Most useful Six Gun Cartridge ?

[Green Frog]

.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

If I were going to be around charging brown bears the most useful handgun I can think of would be a Desert Eagle in 50 caliber, backed up by a large caliber rifle and a couple of friends with large caliber rifles as well. Better yet, I really like to avoid situations where I might encounter charging 800# bears!

OTOH, any of the original magnum cartridges from 357 to 41 to 44 would be likely to work for “normal” encounters. In fact, even the 327 FM mentioned earlier would take care of about 95% of the situations I would be likely to encounter, but of course YMMV!

Froggie

[jgt]

Make mine a 44. I carry a 44 special, but if I could only have one it would be a 44 magnum. My rifle would be a 444 Marlin if I could only have one.

[superior]

45 Colt. They called it the Wild West for a reason.

[P Flados]

The key to this discussion is really the "most useful" and what it means to a given person.

At one time, my "most useful" was my 327 Fed. The "use" was to let me shoot lots of ammo (both mild and wild) at a time I was having a hard time scrounging lead.

Over the years, there has been pretty much nothing that I have wanted to shoot with a handgun that a 357 would not take care of.

A 44 (SP or MAG), 454, and many 45 Colts can "do more" than a smaller gun, but only with the extra gun size and extra bullet weight.

Now, if I wanted a gun for big bear country I would go bigger. Otherwise, the 32s and 35s I shoot do just fine.

[Petander]

Most useful Six Gun Cartridge for me is the one I have a carbine for,too.

[Eddie Southgate]

.357 Mag no doubt .

[Shuz]

Without a doubt,.44 mag.Reasons being I have 10 of them in revolvers, both Smith and Ruger but I also keep them all stoked easily with my Dillon Square Deal B.

[Good Cheer]

Forty bore.

It's what I have the most use for.

[35 Whelen]

I am a HUGE fan of the .44 Special and own more revolvers in that caliber than any other, and load/shoot more .44 Specials in any given year than any other round. That said, the .357 is hands-down is my opinion the most useful cartridge. Loaded with light RN bullets at low velocity one can shoot small game without destroying meat, yet loads with 170-180 gr. bullets running full throttle can handle anything most of us will ever need handled. Last year a doe and a sow both met their end from the little Rossi .357 I keep loaded in the laundry room gun rack in case a coyote comes around for the chickens.

35W

[DougGuy]

The most useful handgun cartridge is the one that SAVES MY GRITS WHEN NEEDED!! The rest are just taking up space!

[rbuck351]

41 mag is all I will ever need. 200gr at 900fps, 225gr at 1500 or 270gr at 1200. Maybe the 44 or 45 will do something the 41 won't but I'm not sure what and I have them as well.

[DLM]

.44 Special with Skelton load for me. If I feel the need for more power I use .45 colt with Ruger only loads. Don't own a .44 mag.

[Three44s]

44 Mag

Three44s

[Lloyd Smale]

357=cant handle a 44? Great if you want to kill beer cans or are to bullheaded to admit your better off with a glock
41=44 mag wanabe with the same ammo problem as 45s. To me its like buying a camaro with a 6 cyl and trying to convince me your cool because its fast enough. ITS NOT. Its never caught on and pure and simple the reason is the 44 is better.
45= finicky 44 that's much harder to find ammo for especially if a variety of game from big to small is figured in. Yup one half of one percent of buyers have the knowledge and ability to make it a "TINY" bit more powerful then a 44 but if you hunt your whole life rotating back and forth between your 45 and 44 your never going to tell the difference. I know I never have.

Like was said I guess you have to factor in the MAIN use. If its a big game hunting round your looking for that can do double duty on smaller stuff then the 357 is about eliminated. If the biggest thing your going to shoot is a coyote then you don't need a 41 44 or 45. Self defense? Non of the above because today we have 9s 40s and 45s in platforms much better suited to self defense then a wheel gun. But if mouse to moose has to be factor in and it still has to be able to be counseled as a self defense gun then make my a 3 or 4 inch N frame in 44 mag. Added advantage is in a pinch I can buy ammo at Walmart or even some gas stations and if I don't need full power ammo I can shoot 44 specials without even having to roll my own. Next best choice is a K frame 357 for the same reasons. The 41 and 45 are those calibers that you been told all your life if you don't own one your not gun cool. But guys that have been there and done that and don't care if someone thinks there cool will about always gravitate back to a 44 mag. Why because it just works. Probably why 10 times more are sold then all the 41s and 45s combined.

[megasupermagnum]

I took it to mean, best overall cartridge for a revolver. Meaning for carry open, carry concealed, hunting big game and small, shooting at the range, ammo availability, etc. If you guys are carrying a N frame, Redhawk, or similar daily, good on you. If you are willing, then 44 magnum is viable. Since 99.5% of people are not willing to carry such a big heavy gun every day, a 357 magnum is available in any size gun. Hunting is such a broad venue. I don't consider whitetail deer big game, but a 357 magnum works great there. Plenty of people have killed moose and elk with 357 magnums. Thankfully we live in a place we are not forced to, but if push comes to shove, a 357 magnum is plenty capable with a good cast bullet. As a range gun, well, I don't see competition shooters with 44 magnums. Ammo availability is a big one for most people, and 357 magnum combined with 38 special are so far up that mountain they can't even see second place.

What's best for you is one thing, but for the "best overall sixgun cartridge" it's the 357 magnum. Nothing else is even close. It's been top dog since 1935.

[35remington]

The annoying thing is a large frame revolver is a PITA for daily carry compared to a medium frame size. Since I live in Nebraska a 357 revolver is the obvious better choice over an unnecessary large caliber revolver as a daily carry gun. Quite honestly a 38 Special would serve as well for most field use without the hearing loss of a magnum caliber. This is for shots of opportunity at vermin or self defense outside of regular hunting season.

During hunting season when I am serious I would carry something else, and likely not any handgun unless I have a doe tag to fill. Shots at a decent buck are chancy enough that handguns are not first choice. If hogs are on the menu a semi auto 308 rifle beats any handgun. I am expected to lay multiples low if I have such an opportunity and a handgun’s ability to hit moving hogs is near zero.

I think it evident for the above reasons that a powerful handgun has limited utility for day to day use. Accuracy shootability and packability are more relevant.

[USSR]

With such a vague term as "Most useful Six Gun Cartridge?", there is definitely not going to be consensus in opinion on this. However, I will say, since this is a forum dedicated to bullet casting and reloading, the better availability of store bought ammo for whatever cartridge trips your trigger is not really a factor. Just MHO.

Don

[Groo]

Groo here

Most useful Six Gun Cartridge? ,, What ever you have!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
If you talk hand loads,,, Any special or magnum, 38 or larger. [ in modern larger frame guns]
A special can be loaded up some or use a better bullet.
A magnum is same as above with the advantage of loading down to about the same level.
As targets/ use very , there is no do everything round.
We don't hunt big game [bear etc] with a 327 mag or Tree rats with a 44 [if you need to eat them]
There should be 2 levels , small game and large.

[LAH]

This is gettin' good.

[Pighunter]

41 Magnum gets my vote