lightweight general purpose revolver.

B

bullfrog99

New member
what would you use for a revolver that is to be used for possably dangerous CCW situations(heavy jacket concealed carry), as well as hunting medium game, defense from black bear class preditors, as well as for general carry, (flyfishing gun) I've been thinking either a mountain gun or one of those taurus tracker guns in some caliber. what's your opinion?
 
I've been thinking about the Tracker .41 Magnum ever since I heard they would be making a 4" bl version.

After the little Taurus .22 mag I should get this week, I plan on getting the .41 next. I asked "Paco" Kelly about the .41 vs .45 Colt Titanium guns, and he said, get the .41. Thicker chambers in the 41; the .45 Colt won't be up to "magnum" power in the Tracker...
 
A Model 19 or 66 would fit the bill nicely, if you want to spend a little less. The K-frame is relatively light and handy, and you'd have the flexibility of loading everything between soft .38 target loads and stomping .357 Magnum full house loads.

A .41 Magnum Tracker would make a nice gun, although you wouldn't have the option to "load down" if you're not a reloader.

All the Mountain Guns are fine revolvers in any caliber, although they're all N-frames and as such no airweights, even with the tapered barrels.
 
Without doubt, the .41 mag provides excellent performance characteristics, but ammunition is expensive. How about a fine .357 magnum -- such as a four inch barrel Ruger GP-100 -- which can fire the complete range of .357 mag and .38 Special ammunition? The performance characteristics of the .41 mag aren't substantially better, the rounds are a lot less expensive and universally available and (for the bear) there's Federal's 180 grain (1250 FPS and 625 pound muzzle energy) Cast Core load.
 
looks like you need a S&W model 19 or 66 to me, probably with a 3 or 4" Barrel.

357 magnum isnt good on grizzly but probably ok for black. Course, if I am wrong about that you get kind of mauled.
 
I think lendgringser's advice is right on

because it offers you the most flexibility as a shooter. The .357 offers adequate power for most situations and with .38 special plus "p's" and regular .38 special ammo you have a nice variety from which to choose. I'd recommend a 4" barrel as a good general purpose revolver. Good shooting!
 
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My "lightweight general purpose revolver" is a Taurus M415 snubby 41 magnum. I frequent the woods alot and this piece is perfect for me and my requirements. Lightweight (30ozs), durable (stainless), concealable (21/2" barrel), and reasonbly powerful. It's well made, fit and finish excellent, and a super value. I like it alot. Good Luck, J. Parker
 
Here's another thought, depending on which factors you're emphasizing. *&* made/make a Model 60 with a 3" barrel and adjustable sights. The earlier ones are .38 Special; newer ones are .357 Magnum. Very concealable, relatively light, and very capable. Depends on which factors are most important to you. There are (or are going to be) "Scandium" (al alloy) versions of this with a Ti cylinder, but recoil will be very punishing.
 
VL -- You are right and I have donned my Kevlar suit. ;) Honestly, however, I am not knocking the .41 magnum; it is a great round and probably deserves to be the premier revolver load (with a non-magnum ~10 mm counterpart round).

The fact, however, is the .357 magnum/.38 Special combination has the marketplace pretty well wrapped-up, with a tremendous variety of loads from cheap and benign .38 Special standard target rounds to extremely potent .357 magnum personal defense and hunting rounds.
 
Just about ANY revolver above 38 caliber will fit the bill except for "bear defense". Why worry about light weight when you are considering "heavy jacket" carry?

BIG powerful cartridges in tiny lightwieght guns = flinching over squeeze and other bad habits. If you buy a lightwieght I suggest you shoot it a LOT before you run off in to bear country.. or indian country.

I'd recommend a 4 inch GP 100 or similar sized SW in 357. If you are seriously looking at a 41 mag, I'd go for the 44 instead. Ammo is a lot easier to find at your average shop and its got a little more steam over the 41. SW model 29 'mountain gun' or hell, why not a 4 inch 44 mag vaquero? (OK its not a double action but you can carry it under a heavy jacket and it looks "innocent" compared to most guns on a belt say while fly fishing.)
 
RWK, you're right about that.

There is probably no more versatile cartridge than the .38/.357. I just want to get one nice, pre-treason, M657 6" to have as a fun 'hand cannon'.:D If I ever decide to go hunting:rolleyes:, it would also serve quite well for most game in my state. How's that for lame justification to the Mrs.?;)
 
S&W 686 .357 in 2.5" or 3-4" (3 inch was a special run only) if the bears are black bears and you are not pissing them off. Unless they have cubs or you irritate them, black bears will run. Otherwise, S&W 629 .44mag Mountain Gun. .44 Specials are fine for normal carry against 2-legged predators.

However, if there are grizzlies, I want a Ruger Redhawk with heavy loads or even better, a rifle or a pump slug shotgun with sabotted slugs for deep penetration.

I would recommend trying a light .41 mag, BEFORE buying, although a lot of folks here may buy it once you decide it is too harsh. ;)
 
Thanks for all your replies guys, i've got it boiled down to two contestants a mountain gun in 44 mag or 45 colt, or a taurus tracker titanium in 357. oddly enough for the same purpose they are dramatically different guns. I handled both an my local gunstore and liked them both for there specific good points. i guess if i ever decided to hunt with it the mountain gun would make more sense, but the darn taurus is SOOOO light...
 
SSSOOOoooo Light, indeed.

And that's the rub. At 39oz. the Mountain Gun series is borderline in the heft dept. I can tell
no difference between my .41 and .44MAG Mtns.
For full house STOMP loads ,IMHO, anything lighter
would preclude practice and hence would instill
doubt in the users hands. PRACTICE with whatever you chose and stick with it ! BEST...dewey
 
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