Most useful Six Gun Cartridge ?

[am44mag]

44 Mag is the most useful to me. It, and 44 Special can be load to fit into a lot of different loads. Small, medium, and large game, self defense, bear defense, target shooting, ect. It's an extremely versatile round.

Out of a rifle, it can really do some damage to whatever it hits. One of my favorite hot loads is a hefty load of H110 behind a 200gr bullet. Out of my 20" barrel, I'm getting just over 2000 FPS. It kicks hard and hits like Thor's hammer.

[DHDeal]

For a fact, the 44 Magnum is the most useful. The 357 Magnum also the most useful, and lastly the 45 Colt is just as useful and the other 2 mentioned. I don't have a 41 Magnum right now but it is probably a most useful cartridge too.

Oh nevermind....

[KCSO]

I mostly use a field gun for taking an occasional rabbit, squirrel or clearing out vermin, coyotes at closer ranges. Since I got my wife a 32 H and R mag ruger I kinda got hooked and now my field gun is a 32-20 SAA. It will finish off deer hogs ect and is a great small game gun and accurate too boot.

[Rodfac]

Geez I'd like to agree with you Art, as your .44 Special choice is my hands down favorite large-bore caliber, but considering factory fresh commercial availability, I'd have to choose the .357 Magnum as the most useful. Useful is the key word here...if you can't buy 'em over the counter easily, useful it is not.

While I find the .44 Special easier to find a truly excellent load, and its LSWC bullets of several weights are uniformly accurate and easy to cast, it's a handloader's proposition for sure. I've found it more accurate in my guns (Rugers and a Smith M24) than the .357 (an even half dozen between my son and I) is only as good as my .44's with full wadcutter target rounds of low power.

All that said, you can go into any Walmart coast to coast, and find good enough factory rounds for any purpose from targets to CC use, to deer hunting and handloading just expands that usefulness.

Love my .44's but...for the average Joe who's not into handloading, & with a greater choice of weapons, the .357 is a better bet.

JMHO, and YMMv...Rod

[USSR]

All that said, you can go into any Walmart coast to coast, and find good enough factory rounds for any purpose from targets to deer.

As Inspector Clouseau says "Not any more".

Don

[rking22]

I agree the 44Special is impractical using factory loads, or equilivent and the 357 wins, but... Back at post 19 the op stated that reloading only, never buy revolver loads. So, I believe that would put you in the 44 camp

[wildcatter]

I said 45 Colt because I didn't think we were talking about best for anything! Question was for "ONE ALL ROUND CALIBER"

I don't care if it's from a Rifle or handgun, from over 40 years using the 45 Colt in every category, small game to earth's largest, and self defense;

what else can shoot 45 acp rimmed power levels, 45 cowboy, 45 ruger only and 5/8 oz shot loads to work from mild to wild all in one revolver? Maybe the 460, but no practical weapon to conceal for that makes me stop at 45 Colt, but many are not talking about EVERYTHING WITH ONE CALIBER!

SELF DEFENSE


SMALLEST OF GAME AND STILL EDIBLE



MEDIUM GAME TO DEAR AND ANTELOPE 270 GRAIN CAST


EVEN DANGEROUS GAME WITH POWER TO BUST THE LARGEST BONES AND PENETRATE DEEP, i WILL USE MY OWN 340 HARD CAST THAT, OR SOLID BRASS PUNCH BULLETS, THEY WILL GO OUT THE OTHER SIDE LEAVING NEARLY A 1/2 HOLE ALL THE WAY THROUGH! AT NEARLY 1300 FPS, ON THE REALLY BIG STUFF


If one gun were included to the statement most useful six gun, that 5.5" Bisley would be my only logical choice far everything with one caliber, but the Bond makes concealing sweeter than a J-Frame and way more effective,, in skilled hands! For me in 40 years I have never found anything to cover, everything, as well. But have always found one thing or another than can do individual things better!

If not, what else will do all this. I suppose only the 454 could do all that and more, with all the variables mentioned above, or loaded up and down in one gun, so maybe best over all, should be the 454, since the Alaskan is not that much bigger than some carry like the Service Six as seen here??? But forget the pocket pistol, more than needed up top, but not enough for compact carry??? I just know the answer is a 45,,, for me its common sense.

[gwpercle]

41 special / 41 magnum all fired from the S&W model 58 in my avatar .
Load it up , load it down , NOE makes wadcutter moulds and Keith SWC moulds ,
Add a lever action rifle and you can cover a lot of bases with that outfit .
Gary

[LAH]

Wildcatter I like the way you answer a question.