Buying new pistol, need advice

[DRTYFN]

Can't go wrong with a nice Glock. Maintenance-free and nice to shoot.

[Big Z]

No no-sense stoppers! get a 45 or 50 cal auto!

[MarineHawk]

I agree with DRTY - it's hard to beat a Glock as an all-around gun. If I had to pick just one handgun for all purposes, I'd probably pick my Glock 27 - it holds ten potent .40 S&W rounds, has a 3.5" barrell, recoils less than any other .40 S&W I have shot (I own 6 of them) yet is smaller than a Walther PPK/S.
Yet, respecting your perceived need for an external safety, semi-auto, and 4"+ barrell, my favorite with those limitations would be this in .40S&W: http://www.hecklerkoch-usa.com/index...tNumber=704501.
I've had one since 1994. It's worked flawlessly ever since, and shoots better than I do.

Of course, IMO, you'd be crazy to be in many parts of Alaska where the Griz and Brown bear roam with anything less than a .44 Mag revolver. If I were in the Alaska wildernesses, and if I really didn't want to carry a rifle around, I'd probably have one of these: http://www.ruger-firearms.com/Firear...=5505&return=Y in .454 Casull.
The .44 Mag-and-greater semi-autos, while novel are kind of silly IMO.

[Racer-X]

I did a lot of research when I bought my pistol for the same reasons. I was doing a lot of backwoods hiking. If you want to stop a bear of any size a .357 or 44 mag is the ticket. Better yet is what I carry now - bear spray.

[The Juice]

Be a man. Use a knife.

[ssgharkness020147]

If you want to be able to stop a bear the lowest cal you should be looking at is the 45. Period. .40's are great guns with good stopping power, but we are talking about bears not people a bear will require more. Honestly I dont think you need advise about A pistol, but rather (2) pistols. You want one gun to serve for personal protection and extreme circumstances and I dont really think you are going to find a single gun to suit both rolls. But if you only want to buy one gun for both purposes my vote is for a .45.

[PARAGON]

Well, we be at it again.

No, a .45 is no better for bear than a .40 would be. Simple ballistics. If you stuffed some grains of powder behind that .45, we'd be talking a different story. It's not just only the caliber of the projectile that matters.

Secondly, and going all the way back up to the top. Evldave, you need to seek advice from some professionals. Because your statement about a .22 being as good as any home defense pistol, is, well, just ignorant.

The rest of it, is just silly, IMO.

[evldave]

Originally Posted by The Juice

Be a man. Use a knife.

Sorry, I don't have your expertise in killing 'wildlife' with a blade. I'll leave that to you

[KenP]

Originally Posted by DRTYFN

Can't go wrong with a nice Glock. Maintenance-free and nice to shoot.

I love our Glock, but our Taurus PT-945 with Magsafe's will put a real hurtin' on a bear.

I did a short search and didn't find anything negative about the gun, but I'm sure there are some.

Link to forum about it:
http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=1449

[CO Hummer]

Originally Posted by DRTYFN

Can't go wrong with a nice Glock. Maintenance-free and nice to shoot.

X2!!!!

Glocks all the way. Get a G23, a nice snappy .40 cal.

I've been shooting Glocks for years and have NEVER, EVER had a jam or misfire.

[PARAGON]

Originally Posted by CO Hummer

X2!!!!

Glocks all the way. Get a G23, a nice snappy .40 cal.

I've been shooting Glocks for years and have NEVER, EVER had a jam or misfire.

You have not shot enough then

[CO Hummer]

Originally Posted by PARAGON

You have not shot enough then

wrong!

[PARAGON]

Originally Posted by CO Hummer

wrong!

wronger

[Racer-X]

And a .357 only puts out from .480 to 570 ft-lbs depending on the load. Thus, I can't see how it's incredibly superior to either the .40 or .45 -- other than that it has the word "magnum" in its name.

I once had a bear take off running when he read "magnum" on the side of my gun.

[Wisha Haddan H3]

I agree with all the comments so far about bullet weight and power. But your best bet is to rent some pistols at a local range and try different ammo. Accuracy depends on the ammo and how it fits your hand.

I like a SA/DA semi-auto pistol with half-moon sights that fits snug in my hand, unsafes easily and doesn't snag on the draw. Don't care for Glocks and Rugers, but give me a full-size Beretta, dehorned model 1911, or my old EEA .45 and I'm good to go.

For bear-stopping power, load ammo you use and trust, .40 caliber +Ps or higher. When I first bought my EAA Witness .45, I loaded it with +P+ JHPs. Even with the ported barrel, it kicked like a mule and ruined my followup shots. I switched to regular +P and my double-taps improved.