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About to Buy a Heavy Duty Handgun
- Thread starter HWS
- Start date
Ruger revolver are very robust. I had the Speed 6, Ruger is the only revolver I know that have metal wall on both side of the frame. Unlike S&W, you can take off the side plate, the frame only have one side. See this video in disassembling the RedHawk:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nSPi3ZHUCeY
Impressive......but huge!!!
My Speed Six was very big and heavy for a snub nose, it's 31oz for 2 1/2" barrel. I sold it since I got the S&W 36 J frame snubbies. But for 44 magnum, you need all the metal on the frame.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nSPi3ZHUCeY
Impressive......but huge!!!
My Speed Six was very big and heavy for a snub nose, it's 31oz for 2 1/2" barrel. I sold it since I got the S&W 36 J frame snubbies. But for 44 magnum, you need all the metal on the frame.
"...yet he ran another 50+ yards..." No handgun round is going to stop Yogi if he's PO'd at you and coming from under 100 yards in his tracks. Keeping in mind that he or she can cover 100 yards in less than 6 seconds. Neither will a varmint cartridge AR-15.
However, where you are has more to do with it than anything else. Not many Griz in the Lower 48 and a blackie doesn't need a magnum.
Up in Alaska, a .44 Mag(or the like) is considered minimum according to real guides on assorted forums.
A 10mm Auto is just a .45 ACP that got out of hand. It won't do anything other like cartridges will not.
Last I heard, big mountain kitties are hunted with .22 mags. Kitty comes from above and behind so you need to be lucky. You'll never be fast enough anyway.
"...revolver or semi-auto..." It has to fit your hand either way. Pistols like Desert Eagles are gigantic. 'N' frame Smiths, like a 629, are big things too. The SuperRedhawk has the same grip frame as a GP100 though. Still big, but far more likely to fit. Go try 'em on for size. Like AMP says, you got to hit it to do anything.
However, where you are has more to do with it than anything else. Not many Griz in the Lower 48 and a blackie doesn't need a magnum.
Up in Alaska, a .44 Mag(or the like) is considered minimum according to real guides on assorted forums.
A 10mm Auto is just a .45 ACP that got out of hand. It won't do anything other like cartridges will not.
Last I heard, big mountain kitties are hunted with .22 mags. Kitty comes from above and behind so you need to be lucky. You'll never be fast enough anyway.
"...revolver or semi-auto..." It has to fit your hand either way. Pistols like Desert Eagles are gigantic. 'N' frame Smiths, like a 629, are big things too. The SuperRedhawk has the same grip frame as a GP100 though. Still big, but far more likely to fit. Go try 'em on for size. Like AMP says, you got to hit it to do anything.
Sure it will. It just has to hit in exactly the right place. Garen Brenner stopped a charging grizzly with a 9mm handgun and killed it. Was luck involved? Sure. But the point is that bears aren't bulletproof. They're just big and strong and fast-moving which makes it harder to stop them.
For what it's worth, heart shots often don't kill animals instantly--they don't even always kill humans instantly.
For what it's worth, heart shots often don't kill animals instantly--they don't even always kill humans instantly.
As mentioned before, with black bear, a sow with cub will be the most dangerous bear, if grizz aren't around. And most likely your only problem encounter. I've seen many black bears while in Montana. They've always scooted as fast as they could away from me...huge boars at that. Never saw a cougar in all the years hunting there. A cougar is seldom seen until they already have your throat, because they hunt you.
Pain doesn't deter wild animals that attack. They need to be put down by something which will incapacitate and hopefully kill them fast.
I go with the .44 magnum crowd. But I would never be caught in the woods without a large caliber rifle. People have hit grizz in non-vital areas with high powered rifles and the bear doesn't miss a step.
Pain doesn't deter wild animals that attack. They need to be put down by something which will incapacitate and hopefully kill them fast.
I go with the .44 magnum crowd. But I would never be caught in the woods without a large caliber rifle. People have hit grizz in non-vital areas with high powered rifles and the bear doesn't miss a step.
Hell, scary just reading this thread. Luckily I don't have any urge to walk in the woods of any kind. The only "woods" I go to is my back yard( with an orange and apple tree!!!).
Only few times I went into remotely wildness was when I had to do system testing where it had to be set up in area without any radio interference and it turned out to be on the side of a hill. I told everyone with me I carried my S&W659 fully loaded and it's not for human. They said there are mountain lions. Nothing happened.
Only few times I went into remotely wildness was when I had to do system testing where it had to be set up in area without any radio interference and it turned out to be on the side of a hill. I told everyone with me I carried my S&W659 fully loaded and it's not for human. They said there are mountain lions. Nothing happened.
bubbaturbo
New member
I spend quite a bit of time in the woods too. We have feral hogs now. I have carried all manner of rifles, shotguns, and handguns. For the last several years, I have settled on a Glock 32 (357 SIG). It's not my favorite handgun but, for the woods, it has the right combination of caliber, capacity, weight, size, and robustness. In my experience, weight has become a very important issue. I leave the heavy revolvers at home but like Pete says, the LCRx is good to go. The handguns I have carried in the woods have all turned out to be for nothing other than peace of mind or occasionally a final shot for a downed pig.
I see a black bear as the least of your worries while out and about in wooded areas. Deer hunting in West Virginia seeing bear scat was common. So one day I am sitting on a rock just maybe 100 feet above the river. Just beyond a grove of heavy shrubbery. I had my Ruger 44 Carbine across my legs. Heard something so here I sit expecting my venison and out walks a large black bear. I look at bear and bear gets up on his hinds and looks at me. Bear drops down to all fours and walks down towards the river.
Black bear attacks are rare and very rare. Maybe one per year on the North American continent. Fact is black bears will go out of their way to avoid human contact. If you happen to be walking with a dog just keep the dog calm. Obviously you may have an issue if you manage to place yourself between a mother and her cubs. Anyway, again maybe one black bear attack on the North American continent per year.
Black bear attacks on humans are rare but often begin as scuffles with dogs, experts say.
Educate yourself on the behavior of black bears.
Mountain lions are thin skinned so it really does not take a heavy cartridge to bring one down. A .223 Remington in a rifle is more than adequate or in a handgun a .357 Magnum is more than adequate. Any shot you take is likely well within 50 yards so I see no need for anything above a .357 Magnum revolver for a thin skinned mountain lion, cougar, puma or choose a name.
You may want to check with your local fish and game people.
This poor black bear showed up literally up the block from me in the Cleveland, Ohio suburbs. The fish and game wildlife guys put him at about 400 pounds and it's pretty apparent this bear wanted nothing to do with humans.
Ron
Black bear attacks are rare and very rare. Maybe one per year on the North American continent. Fact is black bears will go out of their way to avoid human contact. If you happen to be walking with a dog just keep the dog calm. Obviously you may have an issue if you manage to place yourself between a mother and her cubs. Anyway, again maybe one black bear attack on the North American continent per year.
Black bear attacks on humans are rare but often begin as scuffles with dogs, experts say.
Educate yourself on the behavior of black bears.
Mountain lions are thin skinned so it really does not take a heavy cartridge to bring one down. A .223 Remington in a rifle is more than adequate or in a handgun a .357 Magnum is more than adequate. Any shot you take is likely well within 50 yards so I see no need for anything above a .357 Magnum revolver for a thin skinned mountain lion, cougar, puma or choose a name.
You may want to check with your local fish and game people.
This poor black bear showed up literally up the block from me in the Cleveland, Ohio suburbs. The fish and game wildlife guys put him at about 400 pounds and it's pretty apparent this bear wanted nothing to do with humans.
Ron
Desmosedici
New member
Excellent point, JohnKsa. Unless you hit the brain or spine, which in an animal facing you is probably impossible (at least the spine), it's going to continue a little bit even though death is imminent.
Further to your point, there is a very easily-found up-close and graphic video of a police officer shooting a citizen who attacked him a few weeks ago in Maryland, and said individual soaked up 12 rounds of 9mm, many which went in his chest, and he kept charging for a little bit of time. Long enough that if he had a lethal weapon, he could have still caused injury or death.
Reinforces the thought that all handguns, regardless of caliber...are handguns. If I were to be in bear country or the woods, etc., if I were bringing a firearm, I would try and bring a rifle. And EVEN THEN, I would still have substantial respect and awareness of the wilderness.
Short of a a Ma Deuce, I'm not sure any weapon is foolproof. And none of us are hiking with Ma Dueces. Of course I'm sure many here are far more experienced than I in hiking/hunting/camping outdoors where dangerous animals roam, so I yield to those with that knowledge.
Further to your point, there is a very easily-found up-close and graphic video of a police officer shooting a citizen who attacked him a few weeks ago in Maryland, and said individual soaked up 12 rounds of 9mm, many which went in his chest, and he kept charging for a little bit of time. Long enough that if he had a lethal weapon, he could have still caused injury or death.
Reinforces the thought that all handguns, regardless of caliber...are handguns. If I were to be in bear country or the woods, etc., if I were bringing a firearm, I would try and bring a rifle. And EVEN THEN, I would still have substantial respect and awareness of the wilderness.
Short of a a Ma Deuce, I'm not sure any weapon is foolproof. And none of us are hiking with Ma Dueces. Of course I'm sure many here are far more experienced than I in hiking/hunting/camping outdoors where dangerous animals roam, so I yield to those with that knowledge.
Handguns are, indeed, handguns, but if the rounds are placed haphazardly, even rifle bullets can fail to stop after multiple shots.
The key is hitting something important--if that doesn't happen, the results will be disappointing regardless of caliber, or even regardless of whether it's a rifle or pistol.
The key is hitting something important--if that doesn't happen, the results will be disappointing regardless of caliber, or even regardless of whether it's a rifle or pistol.
jetinteriorguy
New member
Not too long ago a woman in Maryland was attacked by a black bear while walking her two German Shepherds. Apparently the bear didn’t like her dogs and they were off a leash.I see a black bear as the least of your worries while out and about in wooded areas. Deer hunting in West Virginia seeing bear scat was common. So one day I am sitting on a rock just maybe 100 feet above the river. Just beyond a grove of heavy shrubbery. I had my Ruger 44 Carbine across my legs. Heard something so here I sit expecting my venison and out walks a large black bear. I look at bear and bear gets up on his hinds and looks at me. Bear drops down to all fours and walks down towards the river.
Black bear attacks are rare and very rare. Maybe one per year on the North American continent. Fact is black bears will go out of their way to avoid human contact. If you happen to be walking with a dog just keep the dog calm. Obviously you may have an issue if you manage to place yourself between a mother and her cubs. Anyway, again maybe one black bear attack on the North American continent per year.
Black bear attacks on humans are rare but often begin as scuffles with dogs, experts say.
Educate yourself on the behavior of black bears.
Mountain lions are thin skinned so it really does not take a heavy cartridge to bring one down. A .223 Remington in a rifle is more than adequate or in a handgun a .357 Magnum is more than adequate. Any shot you take is likely well within 50 yards so I see no need for anything above a .357 Magnum revolver for a thin skinned mountain lion, cougar, puma or choose a name.
You may want to check with your local fish and game people.
This poor black bear showed up literally up the block from me in the Cleveland, Ohio suburbs. The fish and game wildlife guys put him at about 400 pounds and it's pretty apparent this bear wanted nothing to do with humans.
Ron
To me you're going to want something that isn't cumbersome to carry around but also has enough steam to put a hurting on a black bear and mountain lion. Personally I would go with either Glock 27 or the slightly bigger but still manageable Glock 23. You get good power, reliability, good capacity and the guns don't weigh a ton so they're not going to bother you while out in the woods.
I'm a fan of the .40, it's got enough power for a semi auto handgun. It's no 44 Magnum but it's much lighter with better capacity. It moves around steel better than 9mm and 357, and does just as well as the .45 in a smaller package.
I'm a fan of the .40, it's got enough power for a semi auto handgun. It's no 44 Magnum but it's much lighter with better capacity. It moves around steel better than 9mm and 357, and does just as well as the .45 in a smaller package.
A have a great 3” S&W model 65. It’s just a good solid gun.
Around town, I carry 158 GR Hollow Points. Or, slightly downloaded Lead Semiwadcutters.
If I head out in the Wild, I load it with Grizzly Hardcast 158 Gr.
If I’m out where snakes are an issue, I can toss a couple rat shots in my pocket.
It may not be “The” best for everything. But, for me, in my environments, it’s a decent compromise.
Reasonably compact. Not exceptionally heavy. Stainless. Double action (I know the SA guys may balk, I don’t shoot SA enough to be fast with it)
I live in Nevada. Really, my only threats would be: Bobcat. Mountain lion. A bad coyote. Very remote chance of bear. And. Rattlesnakes.
I’m better served with a lighter gun and extra water.
Around town, I carry 158 GR Hollow Points. Or, slightly downloaded Lead Semiwadcutters.
If I head out in the Wild, I load it with Grizzly Hardcast 158 Gr.
If I’m out where snakes are an issue, I can toss a couple rat shots in my pocket.
It may not be “The” best for everything. But, for me, in my environments, it’s a decent compromise.
Reasonably compact. Not exceptionally heavy. Stainless. Double action (I know the SA guys may balk, I don’t shoot SA enough to be fast with it)
I live in Nevada. Really, my only threats would be: Bobcat. Mountain lion. A bad coyote. Very remote chance of bear. And. Rattlesnakes.
I’m better served with a lighter gun and extra water.
But I live in the country and many days I am in the forest. I have been doing this for 30 years and never had a problem but if I am going to get a handgun I want it to handle and potential problems.
There is always a lot of talk about handguns that will stop a grizzly. This is not a pleasant thought for me. We don't have grizzly bears here, only black bears but we do have mountain lions.
So if I get a handgun I want it to have a chance of stopping the aforementioned creatures. If it will do that, a human should be no problem.
I really don't care if it is a revolver or semi-auto.
What would you recommend?
For the critters and conditions you've described, the 10mm AUTO is never a mistake.
It's hands-down the most versatile semi-auto cartridge for an outdoor/"woods" gun of reasonable size and weight, without getting into "boat-anchor" territory with one of the weighty Desert Eagles in .357 or .44mag. Or worse, a low capacity mega-magnum wheelgun which typically weighs the same or even more.
Fortunately, the 10mm is chambered in the extremely versatile Glock 20, or if you want to pump-up the round's ballistic output a bit more, there's the 6.2" longslide G40.
If the Glock platform doesn't appeal to you, there are any number of makes of 1911s chambered in 10mm as well.
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603Country
New member
Have a look at the S&W 329PD. Lightest 44 mag available (I think) at 25 ounces. Looks like just what the OP needs.
As for use on bears or whatever, my one close quarters experience (large feral boar) scared the poo out of me. Fast...that thing was fast, and if he had wanted a chunk of me, I don’t think I could have prevented it. Based on that experience, I think I’d go for a revolver in 44 or 41 or 357. Having a mag with 17 rounds or so probably wouldn’t have been much use in the brief frantic moment.
As for use on bears or whatever, my one close quarters experience (large feral boar) scared the poo out of me. Fast...that thing was fast, and if he had wanted a chunk of me, I don’t think I could have prevented it. Based on that experience, I think I’d go for a revolver in 44 or 41 or 357. Having a mag with 17 rounds or so probably wouldn’t have been much use in the brief frantic moment.