Im looking at getting a pistol, I havnt ever had one to call my own but ive shot about a thousand rounds or so threw others, mainly my brother kimber 45 and a array of 9mm's, 40's and a few 38 specials. Im looking for one for about 500$ new. The intended use is mostly shooting range, home defence, and to have a back up gun for deer drives just incase one of the bears we always drive out of the stands of pines comes in my direction and I empty my shotgun.

Question:
which pistol is the best option?

Choices:
Springfield GI
Springfield XD
taurus 357 6'' barrel
Glock 22, gen 4
CZ model 75
S&W M&P
Ruger GP 141 357

Question:
Also what caliber would you recamend?

Choices:
9mm
45acp
357mag
357sig
40

 

thinking XD in 45ACP or 357Sig.
You didn't give use that option

I was going to vote for the S&W M&P in the caliber of your choice.

You didn't mention what your intended use was....

Springield GI is a good reliable 1911. The other new guy gun I'd recommend is a Ruger GP-141. The 4 inch barrel is my pick for best length and you can shoot .38 or .357 Mag.

Just noticed you have the Taurus 6 inch barrel 357. I haven't handled their bigger guns but have the 5 shot 2 inch barrel. We had two but we had a break in. No problems with it, carry it often, shoot every few months. I have the GP-161 as a replcement for my 141, see break in. I liked the 4 inch for general use. The 6 is a good target gun and would be good hunting gun but to me it is a little awkward for everyday.

For what you are looking for I would take a good look at the new Remington 1911....

Another choice to possibly include would be a Glock in a 10mm. That one came into my mind at the last of your post when you mentioned bears. The 10mm is a step up in foot lbs. of energy to handle some of those encounters. If you reload the 10mm, it could work in the bear arena and also in the "social work" arena when the additional power is not needed. Perhaps there are some mid power range loads that would not result in the over penetration problem when using some of the standards loads for SD.

The full size Glock 20 with 15 rounds of ammo, at 27 oz when empty, is becoming very popular with a lot of the horsemen here in Idaho when they are in the primitive areas of the state. Enough power to handle the bears, wolves, and cougars that seem to becoming more of a problem in these areas and especially around horses.

My Ruger GP is the one I will sing and toast about.
My CZ's are the ones that bring out the 4 letter words.

Ive voted for the 357. Reason being is that you added the hunting deal in there. the 357 has the option of using bullets that are designed for hunting. that been said it sure wouldnt be my first choise for what you want. I think youd be much better served with a 4 to 45/8s barreled 41 or 44 mag or if you want to go with a semi auto a 10mm.

quote:

Originally posted by loiblb:
My Ruger GP is the one I will sing and toast about.
My CZ's are the ones that bring out the 4 letter words.

Surprised at your problem with CZ. Mine have been flawless and my friends who are using their earlier and later models for practical pistol and IPSC have had the same excellent results.

Yes, I bought 3 CZ's (75b, .40 cal. 75 compact, CZ83) because people told me how good they were. Not enough time or space here to tell the troubles. But CZ gunsmith department acknowledged the problems were common and they will fix those problem. The only one I have now is the 75b that only shoots ball ammo, no hollow points.

quote:

Another choice to possibly include would be a Glock in a 10mm.

Glock sux.

I have most of what's on your list. They're all great but each for different purposes. My favorite "fun gun" is a Smith Mod. 10 in 38 Spl. 4" bbl. ported. I found it cheap, used ($185), and 38 Spl is cheap, easy to reload.

For woods and "bear defense" I like the Smith 629 in 44 mag. 4" bbl, or longer.

Hard to beat the Springfield XD for carry defense, home defense.

Springfield Mil Spec 1911 is the "real thing." And Springfield just put out a "Centennial Model" 1911 -- Like the Mil Spec.

So far, I've amassed about a dozen (more) handguns. For a while I was looking for "perfect concealed carry." But these days I'm just picking them up because I'm a hoarder.

There was a torture test conducted back in the late 80's that pitted all the top brands. Submersion in mud, sand, water, etc... and the only three pistols to have a perfect perfromance record was the Browning Hi Power 9mm, the 1911 45 ACP and the Glock 17 in 9mm.

The US Milatary chose the Beretta because it had an external safety, go figure.

To my knowledge Glock has not changed to dramatically but all the other companies have started copying Glock using polymer frames, safe actioin triggers, etc...

My vote is for a Glock.

I would recommend for you a S&W revolver in 357 Mag.

If you are a reloader then maybe a S&W 44 Mag...

I only recommend an autoloader to someone that is highly trained.
Then a good 1911 in 45 ACP is the best choice for personal protection.

However, if you are going to use it a lot in the Field then the S&W in 44 Mag is the better option.

If you are not going to reload, get a good 357mag revovler. All you need for home def & a good field gun. Barrel length of your choice, but I prefer a 4" for the field & nothing wrong w/ a 6" for HD.

I voted for the .357 Ruger (even though I'm not a Ruger fan), but I really think with bear in the mix, you would be better off with a .44 Mag of some sort. I am partial to S&W, as Ruger is a lot bigger and heavier, and if you buy a used one, the prices should be roughly the same.

If you have a shotgun already, the home defense is taken care of.

Pistols can be a lot of fun to shoot, and conceal and carry defense is a good thing as well, but unless you want to spend the time learning how to shoot a handgun, an automatic is best left for those who are willing to put in the time to get reactions down to the subconscious response- I'm talking about safety off, malfunction drill type stuff, not basic marksmanship here.

Have fun with a new toy!

With bears in mind, nothing less than a .44 mag. You can't really cover all your bases with just one caliber.