What handgun to buy?

[AKHog]

My wonderful state has decided to make it legal to carry concealed weapons without any licensing or other bs. I'm looking for a pistol I can carry for protection in the backcountry (mountain biking, hiking, rafting, etc). My needs are:

-compact and light weight. I never want to consider leaving it at home because it's too heavy
-fairly cheap to shoot. I am a firm believer that having a weapon you are more familiar with is more valuable then having a huge caliber. It needs to be something my wife and I can shoot a lot with little expense.
-take down a Grizz. Now I know this is very subjective, and I know to guarantee a kill I need a huge caliber. I'd rather go with a smaller caliber that I can handle really well and feel good about placing tight groups when it matters. That being said, if I have to shoot at anything it will most likely be a Grizz.

I have a Colt 1911 and 2 S&W .357 revolvers. My bday is coming up and I'm trying to pitch a new handgun to the wife for "our protection".  The down and dirty truth is I just want something fun to shoot that is practical to bring along on backcountry trips into griz country. I know my 4 inch barrel .357 is probably pretty close to fitting my needs, but I'm open to hear suggestions on what might be even better.  So what do you all think?

[Shuffler]

Everyone has their favorites for one reason or another.

I'd suggest XDm 40  http://www.springfield-armory.com/

[redman555]

500 S&W 


-BigBOBCH

[SkiMan]

Me, I qualified on the 1911 for the first 3 years I was in the Corps before they switched to 9mm.  I would just holster that thing and carry it

Seriously,

I currently carry a S&W +p .38 hammer-less concealed.
I don't know about taking down a Grizzly  But my money would be on a revolver.  Preferably hammer-less along the lines of .38 +p or .357 with hollow points.
As far as groupings under pressure, the .38 +p would be the better bet.  Still gives you the power approaching .357 (but not quite) without the recoil associated
with short barrel .357's .

Springfield and Ruger make some really nice sub-compact .40 semi-autos.  I forget the model of the Ruger, but it comes with a couple of frames to change from standard to compact etc.
Cool idea, but I like the simplicity of the revolver and being able to stuff it in my pocket.

My 2 cents.


*edit someone beat me to the .40 lol

[MarineUS]

a 40 is a good mix between punch and cost.

9mm for cheap firing, but wouldn't do much good against an animal

40 is an in between

and then you have the 45 (I know there are others in between, these are just my personal preferences.) which has great punch (not TOO expensive to fire), but a smaller magazine load out.

the 1911 is my personal preference when it comes to handguns

[Ripsnort]

I'm a .40 cal fan after having fired both the 9mm and .45 calibers.

Check out Taurus, they are reasonably priced.

[katanaso]

Is anything cheap to shoot now, once you get past standard 9mm or 38 special rounds?

Perhaps a .44 magnum, and use the 'cheaper' .44 special rounds for practicing, throwing in actual magnum loads as you want for practice?

I very much like 10mm, and practice with the 'cheaper' 180gr rounds most of the time rather than using the hotter loads all the time at the range.

[allaire]

500 S&W 


-BigBOBCH

Definitely work for the grizzly don't know so much about the concealed.

[1Boner]

Yup, in grizzly country why take any chances.



Or get one of these in 4 wheel drive and you can kill it AND grill it!!

[SmokinLoon]

Trust me when I tell you to buy a S&W 696+ with a 4in barrel.  The caliber is .357 magnum but you can shoot the much cheaper (and easier to learn) .38 Special for about 1/3 the price, recoil, and noise.  You will have 7 shots from a highly respected gun and made by the best revolver manufacturer in the world.  The .357 Mag can get the job done on %99 of the vermin you will be facing, including the grizzly if you have the right ammo (heavy 158gr hunting bullets).  

The learning curve is shorter than an auto loader, the cartridge is more powerful, and the quality and reliability is second to none.  The gun wont weight a ton (unlike the .44 and larger caliber frames), and you can carry in holstered or packed away easily.

    

[Bronk]

Loon I think you meant s&w 386 pd.

[AKHog]

I have a S&W 586 with 4 inch barrel and it is too big/bulky for me to want to carry all the time. I have a S&W 19 with a 2.5 inch barrel which is probably a good option, except I just have the experience of it being the most difficult pistol to constantly group shots with. I'm afraid when it mattered I wouldn't be able to land hits, especially considering my wife may be the one to use it. My other problem is the little thing weighs 40 ounces empty.

[Yeager]

My most recent pistol of interest has been the Ruger LCP in 380

By all accounts: small, compact, reliable and accurate - all for around $320. 

[Colt44]

Glock 27 -  .40 cal...holds 9 +1   small, light weight,holsters well, although its a little blocky.... and you will need the extention for the mag to fit almost any hand....

Glock 36    .45 cal   ...hold 6+1   single stack sub compact.... very controlable for a large cal subcompact... Im may be in the market for one right now. 

Glock 33     .357 cal     holds 9 +1  I believe... never shot this one... it is a hot round, and I imagine expensive.   

Glocks are a point and pull weapon, no external safety.  They will fire after falling in the mud...but will not fire if dropped or impacted....... lots of large cal rounds in a small pakage for the charging bear.   They are single action weapons and produce a consistent, easy (5lb or 8lb) trigger pull...as opposed to double to single.

Lastly I believe you can get a conversion kit for may of the glock guns and fire .22 long... couple hundred for the kit, but you can shoot all day for nothing. 

Just one man's biased opinion   Good luck.

[colmbo]

That being said, if I have to shoot at anything it will most likely be a Grizz.

If that is the case you need a long gun.  A pistol isn't going to stop an attacking bear, rifles and shotguns aren't even a sure thing.