colt.  Would also chamber and shoot Cowboy 45 Special and 45 Schofield cases.  Very versatile.

I did have a mental debate on choosing .45 Colt. I just have more options in my personal gun collection with .357 than .45. I really want to get another .45 Colt rifle. 

[Cold Lake Kid, SASS # 51474]

9mm up here. Lots of military obtainable and/or re-loadable.

.357 for a second choice, but likely to become more unavailable due to our political climate.

[Chickasaw Bill SASS #70001]

stock up on components 

secure the same 

don't let anyone know ya got em or where they are 

 

  CB    

 

 

[Injun Ryder, SASS #36201L]

I guess it would be 45 S&W (Schofield) as that is the caliber for which I have the most revolvers. And, I can use them in my 45 Colt firearms..

[Sgt. C.J. Sabre, SASS #46770]

59 minutes ago, Duffield, SASS #23454 said:

.41 Magnum

Why?

[ORNERY OAF]

454 Casull..why? Cause 300g at 1650fps and 1800ft pounds of energy.......i reload, I have a cool ruger custom blackhawk. Ever hit steels with a 454? Guaranteed smiles....just not too many, Guaranteed sore hand

[Pat Riot]

Something else I wanted to mention but forgot until I read the post by @ORNERY OAF
I also picked .357 (.38) because the older I get the less my wrists and hands can take hard recoiling or snappy recoiling rounds or guns. I can handle a .357 in my GP100. I don’t think I could deal with .454 Casull or .41 & .44 Magnums or 10mm in a semiauto. 
The most punishing pistol I ever fired was a Kel Tec P3AT in .380.  That thing was a little 8 ounce devil. Great to carry but a real pain to shoot, literally. 

[Yul Lose]

.45 Colt even before SASS I had a fascination with it. When I was a kid growing up in the panhandle of Nebraska, my grandfather, who was born in 1881 had a small room that he lived in and it was right on my way home from school. I stopped and visited with him nearly everyday on my way home from school. On many occasions he’d have his old Colt SAA out and that thing was just amazing to me.  Those big old bullets were like fine jewelry. When I got into CAS it was .45 Colt although now most of my CAS guns are 44-40. I have a pair of Ruger Old Armies and I run .45 Colt, Cowboy .45 Special and .45 Scofield through them.

[Rye Miles #13621]

10 hours ago, Subdeacon Joe said:

First choice I think would be something chambered in .357 Magnum.  Lots of versatility in what you can feed it, therefore plentiful ammo.  Decent power for most applications.

Second choice would be .22 LR.  Lots of ammo availability, low weight, low cost, can be used for small game, and even medium game with proper shot placement.  Short on power for defense against human predators, but when you figure that most self-defense uses don't involve pulling the trigger it's not likely to become an issue.  If it does, 6 or more shots to the face should "discourage" an attacker.

I agree a couple .22’s in the face of an intruder would stop them!

[Duffield, SASS #23454]

9 hours ago, Sgt. C.J. Sabre, SASS #46770 said:

Why?

Excellent balance of power and control, flat trajectory  and accurate.

[Smuteye John SASS#24774]

11 hours ago, Duffield, SASS #23454 said:

.41 Magnum

.30 Super Carry!

[Rye Miles #13621]

10 hours ago, Pat Riot said:

Something else I wanted to mention but forgot until I read the post by @ORNERY OAF
I also picked .357 (.38) because the older I get the less my wrists and hands can take hard recoiling or snappy recoiling rounds or guns. I can handle a .357 in my GP100. I don’t think I could deal with .454 Casull or .41 & .44 Magnums or 10mm in a semiauto. 
The most punishing pistol I ever fired was a Kel Tec P3AT in .380.  That thing was a little 8 ounce devil. Great to carry but a real pain to shoot, literally. 

I hear ya about the wrists and hands. The only .357 revolver I have that handles .357's well  is my S&W Model 19, the others I shoot .38's

[Sgt. C.J. Sabre, SASS #46770]

2 hours ago, Duffield, SASS #23454 said:

Excellent balance of power and control, flat trajectory  and accurate.

All good reasons to have a .41, but I'm not sure I would pick it to be the only caliber I would ever have. 

[LawMan Mark, SASS #57095L]

45 ACP. 

[ORNERY OAF]

11 hours ago, Pat Riot said:

Something else I wanted to mention but forgot until I read the post by @ORNERY OAF
I also picked .357 (.38) because the older I get the less my wrists and hands can take hard recoiling or snappy recoiling rounds or guns. I can handle a .357 in my GP100. I don’t think I could deal with .454 Casull or .41 & .44 Magnums or 10mm in a semiauto. 
The most punishing pistol I ever fired was a Kel Tec P3AT in .380.  That thing was a little 8 ounce devil. Great to carry but a real pain to shoot, literally. 

Pat, that logic is not lost on me, especially as I get older, ...my EDC is still an FNX-10, 10mm with full house loads or an fnx45... But when I get up in the morning, my hands remind me that will not always be so....they say "hey,break out the new hi-power"..lol.

 

[Pat Riot]

11 minutes ago, ORNERY OAF said:

Pat, that logic is not lost on me, especially as I get older, ...my EDC is still an FNX-10, 10mm with full house loads or an fnx45... But when I get up in the morning, my hands remind me that will not always be so....they say "hey,break out the new hi-power"..lol.

 

Try Icy Hot “Lidocaine” roll-on on your hands. It really helps and it doesn’t get hot and it’s nearly odorless. It really helps me. 
 

 

Sorry for the diversion Gents…carry on. 

[Smuteye John SASS#24774]

Gonna be a long winter if we're seeing cabin fever posts this early.

[Yellowhouse Sam # 25171]

12 hours ago, Sgt. C.J. Sabre, SASS #46770 said:

Why?

Because having a 41 means no one will want to borrow ammo. 

[Creeker, SASS #43022]

I only get a singular caliber?

From now till forever?

22 Long Rifle.  There is no other choice (excepting the other two I list).

 

Ammo choices from CB caps and Subsonics for "Intrapersonal" purposes.

Assuming - we are not wanting to draw attention to ourselves.

Hypervelocity hollow point rounds for taking game or distance. 

 

Depending on "why" we are limited to one caliber (assuming the SHTF - the 22lr is plenty capable of dispatching deer; and since I'm not allowing myself or family to go hungry - I'm not above a night time spotlight hunt).

 

22 LR is lightweight for easy carry of plentiful rounds.

 

Firearm choices include numerous revolver or semi auto pistols. (Smith 17/ 18 or 41, Ruger Mk series, etc.)

And I would hard pressed to find a better all around rifle than my scoped custom Ruger 10/22 with hi capacity magazines.

 

And I have quite a few thousands of rounds already; so...

 

2nd choice would be 9mm.

Plentiful ammo.

Multiple platforms - handgun and semi auto rifle/ carbine to run it thru.

 

3rd choice

12g

Plentiful ammo

Versatile "chambering" with everything from birdshot to slugs.

Carried in an extendee tube modern pump shotgun for reliability across all loadings.

 

[Michigan Slim]

7 hours ago, Pat Riot said:

Try Icy Hot “Lidocaine” roll-on on your hands. It really helps and it doesn’t get hot and it’s nearly odorless. It really helps me. 
 

 

Sorry for the diversion Gents…carry on. 

Can you buy that by the drum? Enough to fill the bathtub would be good.

[Michigan Slim]

I would take my .44 mag if I had to choose. Mouse to moose, I'd be covered. I have a good selection of rifles and Blackhawks to choose from. Using some at the match I'm at now.

[Capt. R. Hugh Kidnme]

22 minutes ago, Michigan Slim said:

I would take my .44 mag if I had to choose. Mouse to moose, I'd be covered. I have a good selection of rifles and Blackhawks to choose from. Using some at the match I'm at now.

Slim,

 

 You don't get anything for your grill, if you shoot a mouse with .44 mag. Don't ask me how I know.........