The scenario...you and another guy are doing a fly in - float out archery hunting trip and neither of you wants to haul a rifle or shotgun around for weeks. Instead you will both carry spray and a sidearm. You have two weapons to choose from, a S&W 329PD (ultralite .44mag wheel gun) w/ 4" barrel or a Glock G40 (10mm auto) w/ 6" barrel. Ammo will be high end hard cast by Buffalo Bore (or something comparable). THESE ARE YOU SOLE CHOICES-DON'T RECOMMEND ANYTHING ELSE. We've all seen the argument for and against: You want no regrets as the bush plane that just dropped you off disappears over the horizon. What's strapped to you and why? I made up my mind and will share my choice and reason for it once you guys have posted your opinions.
10mm, for the sole reason that I have never shot a revolver before, I am pretty familiar with semi auto pistols though.
Glock 10 mil for your scenario. And a big damn knife. Sent from my SM-G960U using Bowhunting.com Forums mobile app
The S&W because the only reason it won’t go bang is because it’s out of ammo. I know a Glock is reliable, but 2 weeks floating, things happen. I don’t want to spend my evenings cleaning a pistol.
IMHO- 44 magnum with 300 grain soft points; 10 mm will just make the bear real mad. Dirty Harry used one very effectively. Or just run faster than whoever you are with. "I don’t want to spend my evenings cleaning a pistol." Ask any combat soldier about keeping a weapon clean.
my Model 29 is not the most reliable pistol I've ever had. Goes out of timing every now and then and I've sent it in to S/W 3-4 times. It does not always go bang. Plus mud and sand can get in a wheel gun and lock it up. I've had 4 different Glocks and run tens of thousands of rounds through them; and the only time they haven't gone bang with one in the chamber was ammo and the only mechanical failures I've ever had were FTFs because of bad mag springs after sitting around fully loaded for months/years.
I have always taken my G20, shot enough hardcast from it to know it feeds well without issue. That said I am heading back up to Alaska again shortly and thinking of taking my K6 for the hell of it.
Chose the Glock 40 w/ Buffalo Bore heavy ammo for several reasons. 1. I carry a Glock 22 daily and the G40 feels and shoots much the same making me more familiar and accurate with the 10mm. Shooting the UL .44 hurts, is slower to get back on target and has a much smaller capacity. 2. The 6" barrel keeps me on paper at twice the distance of the UL .44 and shot placement (hitting the nervous system) is the ONLY THING THAT CAN SAVE YOU in a charge from a bear. I feel more confident that I can do that with the G40. 3. Assuming you even have time to draw and fire, most expect to get off 1 to 3 rounds however, if the difference in recoil and action between the two handguns enables the Glock shooter to squeeze off just one more round...that is a 33-50 percent advantage. Bullet weight and KE mean nothing if you fail to hit the central nervous system. 4. As pointed out above, the revolver may be a pleasure to carry but in addition to being unpleasant to shoot, it is anything but infallible. I don't trust it to perform in intense environmental and abusive use. Meanwhile there are videos of Glocks that were buried for years,dug up, rinsed off and proceed to shoot flawlessly until the gun melts after several hundred rounds. Glocks seem to always fire. 5. If the situation allowed for a warning shot (unlikely but possible) you have 16 rounds. I'd hate to hafta kill momma bear with two cubs nearby. Warning shots have stopped attacks on rafts before. There you have it...my rationale. May not be your best solution but I can draw and fire quickly (insert SD training here) and this is the most comfortable option for me. I really like the Delta Point sight too.
