.45 vs 44 vs .40. vs .357 vs 9mm vs .22 for fun at the range?

For target shooting, what is you favorite caliber handgun?

So as to avoid previous debates, I'm not asking about home defense, CCW, or glocks vs everything else. This is just a pure "for fun of the gun" question. Feel free to include which weapon you use to fire your favorite projectile -- all guns are welcome here!

Personally, I have the most fun with .45s, .40s, and .357s. I also enjoy practice with a .22. What do you have the most fun shooting?

For target the 586 Smith Combat Master using wadcutters in .38 SP

I have a couple of 22 s that I use for target shooting sometimes , but I use my 40 caliber the most because it is my carry and conceal weapon , followed by my .357 and my 44 mag

it's not the caliber so much as the pistol. Accurate pistols are fun. My S&W target .22 revolver, S&W Performance Center .357, Wilson .45, and H&K P7 9mm are all a tremendous amount of fun.

.40 glock fun and accurate,but like getting the .22's out every once in a while just to play

For range fun nothing beats a .22

For target shooting .22lr's are nice and cheap to boot! Can do a lot of shooting without worrying about ammo costs or recoil.

My favorites are probably .357 mag wheel guns loaded with .38 Specials. Wheel guns are a lot of fun.

Tom

.22s!!! There is no more fun than busting out .22s at targets, IMO. I would say a close second for me is a nice .38 WadCutter in a accurate 6" revolver. I have a K38 Mdl14 and it will ding gongs and plates at 100-150yds, no problem. Its so good at it it almost gets boring... Until you see someone with a rifle missing it, then you just smile and keep tossing them. Honestly for me my 9mms and 45s are working guns so I shoot them primarily for serious practice, but they are still fun.

Jay

stobes21 said:

For range fun nothing beats a .22

Click to expand...

Ya, for just punching holes in paper and having fun, I love my AR22.
Indoor range? Most of my time is spent shooting 9mm... My XD9, G26, and my wife's 92FS.
2nd in line would be .45ACP through my RIA 1911, and 3rd would be .357 through the SP101.

Colt Officer's ACP with Bo-Mar low mount sights that's had a lot of work done on it by Bill Wilson. Next is my Colt New Frontier .22. Or my 681 and .38 wadcutters over 2.7 grains of Bullseye.

.22s for fun with my Walther KSP 200.

Put 50 heavy handloads through my Mod29 SW in .44 the other month and felt it in the wrists for days...

For fun and cheap, 22s can't be beat! ... especially with a semi-auto ...

I shot a water moccasin in my dog's pen yesterday with my 12GA using bird shot. KABOOM! One shot - One kill.

Weird, cause usually it is rattlesnakes! Must be the weather ...

Strictly for fun, my two 22 LR. Marlin lever action and my Remington pump with a chrome octagon barrel. Just as accurate as most other cals. (at a reasonable range) and cheaper to shoot. Clay pigeons with the shotgun isn't bad either.

Ruger Mark II in .22 is the best - cheap and accurate

But there is noting better on an indoor range to lite off a .454 casull that has a muzzle break - talk about raising the roof and testing other folks ear protection...

Next up is the 9mm - still cheap and accurate and a heck of a lot of fun for rapid fire

.22's are the most fun.
When I fire the others, I hear a cash register ring with each shot.

.45 ACP. in my Colt 1911A series 70. I could shoot that gun all day long. Fortunately for me, I had access to a friend with a progressive reloader, and that really helped cut down the expense.

My theory is to practice with what you intend to shoot with. Ergo, 357 mag and 9mm.

pshhhh, I thought you were men. .50 Barrett all day!

In reality, if it is for practice then I agree with the above post and go .357. If I am decompressing and extracting revenge on the empty cans and paper targets that dishonored my family, .22.

I'm not a 'target' shooter, but in the 'killing paper for no particular reason' category, .22 in both auto and revolver, and .38 in revolvers i'd say.

9mm in handguns as the equivalent.

For me, accuracy, comfort (fit), and a low failure rate are most important. Since I do not need CCW and hunting down range performance, what I like best are usually target models. I liked my S&W 41, K-38, and Colt 45 GC a lot. I shot my S&W Model 41 more than anything else. If CCW, ease of concealment, carry weight, or down range impact performance become issues, I would get the most accurate firearm that meets these needs. Of course, shooting accurately is affected by the shooter as well as the innate ability of the firearm. Target models are designed to extract the best possible performance out of a shooter. Target models may have sport versions that can perform almost as well as the full target model in the field while avoiding the drawbacks that may make a full target version unsuited for the field (Colt 45 GC). To paraphrase a long deceased sports writer, only accurate firearms are interesting. You must be able to shoot the firearm accurately enough to do the job you need.

HTH