Favorite revolver cartridge to load for and shoot.

[tj3006]

For me hands down, it is the .357.
   I love them all. But the .357 gives me the most satisfying results. 32,s are fun, comparatively inexpensive, easy to shoot well. And worthwhile but limited in application.
Big bores 41, 44, 45, and up are More expensive and unless loaded way down, I can't shoot them for long periods of time without having physical consequences.
   I was shooting .357 .41 and a few ,44 magnums the other day, and when I went to make a sight adjustment late in the shoot, my hands were shaking so bad, I had a hard time with the screwdriver.  
   Now I love all the cartridges, but last night I put together some loads with an excellent GT 175 grain SWC, over 11, and 11.7 grains of 2400. I could load a little hotter if I had a need to, But this load from a medium or heavy frame revolver I can shoot a lot and have little or no issues. If was hiking in the wilds I would put the 11.7 grains in my old model 19 and feel very well armed without having to lug a ton of weight. A big bore would be a better choice if a really big Blackbear came around, but I think this load point blank into said bears scull should save you. 
  And there are so many applications you can tailor a load for. 
   I say for me, it is the cartridge most useful for gaining skill having fun, and in the areas where Brown bears don't live it is enough to get you through anything.
     How ever the chucks of wood I shoot at in the clear cuts west of Portland that tumble around and break up when hit with a .357, fly into small fragments that make tougher targets for follow up shots with the big bores. I love them too but The ,357 is my favorite. ...tj

   

[tj3006]

I forgot to add that I can 800 .357 caliber 158grain SWCs for the Cost of 500 240 grain .41 caliber 240 grain SWCs. ...tj

[bigbrowndog]

For me here in Texas it seems the most useful caliber I have is 41, either normal or stretched into a SuperMag. I am a recent 41 convert, never really caring for it in my early days of handgunning. But it seems to be perfect for normal handgun use here for me, big enough for everything and small enough to enjoy and shoot accurately. I’ve got a 4.2” FA97, a 7.5” SW657, and a JRH 414SM. They accommodate every use I have locally, even snake shot is made from the 414 cases for the FA. They use medium sized powder charges and are wonderfully accurate, prior to discovering the 41’s I’d have said my 357max is my most favorite. 45man and I were talking the other day about how we simply don’t have a need for carrying 22 calibers around for general field use, 357 would be the smallest revolver caliber we would carry.

Trapr

[bigbore5]

I load and shoot a whole bunch of 38sp and 357mag. They're my most shot but not necessarily my favorites.

I also use quite a few 357max in my never ending war on coyote and ground hogs. It's a tie for my favorite.

The other tie for favorite (before I ran out of Trailboss and it doesn't look promising that I'll find any soon) is a case full of Trailboss with the 51-355H Accurate bullet in the 500 Linebaugh. 690-760 fps in my guns. No real recoil. One heck of a whap on vermin. Just plain fun.

[Encore64]

38-40 and 44-40, both about equal.

45 Auto Rim and 44 Special run right behind those two...

[kevshell]

Hard to narrow it down. Anything rimmed and crimped is my favorite.

[Big Bore]

Most definitely the .41 mag for me. For all the reasons Trapr listed above. It's the perfect central Texas caliber.

[gnappi]

After solving my brass availability issue, I've come to really like loading and shooting the SBH 480. It's the first Bisley framed revolver I owned and that may be part of the reason, heck it must be the reason because since then I've acquired a couple of others with a Bisley frame :-)

[Deleted]

45 colt for me. 280 and 300gr swc going 1100 keep me happy. Smack my steel plates hard and I like those bell sounds.

[potatojudge]

Jul 4, 2023 10:54:21 GMT -5 bigbore5 said:

I load and shoot a whole bunch of 38sp and 357mag. They're my most shot but not necessarily my favorites.

I also use quite a few 357max in my never ending war on coyote and ground hogs. It's a tie for my favorite.

The other tie for favorite (before I ran out of Trailboss and it doesn't look promising that I'll find any soon) is a case full of Trailboss with the 51-355H Accurate bullet in the 500 Linebaugh. 690-760 fps in my guns. No real recoil. One heck of a whap on vermin. Just plain fun.

I'll second Trailboss in the 500 as a favorite as well as the Max. Bang for buck the Max is hard to beat both shooting and loading, especially with carbide dies.  The 38-40 would be at the top if I didn't have to lubricate the cases. 

[bisleyfan41]

.45 ACP
Or as Mr. Bradshaw would say, the "manageable meatball".

[parallaxbill]

44 Special for me.

[pleadthe2nd]

I've been avoiding this thread, because it's not an easy choice for me, but I'm going to add to the 41 mag list here, I have 2 different seating dies, for the different bullets that I load (for simplicity), the same 240 rim rock bullet tj mentioned, and my hunting bullet, a 210 Speer deep curl, both are fueled by AA #9, about 1 grain more with the Speer, down to my last few hundred Speers, sure hope they return, I believe they outperform the xtp by a wide margin

[ezekiel38]

38/357 are my favorite. Although I have to be honest loads in the 38/44 category lots of them are fired in J and K 357 revolvers and commercial ammo for SD in my airweight Js. I'm liking the new "Punch" Ammo From Federal for my airweights. Accurate and meaningful velocity from a 1.87" barrel.
I'm tired of packing N frames and heavier. My old hips just don't care for that kind of weight. Model 66 Smith 4" is my new field gun.

[wildcatter]

For years, the 45 Colt, mainly Ruger Only loads.