Need some help chosing a caliber

Hog Hunter · September 8, 2009, 04:35 PM

Guys i need some help choosing a caliber. I have two .357's and i love them. The .44 mag was what i was leaning towards but i really want something alot of folks aint got, an odd ball. I want one bigger than a .357. Anybody have any sugestions?

EmptyHull · September 8, 2009, 05:42 PM

You betcha! Try looking at a 454 Casull. Freedom Arms, Taurus and I think Ruger makes them. Tim

DavidAGO · September 8, 2009, 05:44 PM

.41 Magnum. Ruger Redhawk or if you can find it a S&W mdl 57. Not real common, but a gret cartridge, especially if you reload.

DavidAGO

carguychris · September 8, 2009, 05:46 PM

.41Mag or .45 Colt.

Gun 4 Fun · September 8, 2009, 06:05 PM

I second what they said above. I like the .41 very much, and I love the .45 Colt.

M-57 in .41

25-5 in .45 Colt

25-7 in .45 Colt

Redhawk in .45 Colt

azredhawk44 · September 8, 2009, 06:21 PM

.41 magnum is a good choice.

.480 Ruger or .475 Linebaugh.... the .475 is a lot heavier than the .480. Never shot one, but I have shot a .480 and it was quite pleasant. That was a 7.5" Super Redhawk.

The .45 Colt is an awful neat cartridge. In a good, strong gun it can beat the .44 magnum for power when handloaded. Very unique and very "home-brew."

Freedom Arms and Magnum Research each make .50 Action Express revolvers. That could be neat, too. Not as bad as the .500 S&W or the .50 Wyoming Express, but still plenty potent.

rep1954 · September 8, 2009, 07:03 PM

Hog Hunter, What kind of 357's do you have? A Ruger Blackhawk Convertible in 45 Colt/45 ACP. This gun will shoot light cowboy loads all the way to the hottest Ruger only loads, and it will digest any 45 ACP load you want to stick in it. This gun will put out more than any hog should need.

14cm · September 8, 2009, 09:09 PM

454 casull go big or go home. LOL

ChiefMuzz · September 8, 2009, 09:19 PM

Depends on how odd and how big:
The .41 magnum can be considered oddball and packs a great punch. You could find it in quite a few different models to best suit your tastes.

The .454 is not quite as oddball a caliber (IMO) but packs a bigger punch. You can get it in the Ruger SRH, BFR, or FA. You can also some nice custom guns in this caliber.

The .480 has become an oddball caliber thanks to Ruger discontinuing/continuing it all the time. You can find this in the Ruger SRH and BFR only.

The .475 Linebaugh is a haymaker and is a fairly oddball caliber. You can get this in a BFR, FA, or a custom gun.

The .45-70 is an oddball caliber (for a handgun) packs a tyson sized punch and can be matched with a great lever gun. You can find this in a BFR.

My advice would be decide a price range, try out a couple models/calibers, and decide exactly which one you want. In the end they all kill hogs dead.

You can also find the .454 and .480 in the Taurus Raging Bull. Left that one out.

Pathfinder45 · September 8, 2009, 11:36 PM

.... but not for me! And maybe not for you either. The .44 is mainstream; 2 out of three prefer it over .45 Colt. If you like to tinker and fine-tune your toys then the .45 Colt is for you! If, on the other hand, you'd rather buy factory ammo and you want your gun to be pretty much good to go out of the box then just get the .44. I will not think less of you for it. My buddy has a Redhawk .44....and I regularly out-shoot him with my Vaquero .45. Why? Because my .45 likes me.....'cuz I've diddled with her throats and front sight and grips and trigger springs and I home cook her food with special home cast bullets and for a special treat she gets real black powder now and then; she rides in a custom holster I built for her myself, [I used to run a leather shop]. And when I go shooting she always gets to go and always gets to speak her mind. As long as I have her I'll never need a .44 magnum.

rutterkin · September 9, 2009, 01:25 AM

It is certainly something of an oddball cartridge, and it is found in some really beautiful guns.

The three best things about the .41 Magnum:

1) It was designed from the ground up as a magnum force round, which is to say it is not a case lengthened, powder packed, or necked down anything else. The effect of this is that is it very powder efficient and very accurate. It is for this reason beautiful, at least in my eyes.

2) It does what it does without rending your tendons or crushing your bones.

3) It has an extremely wide range of application. With the availability of high quality .41 Mag and .41 Special rounds in various designs and powers, both from commercial loaders (http://shop.reedsammo.com/main.sc), and from your own powers as a hand-loading wizard, it can be used with appropriate effect on anything from skinny neerdowell to the larger bears.

The same versatility goes to the .45 LC

The same beauty goes to many of the larger calibers mentioned.

None save the .41 Magnum can claim all three of these recommendations.

Go for the .41 Magnum.

stonesfan08 · September 9, 2009, 01:27 AM

500 smith and wession

September 8, 2009, 04:35 PM	#1
Hog Hunter Senior Member Join Date: August 15, 2009 Location: Georgia Posts: 386	Need some help chosing a caliber Guys i need some help choosing a caliber. I have two .357's and i love them. The .44 mag was what i was leaning towards but i really want something alot of folks aint got, an odd ball. I want one bigger than a .357. Anybody have any sugestions?

September 8, 2009, 09:19 PM	#9
ChiefMuzz Senior Member Join Date: July 26, 2009 Posts: 109	Oddball Depends on how odd and how big: The .41 magnum can be considered oddball and packs a great punch. You could find it in quite a few different models to best suit your tastes. The .454 is not quite as oddball a caliber (IMO) but packs a bigger punch. You can get it in the Ruger SRH, BFR, or FA. You can also some nice custom guns in this caliber. The .480 has become an oddball caliber thanks to Ruger discontinuing/continuing it all the time. You can find this in the Ruger SRH and BFR only. The .475 Linebaugh is a haymaker and is a fairly oddball caliber. You can get this in a BFR, FA, or a custom gun. The .45-70 is an oddball caliber (for a handgun) packs a tyson sized punch and can be matched with a great lever gun. You can find this in a BFR. My advice would be decide a price range, try out a couple models/calibers, and decide exactly which one you want. In the end they all kill hogs dead. You can also find the .454 and .480 in the Taurus Raging Bull. Left that one out. Last edited by ChiefMuzz; September 8, 2009 at 09:20 PM. Reason: Added Taurus

September 8, 2009, 11:36 PM	#10
Pathfinder45 Senior Member Join Date: January 7, 2008 Posts: 3,224	.44 mag a better choice than .45 Colt for most folks..... .... but not for me! And maybe not for you either. The .44 is mainstream; 2 out of three prefer it over .45 Colt. If you like to tinker and fine-tune your toys then the .45 Colt is for you! If, on the other hand, you'd rather buy factory ammo and you want your gun to be pretty much good to go out of the box then just get the .44. I will not think less of you for it. My buddy has a Redhawk .44....and I regularly out-shoot him with my Vaquero .45. Why? Because my .45 likes me.....'cuz I've diddled with her throats and front sight and grips and trigger springs and I home cook her food with special home cast bullets and for a special treat she gets real black powder now and then; she rides in a custom holster I built for her myself, [I used to run a leather shop]. And when I go shooting she always gets to go and always gets to speak her mind. As long as I have her I'll never need a .44 magnum.

September 9, 2009, 01:25 AM	#11
rutterkin Junior Member Join Date: September 9, 2009 Posts: 4	Go with the .41 Magnum It is certainly something of an oddball cartridge, and it is found in some really beautiful guns. The three best things about the .41 Magnum: 1) It was designed from the ground up as a magnum force round, which is to say it is not a case lengthened, powder packed, or necked down anything else. The effect of this is that is it very powder efficient and very accurate. It is for this reason beautiful, at least in my eyes. 2) It does what it does without rending your tendons or crushing your bones. 3) It has an extremely wide range of application. With the availability of high quality .41 Mag and .41 Special rounds in various designs and powers, both from commercial loaders (http://shop.reedsammo.com/main.sc), and from your own powers as a hand-loading wizard, it can be used with appropriate effect on anything from skinny neerdowell to the larger bears. The same versatility goes to the .45 LC The same beauty goes to many of the larger calibers mentioned. None save the .41 Magnum can claim all three of these recommendations. Go for the .41 Magnum.

September 8, 2009, 05:42 PM	#2
EmptyHull Senior Member Join Date: March 29, 2009 Posts: 145	You betcha! Try looking at a 454 Casull. Freedom Arms, Taurus and I think Ruger makes them. Tim

September 8, 2009, 05:44 PM	#3
DavidAGO Senior Member Join Date: October 7, 2008 Location: Magnolia, AR Posts: 340	.41 Magnum. Ruger Redhawk or if you can find it a S&W mdl 57. Not real common, but a gret cartridge, especially if you reload. DavidAGO

September 8, 2009, 05:46 PM	#4
carguychris Senior Member Join Date: October 20, 2007 Location: Richardson, TX Posts: 7,523	.41Mag or .45 Colt.

September 8, 2009, 06:05 PM	#5
Gun 4 Fun Senior Member Join Date: November 3, 2008 Posts: 956	I second what they said above. I like the .41 very much, and I love the .45 Colt. M-57 in .41 25-5 in .45 Colt 25-7 in .45 Colt Redhawk in .45 Colt

September 8, 2009, 06:21 PM	#6
azredhawk44 Junior member Join Date: September 28, 2005 Location: Mesa, AZ Posts: 6,465	.41 magnum is a good choice. .480 Ruger or .475 Linebaugh.... the .475 is a lot heavier than the .480. Never shot one, but I have shot a .480 and it was quite pleasant. That was a 7.5" Super Redhawk. The .45 Colt is an awful neat cartridge. In a good, strong gun it can beat the .44 magnum for power when handloaded. Very unique and very "home-brew." Freedom Arms and Magnum Research each make .50 Action Express revolvers. That could be neat, too. Not as bad as the .500 S&W or the .50 Wyoming Express, but still plenty potent.

September 8, 2009, 07:03 PM	#7
rep1954 Senior Member Join Date: July 5, 2009 Location: Mid Western Michigan Posts: 1,187	Hog Hunter, What kind of 357's do you have? A Ruger Blackhawk Convertible in 45 Colt/45 ACP. This gun will shoot light cowboy loads all the way to the hottest Ruger only loads, and it will digest any 45 ACP load you want to stick in it. This gun will put out more than any hog should need.

September 8, 2009, 09:09 PM	#8
14cm Senior Member Join Date: February 17, 2009 Posts: 156	454 casull go big or go home. LOL

September 9, 2009, 01:27 AM	#12
stonesfan08 Member Join Date: July 31, 2009 Location: Missouri Posts: 43	500 smith and wession