Fav. and Least fav. semi-auto pistol calibers?

We all have our favorite and least favorite handgun calibers.

Many of us like the 9mm. .40s&w and .45 acp. These three staples make up the core of most common ammo calibers.

There are others as well .357 Sig, 10mm. , .25acp .380 acp

I would like to hear what your favorite and least favorite are, for your intended purpose and why. Share experiences if possible.

This is not a post intended to start a caliber war. But I'm interested in and value the information shared by my RF family.

The .45 ACP is far and away my personal favorite due to its performance and "shootability." The debate will go on forever, but no living target I have aimed a .45 auto at and pressed the trigger has failed to drop.
I am also a fan of the 9mm Parabellum. It is compact and quite powerful for its size. Also available in a lot of nifty pistols. Accuracy and dependability are superior to .40 pistols as a class.
I have an irrational fondness for the .380 and .32 autos. They are good for very little, but some of the pistols chambered for them are very appealing. Both are quite effective on small game without much meat damage. I would like to become more familiar with the 10mm. It appears to have possibilities.
I have no use for the .40 S&W. It seems very little better in effectiveness than the 9mm while having more recoil than a .45. The cartridge is hard on most of the pistols chambered for it.
I have no interest in the .30 Luger or .30 Mauser. Almost none in the .25 ACP.

9mm is by far my favorite. Adequate power particularly with modern high-performance bullets, moderate recoil, high magazine capacity, relatively easy on guns, and, most important, easy and inexpensive to reload for. My least favorites are everything else since i don't reload for them.

My favorite caliber whether it be pistol or rifle is the .22LR. They are just the most fun.
I really don't have a least favorite I can think of.

DAMNED if i can understand questions like this. ANY caliber can do what it can do and absolutely nothing more, And I load for and shoot ALL but one of 'em, one hundred and thirty five [135 ] at last count . You should ask Santa for a fresh new copy of CARTRIDGES OF THE WORLD. Then you'll be able to ask the singular correct question...
And so it goes

I have semi-autos in 9mm, .40 & .45 acp. I'm not sure I have a favorite. I like 9mm in a subcompact pistol. I have a couple of service sized pistols in .40 & my SR 1911 is of course a .45 a.c.p.. Of course the 1911 has the best ergonomics but if I'm carrying a gun it is usually the small 9mm in warm weather or the service sized .40 in cooler weather. I guess I just view all of them as being better for slightly different purposes.

.40 has been my favorite for years but I also shoot 9mm, 38, 357 and even 22LR and 22WMR. Don't have a "least favorite" other than that for PD I don't favor anything less powerful than a 9mm...though if I had no other choice I'd carry a .380. As it is I've yet to encounter a situation where I can't easily conceal my 9mm - could even conceal a Glock 27 most times...but I favor carrying only one pistol. I work in the aviation training industry and we have a saying: in an emergency you will fly the way you train. Therefore, I train on one carry position and one gun but I'll shoot anything I can get my hands on. 8)

Would love to have a .454 revolver for hunting...but realistically with my health my hunting days are probably over, anyway.

WIL TERRY said:

DAMNED if i can understand questions like this. ANY caliber can do what it can do and absolutely nothing more, And I load for and shoot ALL but one of 'em, one hundred and thirty five [135 ] at last count . You should ask Santa for a fresh new copy of CARTRIDGES OF THE WORLD. Then you'll be able to ask the singular correct question...
And so it goes

Click to expand...

Well let me rephrase it for you: "What's your favorite and least favorite?"


I would only complain if there was a right or wrong answer.

Any one of them that goes Bang is my favorite. Only one I ever disliked was my Glock 22 in 40 s&w. Useless as all get out, gun and cartridge....

DA_TriggR4Ruger said:

WIL TERRY said:

DAMNED if i can understand questions like this. ANY caliber can do what it can do and absolutely nothing more, And I load for and shoot ALL but one of 'em, one hundred and thirty five [135 ] at last count . You should ask Santa for a fresh new copy of CARTRIDGES OF THE WORLD. Then you'll be able to ask the singular correct question...
And so it goes

Click to expand...

Well let me rephrase it for you: "What's your favorite and least favorite?"


I would only complain if there was a right or wrong answer.

Click to expand...

I HAVE NO FAVORITES, as all can do what they do and no more, My favorite shooting guns are SA in 38SPL, 44RUSSIAN, 44SPL, 44-40, 45COLT. THIS is gonna change as a new SA is on its's way in a different but modern caliber and in 10M rounds or so ask how it all worked out.

Favorite...45acp...then 9mm...then .380

Least Favorite...357sig...then .40....then .32...and then so on

.45acp is actually my favorite followed by the lowly .38 special that I load by the thousands. I also load and buy large amounts of 9mm as it is my primary carry round.

I don't have a least favorite but never load or shoot the .380.

Awesome responses .

.45acp,is by far my favorite, 9mm is my .380, and .22lr is a necessity. I have no need for any other's.

i prefer revolvers but I do own multiple 9mm's ,40's, a 45 acp a 380 and a 22 auto. I don't really have a fav or least fav I like them all . in my opinion theres absolutely no need for the 357 sig or the 45 gap, 2 totally worthless calibers but that's just my opinion .

I never was a semi auto buff, but since buying the LC9s, I have developed an interest in the semi auto as a concealed carry piece.....they just carry better than revolvers.

I have recently bought a CZ 75-B in 9MM in an effort find a semi auto that is as accurate as revolvers, and initial testing indicates that it is indeed as accurate as I can shoot a handgun.

I like the 9MM as a carry gun because of the availability of small framed guns for concealed carry, and if this CZ continues to deliver the accuracy that I want, I can use it for target shooting and perhaps IDPA shooting.

The ready availability of 9MM brass and ammo is also a big factor in favor of the 9MM because I do not need to be all that careful about losing the brass in the grass. :wink:

There may be better calibers for PD and there are certainly better calibers for hunting, but all in all the 9MM seems to be fine for what I want from a semi auto handgun. 8)

I am a fan of all the common revolver and pistol calibers and have recently added 10mm to the collection. chose the G20 because Ruger doesn't offer a 10 in semi auto. worked up several loads and all of them were satisfactory. chose one for practice and another for more serious business. the G20 will go with me on vacation in the UP next time I go. used to carry a semi auto for potential two legged vermin and a 44 mag for an unwanted encounter with a black bear. carrying one weapon will make life some easier. my grandchildren will be protected in any case.

I love the 9mm Luger in compact and full size pistols. I really, really love a pocket size .32 Auto with my reloads.

Me and the .40 S&W just don't get along, I just can't enjoy shooting it. I think the .45 Auto is easier to shoot and a much better round. Now if a .40 fell in my lap I might give it a chance with lead bullets and lower pressure. A 175 grain flat point cruising along at 900 fps sounds like a dandy for just about anything.

FergusonTO35 said:

I love the 9mm Luger in compact and full size pistols. I really, really love a pocket size .32 Auto with my reloads.

Me and the .40 S&W just don't get along, I just can't enjoy shooting it. I think the .45 Auto is easier to shoot and a much better round. Now if a .40 fell in my lap I might give it a chance with lead bullets and lower pressure. A 175 grain flat point cruising along at 900 fps sounds like a dandy for just about anything.

Click to expand...

About 5 years ago I bought a EEA Witness compact in 10MM Auto. It proved to be a bad choice for a compact gun, so I bought a different barrel and 2 magazines and converted it to .40 S&W.

As a .40, shooting cast bullets, it is a nice gun to shoot and as you say, a 175 grain cast bullet at ~ 1000 fps, I would trust it to take down anything within reason.

Another advantage to converting to .40 is the availability of cheap once fired brass. 8)

I know a lot of people complain about the "snappiness" of the recoil and I have to agree it "flips" a lot more than a .45. What I have found though is that even pretty warm .40 loads are very gentle through a ported .40. The .40 is a fast enough burner to get significant advantage from porting, while with a .45 you just don't gain that much. My old magna-ported Glock 22 and my current Glock 22C both have significantly less perceived recoil than does a friends full-size Glock in 9mm (model 17? 19?). Same size and shape gun, significantly more energy out of the .40 22C, yet it actually feels as mild or milder.

If I could find a single-stack .40 with a 3-1/2 barrel, striker fired (or even DAO with a really nice trigger), with a grip and trigger I like I'd have it magna ported and be carrying that instead of my LC9s.

John