Handgun for hunting piece of mind

I have a question and I hope you people can get me pointed in the right direction. I am in the market for a handgun. I have various specialty handguns but I am looking for something to carry while I am either out walking in the woods or bowhunting. I spend a lot of time in some pretty wild wooded areas and the last couple of years I have encountered Bears, wolves, coyotes, skunks, porcupines, fishers, coons, and on a couple of occasions some pretty aggressive dogs. I figure it is time to get a side arm just for piece of mind especially for some of the mile plus hikes out in the dark. Twice I have bumped into a sow with cubs and that tooth popping makes my skin crawl. Anyway I am looking for something strictly for protection. I want a handgun that is comfortable to carry and I don't care for the big magnums. I was wondering about an automatic like a Glock, just not sure of caliber. Basically a caliber that would have good whack at 25 yards and less. It by no means has to be a Glock and if you have comments about Autos, pro or con, let's hear them. My handguns are all made for long rang hunting, as a result they are big and heavy. Anyway if you have it in your heart to take a moment and make a suggestion, I would certainly appreciate it!


WS

in the what your looken for i say..Airlite..
in like a 357 should do just fine my buddy has one i keep tryen to get it off him you can wear it on your side an never know its ther...an it packs a big punch too
i have an HK Usp in 40 S&W an i love it got a few 9mms too but all kinda bunky for hunting...i packed his airlite one day an i swear its if i get some extra cash i would carry it as a personal proct gun every were..nice an very ver lite

DAve

My only issue with autos is the potential for jams. A double action revolver would go a lot futher in terms of reliably and in providing better on target energy than an auto. Auto's are also typically built around "man-stopping" cartridges than true "game-stopping" rounds.

A nice 4" barrled DA revolver in .44 Magnum would be my first choice. You said that you don't care for the "big" magnums. So I'm not sure what type of "big" magnum you don't like...the 500S&W class of cartridge or anything named magnum? Tho the .44 was the original big daddy magnum...anymore it is considered pretty ho-hum in terms of "new" magnum performance.

Dan B makes a very good point. Most autos are desined to be 'manstoppers' not animal stoppers. I don't know what type of bears you get out your way. The other guys on this forum have heeps more experience than I have, however if I needed something for when a dangerous animal gets close, then I would want the biggest calibre available. You state you don't want a big magnum. Do you mean a big handgun or a handgun with a big cartridge. If physical size of the gun is the issue, then have you thought of a Ruger Alaskan. Snubby size, .454 punch. Remember you won't be shooting it much, but when you do it will need to do its job and do it in a hurry. You won't notice recoil while something is threatning to chomp you! If .454 is too much, look at snubby in .44.

If dogs, or other pack hunting animals, are your main worry then an auto has the advantage of mag capacity. Again something with a bit of punch like a Glock 10mm. Not .454 class, but useful for wild dogs.

Hey Whopper Stopper, the very thought of you you trying to stop a sow w/ cubs with a Glock makes MY skin crawl. Don't get me wrong, I got nothing against Glocks, carried one all through Desert Shield/Storm and I'm still here thanks to it. But there are much better choices. Think about it, yer about to be chewed on by an angry sow bear and you're worried about recoil? Hell, the last doe I shot I don't remember the recoil, and she wasn't trying to chew me a new one at the time. Get yourself a good single or double action .44 magnum or larger .480 Ruger. Stoke it with at least 300 gr. loads, then draw from a ulitarian holster and get off one good shot at 3 paces. Reholster then do it again. And again, ect. ect. In the dark or close cover like you describe, one shot is all you're going to get. Better practice enough to make it a good one. A Glock 9mm, .45, or even a 10mm ain't gonna cut it, and there's no second place prize.

D'Keyman

I happen to carry a GLOCK Model 21 each and every day while at work. Most days I put the 21 on my hip at 7:30AM and it is there until Midnight. It is like an old friend to me. If it was the ONLY HANDGUN I HAD I would buy some Cor Bon + P ammo (the hottest I could safely fire in the Glock) and practice, pratcice and practice some more. I'd have one 13 round magaaine in the Glock and another on my belt (not that I would ever get off that many rounds, but it'd be mental comfort).

However I would not think of it as first choice for defending myself against a really mad momma bear. For that I would want a 4" S&W Model 629. Just for sake of afguement I would probably have it Mag-na-Ported to help control muzzle flip.

In fact back in about 1990 I had such a S&W (only it was not Mag-na-Ported). While it did not carry nearly as well on the hip as my Glock Model 21 does in all honesty I think it is more in finding the RIGHT HOLSTER and BELT to carry it. I shot some really HOT loaded 300gr. Sierra Jacketed Hollow Points through my Model 629. To be honest the FELT RECOIL of those hot loaded 300's didn't seem nearly as bad as the HOT LOADED (Max charge of W-296) 180gr. Jacketed Hollow Points I also tried in it.

I think carrying ease can be offset with a proper holster and belt rig. As far as the gun itself I think with enough practice a person can get proficient with what every you choose provided the grips are such that they are comfortable in your hands.

I guess what I am trying to say is that there are a lot of choices out there and this type of situation should not be entered without a lot of careful thought.

Larry

Thank you all for the time and information you posted. Lots of good ideas and advice. I had posted this on a couple of boards and the general consensus is about the same. For my purpose a short barrel wheel gun. Caliber wise everyone is talking pretty much the same thing, that being, get some horse power. I just have limited experience with handguns like these and that was why I didn't want to over gun myself and buy a gun that I didn't care to shoot. However as was pointed out, who cares about recoil if some mad sow is contemplating rototilling you into the dirt just before devouring you for lunch. Anyway thanks for all the great help I very much appreciate it.

WS

I to carry a Glock every day. Glock 22 for work and a Glock 27 for off duty.

For a woods gun and protection a wheel gun has always been my choice. My thinking is... If an animal attacks it will be on you bebore you know it. With a semi if the animal is on top the slide will more then likely get pushed back out of battery. If this happens it will not fire or it might fire once, a Glock can fire out of battery but will proably jam afterwards. With a wheel gun you can burry the front sight inside the rib cage and it will fire.

I would get a gun along the the lines of the S&W mountain gun in .41mag or .44 mag. Or the Ruger Redhawk with the 4" barrel in .44 mag or possibly the new Ruger Alaskan Redhawk in .44mag or .480Ruger.

I would check out a Taurus Tracker. I'm looking at one in 41 mag. Local Gunshop has one in 44mag. 4" ported barrel, 5 shot medium framed DA revolver for about 400 bucks. The fit and finish were very good. Seem's like that would be more what you're looking for.

My recommendation would be to first and foremost try several of these different firearms that have been mentioned and find what you feel would be most comfortable for you to use in case the situation of self protection ever did occur. All mentioned would be a good choice for anything up to black bear. I personally would carry something in the 41mag on up with some good hardcast loads. If you are leaning more toward an autoloader the 10mm would be a good choice. Black bear and hogs have been taken with the 10mm and I have taken several deer with my Glock 20. In the revolver category the Ruger Alaskan in 454 would be a good choice although the recoil is very aggressive and you do have the option of loading that badboy with some HOT 45colt. Ruger makes a very nice shoulder holster for the Alaskan which I find very comfortable to wear and keeps the firearm readily accessible yet out of the way. Whatever your choice just practice as much as possible and maybe even invest in a can of Bear spray. It works on most four legged and two legged univited guests.

Hey Whopper I'm not much on auto-pistols but have you seen the hunting video of Ted Nugent using a 10mm auto on a cape buffalo in Africa and put it down on the spot.

I've carried wheel guns and autos in the field and had less trouble from autos (Glock 23 & 27). With revolvers, dust getting in the cylinder pawl slot and hammer slot really gave me fits. More than once I had the cylinder stop freeze in cold weather, which would not allow the gun to fire even once. My Glocks have frozen too but I'm pretty sure they would have fired the round in the chamber. Just two days ago in an ice storm the bolt on my XP froze.

Hey Ranger--Thinkin its time to put some heat in your house.
J/K--

What about a Desert Eagle in 44mag?

There is a big difference between hunting cape buffalo and having to defend yourself against one. If I was knowingly going into a situation where a buff was going to charge you can be sure I would not do it with a handgun.

For the type of protection you mention the Glock Model 20 in 10mm is an excellent choice. Then get some adjustable night sights for it too. You can get used ones at VERY reasonable prices at www.cdnninvestments.com and some will come with night sights already on them.

Then contact Mike McNett of Double Tap Ammunition for some loads that will do that Glock justice.

15 rounds of Mike's 180gr Golden Sabers are likely to defend you quite well in ANY situation you'll ever likely encounter on the North American Continent.

I've killed 3 wild hogs with them now and they are quite lethal. You're closely approaching 41mag energy in a pistol that is more reliable than any revolver and accurate as any non scoped handgun ever needs to be.

If you want something specifically for BIG bears he has some hard cast stuff too.

Double Tap Link

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