I hope you don't consider this off-topic, but I figured I could get some good feedback here. I'm trying to choose a handgun. I'm deciding between a full-size 1911 in .45 ACP or a 4" revolver in .357. Mostly it will be used for fun and range shooting, but we have predators in the area from skunks and coons up to coyotes and mountain lions. If you had to pick one, which would it be and why?

azmark WELCOME!! to Handgun Hunt

The 357 revolver for sure. I hate chasing brass and the 45 ACP really doesn't have the bullet choice of the 357 for all the critters you list. But this is just my opnion.

Yes, welcome. If you are limited to one the nod should go to the revolver. It is, by design, more accurate than an auto. You can get a new Ruger GP-100 for a shade over $400. An equivalent quality 1911 will cost you $800+. Have you priced plinkin' grade .38 ammo relative to 45 ACP? There are less things that can go wrong with a wheeler, and yes there is that brass chasin' thing too. But then I have 5 wheelguns and 1 auto so I may be partial. FWIW, Rod.

As far as ammo cost, I plan to reload for whatever I have. I'm having trouble deciding which side of the debate I lean towards as far as whether it's better to have a bigger/slower projectile or a smaller/faster one. Aside from the accuracy issue, should I take it that y'all feel that velocity outranks momentum?

I have both a 45 ACP and a 357 and I would take the 357 into the woods or a dark alley before the 45 even though the 357 is a single action. I personally have found that in most cases and especially with my guns that the revolver is more accurate which is a big benefit for critters and unless you end up in a war zone a bad guy with a auto loader dosn't have much if any advantage over a competent shooter with a wheel gun. I have one other issue with auto loaders, Murphy's Law. I've seen the most expensive autoloaders jam and you can bet it will be at the most inconvenient time.

Surprising nobody's said it yet...(10mm auto anyone?...) but a 10mm auto with some double tap or cor-bon ammo shouldn't be a bad idea either, you could get a good deal on a glock 20, it holds 15 rounds, (10 in certain states) and is not too shabby ballistics wise, and thats if you like the idea of automatics.

But I love revolvers, and the .357 magnum, so you cant go wrong with that idea either, the revolver would never jam, the cleaning would be easier, and overall revolvers tend to be more reliable from my experiences.

Alright boy's, you put it out there! I carried a .45 Auto all through Desert Shield and Desert Storm, it didn't let me down, which is why I'm still on this earthly plane and typing this. Don't know if I'd want to tackle a pissed off mountain lion with one though, maybe if it was stoked with +P hollow points. It does however carry twice the amount of shells a revolver does. Personally, I carry my .44 Magnum when lion are on my menu. If you must use the .357, get the heaviest Buffalo Bore loads you can find, and pray 6 rounds is enough at close quarters. Limit your range to 50 yds. or less for an undisturbed or tree'd lion. Carry lots of spare rounds.

D'Keyman Non Sibi Sed Partiae, (Not Self But Country)

Two 100% semi-autos for me have been the Glock and the H&K USP.
For your purposes I would lean toward a 6" 357 mag (not counting hte lion). I have never hunted lion before, si I am not sure how adeqaute the 357 is for that.

Keyman makes a good point, although cougars aren't as tough as they are smart a 44 would be a better choice, since you handload you could load 44spcl for plinking and some good 240gr mag loads for the critters, I my self prefer overkill and carry a 475 but to my embarrasment I've missed two cats, one with each of my 475s'. In my defense one was a up close and personal charge from behind and I shot wide while turning and the other was a 50-60yd shot off hand with my short barrel. I'm jinxed when it comes to cats, I've seen 11 and shot at 3 and killed 0.

You can kill lions in OR? Im interested...Sounds like Im might have to talk to my dad (all hes interested in is hunting out of state and I know he hasnt got a lion)

Okay, I hope this doesn't open a huge can of worms here. It seems that most of you lean towards a revolver, as well as a caliber larger than 357. I would prefer to get a new one, because I can order whatever I want vs. driving 2 hours to Tucson and having to shop all day to find a good used one. My budget won't allow me any more than 500 bucks for a gun. Are you guys prejudiced against Taurus? I know Taurus seems to be controversial these days. I could actually afford a .44 from Taurus. I also like the Ruger Blackhawk, which I could get in .41 mag or .45 Colt. In my area, the Super Blackhawk puts me too far over budget. S&W is out because of price. Ideally, I'd love a Mountain Gun or M29, but reality always rears its ugly head.

Tell me what you think.

I would pick a Ruger any day over the Taurus

Some folks have had really good luck with Taurus revolvers, others haven't. The problem I have is you shouldn't have to be LUCKY to get a good NEW gun. I am a Ruger guy, I have 5 revolvers, single and double action, never a problem. You can find some real good deals on GunBroker on new and barely used, all you need is a local FFL that won't rape you on transfer. Mine charges $15 to do the paperwork, that is less than state sales tax so it is a write-off. Don't be afraid to haggle with your gun shop, most have plenty of wiggle room from what's on the tag. We all must live within our means so if that means Taurus, so be it, I'd personally save another month or so for a Ruger myself. You'll have a gun your great grandkids can appreciate. JMO, Rod.

I could go on and on about the problems I had with a tore-ass. The gun and the companies lousy customer service. But I woun't. Plain and simple, JUNK JUNK!!!!!

C'mon Dale, tell us how you really feel

I'll add another vote for Ruger. Of the calibers you listed, I would go with a .45 Colt due to the variety of bullets available. If you can find a .45 Convertible Blackhawk, you would have both .45 Colt and .45 ACP in one gun.

Revolver, yes you can hunt the cougars here and the tags have become cheap, (14.00 at least for residents) the only problem is you can't used dogs anymore so calling or still hunting are your best bets unless your lucky enough to find a fresh kill. If you and your dad decide to try it you don't have to go far into Oregon to find them, Jackson county which is right on the CA border on I5 has a major cat problem and there are thousands of acres of public land and lots of cats, if you get serious and want to try it on your own I can tell you some areas to look.

Azmark, I'm with the rest of the guys with picking the Ruger, you would hard pressed to find a tougher more reliable gun and if you install a set of wolff springs you'll have a 2-3 lb trigger pull without having to have an action job done.

The statement somthing to the effect of the revolver being more accurate than an auto due to design. I have to agree to disagree.
I am one of few that tends to try and out shoot auto's when shooting bullseye. Have some very good scores but not near as well as auto's.

As to the question at hand. Everything was all right until you threw the lion in there. Only lions we have around here, for the most part, are "field lions". I myself don't trust an auto for such things. I have yet to have a revolver stove pipe on me.
I would push you towards the Ruger, in a DA. The GP100 may be a bit small into some thoughts on this. A good friend of mine has one and all I can say is it is he-- built for stout as far as a DA goes. If part of the wants behind this rig are self protection from a variety of things. You should be very confident with the rig. I would rather double tap a few smaller rounds into a vital area as to sling at less vital areas.
I heard a comment yesterday in a gun shop. Somthing to the effect of, if you have to shoot "it" 6-10 times, ya need to learn how to shoot.
Still makes me laugh to go to the local Cabela's and see the numerous 500SW laying in the case that look to be fired maybe less than 5 times,lol.
Jeff

"I am one of few that tends to try and out shoot auto's when shooting bullseye. Have some very good scores but not near as well as auto's."

With enough $$$ you can make an auto shoot darn good. I don't think you'll get those results with a box stock RIA or similar, against a stock GP-100 or SBH Hunter. Heck, $700 for a 1911 is only a down payment ;-)

I have a question about the Blackhawk: I like the way they look, the grips feel good to me, and I've read tons of articles and forum posts about how good they are; however, I've also heard that most people work on the action and I read an article on Beartooth bullets.com where the guy says it's common for the cylinders to need boring and the barrels to need lapping to get good accuracy. Have any of you had that experience with a Blackhawk? I've read a bunch of stuff by John Taffin, and he really likes them.

Well most handguns in general can always use a good trigger job because most companies keep the trigger pull well in the "no libality range". As for cylinder boring most of the time it's just the throats of the cylinder need to be opened up for cast bullets. If the cylinder throat is a bit on the small side compiared to the bore it will swedge the bullet down and accuracy can suffer. As for lapping the bore I have heard that the barrel can be "crushed" a little when threaded into the frame. So the lapping helps open this area. This list could go on with Taylor throating of the forcing cone and a tighter base pin, target crown..... ect. I would not worry about most of this until I had the gun and determined if it shoots to your expectiation or not.

Granted all the tricks help with accuracy but why buy a gun and then spend money and time to make it a super shooter when you could just save your money and buy a custon revolver or a Freedom Arms and be done with it? Then again that is the fun of this sport, playing and customizing.

if I remember correctly the 45colt was the caliber they rebored the cylinders on but I've owned a couple and never had a problem and I've owned a bunch of 44s and never had a problem with any of those. The reason you hear about action jobs is because like the triggers on most factory firearms (due to liability issues) they leave alot to be desired but if you just use one of the wolff 30oz trigger springs which are easy to install you will find a major difference. I've always put the wolff springs in my guns and I usually end up with about a 2lb trigger pull, you can take it a step further and put in the 24lb hammer spring and reduce your lock time a it makes for more reliable ignition although I've never had a blackhawk misfire on me. Wolff also has a heavy base pin spring which is handy if you want to build some wrist busting loads as it will stop the base pin from jumping under heavy recoil. Hope that helps.

I have been planning on going through with the steps listed in the Beartooth article on my .45 Blackhawk. It has been on the back burner for a while now, but I plan to start working on it soon. Both the .45 Colt and .45 ACP cylinders measure between .447-.449 and the bore measures .449 at the muzzle. That explains why I have never been able to find a load it likes with .452 bullets. I have thought about selling this gun, but with the .45 ACP cylinder it will make a good starter big bore gun when my son gets a little older. Might even throw on a brass grip frame to make it "real purty".