Unlike your wife, I want you opinion - Sidearm 10mm vs 357 mag

[HSi-ESi]

I've never shot one of the scandium framed revolvers. What didn't you like about it? Recoil?

The Kimbers look sweet, but I just couldn't take a gun that pretty into the woods with me. I'd be afraid to get a scratch on it.

In my opinion, the muzzle jump on the Scandium frames is a bit higher. It takes me a bit to get used to. Like Ben mentioned, they are made to carry and not shoot as much.

If you are really shopping for penetration in the revolver frame and don't want to step up past a .44 - then the .41 mag is a great round. They are tons of fun and if you load you have lots of options.

It's really what you are comfortable with and will shoot frequently.

 

[LopeHunter]

I carry some of the time. Light is good. Even shaving off 8 ounces of weight is noticeable if carrying for miles or hours. More so if is on your hip rather than a shoulder holster.

I like to be proficient so burn a lot of rounds thus cost per round gets my attention. I have 9mm handgun. I grew up shooting a revolver but was never a speed loader guy so I shoot semi-auto handgun and have extra clips handy for home defense.

I see you are in TX and I also am not in grizzly country so I have no urgency to get a handgun that shoots lug nuts. I would buy a 2nd gun in that case since the 9mm would be used when not in the wilderness.

For lowlight, you can add light or laser if the handgun has a rail. I have sights that glow in dark. If you use the gun at home then get a safe that is handy and learn to open it quickly. I have the palm style entry where your fingers line up with buttons you push in a sequence. Practice so can do in the dark. If you get up in the night to whizz then that is a good time to practice as will be a bit foggy as might be the case if a door is kicked in one night.

I have an alarm and cameras I can view from my cell phone/laptop and more than one gun inside the home and a charged cell phone next to me 24/7 anyway so sleep well. When I lived in the country, had a trip signal set away from the home that anyone driving down the lane would trip and that was nice though critters sometimes caused it to sound. If installing an alarm, alarm every window rather than only the first level. Crooks know how to use ladders.

 

[Flatland Crusoe]

I have a G20 and shoot it a lot and its not as easy of a gun to shoot as my friends 686. The 10mm glocks are just really big handguns so if you have small to medium sized hands they can be a bit awkward (SF frames and gen 4's included). The K-frame Smiths can be handled by almost anyone and are pretty perfect with a 4" barrel. 10mm ammo isn't too bad if you buy 180 grain practice ammo online by the case you can get it down to the 30 cent range shipped, but its pretty easy to pay closer to 50 cents a round at a brick and mortar store. There are some great hardcast 10mm loads like the Buffalo bore 220 gr and Underwood 220/230 gr loads for 10mm bear loads, but you may need to play with springs and with the glock barrels you aren't supposed to shoot lead bullets because of their rifling. Most people agree its fine for 20 rounds and then some cleaning or they swap the factory barrels for conventionally rifled ones. 200 gr bullets do seem to be the happy place for Glock 10mm loads in a factory setup and you are definitely seeing that with HSM's 200 gr FMJ Bear Load and my G20 loves 200 gr XTP's but never shot plated 220's very well with the stock barrel. For a carry gun the G20 is a much better option than the Glock-zilla sized G40.

Once you start getting into the bigger handguns you really start seeing big trade offs for size, shoot-ability, recoil and weight.

 

[VikingsGuy]

I gather from the context of your post that this might be your first (only) handgun. If this is the case I don't know that heavy recoil handguns like .357Mag or 10mm are your best option, as they can be tough for newer handgun shooters to master. It doesn't matter how big the bullet is if you can't count on accurate hits in a high tension moment with a moving target. And unless you live alone, I would worry about those calibers for home defense and their ability to penetrate multiple walls. I suggest carrying bear spray when in bear country and outside of bear country starting with a caliber you are most likely to be able to shoot well soon, like a 9mm with good bullets. With time and practice you may work yourself up to the more powerful guns for the field (and FWIW, I am really happy with my Ruger GP100 .357Mag). If I misunderstood your situation and you are experienced in the handgun arena, my apologies and feel free to ignore.

 

[Keeptrying]

Glock if you can operate a pistol well or are willing to learn. Takes time.

I think multiple rounds on target would be much easier with a pistol over a revolver if you have a skill level that allows it.

Carry and compete with 9mm Glocks. For me it's a no brainier. I can put 15 rounds on target very quickly.

 

[noharleyyet]

1911 frame in .357 mag

Skip to 2 minutes....

[video=youtube;yWnKh0nekPY]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yWnKh0nekPY&feature=youtu.be[/video]

 

[TexAg09]

I gather from the context of your post that this might be your first (only) handgun. If this is the case I don't know that heavy recoil handguns like .357Mag or 10mm are your best option, as they can be tough for newer handgun shooters to master. It doesn't matter how big the bullet is if you can't count on accurate hits in a high tension moment with a moving target. And unless you live alone, I would worry about those calibers for home defense and their ability to penetrate multiple walls. I suggest carrying bear spray when in bear country and outside of bear country starting with a caliber you are most likely to be able to shoot well soon, like a 9mm with good bullets. With time and practice you may work yourself up to the more powerful guns for the field (and FWIW, I am really happy with my Ruger GP100 .357Mag). If I misunderstood your situation and you are experienced in the handgun arena, my apologies and feel free to ignore.

No worries at all. Just for the record I'm 6'4" about 245lbs, so a larger gun shouldn't be much of a worry. (I have large hands.) Also I currently have a 1911 in 45ACP that was given to me, but it's a cheap Philippians made pistol that isn't reliable. I would say that I'm an average shot with it. I do anticipate shooting more once I get a pistol I'm not constantly having to break down or clear jams out of. I really appreciate everyone's input so far. Keep it coming!

 

[hank4elk]

I'm not in big bear or pig country anymore. Carried a G23 for a long time.Work.
Switched to a Taurus 9mm about 8 yrs ago. Mine can hold 17.Spare mag on holster. Plenty for anything I meet. Ammo is easy to find & cheap.

 

[devon deer]

I hate these threads!
Cheers
Richard
p.s. only because i am jealous

 

[farbedo]

For what its worth, my guide in Alaska carried a custom 1911 in 10mm. He has other options, but shoots that one very well so it gets the nod when a handgun is in order. This is on non-brown bear hunts where a pissed off bear is possible, but a pissed off bear is not expected.

That said, when he is guiding for bear on Kodiak, he carries a .416 Ruger and leaves the handguns in camp.

Jeremy

 

[ERSS]

I have carried a 454 Casull, 480 Ruger, 44 mag, 41 mag over the years in the field while archery hunting, fishing, berry picking, firewood getting....etc, around the SW corner of Yellowstone. Never had to use one, but their weight was always an issue for me.
Liked the idea of the 10 mm, and have carried it the past few years, again never having had to use it. I am much more likely to carry it in an accessible holster than the wheel guns and I like the idea of having more shots available. I did trade in the full size Glock 20 for the compact, and prefer the compact.
From what I have read and heard, each grizzly encounter is unique of course. You may never see them, or you may know they are coming for quite sometime before the encounter.

That being said, I did buy my first can of bear spray last year

 

[Dan O]

Every time a conversation comes up about a handgun choice it always goes to the needs to stop a Grizz in full charge mode. Reading the first post it revolves around the states of Texas and Utah. I may be wrong but I haven't heard of many Grizz attacks in those states. But if you toss in Montana well that's different we have had 2 attacks in recent weeks. BUT Montana is not in the question here. Go with the revolver and buy a bunch of 38's to learn the gun and get some quality ammo to carry.
Good luck,
Dan

 

[MJE2083]

I'd go with the glock. IMO the scandium frame SW is nice but a lot of recoil due to the weight. I have a 340pd in .357, granted it's a 2" barrel but I'll tell you flat out that it's damn near uncontrollable with .357 loads. I shot a scandium SW in 44 mag once and it was without a doubt the most brutal recoil that I have ever experienced in a handgun(yes I've shot the .454, 460 and 500.) I'm sure the larger model isn't as bad. As others have said, the scandium revolvers are good to carry a lot and shoot very little. I would want something I could practice with and target shoot more readily.

 

[onpoint]

Every time a conversation comes up about a handgun choice it always goes to the needs to stop a Grizz in full charge mode. Reading the first post it revolves around the states of Texas and Utah. I may be wrong but I haven't heard of many Grizz attacks in those states. But if you toss in Montana well that's different we have had 2 attacks in recent weeks. BUT Montana is not in the question here. Go with the revolver and buy a bunch of 38's to learn the gun and get some quality ammo to carry.
Good luck,
Dan

Interesting and true.
Being one who's guilty of straying away from the OP's Texas based thread. But hey, it's fun to talk about guns - and this is the internet, a form of recreation and fun.
And unfortunately for TexAg09 - he asked for explicitly asked for opinions - of which a myriad exist here:hump:.....................

 

[mtmuley]

Every time a conversation comes up about a handgun choice it always goes to the needs to stop a Grizz in full charge mode. Reading the first post it revolves around the states of Texas and Utah. I may be wrong but I haven't heard of many Grizz attacks in those states. But if you toss in Montana well that's different we have had 2 attacks in recent weeks. BUT Montana is not in the question here. Go with the revolver and buy a bunch of 38's to learn the gun and get some quality ammo to carry.
Good luck,
Dan

This. This is what the OP needs to do for the scenario he described. He will be able to use a handgun for his needs, whether it is .38's for practice, or full .357's for the tough stuff. For simplicity and reliability, a six gun can't be beat. Load it with 180 hardcasts for nasty critters, and 125 grain HP's for two legged threats. mtmuley

 

[smackawackalacka]

While duck hunting just carry some #00 buckshot for the hogs. Handgun choice I'd go with a Ruger LCR (small and lightweight). I bought a Ruger gp100 match champion .357 for my "one" hand gun, It's just too big and heavy to carry around, you'll end up just leaving it in the car.

 

[Keeptrying]

While duck hunting just carry some #00 buckshot for the hogs. Handgun choice I'd go with a Ruger LCR (small and lightweight). I bought a Ruger gp100 match champion .357 for my "one" hand gun, It's just too big and heavy to carry around, you'll end up just leaving it in the car.

I would be afraid of a citation for carrying lead shot.

 

[MJE2083]

I would be afraid of a citation for carrying lead shot.

Hevi-shot makes buckshot loads...problem solved. Unless of course there is a size restriction for waterfowl.

 

[Keeptrying]

Hevi-shot makes buckshot loads...problem solved. Unless of course there is a size restriction for waterfowl.

Ya they do! The ad I found for them even says it is a USFW approved waterfowl load. State regulations might prohibit though.

Learn something every day.

 

[338 win mag]

Glock all the way for me. Love my revolvers but 10mm full power loads will nearly mirror .357 mag and you have more than double the number of rounds. Reliably differences between the 2 is basically non-existant.