Hand Gun

[guythathunts]

I am thinking about getting a hand gun. I don't know what for, I just want one. I don't know a lot about them. I have a .22 six shooter that is acurate out to about 4 feet so, I kinda have one already, but I am concidering an upgrade. Feed me your knowedge. I am an open book. I have no preferances. I don't know what I like. I do want to be practical, and will not spend a ton of money. To give you something to base your comments on - I have a remmington 870 12 ga. and a remming ton pump 30-06. I love them. I want the hand gun equivalent. So... Influence me! And thanks in advance!

[HD]

I'm more of a Dirty Harry kinda guy... I like revolvers!

Some of them I deer hunt with, and some are for show.

What would you like to do with it?
Home protection?
Hunt?
Plink?

Hunter

[Don Stenseth]

This is my Sons Taurus Tracker 17 hmr. A great small game and varmint  Gun. He put a 2-6 power scope on it and even my shakey old hands can shoot a baseball size group at 50 yards. Shells are about $12.00 for a box of 50

[guythathunts]

I'm more of a Dirty Harry kinda guy... I like revolvers!

Some of them I deer hunt with, and some are for show.

What would you like to do with it?
Home protection?
Hunt?
Plink?

Hunter

Yes Yes And Yes.
I would like something that is big enough to deer hunt with. I think I would go with a revolver type. Other than that I don't know. What is best for deer hunting that wouldn't break the bank for shells/gun? I would like it to be somewhat of a smaller gun in actual size.

[HD]

Keep in mind, longer barrels are better for acuratcy (sorry in a hurry, can't spell)
Scopes help with this.
I personally don't have any scopes on any of my pistols.

Prolly my favorite one I use for hunting, is my .375 magnum with an 8 inch barrel.
I've harvested deer, bear and hogs with it (and a possum or two)
and the loads aren't to terribly expensive.

Smaller game, you could go to a smaller caliber.

If you were just looking for something in a home protection deal, I'd prolly go with a .32 or 9mm
short barrel, you ain't gonna need to shoot over 10 yards with it. So, you wouldn't need a scope.

[MnSportsman]

.44 magnum.... S & W, or Ruger Super Redhawk(<The one I use)
answers all three of the points...
Home protection
Hunting
Plinking...

Although it will be more like "Plunking" than plinking....

[beeker]

I like my taurus 357 revolver.. you can hunt with it and if you don't want the big kick you can toss in the 38's for plinking. plus the price isn't too bad

[thunderpout]

It sounds like ya may want to go with what Hunterdown said, a 357 revolver with out a scope will hunt and be a good home protection gun... I personally have a 44 S&W Mag, 6 1/2" barrel with no scope and punch holes in paper plates without a rest of any kind very easy 30-50 yds, but its much better with a rest of course... a 357 is smaller, doesnt kick as much, cheap to shoot cause you can shoot 38 cal out of it to practice... I love my 44 though, its ported so at least you dont loosen fillings as bad when you get it out and shoot a box thru it...

[sandmannd]

Great thread, I had the same type of questions. What does a 357 run? How hard are they to find used or is that not a good route to go?

[kingfisher1]

Great thread, I had the same type of questions. What does a 357 run? How hard are they to find used or is that not a good route to go?

the prices will depend on if you decide to buy new or used, as well as what brand you decided to buy, as well aswhere you buy it.  Prices could run you anywhere from about $200 on the lower end for a decent used all the way up to (or over) a grand for a good new .357.  It shouldn't be all that hard to find used.  Check places like Gnder Mountain, Joes, or gun shows when they're around.  Shop around before you buy and check out a few different models to find something that's comfortable in your hands. 

[thunderjohn]

Unless you have money to burn, this is a terrible time to buy a gun. Prices have gone crazy, and like the housing market will take a dive in the future. You'll pay a premium now for anything, good or bad.

But if you must, find someone that is willing to take you and let you shoot some of their guns.
See if you like the revolvers or semi-autos.

If you want smoething small in size, don't go large in caliber or you'll probably hate it.
I see a lot of large caliber guns for sale that have hardly been shot. There's a good reason for that.

The Ruger GP100 is a very nice revolver. Right now you can get a clean blued one for around $400.  There are many nice choices out there. Go look on
www.gunbroker.com and you can get a feel for prices and selection. Remember to add about $50 to the selling prices for shipping and transfer fee.

Try out a bunch and see what you like. Try some semi-autos as well. I believe you can hunt now with many semi-autos. Used to be just the 10mm.  Good luck.

[guythathunts]

Thanks guys! This gives me a good starting point and it sounds like others have similar questions. I have been thinking about this for some time now and am really itching hard. This latest itch came to me last week. I got together with a few friends on Saturday and I asked them "Do you guys ever think about getting a hand gun?" -keep in mind no one at the table owns a hand gun- 5 out of 5 said YUP! The first response was "Every F***ING day". And that came from the one guy that has never owned a gun. Any how.... any other tips preferences or suggestions are greatly apreciated. Thanks for the info thus far!

[kingfisher1]

one thing you could do is go to Bill's Gun Shop in Robbinsdale and rent a handgun from them and shoot it.  They have a variety of handguns to choose from, so you can get a feel of what caliber and style of handgun you like and feel comfortable shooting.  Be sure to bring the  along and see what she likes as well.  Hopefully she'll never have to, but if you're going to use it for home defense, she has to be comfortable shooting it too.

[finch]

+1 on the Ruger. I've got a Super Black Hawk in .44 with the 8" barrel and love the hell out of it.

[kenhuntin]

What astounds me is the is the urgent interest in handguns lately. Alot of the guys I see at work are now getting conceal permits or purchasing. I come from the Dirty Harry era and have a Smith model 27 with an 8 3/8" barrel in .357 I decided on that one because of the availiability of ammo and the cheap.38s that I can run through it. I wanted to use it for hunting as well. Rugers are also a wonderful choice. The smith felt better in my hand though. Try before you buy. I found a gun this size is rather awkward compared to the cz 75 b I graduated to. This handgun seems infalable. I also have the .22 conversion barrel for it so if I am plinkin I am still shooting the same gun. The barrel slides off easy and allows the other to slide perfectly in place. Worlwide czs are the most widely used hand gun for military and law enforcement use. Glocks are popular because that is all the gangbangers know. Most of the local militia (cops) I know use .40 cal.guns.  Revolvers are cool cowboy guns but reloading if you have to in a hurry is trouble. Take your time and look around. This is a big choice and an expensive one.

[BiggA]

If your in the north metro you can go to Bullseye in North Branch, If you  know what caliber you want you can rent say a 9mm and shoot every 9 they have for the one rental fee. (was this way last time I was there anyway) That way you can try different brands.

[Faceman]

I am also a revolver guy. I have a taurus (model 66ss6 I believe) in .357 and just love it. It was under $400. I also like the ruger SP100. I have several freinds who have Smith and Wessons. They are great guns but never felt good in my hands. I wanted at least a 6 inch barrel for hunting and have plinked .38 shell as well although they dont hit the same place as the .357 shells do.

The biggest thing is, figure out what you want it for and then hold some and make sure it feels good.

[guythathunts]

Thank you Thank you! This is great!

[thunderpout]

If its still there, There's a great gun range in Blaine/Lexington on 95th just off of 35w called Armored Fire that has a small gun shop in it.  They let you shoot different hand guns there and can even rent a 50cal machine gun for giggles!  Last time I was there, they had a wide variety of handguns to try out... Bills gun shop is another good one....  Ken... speed loaders make loading a revolver reeaal speedy... and at least with a revolver, if the fit isnt quite as comfy as youd like, you can get a wood grip from hogue and shape it to fit....

[HD]

I got speed loaders for all of my revolvers....they work GREAT!

And, you can get pacmire (sp) grips for most any hand gun.
They make them more comfortable to shoot.

[beeker]

i got my taurus for 330$ out the door at a gun show last year, It was truly between that and a ruger the day I went to buy. the speed loaders a wonderful

[Don Stenseth]

Armored fire in Blaine/Lexington is now Bills gunshop north. And yes, They rent all kinds of handguns to try. If you go on a weekend get there early or expect to wait to get a lane. They also sell new and used. You can check out their website to see whats available used.

[NoBambi]

How about a Desert Eagle 50 cal. with an Eotech scope?

[guythathunts]

How about a Desert Eagle 50 cal. with an Eotech scope?

That sounds expensive!

[thunderpout]

Yep....and BIG!