Rifle/handgun common calibers

[Bob Wright]

I see many posts concerning the desire to have a rifle and handgun taking the same ammunition. This might have been a worthwhile achievement many years ago, but I find it to no real advantage now.

As to a rifle, I'd prefer a lever action in .30-30, of better still, a bolt action/single shot in.30-06 or maybe .270 Winchester. Something that would reach out to maybe 400 yards. (Here in West Tennessee hunters have few places where one can even see 400 yards. Across a bean field, maybe.) But I sure could see no sense in a .30-06 revolver. I refer my revolvers to be in the neighborhood of .44 or .45 caliber.

Certainly "wants" dictates a combination, but certainly the real practical view dictates otherwise. A 9mm short rifle is of little interest to me. Fun for plinking, maybe, but a .22 would serve just as well.

Bob Wright

 

[eveled]

I’m one of the ones who like having matching caliber rifle/handguns

Of course a single six and a Marlin 39 go together like peas and carrots.

I also have a .357 Rossi 92 to match my .357 Blackhawks. It seems like a practical combination to me. A .44 mag set would be practical too.

As far as semi autos go ideally they'd share magazines. I would love to have a .22 carbine that took MK2 magazines or a pistol that used 10/22 magazines.

I have a KelTec carbine that uses Beretta 92 magazines.

I agree a 30/06 revolver would be silly, but a 30/30 revolver would be fun! I came very close to buying. .50 caliber lever action rifle and I don’t even own a .50 cal handgun.

30/30 is my favorite Contender barrels.

 

[Diabloman]

I'm with ya Bob. On the ranch back home in Texas my G'Pa had Colt revolvers in 44/40 as well as 1892 Winchesters. Ammo that worked in pistols & rifles was common. There were long shots readily available
but if you knew your rifle or pistol you could survive. fwiw
I would favor a lever gun in 44 mag....Now!

 

[eveled]

A .454 Casull lever action especially if it could handle .45 Colt would be neat.

 

[eveled]

Because it is a rimmed case, the .30-40 works well in single shot pistols. I had the pleasure of using a borrowed .30-40 to do some groundhog hunting. Couldn't get used to a 'scoped pistol, but it was a very fine shooter. Considerable blast, but moderate rocoil. And very flat shooting!


Bob Wright

Coincidentally I just found this post in an old thread.

Sounds like fun

 

[the_leper_colony]

I see many posts concerning the desire to have a rifle and handgun taking the same ammunition. This might have been a worthwhile achievement many years ago, but I find it to no real advantage now...

As to a rifle, I'd prefer a lever action in .30-30, of better still, a bolt action/single shot in.30-06 or maybe .270 Winchester. Something that would reach out to maybe 400 yards. (Here in West Tennessee hunters have few places where one can even see 400 yards. Across a bean field, maybe.) But I sure could see no sense in a .30-06 revolver. I refer my revolvers to be in the neighborhood of .44 or .45 caliber.

Certainly "wants" dictates a combination, but certainly the real practical view dictates otherwise. A 9mm short rifle is of little interest to me. Fun for plinking, maybe, but a .22 would serve just as well.

Bob Wright

I think it all depends on the individual - their experience/training, the location they live, their budget, and their specific needs. A person with 20-60 years experience handling firearms & reloading, who lives in a gun-friendly State, and actually uses firearms to compete &/or put meat in the freezer, will have one set of requirements.

At the other end of the spectrum might be people like a young man I met a while back, in a major metro area: just a couple years experience, no formal training, a limited budget, and no interest in hunting or competition. He learned to shoot safely on family outings, and was competent with a 9mm AR-15 & Beretta 92 clone owned by a family member. Because his needs were limited to plinking and possible home defence, those were the same two guns he procured for himself. (Nothing wrong with the 'KISS Principle' & sticking with what you know!) The common caliber is a plus for him, because he can keep several hundred rounds of one caliber in the closet (and he also saves his brass, in case he ever gets into reloading - a simple hand press would work for 9mm).

Different people, living in different areas, have different needs. No big surprises there, I guess!

 

[kmoore]

I never really liked the idea of wanting a handgun and a rifle in the same caliber. The .22 lr was the exception for me. When used for plinking. If I was on a budget and thinking self defense guns only I might. But common handgun calibers will not work out for any big game hunting I do and my big game rifles will not work out in a handgun.

 

[WAYNO]

I have many co-caliber carbines and handguns. If I was riding the trail on my trusted steed, and I was not purposely hunting, the combination of shared ammo with multiple firearms might have value, even if only to simplify logistics.

But when I'm actually hunting, I usually use a far more formidable rifle, with a handgun only as a backup.

That doesn't mean, even for a second, that I don't love my revolver-cartridge carbines or my revolvers. But their value is independent of each other.

 

[hittman]

I never thought much about a same caliber rifle / hand gun combo.
Then I got a really good deal on a lightly used PC Carbine in 9mm with the Glock mag already installed.
So …. I do seem to enjoy visiting the range with that carbine along with the G19x or G17 at the same time.
One ammo can and a half dozen mags and you’re all set.

 

[bobski]

i think it was born out of nessessity in the old days where common people could only afford one gun or one kind of ammo since it was always on the store shelf out yonder in the sticks.
thus 22, and 30-40 or my favorite...44-40.

 

[Biggfoot44]

By the standards of the late 1800's , .44-40 and .38-40 were considered legit big-ish game ctgs in rifles . The pre WWII factory Hi Speed aka for Winchester 1892 Only loads only improved things . But back in the day the expected thing was for hunters to sneak up on the game , instead of long range sniping from waaay over there . Or else use expensive specialized single shot rifles .

Nowadays , .44 Mag from a rifle is considered legit " brush gun " , even for people w/o a .44 Revolver .

And there's the theme .

If heavy cover , or careful stalking to within 150 , preferably 100yds is meaningful for you , in your typical environments , a .44 rifle / revolver combo is just the ticket . ( Or .41 , or Ruger level .45 Colt .)

OR - .30-30 and .35 Rem are popular in T/C Contenders . Albeit handgun hunters will typically load Spitzers instead of the typical flat nose .

But reading between the lines of what I Didn't mention ; If your baseline for rifle capabilities includes as flat or flatter than .308-ish , you'll want different rifle and pistol calibers .

*************************

Semiauto PCC require a different mental baseline .

Think of them as having similar ballistics as handguns , but maximizing the practical accuracy . 9mm carbine with certain loads can approach the power of 4 inch .357 , .45acp carbine will be within 100 fps of 1911 .

 

[Diabloman]

I have a Blackhawk in 41 mag. I WANT a Henry Big Boy in 41 mag.
All it takes is $$$$$$....!

 

[Jimbo357mag]

I love my 44mag rifles, Deerfield and 96-44 lever. I mostly target shoot with them but they could be good for close range hunting hogs or deer.

 

[GunnyGene]

.22lr, .22wmr, and .41mag are the common rifle/handgun calibers for me.

 

[Specs]

How about the original PC9 carbine and P89,AND P95? All with common mags. All 3 dead reliable.

 

[Oldmacguy]

I've had a old .45 Blackhawk since the '70s and a Marlin 1894 in .45LC for over 30 years. Both shoot real sweet.

About 17 years ago, I bought a Magnum Research BFR in .45-70 to go with my Marlin 1895C in the same caliber. Now THAT's a combination that's pure fun to shoot!

Hogs, anyone?

 

[Bob Wright]

i think it was born out of nessessity in the old days where common people could only afford one gun or one kind of ammo since it was always on the store shelf out yonder in the sticks.
thus 22, and 30-40 or my favorite...44-40.

I'm assuming you meant ".38-40" rather than the .30-40, which is a relatively potent .30 cartridge from the early smokeless powder era and hardly suited to handgun adaptation.

Bob Wright

 

[Snake Pleskin]

I use the .38spec/.357 in my Ruger BH three screws & flat top. I have three lever guns in the same caliber. Two Rossi's (blue/stainless) and a Marlin 1894. The rifle makes long shots easier, and adds several hundred fps to the velocity. SInce I do not do much "long" range shooting any more. These cover my plinking and close target practice needs and I can reload easily and cheaply for them. The caliber i tended to hunt deer with was a .270 because my grandfather gave me a pre 64 Model 70 Featherweight in the caliber with a Lyman Alaskan on it. I hunted in upstate Penna. Most shots were well under 100yd, closer to 20-40yds at most. Lots of trees! The .270 would drill right through the deer. They all dropped in their tracks, but it was probably too much gun for the deer/range I was taking them. Many of the people I hunted with and other locals used a WIn 94 in 30-30 or 32 Win spec or a Marlin 336, and 35 Remington was very popular. Some used irons, most had a modest 2.5 or 4 x mounted on them. Big slug, plowed through the scrub etc and dropped deer with authority! Knowing what I know now, I could have taken all my deer with the .357 lever gun without any trouble. IMHO.

 

[buckeyeshooter]

I have matching rifle/handguns and 44-40 and in 44 spec/mag. I would like a matching set in .500 Smith and Wesson. I have the handgun, but not the rifle. I do have a rifle in 50 Alaskan and 50-110, both longer versions of the handgun round with a .510 vs .500 bullet.

 

[buzzm]

I live in upstate NY, am in my 70's, and a few months ago I purchased my first ever firearm - a Ruger Takedown 10/22.
I applied for my pistol permit a few months ago, and it could take up to 16 months in my county in New York State before I get it.
I was going to buy an AR, but long story short, I decided on the 10/22 to get started due to the cost of the AR and ammo, and where I could shoot the rifle.
I joined an indoor rifle club that is 5 minutes from my house and only allows rifles that shoot .22lr, and as for pistols, they allow other calibers but no Magnum bullets.
If I bought the AR, I would have no where to shoot it unless I did some travelling out of my county.
When I get my pistol permit (assuming I will get in a year or so) my choice of pistol will be a Ruger that shoots .22lr – same caliber as my rifle.
As for ammo, every time I go to Walmart I check and see what they have. Sometimes the locked shelves are empty, and when they do have stock by far the most ammo available is .22lr.
I'm limited (I think by Walmart, but it also might be a NY State limitation) to buy no more than 3 boxes of ammo at a time.
When I buy, I purchase 3 boxes that sell for $21.16 per box with a 325 count per box. The total price with tax for the 3 boxes is $68.56 which comes out to $0.07 a round. So far the price has not changed since I bought my first 3 boxes back in March of this year.