Oh man, there are a lot of cartridges that should have been popular but never really took off. Here's my top 5 list of handgun cartridges that have SO much to offer, but just don't seem to have the popularity.

1 - .38 Super. Basically it's a 9mm +P+ with a little heavier bullet. Closer to a .357 mag, but not quite there. As a personal defense cartridge this cartridge isn't really lacking much of anything. Pushing a 147 grain bullet at 1150fps you get great penetration against intermediate barriers, and good, reliable expansion. Put that in a LW Commander with 10 round mags, you have a light, flat, high(ish) capacity powerhouse.

2 - .45 Super. Had Ace Hindman not been so hell bent on getting royalties, someone would have picked this up and made it a legitimate. As it is, analogies were tried kind of half heartedly with about zero success. But the .45 Super is really a fantastic cartridge. It's basically everything the 10mm is, but with a .45 caliber bullet. Over the long term, it can be hard on a 1911, but who cares? And your average .45 Super an still function full power .45 ACP rounds reliably often without even changing springs. So you can have your powerhouse in the field, and a combat master when you're back on the street. Too bad the shooting public never really caught on to this one.

3 - .41 Magnum - It can do anything a .44 Mag will do. The original S&W 29 was much better as a .41 mag (57 & 58) than it ever was as a .44. Flatter trajectory, better penetration and the bullet is only .009" smaller. So any job you'd do with a .44 can be one with the .41 mag. I often suspected had they designed the cartridge by elongating the .41 Colt that it would have done better because there'd be a ".41 Special". But it wasn't, and the .41 remains the cartridge of fans mostly.

4 - .327 Federal. There is only one real problem with this cartridge; the guns. The .327 is a hangunners cartridge, and not something Joe-6-pak is going to "get". I have always pictured this cartridge in one gun, and one gun only. A 4 3/4" Ruger Bisley Single Six with a 5 shot cylinder. That gun would be a delight to carry, and could handily dispatch anything on up to deer at reasonable ranges. On predators, or varmints with the right loads (and good hearing protection), it would be a hoot at a prairie dog town. The other gun I see this cartridge working well in is the S&W Model 15. 7 shot DA revolver 4" light weight profile barrel; would just be slick.

5 - 10mm. This one is such a great cartridge, but people either don't understand it or know about it. Here's the "one" handgun that can do it all, and do so with factory ammo. If you're a handloader, it offers nothing over the .45 Super other than the fact you can buy ammo off the shelf. But if a guy wanted one gun to do it all, a 10mm 1911 with a .22 conversion unit would cover you for pretty much anything you'd ask from a handgun.

Honorable mention - The 9x23 Winchester is a VERY interesting cartridge. Probably the toughest brass case ever created (for anything, handgun or rifle). Ballistics analogous to a .357 magnum but the bullets are sometimes not quite up to the task. Buffalo Bore's .38 Super 147gr load at 1150 is pushing the design specs of that bullet. Any faster and the bullet starts to rip open too liberally. The 1300-1350 that the 9x23 can push the 147 is just too fast for a bullet that was really designed for a 950-1000fps 9mm Luger. It's too bad, because the 9x23 really shines with the heavier bullets. The one saving grace is the Winchester 124gr soft point. The 9x23 is one of the only handgun rounds that will make a soft point really work, and the Win 124 isn't bad. Still, a well constructed 147 would be Manna From Heaven for the 9x23; unfortunately there just aren't many asking for such a thing.

Gotta throw the 480 Ruger into the mix.

All of these have fairly strong groups of devotees, but yea, what could have been........

Yes!!! I liked the .480 Ruger from day one. I've never had ANY use for one, but it's a cool cartridge.

.41 Mag
10mm
38 Super
.327 Fed.
357 Sig.
.44 special

Kevin, our lists are almost identical. Just a little difference in opinion on how I ranked the order of importance.
But I'll take the .357 Sig Cartridge over the 9X23, though just because it's a bottle neck cartridge. Which should make it out feed any other round fired through a self-loader, in theory, anyways. Mine's Never Jammed

I like the 32 H&R MAG in my Ruger Single Six Vaquero and S&W 432 PD Airweight Snubbie.

I would vote 32 H&R (wish I had bought one), and 480 Ruger.

Nothing wrong with any on the lists so far. All should be more popular.

The 32 H&R Mag is a GREAT trail gun.




DMc

You make me jealous!

.32 H&R Single Six is a cool revolver.

The 45 Super is available in factory form from Buffalo Bore, Underwood Ammo, and Double Tap. Double Tap calls their 45 Super the "450 SMC". I like the 45 Super very much.

Normally the larger caliber beats it's smaller sibling, but not in the case of the 41 mag, it seems to offer the same terminal performance as the 44 mag with a bit less recoil

The real sleeper is the 460 Rowland. Don't take my word for it. Google it!

One more. 327 Federal. If you just can get them out of the cylinder after firing!

I know all about the 460 Rowland and it doesn't interest me in the least. I can load a 45 Super Case to the same ballistics level if I desire, but I do not. 38,000 psi is more than I want in a semi auto handgun.

jwp475-

We had this discussion before.

I kicked your ass!

Love ya.

I can't educate you again because I need to leave the house this morn'n. But I will leave you with one thought!


Think Compesator!!! Releases out of battery at 15-18 psi.

Yeah that's a good list. I'll go one further and say one of the worst ideas of a cartridge in a hand gun was the 30 carbine. Ear splitting.

Oh what about the 45 Win Mag. Good or bad.

You ain't kicked my ass and I doubt that you can educate me. I just do not want a 38,000 psi 45 caliber cartridge in a semi auto handgun.a bit much IMHO. I have plenty of revolvers for those type loads.

If you want a 38,000 psi semi auto then go for it.

I about to compare a 10mm to the 45 Super soon. I will be using a link less 1911, if such existed in 45 call I might reconsider a 38,000 psi 45

The compensator doesn't address all of the issues, I know one top smith that will not even do a 460 Rowland in a revolver because of it's many issues. But you may rock on, but I personally have zero interest.

The cartridge require a grip that is too large for most shooters to grip properly in a semi auto and we have rimmed cartridges for the revolvers. IMHO bad.

38/40 is a great revolver cartridge, but a PIA to load in volume for.

Kevin, I think you meant to say the 41 is .019 smaller than the 44.
The 41 Mag is my favorite revolver ctg bar none. Have 10 or 12 of 'em.

Pete

5.7 X 28

.41 MAGNUM all the way.....by FAR my favorite cartridge, wish more guns were made in it

I also like the 10mm....great cartridge and really shows how wimpy the .40s&w really is IMHO

My 57 without a doubt..the 41 shines in cast GC mode for deer sized critters.

How about 41 Action Express? I like the concept of the straight wall case with higher case capacity than 9mm, and 357 Mag. velocities alot better than the .357 with necked-down design.

interesting, i own multiple examples of four on your list. Strange, given the age of the .44special, it isn't mentioned more.

the .38/40 is the first revolver i ever shot, at about age six.
out of a early 1900's colt bisley s.a.a.
shot it around dark, the fireball scared the snot out of me, wouldn't touch it again for years, which was probably my father's intent.
He carried that gun by the way, as constable, and city cop in prescott. I find that interesting in today's world of hi cap handguns. The original .40s&W.

I am sure Kevin just had a typo there...but I personally don't care to see people say that cartridges of smaller diameters (loaded to like pressures of larger cartridges) will do the "same" things.

If we get into that habit we end up with a whole passel of cartridges that "all do the same thing".

The .41 Mag is only 0.019" smaller than the .44 Mag (so the 41 Mag does all that the .44 Mag will do).
The .44 Mag is only 0.022" smaller than a .45 Colt (so the .44 Mag does all that a hot loaded .45 Colt will do).
The .45 Colt is only 0.0.24" smaller than a .480 Ruger (so a hot loaded .45 Colt will do all that a .480 Ruger will do).
The .480 Ruger is only 0.025" smaller than a .500JRH (so a .480 Ruger will do all that a .500 JRH will do)

So in essence, we can see here that a .41 Mag is the equivalent of a .500 JRH (since each will do all that the one above it will do).

Is that the case? NO. Is there overlap between any two of the adjacent listed cartridges? Sure. Are they "equal?" I don't think so.

I said 5.7 and nobody even blinked.....

Hard to raise an eyebrow around here, lol.



I was joking, I have nofucking idea what the 5.7 x 28 is good for.

.41 mag and 10 mm auto are very popular...around my house. So are 16 gauge shotguns.

32 s&w long
10mm
38 wcf (38-40)
41 mag
45 super

DocRocket has previously posted extensively and passionately about the merits of the 5.7

I believe he is reputed to be a mega-advocate of the round!

10mm
41 mag
445 dan wesson super mag
480 Ruger
all deserve to be
FAR MORE POPULAR

Well, I thought we could have a healthy debate jwp475. That's idea went out the widow. Jeeeeeesuuuuus!!!

SAAMI specs. on the 45 Super is 28K. To keep your word you better keep that 10mm under that. It will be less power than a 40 if you do.

Don't want to hijack this thread anyway.

One more thought. Find ONE path of logic and follow it. Just some helpful advice. Not trying to be mean.

..boy you nailed this one Kevin...and worse yet the .41 Magnum is my favorite revolver round and the .38 Super my favorite semi-auto round...

Bob

...I just thought of another one...the .401 Herters PowerMag...the round the .41 Magnum should have been.

Could have been chambered in the Colt Python/Trooper size guns and later the Smith L-frames and Ruger GP100...

I am surprised with all the .40 bullets out there Ruger hasn't picked up on this and just called it the .401 PowerMag or just .401 Magnum and put it in a GP100. Smith could easily do a L-frame 6-shot.

http://www.gunblast.com/Fryxell_Herters401.htm

That with a 1911 10mm would be a perfect pair...Bob

Interesting idea, but the rebated rim makes it a PITA to get working properly. I know, I tried one back in the '80s. I ruined a BHP fooling around with it. In just one more year, the .40 S&W came out, and all interest in it went away. The concept was good, the execution left a LOT to be desired.

22 Jet and/or 22 WMR

The 7.62 Tokarev

About everything .32 in a wheelgun cartridge

Every 40 except the "40".

The 45 AutoRim and 45 Schofield

You need to take your own advice and learn to follow a trail of logic. Not trying to be mean just helpful advice.

As I stated the 10mm is a "linkless" 1911 a much better design for handling a high pressure cartridge than the standard link. Also in case you haven't noticed the 10 is a smaller diameter case, thus easier to contain the pressure plus less case head thrust.

You can have al of the 460 Rowland's especially my share.

Perhaps you missed this.

10mm auto mag....

.41 Mag for myself. Got mine and it will stick around.

My bad on the diameter thing...but you're missing the point. They don't do the same thing because of the diameter, but because of all the other things mentioned. And my comparison is between the .41 & .44 magnum; I didn't take it further than that because that was the only comparison I was trying to make.

So don't read into what I said, just read WHAT I said.

As a stand alone cartridge, when it came out; it was pretty bad. The idea was to take a 9mm pistol and put a cartridge that's much bigger into the same pistol...and then everyone was surprised when it didn't work out too well.

But the .41AE did help push the creation of the .40 something the market was clamoring for and has become pretty much the ideal LE handgun cartridge. So for that, the .41AE did some good.

I only reed what I red.

jwp475-

You are correct! My Bad.

Title of the thread is "Best Handgun cartridges that aren't popular""

You are talking about " Handgun cartridges that are the best because I have one"

45 Super. No thanks, been there done that. Like most that shoot the 460!

We like our guns too much!

Like I said, I do not want to derail this thread.



PS: I do agree with you on the Linkless. It has it's merits.

The 460 Rowland requires a compensator to help control slide velocity, the 9mm and the 10mm loaded to the same pressure do not require a compensator to control slide velocity at the same pressure. To me a 1911 is ideally suited as a carry pistol and a compensator adds bulk and weight. Not my cup of tea, what can one accomplish with a Rowland that can not be done with a Super in the field. Both will work In spades on deer sized game and 2 leg attackers. I see nothing practical gained.

I've always wanted to play around with the 357 Maximum in one of the Ruger super blackhawk.

The 460 is not all that. It is a carry pistol for the farm. Not everyday carry. It took 3 rounds to take down a charging sow wild pig with a 45ACP. After that my sons and I started carrying "more gun" when we work the property. One carries a Delta Elite with hard cast. The other carries a 686 Plus with 170gr Gold Dot flat points. I carry the 460 with hard cast.

These pigs run in groups of 20 to 30. Here we go-read every word--
There is nothing else that can put out that much power ACCURATELY with QUICK RECOVERY than a compensated 460. Again - Read every word!!!

41 mag power (4" or 5" NOT 6" or longer-Think Carry) 8 shots then quick reload. Read every word!

There is no way (especially when you have shot the 1911 all your life) that you can control that much power with out the comp. This a two "chamber" comp designed by Jonny Rowland, Clark Custom and Bill Wilson. It is amazing how fast you can accurately with controllability put that much power down range. I was skeptical too at first. You have to try it to believe it.

20# recoil spring, long lock up time, great match fully supported barrel. Change back to 45ACP (that can shoot the Super) in five minutes. It only kicks out the cases 4 to 5 feet.

You can pick and choose your argument points and drag this argument out forever. But the Super AND the 460 both have their good qualities.

I am just saying. The super- heavy springs, slide velocity, the possibility of loading the Super in your other 1911's that are not set up for the Super and "linking out of battery @ 28,000psi, not good. Those are the reasons behind the development of the 460. New and improved 1911 thumper.

I, like you, have many guns and many uses for them. But for me, being able to put out that much power that quickly and accurately in a gun you can carry all day long while working the farm. There is no better. Like I said, I have tried the Super. If I am going to carry a gun with that much power and recoil and long follow up, I am going to spare my 1911's and shoot my 629's or 57's.

Now- lets get back to Kevin's post!

Possibly one of the best Contender handgun chamberings ever.

A 45 Super can be shot out of a standard 45 ACP as long as you do not shoot a bunch then no harm no foul. Bullet selection in paramount for top terminal performance. Have killed hogs and deer with standard 45 ACP without drama. Just for the record my Supers use an 18.5 pound spring.

Bullet selection--

XTP's do not work very well in the Super or the 460 when deep penetration is needed (HOGS). They just turn into pancakes. Good for deer.

Regular 45ACP's can be shot out of the 460 chamber also in a pinch. They are held by the extractor. I would not want to shoot Supers that way. Even +P's for that matter. This is what I have read. Have not done it myself.

I do like to use Starline's Super brass in my +P loadings for some of my other 45's that do not have a good case support but will feed anything reliably. They seen to work better than +P cases from Starline. Just have to make the load adjustment and make sure the ammo box is marked real good.

That hog sow I was talking about had piglets with her. Her adrenaline was at its highest it could be. Could happen again. After taking two to the head (made mush out of her head) and one near miss in the shoulder she still almost ran over me. She went down when she turned to come after me again.

7.62X25

It was doing what a .327 Federal does a long, long time ago.

I make my cartridges out of cut down .223 brass and shoot them through a very accurate Yugoslavian Model 57.

1450 fps from a .312" Speer JHP is no problem.

Just add a copious quantity of 2400 and squeeze 'em off.

Kevin-

I have always like the idea of the Win 9x23. I have a couple of 38 supers.

Being that I am 1911 poor. I need some other project to work on.

Who makes a good 9x23 barrel/slide to be fitted?

Is it that much better than the 38 Super in the field? Much longer range for smaller pests.

Nickle cases? For the longer case extraction.

You sparked my interest again.

I know I am spitting hairs over the 38 Super. Is it worth it?

Hard cast with GC?

How could you overlook the venerable .256 win mag?
Ever seen a Ruger Hawkeye? ... single-shot Blackhawk
Now your talking bastard-child cartridge ... a .357 mag case with a .257 neck & a 25* shoulder. Really a sweet shooter once you spend the time to work up loads. Not a man--stopper, but all guns don't have to be for personal defense, do they?
I hunt, therefore I am.

The 9x23 is an excellent cartridge. Is it better than the .38 Super in the field? I really don't know.

It moves the same bullets, but with about 150fps more velocity. Personally, I would limit its use to deer sized game. The extra velocity mostly helps to flatten the trajectory to make longer shots easier, but personally I'd limit shots on deer sized game to 100 yards and under. Since I don't care for scoped handguns, I'd probably keep it to around 75 yards, but that's just me.

What I'd use it for is long range plinking. The .38 Super is a great long range handgun round, so the 9x23 just extends the range.

The only maker I know of for 9x23 barrels is Nowlin; but I happen to think Nowlin barrels are first rate, so I'm not sure you need other makers (I'm sure there's someone else who makes a 9x23 barrel, I just don't know who).

If I were choosing BETWEEN 9x23 and .38 Super, I'd always take the Super just for the added ammunition availability. I don't have a 9x23 but I plan on adding a 9x23 barrel to my LW Commander. I'll probably buy a barrel for a full sized Government and fit it to the LW Commander, but keep the barrel full length. The whole idea is ballistic performance, so why not get all you can get? I'd go with a 6" barrel, but I don't have a holster that would be suitable...who knows, maybe I will.

I always liked the .256 Win-Mag in a carbine. Got to shoot a rebarreled Winchester 92 in .256 and it was a hoot.

Oooh good one. I always liked the round....not sure why, not sure what it's good for. But there's just something about it that's cool.

The PPSh 41 was the best sub-gun of WWII in many ways.

255/260 grain hard cast out of a 45 ACP loaded to +p pressure have penetration in spades.

The 45 ACP and the 45 Super have exactly the same outside case dimension, so no problem shooting acp's in the Super. My cousin killed a 250 pound boar with a rib cage shot with 230 grain Remington JHP's. No exit but took out the ribs and this was about a 50 yard shot.

Bullet selection and shot placement are the keys

I owned a Ruger single shot in .256 Magnum. It would darn near blow ground squirrels in half and make quite a mess of the insides of a Jack Rabbit.
Very accurate pistol, BTW. The only reason I sold mine was I just wasn't comfrontable in the field with a single shot handgun.
Good list Kevin. E

I'm just think'n.

When I was attacked by that one sow. I did not mess my under wear up but, there might of been a prairie dog stick his head out of my a$$!

With the possibly of multiple hogs at once. I would like to drop all that attack. I know that is unlikely, but I am distracted a lot while I am working on the farm.

I'm clocking 225gr Hard cast at 1300fps at about 34,000psi. I could go up to 1450fps at 38,000psi but choose not to.

Gun longevity and the possibility of bullet setback are the primary reasons not to load hotter.

Kevin thanks!

I'll do my research.

460 Rowland any factory ammo available?

Yea, Buffalo Boar, Wilson Combat for factory. I do not know if Georgia loads it or not. I hand load so I do not buy any factory stuff.

Wilson Combat loads the slightly reduced loads. I match them.

Double tap probably will soon I here. Just 2nd hand information though. It would be right up there alley. Competes with their 10mm loads.

Me too. Just picked up some more Barnes Vor-Tx 180 XPBs. Love this load. Accurate, over 1500 fps and low recoil.

Expat

how bout the 50 GI? along with the 480 Ruger they just intrigue me.....big bullets at sane velocities.....wish i could afford one of the 50GI 1911's but will prolly be what makes me get a Glock in the end as they offer a conversion kit for a 20/21......a 480 in a SA revolver just screams hunting revolver to me.....big arse bullet but in a normal wheelgun and at a velocity that should make for lots of practice without beating you up.......

Whoa !! That ain't one ya hear crossing many fellers lips !!!

You're right, though.

I keep a pair of 'em around just for good measure.

As a member of the rather exclusive club of .41 Special owners, I'd say that this excellent cartridge has yet to show any signs of popularity.

I have a number of pistols in 7.62x25, and it is a stormer of a cartridge, and i am envious of your work making those rounds.
a 19930's designed round that was truely a magnum.

I've always liked the .32 H&R magnum. super cheap to shoot with cast lead bullets and HP38.

Well,...it's good for shooting about as far away as you can hit without having to sweat too much about trajectory,..and a 100 grain, .312" JHP is a very nasty thing when it's going fast enough to outrun sound by 400 fps.

I keep my Yugo Model 57 here in the desk drawer with 3 magazines filled up with my JHP loads.

A few rounds fired through one of these things will make you understand that it's not a good idea to be on the receiving end of it.

yep

My youngest son had one of these in a Ruger Single-Six. Lots of fun to shoot and easy to load for. Was kinda sad he sold it but the funds went towards our joint purchase of a no dash S&W 696 so I was good with it!

Another vote for the 480 ruger, 30% more real world power than a 44 mag with recoil that is in the same ballpark. 400 gr @ 1200 fps with 30% more frontal area than the 44 is a noteable increase in terminal performance and it will take any game one would hunt with a revolver. The shootability is just as imporant, and you don't have to resort to a muzzle brake to make it shootable. It'll also push 460 gr 1050 fps, but I think that's past the point of dimishing returns.

I've shot enough 475's and 500's to know that the extra 100-200 fps with the same weight bullets comes at a tremendous increase in fealt recoil and I believe puts them into a recoil level that takes a tremendous amount of practice to master. The 480 with bullets designed to be loaded out to the end of the cylinder can be throttled up to near 475 levels, 400's @ 1350 fps, but that defeats what I see as the 480's strength, shootability.