Pistol caliber?

[FlyingScot]

9mm Glock 19. Used to carry a Glock 20 in the woods but found it was too bulky and heavy for my taste. Some one posted a article on here a while back about which calibers had stopped the most bear attacks. 9mm won. As a side note I am not hunting grizzly country

Not exactly huge volumes of data, but here it is. Shot placement and sufficient penetration to reach the vitals are king, everything else is just a bonus.

https://www.ammoland.com/2018/02/de...tols-97-success-rate-37-incidents-by-caliber/

 

[thinhorn_AK]

10mm

 

[mcseal2]

Mine has been a S&W 386 xl hunter. It is discontinued now and increasing in value. For that reason and some AK hunts coming up I just got a Glock 20 10mm

To me if 4 legged critters are a potential problem a 357 is as light as I would want to go in a revolver. Preferably a 4” or better 6” one. Bigger is fine too especially in big bear country but they get heavy. In a semi auto the 10mm beats all others for me. I love my 45 1911’s but not for woods guns.

I like a semi auto thats really simple to field strip if i get it full of sand or mud, or a revolver for woods use.

 

[TauPhi111]

My edc gun is a Springfield XDS 4.0 45 ACP with 230 grain HP or 185 grain Barnes Tac-X. I bought it for a dual purpose human and woods defense gun when I lived in PA and was in black bear country a lot. I still carry it in Ohio both edc and in the woods although there isn't anything here a 9mm couldn't handle. When I am out west where larger predators lurk, Glock 20 10mm with 220 grain hard cast.

 

[tarheelpwr]

I keep trying to buy a .44 / .45 LC / .454, but I always talk myself into keeping my S&W 627 PC. 4" barrel and 8 shots of .357 are tough to beat. I know the .44/.45 are a step up, but after seeing Phil take out that big charging bear a couple years back with a 9mm, I prefer the extra 2 rounds over the extra power. The action/trigger are great out of the box.

I am thinking hard about upgrading sights.

 

[arrowsender]

Im wanting to buy a pistol to carry while hunting. I want to know what caliber everyone carries, just for general purpose use. Not specifically for bears. Thanks everyone!

What exactly is your reason for carrying? (Predators or 2 legged predators) I'm guessing most likely 2 legged. If so I'd suggest a 9mm. Lots of options in guns and ammo. Technology in ammunition has improved greatly over the years making the 9 a more affective round. Practice ammunition is cheap but buy a good quality ammunition to use when carrying. As for pistols, I would suggest a Glock style. They are a bullet proof design that are less likely to malfunction after a week of being in the field and being exposed to dust, water and mud.

 

[blgoode]

Been carring a Single Seven Ruger in 327 Mag. Also carry a 357 Blackhawk Flattop but looking at a 44 special Blackhawk Flattop tomorrow.

 

[Wireman07]

What exactly is your reason for carrying? (Predators or 2 legged predators) I'm guessing most likely 2 legged. If so I'd suggest a 9mm. Lots of options in guns and ammo. Technology in ammunition has improved greatly over the years making the 9 a more affective round. Practice ammunition is cheap but buy a good quality ammunition to use when carrying. As for pistols, I would suggest a Glock style. They are a bullet proof design that are less likely to malfunction after a week of being in the field and being exposed to dust, water and mud.

Well its not only going to be for hunting, just an everyday pistol, and just bring it along hunting because i have it.

 

[arrowsender]

Well its not only going to be for hunting, just an everyday pistol, and just bring it along hunting because i have it.

I would suggested a 9mm then. I'm a Glock fan but there are lot of other good brands out there. I would stick to one similar to the glock design if you're going to take it hunting because they are less likely to malfunction after taking a beating and being filled with dust and debris from a hunting situation. Find a gun store that carries several brands and will allow you to handle them. See which one feels best in your hand (a single stack magazine will be a thinner grip, fits people with smaller hands/ a double stack magazine will be a wider grip, then you'll have different frame sizes to try -full/mid/compact.)

 

[cmahoney]

You can’t go wrong with any of the quality, reasonably priced polymer 9mm’s. They are easy to shoot accurately compared to other rounds, target ammo is as cheap as it gets for a center fire round and you can get any type of factory load you want.




Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Ndbowhunter]

To be fair bear defense, home self defense and everyday carry are pretty far ends of spectrum..

I have no idea if the Sig 365 has moved into the reliable scale but something of that ilk covers a lot of bases. Any smaller and it's gonna be hard to shoot really well recoil and ergonomic wise. Any heavier and conceal carry tends to be dressing around the gun.

Until you step up to 44 magnum ilk ballistics I'd live with good 9mm ammo and realize that all pistol cartridges are inferior to rifle bullets and a plethora of bullets tearing through vitals is end goal of the platform.

That said it might be a good idea to pick a pistol that covers 2 of the 2 bases and live with a greater compromise on the third.

 

[Usi05]

Love the lcr, my favorite edc gun. Light accurate and incredibly underrated imho.

I’d love some feedback on Ruger lcr as its on sale this week for dirt cheap. If you could offer some insight I’d appreciate it! Can only do so much on feedback.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Harvey_NW]

Glock 20 - 10mm auto!

 

[Backpack Hunter]

9mm works well for me.

 

[fmyth]

9mm in CO and 10mm in Alaska.

 

[Oldffemt]

Ruger 22/45lite with suppressor. Sitting in tree stands is boring 90% of the time and squirrels taste good! When in CO hunting I carry my edc 9mm with stout 147gr handloads

 

[Smithb9841]

Good old 1911 in .45. There’s a reason they are still popular and have been around so long

 

[mcseal2]

I have got the Glock 20 since my earlier post. I have really come to like the 10mm so far, the Glock I'm still deciding on. I had a thread on my G20 and the issues I had with hardcast ammo. It is yet to fail with over 350 rounds of 180gr JHP but has yet to make it through a mag with hardcast ammo from Underwood or Buffalo Bore. The G20 is at my gunsmith's now getting diagnosed. The aftermarket KKM barrel and 22lb recoil spring didn't fix it.

While it's gone I traded my Sig Scorpion 45 for a Sig Tacops 10mm. I really like the new Sig 1911 10mm. It is shooting amazing with the 180gr JHP ammo. I have not tried hardcast ammo yet. I just got a box of Underwood 200gr hardcast and a box of their 140gr Extreme Penetrator ammo to try in it. Double Tap called today also and said that the 200 and 230gr hardcast ammo I had on order from them would ship today. I ordered it for the Glock but the Sig will get first shot at feeding it now. The Sig is about 10oz heavier than the Glock with both fully loaded, and the Sig holds less rounds. The Sig is definitely more accurate in my hands though, I'm shooting it as well as I have any handgun I've owned.

For an all around gun that I'd conceal and woods carry it would be tough for me to decide. I'm glad I don't have to.

I'd maybe pick my 3" S&W model 60 in 357. It shoots 38 FMJ's well enough for small game and can shoot some hotter hardcast loads for woods defense. I wouldn't go to overboard to keep muzzle jump down, but would want a hardcast bullet with at least 400lbs of energy at short barrel speeds. If I was more of a striker fired trigger fan I'd maybe go with a Glock 29. In a small, light gun I shoot that revolver better than I do any of my semi-autos. My Sig 938 would be second ahead of the small striker fired 9mm or 380's I have.

I personally want a different combination of bore diameter and energy than the 9mm, 40 S&W, or 45 offer for a woods gun. As the bore diameter gets larger I want to have more powder behind that bullet to ensure penetration. That's why the 357 or 10mm are about as light as I personally want to go. I'm no expert and have shot or shot at 0 bears. Biggest critter I've had to shut down as it charged me with a handgun was a badger, so take my advice for what it's worth. I did a lot of looking at different handgun cartridges and ammo choices and came up with my criteria on what I want, not necessarily what is right for you. Accuracy is still king and 9mm is cheap to practice with a lot.

 

[rhusby28]

Well its not only going to be for hunting, just an everyday pistol, and just bring it along hunting because i have it.

I carry a Kimber Micro 380 Auto for everyday and a Springfield XD-E 45 Auto in the woods. If I had to do it all over again the gun in the woods would be a 1911 10mm.

 

[RnnHntr]

It depends on what I am doing. If I am carrying a rifle, I don't carry a handgun. If the handgun will be the only firearm I am carrying and I am not hunting, either a Glock 20 10 mm, Springfield XDS 9mm, or Smith Model 60 Pro .357 Magnum with a shot cartridge in chamber 1. If hunting with the handgun a Smith 629 .44 Magnum with 8-3/8" barrel and 2X scope or a T/C Contender in .22 LR, .204 Ruger, or .375 JDJ.