Popular Handgun Cartridges for the New Shooter

Are you new to pistols and a little confused about what you should get? Look no further! This post is all about calibers. Calibers of handguns primarily. This is just a brief overview of the most common rounds that can be found at your local gun shop or sporting goods store. There are more than this, but I’m just covering the basics.

One thing I need to clear up first – vocabulary.

Bullet – the physical projectile that leaves the gun on its way to the target.
Casing – The shell that the bullet sits in until it is fired. The casing is ejected when fired.
Cartridge/round – The whole thing. Bullet and casing.

Okay, here they are:

.22 Long Rifle – Small rimfire cartridge. Used primarily for target practice and hunting varmint or other small game. Can make for very accurate follow up shots due to very low recoil. Believe it or not, the .22 LR is the cartridge is the cause for the most fatalities in the United States because its danger is underestimated. This is a great introductory round for those looking to get in to shooting sports and don’t want to break the bank when trying to buy ammunition.

.32 ACP – This small handgun round is used in sub-compact weapons where concealability is more important to the user than stopping power. This round is not as popular as it once was and can be difficult to find. The .32 ACP is most famous for being the caliber of James Bond’s Walther PPK and is the cartridge that Adolf Hitler committed suicide with.

.380 ACP – This round is favored by those who want a good combination of concealability AND stopping power. Most of these guns are light and easy to handle due to low recoil. Many would consider that this round is the minimum caliber recommended for self-defense. Same diameter as the 9mm Luger, but they are very different. Don’t get the two confused. Another name for the .380 ACP is the “9mm Short.”

.38 Special – A good all-around revolver cartridge. The .38 Special provides a good balance between power and recoil. Guns for this round come in all shapes, sizes, and weights. Many people use a .38 Special revolver as their home defense gun because it’s an easy round for anyone to handle if it’s needed.

9x19 Parabellum (9mm Luger) – Roughly double the power of the .380 ACP. This caliber is one of the most popular rounds in the world and can be found almost anywhere. It is used by the U.S. military and by a majority of the police forces in the United States. 9mm pistols can come in all shapes and sizes. High velocity, good stopping power, and moderate recoil depending on the size and weight of the firearm. Also an inexpensive ammo type.

.40 S&W – Originally developed as competition/alternative for the large 10mm cartridge, the .40 S&W has excellent ballistic performance, but at the cost of high recoil. Anyone will tell you that this cartridge is very snappy and can be proven uncomfortable for many shooters. However, pistols of this caliber have the advantage of having similar stopping power to the .45, but with higher magazine capacity.

.45 ACP – Developed during the Philippine-American War to replace the .38 Long Colt (which had roughly the stopping power of the .380 ACP) which wasn’t powerful enough to take down a charging Philippine warrior. This cartridge is favored by those who want a large hole in their target. This was the round used in the fabled Colt 1911, a gun that, to many, is the greatest firearm in history. The .45 ACP is large, but has a slower velocity. Most of these rounds are sub-sonic.  Recoil on these firearms are higher than your standard 9mm, but usually not as severe as the snappy .40 S&W.

.357 Magnum – Primarily a revolver cartridge that is a longer, more powerful evolution of the .38 Special. One of the most, if not the most, popular cartridge for a revolver. It’s definitely a powerhouse and will provide you with excellent stopping power at the cost of moderate to high recoil. Revolvers of this caliber usually can fire the lower powered .38 Special cartridge due to the two rounds being the same diameter.

.44 Magnum – Do you feel lucky? This beast of a bullet can knock most anything down that is in your way. Big guns, big recoil, big price. These rounds aren’t cheap but you get your money’s worth.

Less Popular Handgun Calibers

.357 Sig – This is an odd one. Developed to replicate the results of a .357 magnum revolver cartridge, but able to be fed in a smaller semi-automatic gun. They didn’t quite get there. What was developed was a hyper-velocity round that doesn’t quite have the power of the .357 magnum, but kicks more than a .40 S&W. This is the select round for numerous police forces in the U.S.

.45 GAP -  Glock had to make their own variant of the .45 ACP....Because GLOCK.

10mm – This cartridge has a smaller following. The 10mm is an extremely effective round, however, the recoil is too strong for comfortable use. This ammo type is difficult to find due to its lack of demand.

50 A.E. – I am only adding this to the list because I feel like people will be asking “What is the largest round for a handgun?” Well this is the largest for a semi-automatic handgun. This is a showpiece caliber for a showpiece gun. This is the signature round for the oversized Desert Eagle. The only practical use for this round is defending yourself from a charging Rhinoceros.

500 S&W - This is the largest cartridge currently made for a revolver. It's uses are limited and can be used for large game hunting (gun w/ mounted scope) and for showing off at the range. I'm pretty sure this round was developed solely for the purpose of watching unexperienced shooters get smacked in the face by the gun's recoil. Seriously, go look it up on YouTube.

If you are still undecided on a handgun caliber that's right for you, please leave me a comment! I will be happy to help you make your decision!

GLOCKs and their "Legendary" status

Before continuing with probably my most controversial post, I need to clear the air. I love firearms of all kinds. New, old, bizarre, etc. But I am not in any way a “fanboy” of sorts. If a gun doesn't perform well for me, I won’t think of it as highly as other ones that performed flawlessly. Does that mean that it’s always the gun’s fault? No, not really, but of course those opinions will stay with me. I DO NOT think that Glocks are poor firearms, they just never seem to live up to their self-given “Legendary” status. Here’s why…

This will not win over many fans, but in short, I am not a Glock person. There are people (you know, the one’s that say things in forums like: “this is the best, hands down”) that’ll swear up and down that the Glock is the most durable, reliable, and well-made weapon on the planet and if you have anything else, you should be shunned from the gun community. Well, I don’t buy in to that. Glocks are nothing but a product of (surprisingly direct) marketing tactics and nothing else. Have you seen their slogan? “Glock Perfect.” Sorry guys, this fabled firearm is far from perfect and it’s upsetting that 80% of America seems to disagree with me. Yes, a majority of police forces use them, but that’s mostly because of cost, not quality. Glocks are a polymer-framed firearm, and there’s nothing wrong with that, but that means that you can shape your firearm to be as comfortable and as ergonomic as possible. Glock seemed to do nothing. It took Glock until the 4^th generation before they realized that people have different-sized hands. If any other gun manufacturer waited this long to make a change, the hatred for that weapon AND that company would never cease. Not with Glock. Whatever they do, no matter how insignificant, is seen by the community as the greatest evolution in the firearm industry. I’m sure that the 5^th generation Glock will probably have forward slide cocking serrations, which have been on other semi-automatic pistols since the beginning of time.

Glocks are notorious for being indestructible and impossible to jam. I’ll keep this one short and sweet. No - they aren’t indestructible and yes - they can jam. No pistol on the market is invincible, but Glock seems to think that they’ve come closer than any other. There are PLENTY of quality firearm manufacturers that produce products that are as durable and reliable as Glock, and it is ignorant to think otherwise. Colt, Smith & Wesson, Sig Sauer, Beretta, H&K are all brands that I would choose before going with a Glock. These companies at least know how to make a firearm look decent. I saw a YouTube video the other day that described Glock as looking like a piece of a railroad track. I have to say that I agree. It looks as if the manufacturer is doing the absolute minimal amount of work with the design. If I am about to drop any significant amount of money on a weapon, I want it to at least look decent AND have the reliability that I am looking for. That’s not too much to ask, is it? Glock is the “beige-colored Toyota Camry” of guns. Reliable, but boring, ugly, and every other person on the face of the planet seems to own one simply because they haven’t tested any alternatives.

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*EDIT* - I recently found a YouTube video by a man named TheYankeeMarshal that said something very similar to this about Glocks. This post was written about a month and a half before I saw that video. Like I said in my "About Me" section, all my content is original, and if I use outside sources, I will mention them.
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Now, on to the other reason that I will never be a big Glock fan. Other than the uncomfortable grip and lack of any sort of aesthetic appeal, I can’t help but think that their marketing department also made another bold move by calling Glock a “safe action pistol.” I realize that there are safeguards against the gun dropping and firing, but is a trigger safety really the best way to prevent your gun from accidentally discharging? I was at a gun store last weekend and I overheard an employee recommend a subcompact Glock for a woman who wanted to conceal a gun in her purse. Let’s stop and think about women’s purses. How many cylindrical objects are in there? How many of those items will fit perfectly in between the trigger guard and the trigger that could deactivate that safety? I know what you’re thinking, “This is stupid, you know that there’s weight to a trigger before it can be pulled.” Yes, of course, but I can’t begin to recollect how many people mentioned to me that they had the weight of the trigger pull on their Glock reduced to as little as 2 lbs. 2 FREAKING POUNDS?! A gust of wind could set off a 2 lb. trigger no matter the make, and having a safety that doesn't prevent this from happening is a recipe for disaster. Also, how many parents set their purse down where their small children can get to their weapon? Most of them at some point. If a child finds a gun in the purse of his/her mother and isn't taught to respect the weapon, there is nothing more than a Glock “safe action” trigger pull preventing the gun from discharging, and any child can pull a trigger on a firearm, no matter the weight.

Some will disagree with me here. Yes, if you are in a self-defense situation, you might think that added safety measures aren't necessary and only hinder your ability to ready your weapon. And that’s okay to think. If you fall into this category (i.e police or licensed - daily concealed carriers), I only ask one thing, don’t keep a Glock of all things, chambered and in a place where people without firearm knowledge can get to it. To clear the air, I don’t think this is a Glock design flaw, I just am a little upset with the marketing of this weapon as a super safe gun.

This leads me to my next point: If your Glock is so “perfect” why on earth do most Glock owners alter every little thing on their gun? Do you see how ridiculous this sounds?

“Yeah, Glocks are the best pistols on the market. Mine’s awesome! I've changed out the trigger, the sights, the grip, and had it hydro-dipped to make it look cool.”

There you have it, those are my biggest reasons on why I believe Glocks are overrated. I definitely don’t believe that Glocks are a bad gun by any means, but most of my frustrations with the product stems from the marketing and community rather than the actual gun itself. Leave your comments on why you own a Glock. I want to know your opinions. 

I promise you won’t hurt my feelings.