Buliwyf,
BER007:

If you have the time, would you post a summary of the votes each caliber received?

Thank You.

Buliwyf[/QUOTE]

Good idea, I'll do it this week.

MY vote go to the 44MAG.

No doubt in my mind! Most verstile = .38/.357 Magnum. Dennis

357 mag

Another vote for the 44 mag.

�What is according to you the most versatile caliber?�

To answer the question exactly the way it is worded, I would have to say .58 caliber. This is known as 12 gauge. No other round even comes close to being as versatile. For fun shooting trap, and clay bird. For deer slugs. Lets also say it is great for squirrels, rabbits, turkey, bear, and home defense. :-)

To answer the question to what it was meant, I would have to say 44mag or 45lc. Everything the 45lc can do the 44mag can also do. The 45lc may have a little more versatility if you hand load. The 44mag has the ability of more factory loads and you can buy it in an autoloader configuration.

10mm or 44 AMP, cant decide, the AMP, hits harder and faster, and has all the good qualitys of the 44, i.e. TONS of bullets. The 10 like the 45. big, but fast and hits like a brick shithouse.

I have to go with the 45 Colt on this one. It's what Elmer Keith would have used if it hadn't been for the balloon head brass.

--Which brings me to a question: Why didn't Elmer Keith just have someone mfg. stonger brass and reinforced single actions? Was he a bigger fan of the S&Ws? I just don't see why five-shot 45s never came about in his time.

Since this is a hunting forum, let's forget the concealed carry and self defense stuff, shall we? When it comes down to the nitty gritty, the .44 mag and .45 Colt will do anything ever wanted. I have both and take deer with them every year and really can not say one is better then the other. I also have the 45-70 BFR and love it. Less recoil and more accuracy then the previous calibers.
So what is the answer? There is none! Anything from the .41 mag on up will do the whole range of tasks on the target range or the hunting fields.
Sorry guys, the .357 is just not the best. Deer recovery with this little gun is only 50% according to an extensive survey of handgun hunters. BUT, it is the best against man. But this forum is for hunting.
For small game the .22 is king. And now the .17 HNDY will rank right up there.

For versatility, it's the .454 Casull hands down. If I was told I could only take one handgun and wasn't sure were all I'd be hunting, I'd have it on my side. I reload, so running the spectrum from small game to "kill anything big enough to die" loads is not a problem. My Model 83 FA served double duty as my defense weapon between hunting areas while in RSA. I have shot silhouettes, small game, and large game all the way up to gemsbok and waterbuck with it. So anyway, my 2 cents worth to this discussion.

sorry to resurect this thread...there are a few new rounds now so this is a good reason to revive this

they make bfr's in 30-30...

those gummy hornady bullets would be good in them but now there is the 308 marlin express...hmmmm 308 marlin express in a 10" bfr