It would have to be 9mm.Universal availability,inexpensive and lightweight.As for the issue of knockdown power,a double tap surpasses the energy of the 44 mag.Yeah it takes two to equal the 44,but you still have over twice as many shots left before a reload.What do you think man!

True Survival?

.22lr.  Quiet, lightweight, enough to damage large targets or hunt small ones.  If you're close enough that you need a 9mm or .44mag routinely, you're not going to survive for long.  

    Black Fox

BlackFox,I agree a 22lr is the KING of survival for small game hunting,but i'm talking about close encounters with humans where concealability is a must.Anything past 20 yds would be a job for 5.56 or 7.62,proven effective against humans!

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[img]http://wsphotofews.excite.com/034/Yb/UC/ss/hh17915.jpg[/img]

Slightly off topic-
I recently built up a backpackers carbine just for when I am out in the woods, and need something super light to fit on a pack frame.

It started life as a Full Stocked Spanish 9MM Largo Destroyer Carbine.

I made a 4MM steel chamber insert from a surplus Wolf 9MM case, and corectly inserted it, thus converting the gun to 9X19 Luger/Nato.
I shortened the barrel to the legal minimum, and removed the iron sights. I also ported it to reduce the recoil to zilch. I added a dot scope in a "scout" type foreward mounting position with an old Ruger rimfire rail, drilling and tapping an extra hole for the screw, and using one of the existing holes from the rear sight to mount it.
I took an old M1 Carbine Telescopong Stock, and muled it with the Destroyer stock. I cut off the Destroyer buttstock, and Epoxyed the M1 Carbine Pistol Grip/wire stock to the Destroyer fore/end. I shortened the overall fore end legnth, and painted it all black. I then teflon coated the Destroyers metal action, and did a full trigger job.

All and all, the gun weighs like a damn feather, and is at the bare ass legal minimum for compact size when telescoped in....

Shown in the pic is a .357 for comparison.
Soon, I will be doing a Full stocked Destroyer in .357 once I get the proper dimensions to retrofit a Coonan rimmed auto extractor to the Destroyers bolt. But that is simple. I already got 90% of the work done!

I carry a 1911 .45 acp for urban survival, unless it's just too damn hot then I go with my Kahr P7 in 9mm for shorts carry. I prefer .45 though.

.357, ammo is everywhere, but in a survural situation you have with you can carry. 250 rounds take up little space. Or if sociey starts to get stupid, I can cheaply stash components for thousands of roundsMy Colt 4 inch hits to 75 yards with full loads. 38 special gives it more versitility.

I'd go with a 357 mag good for hunting large animals and human. Next I'd take the 40S&W more knock down power them a 9mm hold more rounds then a 45.ACP and with a lot of P.D using it now as there standard round you know you can find the ammo for it. As my second choose I'd take a 45.ACP.

for the 357 the gun to fire it would be a Taurus tracker or a S&W 656

for the 40S&W Glock 22

for the 45.ACP Glock 21

9mm, it's international. a .22 or .44 mag would probably be more useful.

22LR, I once read, that the 22LR has taken more game than any other round.

It is truly the survivalists cartridge.

Ask anyone who lived and hunted during the depression.

Waterdog

Landon, the link was dead. Send me that pic. I like that concept.

Another vote for .22lr.  Accuracy is the most important part about the "survival" round.  9mm is dismal compared to the .22 in accuracy.

.357 in a 6" bbl. revolver.

If you're "international", use the .357 and take whatever [i] they [/i] have...

.357 magnum! It's actually 2 calibers in one, as you can shoot .38 Special also. Loaded hot can take animals as large as whitetail. Loaded light (ala .38 Special) it can take small game eaily, accuracy is excellent. Rated as # 1 in one shot stops (not jello but in real life) w/ 125 grain Federal. As much as I love my Sig 220, I couldn't easily take a deer a 80 yards, would be lucky to get a good solid hit offhand. With a 6" or 7 1/2" revolver, it's much easier.

I like the versatility and no jam functioning of the Model 19.[pistol]
It isn't my favorite handgun, but it is my most accurate centerfire.

SS109,model 19, you talking S&W or GLOCK.

The ideal pistol cartridge for survival would be able to:

1.  Feed you by downing deer-sized animals (inside of 100 yards) "fairly effectively" (whatever that means.)  Since small game hasn't got enough *fat*, you can't survive on it, for very long.  Trying to survive on the lean meat of small game leads to a condition called "rabbit starvation".  

2.   Defend your person/family from attackers.  What would you shoot at a group of determined rioters who were coming for you? During the LA Riots, I read of one storeowner who emptied his 9mm into the ceiling to keep the mob at bay.  Since he hadn't shot any of them, they looted his store when he ran dry.  D@mn sobering.

So what's the answer?  I dunno.  I keep vacillating between: .22LR, .38 +P, 9mm, .357, and .45AR.

One interesting thing I did was to eliminate non-starters was to place an opened pizza box(the size of a torso) at 100 yards and shoot at it with all my pistols.  If you can't hit a target that large (reliably), either practice more, or rule out that pistol.  Even as a longtime shooter, I found the paper results  of this simple test eye-opening.

As a hardcore distance pistol nut, I can assure that there isn't a handgun in this world that can't be used to hit a man sized target with enough practice.

I find it funny when I go to a range that dosn't play host to many distance pistol shooters. I take my handguns to the rifle range, and they look at me like I am crazy. When they see me hitting what I am shoooting at, they think I have some special skill.
Really, this isn't the case. It's just a matter of practice. At a range where I do a lot of my shooting, many of the guys congregate at the 100 yard line to shoot their pistols.
There are guys who can take a small KEL-TEC 9mm and hit a man sized shillouette 95% of the time. It's all about the practice.