[coleslaw]

If you were a minimalist or are a minilimast what gun caliber did you choose and why? I have a friend that leads a minimilast lifestyle and he chose a .45, he says it's a good middle of the road defense caliber, it's all he needs. Personally, I told him I thought he'd be better off with a .357 mag if only limiting yourself to the basic needs, but I don't even have .357 so it was kind of hypocritical for me to tell him that. So what are your opinions on living a minimalist lifestyle and being a responsible gun owner at the same time?

[Old School]

I have to agree with the .357 mag assessment, specifically in stainless steel.

[SigFTW]

I had to Google minimalist lifestyle to find out what it's all about. lol, to each their own I guess.

I'm curious to see if others on GT would know about minimalist lifestyle

[mr00jimbo]

You talkin' bout those weirdos who sleep on the floor and brag about not having a TV?
They probably wouldn't want a gun, it's a mere possession.

Or a do all caliber?

[Lior]

Surely a knife is more minimalistic than a gun.

[1gewehr]

In this context, I understand that 'minimalist' is being used to describe someone who has a single firearm for the widest variety of uses.

In that case, it is very hard to beat the .357 revolver. Plinking with cheap .38 reloads, hunting with .357 heavy loads, self defense with .357 125gr JHP, etc. Most folks can hide a 4" revolver with small grips and a round butt. Change the grips and you have a comfortable hunting or target revolver.

[Ruggles]

I agree a 4" .357 is about as versatile as you can get. I don't have one either.

[Tim151515]

if i was only going to have one gun itd prolly be a 9mm.

[Metal Angel]

Maybe I'm the only one, but I think 9mm for a minimalist. Cheap, effective, available, widespread use, etc... If you are looking for versatility, I do agree the .357 revolver can hardly be beat. I do think .357 is a little less bite than bark out of a barrel shorter than 4", and anything above 4" would be hard to conceal, (actually, I think 4" would be hard to conceal) so I think a minimalist needs to figure out what he needs, because ability to hunt with and ability to conceal seem to be at odds with each other. If I wanted to lean towards hunting, .357 revolver, 4-6" barrel. If I wanted to lean towards concealment, 9mm in a compact or subcompact frame.

On the other hand, I have heard of people hunting with .45acp, and there are many good concealable frames for that caliber, so your friend may be right. .45acp may be the best for a minimalist.

[CitizenOfDreams]

9mm. The cheapest and the most common centerfire round.

[4 glocks]

The minimalist's caliber? I would say a .22lr

[PhantomF4E]

9mm Pistol ( sort of effective) Carbine (sort of effective) you did say minimalist . Cheap (minimal) plentiful (minimal) effective (minimal but effective) It'll cover your buttocks and put meat on the table ...minimally... You could slap a .45acp into the same 9mm section and be a bit better off though . Not as plentiful though.

[Unistat]

Since you asked "minimalist caliber" and not "one gun" I'm going to assume you mean which round can do the most in a wide variety of guns. That is, the intent is to only have to buy and stock one caliber that can be used in any gun one may own (not regarding specific loadings and bullet types.)

Minimalist caliber: .357 Magnum.

.357 snub revolvers for CC.
.357 4" or 6" make a great woods gun or nightstand gun.
.357 has a proven and definitive record as a self-defense caliber.
.357 in a lever carbine can take dear.
.357 Coonan if you want a semi-auto.
.357 reloads well, you can go light if you want and have a .38 special equivalent, good for teaching new shooters.
.357 common as dirt and available everywhere, even WalMart.

Yes I do own one (S&W M13 square butt)

If I was limited to just a few calibers, I would probably choose .22 LR, .357 Mag, 12 ga, & .308 Win. Thank the Good Lord I'm not.

[Bruce M]

I would be torn between a Model 66 four inch or a Glock 19 for minimalism.

[CharlestonG26]

The G19 is a moderately priced, highly versatile, simple weapon that fires a highly popular, relatively inexpensive round. It is easy to work on and requires very little maintenance. IMO...it certainly is suitable for a minimalist lifestyle.

[glock2740]

For the one gun dude, I would say either Glock G19 9mm or Ruger 4" stainless GP100 .357 Magnum.

And for the eccentric one gun dude, I would say Wilson Super Grade in 9x25 Dillon.

[bac1023]

9mm would be my choice. It's always been my favorite caliber.

[Highspeedlane]

Originally Posted by 4 glocks

The minimalist's caliber? I would say a .22lr

Make that a double. My first thought.

[DoubleWide]

If you're trying to do everything under the sun, .357 is the winner.

Not everybody thinks they need to do everything like hunt and ccw though or put rifle and pistols calibers together.

12 gauge would also be better in some ways.

.357 isn't as readily available as other calibers. I'm not saying it's uncommon.

Also if you're loading the .357 12 different way is it minimalist?

I'd pretty much pick a service pistol and a rifle caliber. Of course, the .22 and 12 gauge want to join the party too.

[arclight610]

Originally Posted by Unistat

Since you asked "minimalist caliber" and not "one gun" I'm going to assume you mean which round can do the most in a wide variety of guns. That is, the intent is to only have to buy and stock one caliber that can be used in any gun one may own (not regarding specific loadings and bullet types.)

Minimalist caliber: .357 Magnum.

.357 snub revolvers for CC.
.357 4" or 6" make a great woods gun or nightstand gun.
.357 has a proven and definitive record as a self-defense caliber.
.357 in a lever carbine can take dear.
.357 Coonan if you want a semi-auto.
.357 reloads well, you can go light if you want and have a .38 special equivalent, good for teaching new shooters.
.357 common as dirt and available everywhere, even WalMart.

Yes I do own one (S&W M13 square butt)

If I was limited to just a few calibers, I would probably choose .22 LR, .357 Mag, 12 ga, & .308 Win. Thank the Good Lord I'm not.

If only it were dirt cheap.

[bac1023]

Originally Posted by 4 glocks

The minimalist's caliber? I would say a .22lr

Its way too limited in what it can do to be an only gun.

[collim1]

It would rule out a handgun, but 12g is by far the best "minimalist" caliber.

The versatility is awesome. Slugs, buck. heavy shot, light shot it really cant be beat.

[TalkToTheGlock]

Originally Posted by bac1023

9mm would be my choice. It's always been my favorite caliber.

Agreed.

While I have guns in several calibers from 9mm to .45ACP to 10mm to .357SIG, I would say that 9mm is all I would need.

I am actually not buying anything but 9mm pistols from now on unless I really really want it. 9mm suits me just fine.

[arclight610]

Originally Posted by collim1

It would rule out a handgun, but 12g is by far the best "minimalist" caliber.

The versatility is awesome. Slugs, buck. heavy shot, light shot it really cant be beat.

Grenades, tasers

[4 glocks]

Originally Posted by bac1023

Its way too limited in what it can do to be an only gun.

22lr I agree I was just taking it to the minimal.