Which Handgun For Any Circumstance?

regarding t rex

If we actually do run into a T-Rex remember the lesson of Jurassic Park:

stand vewy still and be vewy vewy quiet!
 
Silly 'what if' thread but I have nothing better to do... S&W Model 460XVR Hunter any version ~
 
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always wonder when seeing this good natured humor if the Glock guys were also MAC computer users, Ok I had to say that .
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Lol I'm a Glock guy , but not a die hard. I bought my first gun as a Glock because of the ease of use , durability and workhorse reputation ... Plus the fact of the FBI depending on the Glock 23.


AND I happen to be a network engineer in a Netware/Linux/Windows environment..... No Macs for this guy. but ... are all the 1911 guys Elitist masochists with more time and money than they know what to do with ? lol ;)



That being said ..... I want a 1911 style gun next in .45 for aesthetics and shooting pleasure and/or a Bersa Thunder .380 for my GF for size and manageability (and me to shoot on occasion) .



Can Glock guys be middle of the road ? lol
 
Has to be a handgun? No conversion cylinders? Now that's just entirely too Governmental! I
m going to smuggle in a conversion cylinder he he.
If I have to I guess I could carve one out of rock over time

Oh. Anyway I want to say my FA mdl 83 in 454 but I don't have established loads for it like I do my RH. It's lighter and more powerful so could be more useful than a 44 Mag butif I was leaving tomorrow I would have to take the Redhawk.
 
and/or a Bersa Thunder .380 for my GF
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The "rules" are clear: No human companions! :(

Which isn't to say you couldn't take man's best friend along...;) Or maybe even your favorite parrot. What adversary would dare challenge a man holding his trusty H&R .32 revolver in one hand, a bottle of rum in the other, while his faithful, cracker-breath macaw is perched on his shoulder?
 
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Who's to say that my GF isn't man's best friend ?

Long lonely years on an island may make my dog my GF too !!! ( I saw no rules against bestiality )



Lol I was referring though to the Glock vs 1911 talks. ;)
 
5 pounds of ammo, and a handgun for it...

Small Guam-sized islands tend to not have large predators on them. Not enough land to sustain them. Defensive needs are minimal.

That makes hunting the primary use, though defense is theoretically possible.

We want accuracy, and power, in light weight, suitable for smallish-to-medium game.

I'd take a Thompson Center Contender. Caliber? .30 carbine, .223 or .243, not sure which. Just one of them, though.

I'd get a lot more ammo in my 5 pounds than if I had a .357 with 158gr projectiles. A .243 should give me about 120 rounds. A .357 should give me about the same. A .223 would give me about 190 rounds. A .30 carbine would give me about 165 rounds.

Probably .223.
 
One HUGE variable everyone is forgetting.

Cong. hank johnson says this island is very close to capsizing, therefore lower grain ammo would seem to be the order of the day.
 
Small Guam-sized islands tend to not have large predators on them. Not enough land to sustain them. Defensive needs are minimal.
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I wouldn't be so sure about that, Az. Guam is about thirty miles long and has 212 square miles of hardtop. Plenty of room for some big critters to roam around in-I mean, how big was Jurassic Park? :eek:

On a more "serious" note-at least as serious as a thread like this can ever hope to be-I like your argument for .30 cal.ammunition in terms of power vs weight as reduced to the number of cartridges that weigh five pounds.
 
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The title of this thread is very misleading.

"Which Handgun for ANY Circumstance", and then we're given a set of limitations and conditions that are far from variable.

If we know in advance what we'll be exposed to, then we can choose the firearm that best fits those conditions.

But that has nothing to do with which handgun any of us would choose for ANY condition or circumstance.

On a small island, I'd rather have fishing equipment than a gun.
 
I'm bringing my 44 alaskan and a good chest holster. This would only be a defensive weapon. I'd trap/hunt/fish with makeshift gear and a really good knife.
 
It's a survival situation. There may be pigs, goats, large seabirds, etc. I'd choose a T/C Contender chambered in .25-20 WCF. That caliber should handle anything on the island and is an excellent game getter.
 
The title of this thread is very misleading.

"Which Handgun for ANY Circumstance", and then we're given a set of limitations and conditions that are far from variable.

If we know in advance what we'll be exposed to, then we can choose the firearm that best fits those conditions.
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Well, as the author of this thread, I have to take some exception to your charge that the title is "misleading". I deliberately left the environment of the "island" vague so as to force the choice of a handgun to be as versatile as possible. Though some assumed that the island was situated in the tropics, the location was never specified. Though Guam-sized, it isn't Guam; but like Guam it is relatively large. And, other than being uninhabited by humans (at least at the time of your solo arrival ;) ), that's really all you know about your circumstances in advance.

The intent of the thread was to come up with the handgun most suitable to aid one to survive alone in a wild place, with arbitrary restrictions so as to strike a necessary compromise in terms of power vs the number of rounds available for the unforseeable future. The five pound ammunition weight limitation is the diabolical part of the equation that makes a .22 rimfire a viable choice. The unknown nature, size and temperament of the wild beasts living on the Island of Gloom is the thorny factor in the equation that makes the .454 Casull a viable choice. The idea being for people to come up with the best compromise to cope with "any circumstance" they might encounter when they are forced to fend for themselves in a very lonely and forsaken place.

The only real reasons to have a firearm along in this survival situation are for protection and/or for getting supper. Having no access to spare parts nor a gunsmith should favor a handgun that is weatherproof, simple in construction, easy to field-strip for cleaning/maintenance and utterly reliable. Though I haven't done a complete inventory of the choices made thus far, a cursory over-view suggests that a relatively disportionate number of votes were in favor of a s/s Ruger revolver (either da or sa) and the most popular caliber to be the .357 Magnum. Again, I haven't done any "official" count.

I intended this fictitious poser to require a hard choice. On the other hand, within reason, there are no "wrong" choices, as each possibility has some merit. The usual thread of this nature allows for more than one gun (yeah, I'd sure like to have a rifle or a shotgun-or both-along for the ride), plenty of spare parts on board and an unlimited access to ammunition. But then I'd have to change the name from the Island of Gloom to Fantasy Island! :eek:

Thanks to all who have contributed thus far. It's been a fun ride and, for me at least, a learning experience. More suggestions and insights are welcome!
 
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On a small island, I'd rather have fishing equipment than a gun.
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On this not so small pretend island, you do understand that the "rules" let you have your cake and eat it too? You can carry your handgun of choice in a holster and use both your arms to tote all the bait-casting, spinning and fly-fishing gear you care to bring. :)
 
Without the 5# limit on ammo it would be my S&W 4"66 hands down. But when you think about 200 rounds of ammo going to have to last you maybe years I would have to go with my FiveSeven and MY hand loads. should bring me up to about 600 rounds.

If I am shooting for food I would be going hungry sooner with the 357.

Doug

PS Good topic.. Made me think

If it can be a custom pistol I would go with the T/C contender with a 12" 5.7x28 barrel.

Very little to break, 2600fps with enough ammo to last for a couple years. Enough power to drop a deer or hog if it has too. (It has been done)
 
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