Pistol

[rbrown77]

What is the best revolver to carry as a back up for pigs/home protection that is powerful and light and not to expensive. Thanks

 

[Jagermeister]

In my opinion you need a revolver. However, there is no sixgun that does all three. Pick two of the three:

Powerful
Light
Inexpensive

Examples

Powerful and light (but not inexpensive):
Smith&Wesson 329 titanium .44 mag:
Smith & Wesson’s 329PD .44 Magnum Lightweight Revolver

Powerful and inexpensive (but not light):
Ruger Super Blackhawk .44 mag:
Super Blackhawk

Light and inexpensive (but not as powerful):
Taurus .357 with a 6" barrel:
Taurus Model 627SS Tracker .357 Magnum

In my opinion a .357 is a good compromise. The .44 is much superior in power for hunting, but the .357 is much easier to pack and the .357 is also easier to shoot and plenty for self defense.

Hope this helps!

Jagermeister

 

[rbrown77]

Thanks alot. Those are the ones I am looking at What about the Taurus .44mag tracker?

 

[Jagermeister]

That .44 taurus may be a good compromise indeed. I would worry about recoil in such a light .44. I would not buy that unless I would get a chance to shoot it before. You can load it down with .44 special for home defense use.

I am a S&W guy. You pay more up front, but the quality is superior and the gun will always hold its value. If you ever resell, you will make back the premium you paid. I would buy a used S&W over a new Taurus.

Cheers,

Jagermeister

 

[Jagermeister]

Taurus Tracker .44 Magnum Revolver

5 shots only, but sure sounds like a good compromise. What's the MSRP?

Jagermeister

 

[myfriendis410]

Never handled a Taurus revolver that I would own. I'd choose a 629 six inch if I didn't reload and a model 657 six inch if I did (and do). My mean animal pistol is my second gen model 57 six inch nickel. The .41 magnum has 20% less recoil than a .44 mag and it hits harder at 100 yards due to it's superior bullet shape (b.c.) such as it is.

 

[sancho]

freedom arm M-83 in .41 would stop just about anything. but i suppose it makes a better hunting rig.

for home defense and a quick backup pistol, i think something that works without a pistol scope would be better. wow, this is hard..home defense and stopping a charging pig takes different medicine. big guns shoot through your walls, into other home's walls.. small guns drop home intruders, but hitting a pissed off pig with a 9mm, is too hollywood.

you need a compact .44 magnum revolver.

 

[NikolaKangrga]

If you dont plan on hunting with it, just a backup and home protection revolver, take a look at the Ruger Alaskans.... Neat revolvers... They come chambered in a few different cartridges and the .44 is one of them.

 

[bigboarstopper]

I use a ruger 41 mag blackhawk. Love that gun when I use hounds. Gotta use copper of course these days. Back in the old days I used to use a 410 single shot with slugs. Was great up close, just put the barrel to him and the risk of dogs getting shot was minimalized. Plus It was a cheap gun. Also made a great club

 

[bux-n-dux]

I use a ruger 41 mag blackhawk. Love that gun when I use hounds. Gotta use copper of course these days. Back in the old days I used to use a 410 single shot with slugs. Was great up close, just put the barrel to him and the risk of dogs getting shot was minimalized. Plus It was a cheap gun. Also made a great club

I also have a Blackhawk .41 mag, Bisley model. It'll stop most trucks on the road. With Winchester Platinum Tip 240 grain bullets, I'm not worried about anything I hit moving on. Heavy though.

 

[rbrown77]

you need a compact .44 magnum revolver.

Yes I do need a 44 but a 41 sounds good also what is the price diff, for the gun ammo ect.

PS I have a .45 XD for home defense.

I am looking for a semi compact revolver that I will only shoot to hunt with.
Also can I use .357 rounds in a 44 or 41 mag?
Thanks for all the replys

 

[Speckmisser]

.44 or .41 are great caliber choices if you think you'll be using it as a primary hunting weapon. Both carry plenty of power to kill a hog or deer, but aren't gonna break your wrist (or your wallet) to shoot.

The thing is, the best compact, lightweight carry guns are not ideal for hunting because they feature short barrels and lightweight frames. These are designed for fast, close action (such as charging bears and two-legged varmints). A good handgunner may be able to get reasonable accuracy from a 3" or 4" barrel out past seven yards, but most hunters don't have that level of skill or time and dedication to practice.

For hunting, you'll want the heavier, longer-barreled revolvers to allow some decent accuracy out to 25-50 yards. You'll still need to practice, but the weight and barrel length allow better stability and recoil absorption.

The saying, "jack of all trades, master of none" comes to mind here.

Make up your mind what the main purpose of the gun will be, then go from there. The S&W Mountain and Titanium are excellent pack guns for their weight and portability. Great choice if you're mostly interested in a back-up, defense gun... but not so great if you plan to put the rifle down and hunt with the handgun.

The Super Blackhawk is a great choice for a primary hunting gun, but as you noted, it is heavy. It can get old to carry around day in and day out, especially at the hip. I carry one sometimes because I like to hunt in places where I can't swing the rifle... but about half the time it stays in the truck.

By the way, if you're thinking of hunting other states, many states have minimum barrel length requirements for a hunting handgun... usually in excess of 5".

No, you cannot use .357 rounds in either .41 or .44. For light, practice loads, you can shoot .44 Special or "cowboy" loads in the .44. The .41 isn't much worse than the .357, recoil-wise, so just practice with regular target loads.

 

[Mntngoat]

I have a vaquero in .44 make sure you practice with it.

ML

 

[jackrabbit]

rbrown, you seem pretty new to the handgun cartridge business. One of the things you might want to check into is the overall availability of .41 factory ammo (especially when traveling), and cost (need to shoot a lot in practice at the range).

.44 mag and .357 mag factory ammo is widely available in most sporting goods stores. And as mentioned you can shoot .44 Special in one, and you can shoot .38 Special in the other, both for practice and general fun shooting at the range or in the boonies.

I carry a 10 mm. semi-auto in the field, and ammo is not all that common anymore (most folks use .40 S&W now for home defense instead of the 10mm). But I handload so I have plenty of relatively inexpensive ammo; otherwise I would carry my .45 ACP on long-travel trips.

My vote would be for the .44 mag.

 

[bux-n-dux]

You will spend about a buck a shell for .41 mag ammo, unless you hit gun shows, I've gotten boxes of 50 JHP for 14 bucks there. The ammo I hunt with is 28 bucks for a box of 20. federal fusion is about 22 bucks a box. I order most all my ammo online, as the .41 is not as plentiful at retail counters as other calibers. My Blackhawk has a 7.5" barrel and shoots 2" groups at 25 yards, and just under 4" at 50 yards, on a good day. A shoulder holster helps alot with the weight issue, but I wouldn't use one if carrying a rifle as well. Like Speck I often hunt in terrain where a rifle shot is not always ideal, and the .41 will stop anything comin' at me, and has pretty quick acquisition for a larger handgun.

bux-n-dux

 

[rbrown77]

Thanks for the replys. I need to clarify ( sorry I did not before) I am going to use it as a back up gun for hunting in case things get close and harry. I think I am going to go for a .44 mag and shoot the .44 specials for practice. Now which .44 mag to get?

 

[muddy_udders]

Taurus has a lifetime warranty on their pistols. If something goes wrong you ship it back. I have heard the turn around is a couple months but beats shelling out the cash.
I have a Model 44 w/6 1/2 inch ported barrel and it shoots real nice and accuracy is impressive compared to all my other hand guns.
If you aren't already reloading you can buy a Classic Lee Loader cheap and be reloading in a day.

 

[wellerjohn]

Taurus has a lifetime warranty on their pistols. If something goes wrong you ship it back. I have heard the turn around is a couple months but beats shelling out the cash.
I have a Model 44 w/6 1/2 inch ported barrel and it shoots real nice and accuracy is impressive compared to all my other hand guns.
If you aren't already reloading you can buy a Classic Lee Loader cheap and be reloading in a day.

I have that same Taurus 44, great gun and accurate to.