BF2S Forums Best Carry Handgun Caliber Ever???

NasmNLH wrote:

Capt. Foley wrote:

Uhh, the military does not use .50 cal slugs. It uses, 9mm, 10mm and .45 as far as I know. .50 cal slugs have no practicle use.

It's true.  AFAIK the United States Military uses 9mm sidearms for the most part (the Beretta M9 in particular).  Supposedly some US Special Operations groups use .45 ACP pistols.  I've never heard anything about US Military Units using 10mm handguns though.

You are correct, the M9 Beretta is the current US sidearm, for now.  The US military is shifting, as a whole, back to the .45ACP.  This is due to the 9mm inability to actually stop attackers in combat.  Part of that has to do with the Geneva Accords prohibiting the use of Hollowpoint Ammunition.  Virtually all Special Operations Groups(SEALs, Green Berets, Force Recon's new Detachment 1, "Delta", etc) use .45ACP sidearms.  Not all do, in each of those groups, there is freedom of weapon selections, especially sidearms.  The most popular tend to be M1911, Sig P226 in 9mm, and Glock 9mms (G17, G19).  As far as i know, the only people who use H&K's Mark 23 .45 ACP are 'mall ninjas' or 'weekend warriors', civilians. 

I don't know and ANYone using 10mm anymore.  It was developed by/for the FBI, and they discovered that it didn't provide superior performance over other rounds.  In fact, it had such a bad habit of going THROUGH people, they dropped the round all together.  I do believe that S&W used the 10mm to later develop their .40S&W, since they are essentially the same bore-size, just different powder loads. 

The .50 pistol cartridge was developed as a hunting cartridge.  It is also a gimick.  The only thing a hunter would use it for, most likely, is a 'trail gun' in Bear country, tho large revolvers are better. 

No one in his or her right mind would carry a S&W 500 for defense, unless he is defending against a Grizzly bear.  First, the recoil BREAKS wrists, thumbs, and hands.  Second, the round cleaves straight through a person, and can kill an innocent.  It simply drills a half-inch wide hole in the person, and most of that extra energy that is break you hand, travels thru the person and is wasted.  Therefore, as a man stopper, SW 500 is no better than a .45ACP, maybe worse. 
Oh, on a side note, they make the 500, and the slightly smaller .460, in 'snub nose' models.....yeah.....

Last edited by Jaguar (2006-09-19 20:26:42)

Since this thread is still alive, I'm going to say 9mm or .38. The type of ammo used is also critical. If you don't want to chance it going through people and and materials, fragmentary rounds are convenient, and a bit less-lethal than hollow-points (if you care about that sort of thing).

A .50 is definately gimmicky, but fun to shoot.

Last edited by unnamednewbie13 (2006-09-20 22:36:58)

no one chose .32... lols

Smaller holes make less dead people.