Is this a practical sidearm in case of an up close Bigfoot encounter?

[norseman]

I had that problem with 44 mag handloads. The primers would pop out the back a bit and the pistol would be hard to cock. It was my fault tho.

[Huntster]

Cylinder timing. I just sent a 1973 vintage Colt Police Positive 38 Special to a gunsmith in Arizona for this. The revolver was binding up mid-stroke on occasion in double action fire, and also when cocking it in single action. It was also striking the cartridge primer off-center and occasionally not igniting the cartridge. The gunsmith sent me an immediate email after receiving the gun with a detailed explanation of what was happening, but it was Greek, AFAIC. I'd quote him here, but have already deleted the email. I suspect the gear that pushed the cylinder around was worn or damaged. Whatever he did was quick, because the turnaround was incredible. The only obvious thing he did to my eyes was replace the firing pin. I have not yet fired the gun since the repair. It is now destined to be a Lower 48 desert carry gun loaded with snake shot. I wouldn't even have spent the $250 to fix and ship both ways except it's 99% otherwise, and was acquired from a dear friend who no longer walks the Earth, and has sentimental value. I have to wonder if +P loads contributed to the damage, though I doubt it. The gun was primarily for Mrs. Huntster, so was never fired as much as my favorite guns, and mostly fired handloads bought from others........which very well might be the problem.

[Airdale]

One thing that just occurred to me that can cause serious problems with a double action revolver. Back in the days when snub nose .38 revolvers were the common concealed carry choice for both private and police detectives, at least in TV and the movies, it was rare when at least one character didn't open the cylinder to check the loads, give it a spin and flip it closed with a wrist snap. Life imitated art and shooters not infrequently mimicked their favorite on screen characters, to the detriment of their sidearms. That cool wrist snap close puts torque stress on the yoke or crane (the pivoting arm that connects the cylinder to the revolvers' frame) as well as the ejector/extractor rod that the cylinder turns on. It can result in the cylinder binding and the ejector binding making it difficult to eject empty cases. Those are precision machined parts and it doesn't take much to monkey wrench them. Yes, I was guilty of doing it as a stupid teen, fortunately the only double action I had access to at the time was an old Colt Army model in .38 Long Colt that had already seen its best days. I still have it but haven't fired it in over 50 years.

[Mississippian]

On 4/11/2020 at 12:08 AM, Furbaby said:

Hi, Mississippian. I am from Mississippi also. I have encountered the hairy people from time to time but not recently.

 

On 1/2/2020 at 12:51 PM, MIB said:

 

You missed my points.      Lets try again.  

 

1) We are not on opposite sides.   I absolutely don't go into the woods unarmed.  

 

2) If you are going in after bigfoot, hunting to kill one, rather than focusing on self-protection, a rifle is preferable to any handgun. 

 

3) The .500 is a poor choice of handgun for defensive use.    The gun is heavy, almost 3 (25 oz vs 69 oz) times the weight of my S&W .44 (329PD).    This requires a lot of extra consideration regarding holsters.   Even with a good bandolier holster, I find that much weight fatiguing after a half day.   It is not particularly shootable.  The recoil makes quick follow up shots nearly impossible to deliver accurately.  

 

I absolutely agree, better to have it and not need it than the other way around.    True for seat belts, PFDs, condoms, and handguns.   Probably other things as well.   Probability of a problem may be low but the consequences of having one are extreme.

 

FWIW, I like the 10mm but mine is a single action revolver, not semi-auto.   When I go to the woods, I generally pick one of a pair of .44 revolvers.    One is around 25 ounces but is un-fun to shoot, the other is 45 ounces and, while "peppy", is shootable.    The only time I don't take them is when I grab my .454.   It's a beast to shoot, not as painful as the light .44, but it makes bigger holes through things.   

 

MIB

 

 

Your observations are very valid. Try this approach, instead of a bigger caliber, heavier pistol with less practicality, use better ammo or ammo that fits the situation. 
 

No professional hunter will let you go after thick skinned, heavily muscled, dangerous game with hollow points.  The concern is the ability of the round to penetrate sufficiently to strike vital organs.  Self defense rounds for pistols are specifically designed to not over penetrate on something the size and consistency of an adult human.  We are dealing with an animal that can top 500lbs or more. 
 

I carry a .45 for defense in the woods.  It’s loaded with Buffalo Bore +P Hard Cast ammo.  This ammunition is designed more specifically for bears so it’s closer to serving the purpose than hollow point or FMJ. Note: Rounds like this are not to be used in older or poorly maintained weapons. Check manufacturer recommendations. 
 

More power is better, obviously, but its worthless if you can’t get on target fast, deliver accurate shots, and deliver follow up shots quickly if necessary.  I am VERY practiced with handguns.  Inside 20 yards, I can deliver a rapid mag dump of body shots if necessary.  
 

I would never hunt these things with a pistol. It is not enough gun.  Defending an attack, my first choice would be a 12 or 10 Gauge shotgun with hard cast slugs but that is not always practical to carry.  To feel the need to shoot, there would have to be an attack and it’s going to be close, very close, before I was certain enough of its intent to shoot.  I pray that, inside 10 yards, the specialty ammo is enough especially when delivered in mass quantities. 
 

Consider looking around to see what calibers have dangerous game rounds available and using that data with your other criteria. 

Edited April 12, 2020 by Mississippian
Misspelling

[VAfooter]

Since you brought up shotguns, I came across this a few days ago. Looks to be a practical self defense weapon for the woods, at least in theory (00 or 000 buck/slugs) and at the distances you are talking about (10-20 yds). How well it would work in execution remains to be seen...

 

 

https://kalashnikov-usa.com/guns/ks-12-t/

[Huntster]

4 hours ago, Mississippian said:

........I carry a .45 for defense in the woods.  It’s loaded with Buffalo Bore +P Hard Cast ammo.  This ammunition is designed more specifically for bears so it’s closer to serving the purpose than hollow point or FMJ.........

 

I own a stock of hardcast ammo for my outdoors sidearms (44 mag, 357 mag, and 10mm), but no longer load the weapons with it. The controversy about using lead bullets in the Glock and recent writing on handgun cartridge effectiveness on bears has me using the highest velocity FMJ loads from Underwood in the Glock or my old favorite Federal or Winchester soft nosed jacketed loads in the 44 and 357. I'd like to read more about actual bear shootings with hardcast handgun cartridges.

[norseman]

41 minutes ago, Huntster said:

 

I own a stock of hardcast ammo for my outdoors sidearms (44 mag, 357 mag, and 10mm), but no longer load the weapons with it. The controversy about using lead bullets in the Glock and recent writing on handgun cartridge effectiveness on bears has me using the highest velocity FMJ loads from Underwood in the Glock or my old favorite Federal or Winchester soft nosed jacketed loads in the 44 and 357. I'd like to read more about actual bear shootings with hardcast handgun cartridges.

https://www.garrettcartridges.com/44magreviews.html

 

 

[Mississippian]

I don’t have any experience with it and it’s not like every manufacturer hits a home run with every new model but if it’s true to the AK design it is a formidable weapon. As a rule, I would wait until at least the second or third generation of any design when the major kinks are worked out.  👍

[Mississippian]

On 4/8/2020 at 9:48 PM, langfordbc said:

Cool gun. I had an opportunity to buy a BNIB S&W 460 from the same guy I bought the 500 from for the same price (1/2 of new), but by the time I decided to offer to buy the 460, it was sold. I've never shot the 454 Casull, but if Hickok45 says he thinks it kicks more than S&W 500, I'm inclined to take his word for it.

 

I kinda didn't really see the need to own both 460 and 500 but lets be honest, "need" is a great reason to justify owning a gun, but a terrible reason to justify not owning another one, lol.

uhm....  I’ve never shot a .500. I do deer hunt with a T/C ProHunter in .460.  I use .454 in it for white tails.  It’s a thump but much less than a .460 round.  I can only shoot 3-5 .460s at a time. My hand wears out.  If .454 is a bigger thump than 500?

[MIB]

Gotta be the ergonomics of the specific gun.   Maybe also the use of muzzle brakes.  The recoil numbers put the .500 at the top of the stack, .460 next, .454 after that .. among those 3 anyway.     I shot a borrowed .500 once and I'm not inclined to do it again.   I have a .454 in a Ruger Bisley Super Blackhawk.    It kicks plenty but it is not painful.    The only thing I notice is that after a shooting session with it, my hand feels .. stretched .. recoil effects on tendons, I reckon.     Once I've shot up the components for the high end loads, I plan to load the .454 to around 1450-1500 fps with 300 grain bullets.   That'll do all I want, I don't need 1600+. 

 

MIB

Edited April 19, 2020 by MIB

[PNWexplorer]

Lot's of great advice and replies in this thread.

 

I really don't consider Bigfoot a physical threat since I seem to recall very few incidents of them harming humans, so my sidearms/long arms for the woods are geared more towards the four-legged threats found in the Idaho woods.

 

But, I'm just a casual Bigfoot enthusiast and may be naive regarding the threat they represent.  I would never shoot one that was not a threat, even if it mean't instant fame and fortune.

 

That being said, I am often in areas with lots of wolves, black bears, cougars, and ill-tempered moose, so I take my woods guns rather seriously.

 

My favorite sidearm is my Glock G29 10mm compact.  Though I have modified it a bit to maximize effectiveness.  It now has a KKM 4.5" barrel for ease of mind in shooting hotter hardcast lead bullets and greater velocity.  I also added Dawson fiber optic sights and an X-Grip adapter so I can use the Glock G20 15-round magazines.

 

Next is my grizzly pistol, which is a Ruger Super Blackhawk Bisley model in .45 Colt.  I cast my own hardcast lead bullets and load my own ammo and use a 300 grain bullet with around an 18 BN hardness.  I rarely carry it anymore since the Glock is so much handier and I'm rarely in Grizzly territory.

 

I also built a couple of long arms for use as camp guns and short hiking guns.  The first I built was a Marlin 1894 carbine in .45 Colt that used the same loads as my Ruger pistol.  I added a picatinny rail for a light, comfy sling, red dot sight, and a stock pouch with extra rounds.  It sort of triggers the lever gun purists, but I built it as an effective woods gun and I like it.

 

Next, I found the Marlin not 100% reliable in feeding and a bit heavy, so I built an AR-15 chambered in .450 Bushmaster.  I adopted the same sling, optics, and light from the Marlin.  Also added an extra mag pouch.  But, it turned out nearly as heavy as the marlin, but it's got a bit more power, has been 100% reliable, and I love it!

Picture of my Woods cartridges, all homemade, lol.  Though the .45-70 isn't technically a "woods" gun, it is a Winchester 1885 high wall single-shot buffalo rifle I used in matches when I lived in Arizona.

 

From left to right:  .45-70 govt., .450 Bushmaster, .45 Colt, 10mm, and .40 S&W.

 

 

[wiiawiwb]

Wowser! Great collection of woods guns PNW!

 

I think a 45-70 is a perfect woods gun and have wanted a Marlin GSBL for a while. We have similar taste as I have a Ruger Toklat (454 Casull), that I shoot a lot of 45 Colt from, and a Glock 40 MOS. I think 10mm is an excellent choice for a handgun in the woods.

 

Do you reload?

[norseman]

My Marlin guide gun has never jammed. .45-70

New black series....

 

 

[Huntster]

When I learned recently that Mini Garands (16" barrels) can be had in 35 Whelen, Iknew I had to have one. I was imagining an 8 round semi-auto in a rifle the near same length/weight as my Marlin Guide gun, but.........

 

It appears that you can't get a full clip of 8 rounds with the bigger 35 caliber bullets. Five round max......unless Schuff's has perfected grinding the guide ramps down. Plus a 16" barrel means velocities down, and maybe under 2500 fps with a 225 grain bullet. AFAIC, that's sacrificing too much, especially with a $2K+ purchase price.

 

Then I thought that a Mini Garand with a full 8 rounds of 30-06, especially 200 grains, would be just about as good.........until I again factored in the loss of velocity. So 8 rounds of 180 grain Swift A-Frames? I'm still tempted, if I could get the velocities above 2500 fps.......and I bet I could. 

 

Ultimately, rebuilding two bathrooms, needing a transmission in my truck, and needing to re-power my boat pretty much negates the dream. After all, I've got the Marlin Guide Gun and a Browning Stainless Stalker Alaska Special 338 Mag, not to mention an M1 Garand Tanker (18" barrel) in 7.62x51.

 

 

 

 

Edited June 19, 2020 by Huntster

[NCBFr]

2 hours ago, norseman said:

My Marlin guide gun has never jammed. .45-70

New black series....

 

 

What scope do you mount on it?