Scariest looking and most effective defense handgun ever

[nate45]

I think this is the one you are talking about>>>

Yes, I have to save up and get one of those.

I get to take pictures of stuff that is really cool, made by one of the best gunsmiths in the world(check my sig)

"Most of the guns I post pictures of are guns Jack Huntington ADV has worked on, or, I've test shot. I do NOT own them all...

I ignore that, because when I'm tempted to spend thousands of dollars on an exotic, ultra big bore, rifle or handgun. I just tell myself that they are unavailable, because Socrates owns them all and has the premier gunsmiths backlogged, with his new orders.

 

[WESHOOT2]

avoidance

I prefer big visible guns [stainless steel, hardchromed, and electroless nickel impregnated with boron carbide, and Teflon (NP3)].

I prefer them for a reason......

 

[ImDisaster]

There is nothing wrong with intimidation if it saves you from having to shoot someone.

Times have changed. 20 years ago you probably couldn't find anything more intimidating than Dirty Harry's S&W revolver. Nowadays, the video games and movies, that effect people's perceptions, lean toward high volume semi-autos and military weapons. The revolver is looked at like a quaint throwback. You would have much better intimidation effect from a Glock, Sig, or HK USP. A big bore can't hurt but I wonder if most people would notice it. They are more likely to notice the size of the gun, than the bore.

 

[Richard]

I will opt for a S&W M1917 similar to the one I sold. Regards, Richard

 

[CraigC]

Most gunfights are over so quickly I'm not so sure that "what" the gun is is ever a factor, merely the presence of a firearm is probably the only thought that enters the mind of the perpetrator. Since we are civilians drawing our weapons to defend ourselves, why would we ever give our attacker the opportunity to shoot us by trying to scare him? You draw your weapon when you are in imminent danger, that means it needs to go "BANG" before the would-be attacker has any thought whatsoever.

 

[WhyteP38]

Most gunfights are over so quickly I'm not so sure that "what" the gun is is ever a factor, merely the presence of a firearm is probably the only thought that enters the mind of the perpetrator.

I have to agree, with one caveat. From my readings, people who have guns pulled on them tend to think the gun is bigger than it really is. They also tend to fixate on a part of the gun, not the entire gun. These reactions aren't universal, but they tend to happen, apparently.

I'll grab a psychological advantage if it's there. For that reason, my carry Commander is all black (to help hide it while I'm carrying) but the bushing and recoil plug are stainless steel. I did this to avoid the inevitable damage these pieces would suffer from cleaning takedowns. I also wanted to highlight the size of the muzzle. When I point the gun at a mirror, that half-inch hole is pretty obvious. If some BG fixates on it, and believes it's larger than it is, and he runs off, I'm happy. (But I don't count on it.) Bottom line: Regardless of what gun you have, if you believe you can gain a psychological advantage, you may be able to do that with whatever gun you have.

Mine may not necessarily qualify as the scariest looking gun out there, but if the BG who attacks me thinks it is, I'm okay with that.

 

[tranks]

WhyteP38- my warthog is very similar, about 85% black with a few stainless parts including barrel. and being that it is a sub compact, looking down the business end, it looks like a 1911 with a 4" stove pipe gernade launcher stuffed into the slide. when compared to my all black .357, the .45 looks damn near twice the size.

 

[nate45]

Placement, Penetration, the Physical damage done. We are all familiar with and most concerned with these factors in regard to handgun effectiveness. But the Psychological aspect of hand gun effectiveness is the biggest variable in the equation.

How will someone react at the sight of a gun or at being shot? The truth is we don't know and it will vary from person to person. Consider these excerpts from Handgun Wounding Factors and Effectiveness an FBI study.

With the exceptions of hits to the brain or upper spinal cord, the concept of reliable and reproducible immediate incapacitation of the human target by gunshot wounds to the torso is a myth.

Physiologically, a determined adversary can be stopped reliably and immediately only by a shot that disrupts the brain or upper spinal cord. Failing a hit to the central nervous system, massive bleeding from holes in the heart or major blood vessels of the torso causing circulatory collapse is the only other way to force incapacitation upon an adversary, and this takes time.

In fact, physiological factors may actually play a relatively minor role in achieving rapid incapacitation.


Psychological factors are probably the most important relative to achieving rapid incapacitation from a gunshot wound to the torso. Awareness of the injury (often delayed by the suppression of pain); fear of injury, death, blood, or pain; intimidation by the weapon or the act of being shot; preconceived notions of what people do when they are shot; or the simple desire to quit can all lead to rapid incapacitation even from minor wounds. However, psychological factors are also the primary cause of incapacitation failures.

Now this is kind of what I'm getting at. Does the large size of the handgun, coupled with a loud noise and flash aid in rapid incapacitation? Its possible it could even work on a subconscious level, if it does indeed happen at all.

Many people have surmised that it was the noise and flash of the .357 Magnum that caused it to have such a good one stop record.

I mean just look at the criteria of the Marshall and Sanow study, one shot anywhere in the torso. I don't expect many of us believe that the 125 grain .357 has greater wounding potential the larger rounds.

I believe that most probably the sight of the large revolver, coupled with the very loud report and flash, even if it all happened very fast, that most probably on a subconscious level, the brain said I'm dead and they fell down. Then if the hit was a good center mass one physiology took over and they bled out.

Does it happen every time or trump placement and penetration, certainly not, but it is something worth considering.

 

[Deaf Smith]

How about this...

 

[Nakanokalronin]

About that S&W500 carry piece. I have shot the short and long barreled versions of that with a full grip. I would be more scared to shoot that tiny version with those tiny 2 fingered grips.

I had those same grips on a Taurus 85 UL and they offered no grip. Do you really think thats a good defensive weapon with the grip,recoil and lack of quick follow up shots? If you like it then more power to you but I can't see how useful that is since even small .357 revolvers are hard to get back on target quickly with follow up shots.

 

[BillCA]

Nate45 has a brings up a good point. There is a psychological factor involved in gunfights. We've all heard stories about guys taking massive COM hits and staying upright, but the reverse is also true.

Circa 1978; Sunnyvale, Ca. - an arrestee bolts out of the detention facility and runs through the police station late one Sunday night. He manages to reach the lobby with several officers in pursuit, wrestles one officer's gun away and slams out the front doors. Officers fire approximately 13 shots from S&W Model 59's. Only one hit is scored and that is to the escapee's left pinky finger between the 2nd and 3rd knuckle. Escapee drops to the ground screaming, abandoning the gun he stole. He is arrested and within minutes falls into shock. Surgeons work frantically at the hospital to save both the finger and suspect. They even have to restart his heart at one point. Blood loss was not acute nor was the wound life threatening. Suspect later stated that he'd "heard on the street" that the JSP ammo the cops used could "explode a man's head"... and when shot he thought he'd die for certain.

In a drug sting, when the dealer decided to rip off the police-officer "buyer" and pulled a 9mm pistol, the undercover officer dove behind a motel bed and fired, striking the drug dealer in the left hand and twice in the left thigh with a .32 ACP PPK. The suspect died at the scene before medical help arrived. None of the hits was life threatening and no arteries were severed. He died because he expected to die if he was ever shot.

Mindset and determination play a huge role in surviving a gunfight. You must WIN and to win you must stay alive after the fight is over.

 

[Socrates]

The strength of the S&@ 500 is you can load it to whatever you want, or, better, load it with what I consider sensible ammo for HD, the .500 JRH with short bullets. Hawk makes 300 grain, 50 caliber HP's, with a thin jacket. They recommend 1200 fps for these bullets. I think that gun is heavier then 3.6 pounds, but, in my gun, that gives this kind of ballistics and recoil:
300 grain bullet at 1200 fps Recoil Energy of 14 foot pounds, and Recoil Velocity of 16 fps. That's like a 22lr.

That recoil is a little more then a Glock 30, like 2 pounds, so, your lack of fast follow up shots doesn't hold water.
But, I think the gun was made for a rather rich guy, that did it for fun.

However, the strength of the big calibers, with light bullets, relative to caliber, 300 grains is NOT light, is the bullet may do damage, but, the huge case, with a slow burning powder makes a 357 look like a 22 short. If the .357 out of a snub is effective due to flash and blast, think of what that lil .500 would be like...

"Officer, you can find the bad guy. He's walking around, on fire, and looking for his right arm. Be careful. He's deaf as well."

 

[porkskin]

I would be most afraid of a glock, because the thug element seem to have embraced them and between shoddy gun handling, fingers on triggers, no safety, and a 5lb trigger, I would fear a nervous person AD shooting me. Were I holding the gun, a stainless N frame with LSWC rounds visable would be my tool of intimidation

 

[Socrates]

BillCA:

I agree. Sort of a warrior mindset. After taking a LOT of damage in martial arts, and, being in one situation where a 3 guys had me, and one pulled a Walther PPK/S, my main thought was if I had to go off, I was going to kill or maim as much as possible, and, I would make REAL sure the guy with the gun was at least blind before I died....

 

[Nakanokalronin]

IMO if the sight of any gun does not intimidate the BG then there is something else wrong with him other than trying to do me harm. In that case no gun will make him run away.

 

[spamanon]

I would love to see a handgun that spat out a 15 foot flame! I would probably die laughing at the sheer ridiculousness of the sight.

 

[skydiver3346]

Scariest Gun?

I would think that anything the bad guy had pointed "back at him" would be intimidating. Of course, the larger caliber looks good to us on the TV or internet, but in actual combat situation, who really looks at the barrel? If you take time to do that, then you are probably already shot.....
Whatever you have with you at the time of the incident, is all that counts.
Don't worry that much about the caliber or size of the barrel hole. Of course, a .357 mag or .45 is going to do more damage most of the time. But a .22 well placed shot in the face is a bad ass deal I would think.

 

[zxcvbob]

I have a 2.75" barreled Model 25 .45 ACP that, when viewed from the business end looks like it should have a sign over the muzzle saying Union Pacific.

That would be a nice touch. I'll bet you could silver-solder a little sign to the front sight.

I would love to see a handgun that spat out a 15 foot flame! I would probably die laughing at the sheer ridiculousness of the sight.

I have 2 that will do that (depending on how I load them.) Both are Ruger Blackhawks; one is chambered in .30 Carbine, and the other is .45 Colt that makes a *really* impressive fire when loaded with blackpowder.

 

[HeroHog]

When I was 16, I was working the late shift at a gas station at the edge of downtown and the not-so-nice part of town by myself around midnight. A car with 4 males pulled into the station and the driver wanted $4 in gas. I pumped it and walked up to his door to collect the $4. The driver started giving me static about the money and his buddies were egging him on. I demanded the money he owed and the back-seat passenger on the drivers side of the car went to reach under the seat for something. At this point my radar was on full alert and I sensed I was in trouble. I pulled the little .22 LR German derringer I had behind my belt buckle out, cocked it and stuck it in the drivers ear in one swift motion. All you could see in the car was BIG eyes. I told the guy in the back seat to sit back with his hands where I could see them and I again asked the driver for the $4 he owed. It was quickly paid, I stepped back and asked them to get off the property NOW. They did.

To the guys in that car that night, those 2 little holes looked like huge sewer pipes of death and they had no doubt that I had had enough and was dead serious about them not making any sudden moves and keeping their hands visible.

As someone else said, up close and personal, a small gun looks like a cannon. It also has to do with how you handle it. Had I pulled it, backed up and shakily said "I have a gun!", they would have laughed at me. Instead, they knew I wasn't playing and would take out at least one of them right then and there with my little mouse gun if my hand was forced. I wasn't being all brave and "Rambo". No, I was a scared shirtless teenager facing 4:1 opponents that were threatening me. That, along with me being armed, however weakly, scared them enough to change their plans and get out of Dodge and leave me be.

 

[cold dead hands]

It has been too many years, but i remember working with a guy named Rick in Colorado who had one of the first permits for carry (since Colorado is a may issue state...BUTTHEADS!) and he carried a S&W something loaded with .45acp Golden Sabres and it looked like a freight train on the wrong track and it was headed straight for your AZZ when you looked straight down the muzzle into the chamber and cylinder. If you were stupid enough to believe you would survive even one positive hit from this monster then you get the balls of steel award. Chances are that you would get the Darwin Award.

I wouldn't want to take a hit from that bad boy unless I had decided it was a good day to die.