45 APC a mans caliber

 

No doubt about it but this is not about the best man stopper, lowest recoil or a best fit and finish. This is about the caliber that will ensure your survival in the longer term. Please post your arguments in favor of your caliber of choice.

 

.45 if you like hard hitting ,.40 if you like near the same power as the .45 and enjoy 12-15 shots before you reload,maybe more.

 

XD .45 acp is 13+1...i always thought it bo be a brainless decision. I recently shot an XD in .40 and hated it too snapy for my likings i'll stick with .45 for defence and 9mm for economy shooting.

 

45 APC a mans caliber

No... 45 APC is a REAL man's caliber. lol

9mm is like shooting a BB gun!

T

 

Actually, I did some comparison between the 124 grain 9mm and the 125 grain .357mag. Barrel length makes a HUGE difference. My snub nosed .357 mag (2") is comparable or even out performed by a 9mm round fired out of a 4" barrel. Bullet weights and velocities are nearly identical.

 

Do you mean most practical pistol caliber for the urban survivalist?
Honestly there is no such thing...when you pick the caliber that works for you, then you have the most practical caliber...

 

This makes the most sense.
The OP's original point is what?

From the original post, it sounds as though the SHTF and then you will get ammo.

I think you carry what you shoot best.

 

9mm is produced more, but it is also consumed more. It is a type of ammo the military uses, so it isn't going anywhere anytime soon.

I don't know about other places, but after recent rounds of panic buying I will most often see the shelves empty except for some boxes of .357sig and .22lr. The former I suppose because nobody in my area seems to shoot it, and the latter because it's so cheap and plentiful...

A less popular caliber may remain in stock in such situations BECAUSE it is less popular. Keep a stash of range ammo, and a stash of defense ammo for your defensive firearms, because of price increases if nothing else. 9mm and .45 are more common and popular, but stuff would have to get really bad before I found myself trading for ammo. Personally I am running under the assumption that I will not be trading things for ammo. Even in tough times, you are not going to be using 1000 rounds per day fighting off zombie hoards. Also, if ammunition becomes illegal to purchase then you won't be shooting your stash at the range anyway...

 

Hi TAKEZO

You said......

“9mm is like shooting a BB gun!”

Are you saying that a 9mm can’t kill you?

 

Hi TAKEZO

You said......




Are you saying that a 9mm can’t kill you?

I hope no one voluneers to prove you wrong. That would be a personal SHTF of epic proportions

 

I like the 9mm and the military amo for 9mm is the same thing you buy at walmart

 

I have pistols in several calibers. I do think that the 9 millimeter is the best over all caliber of ammo for a survivalist. I also think that the .45 is the more effective of the two. The key to any combat is not the caliber as much as it is the tactics used by the shooter and the placement of the shot. If you Mozambique a guy with a .22, 9 mm or a .45, he's just as dead no matter which caliber you've used. Tactics and shot placement are also very important with rifles, shotguns and any other firearm that you may opt to use.

 

If you Mozambique a guy with a .22, 9 mm or a .45, he's just as dead no matter which caliber you've used. Tactics and shot placement are also very important with rifles, shotguns and any other firearm that you may opt to use.

Two in the COM, one in the head? I wonder how that is possible for someone who never shot an anyone. It's not like shooting at that Zombie paper target.

 

I stand by my post,.40 is a powerful(pistol)round,with a much higher capacity than a .45.

 

Sweeper, I think you are onto something here. 40 S&W is the most popular Low Enforcement round so it should be easier to get it then anything else. Even if it's only FMJ you are still well armed. If you get a Glock 22 then you incease your chances of survival by getting spare magazines from the LE.

 

Yes, actually. .40 is a good compromise.

 

I don't shoot .40, but I know a lot of Glock owners will get a .40 and buy an aftermarket 9mm conversion barrel and a 9mm mag or two. Both apparently work on a .40 frame; my defensive pistol instructor even did this during class since almost all of us were shooting 9mm. Being able to shoot two different calibers out of one gun makes it all the more versatile. Ditto with a .357mag revolver shooting .38spl.

I swear, out of 15 people in our class, I believe 12 of them had 9mm Glocks, most of those being Glock 19s. The instructor usually carried a Glock in .357sig.

Good old combat tupperware...

 

None of the above.

The only practical caliber for SHTF is a rifle caliber.

Pistols are for being able to conceal being armed (not a worry for SHTF), or for a last-ditch back up in case your rifle (or shotgun) is out of ammo or jams and can't be cleared quickly.

On noticing the gun on the cowboy's belt, the lady asked, "expecting trouble?"
"No ma'am," he replies. "If I were expecting trouble, I'd have brought my rifle."

 

Why would you notcarry concealed SHTF?There are many situations you may have to deal with. Is a rifle caliber preferable as a primary firearm? sure. Is that within the OP's question,NOPE!

 

Since we may not have warning when the SHTF, it may be whatever I am carrying at the time. I also like to ccw things that my wife can also shoot, which means 9mm pistol or .357 J frame (she would shoot 38 sp). This is important for married people, since the wife may not be able to handle a large caliber, and you just may need to pass off to her or share your BUG in a tough situation. If she can't shoot what you carry, then your team of two is down to a team of one.

If you don't have it on you, then you may be SOL, and as a practical matter I just find 9mm with a J frame BUG easy to ccw on a consistent basis. The big guns are usually left at home. Now with lots of warning about SHTF that is a different matter, and then I would use a rifle and larger caliber handgun. But I usually don't "pack a rifle" when wandering around the city.

 

9mm is not a bad choice, but I prefer .40cal. 9mm doesn't put them down so to speak and .45 may be a little too much to shoot straight. Many law enformenct agencies went to .40 because of capacity and accuracy. Most important, but all your ammo now, so you won't have to figure out what to do latter.

 

Forgetting ballistics for a second, but if you're talking about the most available, I would most likely say .38SPL or .357. 9mm and .40S&W are more popular and would most likely fly off the shelves faster. I prefer .45ACP and have stocked a fair amount (as well as the others), but most smaller stores that sell ammo would invariably have .38/.357 on hand. It doesn't really matter though...if the situation has gone to the point of really needing your sidearm, it's going to be too late to run to Wal Mart or the small gun shop for ammo. Stock up now and consider a new hobby of reloading...

ROCK6

 

I think the top two choices would be 9mm and .38/.357
These are the two (three) most widely available calibers in the US. All three will do the job as long as the shooter does his part.

 

If you want one pistol caliber to do it all, then that is the 357 magnum. After the 357, the 41 magnum is my second choice. This does not include rabbit or squirrel hunting. Both the 357 and 41 are very capable of taking deer, hogs or home defense.

 

40 cal is the best all around

 

There's something to be said for capacity. 9mm's generally carry more rounds.

That said, I carry a .45, LOL. But is ain't SHTF yet either.

 

Once the shelves go empty (or banned) , you'll have to rely on the black market.
You say cops and soldiers.
Yes, sometimes you can get ammo from them.
Nothing too far fetched, teh guy gets to know you a bit, maybe he sees you are one of the good guys and just want a few rounds for your gun to protect your family. You can make some arangement.

Or you have to ask around for ammo, ask friends, and when you run out of frineds to ask, you start asking people youdotn know as well, approaching tehm cautiously. When you get lucky, most likely they'll have commonly available ammo. 9mm, 40 S&W, 45 ACP, 22lR, 38, 357.

Having said that, ammo price and availabilty not taken into consideration, If I could have , say, 1000 rounds of ammo, and no chance of resuply, I'd get 357 SIG, whihc is accurate, powerful and most reliable handgun round out there.

For a more "wilderness" situation, where the gun would combine hunting and self defense, I'd go for a 357 revolver. 44 if my main concern is defense against large predators. But since the 2 legged varmint is by far teh worst predators, and it's a predator that attakcs in groups and uses weapons, I'll go for teh large capacity big bore auto.

FerFAL

 

Hi kev

You said.....

“If you want one pistol caliber to do it all, then that is the 357 magnum. After the 357, the 41 magnum is my second choice. This does not include rabbit or squirrel hunting. Both the 357 and 41 are very capable of taking deer, hogs or home defense.”

Isn’t a 357 also powerful enough to disable a vehicle(if shot into the engine area), that is chasing you?

 

Hi kev

You said.....



Isn’t a 357 also powerful enough to disable a vehicle(if shot into the engine area), that is chasing you?

That was what I thought.

 

get a kimber pro carry ultra in .45 acp w/ a 15 round(14+1)extended mag and crimson trace laser grips

 

glock 19 is a popular one.

 

Buy all your ammo now. Tons of it. Later, if you have more than you need, you can use it to barter. You can't do much with silver and gold, but you can do allot with powder and lead. When the economy breaks down, the value of $$ will drop. But not bullets. Woot! Think of bullets at saving bonds.

 

The current issue of Guns and Ammo Personal Defense discusses just this issue of cracking a block, and goes on to say that a .44 mag is not even good enough and that it will take something like a .30-06 AP to damage an engine block. I have to admit though that I have never personally fired a .30-06 into a block to test that.

 

Get a common round that you can find easily, and is cheap enough to buy in bulk and practice with. If you don't practice and cannot hit what you aim at, the caliber doesn't matter. 9mm, especially 9mm +p or +p+ are extremely powerful rounds that do the job just fine. Having said that, if you practice and have access to ammunition, a .357 SIG or .45 ACP are great rounds! But a 9mm is plentiful and powerful, if you don't believe so, go ahead and shoot yourself with a 9mm, then tell everyone what a weak round it was. Capacity is important as well, while I love my .357 revolver, it only holds six rounds, while my pistols hold between 10 and 18 rounds. It sure would suck to run out of ammo in a gun fight, no matter how big your gun is if you haven't got anything to shoot out of it. If the 9mm was an ineffective round, the military would not have selected it for their primary pistol caliber.

Having said that, my favorite round in the .357 magnum, with the .357 SIG close behind, however, I carry a 9mm for personal defense.