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ideal caliber?

mybadodgemybadodge Member Posts: 118 ✭✭
edited August 2002 in Ask the Experts
between these 3 choices .40, .45, and .357, which would you say would be best suited for home defense. I am looking for stopping power, and not something that will discourage a woman from shooting because reciol is so hard. thanks in advance

Bob
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Comments

  • Der GebirgsjagerDer Gebirgsjager Member Posts: 1,673 ✭✭
    edited November -1
    (1) All are good home defense choices. (2) If your Lady is recoil-sensitive, none will be satisfactory. (3) Limiting my answer to the choices given, I would select the .357 because it will most likely come in revolver form, and your Lady can be trained with .38 Special ammo in a mild recoil version such as mid-range wadcutters, working her way up over a period of time to a serious load. Also, many ladies lack the strength in their hands to reliably operate the slide of a semi-auto and jam it when loading. (4) Depending upon where you live, you might want to consider that a full-house .357 possesses quite a bit of penetration (completely through a house in some cases) and it's pretty easy to unintentionally shoot someone in the next room through the wall. When female customers enter my shop and ask what they should buy I usually recommend a 20 Gauge shotgun. They always insist that they want a handgun. Then I recommend a 4 inch .38 Special. They almost always walk out with a 2 inch .38 Special. Conclusion: They pretty well know what they want before they come in.
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  • hotrodusahotrodusa Member Posts: 136 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    (Heres my two cents worth)

    A 45 basicly is a large frame auto, With maybe a couple exceptions such as a mini glock. For a woman this could be a problem with fitting the gun to the hand of the user.

    a 40 would be agood choice, very popular, cheap to shoot, and wide varitey of models to chose from. Heep in mind that if more then one person is gonna use it, It needs to fit both persons hands, And controls easy to operate.

    357- Hope your talking 357 sig here, Good caliber, More expencive to shoot, harder to find ammo,Can be difficult to reload.

    I vote the 40 smith & wesson
    Robert
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  • rsnyder55rsnyder55 Member Posts: 2,526 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    The revolver is the best way to go. IF there is a misfire in a situation that is life threatening, another pull of the trigger resolves that. With a semi-auto, unless you are willing to practice diligently clearing jams, etc. a hesitation while in a confrontation could be fatal.
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  • E.WilliamsE.Williams Member Posts: 1,101 ✭✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    .357 magnum with at least a 4" barrel is the best in my opinion.Its what I will grab everytime.You can shoot the full power magnum loads and with such a heavy gun your wife can shoot .38special +p with very little re-coil.The Taurus 608 is a 8-shot .357 magnum.The 125 grain .357 magnum is hard to beat,and I say go with .357 magnum,easy to use,no safeties to fool with just point and shoot,no malfunctions to clear,bad primer just keep shooting,should you have a hand tied up fighting with someone you can just keep firing because you wont need 2 hands to clear a jam.For in the house protection a revolver is best and in a revovler the .357 is best so you cant go wrong.If you want to carry a gun them get a semi-auto because they are easier to conceal but for the home the revolver all day escpecially if its for the wife too.And plus you get 2 calibers in one gun without having to change anything but the bullets.

    Eric S. Williams

    Edited by - E.Williams on 08/03/2002 13:52:08

    Edited by - E.Williams on 08/03/2002 13:57:11
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  • NighthawkNighthawk Member Posts: 12,022 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    Statisticly the FBI released the top 10 calibers in order I dont have in front of me.But the .40 155gr is the number 1 one shot stopper.Then the .40 with 135gr 2nd and the .45 185gr+p I think was next.The 9mm loading was in the top 5 somewhere.They expect the .357 sig cartridge to climb from 7th or 8th to maybe the top as shooting occur.The US secret service,the border patrol and numerous State and Federal Law enforcement agencys,have adopted the cartridge.So far the 125gr bullet has been reported for its lightning volt affect for one shot stops.

    Rugster
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  • mybadodgemybadodge Member Posts: 118 ✭✭
    edited November -1
    thanks for all the input. I think I'm gonna take her to the range and let her try a few different selections to see what she likes.

    rugster,
    I've been thinking about getting the sw99 in .40 and your post is pushing me further in that direction. thanks

    Bob
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  • mballaimballai Member Posts: 1,280 ✭✭✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    I would start anyone with a revolver and never a semi auto. This lets the person learn the mechanics of shooting without the idiosyncracies of a semi auto. Trigger control and sight picture are the building blocks. Then you can get into a debate about caliber. A second hand revolver-either 38 or 357 are just fine for home defense. Learn on the 38 SPL. 38 +Ps will keep you out of trouble.

    Three Precious Metals: Gold, silver and lead
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  • dheffleydheffley Member Posts: 25,000 ✭
    edited November -1
    If recoil is a problem, use a large steel frame (not alloy) auto loader. Next, the .45 has the best stopping power, but the .40 is still very good. (see Rugster's post "more on caliber and bullet stopping power" for some interesting info) My wife shoots my .45 ACP's without any complaints, but she likes the .40 S7W a little better due to the slightly lighter recoil. The .357 Mag in a revolver wil more than likely have too much recoil, the .357 SIG will be about like the .40 S&W. While some will argue, I like the .40 over the .357, and the .45 over the .40. I own all three, and have found that most arguments come from folks who only own one caliber and want to defend their choice. Those who own multiple calibers have their favorites. The order of the calibers I like is in my "favorites" with my honest opinion of best stoppers on top.

    Save, research, then buy the best.Join the NRA, NOW!Teach them young, teach them safe, teach them forever, but most of all, teach them to VOTE!
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