Hey Guys it has been a while since I've posted, but would like to call on everyones expertise once again. I am looking to buy my second handgun. Originally when I started the first venture I was set to buy a revolver for my first handgun. Well that didn't happen. I ended up with a Beretta 96d in 40 s&w to learn with. The over all reason I got it was because a friend of mine (police chief) had several in a safe that had been fired a few times a years and he offered me one to shoot and learn on. It was a hard deal to pass up.

Ok well a year + later I moved back home and had to give up the Pistol

Well I am back to looking at some of my original ideas for a Handgun.

1st I want to carry it all the time.
2nd I want to shoot it all the time.
3rd I want to put some meat in the pot with it.
4th I will use it for protection at home and on the trail.

I will use it for small to big game with Black Bear being the largest thing around. I wont be going after a Bear intentionally with the pistol. Only reason I would is if it was for protection or I just had the chance to right in front of me. This gun will be for travel and trail protection and small game critters and Deer for sure.

I thought at first about going back to the 357 idea, but after having the 40 I would much prefer the larger bores. One issue I had with my 40 was the large frame of the Beretta. I could handle and shoot it well, but it was damn big for a me. I got a chance to handle quite a few handguns over the last year or so and the best fit of all of them was a Taurus Tracker 44 mag. Second best fit was a Ruger BlackHawk. Problem I have with the Tracker is everyone I talk to says they arent made very well and I don't want to have a problematic handgun.

I also want to use one of the new sights from Leupold or Burris if I can. I doubt highly I will scope this handgun. The only way I would scope one is if it had some kind of QD system that would allow the use of open sights.

I do reload for all my rifle and will eventually reload for this handgun, but for now would prefer to use factory stuff. So 44 mag is at the top of my list. I would also look at the 41 mag and 45 LC.

Any suggestions or idea's would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks
Bob

My recomendation based on your criteria would be a Ruger Superblackhawk Hunter model in 41 mag, 44 mag, or 45 Colt due to it's built in scope mounts.
2nd choice would be the Ruger Redhawk Hunter in above calibers.
3rd would be a Ruger Super Redhawk in the caliber of your choice.
For your critters 44 mag is a great all around caliber & ammo is easy to get.

Thanks Vance,

So you don't think a 7.5" barrel is to long for carrying. I do love the Super Blackhawk Hunter. Would a Super Blackhawk with a 4.65" barrel be better? I really don't know. My beretta had a 4" barrel.

Your right I think the 44 mag is more than enough for my area. I was looking at the winchester's loaded with the 250 gr partitions. I was also looking at federal's loaded with the Barnes or the swift.

Bob

It's a pretty tall order...I mean to meet all the criteria. I would suggest either: a 1911, 45acp longslide or; a ruger 44mag blackhawk w/4 5/8" barrel.

It really sounds like to me, you've justified yourself 3 or 4 handguns.

If you want the ability to attach and remove optical sights, you won't readily find that option on a short barreled gun. There are many mounts that attach in place of the rear sight, but they take some time to change out and you need to rezero each time you swap. There is no such thing as an everything gun, IMO. The frames that can accommodate 40 something magnums don't carry so well, and good carry guns don't hunt all that well.

Thanks Guys good info

Yea I kind of figured this was going to be impossible. I did look at the S&W 44 mags with 5" barrels. 1 because the do carry and 2 Leupold Claims the Delta sight will go right onto Smith Revolvers with out issue. The same can be said with the Burris and Ruger's that have scope mounts built in.

Was told the Smiths can't handle a lot of hot loads and I all so think I read that on this forum sometime ago. Any truth to that

They aren't as stout as the Ruger, but they will handle all it takes to kill a deer. I think the Leupod mount requires removal of the rear sight, and if that is the case you don't have a true QD situation. A 4" GP100 in .357 with a ORH rear peep sight and a Marble's fiber optic front would be a good compromise.

I think Reeder is converting GP100's into 5-hole 41's. If I had a pile of money I'd look into one.

Like Kral said, it's hard to find a do-it-all gun.
My favorite 2 packing guns (hiking, fishing, stc) are 4&5/8" Ruger Blackhawks (NOT Supers) in 41 mag & 45 Colt. They are light & easy to carry, & I carry them i a crossdraw holster. You can forget they are even there.
For hunting, my main gun is a 7.5" 480 Ruger Super Redhawk with a 30mm Ultradot sight.
There are a couple folks on here with 4&5/8 Rugers with reflex sights mounted where the rear sight was. May be a great compromise.

Thanks guys, two things were brought up one was the GP100 357 mag. That was the revolver I was going to purchase almost 2 years ago to start with. The 357 mag fit a lot of my criteria then. I am just not convinced it has the power to take down ADK deer at 50-75 yards now. I may be wrong ?

Second thing is I do like the Reflex sights a lot. If I can that would be my first choice in sights. My second choice is open sights and I like the suggestion of the ORH peep and Marbles front sight. That just might be the default for this project.

I think I will scrap the scope option. It just doesn't seem workable. At least the Reflex sights are compact and ultra light.
So if I have to loose the use of my open sights it will be for a Reflex type sight not a scope.

What would the effective range be for an open sighted Ruger in 44 mag shooting Winchesters 250gr Partition loads? Could one use it with effect out to 75 yards and keep em in an 9" pie pan?

http://www.handgunhunt.com/readArticle.php?letter_id=58

This is exactly what I want trouble is this is an FA and I can't afford a new 83 or 97. They even have a holster for it. This is My Perfect set up for home and field.

This will be depending a lot on he who pulls the trigger.

On deer the load you mention should be fine at 75yds providing (as KRal noted) that you are up to it. With practice I'll bet you will be. The reflex sight will probably make it easier for you.
You can have the same set up as the freedom arms (except you loose the rear sight on a Ruger Blckhawk.
As I said, there have been pics of several posted here over time. I believe Sixgun has posted pics of one he has.

Checkout Gregg Richter's photo gallery; he has a few different handguns with a reflex sight mounted.

As has been mentioned, you are placing a tall order -- carry & hunting. IMHO, a carry gun and a hunting handgun are two very different ones. Compromise to use one for both will either cause you to pick one that is not really suitable for either function (e.g. a 4" revolver in 357 or 41) or you can get one that is OK for hunting & home defense but not very desireable for carry purposes.

You refer to a FA M83 with a reflex sight. These would be a load for a conceal carry gun, IMHO. 83s are not light. A 97 would work better. However, if the 83 would fit your requirements except for the price, look at a Blackhawk. Not much difference in size & weight. A lot of difference in $$$.

Since I rather doubt that you will(would) consistently "carry" a "big" revolver, I would suggest a minimum of 5 1/2" bbl and would recommend consideration of a 41 mag. It would be a better hunting caliber than the 357, IMHO.


(as I reread your initial post, I may be in error thinking that you refer to a handgun for concealed carry. If not worried about concealing it, your options are more reasonable)

you might look into a ruger blackhawk in 44 special. made on the small frame. i believe lipseys supplies most. check out http://www.rugerforum.com for more possible sources. i've seen one or two classifieds dealers there that had attractive prices also.

love to have one myself. the blue 4 5/8" model 44 special may be a regular catalog item now, havn't checked closely.

My vote is for the Ruger Super Blackhawk Bisley Hunter in .44 Rem Mag. Or a model 27 or 28(.357) S&W, but thats just me

i love MY super blackhawk bisley hunter, but he seems to want a smaller piece with killing power. the hunter, although wonderful, is larger than the lil blachawk 44 special.

I agree with vance on the 4 5/8 blackhawh's ,.44 or .45 .I have a 4 5/8 blackhawk and a 5 1/2 bisley and the blackhawk gets the nod most times . The bisley is heavier so gets carried less.Try to shoot all the guns you are interested in before makeing a choice,and don't forget about a good pair of grips.I like pachmayr and hogue on my carry guns.If you see open sights well
use them as you can upgrade later if you need to.No one gun does it all so for ccw you may have to look at something different.

If I wanted to have a carry gun and a big game gun all in one.
I would get a 40 S&W or a 10 mm.
For me I would choose a 10mm.
I would set up to where I could use a 2x or dot sight for hunting while leaving my irons on.
A 10mm is a little horsey for something they want to shoot a lot.
If you got one with a ramped barrel (1911) then you could also change out to a lesser cartridge for everyday and practice.
This would be an expensive set-up. This is also leaning toward open and or concealed carry, and the ability to reload quickly.
It is a challenge to fit one handgun into two diverse roles but it can be done.

I would look at the S&W Mtn Gun in 44 mag or 45 Colt--easy to carry and pleny stout for any deer sized game.

It's hard to find a handgun to fill both roles, the guns that may interest you are the ruger blackhawk 45/8 in 44 or 45, the ruger redhawk 4" in 44 mag.My favorite carry gun is my glock 20 in 10 mm, it's got power and 10 rd mags.

I once had a 10mm 1911 that tricked. I had a grip picatinny rail (rear sight remained unchanged) for an optic during the hunting season and then I would take it off for all other times.
Colt Delta Elite was the starting point.
Internals were all replaced with match parts.
This 1911 was stolen, and never recovered.
I had it set up for 50 yards on deer.

Gosh thanks for all the replies guy. Lots of good info here.

I probably wont go back to an auto. It's going to be a revolver for sure. Going to try and stay away from hard to find cartridges like the 10mm not much in the way of ammo in these parts. Best I can hope for ammo around here is 357 mag, 44 mag and 45 lc. I do reload , but don't plan on it for this handgun at this time.

I wont be carrying concealed I think someone asked that. Just on my hip exposed.

I really like the idea of the short barreled Blackhawks.

Thanks again for all the info

Bob

not concealed, not reloading, 5 1/2 super blackhawk 44 mag. ammo is easy to find, barrel wont get in the way, but long enough not to look too short. it dose however have the smaller rx3 grip frame. you may want to look for a bisley

He guy's went out looking today and I was able to locate a few of the guns mentioned to handle.

I found: S&W 686 in 357 mag 4" barrel

S&W Model 29 44 mag long barrel no idea how long

Colt King Cobra 357 mag 6" barrel

Ruger RedHawk 44 mag 5.5 " barrel

Well it was good to look because I was less than impressed than I though with the 44 mag. Both were way to big of handguns for the type of carry I want to do. The Ruger was built like a tank and for hunting it would be awesome. I didn't like the 29 at all.

Neither 44 mag would work for me, power wise excellent carry wise too big.

Ok well I remembered why I liked the 357 guns so much man are they sweet. that 686 fit good and so did the colt. both lighter than the 44's. The compactness of the 686 would make for a great trail/fishing gun. Not sure it would be at all usable on a 50 yard shot for deer. With that said I think the 6" barrel of the colt would be usable out to 50 yards. i liked the 357 mag guns better.

These is what I thought when I looked at GP100's. The man at the shop also said the blackhawks would fit better because of a smaller grip frame. Now to find a few !

I think you will like a Blackhawk in 41 mag or 45 colt. For every day woods packing (NOT CC in town) they are my 1st choice.
If you decide to go 357 mag I would recomend the GP 100. The Colt is a sweetheart & the Smith is a wonderful gun too, BUT again it's a case of the GP being a bit tougher gun. If you want to hunt with the 357 you may do a lot of shooting with upper end loads.
In my personal opinion, the 41 mag is a big step up from the 357 in hunting efficiency.

Keep in mind if you go 686 you can opt for the 7 round gun the 686 Plus

If you move up to the 327 or 27 you can get 8 rounds in the 357

I think a scandium framed smith in 357 or 44mag would do it for you. The 357mag with 180 grain bullets is a bad dude. The 4" scandium 44 mag is a hand full with full house loads but it is a dream to carry and shoot mild mag or 44 special loads. I own the 327PD http://www.smith-wesson.com/webapp/wcs/s...playErrorView_Y I wouldn't part with it for love nor money. Shop around and find one used. Lose those ugly wood grips and you are in like flint!

Vance I think your right. If I geta 357 it would be GP100.

I am going to look hard to find a Blackhawk to try out both for fit and shooting. It may take some work, but I am sure someone around my parts has one.

Thanks
Bob

Thanks Guys, I will keep looking for sure.

I was wondering about those 180 gr loads?

Bob

Try this one. The recoil is not bad & I think it will fill the bill for all you want.

S&W Model 57 in .41 Mag

I agree with Vance here,for beatin around or woods carry and ability to take deer sized game or defense against black bears,the 41mag blackhawk with a 4 5/8"bl would be comfortable to carry,esay handling,and a nice choice for your parameters.

I have a Taurus Tracker 44mag. It is the easiest gun I have ever carried. It is NOT a tough gun. I had trouble with it after 70 rounds with the cylinder unlocking after a round was fired. I love the size and shape but it's not Ruger tough not even S&W tough.It is realy not meant to be shot alot. I ended up getting a Ruger Super Blackhawk 44mag 4 5/8 bbl. I too wanted a gun I could carry and shoot all the time. The grip is a tad small for me and I may at some point get a Hunter grip on it but I cant even count how many rounds Ive put through it and (aside from cleaning etc.) I have only needed to tighten 2 screws on it. It packs nice and shoots all but the longest mag loads. Its not my 1st choice in home defence but in the woods it is. If I had the cash that 41 mag Reeder conversion on the GP 100 sounds realy nice. I get the whole "Pet Gun" that goes every and does every thing me idea but I would think of what you will do most of the time and have it be better for that.

I see a lot of folks posting up about 41mags. I like a 41mag a lot but it is just not as flexible as a 357 or 44 unless you reload for it. They never made 41 special ammo and the bullet choices are not as many as the others mentioned! Other than that I really like a 41 mag.

Oh very nice WM5L!

There are a lot of users here that have and use a 41 Mag. When my 3 boys get older they may start on one when they get in the field. And as you already suggested they will be handloads.

They did make a 41 LC and a 41 Sp and I the Sp will/would fit in a 41 Mag. From what my memory serves Taffin used his 41 Mag dies to load the 41 Sp.

http://www.sixguns.com/tests/tt41spec.htm

WMSL,

I have a good friend who lives in Ohio that thinks that "everyone who lives in Texas" shoots a 41. He thinks that we (Texans) use them because of their uniqueness and to differentiate ourselves. He may be right. In any case it is a very popular caliber among my shooting friends here. I only have five or six 41s. Some have more.

BTW, always good to see another Texan on the forum. Welcome.

You are right about factory load selection, but I've never been into a "large" selection on ammo. I'm more a one load that works kinda guy. There is a local guy here that loads 260gr hardcast that I have used to get brass. If I didn't reload Federal's Castcore load or something like it from Doubletap would do the trick.

Been to 3 other shops and till no Blackhawks or GP100s lots of auto's.

At any rate hand loading is an option just didn't want to mess with it for this pistol but I may. I have found factory heavy loads for 357, 41, 44 and 45. By far the way to go for me.

Bob

big spruce,
If you are looking for a Blackhawk try these folks. It will have to be shipped to a dealer near you if you find one.

GunBroker