Hand Gun Advice

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My dog got popped w/snake shot while in my yard, while I was at work. My neighbors heard nuttin, told 'em not to fret when they saw me open carry on my property.


Buddy's house, my vacation place, has snakes in various locations, including the timber I drop and buck up. Drive up there w/a pistol in my bug out bag.... train how you fight.

Use a 38 revolver for above, 9mil stays in its place for home defense (w loaded mags). Should prolly get a shotgun, but I have dobermans: the pistol will suffice.
 
Bogo said:
Get the hand gun for fun and against two legged critters. For the 4 legged critters get a can of bear spray with holster. Much more effective and statistically much more likely to allow you to get away unhurt. Roughly 50% of the people who shoot a charging bear with a gun get mauled or killed by the bear. Less than 5% of the people who use bear spray on a charging bear get mauled or killed.:hhmm: There is also evidence that bear spray works well on wolves, but the numbers of incidents aren't large enough for good statistics yet. Same goes for the big cats.
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This reminds me of a story I heard from a good friend... A bear started to approach their camping group so one of them who had a bear canister took it out of its holster as a precaution. The bear got a little too close and looked like it was going to charge, so the guy panicked and pulled the trigger. Only thing is, in the excitement, the canister was pointed the wrong way and he ended up spraying himself and not the bear. They thought they were screwed, but the bear ended up leaving them alone after all. Maybe the smell of it alone was enough to make the bear think twice!
 
my daily carry is a S & W air wieght in 38 special, light and will do the job if needed.
 
I have three 9mm's and I am just not a fan of the round. My past LE experience has left me with opinion that the 9mm is somewhat lacking in penetration and knock down capability. Shot placement is vital with any round but at least with a 40, 45, 357, or 44 any hit will drastically slow an attacker better than a 9mm. Most LE Agencies have quit using 9mm due to its poor performance taken from actual statistics. My choice for a good all around weapon for what you describe is the 40 in a semi. and the 357 in a revolver. With the 357 you have the option of shooting 38's or the 357. 38's are great for two legged creatures and the 357 is great for the four legged ones. I love the 45 but the 40 has the best of both worlds. You have knock down power with the added feature of high cap mags. Carry the bear spray on your hip and the handgun readly accesible. Bear spray works very well for the four legged as well as the two.
 
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I use to have rifles on the gun rack in the cab plus have hand guns ..Outback living and working.
Strange country Canada , they made all register all your guns , BUT if you sign all the crap , They no longer need any court order to search your house, just signing you waved all of your Home rights..

They stole / took all of mine plus many other folks guns.
So all these Canuks without GUNS , have RCMP (Cops) with full chest bullet proof vests (and an attitude to match with some). While when im in the States , most have them in the house or glove box etc. , and the Cops wearing normal uniforms , without looking like SWAT guys..

DO NOT bring a gun into Canada without the correct paper work , and even with that , they get power hungry and won't say they were ever out of order.
They tazar Visitors (TO DEATH) that can't speak english without 1 minute of cooling things down ..

Canada's RCMP is there to protect themselves FIRST.

Just a heads up


VT
 
best of both
sprinfield M6 scout .25 Hornet and .410


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I know some may laugh, but my brother gave me a Hi-Point 9mm, I have had zero problems with it and have put about 500 rds through it since it became mine. Brand new cost is ~$160, they also have a .40 S&W as well as a 45 ACP. All under $250 I believe. I also have their 9mm Carbine with folding front handle and red dot site. Cheap, fun, and reliable as far as my experience with them. Pretty decent firearm for those of us that squeak by paycheck to paycheck.
 
ditto with the others that say .357. I've got a Ruger SP101 that (on occation) I shoot .38 (best stopper for the price IMHO). but if you really want to stop someone/something a .357 hollowpoint really hurts (just for a moment though....)

regarding the 1911 .45 crowd....great gun, I love them, but kind big for a pocket (or close to) as he states.
 
hedonist said:
How about the judge for bear or lion?? Anyone have any expieience with these? Seems you can get a used one for around 300...:hhmm:
I heard they are good because you can shoot either 45 cal or 410 shotgun shells. Makes it easier to hit a charging animal
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I haven't shot one but they sure look heavy and bulky. I have a friend with one and he seems happy with it. He only uses it for home defence and a occasional trip to the range. Personally I don't have a use for one.
 
hedonist said:
How about the judge for bear or lion?? Anyone have any expieience with these? Seems you can get a used one for around 300...:hhmm:
I heard they are good because you can shoot either 45 cal or 410 shotgun shells. Makes it easier to hit a charging animal
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Where can you find the Judge for $300?
It's a sweet gun, one of my friends has one and I've had a chance to fondle it.
But I've never seen one for $300 anywhere.
 
hedonist said:
How about the judge for bear or lion?? Anyone have any expieience with these? Seems you can get a used one for around 300...:hhmm:
I heard they are good because you can shoot either 45 cal or 410 shotgun shells. Makes it easier to hit a charging animal
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Yeah, it may be easier to hit a charging bear with a shot shell, but it will only piss him off. There is a reason a bear slug is just that, a single slug. It is because that is the only way to make an impression on a bear. Unfortunately it is very difficult to make a stopping* blow on a bear as there is just to much mass to go through to get to the spine. Either you have to hit the head which is bobbing up and down, or hit the spine. Any other hit will just make it mad and turn what was most likely just a bluff charge into a real attack charge. Bear spray on the other hand temporarily blinds the bear, and causes respiratory distress so you have a chance to get away from the scene and the bear can't follow.

* Notice, I don't say killing blow as you can blast a bear's heart and lungs out and it still has 1 to 2 minutes to kill you.:eek: Because bears are so durable you need to take out command and control to stop them. That is disrupting shots to the brain, or spinal cord, or blind them somehow.
 
Folds in half to about 12".
Easy to carry in a pack or they have a holster/pouch.
Shouls be .22 Hornet.
Oriiginally Air Force issue for pilot survival.
 
Mozzio said:
Folds in half to about 12".
Easy to carry in a pack or they have a holster/pouch.
Shouls be .22 Hornet.
Oriiginally Air Force issue for pilot survival.
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They're also about $800 and depending on barrel length classified as a short barreled rifle, i've only seen the shorter ones for sale.

The keltec folding carbine is another option that takes pistol ammo.

The Judge is an interesting piece, but a bit heavy compared to what else you could carry. I'd rather have 5 to six high power rounds or 20 9mm staggered between fmj+P and HP. Factory snakeshot is pretty much available in everything from .22lr to .44mag. I'd think that .410 slugs will be underpowered for large pissed off predators. Ammo is also kind of expensive.

I have a HI-point carbine in 9mm that ran flawless on WBW with factory 10rd mags for the first 4k rounds or so. Now it likes to jam all the time, so it is in the back of the safe. They have a no questions asked forever warranty though, I should send it back. I'm debating threading the barrel for a can, but :meh:.
I considered getting a hi-point pistol as a truck gun, but I don't really trust it like i would a sig226 or a glock.

The 1911 design is fun and has been tweaked for a hundred years, but kind of expensive to get something good. You're looking at 1k plus for a kimber. I laugh at my friends that carry their 'custom' pistols and cry when they drop and scuff them. The old-timers will swear by their 1911 because it was the only automatic pistol that worked at the time available to them. Now you have a plethora of reliable pistols to choose from with larger magazines and pointier bullets.
 
I have the NEW ENGLAND FIREARMS--- survior ---cool little gun that has a hollow stock that you and put some hooks line, lead, extra ammo in case you wind up on a nice fishing stream:D, cut a piece of cane, or a stick and go fishing:clap:.........it shootsa 3 in .410 shot gun shells and shoots and 45 LONG COLT pistol ammo has a rifled barrell.............this little gun is so deadly........and made in the US of A............

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not a handgun but a great truck gun/4 wheeler/golf cart gun for sure..............:hillbilly:
 
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.357 for hiking and 12 gauge for the campsite. I wouldn't consider anything smaller for lions or bears. A .22 or 9mm might kill them, but not quickly. To knock them down reliably you need some power, and follow up shots. I carry a 686+. Its as reliable as gravity, and you can practice with relatively cheap .38 special.
 
S&W Scandium 44mag (359PD I beileve) or a Kimber 45 Ultra Carry (Crimson Trace)

Take a basic handgun NRA course, they will tell you that if you would like to stop a perp, you will need the horsepower, epecially if the perp is a wild animal. You will pay between 750-1000- but these are lifetime firearms.
Good Luck.
 
While bow hunting i carry a glock subcompact G29 10mm for cats and bears. Small, light, and will knock um down. No good for long distances, but close up it will get the job done. Think i payed around $550.
 
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