What kind of pistol should I get ?

[EKY.MTN.HUNTER]

Im turning 21 june 15th and have decided I want a pistol. I spend a lot of time out in the woods- camping, fourwheeling, fishing, and deer scouting. I would like to have a good gun to carry along with me. I've shot a few pistols, but because this is my first I may go with some type of revolver. Im open for any suggestions and would really appreciate any advice. For some reason Im a leaner towards a .357 mag. What do you all think ?

[WBBP]

I think a 357 mag revolver is a good first choice. You can shoot 38's in it also which are cheaper.

My family has a like new Colt Python 6" blued with walnut grips. It is pefect for what you are describing, but a little too nice to scratch.

K

[trust me]

A 4" 357 was my gift to myself after graduating college. It saw a few thousand home-poured wadcutters go through it. It is probably the best all around choice if you need a defensive pistol. As K stated, you can practice with the 38's with lower recoil, noise and cost, and go with the magnums when (or if) you need them.

The pistol that sees most of the use from me is a stainless Ruger II .22 with the bull barrel. It is the camping, fishing, plinking, hiking companion. A good 22 is the cheapest, most usable, most fun firearm you can have. It isn't the ideal defensive weapon, but how often do we have to repel boarders anyway?

[Multidigits]

.357 isn't much of a deer hunting pistol, especially with the 4" barrel. IF you want to stop someone from raping or robbing you, it might work fine. IF you want a good pistol to pack and hunt with and target shoot, buy a Blackhawk in .41 or .44 Mag. Both will work well on variuos game animals and also protect your honor as long as you cock it first, being that it is a single action.

[WBBP]

Forget the blackhawk, go with the super redhawk 44 mag.

[gicts]

1911...the classic gun


and happy early birthday!

[AteUp]

Whatever pistol you choose, you're gonna end up wanting another one anyway. Go ahead and buy the .357 as your first one. There's no stopping at 1 though.

[Quickdraw Limpsalot]

Forget the blackhawk, go with the super redhawk 44 mag.

Only if you prefer a double action over a single. As far as a woods-packin' plinkin' revolver for the woods, a single action Ruger is darn hard to beat, whether it's a Single Six .22, a .357 Blackhawk, or a .44 mag Super Blackhawk if you might do some deer hunting with it.

I can tell you this though... you're eventually going to want a .22 handgun, whether it's a revolver or an autoloading pistol (or both.) I'd recommend getting that first, personally. You'd be well served by any of the most popular .22's out there. I personally like Single Sixes, Ruger autoloaders (Mark II or III 22/45 versions - personal preference) or a Browning Buckmark. Any of those will offer you a lifetime of service and more.

[Gygsbd12]

At the new sportsmans warehouse they had a Tarus Tracker in Stainless with a ported 4" barrel for a little over $ 400 and the mail flyer had a $10 coupon good until July 31. The Tarus is a 7 shot .357 and you can shoot "lite" .38's. I am thinking awful hard about picking one up and I already have two other .357's. It felt good in my hand.

[EKY.MTN.HUNTER]

thanx guys, good stuff. Im not looking to hunt animals with my pistol. Im just looking for a good gun to carry with me for protection. I hunt in the middle of (meth - black bear) country. Id say drugs is more the problem than bears though. .357 sounds like the winner. (?) What make would you all suggest ?

[C.L.Button]

Whatever pistol you choose, you're gonna end up wanting another one anyway. Go ahead and buy the .357 as your first one. There's no stopping at 1 though.

I agree with Ateup. THEN go buy a Browning Buckmark 22, a 44Mag of your choice. (I have a S&W 44 from the custom shop) You can't have just one. :D

[Quickdraw Limpsalot]

thanx guys, good stuff. Im not looking to hunt animals with my pistol. Im just looking for a good gun to carry with me for protection. I hunt in the middle of (meth - black bear) country. Id say drugs is more the problem than bears though. .357 sounds like the winner. (?) What make would you all suggest ?

If you're looking primarily at a defensive revolver, then yeah, I'd go with a double action probably (although not necessary.) Of course by now you know I'm a Ruger fan, so I'll suggest a GP100 as a GREAT all-'round .357 or an SP-101 if you're looking for something a bit more compact. I don't know the Smith & Wesson models, but their offerings are nice too. The Taurus Trackers do the job but aren't quite a "nice."

A 3" GP100 would be great, IMO. (A .44 Super Redhawk Alaskan would be cool too!)

[kycowboy]

I would go with a 45 if you are worried about drug heads it will but them on the ground and leave them there

[AteUp]

I would go with a 45 if you are worried about drug heads it will but them on the ground and leave them there

Yeah, but they're skinny and jumpy. Might need more magazine capacity, like a 9mm.:eek:;)

[Multidigits]

thanx guys, good stuff. Im not looking to hunt animals with my pistol. Im just looking for a good gun to carry with me for protection. I hunt in the middle of (meth - black bear) country. Id say drugs is more the problem than bears though. .357 sounds like the winner. (?) What make would you all suggest ?


For protection, the best are the ones with lots of bullets......buy a nine with a 15 shot clip.

[C.L.Button]

Yeah, but they're skinny and jumpy. Might need more magazine capacity, like a 9mm.:eek:;)

LMAOOOO Too funny Ateup. With Meth heads I'd be more worried about boobie traps. :eek: S&W makes a "mountain lite" model that is a really nice piece. Check one out. They are super lite and compact. ;) The 9mm with big clips is a good idea as well.

[ksp771]

I would go to a local gunshop and try ut several that I liked. see the fit in your hands then check the caliber. if a defensive pistol is what you are after then I would get no lighter than a .40cal. if you want to shoot cheap then go with a 9mm. by far the best handgun I have ever owned is a Glock. I knwo they are ugly but a great combat handgun. 1911's are nice but the single action is too pickey to get use to. I have Wilson combats and they are very nice but only use them for target. My glock I carry in the woods and in public. It is easy to use and repair. Point and shoot! no external safeties etc.. to deal with. And do not let anyone tell you that a glock will just go off. That is make believe. if you want the 357....go with the .357 sig in a glock it is a nasty little round.
Im turning 21 june 15th and have decided I want a pistol. I spend a lot of time out in the woods- camping, fourwheeling, fishing, and deer scouting. I would like to have a good gun to carry along with me. I've shot a few pistols, but because this is my first I may go with some type of revolver. Im open for any suggestions and would really appreciate any advice. For some reason Im a leaner towards a .357 mag. What do you all think ?

[Pugs]

Im turning 21 june 15th and have decided I want a pistol. I spend a lot of time out in the woods- camping, fourwheeling, fishing, and deer scouting. I would like to have a good gun to carry along with me.

I'm a big fan of the 1911 but as a reloader I'm tired of losing brass when I'm just out and about the farm plinking so I decided it was time for a wheelgun. Looked for a bit and found this very nice S&W model 586 with a 4" barrel. Made in 94 by the serial number it's in new condition and came with the box, manuals and tools for $400. So far pretty accurate out to 25 yards putting five rounds in the size of my hand. Another nice thing is you can load .38 Special snakeshot rounds

http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b52/gaepps/357.jpg

[trust me]

Pugs, I sold the clone of that gun, an 87 model, last year for, you guessed it, $400. Now I wish I had it back.

[quackrstackr]

If you're looking primarily at a defensive revolver, then yeah, I'd go with a double action probably (although not necessary.) Of course by now you know I'm a Ruger fan, so I'll suggest a GP100 as a GREAT all-'round .357 or an SP-101 if you're looking for something a bit more compact.

A 3" GP100 would be great, IMO. (A .44 Super Redhawk Alaskan would be cool too!)

Exactly what I would have said myself.

I have the collection. :D
(my GP100 is a bit longer and my S-R is not the Alaskan model though)

[Quickdraw Limpsalot]

Exactly what I would have said myself.

I have the collection.

I'm working on it! Getting married and buying a house while changing careers kinda puts a damper on the "fun funds" though.

[quackrstackr]

That's why I married in my 30's.

Gave me time to amass the toys before all fun funds came to a screeching halt. ;)

[Quickdraw Limpsalot]

That's why I married in my 30's.

Gave me time to amass the toys before all fun funds came to a screeching halt. ;)

Heh.. I'm 28 and definitely have several toys... but you never really have enough, do you?

[trust me]

I liquidated a couple years ago. I got hard-hearted and sold 2 handguns that hadn't been fired in years. I haven't missed them as a practical matter, but i have missed them sentimentally.

The 22's stay, the 45 stays, the shotguns stay. The rest just don't see much use.

A little SP 101 could find it's way into the family though. Always liked the Ruger products.

[quackrstackr]

Heh.. I'm 28 and definitely have several toys... but you never really have enough, do you?

According to my wife I do. :D

A little SP 101 could find it's way into the family though. Always liked the Ruger products.


I have two different flavors. :D Nice little guns.

[Quickdraw Limpsalot]

Got a 2.25" SP101 myself. Great gun. It doesn't see a lot of use right now, since it's on "end table duty" for my wife, but it's a shooter.

[daking]

The sp101 is a cutie. So is the M66 Smith in the 2 3/4" bbl and the round butt. Both are snub noses on steroids.

With regards to high capacity. FBI statistics show that year in-year out, defensive gun battles generally expend less than two rounds at a distance of 20 feet or less. If I were looking for trouble or in an occupation that had trouble looking for me, I'd want plenty of rounds....most likely in a shotgun. For personal defense, six should almost always be more than enough. Hitting wtih #1 is a lot better than missing with the first 15.

Stopping power: The reason that the military went to the .45 was that the .38 S&W (even less powerful that the .38 spl) didn't get the job done. The Moro tribesmen would chew a betel nut with a lime and get their version of a meth high. On this high, US officers would unload their sidearms and then get beat to death by the dying Moro. The 45 was capable of not only killing them, but knocking them down on the spot so that they'd expire before they croaked the good guys.

The .357 uses some pretty sophisticated bullets. I've shot small critters with them and it ends their career as a critter suddenly. It was the gold standard for cops until the high capacity nines came into vogue. You saw how long they lasted. The 9 mm is about as potent as a 38. Most LEOs now use .40's which are close in stop to a 45.

It's largely in the realm of theory. Get the .357. As soon as the side arm bug infects you thoroughly, get a 22. You can shoot it all day on 10 bucks and you'll get in plenty of practice...and practice will make a 357 more useful than an unpracticed guy with a grenade launcher.

[EKY.MTN.HUNTER]

Lmao Daking, good stuff man.

[Boone Dock's]

I have a single six and a mark 2 i love both of these guns, i would recomend the single six it will be there with ya forever.

[Pugs]

Pugs, I sold the clone of that gun, an 87 model, last year for, you guessed it, $400. Now I wish I had it back.

I sold one gun years ago, a SKB twenty gauge pump. Regretted it right away. Lesson learned and have not sold a gun since. I don't buy many and just buy what I know I want to keep. Course I'm now facing gun safe size issues :D

[bluegrassstate]

In my opinion, a Ruger Blackhawk in any caliber will be a good choice for you first pistol/revolver...the price is right and the quality is superior..For hunting, I would probably go with a 5-1/2" or 7-1/2" barrel, in 44 magnum..For plinking or range I would get one in .357/38spc....shells are much cheaper, especially the 38 specials...as for a pistol, the Beretta 92FS is great for range, and self-defense, but not hunting..they are, however, fun to shoot and 9mm's are also fairly inexpensive..for a concealed carry pistol, you can't go wrong with a Taurus model 85..you can get one new for around $250.00..Good luck on your search..blb