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Thread: Most useful Six Gun Cartridge ?

  1. #41
    Boolit Buddy
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    45 colt

  2. #42
    Boolit Buddy dakota's Avatar
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    44 Mag with 44spl loads to 44 mag loads

    But, I suppose I shoot light 357 and 38 more

    My most accurate pistol is a revolver - a Ruger Super Blackhawk 44 mag - 2" groups at 100 yards with nearly maximum loads 240 grain and GC. A lighter load in the same revolver 2 1/2" - no GC

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  3. #43
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    Most useful sixgun chambering? That's a tough call with a lot of mitigators based on your area and your needs. Arguments could be made for the 22 LR. Great small game cartridge, inexpensive, accurate, and shootable by anyone. Not ideal but can be pressed into self defense service. The same could be said for the 32 H&R and it might serve the role a little better in all areas.

    The 38 Special and 357 argument is certainly a valid one for much of NA. Small game, deer, self defense, low recoil, inexpensive, reloadable, very shootable. Vast variety of bullet weights both cast and jacketed.

    The 44 Special is a favorite of mine. In a 4 inch 696 or a 5.5 inch Bisley or New Frontier of the same length, I'd feel prepared for anything NA had to offer, including my home state of Alaska. I like the Charter Arms 44 Specials but they wouldn't qualify in my book as most useful simply because they are better suited to lighter loads than either the aforementioned revolvers will handle.

    I have often said I would be fine with a 44 Special as my one and only revolver and because I have a Bisley 5.5 inch so chambered could be content to spend the rest on my life with just it for all my revolver needs.

    Were I both pragmatic and revolverless, choosing one gun to do it all, and considering all the available options and my personal needs, I'd probably look really hard at a four inch S&W Mountain Gun in 41 or 43 magnum. With the nearly unlimited variety of bullet molds available, bullets of tremendous versatility can be created for either. And you are only limited by your personal needs and imagination on creating loads to serve your purposes.
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  4. #44
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    If Ruger had made a 4-5/8” Blackhawk in .44 magnum during my formative handgun years; I’d probably be less of a .41 magnum fan. But they didn’t. So, after owning 3 of the big honking weirdly gripped Super Blackhawks, I went with the compact Blackhawk powerhouse .41 and it became a lifetime favorite. No cult involved.

  5. #45
    Boolit Grand Master

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    I’m partial to the Goldilocks 41 Mag.

  6. #46
    Boolit Master LAH's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Todd N. View Post
    Most useful for what???
    I'm thinking most useful for you.

  7. #47
    Boolit Buddy tigweldit's Avatar
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    Got to agree with the .41 fans. Been shooting the same Ruger BH .41 for over 50 years. No complaints.

  8. #48
    Boolit Buddy frogleg's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Larry Gibson View Post
    ^^^^^^Concur^^^^^^
    Me Too.
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  9. #49
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    Interesting responses.

    There are endless factors that influence those choices. Most useful for what?, Your most useful gun or most useful handgun?, Your only gun ?, Where are you? Casting and handloading or factory ammo only?

    My very first instinct was 44 Special. Versatile and Accurate.
    The 44 magnum could stand in and be downloaded as needed.

    But those large framed revolvers are,.......well , large. So while the cartridge is useful (and the OP was asking about the cartridge and not the gun), the guns tend to be a bit on the large size.

    That turned me towards the 357 magnum and the 38 Special. The 38 Special is by far my favorite handgun cartridge. And because the OP asked about cartridges and not guns, I should say 357 magnum but..........I just have to go with my favorite - the 38 Special.

    The 38 Special lacks the top end performance of the 357 magnum but it excels almost everywhere else. It can fill many roles: self defense, small game hunting, target work and plinking. It uses less lead & powder than the big bores. The variety of excellent guns chambered for it are very numerous. It's just a great all-around cartridge. Sure, it falls short of the big bores for big game and the 357 mag exceeds its top end performance, but it does so many thing well that I can overlook those limitations.
    I admit, I have a bias but all of these discussions are rooted in some bias.

  10. #50
    Boolit Master
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    .41s work for me but I think anything that starts with .40 and above will work...

    Guy in Alaska just killed a charging 800# brown bear with two rounds from a Glock 20 10mm using a 200 grain hard cast that run around 1200 fps... If that will work most anything listed here will also... Big game hunting, small game hunting, plinking and just a fun trail gun will just depend on how big or small your gun needs to be...

    Bob

  11. #51
    Boolit Master
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    44 mag for me.
    I don't shoot my 44 mag much any more , cause I have so many calibers I enjoy shooting but if I picked one the 44 is proven to serve well for anything you could ask a pistol cartridge to do from defense against man or beast to hunting small game or large . There are others calibers that would do as well but the 44 mag seems to do the most in a reasonably comfortable to cary hand gun. Elmer did good.

  12. #52
    Boolit Master LAH's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Petrol & Powder View Post

    The 38 Special lacks the top end performance of the 357 magnum but it excels almost everywhere else. It can fill many roles: self defense, small game hunting, target work and plinking. It uses less lead & powder than the big bores. The variety of excellent guns chambered for it are very numerous. It's just a great all-around cartridge. Sure, it falls short of the big bores for big game and the 357 mag exceeds its top end performance, but it does so many thing well that I can overlook those limitations.
    Well said.

  13. #53
    Boolit Bub
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    For me it would be either 41 magnum or 10mm there in eastern Ky.

  14. #54
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    Quote Originally Posted by Petrol & Powder ...

    The 38 Special lacks the top end performance of the 357 magnum but it excels almost everywhere else. It can fill many roles: self defense, small game hunting, target work and plinking. It uses less lead & powder than the big bores. The variety of excellent guns chambered for it are very numerous. It's just a great all-around cartridge. Sure, it falls short of the big bores for big game and the 357 mag exceeds its top end performance, but it does so many things well that I can overlook those limitations.
    Quote Originally Posted by LAH View Post
    Well said.
    indeed. Click image for larger version. 

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    the ancient very late 19th century .38spl may be old school, born of black powder and lacking in whiz bang modern ballistics, however it is still a cartridge to be reckoned with even now in the 21st century. in a snubby it can be down right lethal for pocket carry self defense and stuck in the cylinder of a much longer snouted wheeler and loaded up +P it can hold its own for other endeavours, both serious and fun.

  15. #55
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    Because of pain and weakness in my hands a 357/38spc or 327fed would be my most useful.
    Aaron

  16. #56
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    I really think 327 federal has what it takes to replace the 38 special, however, 38 special is just too far entrenched in America.

    357 magnum is about as useful as it gets in a sixgun. You can load it up or down, or shoot 38 special. You can carry it every day, or you can hunt with it.

    Technically you could carry a 44 magnum every day, but most people disagree. 44 special has a great history, however, it is about my bottom pick for a good do-all cartridge.

  17. #57
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    45 Colt.

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  18. #58
    Boolit Master

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    Quote Originally Posted by tigweldit View Post
    Got to agree with the .41 fans. Been shooting the same Ruger BH .41 for over 50 years. No complaints.
    Here's a man that knows what works for him and sticks with it.
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  19. #59
    Boolit Buddy wildcatter's Avatar
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    I made this decision over 40 years ago when I got my first Blackhawk in 45 Colt. It made it an easy decision to part with my 357 and my 44 mag and invest heavily in 45 caliber molds, from 185 grains to 345 grains. Including a round ball mold. I had less power when needed for squirrel and rabbit, and more power for steel and big game if I wanted for top end hunting.

    This was before the 454, and after it's introduction I still had close to 454 performance, and when considering how hard you can push a hard cast and retain it's most useful performance, it will do anything the 454 will. Push a 340 or 350 grain hard cast over 1300 fps and you start risking a loss of lead and if to hard can actually fragment.

    So if 454 levels were needed, It can be had with the old Colt in a strong 5 shot Blackhawk with tight chambers, so close to say squirrel to Bison, and if more than that Colt can deliver, I would be far better off going to a 480 Ruger ot Linebaugh, but yer squirrel and rabbits mat skin out with a little less meat even loaded down.

    Today, 40 some years later I continue to confirm my choice for the single best revolver cartridge being the 45 Colt was more than optimistic,,,,, it was perfect. No cartridge in history was more ahead of it's time when introduced than the Old Reliable 45 Colt,,, except just maybe that Old 45/70 in a rifle,,, the Ruger #1 proved that as well!

    no doubt for sme a 41 mag will do what they need as long as they don't need dangerous big game power. Same could be said for the 327 federal in a GP-100 or Blackhawk, light loads or heavy, better for small game maybe, but if they venture larger than deer, marginal to unexceptable. For me from African plains, to downtown NY and backyard squirrel, nothing handles every situation better than the 45 Colt, many will work with some situations removed, but none better when only one cartridge can be used for all situations!

    One cartridge and these are my reason tops in every situation, small medium large.
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    If only one gun in that same cartridge I would air on the side of inbetween,,,, that 5.5" Bisley can be mild or wild depending on what I feed it!
    Click image for larger version. 

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    Last edited by wildcatter; 11-12-2019 at 04:35 PM.

  20. #60
    Boolit Buddy
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    Quote Originally Posted by wildcatter View Post
    I made this decision over 40 years ago when I got my first Blackhawk in 45 Colt. It made it an easy decision to part with my 357 and my 44 mag and invest heavily in 45 caliber molds, from 185 grains to 345 grains. Including a round ball mold. I had less power when needed for squirrel and rabbit, and more power for steel and big game if I wanted for top end hunting.

    This was before the 454, and after it's introduction I still had close to 454 performance, and when considering how hard you can push a hard cast and retain it's most useful performance, it will do anything the 454 will. Push a 340 or 350 grain hard cast over 1300 fps and you start risking a loss of lead and if to hard can actually fragment.

    So if 454 levels were needed, It can be had with the old Colt in a strong 5 shot Blackhawk with tight chambers, so close to say squirrel to Bison, and if more than that Colt can deliver, I would be far better off going to a 480 Ruger ot Linebaugh, but yer squirrel and rabbits mat skin out with a little less meat even loaded down.

    Today, 40 some years later I continue to confirm my choice for the single best revolver cartridge being the 45 Colt was more than optimistic,,,,, it was perfect. No cartridge in history was more ahead of it's time when introduced than the Old Reliable 45 Colt,,, except just maybe that Old 45/70 in a rifle,,, the Ruger #1 proved that as well!

    no doubt for sme a 41 mag will do what they need as long as they don't need dangerous big game power. Same could be said for the 327 federal in a GP-100 or Blackhawk, light loads or heavy, better for small game maybe, but if they venture larger than deer, marginal to unexceptable. For me from African plains, to downtown NY and backyard squirrel, nothing handles every situation better than the 45 Colt, many will work with some situations removed, but none better when only one cartridge can be used for all situations!
    well said

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Abbreviations used in Reloading

BP Bronze Point IMR Improved Military Rifle PTD Pointed
BR Bench Rest M Magnum RN Round Nose
BT Boat Tail PL Power-Lokt SP Soft Point
C Compressed Charge PR Primer SPCL Soft Point "Core-Lokt"
HP Hollow Point PSPCL Pointed Soft Point "Core Lokt" C.O.L. Cartridge Overall Length
PSP Pointed Soft Point Spz Spitzer Point SBT Spitzer Boat Tail
LRN Lead Round Nose LWC Lead Wad Cutter LSWC Lead Semi Wad Cutter
GC Gas Check