Most common handgun caliber

[blamecharles]

In my experience, it's definitely 9mm in centerfire. Just look at the floor of any public range you go to. It's .22 and 9mm brass all over the place. Some may be the delusion that picking up 9mm brass to reload isn't worth the time. I'd wager it's simply the sheer number of folks who shoot those calibers myself...

When i sweep up my brass i take everything in the pan, it all goes with me even steel case. At home it gets separated and stored, Never know what SHTF may bring.

 

[cosermann]

Is the OP talking about in the U.S. or worldwide? Some of the others mentioned are way down in the weeds (like 4th place among center fires or lower).

Estimates can be based on ammunition sales, internet page views, brass counts at ranges, and sale of caliber-specific reloading equipment. The list below is something of an average of all those measures.

The last time I looked at this (circa 2009), the centerfire calibers came out this way for the U.S. (this is ammunition popularity centric rather than gun centric):

1. 45 ACP (was surprised by this)
2. 9mm (The top 2 are actually very close in the U.S. with the 45 edging out the 9. worldwide, however, TWICE as much 9mm is mfg making 9mm #1.)
3. 357 mag
4. 40 S&W (getting more popular all the time and since I did this a couple of years ago, I’d guess it’s probably #3 now, as shown below)
5. .44 mag
6. 38 spl
7. 454 Casull
8. 380 ACP (this one has really spiked in the last few years, up to around #4, however, my prediction is that it will settle back to around #6-#9 in the ranking as more small pistols chambered in 9 mm, like the Kahr PM9 come out, and as the first-time pistol owners, spurred by the ’08 election and Obama's re-election prospects, become more experienced and realize what a wimpy round this really is, and that it’s easy to carry something slightly larger than a Kel-Tec P3AT or Ruger LCP. I could be wrong though!)
9. 45 LC
10. 38 Super
11. 357 SIG

There are also surveys of what gun/caliber you carry from time to time on INGO.

[FONT=&quot]If someone asked me what the top 6 center fire pistol cartridges are currently, I'd say 45 acp, 9mm, 40 S&W, .380 acp, 357mag/38 spl (not sure of the order of the last two).

FWIW, the numbers drop off significantly after the top THREE, 9/40/45, (which account for 82-83% of respondents), and anything lower than the top 6 is "in the weeds" statistically speaking.[/FONT]

 

[Tamara]

6th is .38 special a lot of police use this range

Your local cops use .38s? Where do you live? 1983?

 

[TopDog]

I have to agree with cosermann with the rimfire .22lr & centerfire 9mm but the .380 is a close 2nd but everyone knows .380 is only 9x17mm so it is still 9mm just a shorter case.


No you don't have to do any tracking, just see what brass is laying on the ground at the range.
#1 would be .22lr there is a lot of .22 pistol shooters at the range.
2nd is 9mm
3rd is .380 9x17mm
4th is .45 cal.
5th is .40 S&W
6th is .38 special a lot of police use this range
This is from what I have been seeing at the range.

Very scientific and accurate approach. Hint, dont look at the floor at the range after I have been there you will be overwhelmed by the .45 ACP brass.

 

[top hat 45]

Very scientific and accurate approach. Hint, dont look at the floor at the range after I have been there you will be overwhelmed by the .45 ACP brass.

i was just thinking the 45 acp has been around for more than 100 yrs. has to be way up on the list for overall. but for any recent i.e. 10 yrs or so probably the 9 mm. its been popular even with the germans in ww 2 and the resurgence of concealed carry and good ammo has probably brought it to the forefront of any list....daryll

 

[Tamara]

i was just thinking the 45 acp has been around for more than 100 yrs. has to be way up on the list for overall. but for any recent i.e. 10 yrs or so probably the 9 mm. its been popular even with the germans in ww 2

You realize that .45ACP was designed in 1904 and 9x19mm was designed in 1901, so the .45 is the whippersnapper of the two.

 

[top hat 45]

You realize that .45ACP was designed in 1904 and 9x19mm was designed in 1901, so the .45 is the whippersnapper of the two.

my bad....i was under the impression about 1916 was the start of the 9. even so every american soldier that had a hand gun had a 45 until mid 80's

 

[joshualee49]

When i sweep up my brass i take everything in the pan, it all goes with me even steel case. At home it gets separated and stored, Never know what SHTF may bring.

I do the same thing - whether it's mine or nearby shooters (with permission, of course.) What I don't reload, I just keep in a scrap bucket to sell to the metal yards periodically. There sure is a lot of free $ laying around the range. I'm just thankful mine allows me to police my own \ others brass. If I can make it out on the weekend, it's usually a guaranteed couple hundred cases of all the major calibers within a few hours' time.

I keep 9mm, 40, and 45. 9mm and 45 to reload, 40 to trade. everything else goes into the scrap. Last I checked it was around $1.75\lb at Omnisource.


At least at that range, 22 and 9 are definitely all over the place.

 

[malern28us]

I would think the 22lr would be pretty high on the list, but 9mm would be up there as well.

Until I see 550 round boxes of 9mm, 40 cal, 38 special, 357mag or 45, I would bet .22lr hands down. Just my reasoning, not saying it is the right answer.

 

[hbarnett1]

9 mm is my best guess.

 

[Tamara]

even so every american soldier that had a hand gun had a 45 until mid 80's

...and everybody else had a nine.

(Well, not quite, but close enough for a government textbook. )

 

[osbornk]

When you ask people what caliber gun they have, many say 9, or 40 or 45 or maybe 38. However, almost everyone has, once had or plans on getting a 22lr. I think I am like many others. I shoot my 9 frequently but not a lot of rounds. I shoot my 22lr more frequently and I shoot a lot of rounds. If I'm careful, I can spend $.21 per round with my nine but I can shoot the 22 for under $.04 per round.

 

[Six Forty-Two]

If you are counting brass on the floor of the range, there probably wasn't much .38 or .357. Revolver shooters don't usually throw their brass around.

Polling the shooters around me, it is unanimously .38 special. My wife and I both shoot revolvers

 

[avengedXT]

most common? probably 9x19 parabellum .....


however: if you want to get technical you can convert rifles into legal handguns/pistols (AR pistols, AK-47 pistols, etc.) so consider 5.56x45 at the very least in the list, too! =D

 

[Mark-DuCo]

I think I remember reading on the internet that 9mm is currently the most commonly sold centerfire handgun cartridge. So it has to be true.

LMAO you really revived this old thread to just copy and paste the third post in it? Desperate to get to the classifieds are we?

 

[USMC-Johnson]

I think you would have to quantify what makes something most popular...Is the most sold? The most shot? the most valued? do you make it based on firearms sold that fire the round?

 

[Notalentbum]

I'm going to have to say 9mm. I know there's always a lot of 22LR laying around at the range leading to the conclusion that it is a more popular caliber. However, very few pick up their 22LR brass compared to 9mm shooters and at least in my experience, most of us shoot a lot more 22's at the range when we go. I go to the range to play and will frequently shoot 200+ rounds of 22 versus maybe only 50 9mm. Also, when considering what's laying on the ground at the range, much of the 22LR is from rifles. Not so much from 9mm. From this I would conclude that way more people are shooting 9mm in their handguns than 22LR.

Matt

 

[VERT]

LMAO you really revived this old thread to just copy and paste the third post in it? Desperate to get to the classifieds are we?

I think Glocksmith must like my posts. My list of updated threads was long this morning with necroposts. At first I thought it was to get to the classifieds. Now I realize that it was somebody who recognizes internet forum genius.