A Small Primer on Ammo to begin with.
Ammo can & is very confusing to a lot of folks. Even some of the REAL OLD TIMERS have been known to make a mistake or two. So if in doubt ask somebody else!
Also if you are not sure even then. DO NOT USE IT IF YOU ARE NOT SURE! Since basically this is an explosive device. That can & will mess with folks and their stuff. (It’s mission in life)
By the By. A really great book is out there that is worth looking at. It is entitled (See Below) I think that its money well spent!
Now again I am no expert but I have been using firearms now for over 40 plus years. I also have shot all of the rounds below at one point or another.
So just maybe I might know what I am talking about. But none the less, take this with a grain of salt.
The 22 Long Rifle – This round has been around now for over a century. Which should tell you some thing. As it has generally been the round to go to. When none wants to trin on thei first real weapon.
Bottom Line – Its cheap , very accurate at short range & has no real recoil. It can also be used in pistols and rifle.
The 9mm Luger – A classic pistol round from Germany. It s one of the most popular rounds used by Police and the Military.
Bottom Line – It used to be a very cheap round when an ocean of it was imported into this country years ago. It is also very accurete at short distances with less recoil. That and is a so-so self defense round in my humble opinion.
It also spawned the 380 round and a few others.
The 38 Special – This use to be the caliber for most Police Departments before the Cops started carrying high capacity automatics.
It has a relatively light recoil and is very accurate in a good pistol. If and when one moves up to the center fire cartridges, This would make for a good choice.
The 357 Magnum – This round was developed because of folks like Bonnie & Clyde back n the 1930’s. When the cops had to start shooting thru cars.
It is a very brutal round with a lot of recoil and penetration power. It isn’t not the round to start off with a rookie as recoil and report are pretty hefty
The 44 Special & 44 Magnum – Now we are talking about some seroius fire power. These mighty rounds pack a lot of punch and recoil.
But if you are going up against something big & nasty. That and if you only have a pistol. This is a very good choice. I myself prefer the 44 Special as it has a bit less recoil and is very accurate to boot.
The one bad thing about it is that Ammo in this caliber can be costly.
The 45 ACP – The Combat round as far as I am concerned.
This Brusier of a round has been around since before WWI.
It also has a proven track record of being a serious man stopper. Now it takes a while to get up to the proper level of skill to use this thing. As its recoil is not unnoticable. But it is time well spent in my opinion.
Ammo for it is also easy to find and will not brak the bank
The 45 Long Colt- Another star of the Silver screen. I doubt that there are many men of my gneration. That did not own a cap gun that looked like a Colt SAA.
It too also has a proven track record of stopping a fight. But finding ammo for it can be both expensive and harf to find.
Rifle Rounds
The 223 Remington – The Army made this round popular. It is a first rate varmit round and a good, accurate target round.
Unless there is a panic or something. Ammo is usuallu plentiful and not too expensive. That and there is a wide variety of it too.
The 22-250 – if want a little more power or want tohit the critters / varmits farther out. Then this is a good choice.
This & the 243 are great starter rounds for the young shooter. Who wants to move up the ladder to centerfire.
The 243 – The best deer round for the ladies and our smaller folks who want a great all round medium caliber round. I love it for the light recoil and its accuracy at medium range.
The 257 Roberts – Now this round is an oldie but a goodie. That the pundits are always saying its obsolete.
But for some reason. They are a hard rifle to find to buy . That and they keep making ammo for it. You do the math and see what you think.
The 6.5 Creedmoor – I finally jumped on the Bandwagon & I am glad that I did. If you want a really great long range rifle round that will perform. Then this is the place!
The 30-30 – The Star of many a Western Movie. This round has probably killed more Deer than any other round. It is a great bush gun round for close range shooting.
The 308 – One of the best rounds that I have used now that my back started acting up. It is an all around medium caliber round. That a lot of Snipers use in their deadly work. Also as a added plus. The recoil is not too bad all things considered.
The 30-06 – What can I say about this round. But that the US Army had used it to settle arguements for almost 60 years.
That & a lot of Germans, Japanese, Koreans and Chinese could testify to its effectiveness if they were alive that is.
The 300’s – there are really only two of these that I have shot myself. The 300 Win Mag and the 300 H&H.
Both are really a souped up 30-06 in disguise. They are both very accurate at long range and pack a mighty punch on both ends of the gun.
The 375 H&H – If I was going back to Alaska. Then this round would come with me.
It has a great reputation there & in Africa. It is also the minium caliber to hunt dangerous game lawfully in most of Africa. It also packed a mighty good punch at both ends.
The 458 Win Mag – The big gun. If you are planning on Jurassic Park coming true soon in your neighborhood. Then you might want to consider this monster. As it will basically kill anything alive out there.
All things considered. It has a huge recoil and is fairly accurate at close range. Just make sur that the gun is heavy enough and has a good recoil
pad.
