wheele gun for hunting & some carry

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Brian41

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wheel gun for hunting & some carry

I've only owned semi auto handguns in my life, and i dont know much at all about revolvers. So here is my question.

I am looking to purchase a revolver that will suffice for 3 purposes (i dont know if there is one that will meet them all or not)

1) Some Deer hunting (which means it'll have to have atealst a 4 inch bbl.)

2) A carry weapon when backpacking in deep back country for defense against threatening wildlife of the 4 and 2 legged type. For this purpose a lighter weight gun would be nice, but i wont be too picky.

3) An occasional Conceal Carry weapon and bedside gun.

As i said i dont know a lot about revolvers. I have checked out a Taurus .357 with a 4 inch ported bbl and a 7 round cylinder, but i dont know much about how well they are built/ durability/ etc.
Thanks
 
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4" S&W Model 29

This old nickel .44 has been a duty gun, taken a few deer, and still gets packed during cool weather. From .44 Specials to 300 grain magnums, these old guns will do it all. It is also great fun shooting them a lot- which is the key to employing them effectively in any of those roles.

Mex29.JPG
 
2 outa three isn't bad..........

It basically depends on how much weight you want to carry vs. what you want to hunt vs how much recoil you want to withstand.

Hard to find a one gun that does it all..........................and does it well!

You might need a couple of pieces.

I would carry a J frame Smith......probably a .38 S&W

I would not hunt with less than a .44 mag even if I occasionally shot .44 specials in it. This might make a good hiking piece but it will be heavy.......You might want to carry the .38 instead. Actually, I would hunt with a rifle...........better aim, better ballistics.

With two firearms and a rifle you could choose one or two to fit the trip. You could argue for either.

PigPen
 
Although alot of people deer hunt with a .357 mag, i wouldn't recommend anything smaller than a .44 mag (a 454 Casull would be better).

You'll be hardpressed to find one handgun that can do it all. A big bore hunting gun isn't the best choice for a ccw piece or a home defense gun.

Another option would be to go with a used gun. If you shop around you can find some great deals on used guns. Alot of people buy the "Most Powerful Handgun in the World" only to discover they would have been better off with a smaller gun. I've saw really nice used Ruger Super Blackhawks for sale at pretty reasonable prices.

For a lighter back packing gun you can pick up a Ruger Security Six at pretty decent prices. I bought very nice 4" blued Security Six at a gun show last month for $150.00. I've also saw some good deals on used S&W K frames and Ruger GP100'S. Check out Shot Gun News. Some great deals in there.

In the last year i've bought:

S&W M60 2" .38 spcl in exellent condition for $300.00 (it looks like it's never been fired)

Ruger GP100 4" .357 for $250.00 in exellent condition (it had about half a box of .38 spcls through it).

Ruger SP101 2 1/4" .357 for $250.00 (NIB never fired)

S&W M18 .22 4" for $300.00 in very nice condition (i bought it new in '77,traded it to my brother,bought it back last Xmas)

S&W M28 6" .357 with Herret grips for $200.00 in good condition (some wear on the barrle)

And the Security Six.

These are Calif. prices so i know other parts of the free world should have alot better prices.
 
I know a few people who hunt with .357's and .44 magnums.
Take a look at the S&W 610 10mm. Standard loads for CCW, bedside, target practice. For hunting Double Tap Ammo produces a 155 Gr at 1475 fps with 750 pounds of energy(this was actually worked up for the Glock 20). If you do your own reloading there have been a couple of people on other sites that have worked up real nasty hunting loads for the revolver. Or you could just stay with the .41 or .44 magnums.
good luck.
 
sw 686 4"

i see from time to time some stores in my area in phila pa have mint cond 357 magnum 4"686 ss 300.00 to 350.00 they are great guns,and shoot fantastic :D
 
If you do choose the .357mag then by all means get a 6" barreled revolver. While the round may be on the light side for some deer you need all the velocity you can get to make up for the smaller, lighter bullet.
 
Take a look at the S&W 610 10mm. Standard loads for CCW, bedside, target practice. For hunting Double Tap Ammo produces a 155 Gr at 1475 fps with 750 pounds of energy(this was actually worked up for the Glock 20).
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Buffalo Bore loads a .357 Magnum 158-grain Gold Dot that does 1485 fps (774 fpe) out of a four-inch L-frame (of course, they also load a couple of loads hotter than that as well).

A four-inch .357 Magnum (K-frame or L-frame) can handily meet all three of your requirements.

With the proper ammunition the .357 Magnum is adequate for hunting deer--not ideal but adequeate.

There's probably no round better suited for defence while backcountry hiking than the .357 Magnum. There the 145-grain Winchester Silvertip and the 180-grain Winchester Partition Gold is an excellent multi-purpose--adequate for two-legged and four-legged critters.

A four-inch .357 Magnum can be concealed rather handily with the proper the holster (and is reasonably comfortable as well). The CABO and the Hoffner Miurage-Revolver work particularly well. I can conceal a four inch 686 or King Cobra under a loosely tucked shirt with either one.

The four-inch .357 Magnum is truly a jack of all trades. It can do all things well.
 
Four what you want, I would recommend the Smith and Wesson Mountain Revolver in .44 mag, or if you can find one, .41 magnum. They have four inch barrels and are a bit ligther than the standard N frames.
If the gun is to be packed more for hunting than defense, you might prefer a five inch barrel 629 classic though.
 
I'm with you, Warhammer

I really have to wonder if these folks recommending 4" .357's have ever shot a deer with one, or seen deer shot with them. My brother was using .357's (6" S&W Model 28) on Missouri whitetail through the 70's & early 80's, and he's a good shot and not the least bashful about building hot loads. His favored bullets in those days were 170 SWC's & 158 soft-points. I was in on 3-4 of these blood-lettings, and the results were not impressive. Certainly not impressive enough to make me consider the cartridge adequate for defense against large carnivores.

It didn't take us long to make the switch to .44's, and we never looked back. The .41 is equally good in terminal ballistics. I think the Smith mountain guns are a fine answer to this application, and if I was starting over a .44 MG would definitely be on my "short list." But I've already got two D/A .44's, and you've got to draw the line somewhere.
 
I really have to wonder if these folks recommending 4" .357's have ever shot a deer with one, or seen deer shot with them.
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Yes, I have shot deer with the .357 Magnum (though in my case five-inch Model 27). With a good bullet (180-grain Winchester Partition Gold) and good place (limit your range and hit where you aim), it is adequate for deer (at least our Texas whitetails). Starting the first weekend of November, I will be in the field again (lost count of the number of seasons) hunting whitetail--with a .357 Magnum.

I have no trouble recommending a good four-inch .357 Magnum for deer hunting. If you do your job, it will do its job--if you don't, well, a .44 Magnum wouldn't help you either.

FWIW, if he was strictly interested in hunting, I would recommend a .44 Magnum without doubt, but when he throws in concealed carry that changes the equation for ME. I can successfully (and comfortably) conceal and carry K-frames and L-frames much better than N-frames. That means a .357 Magnum. When you throw in "bedside gun," for most people, the K and L frames have better ergonomics--important if you're fumbling in the dark. Again, that means a .357 Magnum.
 
I'll second the .44 Mountain Gun. Especially if you don't handload ammo.

Its a lot easier to find 'off the shelf' ammo for it than the .45 Colt version.
 
Beware the man with one gun. For an all around I think the 4" 357 is hard to beat. As stated by a few folks here, there are better choices for hunting. Though with discipline at keeping reasonable shots I would be confident with it. For concealed carry the 4" in a CABO or Texas Heritage is comfortable enough for all day carry. And it can be loaded with 38 specials for bedside duty. Is it ideal for any of those roles? Possibly as a home defense yes. Is it at least satisfactory for all those roles? Yes. I liked the idea of a Dan Wesson with a few barrels. 2-3" for carry and home defense, 6-8" for hunting, or throw on a 4" and don't worry about switching often.
 
considerable thought

UNLESS you expect that large brown bear will be in your ppath I suggest a KGP-141 as 'correct' choice based on YOUR criteria; I used similar criteria for buying two.

But for deer .... if BIG deer use one of the 180g offerings.
 
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