[Fish happens]

Hello all I have been around rifles and shotguns most of my life and now am interested in a hand gun for home safety and protection from critters around the house, I am looking for something that can comfortably be concealed and still be enough to ward off stray dogs, small bears etc. I do like the semi auto variety because of capacity and feel, just not sure of proper caliber and other odds and ends that y'all could hopefully share.
Thanks

 

[toyrfun]

welcome.

why dont you look for a gun rental range in your area and do some testing of various calibers and platforms/brands.

i dont hunt, but from other posts with reagards to bear, iirc, a 357 was the smallest you would want. of course, others will have better first hand experince.

but, you woud have a better idea of platform/brand if you try some out.

 

[WDBradley]

Hello all I have been around rifles and shotguns most of my life and now am interested in a hand gun for home safety and protection from critters around the house, I am looking for something that can comfortably be concealed and still be enough to ward off stray dogs, small bears etc. I do like the semi auto variety because of capacity and feel, just not sure of proper caliber and other odds and ends that y'all could hopefully share.
Thanks

For a newbee to semi auto pistols I would suggest a 9mm, is not a round to shoot a bear with but but good for home defense. Mag capacity, availabiltity of firearm choices and ammo price are the best reasons. If it's a bear in the yard a rifle might be your best choice. If your are concerned with the two legged preditor in the yard a 9mm is a fair choice.

Comfortably consealed depends much on you. I carry a S&W M&P 45 comfy every day. What is your experience with handguns, do you have a concealed carry license, is the handgun something you will carry everyday or something you will carry arround your home?

No offense ment, just questions to provide you a fair answer to your question. If I gave you a quick answer it would worth little, the more you express the better the members can assist you.

 

[Jeremiah Johnson]

I agree so far. I think if shooting bears are higher on you list than people, you should look at a revolver in a bigger caliber like a .44 or something about that size. But if you want to conceal it easily a smaller frame polymer pistol would be your best bet because of the weight and size. As far as calibers go I would look at a 9 mil or a .40. I like .40 for the two reasons being that it is a happy medium between capacity and power, and because ammo is cheap and more plentiful than other calibers. Hope it helped!

 

[Fish happens]

Hello all,
I have little experience with automatic pistols, shooting range a couple of times with my brother and have handled unloaded pistols that friends have purchased , I am going to take a concealed carry class local and plan on carrying most times when not at work. I plan to keep a 12 ga handy when outside but as most of you know that isnt much good if something gets in between you and it.
So something I can work while carrying is I think what I looking for. If doesnt have to be a very small gun I am 5'10 , 265 lbs so I can tote the load , but just not wanting it to be too cumbersome

 

[Jeremiah Johnson]

well the springfield xd and a glock comes in full size, compact, and subcompact models with 9mil .40 and .45. Glocks are cheaper, both are good concealed carry guns. Around here xd's are about 540 and glocks 500. Both are extremely user friendly, and as far as caliber 9mil and .40 are the cheapest and sometimes easier to find. I like .40 personally because its a happy medium between capacity and power. Hope that helps

 

[supra87]

i am very new to the pistol world and i was wondering wht would u guys suggest as a all round good gun yet afordable gun/ammo? is got to be able to be fitted with a can but easy to carry around.

 

[Paul F.]

Humans are, generally, easier to kill than most aggressive animals. Why not go with a substantial pistol caliber, shorter barrel? If you have limited experience with a semiauto, the revolver will give you a safer option. For me, .45Colt is the smallest critter protector and the .44Mag the better. I use only .45 in the form of both acp and Colt and have both semi's and revolvers in .45acp... and i use very heavy ball ammo.

 

[dondavis3]

This wont kill bears :lol:

But it's a great personal defense gun - you can carry it concealled on your belt & under a jacket.


Springfield XDm in 9mm

By the way, this gun holds 19 + 1 = 20 bullets - you'll be tired of shooting before you have to reload. :mrgreen:

 

[WDBradley]

The XD is a good choice another would be the S&W M&P. Both come with reasonable expectation of pistol use and practice required to be a good tool for the owner. I believe the firearm is the cheapest part of becomming a good pistol owner. Training, pracitce and ammo will exceed the price of the firearm in a short time if you truly want to be profecient with your firearm.

 

[Meeteetse]

Don't dismiss the revolver. The only real advantage the semi has is capacity, and depending on your personal circumstances, having a lot of bullets in the gun may not be worth a trade off in power. If you need capacity fine, if not, there are numerous .357/38 guns out there that can handle small bears. If you move up to the 44 mag/special or 45 Colt you will have enough gun for whatever you need a handgun for.

The semi autos are just fine, but they require more practice and significantly more training to understand the manual of arms for clearing jams, reloading, ammo compatibility and general handling. Revolvers require training and practice also, but they are much less ammo sensitive and you can shoot "mild to wild" loads. Something you cannot do with a semi-auto.

 

[darkblade]

Thank you for the information about those weapons, it is very important to have our weapon for our safety and protection.