Have your "tastes" in caliber evolved?

L

Lugnut

Joined
Jul 28, 2005
Messages
5,659
Likes
111
Feedback: 6 / 0 / 0
I started with 9mm and .40 S&W for pistols. Although I still enjoy them... I find that I'm really liking .45 ACP lately. I've been shooting my S&W 1911 and my Sig 220ST quite a bit. So much that when a go to 9mm the rounds look like .22s now. I'm not 100% sure what is the cause, since both these 45s are full size stainless, single stacks... so I'm sure it's not just the caliber. I guess I'm noticing the snappiness of the 9mm/.40 more and like the calmer .45 ACP.
 
I started off shooting .357 Magnum/.38 special, .22LR, and .45 ACP.

Along the way, I've picked up .40S&W, .380 ACP, 9mm, 7.62Xmany, 8mm, 12 gauge, and others.

But I keep coming back to .357 Magnum/.38 special, .22LR, and .45 ACP. Gotta love the classics...
 
I think I'm going backwards... I started with a .40 S&W then switched over to 1911's in .45. Then switched from .45 1911's to .40 1911's and now down to .38 super 1911's. My calibers are getting smaller and smaller... LOL However, I'm still shooting at the same Powerfactor.

Go figure...
 
Jose said:
Interest in cartridges is secondary to the firearm that fires them.
Click to expand...


I respectfully disagree. I've posted some firearm specifics that could be a factor... but I do think there are differences specifically in the caliber "characteristics".
 
I dunno so much about evolved... more like "added". I started with
9mm and went from there...

Are there some that I favor? Yes.. I end up shooting .45 ACP more
than all the others put together, but thats partially due to the number of
guns I have chambered in it; and partially due to purpouse (eg, pin
shooting).

I have, over time, deprecated .380 ACP, .38 SPL, and .17 HMR.

I believe .38 SPL will end up coming back though, once I get around to buying
another revolver. I'm pretty much an auto guy, but there is something
soothing about plinking with a .38, like a model 10 or something. It's
to the degree that I'd rather plink with a .38 than shoot a
.22 auto.

.380 ACP went out because I got rid of my Sig P232 and AMT Back-UP. I
might get it again if I end up picking up one of the newer produced Walther
PPK models.

.17 HMR only died because the rifle that I bought was a total impulse
buy and really only suited for blowing up varmints. I had no real
interest in blowing up squirrels/chipmunks/groundhogs/etc with it, so it
basically became an overpriced .22 LR. I ended up trading it for a T/C
.22 Classic rifle.

-Mike
 
I've allways shot 22's, 38/357's, 45's, 223's, and 12 Gauge. I still love them.

I'm looking at some day 308's and 40 S&W, maybe the new 357 sig.

More fun to be had [smile] [smile] [smile] .
 
I started with .38 Special, then .22, .45 ACP, and others. I'm a non-conformist so it took me a while to get a 9mm (now I have 5) and, although I own nearly 50 handguns, I still do not have a .40.

As to caliber preference, everything changed when I started handloading.

Once I started handloading I could do anything I wanted, instead of limiting myself to calibers I could get off the shelf at Walmart, or to calibers that were cheap to shoot.

With that said, after much experimentation, my favorite caliber is 10mm.

Jose said:
Interest in cartridges is secondary to the firearm that fires them.
Click to expand...

Yup. But since so many guns/platforms are available in mulitple chamberings, caliber selection is important.
 
I started with .22 for bullseye. I bought a 45, then a 40 and then a 38
and then a 9mm. I agree with the cartridge doesn't make much difference
in that its the gun that shoots it. I bought a 952-2 new, and it is sweet.
I also like a 38/357 in wheel guns fun to shoot.

There's no one gun that fits all, its what you like.

I shot a 945 last winter, my guess it was about 2 years old and broken in,
that is a real nice gun...

JimB
 
I like all of mine....

I'm all over the board. I guess I buy what I like at the moment. Most of mine are impulse buys. If I want it...I go and get it.
 
Much more a case of "added" than "evolved" here. I started out with .22 and .45 as a kid. After a couple of decades I started adding .44, .38/.357, 9mm and .380. Then 10mm and .40, and I'm looking at .38 super.

Ken
 
.45, I desire nothing else anymore. It is a pain to reload compared to 9MM, more tiring and more effort. I started with 9MM and .22 and I still keep the 9 around for social occasions, but I never shoot it anymore.
 
Since competitive rifle shooting is my main priority, cartridge selection is driven by the rules (service rifle, Palma, smallbore), or the balancing act between ballistics, recoil, accuracy, and barrel life (match rifle).

As far as pistols go, I am happy with a 9 mm with quality hollow points.
 
JimB said:
There's no one gun that fits all, its what you like.

I shot a 945 last winter, my guess it was about 2 years old and broken in,
that is a real nice gun...

JimB
Click to expand...

Jim, you got that right... I have the commander sized
945 and it shoots like a dream. The nice thing about
these guns is they seem to stay tight but functional nearly
forever. I'm salting some cash away so I can get a 5"
945-1 to accompany it. I would own the 5" by now if I hadn't
been on a rifle kick lately. The quality on them is just incredible.

-Mike
 
Started with a .357. Then the Army introduced me to the .45acp.
I have dabbled with other calibers, but I always come back to the .45acp.
 
Back
Top Bottom