...

[SloChicken]

Want to up your game?

Turn in that pea shooter 454 for the 480 version.

400g .475 bullet at 1200fps makes a statement.

.454Casull is a stronger round than .480Ruger


For instance,

Out of a 7.5" barrel a .454 pushes a 400gr round 1550fps vs. the 1200fps you say the .480Ruger does.

Further, .480 Ruger is on its way out. I don't even think Ruger is making a .480 chambered revolver any longer.

[3006]

My experience with Calif. bears and I have worked in reportedly the most heavily bear populated area of Calif. I have found they are more afraid of you then you need to be of them. We employed people to stand night bear watch and they were armed with super soakers filled with ammonia and water. You need to be armed on the trails of Calif because of two legged predators more than 4 legged ones. Actually I think you will find our mountain lions to be a greater threat than bears from a statistical stand point.

This is my experience the nose would be more then enough to scare off any bears I've seen that said my reasoning for a trial gun would be to take game in a emergency I've carried both a 22lr and my smith model 29 with a 6.5 inch barrel. Not sure what the odds of a bear attack is in California but it's got to be upward of a few million to one? The ones in my area are about the size of a big dog.

[fawndog]

Sure you can carry a 6 shot long barrel revolver that weighs a ton with a super long barrel, but my question is if you can obtain these types ballistics out of a package this small and light why not consider it?

Shootability, follow ups, Roscoe's skull crushing ability

[Saym14]

I agree on 10 mm, BUT I would go with a 1911 GUN, not a Glock

[SloChicken]

My personal favorite survival/defense gun has always been a tiny little Beretta 950 "Jetfire" pistol that’s not much longer than a medium-sized pocket knife. It’s an extremely small, very simple, single-action, “blow back” type semi-automatic (no shell extractor) in a .25ACP caliber which can also shoot standard .22 short ammunition if loaded one at a time via the break-down barrel. Because of its extremely small size, I can easily carry it in any of my pockets along with my pocket knife and lighter without even knowing it’s there.

Over all the years I’ve been nature hiking in the northern Montana backwoods, I’ve never went out without my little Jetfire in my pocket, and I’ve never gone out alone because I’ve always followed the two cardinal rules for hikers:
(1) ALWAYS pack a very small, lightweight gun to use for signaling if you become lost, for shooting small game in the event you run out of food, and for personal defense against predators even if you’re only hoping the sound of the shot will scare them away.
(2) NEVER go hiking alone in the wilderness, and always use the “buddy system” so there will be someone to go for help if anything happens to either of you. Since it is imperative that you follow the “buddy system”, it doesn’t matter if your “buddy” is a friend, companion, spouse, or even an in-law you don’t like as long as there are always two of you for mutual support.

While nobody will argue that a well-placed shot is very effective from any type or caliber of firearm, even most “experts” will scoff at the thought of a little .25ACP or .22 short as being very effective at stopping a human – much less something 15-times as large and powerful as a full-grown grizzly bear. However, I am here to give testimony that all of you alleged “experts” are totally wrong!!!

I just safely returned from a very harrowing experience that happened during a rather short hike to only explore a possible new route to my favorite hiking trail that was less dangerous from rockslides that happen very often on my usual route. It was only about a 30 minute hike, so I only stuffed a single .22 short into the barrel of my Jetfire before slipping it into my pocket along with an 8-shot magazine of .25ACP in case I needed it. Since there was nobody else around at the time, I had to rely on my idiot brother-in-law to take along as my “buddy” for the short trip.

We hadn’t gone more than a half-mile into the heavy timber when, out of nowhere, there suddenly came a huge sow grizzly bear crashing through the brush and charging straight toward us at full speed. I guess she must have had a cub around because she was mad as hell and coming to kill both of us in an instant. There was no place to run, no time to run (can’t outrun a grizzly anyway), and I’m standing there with nothing but a tiny little Beretta Jetfire loaded with one .22 short in my hand.

Laugh if you wish at its effectiveness, but it only took one well-placed shot to my brother-in-law’s kneecap and I was able to escape a major bear attack by only walking away at a brisk pace.



But really.

I hunt MT and WY for the most part. I usu carry .454 (Alaskan or 7.5") w/400gr hardcast (1550fps out of the 7.5) on a chest rig or holster on my pack (Crossdraw) and a 870 in camp.
If hunting it is a .375H&H or 30-06 depending on the game being hunted.

The thought of not having a long gun when you can. Particularly a 10mm is just not smart.
And to think you are sending off more than 3 or so shots in a situation that necessitates the shoot in the first place is absurd.
Usu the animal will be within 25yds or so and that will close up very fast. Not many people get off more than a couple.
Have a look.

Personally, I just spray bear repellant all over myself. That way when they eat me I am nice and spicy. LOL

[jarhead714]

I'll take 10+1 Underwood 10mm in my Smith 1006 over 6 in 44mag anyday.

I'd take the confidence of the six rounds in a revolver over the semi-confidence of more rounds in semi-auto any day.

[200Apples]

SloChicken

We hadn’t gone more than a half-mile into the heavy timber when, out of nowhere, there suddenly came a huge sow grizzly bear crashing through the brush and charging straight toward us at full speed. I guess she must have had a cub around because she was mad as hell and coming to kill both of us in an instant. There was no place to run, no time to run (can’t outrun a grizzly anyway), and I’m standing there with nothing but a tiny little Beretta Jetfire loaded with one .22 short in my hand.

Laugh if you wish at its effectiveness, but it only took one well-placed shot to my brother-in-law’s kneecap and I was able to escape a major bear attack by only walking away at a brisk pace.

^ ^ ^ Hahaha... I don't have to outrun the bear... just outrun YOU. lol.

You'd like this neat lil' S&W 351 PD. Weighs 10.8 ounces unloaded, but is chambered in .22 Winchester Magnum Rimfire and to 7 rounds.



(This gun is more than likely the brainchild of Bill Jordan, who wrote about such a piece in the mid-1960s. When S&W ultimately brought it to market I cannot say.)

jarhead714

I'd take the confidence of the six rounds in a revolver over the semi-confidence of more rounds in semi-auto any day.

SloChicken

The thought of not having a long gun when you can. Particularly a 10mm is just not smart.

And to think you are sending off more than 3 or so shots in a situation that necessitates the shoot in the first place is absurd.

Usually the animal will be within 25yds or so and that will close up very fast. Not many people get off more than a couple [shots].

Personally, I just spray bear repellant all over myself. That way when they eat me I am nice and spicy. LOL

And the bells... don't forget the little bells that we might wear that end up in a pile of bahrpo0p.


But, seriously...

I didn't have to look too far back into this thread for support of my position; the two most recent posts help to indicate where I stand on the matter.



Where I can, I wear a .41 Magnum Blackhawk loaded with 5 rounds of 250 grain hardcast over 9 grains Unique and sling a .41 Mag Marlin 1894 FG that gets commercially-loaded jacketed rounds until I obtain some .413" dia lead slugs. The .41 Remington Magnum jacketed soft points are loaded pretty hot by Remington; hot enough to begin to flatten their primers. Fortunately the only revolvers chambered for the .41 I know of are the Blackhawk and the N-frame S&W Models 57 and 58.

And unlike .44 mag, the .41 doesn't lie about it's diameter... The only real advantage of .44 is that handloaders can use up to 330 grain slugs. The .41s point of diminishing returns appears with a 265.

Threads like this and their subject matter are fun to ponder... and while I prefer Magnum-length brass and their related powder charges, I wouldn't cry about having to carry 71MUSTY's 10mm Underwood loads in that neat Smith.

ECVMatt

In the end, whatever gun you feel most comfortable with is probably the best choice. Letting folks on the internet pick your firearm is always a bad idea.

I concur.

[CandG]

I agree on 10 mm, BUT I would go with a 1911 GUN, not a Glock

Worth the extra pound of weight so your 1911-fanboy buddies don't laugh at you?

[Stripeknight]

Want to up your game?

Turn in that pea shooter 454 for the 480 version.

400g .475 bullet at 1200fps makes a statement.

I am considering the .500 Smith instead.

[cvigue]

I agree on 10 mm, BUT I would go with a 1911 GUN, not a Glock

Sig also makes a nice 10mm

[kotetu]

https://youtu.be/7q-e42h6FOM

[javithewrench]

(Ultimate Trail Gun) The reason I switched from .44 mag to .10mm

I recently switched to carrying a kimber 1911 in 10mm instead of my s&w mountain gun in 44 mag only cause I'm pig hunting. And especially because I've been hunting public land and haven't spotted a dam thing yet.
Here's a pic of my 10's

[SandHill]

I recently switched to carrying a kimber 1911 in 10mm instead of my s&w mountain gun in 44 mag only cause I'm pig hunting. And especially because I've been hunting public land and haven't spotted a dam thing yet.
Here's a pic of my 10's

Sweet looking Glock long slide there. Where did you get the slide? Did it come with the cut for the optic already, or did you have to get that done separately? I would like to get something like this for my 20SF if I could do it without breaking the bank.

[KrisDSA]

Sweet looking Glock long slide there. Where did you get the slide? Did it come with the cut for the optic already, or did you have to get that done separately? I would like to get something like this for my 20SF if I could do it without breaking the bank.

that looks like a. LWD Aka LoneWolf slide

[javithewrench]

Yes it's a lone wolf 6" slide before the glock 40 came out