Which revolver/pistol?

[CVHoss]

JR,
I'll be the first to admit that I'm not a Glock fan. But, I've never known anyone who owned one that didn't like it. I just never cared for the boxy look and I've never been a fan of DAO guns. I've also never owned any firearm chambered for the 40 S&W. I only threw out the warning about reloading because it seems to be a common point made in every manual I own. Here are a couple of excerpts from the and the <A target="_blank" HREF=http://members.cox.net/r.e.davis/lasercast_warning.jpg>Laser-Cast reloading manual (the highlighted portion only points out the Glock warning. Read the entire page for general info) put out by Oregon Trail Bullet Co. Similar types of warnings can be found in numerous other locations. While you may have not experienced this problem, I felt it prudent to point out the warning to anyone considering any pistol in 40 S&W. How do that put that legalese in the small print? "Results not typical. Your experience may vary"./w3tcompact/icons/wink.gif

p.s. Talking about a Ruger chambered in 50, have you seen the Magnum Research BFR? <A target="_blank" HREF=http://obscure-reference.com:8080/guns/bfr/BFR_454_45lc.jpg>Here's a link</A> to a photo that shows the BFR in 45/70 on top followed by a Ruger Super Redhawk in 454 Casull and a Colt Anaconda in 45 Colt to give a size comparison. There's a pretty good article here at <A target="_blank" HREF=http://www.shootmagazine.com/Articles/Magnum.htm>Shoot Magazine</A> from their test. Should make a pretty good concealed carry weapon./w3tcompact/icons/laugh.gif
Hoss

 

[RanchMan]

<font color=blue>So with him standing there, the second round jammed!</font color=blue>

Ha! Murphy's law at work!!! I've got to agree, wheel guns seem to be more reliable than autos. (I have no empirical evidence to support this)

That being said, depending on the auto, reliability of the auto can come very close to that of the the revolver. For example, if we say in 100 rounds, your revolver shoots 100 without a problem but your auto jams 1 (1% failure rate, which is really high for a "good" auto), it comes to the personal question of "what is good enough."

All depends on ones preferences I suppose..../w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif

 

[TresCrows]

You either like Glocks or you don't I have noticed. I bought mine because it can lay in a closet for ten years and be expected to shoot if you need it to. They also require no maintenace compared to a blued gun and I have had only one jam using my handloads, I was loading for target and I guess they were to weak.
Well Ruger has a 50 cal don't they but it is only offered in their double action, I want the single action cowboy gun in that 50 cal. I want to lob a Volkwagon sized projectile at whatever I would ever shoot with it so whatever it is that I shoot stops and backs up and says-- "that hurt".
My wife, me and my dogs--who were right with me--not off bushwacking---got chased by a big brown in SE AZ. I was packing heat and could have killed the critter--I did not becasue she was more interested in her cub and we had sufficient head start that I decided we could escape--all this thinking whilst we were high tailing it. If there had been twenty less yards between us though I would have wanted that 50 cal. J

 

[Ozarker]

That was excellent...and true. I generally advise people that if they aren't willing to put in a lot of time practicing then their best choice is a revolver. It is the first point and click interface.

My dad had the same thoughts you did about autos and didn't want to change. His department forced the issue and he got a Glock. Now he swears by them. He is retired now and I am trying to talk him out of his Glock .40.

 

[Ozarker]

The Springfields are good but since one of your uses will be concealed carry, I am going to warn you away from the various 1911 clones even tho I am a huge 1911 fan. I have lots of training with the 1911, carried one in the Army and shot combat competition with one. But I don't carry one concealed.

The 1911 was designed as a combat pistol and it has no peer. It is the finest combat pistol ever designed. But it was designed long before lawyers decided they could make billions seeing the pants off of everyone.

The 1911 is an SA (single action) auto. It is designed to be quickly put into service in a combat situation where there is no consideration of legality or rights. It has a grip safety and a thumb safety. It is designed to be carried "locked and cocked". That means with a round in the chamber, the hammer cocked and the thumb safety set. To use it, you drop the thumb safety as you draw the weapon, grip, point and shoot.

This requires lots of training and lots of practice to remain proficient. And if you do shoot someone in self defense with an SA auto, some unscrupulous prosecutor will try to nail you to the cross for carrying a "hair trigger" gun. He will make it look like you were out looking for someone to shoot and the criminal was really the victim.

Stick to a revolver for concealed carry. One with a shrouded hammer so it is less likely hang up in clothing and you can't thumb cock it. If you have to had an auto, get one of the DA/SA or DA only autos for concealed carry. One that requires you to pull the trigger to cock it and fire it. There are many good choices out there in all caliber's.

Then get training and practice practice practice. You will have to make split second decisions that can mean life or death and if you get a jam, you will have to clear it under duress and probably in the dark. Part of your training and practice should be weak hand shooting, ie, shooting with the left hand if you are normally right handed.

 

[Hawkflyer]

"Doesn't SIG also run the slide inside the frame rails? They have a good reputation (again, book learnin') for accuracy. "I am not certain but I don't believe they do. For my money the Sig is a little over priced, but does have a good reputation. They are accurate, but I have only shot the 9mm."Hawk, are you talking about competition when saying they are "a little rough" out of the box? "I mean the fit and finish as well as accuracy. Accuracy in any Browning designed pistol is very dependent on the fit of the barrel bushing to the barrel, and the slide to the rails, There is really a lot more to it but you get the idea. For mass production these parts are made to tolerances like everything else. If you replace certain parts with custom parts that truly "fit" together, you will usually see improvements in accuracy. The trigger group suffers from the same problems. If these parts do not fit right, or are improperly polished you get a heavy, "catchy" trigger, and accuracy suffers. Almost ALL of these things can be fixed. Unless you have some experience in reworking triggers I would send this out to a qualified gunsmith, you can buy a matched bushing and barrel for drop in fit, or do the lapping yourself.Now opinions vary here but I would recommend you get the trigger reworked to break "clean" at no less than 4 pounds for a .45. For carry purposes you may want the trigger to break a litter harder at say 6 pounds, but it should break clean. There should be NO creep. Some people like a "staged" trigger where you take up a little slack before things go solid and finally break clean. This is a personal preference thing.As for TZ they have really been coming on as competetiion pistols in the last few years. They start out reasonably priced, and are good right out of the box, and custom parts are available to really trick them out. Their compact .45 is in the $00 range but I have seen them for as little as $385.

 

[cp1969]

"Trigger" jobs are really not all that hard to do. They are a misnomer in that the majority of the work is done to the hammer or sear, not the trigger. Anyone with a good eye, steady hand, and files and stones can do it, although few will try.

 

[patrickg]

got chased by
a big brown in SE AZ

TresCrows, That is a pretty rare event, being chased by a brown bear, AKA Grizzly, in South East Arizona.

Patrick

 

[Hawkflyer]

Technically you are correct. However, most people use common language to describe common things. Most people will also understand what you mean when you use the shorthand term "trigger job". In fact the entire purpose of the work you describe is to produce a better more controlled trigger pull hence the term. However, it is not as simple as you make it sound on the .45, if it is done right. Done wrong, it does usually make the trigger pull lighter. Lighter is not really what is required in most cases. What IS required is a clean break with no creep. This must be achieved while not sacrificing safety. It is critically important that the honed and polished surfaces mate properly. If they don't they will wear quickly and over a surprisingly short time the pistol can actually become unsafe and unreliable.While this CAN be done by an accomplished individual in a reasonably short time. It is far easier to do it wrong. I have probably seen it done wrong 90 out of 100 times.Someone else on this thread mentioned legal ramifications of tuning a carry pistol. He was quite correct to point out this problem. One sure way to raise the issue in court is to rework the sear on your carry piece yourself. Particularly if you bring the trigger pull below standard mil spec or target specs. Much more has been made of the legal issue in this area than has in fact been the reality of the situation. But, there is a lot to be said for having the work done professionally on a carry piece. Even more can be said for leaving it stock.Others here have mentioned a lot of other reasons not to carry a government model .45. There is some truth to those arguments. I carry a Para for very specific reasons. I burn between 500 and 1000 rounds a month in practice with the guns I carry. Practical pistol competition is another good (and fun) way to stay practiced. I am quite confident in my ability to carry my pistol safely and have done so for many years. I also carry a compact 9mm in warm weather, and it serves me well also. I sometimes carry a revolver, also for special reasons. The selection of a carry piece is a very personal matter. What works for me will probably not work for you. However the original topic of the post was “What do you carry”. All I am doing is answering the questions as they come. Since volumes have been written on tuning .45s it didn’t seem like a wise use of space to detail pistol tuning here. While I strongly recommend anyone who carries anything get training, and practice, I also feel that the choice is theirs as to what they carry. I am not one who feels that a .45 is the answer to all situations, hence my selections.

 

[CVHoss]

<font color=blue>Doesn't SIG also run the slide inside the frame rails?</font color=blue>

Not if I understand your question correctly. At least not on my 220S. See attachment.

Hoss