Most Useful Handgun Caliber

[Seedtree]

My vote- 41 Remington Mag.

It is accurate, good for hunting, good for self-defense, and has a good blend of knock down power without wrist busting recoil.

In a double action revolver it is simple, which equates to safety and is easy to use. With a wide range of loads, including a 220 grain castcore, it can take down anything this side of Alaska.

In a titanium frame, it is light and easily packable into the backcountry. I sleep better in my tent while in griz country, or in a hotel in a urban environemnt, with mine near my pillow.

What do you think?

[rbsangler]

Not near enough rounds capacity, although jamproof. I opt for a semi auto in a .45 caliber.....not that much against a grizzly, but 15 fast rounds would back em down a little. Use a hydroshock in either to give a lot more stop.

[muskyhunter47]

i vote for the .460 you ony get 5 shots but when you shoot a 460 how many do you need and the recoil is less then my 44

[jigstop]

Most usefull for what? A large frame revolver is to large to carry concealed even with a 4" barrel and a 45 or 9mm is to light for deer hunting so you need to specify what you plan on using it for.

If you're going to use it for hutning why mess with a 41 instead of a 44?

[hempbake1]

In alaska we always said "A handgun is useful in that it might give you enough time to get to a REAL gun-a rifle" LOL. It takes alot to stop a 9+ft brown bear. We always carried a .22 in our survival packs.

Since I don't see myself sleeping in a tent in Griz country anytime in the near future, I'll have to go with what's useful in my neck of the woods. A small .380 (Ruger LCP or Colt Mustang Pocket Lite) comes in handy when I have to inspect "vacant" houses and buildings in the ghetto areas; small enough to easily conceal but big enough for the local "wildlife".

Hunting is a .44 Mag Thompson Contender, 14" barrel, single shot with scope. It has killed a lot of deer with the one shot.

Various other calibers for target shooting.

There is no "one size fits all occasions" in handguns. The .41 Mag is a nice gun but I'd go on up to the .44 if I wanted/needed a large caliber.

[Phil T]

Here's my prejudices.
For everything except bears, moose, and other really big stuff, a mid-sized frame 357 Magnum revolver.
For hunting medium (deer) and larger game, a large revolver chambered for a caliber that begins with a 4.
For personal protection, a 1911 chambered for 45ACP.
For home defense, a shotgun.

[Duckjunkie194]

Originally Posted by Phil T

Here's my prejudices.
For everything except bears, moose, and other really big stuff, a mid-sized frame 357 Magnum revolver.
For hunting medium (deer) and larger game, a large revolver chambered for a caliber that begins with a 4.
For personal protection, a 1911 chambered for 45ACP.
For home defense, a shotgun.

And for zombies, a 5.56 with a lot of extra magazines........

[AllenW]

Be nice if we knew for what he was gonna use it on.

.41 is a nice caliber, unfortunately it hit between the .357 and .44, both of which have a ton of variables in the ammo department, seems the .41 never really caught on.

I have a friend who hunts deer with one, seems to do well.

Al

[Phil T]

In S&W revolvers, the 41 has a reputation for excellent accuracy. Maybe it's because they build fewer of them, so spend more attention to detail.