Question for the gun experts: Best handgun cartridge?

[FNBrown]

Originally posted by jdd2007
guns suck!

stupid conservative gunfreaks:

hunting is ok every once in a while, people having 1 handgun i can live with, but no one should own multiple firearms...

An armed society is a polite society.

[jdd2007]

Originally posted by korn469
jdd2007

thanks for the bump if nothing else

no problem

*bump*

[Seneca]

I wasn't brought up to earn respect through the implicit threat of force, but there you go....

[jdd2007]

Originally posted by FNBrown


An armed society is a polite society.

thats why people in the US are so kind

[Ming]

If you are just going to spam this thread... don't bother.

[jdd2007]

[last post in the thread]

ok, ming

[last comment before leaving]

stupid gunfreaks...

[Ming]

Originally posted by jdd2007
[last post in the thread]

And you last post for the next 24 hours... you should really learn to take warnings seriously...

[Dis]

actually my gun hasn't jammed recently. Maybe it just needed a break in period like a new car . I did buy the gun new. It hasn't jammed since the first 2 I fired it- one at an indoor range, the other at Thanksgiving in my cousins back yard (this is on a farm outside the city and town). That was in really cold conditions. It fired well there, except it was so cold my hand was shaking . My aim was real bad.

I've only fired shotguns, .45's and 9mm.

The .40 really seemed like it was the best of both worlds. And I still think it might be a good choice. But it might be best for someone who has actually fired one or owned one to post. A .40 is a larger round than 9mm, but not overkill like a .45. Glock also has a .40 cal model.

[MichaeltheGreat]

.357 Sig is a bit expensive (my piece of choice is a Sig-Sauer P229 in .357 Sig), but it is all around the best performing pistol round.

I used to have a Beretta 92F (M9) with the pre-BS 15 round clip, which I replaced with a constant tension spring 18 rounder.

9mm Para has plenty of stopping power if you use Winchester silver-tip hollowpoints or Glasers. For personal defense in a high-density urban environment, like apartments with sheetrock walls, I wouldn't use anything more than a 9mm with Glasers.

.40 S&W is a good round - intermediate between 9mm which is a nice lady's round, and .45 ACP, which is a sum*****. The reason .40 S&W is a common law enforcement round has more to do with lobbying and contracting than anything to do with any claimed ballistic superiority. .40 is nothing exciting, just mid-way between 9mm and .45 - that's really all there is to it.

.357 Sig is really the best of all worlds, IMO - more kinetic energy, more energy transfer to target, better accuracy, better muzzle velocity, so you get less accuracy falloff at range, kick is more than the 9mm (which is virtually kickless for me firing with either hand), but comparable to .40 S&W.

The necked case increases feed reliability, and after early overpenetration problems with the 125 grain JHP rounds were worked out, tactical performance is at least as good as any other round in any category, and overall, the .357 Sig beats every other round in all-around tactical versatility (stopping power, accuracy at range, penetration of auto steel or tempered glass, lowest jam rate (essentially jamless in a properly maintained piece), rapid fire capability, ease of shooting)

.357 Sig is ballistically similar to the .357 Magnum revolver round, but with the Sig-Sauer and Glock autos, you have much better sidearms, so the overall combination favors the .357 Sig. I've fired .357 Mag from an S&W model 19 (piece of ****), an S&W model 28 (the N-frame from the model 29 Dirty Harry special, but with .357 chambering instead of .44 mag) and a Ruger new model Blackhawk.

Depending on your exact needs and wants, there's a very good range of ammo available from 90 grain to 147 grain (that I know of), so you can up or down tune the .357 Sig to get exactly what you want in performance.

[SpencerH]

Interesting post. Hopefully I'll be able to get as well considered opinions when I finally purchase a firearm sometime in the future (I wont be able to convince my wife to let me have one until I'm too decrepit to defend myself without one :whipped: )

BTW while I think handguns are fun for plinking, nothing beats a shotgun for home defense.

[korn469]

MichaeltheGreat

thanks for the info! it seemed like the .357 sig was the best, but i wasn't sure, also can you tell me anything about handguns with a ported barrel? do they really help with recoil? and what about accuracy or kinetic energy? would they hurt the performance of the bullet in any way?

[MichaeltheGreat]

SpencerH - depending on the lethality potential of the situation, I use anything from a Japanese sword to an 18" Ang Khola (I also have a 16", they make a real nice pair ), to the Sig.

The one time I used a firearm in a home defense situation was with a semi-auto CAR 15 with a 30 round clip. Simply showing the piece (aimed through the glass of the back patio door right at the guy's nose) was enough to reach an understanding with the would be burglar, who made world record speed getting out of my yard. He also apparently broke a few ribs on the wrought iron fence getting out back.

korn - I think ported barrels are more hype than anything. If you hand load, you can just go for a lighter load or a powder change, and if you buy factory loads, you don't have to go for the 90 grain 1800 fps rounds.

The only way you can reduce recoil is with mass, or reduced kinetic energy from the round. For revolvers, the S&W model 28 solves the problems of the model 19 by putting .357 guts in a .44 mag frame. Barrel length and mass changes really don't do much in comparison to KE changes by playing with the powder load - but you do suffer loss of muzzle velocity and some loss of penetration when you alter the muzzle exhaust or change the powder load or type.

Accuracy at pistol tactical engagement ranges wouldn't be affected, but to me, I'd prefer hand loading light ammo, rather than a permanent change to the pistol design, in case I needed that velocity and penetration. In 99+% of home defense situations, though, the extra velocity and penetration wouldn't be important.

You might have to screw around with JHP rounds and test them against gelatin targets, or look for test reports, because the fragmentation and expansion of JHP rounds is very dependent on velocity.

[Sikander]

You could also just tough it out and learn to handle the heavier loads. I'm not a large man, but I've never had any trouble with recoil in a handgun. My current fave is a Sig P-245 which is really a cut down P-220. I shoot 230 grain ball ammo, and recoil is not bad. Even my girlfriend can shoot through a box of 50 without troubles. Unless you are going to shoot heavy .44 magnum loads out of a cut down carry revolver you shouldn't really have any trouble handling most combat cartridges. Just practice a bit with them. If you ever really need your weapon in a combat situation I'm sure that your adrenelin will easily overcome the effects of the recoil.

[SpencerH]

Originally posted by MichaeltheGreat
SpencerH - depending on the lethality potential of the situation, I use anything from a Japanese sword to an 18" Ang Khola (I also have a 16", they make a real nice pair ), to the Sig.

The one time I used a firearm in a home defense situation was with a semi-auto CAR 15 with a 30 round clip. Simply showing the piece (aimed through the glass of the back patio door right at the guy's nose) was enough to reach an understanding with the would be burglar, who made world record speed getting out of my yard. He also apparently broke a few ribs on the wrought iron fence getting out back.

I have a Japanese sword too, but my favorite is a gerber mkII. The khukuri is too much of a slashing weapon for my tastes, although its size is likely to deter most idiots. That kind of fits in with the benefits of a shotgun over a handgun. Point a shotgun at someone and they'll pay attention.