Suggestions on which handgun to get please!

Assuming you are not in bear country, a good 357 revolver would be hard to beat. Load it up to near max and it will take care of most any two legged or four legged critter that needs killing. Light loads are good for plinking.

Good dependable brands (IMO) depending on what you want to spend are: Smith & Wesson, Ruger, and Taurus.
 
If you are going to use this more for target shooting -

Buy a 22 caliber of some sort. Ruger, Browning and a host of others make quality 22s. You can go out and shoot a couple of hundred rounds and not spend a ton of money and walk away.

You could buy a 357 mag, 9mm, 40 S&W, 10MM, 45, 44 mag or any number of other handguns in revolvers or semi-autos. But you will not go out and shoot a couple of hundred rounds in it in an afternoon. In some cases you might not shoot more than a dozen and say "that's enough for today" and still spend a lot more for ammo than the 22.

One thought - home defense. A handgun is a great tool. A 22 will work but if some guy is on the other side of a wall and you have loved ones in a room with you, say you know he is standing by a door, I want something that is going through the wall. A 22 might through drywall but I personally want something that will punch through a 2X4 plus the drywall and take out the intruder.

My suggestion - buy a 22 and shoot it. If you like handguns then look for something larger - minimum of 9 MM. I would probably go with a 40 S&W or 10 MM in semi-autos or a 357 mag in a revolver.

KC
 
I think 2 handguns fit the bill. A .22 for pratice and a cannon for the trail. A trail gun should be extremely light and plenty of power. The SW 329pd would be cool on the trail but its so light that practicing will not be a whole lot of fun. The glock 10mm is very light too still has a fairly stiff recoil. any gun comfortable and light enough that you take it every time on the trail is way better then a heavy one you left in the truck. doesn't matter if it shoots great when you dont' have it with u.
 
Quote:
I think 2 handguns fit the bill. A .22 for pratice and a cannon for the trail. A trail gun should be extremely light and plenty of power. The SW 329pd would be cool on the trail but its so light that practicing will not be a whole lot of fun. The glock 10mm is very light too still has a fairly stiff recoil. any gun comfortable and light enough that you take it every time on the trail is way better then a heavy one you left in the truck. doesn't matter if it shoots great when you dont' have it with u.




You are definitely right about the 329PD. I carry it wherever I go in the woods. And it is so light that you do not even know you are carrying it. However I do cast a 240 grain bullet for mine, and I shoot a light load of Alliant 2400 for a velocity of 900 fps. I have shot a few deer with this load at 25 yards,, and it is a very accurate load out to 50 or so yards for ground hogs. Tom.

IMG_0210.jpg
 
Quote:
The old Python's were a thing of beauty.



I've got a 6" Python I bought new in 1982, too. It's 10 times the pistol the Anaconda (bought in 1994) is.

And no, the Python's not for sale.

Ever.

At any price.
 
I agree that for a 1st gun get a
22 revolver, first, cheap & quiet practice, a good finisher while hunting, secondly, after you have toyed around with the bigger stuff for a while, you'll have something to go back to when you get sick of the noise & recoil. The 357 is like the 3006- too big for some stuff, too small for some other, but the the beest compromise all around.
 
I never knew the Anaconda was so poorly thought of. I used to have one and it shot great. I am by no means a pistol or handgun afficiando, but comparing it to my friends Ruger Redhawk, in comfort and accuracy, it won hands down every time. I must have got a good one. I traded it off, and it was one of the few trades that I regret.
 
Quote:
I must have got a good one.



Or I got a semi-lemon, because it has a minor timing issue with the hand, new. I'm not impressed.

It really depends on when you bought it, but buyer beware if you're purchasing one sight unseen.

That's all I'm saying.
 
The S&W 629 Classic .44 mag has a very sweet trigger out of the box.
Plenty of power if you come across a mature IA deer. Pop on a quality scope and you are good to 100 yds+.
 
+++Bucktail Bob. The .44Mag is a [beeep] cat with light .44Spl loads in it. You can shoot it all day long.

Maybe get some Miculick stocks on it, a smooth-faced trigger with rounded edges and, perhaps, a da & sa trigger job (just to make it smooth, if needed) and call it good.

Karl in Phoenix
 
Quote:
And no mention of the .41 mag., what a shame!


OK,,, I'll mention it....
Afew years ago I deceided to thin the heard,, and get rid of all but two of the handguns I never used or just didn't care for...
I deceided on the S&W Mountain Gun in 41Mag and an old K22.
The 41 is as much handgun as I can handle and I really like the feel of the Mountain Gun..
Everything Rusty says about the 41 is true, but it was a good compromise for me...
The folks that are recomending the 357 are giving you good advice IMO,, and for a first and/or only handgun it will do everything and then some..
I'm partial to Smith's so I'd look for the Mountain Gun in 357 (8 shot's is a plus) or a nice 686... The 686 is tried and true, and there's lots of them out there in a pretty wide price range...

Good luck..

noname025.jpg
 
I have a great pair of Smiths - both 6" - one is a K-22 and the other is a M-19 (.357) from my LEO days. I also have a newer 686 6" .357 with an adjustable front sight, but my normal woods gun is the M-19 in a shoulder holster. If I was hunting anything larger than deer, my S&W 629 (.44) would be my first choice. If it is just going to be just a "sidearm" and not your primary - the .357 is hard to beat and if you can afford a second, get a matching .22 for practice and small game.

I love revolvers, but if the target might be returning fire in my direction, I would definitely opt for a high capacity 9/40/45 auto - my preference is the Glock - I have a number of them and none has ever failed to go "BANG"!
 
you just can't go wrong with a 357/38, it has a wide variety of loads from lower end 38 loads to higher power 357. I have a ruger gp100 and have'nt had any complaints.

on the other hand also have a ruger mkII .22 with a bull barrel, I don't think that pistol has ever been left home when I'm out in the hills, most of the blueing on the barrel is worn off due to the amount of times its been pulled from the holster. Its fun to shoot and highly accurate.

If I had to choose only one........ I'd take the .22


you should get 2 pistols!!! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif

just my 2cents
 
If you truly want to be proficient with a handgun, it would be advisable to get a .22. Then, after you have met your individually determined needs in regards to accuracy, step up to a larger caliber.

In the hunting fields I could be quite content with a S&W K frame .22 lr and a S&W N frame .44 mag. Just because you buy a magnum, does not mean you need to shoot full bore loads. I only buy magnum cases for my .44s but I generally shoot light and medium loads. Usually I am carrying 240 grain cast semi wadcutters with 8.5 or 10 grains of Unique.

I hunt small game all year when I am home with my .44 magnums as well as my .22s to maintain proficiency. A properly loaded .44 magnum is actually a fine small game gun as well as big game.

Some pics of hunting Jacks with S&W .44s:

dec2006232-1.jpg
 
For your first revolver I would suggest a Ruger Single Six. It comes with two cylinders .22LR and .22Mag. When I am rifle hunting I will usually pack a Single Six. If I'm shotgunning or .22 rifle hunting I will pack a short barreled .44Mag or .357. Kinda a balance of power thing.
 
I have the S&w TRR8 and love it. It is the 357 mag that holds 8 shots. I had a 629 classic that I was stupid enough to sell /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smiliesmack.gif both are great guns, both very accurate out to 100 yards.
smithwessontrr8.jpg
 
Back
Top