What caliber handgun should I get?

[DragRag]

Snub 357 Smith Wesson is my side arm. I really like it myself. I put 38's through it on occasion, cheap to fire, yet always ready with the 357's. I have a 45 also though.

 

[Hahnsb2]

Personally not a big Glock fan but it sounds like you need a Glock 29..

Full power 10mm loads deliver more muzzle energy than .357, it holds 10+1, and it's a small enough gun to conceal carry..

 

[mini274]

ok ill tell you from experience any of those you really dont want to get for home defense.. i just give you my .02... save your money and buy 2 separate guns.. i personally use a 380 as my everyday carry and home defense with a hollow point you can put down any body... and when i go bear hunting i carry a S&W 44 6 shot revolver ive killed 2 bears with it and it has the stopping power that you want for big game... but in the end its your own choice

 

[Sevensecondsuv]

ok ill tell you from experience any of those you really dont want to get for home defense.. i just give you my .02... save your money and buy 2 separate guns.. i personally use a 380 as my everyday carry and home defense with a hollow point you can put down any body... and when i go bear hunting i carry a S&W 44 6 shot revolver ive killed 2 bears with it and it has the stopping power that you want for big game... but in the end its your own choice

That's what I'm realizing - that I really need 2 guns. I think I'm going to get the big revolver now in .41 or .44 magnum and then look into a semi-auto in .40 or .45 later. Home defense is not what I'm buying the gun for - but if it comes down to it, I'll take the .44 magnum over no gun at all. Also, the walls of my house are about 16" thick featuring studs, then cinder block, then masonry brick facing. It's not like they're just 2x4 studs and then vinyl siding like some houses.

Also I was looking at guns last night. One store had, in stock, a S&W .50 Magnum 6-shot revolver with a 12" barrel. Overall, the thing was about 12" tall and 20" long. It seemed like it weighed more than a 12 gauge shotgun. Heck, it was probably more powerful too. I'm not sure that I could even manage to keep it in my hands when firing it.

 

[skippy]

Snub 357 Smith Wesson is my side arm. I really like it myself. I put 38's through it on occasion, cheap to fire, yet always ready with the 357's. I have a 45 also though.

 

[Blueox]

Agree with crbnunit!

A 12 gauge shotgun.

One web sight I visited tested many guns and rounds for personal defence. They concluded that #1 Buckshot in 2 3/4 was one of the best. It penetrated approximately 12 inches, or the depth of a human body, expelling all its energy in the soon to be corpse. Larger shot size would pass through and make a big mess. But more importantly, the slide action shotgun sound is one of the most disturbing sounds an instruder fears. Just think about it. You could get a good result, i.e. the intruder leaving, without killing them.

Just my $0.02.

 

[02RangerXLT]

Personally not a big Glock fan but it sounds like you need a Glock 29..

Full power 10mm loads deliver more muzzle energy than .357, it holds 10+1, and it's a small enough gun to conceal carry..

Why do people assume that a gun has to be "small" to CCW... there are MANY people who carry fullsize 1911's, Glocks, etc with no problems...

 

[Doom's Day Custom]

here's my home protection lol

 

[crbnunit]

What do you want for a hunting handgun? What do you want it to do? I have a 41mag in the Taurus Titanium Tracker series I like a lot. It was a little crunchy when I got it but a little polish and it was smooth as glass and as accurate as any handgun I have ever owned. It is light, compact and in the 4" model, would make a fair CC weapon. It is only a 5 shot. More than enough for most stuff and the sights are excellent. I would not recommend a cross body shot as the barrel is ported and would set you on fire! They make the same pistol in stainless in 44mag. I haven't shot one but I'm betting they are a hand full with bear killers. The 41 is pretty mellow even with its light weight untill you start loading it really heavy. 41 is much harder to find on the store shelf though.

My 44 is a Ruger Blackhawk. Big, heavy and is a real brute. It will digest anything you might want to load for it. However, it is a single action only. Followup shots will be slow. In my opinion, living in bear country as I do, single action is not the best choice. I find I carry the 41 because of its size, weight and ease of handeling. I'd really like to shoot the 44 in the same gun.

 

[Insanejughead]

SevenSecondSUV, take it from another turbo ranger driver, you NEED two guns! Hahaha, if nothing else you need them just so you can lay them on a table and keep moving your head back and forth between them, enjoying the awesomeness.


My advice piggy backs on what one guy said about getting a feeling for the guns you would be comfortable with. I found my gun that way. I picked up a Springfield P9 (CZ75 clone) in a store once and was instantly in love with it. No matter how I held it, the sights lined up how I need and 9mm is easy to find. I also have a Taurus M608 6 3/8" bbl (8 shot) .357 which is a bit too heavy at times. I don't have huge hands, and I'm looking for a slightly smaller frame revolver to have in that caliber. Overall, that gun was a mistake now that I look back on it. I bought it as an impulse because it was so good looking and it was the weekend after my 21st birthday. I still want a .357, but just in a smaller and better balanced package.

 

[Sevensecondsuv]

Buying ammo online, .44 mag is only marginally more expensive than .357. Still a far cry from 9mm, but not prohibitively expensive.

As such, I'm thinking of going with .44 mag. I figure there's no point in .357 magnum since it's still really too powerful for home defense but lacks the awesome power of the .44 mag.

I'm looking at a Ruger Redhawk in .44 mag. For those that aren't familiar with it, it's double action, stainless with wood grips, and barrel lengths from 6" - 8". I need to find a store that has one in stock so I can get a good idea of how it feels. I also like the S&W model 29 in polished blued steel, but the $1300 MSRP is about twice my budget!! Maybe if I find a used one....

I also need to talk to my brother in law, as he is a licensed used gun dealer out east. He could probably find me a good deal.

 

[skippy]

Buying ammo online, .44 mag is only marginally more expensive than .357. Still a far cry from 9mm, but not prohibitively expensive.

As such, I'm thinking of going with .44 mag. I figure there's no point in .357 magnum since it's still really too powerful for home defense but lacks the awesome power of the .44 mag.

I'm looking at a Ruger Redhawk in .44 mag. For those that aren't familiar with it, it's double action, stainless with wood grips, and barrel lengths from 6" - 8". I need to find a store that has one in stock so I can get a good idea of how it feels. I also like the S&W model 29 in polished blued steel, but the $1300 MSRP is about twice my budget!! Maybe if I find a used one....

I also need to talk to my brother in law, as he is a licensed used gun dealer out east. He could probably find me a good deal.

Look something like this?

http://www.gunbroker.com/Auction/ViewItem.aspx?Item=160430200

 

[JohnnyO]

9mm semi, use hollow points for self defense and regular bullets for target practice.

 

[Sevensecondsuv]

Look something like this?

http://www.gunbroker.com/Auction/ViewItem.aspx?Item=160430200

Yep, but I want one with the wood grips.

I also like this:
http://www.gunbroker.com/Auction/ViewItem.aspx?Item=160552877

 

[Hahnsb2]

Why do people assume that a gun has to be "small" to CCW... there are MANY people who carry fullsize 1911's, Glocks, etc with no problems...

And I've been carrying my XDm lately, what's your point?

He said he was going to be carrying it, one of the benefits of the G29 is that is shoots the most powerful auto cartridge and it's easier to carry than a big ass gun (like the G20), all small guns are easier to carry than big guns, if they weren't they wouldn't make small guns If he want's to carry a big gun, more power to him but the G29 is a powerful "compact" alternative.