# self defense hand gun



## woodyman74 (Aug 10, 2010)

hey Im looking for a self defense hand gun for hunting. I was charged 3 times by the same black bear in 24 hours before i shot it at a sprintg at me 20ft infront of me this spring and i want to have something to protect myself now. i haven't a clue what to get i was looking more towards the revolvers but im open to any suggestions. i had looked at the taurus judge .4510 or whatever that one is that can shoot .410s as well. but i would like to get a hand gun soon. thanx for the help


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## Bore.224 (Mar 23, 2005)

The Judge im my opinion is not a good choice for defence against bears or anything else!!! .410 shot will not give good penatration and would be useless against a bear , the slugs and .45 colt ammo is not accurate from the Juge from what I hear and the revolver is large and will be a PITA to carry around. The Judge is a gimmick handgun in my opinion , lots of fun maybe but that is whare its usefulness ends. For a defence gun against bears look at the S&W mountain gun , 4 inc barrel in 44mag , .45 colt...... I would go with the 44 magnum. I had the same decishon to make myself and I went with the Glock 20 in 10mm, I load it with 200 grn FMJ and I have 15 rounds in the magazine.


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## woodyman74 (Aug 10, 2010)

so what is the price difference between a .44 and the judge? and you said a .45 colt... what is the difference? between that and the judge?
and so are you recommending a revolver or semi auto?


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## woodyman74 (Aug 10, 2010)

what about this one. i have looked at it and it seems to be a safe choice. the Smith And Wesson Model 329PD Revolver, 163414, Matte Black, .44 Mag, 6Rd, 4


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## Ambush Hunter (Jun 29, 2009)

Not sure what answers you are looking for since you never said what is your price range?

10mm is a great hunter and still cheaper and more manageable than some other heavy bruisers...

.410 is definitely no-no for bears.


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## huntin1 (Nov 14, 2003)

woodyman74 said:


> what about this one. i have looked at it and it seems to be a safe choice. the Smith And Wesson Model 329PD Revolver, 163414, Matte Black, .44 Mag, 6Rd, 4


That would work well. Also the stainless 629 models, and they are a couple hundred less. Or if you don't want to spend that much try finding a used S&W 629.

huntin1


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## remington270 (Oct 28, 2008)

I own a 329pd and it's hard to shoot kicks like heck. I second the 329 but plan on spending 500 to 600 on it. Another good choice is ruger blackhawk in 41 mag. That'd run around 350. If your recoil shy go with any 4 to 6 inch 357 and shoot some 158 jsp beats nothin but if you can handle the recoil go 41 or 44 mag :bop:


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## ac700wildcat (Oct 30, 2006)

As much as I love my 357mag, I don't think I'd take the above advice and try to use it for self defense against a bear. I don't think that I'd want to use a single action either. I'd want the power of the 44 mag against a bear when my life is at stake. Also, going with a double action revolver leaves less to do if you are being charged by a bear, you just aim and shoot and don't have to worry about cocking the lever for every shot.

I agree that the PD would be a good choice, but with its light weight it would really pack a punch. Going with a heavier gun with a stainless frame would lessen the kick a bit. You might also want to take a look at the Ruger Super Redhawk Alaskan.


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## ac700wildcat (Oct 30, 2006)

I was just looking at Rugers lineup of 44 mags and thought I might add that you could look at the standard Redhawk too. It is offered in 44 mag with a 4.2" barrel and a 5.5" barrel as well. I don't think I'd want to go with any longer of a barrel than the 5.5", as it might slow down your draw time quite a bit if you had a longer barrel.


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## remington270 (Oct 28, 2008)

I only recomended the 357 if your recoil shy cause any guns better than no gun. When it first came out one of the s&w owners shot a grizzly with it that don't make it a grizzly gun but it beats nothing. I wouldn't carry it either because I can handle a 44 but if I couldn't handle a 44 I would. A good shot from a 357 beats a poor shot or a miss from a 44. But I do agree on the redhawk there good guns. The single action isn't what I'd call a beginners gun but it's usually cheaper and beats no gun at all :sniper:


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## ac700wildcat (Oct 30, 2006)

I'll have to agree with you on that one, a 357 would definitely be better than nothing at all. Try find someone with a 44 and see if they will let you shoot it, so you know if you can handle the recoil.


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## remington270 (Oct 28, 2008)

Yea ac is right shoot a 44 first and see how you handle it if it isn't to bad then that'd be the way to go. Remember the lighter the gun is the more recoil you feel 629 629 mtn gun model 29 redhawk and Taurus trackers are all real good D/A revolvers


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## helitom (Aug 19, 2010)

I've never had to defend myself with a gun, but a big part of how I'll choose my next handgun is: (1) Ammo availability, & (2) how well can I place a bullet on target quickly and consistently. Right now I can go to most places that sell ammo and pick up .40 and 9mm, but is .44mag easy to find? I might have to go stand in line at the store on ammo delivery day and hope they're not all gone before I get my turn! .45LC is available, but mostly in cowboy action type only: no FMJ available, which usually means you can't shoot them for target practice at an indoor range. When I go practice I like to shoot 50-100 rds, at least 1-2 times a month.


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## remington270 (Oct 28, 2008)

44rem mags are usually farely easy to find walmart carries them but I don't know about fmj I don't even know if they make a fmj 44? If so could sombody tell me were to get some. I uselly shoot handloads from mine for bear and hogs a hot load of h110 and a 240gr speer jsp and for deer a medium load of blue dot and a 240gr hornady XTP. They perform well and handloading makes it possible for me to practice more often.


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## Recurvenator (Aug 6, 2010)

Ruger Blackhawk, 4 5/8" barrel, stainless steel, 45 colt with "hot" ammo. You'll have 6 rounds of serious whoop azz coming from a gun that can take the pressure.


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## mike landrich (Jul 5, 2008)

Lots of good (and bad advice) on here.

No automatics. While the 10mm has almost the power of the 41 mag, the bullet options limit its usefulness. see comment below about FMJ bullets. Plus if the bear gets to you and you push the gun into some flesh, the slide may get pushed back, at which point the firing pin won't drop.

For defense against bear, power matters. You need speed and a heavy, large bore chunk of lead. 41 mag is a minimum, 44 is better and a hot loaded 45 is better yet. The big bore magnums (454 casull, 480 ruger, 475 or 500 linebaugh, 460 or 500 S&W) are the best, if you have experience with them, but the guns are generally larger with longer barrels.

As for the FMJ recommendations. They're OK in a pinch or for practice, but a hard-cast lead bullet would be better when it is shoot or be eaten. If you have enough bore and a good cutting ring on your Keith style cast bullet, you can measure penetration in feet. The hard cast will shatter bones off of which the FMJ would deflect.

Just my 2 cents' worth...


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## mick270 (Jan 6, 2011)

I know of a park ranger who killed a black bear with his .357 revolver a couple of years ago in Arizona. Using heavier bullets it will work just fine as long as you do your part.


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## mike landrich (Jul 5, 2008)

Many elephant have been slaughtered with AK47s, but I'd still take a 375 H&H or larger if I ever go to Africa. While the 357 did kill in your example, it may not have had there been small changes in bullet placement. Raw power, proper bullet choice and larger bore = better chance of surviving encounter. I like better odds when my safety is at stake.


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## Goon (Apr 3, 2005)

Hey I think a XD 45 is a great self defense hand gun because if shoot a perpetrator with it and I hit him he isn't getting up...


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## hagfan72 (Apr 15, 2007)

I believe the O.P. is in black bear country, as he did not mention any other kind of bear. If the biggest predator is a black bear, a .357 Mag is plenty of gun at handgun ranges. I would also concur with the previous posters about the drawbacks of semi autos and single actions. A good DA revolver is what I would recommend, along with the cast lead bullets mentioned.


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