First Side Arm Purchase

Since this seems to be an unexpected event, I would assume that encounters with belligerent wildlife is not the norm.
I'd say a .22LR or 22mag would be sufficient.
I like my SR22 with CCI minimags.
It's light and accurate and dependable and holds 10 shots (+1).
it's something you can carry and forget about.
 
I would suggest the shortest revolver that you can legally hunt with in your state in .44 mag or .357 mag. Why? "Specials" are available for both. Magnum cartridge are suitable for hunting. Shotshell carts are available for both. Minimum hunting length He'll so you'll have the option.

I'm not knocking 22lr. Its already been mentioned so I'm tossing out another option.
 
A few years ago I had an opossum that kept eating my cat food in the car port. No big deal, but when I came home at night half the time he would startle me because I had to walk over toward where I fed the cat to turn the light on. So, I did away with him using a 22 Ruger. He seemed to ignore the first couple of shots as I didn't think to shoot him in the head and didn't want a bunch of lead flying back at me off concrete and block in case I missed. I was a little surprised at how little effect the 22 solids had. He finally succumbed in what seemed like too long.
 
First handgun should always be Top Shelf. I'd recommend a revolver. Simple straight forward ease of operation. Consider a hand gun that has a barrel no shorter than 4" and one having Adjustable Barrel Sights. As that should be a priority before one's purchase. Smith & Wesson Model's 17 or 617. It will be the only handgun your son will never sell, trade and one he most definitely will not borrow out. They come in either blued or stainless steel.
Primarily carried and used outside in the open air. I again would suggest S&W's stainless (617) model.
 
For many years I ran with houndsmen chasing coons. All we ever took with us was a .22 LR. In all the years of hunting then and now, never saw a healthy wild one be aggressive towards humans. Sick ones were always easy to get way from. Mossybank doesn't tell us his son's age or whether he has any previous experience with handguns. For a first handgun, there is no better recommendation than a .22 rimfire. For the occasional shot at small critters while fishing, a .22 will hurt less without ear protection than a .38 or .357.
 
I highly recommend a Ruger 22lr pistol(either 22/45 or MK) depending on your personal preference. A smaller, lighter alternative is the SR22(really like mine but it lacks the precision of the bigger pistol). My 22/45 will consistently ring the 100 meter 8" gong.
I carry a beater 22/45 on the trapline and kill LOTS of raccoons, possums, and skunks every year. Accurate, dependable, safe, and tough--although I'm not enthralled with the magazine safety on the MK3 series.
 
I've got a 4" Taurus 94 .22lr SS, which is a good hunting sidearm, I believe, for a couple purposes - with full power ammo, it's a good coup de grace arm on large game, and with other ammo, from shotshells to colibris to full-power, is good for various other things (squirrels, pests). But, truth is, I usually don't even carry it... probably should. If it was legal to deliver coup de graces with a firearm during archery season, I'd probably carry it more often. It's a pretty decent float-tubing anti-snaker too with shotshell loads.

Having said that, in methlab public land country, feral dog areas, and/or brownie-wolf-cougar country, something larger may be in order - in my case, Redhawk 4" .45 Colt or Witness 10mm.
 
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