King:
Yeah, my elk hunting partner got a .40 S&W sigma series from his wife for Chirstmas last year. We've done quite a bit of shooting with it, and I personnally really like the gun. He does as well. He has never shot handguns before though, and is not quite as accurate as he could be. I can shoot his gun and get a lot better scores than he does. He is left handed though, and I think that is some of the problem. He trys to shoot left handed, and I really think he should be shooting right handed. The reason is in your eyes, and the brain controlling which sees better. Sounds funny, but one eye actually does "fix" better on a spot, I guess you could say. I had him switch shooting sides one day for a few hours, and after the first magazine, he had already out shot his left handed version. Now he shoots both, but consistently does better with his right, yet he still prefers his left. Oh well. Back to the guns, I think it is a very nice unit, works great and we've never had any problems at all with it, even with shooting nearly every load out there, and hundreds of each at that.

You mentioned getting a .38 for the snakes. I'll assume maybe a revolver? If you do go with a revolver, I'd suggest looking at a .357 instead of a .38. The reason I say this is that both are excellent weapons, though if you get a .357, you can shoot the 'hotter' .357 magnum loads through it for personnal protection, bear or cougar if you're ever out in the woods, and other such creatures. It's got a lot more power than the .38. Then, since the .38 and .357 are the same caliber size, only the .357 is just a little longer casing, you can shoot the .38 rounds through your .357 for your snake loads, or just plain cheap target practice.

I shoot a S&W model 686 stainless steel .357 mag revolver with a 4" barrel. I've had it since I turned 21, and it was the first hand gun I bought as a "legal" of age shooter. That was the first thing I did the day of my 21st-went down and bought the permit, then went and bought my gun. Anyway, I'm now 24, going on 25 and have put more rounds through it than I could even imagine and it still shoots as good today as it did the first day I bought it.

I carry 158 grain slugs in it with a little "added" touch for the big critters up in the mountains, such as bear or cougar, should they get to friendly with me. I shoot these loads often enough to "remember", or know how they shoot. Then, in order to save money for just target practice, I buy a bunch of the cheaper .38 special loads. There is a huge difference between the two loads. The .38 special loads almost feel like a BB gun after shooting the hotter .357 mag loads, and I like to "feel the power" myself, so I often switch back and forth.

One thing to consider though, the cheaper the ammunition, the lower the quality of powder they use. As a result, you'll get a lot more carbon build-up with shells such as the really cheap police special .38 loads. They come in a little orange box of 50 rounds for something like $5.00. Basically, it's just reloaded shells with cheap powder and soft tip bullets. They are cheap, and packed really light, but they will leave a huge mess on your weapon that will need to be cleaned more often. I personally don't mind spending a little more money to get a better quality bullet, and have to clean less often. The stainless is really nice as well, as it requires even less maintenance than the rest of the finishes.

Another thing to remember is that the longer the barrel, the more accurate it is, due to the rifling. This will also lessen the recoil. Mine is a 4" barrel with full underlug design, and shoots very nice and accurately at that. I've had several people tell me that it is way too big of a gun to conceal, even local dealers. The funny thing is, I've had it on me, fully concealled, standing right there talking to them, while they're telling me this! I got in a big arguement with a gun dealer once about this same topic. When he told me I didn't have any idea what I was talking about, and that I was crazy, I said well, how many guns do I have on me now? He looked at me as I turned around a few times for him, walked around a bit and such. He said I could possibly have one gun in my jacket pocket. Well, I opened up my jacket and revealed a Walther .32 PPK/S on my right hip, and a .357 mag 4" barrel model 686 under my left shoulder! He was absolutely amazed, and apologized right away. A lot of concealment does depend on your actual body size, and how you carry yourself, as well as what you're wearing, but what I'm getting at is that even a gun of this size can be carried fully concealled with no signs or clues what so ever. Nice to know should the need arise.

While I don't particularly care for the way S&W handled the Clinton/Gore thing not too long ago, I still love their hand guns, and always will. They've got out the new series of titanium guns, which are very light and very strong. If you're worried about the size issue of the .357, take a look at these, and also the S&W lady smith .357. The lady smith is a very nice little .357 with a 2" barrel, made on a smaller frame to fit womens hands. It is very small and very light, yet still shoots nice.

Well, I've probably bored you enough with this topic. Please don't think I'm trying to tell you what to buy. I've been surprised to know that there are a lot of people out there who thought they wanted a .38, and bought it, only to find out later they could have bought a .357 and shot the lighter .38's through it. They're both about the same price range, and for me, it's nice to know that I have the option of a hotter, more powerful take down load, or the lighter, cheaper target practice loads. Either way, I hope I've at least given you something to think about. As you can see, I really enjoy shooting, and tend to get carried away talking about it at times. Sorry about that! Oh, and Cabela's has some pretty neat little hand gun mounts that mount directly to your handlebars or racks on your atv. Pretty neat little device, and quick access should you need it. (just a side note)

Anyhow, congrats on your purchase, and I hope you really enjoy shooting the .40 sigma series, it's a great gun.

Best of luck to ya!

Mike

 

Texridr:
Oops! Yeah, I think you're right. I've got a couple Charlie Daniels cd's with it as a re-make, but I think Hank Jr. did it first. Either way, damn good song!

 

Mike..Thanks for all the imfo about the 357 and the ammo.Im going to the gun shop in a few days and i will look at the 357s and see what im up aginst im the moola part of it.I see where a 357 would be more practicle,....Thanks again .....BOB

 

Mike....Well i went to the gun shop today to get the 40.The California Department ofJustice are the ones who do the back ground check.They dig 10 years back.I had a mistameaner battery charge back in 91.There for i have to wait untill it drops off which will be 5-30-01.Then i can get my pistol.I called the guy at D.O J. to find out what the problem was,and that is what i was told.I was realy dissapointed but waiting 8 months isnt a long time.I just dont understand these laws.A DRUNK driver can hit and kill a person and go buy a car the next day.I havent had as much as a ticket since 4-21-91 and i cant buy a gun.Go figure.....BOB

 

King:
Very sorry to hear about the circumstances with the firearm. It seems they'll find a way to get you if they can. You are lucky though I guess, 8 months isn't long to wait for it to drop off, so that will be good. My buddy had a similar thing happen to him, only they suspended his hunting privledges and rights to carry a weapon. He went to the judge after 5 years and asked for that right back. The judge reviewed his case, and gave him the right to bear arms again, and also his hunting privledges once again. Otherwise, he would have been suspended for 10 years total. In your situation, I'm sure it would sit in court longer than it would take to wait the 8 months. Well, I guess on the bright side, it will just "feel" that much better in your hands when you get it!

Best of luck to ya though!

Hey, that doesn't count for rifles or shotguns too does it?

Mike

 

I didn't ask the guy about that part of it.But the paper saya that purchaser is not eligible to posses a firearm.Im going to do what ive got to do.I dont want to mess it up for the rest of my life.I guess what i have in the house belongs to the wife....BOB