Pistol question?

[Plott_Dogs]

Well I'm thinkin bout buying a pistol to carry while running the hounds and walking into tree/bayed up bears just to have for just in case moments...I know some of u guys carry pistols with u...my question is what do u carry? I'm looking for opinion on what caliber u prefer (I was thinkin bout going with 44 mag) and also something compact enough to stay outta my way as I really hope to never really have to use it haha...thanks..

[Henefer-hound-hunter]

I love my .357 it's really accurate, and is big enough to put any animal down, plus you can shoot .38's out of it to.

Cam

[justahunter]

357 . they penetrate . I have seen bears and lions shot multiple times with .45 and .44 just dont do what 357 does

[pegleg]

The 44 mag does its intended job very well. I've never seen anything keep going at bayup distance when belted with one. I've shot about everything with it you can run hounds on and a lot of stuff you don't normally

[Beebout-it]

I carry a glock in 10mm holds 15 rounds. It's not bulky and long like my 44. I don't hunt bear with dogs just lions and it's got my dogs out of a few tight spots.

[pegleg]

I have a 10 mm also. Its a bit trickier to feed though. It has the power to do the job. But wrong slug will fly right through or blow apart if its to rapid expanding . but it is a flat shooting accurate gun no matter what you feed it and ammo is hard to find in some areas or loaded down. I ordered a bunch and tested some different types then got sidetracked for awhile then tested some more. Open nosed slugs with a firm copper jacket seem better. Its also OK to take a longer shot on a bayup then normal. Honestly I really like the round and can see its attributes but have had some hiccups

[Mike Leonard]

Yay we have kicked this subject around on here for years and I don't think there is any one right answer for everybody. I have taken a lot of game with handguns, I like handguns, but don't ever think for a moment in a tight situation I would choose one over a rifle. that being said a lot of times it is not practical to lug a rifle when you are knocking around the woods or handling a big bunch of dogs. Problem with handguns is most guys think they can shoot them pretty good cuz they bounce a beer can around on the ground, but when the chips are really down are you going to be able to put the pill right where the pain is in a hurry?

I watched 2 guys supposedly big time bear hunters shoot a beat 17 times in a tree one with a 44 magnum and one with a 41 magnum one time before he finally bled out. He was shot all over the place but only one round made it to the right spot and even it took awhile. These guys were shooting at no more that 50 feet and still didn't make a showing. you have to be able to hit from any position and angle the shot is presented, and most of today's hunters just don't shoot enough to get really proficient with a handgun. Most anybody even with a short carbine rifle can outshoot them at close range.

I have seen guys using a great big hand cannon flinch close their eyes and even miss at point blank range and shoot the front leg off a hound. Not pretty! I have seen them choke in a mountain lion ground battle turn white, and stagger around with a cocked revolver till I had to dive in and take it away from them.

What I am getting at here is you better find the gun you can shoot best and then practice, practice practice with it and be able to put it exactly where it needs to go.

[Plott_Dogs]

thanks for the replys guys...hopefully I don't ever have to use it I want one for a just in case moment...a long gun I would prefer, but, a long gun just gets in the way when trying to lead multiple hounds out on leads threw the swamps I generally find myself in...I had a ruger Blackhawk 357 before, and shot it well...kickin myself in the ass now for selling it...should prolly just buy another one like it instead of going to the 44...I like the idea of a auto but would prefer to stay with a revolver.. again thanks for the replys

[Mike Leonard]

Plott_Dogs

The 357 Magnum with a good jacketed soft point of 158 Gr. or more will kill a bear and if you can shoot it good that is the way to go. For pure stopping some of the heavy 180 Gr. hard cast loads from Buffalo Bore will shoot right thru some pretty big stuff, but they really kick hard!

I recall many years ago meeting a very old time bear hunter in Arizona. His name was Otis Baker and he lived in Flagstaff and he had been a logger his whole life and also outfitted and hunted bears and lions. He showed me his Colt 357 and he swore by it as a real bear killer. He said bigger calibers would ball up more hair and fat and not penetrate as well so he favored the 357. I have seen the bigger guns work fine on bear if they were shot well but Otis had confidence in his 357 and I am sure that made him pretty deadly with it.

[pegleg]

I've seen guys shoot the hell out of things with a bolt action rifle. If you have to account for the fever then nothing from a .22lr to a .50 BMG is going to do much better. If your shooting around the edges it don't matter. Everyone has had their share of what was that moments. But the other thing to remember is some firearms just make their own and unless you shoot it enough you'll not know. I have had a few rifles that you had to know because the wrong round would just as likely go sideways. Its not as common with newer models but I bet someone's scratching their head right now over one somewhere. I had a .357 revolver that had been mis machined the cylinder gap between two holes was just very slightly off and the one had a little cant to it. Not enough to see . but enough you could fire five rounds fine and get peppered the sixth. I don't know how many owners passed that thing around. A new cylinder fixed the issue but I never could shoot it . couldn't convince my face it wasn't going to be receiving copper shavings and powder .

[AAA Gundogs]

There are 4 different animals that frequent my yard and barn with regularity: coyotes, black bears, mt lions, and rattlesnakes. Also, rain or shine, sick or not, I run my hunting dogs (I don't have hounds yets) every day on the fire roads behind the house.

Long story short, I carry everday. I've settled on a Smith & Wesson 329 PD in 44 mag. The first 2 chambers are snake shot and the last 4 have 300gr LBT LFN hard cast bullets. Since it is made of scandium and titanium, it is extremely light. However, I wouldn't use it as a primary hunting weapon. It kicks like a mule and the heavy bullet loads will wear the gun out extremely fast. If it's going to be shot a lot, it's going to be much heavier but I'd opt for a short barreled Ruger Redhawk, not super, in 44 mag.

Anyway, with liability laws the way they are, they both will need a trip to the gunsmith for an action job.

[Mike Leonard]

I have seen some of the Smith & Wesson's that have been stretched a bit by too many full power loads and you would get some cylinder gap differtial and shaving. I have a lovely 6" Model 27 that had been used by a bullet maker as a test gun and it would do that with full power loads. I backed it off to 38 Special cases ++P levels with 125 JHP at about 1100 and it was fine and would hold all 6 shots in a 50 cent piece at 25 yards. This is plenty for lion and also a lot of fun just to bang away at jack rabbits and such. I could change the cylinder out and may but it shoots so good as it is I hate to mess with it.

I have my tried and true Model 66 stainless that has ridden many miles with me and although light it handles the heavy 158 Gr. magnum loads although I don't shoot many of them thru this Combat Magnum frame.

I have a video of me dropping a running tom lion at 50 yards, as this lion had been wounded by a man hunting with me, and the lion bailed off a bluff and was making his get away as the wound later turned out to be superficial. The Police Officer friend who was filming this was heard to say on the audio.
Man that was a heck of a shot!

Heck of a lucky shot I added!!! LOL!

[justahunter]

[pegleg]

Lol I won't even get into that. If a 44 hits where its supposed its gonna be just as dead as a 357 hitting the same spot . like I said if your shooting around the edges it doesn't matter how big or small the slug is.

[not color blind]

I once seen a .44 out of a revolver 'bounce' of a bayed bears forehead at pretty much point blank range and not affect the bear at all. So if your gonna use a .44, don't aim there..

Also seen one #487 tipped over and instant stone dead with one shot from a .44

Like stated before, know where you're shooting if you end up having to use the pistol.