Just a fun question? So What's perfect in your eyes?

thats a harder question than you think ! I love my bigger stuff 45 colt 308 358jdj, but if i had only one it would be a .22.You can handle anything where I live with it in central Kentucky,and carry enough ammo for a siege if it comes to that.It will work on anything from mice, to men, and has in the past.But only one gun,you will give people nightmares with a question like that!SHAME ON YOU

22 LR of a 12Ga it would be a tough choice--most likely it would be the 12Ga

IF, limited to HUNTNG cartridge, it would be for deer IMO and out of an SP in 260 Rem or 6.5-284 Win.

If limited to one round for defense (against 2 OR 4 legged beasties) to survive out in the wilderness taking various unknown game?

12 gauge pump with slugs, #1 buckshot and some number 6s stocked up.

So I guess I'd have to better reply that it depends on for what? lol

God Bless.

Most of my shooting is less than 150 yards so I'd go with my SRH in .454 casull with 1inch Ultra-dot,flat to 150 and short blood trails are the norm.

A .44 Magnum.

What caliber, well that would be the 22 caliber of cartridges. The 218 BEE would handle the small to medium stuff and great for target shooting, plinking fun. A fast twist large capacity case for the heavy bullets to handle some distance and should cover the rest of the larger critters.

One cartridge...... the 357 Max in my DW revolver. That should cover the bases for the most part of what I would do.

I really like my 22, 357, and 44 cals but it was an easier answer for me than I first thought.

It would be my 7.62's. I would use my 10" 30 Herrett loaded with lead 110 soupcans for small game. Though I did test it recently with 155 lead and it is entirely up to the task of midsize game. If I wanted more in a handgun I'd switch to my 30-30AI. For defense it could be my 30-30 or 308. For longer range mid to big I'd grab the 30-06 A-bolt. For messing around my Swiss K31 is kind of neat. Been thinking of the new 30 Rem AR for the AR.

I sure wouldn't be giving up much with only being able to have one caliber.

FA in 44 Magnum

I am going with my 30/30 AI. Loaded with 100 to 110 grain bullets at low velocities it is fun for plinking and prairie dogging. Loaded with the 150 grain bullets I hope it will be great for bigger game. I am sure there are better but this is all I have and I dont see a new barrel in the future atleast not soon.

I suppose if I answered that in a real-world scenario, I would have to also consider the availability and versatility of ammo. I would have to go with .357 mag, which would be an admitted compromise from all I prefer. But from light .38 special for people, squirrels and rabbits up to heavy hardcast for hogs and deer, and 1000 variations available in every dusty Mom and Pop hardware store tucked in every corner of the US, it will chew up and spit out a lot of scavenged and scrounged ammo that other calibers will not. Second to that, the lowly .22.

I would have to go with the 30-30 as well. Light bullets for varmints. I use the 125 gr spitzers for deer. Have killed a boar with 150 gr RN. Also use cast 150 and trailboss for smallgame and plinking.
Also use the 30-30 in Long Range Silhouette and at the Masters. Works very good to 200 Meters.
Steelshooter

For a hunting handgun: 454 Casull in a Freedom Arms with 10" barrel and reload dies....

44 magnum. No Brainer, as ammo is available everywhere, even in SA.

That was sort of the idea Junebug.

I have to agree that the .22 would be a good choice. I would miss my others badly tho.

Thank God , I do not have to make that choice!

I have tried to live with one gun and to find one that would suit me the best, for where I live and for what I may hunt in the coming years. I can not make that choice.

only one to do it all would be 12 ga.

handgun only contender 30-30.

I would have to go with a .22 mag if there was only to be 1. It will kill just about anything if you hit it true, and the availability/portability of ammo is anywhere. And I thank God I can have a gun at all. Britain, India, etc. are good examples of bad gun politics.

Guys, I thought this was a handgun forum!
.44 mag and then the .475. Two that do anything.
Third would be a Ruger class .45 Colt.

45 colt,kept the cowboys happy for years,from cows to men it handled there day to day chores,I feel it could handle mine.They did it with a 250-255lrn type but I would like the 300-325gr pill.

I don't even have one, but it would probably be a 22 mag.

Probably the .475 Linebaugh......it has no flies on it.

X 2. While it's not ideal, I've taken feral hogs, rabbits, squirrels, coyotes, snakes, coons, and other targets of opportunity. Low recoil, noise, ammo price, and weight. In an emergency it can take deer (not legal in Okla), turkey (legal in the fall in Okla).

Thankfully, I'm not limited to one cal. or firearm.

way too many....for whats....in whats....n what fors to give an accurate answer.

in a revolver....i'd take a 44mag. a 357 maximum would be super, but harder to aquire.

in a contender....i'd take a 6x47 for varmint/predator....or a 30-30AI for overall. then again, i'd hate to deny a 35rem.

in a encore....i'd take a 7mm-08, n could be just as happy with a 260 rem. unless i was varminting, n then i may want a .223.

in an xp100....i'd take a .243 win n cover some bases.

but then again....what about small game?....a real man has to have a 22lr. a ruger mk series handgun is sweet, as is a match barrel contender.

it can't be done!

12gauge?

that ain't no pistol!

Well I was talking handgun. lol. I have one of the old AMT 22mag pistols that shoots really well. 6 inch barrel semi-auto. It occasionally hiccups, but really a fun accurate gun.

Ever since I got that SRH in 480, I have a hsrd time finding a reason for anything else. But, if I could have only one firearm, it would be my Rem 870, 12 guage. Thank the righteous and vigillant, we don't have that worry in this country. YET!

I would have to go with a SBH .44. It will work on anything in North America. Ammo for this caliber is readily available everywhere.

Hard to pick but I disagree with all the .22 lr and .22magnum choices. I would definately want a caliber that I could reload for. Just my 2 tarnished cents.

A 30-30 in a lever action or 14" Contender. I can reload or purchase ammo if needed.

thats a hard one but I think it would my Marlin 1895 LTDVII. It's chambered in 45-70 and holds ten rounds. In a pinch I can reload it with blackpowder and a .457 round ball. You can still by the handloader kit for it that fits in a small pouch for easy carrying in a backpack if it's a survivaly situation. My very close second would be either a Ruger 77 or Winchester 70pre 64 in 375 H&H. Factory ammo is easier to find than the 45-70, most half way decent stores that carry ammo will have it. It's flatter shooting than the 45-70 and like the 45-70 it will take anything on the planet including grizzly and polar bears up to elephants but yet both have taken their share of elk and deer. The 45-70 only won out because in a serious situation such as anarchy factory ammo may not be an option and I can convert to blackpowder which I have a book on making my own and with a bullet and or ball mold you can handload easily by robbing tire weights which means the only components you have to have is the brass which you reuse and primers. I left handguns out because with the exception of ease of carry the rifles are more versatile and if I'm trying to survive I could care less about being a purist handgun guy. If it had to be a handgun though it would be a 454 since I can also use 45 colt ammo which I can also load with black powder and round balls.

Long gun: 12 gauge because you can shoot slugs or shot.
Short gun: 44 mag because it would work on squirrels or griz, and ammo is easy.

Well I guess everyone has a different idea. If I had the tools to reload, I suppose I would try for a round that was good for small and large game, but didn't consume too much powder and pill to get it out of the tube.

44 MAG

I agree with wapitirod, I find myself, when hunting with a rifle, using my Marlin 894 cowboy model in 45-70. Hold 9 rounds is very light and accurate to 150 yards with open sights. Easy to reload and like he said its not difficult to shoot Black powder thru it and thats fairly easy to make. I can carry it thru the woods all day long in my hands and never tire of carrying it.
In handguns caliber, thats a hard one. My Taurus 480ruger is a very accurate gun and can handle anything on this continent, but I find myself going with my RSBH in 44 mag. Its been worked over by SSK industries and is a fine hunting tool and accurate to boot.

Deer size game - 30/221 (300 Whisper)
Larger game - 376 Steyr

In Competitor Single Shots

+1 for a Ruger SBH in .44 Mag.

For me the handgun would be the 10" 454 Casull. Load it down to the 1100 fps range in 454 brass for the easy days or load it up if you need to it full potential and you can cover just about anything. Very versatile cartridge.

I am new to handgun hunting after I dislocated my shoulder and couldn't bowhunt anymore. Based on family and health considerations this discussion is not theoretical for me. I can only have one handgun and one barrel at this time. Based on the articles and input from this site I also selected the 30-30 AI in a Contender with a 15" MGM SS barrel. The fact that there is such a wide range of factory 30-30 ammo available (125-170 gr.) until I could afford to start to reload the 30-30 AI, was the clencher for me.

This is easy. First I would go with my G2 in .30-30:



If not then my second would be my old faithful S&W 629, .44:

I would select my 6 inch S&W M629-1 .44 magnum. It would handle defense with .44 Specials and any other game with Magnum loads.