Hand Gun Advice

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A large caliber revolver is overkill for a 2 legger but adequate for any animal. If you want to be ready for as much animal as possible in a package that you'll carry (vs long guns which are often impractical), get a magnum large caliber revolver and get good with it. No, you won't be having fun with it at the range at the ammo cost but I'd forego that objective you stated as diametrically opposed to your more important goal of effective protection against anything. 357 or .44 for outdoor protection. I carry a Taurus Tracker .44. It's lighter than the other all steel .44s as it has a 5 shot capacity and it's smaller - both of which figure into how often and comfortably you'll carry a gun. Many experienced shooters start with smaller sidearms and eventually progress to heavier power as they get good. Shortcut the process, save money in guns you would trade up and get proficient with a powerful revolver right from the start.

I have a 9mm and a 12g but walking/hiking/packing in the woods the .44 is the choice.

DougM
 
Whatever you get, please please please take a good course in how to use it! There's plenty of good courses on pistol out there. Take one, or two even. They're fun, and you'll learn quite a lot.

For self protection against critters in the lower 48, be they 2 legged or 4, the .357 is a good caliber choice, and as someone else said in the first page of this, if you shoot .38 through it it's not that expensive. You can also get .22 conversion kits for a lot of automatic pistols that let you practice and recreational shoot with .22 for not much money, but that you can then put the original barrel and other parts back in, easily, and have the full caliber available for self protection.

Anyway, there's my 2cents worth. Cheers!
 
First, a pistol is a good addition, camping, hiking or just in general. A few things to consider though.
I personally perfer strikerfire pistols, by that I mean there is no hammer and no kind of de-cocker, it may or may not have a button/latch safety, many of the new ones have incorperated gripped safetys.

There are revolvers, autos, strikerfire, double action, single actions and all with varying types of each and some combos, lol (its baskin Robbins out there).

Best thing to do would be to find an range that rents different styles of pistols, try them out and decide which feels better and handles in a controlable means for you.

Bear and cougars will require a specfic type of pistol and ammo, best to talk with a local hunting store about concerns for those 2.

A few recommendations:

Smith and Wesson M&P's
Springfield XDm's
Glock
Sig Sauer
Walther

9mm in most cases will be your cheapest ammo, though .38 is similar, it will cost most more in many cases than 9mm.
40, 45, 9mm and 22 LR are "probably" going to be the most "common" pistol rounds in N America and most store will carry these.
I personally carry a XDm40, as does my wife, and our daughter has a Walther P22, we like those pistols and would recommend them to anyone, but firearms aside, I would "strongly" recommend getting some sort of training, as well as the correct gear to go with your gun.... i.e. belts, holster, clothing.

Make sure you can legally carry where your going and if your in an open carry state, even better
Hope that helps
 
For packing purposes a light gun with some power was my consideration.
S&W360 357 mag was the revolver of choice. It has served me well on packing trips in the backcountry.
Good: Light (scandium alloy frame, less than 2 lbs), small (barrel under 2") power (357 mag on the trail/38 specials for the range), dependable and easy to clean.
Bad: Recoil (practice shooting to find the ideal grip for you), 5 shot (but if you are needing it in a dire situation, you better place a critical shot in 5 rounds or carry a knife if you need more carnage).
 
Dr Gonzo said:
Just get a GLOCK 22 (.40 cal.) and call it a day. Glock is the Land Cruiser of hand guns.
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I love how you put it. I love my Glock 22 and it works for most situations. Funny thing about Glocks people either love them or love to hate them go figure.
 
Not a lot of .40 love! I've got a S&W .40 and a Desert Eagle .40. I personally like the sw, it's on a glock inspired frame (I.e. Patent infringement) integrated trigger safety. And it's long enough in the grip. I broke my pinky earlier in life and it still gives me trouble, the sw doesn't bother it, but the de is a little short and kind of squishes my fingers and aggrevates the injury.
 
love my 1911 45. what i usually carry while wheeling around.
i will be getting a 357 or 44 mag shortly. as far as scaring away or taking down a bigger 4 legger, id stick with something along the lines of a 45,357, or a 44 mag. or a raging bull 454 cassul

if you want a larger gun, go with a shotgun with the military issue buckshot, or some bad ass rifled 3" magnum slugs for anything that twitches the wrong way at you.
 
Dr Gonzo said:
Just get a GLOCK 22 (.40 cal.) and call it a day. Glock is the Land Cruiser of hand guns.
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id have to disagree.

colt or smith and wesson would be my landcruiser of hand guns.
just my opinion. :cheers:
 
MO is to do your own research and look at the statistics that are out there. Take your time and don't rush this purchase. There are lots of quality firearms out there. Once you have done that take a few classes (NRA or local gun range/club). Very important to become as intimate as possible with your firearm whether it be handgun, rifle, or shotgun. Safety is most important not only for you but your kids and others around you. I would suggest you get your concealed carry permit as well. That class will help with other aspects as well. Then at a minimum once you have done all of this practice with it at least once a month at a minimum more if time and money allow.

Another thing is when you are researching this purchase think about a few other things; 1) reliability, 2) maintenance, 3) cost. Just because a firearm costs a lot of money does not mean it will be all things to everybody. Now let me say this 1911's are very good guns and have been around for along time and with proper care and maintenance will be a great firearm but it will require a little more care and maintenance than say a Glock. Only you know what level of time, energy and money you have or are willing to put forth so keep these things in your mind when considering what to purchase.
 
93yotasr5 said:
love my 1911 45. what i usually carry while wheeling around.
i will be getting a 357 or 44 mag shortly. as far as scaring away or taking down a bigger 4 legger, id stick with something along the lines of a 45,357, or a 44 mag. or a raging bull 454 cassul

if you want a larger gun, go with a shotgun with the military issue buckshot, or some bad ass rifled 3" magnum slugs for anything that twitches the wrong way at you.
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The only difference between " military" buckshot was the tall brass. It was only issued from 1917 till 1945. The stuff inside is the same as every other buckshot load. IMHO buckshot is for people that can't shoot accurately. You are more likely to injur with it than kill, I was taught to shoot to kill. That way I get to tell the story.
 
93yotasr5 said:
if you want a larger gun, go with a shotgun with the military issue buckshot, or some bad ass rifled 3" magnum slugs for anything that twitches the wrong way at you.
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Forget the buckshot, just stick a bear slug into that shotgun shell and use a rifled shotgun barrel.:hillbilly:
 
Muleysam said:
I am looking to buy a used hand gun to carry when I go camping. I also would like to go out shooting so the cost of bullets is important and I would rather not get into reloading but it is an option if it pays for itself.

I only own two guns; Merlin 22 and an air rifle (for the pigeons in my yard)

thanks

Sam
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Another cheap possibility for a conceal carry while camping is a KelTek PF9. This is truly a TINY gun and can go inside a trouser pocket. This is not a gun you go plinking with as the recoil is killer due to very little mass on the actual gun. But, you can hide it anywhere for camping purposes.
 
After going to a safety class and a course in handgun shooting, what I came out with is that whatever gun you choose, it needs to fit your hand more than anything. If the gun handle is too big for your hands, then you will not be accurate. While you get what you pay for, if the gun doesn't fit your hand... You have wasted your money. You need to head to a gun shop and try as many of those guns out as you can with proper guidance.

Due to my hands, I could not shoot a glock as well as my ruger 45. There was gaps in my hand position thus the gun would travel towards/out the gaps. Hope that makes sense.
 
copasspupil said:
After going to a safety class and a course in handgun shooting, what I came out with is that whatever gun you choose, it needs to fit your hand more than anything. If the gun handle is too big for your hands, then you will not be accurate. While you get what you pay for, if the gun doesn't fit your hand... You have wasted your money. You need to head to a gun shop and try as many of those guns out as you can with proper guidance.

Due to my hands, I could not shoot a glock as well as my ruger 45. There was gaps in my hand position thus the gun would travel towards/out the gaps. Hope that makes sense.
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That's an excellent advice. Rent couple of guns, shoot them and then buy it if you like it. Everyone has their favorite weapon of choice!
 
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