Thinking of changing my truck gun (.45 vs. .357), input please??

I've got a S&W .45 & 2 mags. in my truck - works good for me.

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If it were me (IF!!!) and based on the demographic of where I am and where I go I would take the .357 mag and that's simply since if I have a gun it will be out in the woods (I'm a student and work prohibits firearms on campus) and I am more likely to encounter a cougar or coyotes/wolves. Maybe black bear but not highly likely.

Now if it was inside city limits I might stick with the auto if it conceals better.


PS: Buy another gun :p When money allows anyway. After all, you can never have too many :)
 
If you wish to debate the ethics of keeping a gun in your vehicle then by all means start a new thread on the subject.
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You're the man!! :D

RR, we have very similar tastes. I carry an SP101 and keep a P89 in the car.

I like this setup and would recommend you keep your .45 in the truck, even with the SP101 on your waist. I like both the Ruger P series autos and GP, but I feel most comfortable with the auto.

I don't really see a downside to having two different calibers.
 
Either one would be okay with me.

My truck is ten years old, so I tend to carry something light enough that if I have to get out and start walking if it breaks down that its not really heavy or hard to conceal, LOL....

But I tend to change them from time to time, just out of interest.
I had some 9mm ammo awhile back so I toted a 9mm Beretta.
Sometimes I will tote based on what I call opportunity shooting.

If I have a box of .38s that I can shoot up, I will tote a four inch .357. That way if I have some free time and the opportunity pops up, I will go shooting with it.
 
As you wish :D..........

The GP100 is 1989 vintage. Unfired and LNIB with all original stuff. Even got a scope mount and 2x20 pistol scope with it though I'll likely never use either.

The 1894C was NIB. Just so happened that the shop I bought the GP100 from in PA (through Gunbroker) had one on hand. They are rare as hen's teeth here in NC from what I've found.

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I carry a 9mm pistol, but have a locking gun box in my SUV that holds a S&W .357 magnum revolver when I am in the outback. The revolver is with a holster. I have two magazines for the pistol and two moonclips for the revolver.

I also do not see a problem with two different loadings for your purposes. If I breakdown in the outback and have to hoof it, I prefer the .357 magnum, 5" barrel N frame S&W. In this case the 9mm pistol, with two magazines, is my BUG. I feel more comfortable with the .357 magnum when in the outback.

I sounds to me as though your scenario is not the asphalt jungle, but rather the wooded range. For me the .357 magnum is head and shoulders above either a 9mm, or .45acp pistol. If I were to take a pistol under those conditions as a 'Truck' gun, then I would make it a Desert Eagle in .44 magnum. However, in California a loaded gun in a vehicle is a CCW permit situation. So the Desert Eagle is not applicable for me.

Good luck in your choice. I just know up in the Sierra Nevada mountains I'd be more comfortable with a GP100 than a .45acp.

On the other hand, have you given thought to that Marlin 1894C as your 'truck gun' for trips out back ? Same ammo as you SP-101, sling it and easy to carry if you have to abandon the truck, more accurate and more energy ballistics (can match a 30-30 inside 125 yards) than the GP100.
 
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Kyo,

Not a chance :D. I had another P97DC once upon a time and foolishly sold it. Always seem to be doing that to finance new toys. It was some time before I found another at a good deal. I will not make the same mistake again.


Hook,

My situation is a combination of asphalt jungle (work in a ratty part of Burlington, NC) and woods (live and spend lots of my free time out in the country in some remote areas)

I have thought about the Marlin and it will occasionally be cased and under the truck seat when I'm on extended trips away from home and where it would be appropriate. I wouldn't leave it in there full time though as I don't have a GOOD way to secure it. I've got a cable lock I could put through the lever, but that's about it. I've got a couple of old beater shotguns that more often find themselves in this role though. The .357 would be ammo compatible with the GP and SP, but it's hard to argue with the raw power of 00 buckshot and 1 oz slugs :D.

Until you have to carry a good supply of them :(.
 
RR, I like a Revolver as a truck gun. Mine is a Ruger Blackhawk 6.5" 357mag. I CCW either a 9mm or a 45 Auto and have extra ammo for them in my truck(05 Ford FX4). Like you I live away from town and spend a lot of time in the woods. I like that 357 as it has the power to do whatever its called on to do. I know a SA pistol may not be the best platform but its what I have and it works for me. The other side of the coin is the reality that:

1. It might get stolen. If so I will be mad but not as mad as if it was my Colt 1911.

2. Its going to sit in the lock box for long periods without cleaning or attention. A revolver is a better platform for this IMO

3. As a truck gun I may need it to engage targets at long range. A revolver with a long'ish barrel is the best for this job.

4. I may need to find ammo away from know places. 38spl and 357 mag are about as common as it gets for center fire ammo.

I thought about getting a 22 Mag with a 22LR cylinder as a truck gun also. But I settled on the Blackhawk. It did its job one time. I was out scouting a ran across a nice hog. Well it was either the Blackhawk or a Glock 26. That ole Blackhawk knocked that pig over real nice. My other truck gun is a Beat up old Winchester 94. It looks so bad i don't think anyone would even think of stealing it. But it shoots good, hit hard and does not look scary like my M4 would. Its a friendly cowboy rifle and the pistol is a friendly cowboy pistol:D
 
Hunnh, different truck guns.............

I CCW a Ruger .357 SP101, all day every day. I live out in the Country........

My idea of a truck gun is an old 12 ga. single barrel that I can throw behind the seat of my Ford Ranger. I carry about a half box of various shells, too.
I might see a coyote out along the road.

I had an old 12 ga. pump, in the truck, but somebody traded me out of it.
I've also carried an old .22 Marlin rifle, for a while.
If someone gets that old 12 ga. not much lost.

I don't need another sidearm. I carry & DSW does too.
 
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I'd stick with the Ruger .45. As others mentioned it wont dammage your hearing as severly if you have to fire it from inside the cab. You have more capacity and quicker reloads too. Keep your revolvers for outdoor carry.
 
I'd rather have a higher capacity semi auto for a truck gun, because I view the potential scenarios for needing it may likely require more rounds. Being a woman, and having experienced someone trying to run me off the road for god knows whatever horrible purpose, I see carjacking, and my previous experience as most likely scenarios.
 
It's hard to pick because the calibers like 357 represent revolvers and 45 acp
are predominately automatic pistols oh we do have a few cross offerers.
So my pick for truck is 45 CAP.I have a couple of pistols I will rotate out on my
list. 45 CAP SW 45 and a loaded springfield hi cap 1911.Roger Security -six 4 inch barrel in 357 and you'll be able to shoot it with 38's at the range to save some money. I am amazed at the prices the old security -sixes still command
after all these years.For example,I paid,with a holster and a box of ammo$280
back in 1982.I saw a couple going for $275-$325. That's alto od change for a pistol that has not been made in a while.
 
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