Pistol Help

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Jul 29, 2014
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I'm gonna be buying a pistol very soon and want to get a gauge on what ya'll are carrying. I want something with some adequate stopping power. I know 9mm seems to be the most popular, but I was thinking about maybe getting a .44. I won't be hunting in grizzly country or anything like that. This will be my first sidearm, so I look forward to hopefully a plethora of information from you guys


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elkduds

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Consider a Taurus Judge or similar revolver that fires .410 shot shells (as in buckshot) and .45 Colt pistol rounds.

I carry a 9mm if my main concern is humans, 357 for cats and black bears.
 

wildcat33

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I carry a G19 normally. If Im thinking I "need" more stopping power, Ill carry my FNX-40 with 180gr buffalo bore.

You can get all the advice on the internet, but what matters most is what feels good to you: Go to a range with a rental counter and shoot a bunch of different things and pick the one you like the best. S&W, Glock, CZ, FN, Sig all make good pistols. Lots of good choices in the caliber of your choice.
 

boom

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if i carried..i think a S&W 686P, in a 3" barrel would be a hoot.
 

boom

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..but for sure..i am taking my Buckmark Contour .22 on a backpack squirrel trip.

i'm not much a gun guy these days.
 

blutooth

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I agree the Taurus Judge is a gimmick. a 410 buckshot round only have 5 pellets in it. Better off with something with larger capacity and the ability to aim.

You mentioned it's your first firearm. I don't want to make any assumptions but if you haven't shot pistols much, you will want to practice a lot (I guess you should practice a lot anyway because it needs to be second nature when you need it. My first handgun I bought was a Ruger SR9 9mm. I shot the crap out of it, and at $0.20/rd it is the cheapest option out there for getting used to the gun.

Now I carry either a Glock G23 or G27 (both 40s&w) when out in the woods. Basically a toned down 10mm. But when i let first time pistol shooters try them, I find they are much more accurate with the 9mm to start.

Anyway if you have shot a lot of pistol I apologize for the above and then I recommend the G23 for a good all-around mountain sidearm. High capacity and good knockdown power.
 
Joined
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If you aren't in Grizz country, I would skip the .44 mag... it's a heavy gun... before hunting in grizz country, I either carried a .357 mag or a .40 glock (23)... those can double duty as civilian carry - .44 mag is just too much for 2 legged critters.

That said, I do hunt in grizz country and carry a .44 mag - they are fun guns.
 

Tsnider

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big fan of my hk p30L in 9mm
get something you can control raipidly vs something with 1 big boom that takes you seconds to get back on target
 

Huntin wv

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I carry a S&W j frame in 357 mag, 3" barrel. It's not real high capacity but is fairly light and thin to carry.


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Rucker61

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I carry a Ruger SP101 3" with Buffalo Bore hard cast in black bear country. The problem with the Glock .40 is the chamber and it's not recommended to shoot the really HP rounds like the Buffalo Bore.
 
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Are you looking for a gun to carry in the woods or a general hand gun?

44s and 10mms are cool and have their place, particularly on the trail. They fun but not great to carry (heavy in revolver) or shoot (recoil and ammo costs). Don't underestimate shootability. Learning to shoot a pistol in a 44 mag is the equivalent of learning to shoot a rifle in a 475. Unless you need something for dangerous game, I would not go that way for a first handgun.

If I had one handgun, I would keep it more basic. 9mm or 357/38. Cheaper to shoot. Easier to shoot and learn. More practical in a variety of situations including home defense, carry, etc.

glock 17 or 19 if you want an auto.
SW 66 or 686 if you want a wheel gun.

Both will carry and conceal if needed and strike a good balance of shootability and performance. Low maintenance and easy to care for. While the smith is prettier, they are both basically heirloom quality in terms of durability. Unless you go nuts and shoot up +20-30k rounds, that glock or the smith will be around long after you.

PS - if I had two handguns, one would be the glock 19 and the other would be a 22. Great fun and training. I shot ruger 22s for a long time but my favorite for the last few years is a smith and Wesson 617. It is a 10 shot 22 lr revolver built on a heavy gun frame. No mags to reload. Just fun plinking and a great learning gun. I have taught three people basic handgun techniques with it as the primary trainer and I don't think there is a better gun to learn on.
 
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Ucsdryder

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THis is too easy. Glock 29 with a ported extended barrel. All the power of the g20 in a smaller, lighter, easier to carry package. And the ported barrel helps keep full power 10mm loads on target. I had a g20 and sold it because it was a safe queen once I bought the g29.
 
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Another vote for the g20 or the g29 if you are really concerned with size and weight or if you want to conceal it.
 

buttekid

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Another member of the Glock 20 choir here. After looking at a lot of different handguns, I selected the G20 because it is something that can be used in the woods as well as an urban environment. There are a lot of different choices of high quality ammo for the high capacity magazines which I like because some of us don't always have a hit or kill shot with the first round. There is quality ammo for everything from griz defense to smaller game or 2 legged threats. Glock allegedly sells more of the G20s in Alaska than any other state so I took that as a vote of confidence by people who are regularly encountering potentially dangerous threats in the outdoors. All that said, there are a lot of great choices and it really comes down to what you are comfortable carrying. If you don't carry it and have it readily available in a time of need, they are all useless. Whatever you choose, make sure you get a good holster and practice. Good luck!
 

ATX762

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I love my G20 and my G40 (long slide 10mm) but ported barrels on handguns really really hurt my ears. I ported a 44 mag once, fired 4 shots out of it at hogs I ran into in the woods, and my ears rang for a month. I sold the gun. It was never an issue until I fired it with no ear pro in.

Prob with 10mm is it recoils a fair amount and it's expensive to buy so it's really a pretty poor beginner round.

A 44 mag is too heavy and kicks too much i.e. has the same issues as the 10mm, just even more of them.

Your best bet is a 357 revolver, I would say by far. You can shoot 38 specials out of it which are cheap and don't recoil much, and for woods carry there is a lot of good 357 hunting ammo that penetrates very well. The barnes 140 all copper go very deep as do the old school Remington 180gr hollow points. Both those loads will provide some service against hogs and black bears and mountain lions and 357 has been working great against humans since the 1930's....357 mag is sort of the pistol cartridge (against humans) that most other pistol cartridges are measured against.

That said I carry a G19 or G17 (both 9mm) when I'm in cities...but 9mm is not all that great of a woods round. I think for your purposes a 3" or 4" 357 revolver will be great to learn on, cheap to practice with (with 38's) and will hit plenty hard with 357's. I carry a 3" 357 all the time if there are no grizzlies around.
 

robtattoo

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Glock 29 fan here. Basic factory 10mm isn't much hotter than .40 & is my go to for 'people' carry. Underwood hard cast only get loaded for 'bear' carry.
It's a handful of gun, no question. It's got a wide frame & is not the best cc pistol, but as an all-around carry gun, I don't think there's anything better.
That said, I'll never part with my Officer size 1911 either.....
 

robtattoo

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Don't overlook the XDs 3.3" in .45 either.
To my mind, it's the ultimate conceal pistol. Super slim & lightweight, recoil is mild & it'd strong enough to cope with .45 Super ammunition if big things are on the cards. I very much regret selling mine, but I turned it into the G29 so it's not a total loss.....
 
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