its time for a handgun. i need one to take with me hunting and of course home defense. i bow hunt and find myself alone in the woods for days. i just got back from an elk hunt and a hunter went missing the weekend before i went not 1/4 mile from where i camped for 4 nights. when i talked to some search/rescue guys the circumstances are suspect. no matter why for this thread, bears or human. he's still missing and i need something to protect myself out there. i told myself the same thing during last years deer hunt but got distracted with a 300 win mag rifle/scope. i pretty much had my mind set on a 45 acp. price range $500 - 750. since New Mexico seems to be relatively liberal on carrying a weapon i don't need a concealed license to carry a handgun. as long as the weapon is in plain view one can be worn. i guess its called an open carry state. i'll no doubt pay the $100 and take the class later for a concealed license. a co-worker is taking his next month. got attacked by a pit-bull walking his dog. i was mostly lookin at the Baretts's px4 Storm, Ruger, Springfield XD(M), S&W m&p. some have 4" barrels but are not compact models i don't believe. Do you think a 5" barrel might be ok in these circumstaces? i was lookin at some 1911's from Springfield too. should i consider another caliber? i have mostly been on BudsGunShop doing my price comparisons. your input is appreciated!

 

I don't think any of the handguns you mentioned are "revolvers", like your title states! Out in the field I always prefer a revolver, and in town or for home defense an automatic. If I need a gun to do both, I can make do with a revolver....

How big are New Mexico bears? I would personally pick a Ruger Alaskan in .44 Mag for outdoors in black bear country. S&W also makes a very light "Alaskan Backpacker" in .44, that should be a real pleasure to carry (but a bitch to shoot!). Keep in mind that these will both also shoot the milder .44 S&W, for self defense! (For griz and brown bear country, I would certainly gun up to at least .454, if not .460, or .500, and live with the inconvenience of a longer barrel).

Another choice if you are on a budget, would be a Ruger 4" GP100 in .357....but pick your load very carefully for bear country! You could load .38+p for home defense, which is not as likely to shoot through walls.

If you must have an automatic, it is Glock all the way in my book. Americans have this love affair with the .45 ACP, but I think it is way overrated (just like Polaris!). I prefer .40 S&W myself.

Also, keep in mid that if you are going to carry concealed at some point, you are going to want a very compact and light weapon! Here, I like the Baby Glock for automatics, and the Ruger SP101 in a revolver (not really super light). Lots of extremely light S&W revolvers out there as well.

 

As reconranger mentioned, non you mentioned are revolvers. If you do want a revolver in 45 ACP, Smith&Wesson does have one, but it's quite pricy. If a large bore non magnum revolver is what you want, look at some chambered in 44 Special. Tarus, Charter Arms, and S&W all have models in 44 Spcl

 

I also would recommend a .44 magnum for black bear. When loaded for .44 Special it's not too bad kick wise and is a great home defense load. Loaded with a packed load in a .44 magnum would be a good round for black bear. Anything bigger I'd go with one of the newer magnums as mentioned above.

 

I agree with reconranger and the others, The 44 mag is the best round for a revolver.
I personally don't care for the Ruger auto's though, I would much rather have a Kimber or the Glock in 40 S&W.

 

ya, my bad on the revolver part. i was lookin at the automatics. been out of town all week since i posted. thought about my mess up about mid week. thanks for the help!

 

Why is a revolver preferred in the woods over an automatic? That Alaskan and from a few threads on forums I'm reading looks like a nice gun. I like that it's SS. A little more expensive than I wanted to pay but I like its size and versatility (field load vs home defense). I can save for another month to get this gun. And not having owned a handgun before I should start practicing with the 44 specials. Thanks for the recommendation! Looks to be right on the money for my needs.

 

First, I prefer revolvers outdoors because of the available calibers, like .44, .480, .454, .460, and .500!

Second, is reliability. While automatics certainly have proven themselves in dirty environments (like desert combat), a revolver will go bang every time you pull the trigger!

In your case, I would personally go with a Ruger Alaskan in .454 (will also shoot .45 Colt!) for outdoors (maybe a .44 if you will never be in Grizly country), and then eventually get a baby Glock in .40 for concealed carry.

 

ya, while i highly doubt i'll ever be in griz country it's definately worth looking into the 454 cassul over the 44mag with the decreased velosity and energy of the Alaskan's 2 1/2' snub-nose barrel. i think it was 15% less velocity and 25% energy. pretty tired today staying up til 2:00am last night researching this gun, price, availability and performance of all the cartridges (44mag and 44 special vs the 454 cassul and 45 colt). i saw a video on YouTube of guys shooting the 454 at the range. hellacious recoil. i would think the 44mag to be considerably more accurate than the 454. i read lots of sources with good accuracy (dinner plate) at 50 yards with the Alaskan's 44mag. there are a couple manufacturers (Double Tap and Buffalo Bore) that make 44mags almost rivaling the performance of the 454. Hornaday makes a nice size cartride for the 44mag and 454 that performs at a great price. not happy with the availability of ammo. the 454 cassul is the only one thats half-way available. surprised to find Sportsman's Guide with such a good selection at great prices. BudsGuns has a great price on the Alaskan's ($718). just out of stock. i put em on my wish list hoping they'll get some in. thanks again for the input. really psyched about gettin this gun.

 

I have a Ruger Redhawk in .44 and also one in .480. I got the .44 years ago, when it was the only caliber available. Then the more powerful .480 came along, so I went with it and gave the .44 to my son. Now, I wish I had the .454! If you are a handloader you can really pump up the .480, but the .454 has the advantage of also shooting the .45 Colt.

In today's market, finding ammo can be an issue! .44 ammunition is easy, but no luck finding any .480 lately, and .454 is probably just as bad. So, I am really glad still to have the .44 around!

Both my Redhawks have 7.5" barrels which is great for increased velocity, but they are fairly ungainly in the field. If I had to draw and fire one in a surprise bear attack...that would be a real challenge. I got these both before the Alaskan was available, but if I had it to do now, I would get the Alaskan. Nice handy barrel length, but having something easier to deploy is worth giving up some velocity!

I'm not a big S&W guy, but they use to have a short barreled .460 and .500. I see it is however not in their catalog anymore. ( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=23jKU...eature=related ). They do have a 4" .500 and a 5" .460, so if I was a S&W guy, that might be my choice.