What is your Go-To Handgun?

originally posted by: TiedDestructor

Well all was good until a rash of armed robberies. My business became a victim. I found myself staring down the barrel of a nickel plated pistol. We have high countertops so he wasn't aware I was armed. I was given my "moment" when he drew his attention and weapon to my fiancé and the money. I drew my weapon centered and pulled the trigger. Nothing happened. I looked down as I had in the past at this beautiful weapon that hadn't fired and realized that out of my panic I hadn't disengaged the safety. I promptly flipped it off and raised my weapon again to the backside of his ass and our front door. He had thrown down his gun and ran.

Wow, pretty intense. I have actually considered that happening often especially a new purchase. Its one of the reasons I like the XDM. There's a lot of debate about grip safeties but try as I might, I have always been able to fire it in a compromised position. Now if I lost a couple finger than sure a grip safety would suck.

Real hunting is done with a rifle from hundreds of feet away.

If its small game a shotgun.

Handguns are simply backup side arms and nothing more.

originally posted by: Rosinitiate

originally posted by: TiedDestructor

Well all was good until a rash of armed robberies. My business became a victim. I found myself staring down the barrel of a nickel plated pistol. We have high countertops so he wasn't aware I was armed. I was given my "moment" when he drew his attention and weapon to my fiancé and the money. I drew my weapon centered and pulled the trigger. Nothing happened. I looked down as I had in the past at this beautiful weapon that hadn't fired and realized that out of my panic I hadn't disengaged the safety. I promptly flipped it off and raised my weapon again to the backside of his ass and our front door. He had thrown down his gun and ran.

Wow, pretty intense. I have actually considered that happening often especially a new purchase. Its one of the reasons I like the XDM. There's a lot of debate about grip safeties but try as I might, I have always been able to fire it in a compromised position. Now if I lost a couple finger than sure a grip safety would suck.

I'd try to transition to my weak hand if in that situation.

Who am I kidding? I'd probably be crying and looking for my fingers.

I love my 5.25 XD though!

a reply to: intrptr
I have come within a hundred yards of a bear before, he did not seem very impressed with my buddy or me, he kept going his way and we ours.
It was like he knew we wanted nothing to do with him, and we were truly loaded for bear (pun intended) and fully capable especially as a team.
I guess you could say that not a single F%$# was given that day.
Bears understand that humans for the greatest part are idiots and just prefer to avoid us if possible.
Plus a bears nose being 500 times more sensitive than a dog's can use that to their advantage.

Down here in the southern US (not bear country... feral hogs and sometimes cougars) I carry an inherited old Winchester 94 lever action 30-30 with iron sights as a "brush gun" when out hiking and such. Use 170 gr loads, just in case 150 won't cut the mustard.

The main reason I like it so much, is its fairly small and light for a decently powerful rifle, and easier to get follow-up shots off than with a bolt action. Stays on my shoulder all the time. Not much good past about 150 yds though.

For bear country though, these seem like they'd be a pretty good choice.

Ruger Super Redhawk Alaskan

6 double-action rounds of either .454 Casull, .44 Mag, or .480 Ruger with a 2.5" barrel, so its nice and small to carry.

If that doesn't save your @$$ from a bear... Well, maybe it was just your time to go.

a reply to: g146541

…and we were truly loaded for bear…

Lol, lot of insight in that old term.

There is nothing greater than a bear to load for. Especially Brown Bear.

I was stood over (not on, but over) in Yosemite one night by a bear that consumed the leftovers of a pop tart some idiot didn't finish as a bedtime snack.

Dumb freakin kids on a camping trip in bear country. Never forget it. i tried to move and realized he had me pinned on all fours in my sleeping bag. I began to panic and struggle and thank the God of idiots he just growled at me. I froze and waited as he finished and waddled off without stepping on, mauling or eating me…

a reply to: intrptr

I think id rather sleep in a tree and make sure the food stash is far away.

I know i wouldnt be fully safe up there, but least far enough from the idiots who camp on the ground with their half finished meals laying around.

Bears can smell that freaking miles away!!! Might not attack you, but hell, choice given? I would want to be as far away from one as humanly possible!

a reply to: Biigs

Believe me, Object lesson fully imparted.

Also, ever heard of familiar animal spirit? They say… you know the they says… that your animal guide is determined from an encounter in the wild?

Preferred the experience…

a reply to: g146541.

I have a pistol that I would expect to drop any bear with one round. It hurts like hell to shoot. I use special padded gloves, and it still pulls muscles and bruised my inner palm that holds it . It has a X frame, and a longer barrel. It weighs over 5 lbs. cant hold it forever, got to aim quick , hang on, and shoot.
You have heard that you are never to shoot a bear in the head due to their thick skull. I challenge that statement. I say one round to the head of even a Grizzly bear, is going to cave its head in if it doesn't blow its head clean off. This gun blows a billow of flame over 2 feet in diameter when I fire it at night.

It is the most powerful production Pistol ever produced on the planet. What is it?


And now onto other guns. I have several. I really love my Kimber Stainless Ultra Carry2. I think it is the smallest 45 on the market, and has a match grade bull barrel, and Tritium sites that glow via radiation. Its a tiny super precision powerful tool. It makes a statement. The 45 travels at subsonic like speeds. and will knock body parts off an attacker, and slam them on the ground, unlike the quick penetration of a 357.
Short range with a 45 is nasty for the agresser

My favorite revolver is a smith and Wesson 357 . Stainless 686. I've had it over 30 years and it never fails. great penetration power too.

Cheers to All!

a reply to: TiedDestructor

That's why a revolver or a shotty is best for defense in at close range. No safety, no aiming. Just point and shoot.

Sorry to hear about your experience though.

a reply to: sheepslayer247 I never put the safety on the 45. I leave the safety off and the chamber empty. A quick slide and its ready , but as you've said, A Shotgun does a great job. I have a short barrel 12 gauge ( Shortest Barrel legal in California) Remington HD Express. The HD is for Home Defense. I usually shoot double 0 shells or magnum slugs. They both kick like a horse, and the slugs will open an attacker so that you can see daylight right through them. And I might add, that's nothing we would ever want to see.

In the forty something years I have been alive, not once did I have the need to use a gun, or feel I had to shoot someone.

a reply to: nOraKat

Was up in the ID wilderness last week - woke up one morning to find wolf prints in camp. Very glad multiple people were armed...

a reply to: nOraKat
Twice in my life only. Both times last year, right here. I live in a good area. My neighbor across the street had a burglar in his back yard point a pistol at him through the win dow. He is very liberal, and doesn't have a gun. He shut the curtains, crapped his drawers, and got lucky the crook didn't shoot him.
I prepare for things that don't frequently happen, and Im glad I did. I was wise to be armed in both situations. and even wiser to have handled it in such a way as to no one getting injured or worse. Without a gun, you limit your options. You are vulnerable to others options instead. There are some bad people in this world.

Go to hand gun? Is that like your go to recipe for a pot luck? I think handguns should not exist. They are only made to kill man. No one hunts with a pistol. Go ahead and shoot me.

See if they were outlawed the crook wouldn't have had one. a reply to: visitedbythem

a reply to: visitedbythem
NO FRIGGIN WAY BRO!!
I'd get that damn beast magnaported.
I'd still hate to go vs a bear with a handgun as aim still is a consideration and if the thing kicks so bad you have to wear gloves, a follow up shot may not be an option if you miss.

I got a chance to shoot a breach break sawed off shotgun years back with a modified frame that accepted a standard M-16/AR-15 pistol grip...lets say that with standard shells it hurt like hell as well!
Bruised my palm and hurt like hell too!
Just saying thanks for the bad good old memory!

Go to handgun?

Smith and Wesson .38spl revolver. Utterly reliable. It's older than I am, it belonged to my father who carried it in Vietnam before I was born.

It ain't shiny. It won't blow holes through mountains. But it shoots where pointed. ...and I'm very good with it.

I'll be adding a short barreled coach shotgun to it in the near future. Again, utterly reliable.

If that time comes, God forbid, I want something that I don't have to even think about using... I want simple. Point and bang.

originally posted by: nOraKat
In the forty something years I have been alive, not once did I have the need to use a gun, or feel I had to shoot someone.

Good on you and hopefully it will stay that way.
No victim ever asked to be a victim I'm sure though.
Some here have had a reason to be armed.
I and them I'm sure choose not to be an easy target.
Times are getting rough though.

a reply to: LadySkadi

My camp visitor was a cougar. Big ol' tom, from the size of the tracks that circled my tent several times...

Needless to say, my camping/backpacking equipment soon had an addition. Ruger Redhawk .44mag revolver. It's barrel had been replaced with a 6" barrel, ported. The work had been done by someone who really knew what they were doing... Sweet, sweet gun. I made the mistake of "loaning" it to someone.... Never saw it again.