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TheManInBlack

TheManInBlack

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I'm new to the handgun world so I like to ask alot of questions and learn.

So here is my question.

What are the pros and cons in your mind of these calibers, 38 sp, 357, .40, 9mm and .45 acp.


if you could only have one, which is your choice and why
 
Try the search function. Aside from that, the decision to choose one over the other usually comes down to four factors.

Economy- Some calibres are cheaper to shoot than others and/or more readily available.
Deisgn- Some firearms only available in certain calibres. I know of no semi auto chambered in 38 spl.
Competition- In IPSC all calibres are divided into two classes, MAJOR and MINOR. Some calibres offer the advantage of qualifying for major without handloading.
Personal choice.

TDC
 
In addition to some 1911 target pistols, the Smith & Wesson Model 52 target pistol is a semi-auto that shoots the .38 Special, as a full wadcutter. A very nice gun indeed, but it takes a steady hand to shoot it well. The .38 is a nice target cartridge, but certainly the vast majority of guns using it are revolvers.
 
EdGCNM said:
In addition to some 1911 target pistols, the Smith & Wesson Model 52 target pistol is a semi-auto that shoots the .38 Special, as a full wadcutter. A very nice gun indeed, but it takes a steady hand to shoot it well. The .38 is a nice target cartridge, but certainly the vast majority of guns using it are revolvers.
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News to me...vInteresting.

TDC
 
Colt also produced a version of their Government Model that was chambered for .38 Spl wadcutters back in the late 50s & early 60s. It differed from the regular Government Models in that it was blow back operated vice recoil operated.

There was also a company that produced 1911s in chambered in .357 Magnum. However, the name escapes me right now.
 
Mike Oxlong said:
Colt also produced a version of their Government Model that was chambered for .38 Spl wadcutters back in the late 50s & early 60s. It differed from the regular Government Models in that it was blow back operated vice recoil operated.

There was also a company that produced 1911s in chambered in .357 Magnum. However, the name escapes me right now.
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Coonan


(E) :cool:
 
TheManInBlack said:
I'm new to the handgun world so I like to ask alot of questions and learn.

So here is my question.

What are the pros and cons in your mind of these calibers, 38 sp, 357, .40, 9mm and .45 acp.


if you could only have one, which is your choice and why
Click to expand...

Some of the pro's and con's can be answered by asking: what do you want to do with the gun?

- 38 Spl/357 Mag -> Usually found in revolvers, exceptions exist. Pistols chambered for 357 Mag can shoot 38 Spl, but not the other way 'round.
- 9mm, 40 & 45ACP -> Usually found in semi auto's. Again, there are exceptions.

If you're just punching paper, pick one and go with it. If you want to do something like IPSC later on, you might want to put some more thought into your decision.
I don't see any con's to any of those calibers. I actually have a pistol in every caliber you've mentioned :D .

Once you answer the first question (what do you want to do with the gun?) we can start offering more insight and guidance.

(E) :cool:
 
Buy a Glock 17, shoot the crap out of it. Legal for any shooting discipline you'll bother with, 9mm is cheap. Easy to find holsters and accessories for. Reliable, fairly inexpensive. VERY POPULAR, making for ease of replacement parts, repairs, etc. If I were to be restricted to only 1 gun, that'd be it. Of course we are not restricted to one gun, thank God. I do not own a glock 17, but if I could only get 1, I'd take that one over all the rest that I do own. I have a Glock 21sf (45acp), Ruger Super Black Hawk (44mag), Ruger Single Six, and Ruger MKIII (both 22lr), as a family they all get along well, rimfire and centrefire of pistols and revolvers. Being as you aren't restricted by any laws to just one gun, that is the kind of setup I recommend, one of everything :)
 
I'm going to start by just practicing at the range . but my gun club is very active in going to other ranges for competition. SO I may get into that once I'm comfortable
 
Each of these calibers were developped for a purpose, 9mm luger wasn't designed to do the job .45acp was designed to do, and so on.

9mm, .40S&W and .45acp are more in the semi auto pistols, 38spl and 357mag are more in the revolver world.
For practice a good 9mm pistol is hard to beat, cheap to feed, readily available.
 
What are the pros and cons in your mind of these calibers, 38 sp, 357, .40, 9mm and .45 acp.
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.38 spl/.357mag are rimmed revolver catridges

.40, 9mm and 45acp are rimless auto pistol cartridges

However, revolvers have been designed and manufactured to shoot 9mm and 45acp and semi autos for .38s and .357 mag.

It will take a book to answer your question but my simple answer is I have chosen to standardize and limit my handgun cartridges to .357mag/38spl.
Only one set of reloading dies, bullet mold, powder, primer. I have the power and versatility of the .357 and mild recoil of .38spl. Both are satisfyingly accurate. And I do not have to pick up brass:dancingbanana:

All my handguns are revolvers in .357mag/38spl (except for the S&W 17 .22lr) and have a companion Marlin lever 1894C.

At my age, downsizing the arsenal made sense so I took the plunge last year.
 
If only one? then it would be a 9mm. Second choice would be a 22LR. The 9mm is plesant to shoot and will be the one that will be least likely to make you develop a flinch. The paper won't notice the difference between a 9mm and 40, but a 45 sure does make a big, pretty hole.....

If you only have one, then you will be practising using THAT one gun. If you don't reload, (if you did reload, you probably wouldn't be asking the question) then 9mm is by far the cheapest to shoot. You will end up spending MUCH more on ammo than you will on the gun itself.

Per 50 rounds:

38 $22
357 $33
9mm $16
40 $22
45 $30

22LR $2


Say you wanted to get your Black Badge for IPSC competition. Say 500 to 1000 rounds to get used to shooting, then at least 600 for the course. Right there you are up to say 1500 to 2000 rounds. 2000 rounds of 9mm will cost you about $600 (you can do better by buying reloaded ammo, less than $200/k for 9mm and about $220/k for 40 S&W, and $300/k for 45). That should get you through the first couple of months. :D And its sure to be a lot of fun. :dancingbanana:
 
Benefits really depend on the application. If you are a military/leo you may prefer a large caliber handgun over a smaller caliber because of the stopping power, but you may prefer smaller caliber for the bigger magazine capacity. There are many variables. I would suggest doing some basic reasearch on each caliber. Wikipedia, google etc all have very good resources to help explain the differences between the calibers, then you need to apply that to your specific type of shooting.
 
9mm.

All my favorite pistols are chambered for it
Inexpensive
Good performance with hollowpoints
In the US anyway, more rounds in the magazine
 
TheManInBlack said:
I'm new to the handgun world so I like to ask alot of questions and learn.

So here is my question.

What are the pros and cons in your mind of these calibers, 38 sp, 357, .40, 9mm and .45 acp.


if you could only have one, which is your choice and why
Click to expand...

what's wrong with them ?

they are all f...... weaklings !

don't waste your time and money, always start from the top...
in this case, that means you must have a S&W 500 in 50 magnum.

and all of a sudden you are the coolest guy at the range :D:D:D
if you can afford to buy ammo...



on a more serious note all the calibers you mentioned are great and they all have their advantages, only you will find out what is best for you.
eventually you will/should get guns in all those calibers.
 
38 Spl is the easiest and one of the cheapest cartridges to reload for, -target wadcutter loads cost very little and give terrific accuracy in any revolver that will chamber them, the brass is cheap and lasts forever. 357 mag is fun but really more than anyone needs in any area, it costs much more to load, brass life is much shorter, brass cost is way higher, it kicks (sometimes violently, depends on the revolver) and is very loud. 9mm is cheap to shoot, available everywhere, cheap to reload (but a little trickier than 38 Spl) brass is more than 38 but cheaper than pretty much everything else. 9mm is very easy to shoot and capable of very good accuracy if loaded correctly and fired from the right gun. 40S&W kicks a little harder than 9 andcosts a little more to load, but there is a ton of cheap or free brass out there (go to the range after a police practise). 45 is a big pussycat, a ton of fun to shoot and easy to reload. 45 brass lasts virtually forever. As far as which to get first, get a 357 revolver and shoot 38 special in it - and get into reloading as quickly as possible.
 
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polaris said:
what's wrong with them ?

they are all f...... weaklings !

don't waste your time and money, always start from the top...
in this case, that means you must have a S&W 500 in 50 magnum.

and all of a sudden you are the coolest guy at the range :D:D:D
if you can afford to buy ammo...



on a more serious note all the calibers you mentioned are great and they all have their advantages, only you will find out what is best for you.
eventually you will/should get guns in all those calibers.
Click to expand...

Why should a guy have all those calibres? Why not master a calibre or two and be done with it?

TDC
 
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