# Need Suggestions



## manitou (Jul 22, 2009)

I want to get a .45 revolver for protection in the wilderness. What recommendations do you guys have for model and make? I'm looking for first-hand experience, not suggestions from someone who has read an online review.


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## Steve M1911A1 (Feb 6, 2008)

Suggestion: Some semi-auto pistols are thinner, lighter, and easier to carry than are most .45 revolvers. However, some of them are more difficult to learn to shoot well.

What do you envision as your need for a gun in the woods?
Why are you thinking about a revolver, in particular?
Have you a preference for a particular .45 cartridge?
How much pistol-shooting experience have you had?


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## PhilR. (Apr 25, 2007)

manitou said:


> I want to get a .45 revolver for protection in the wilderness.


Protection from what? People? Animals? Large carnivores?

The answer to that question will determine the suggestions you requested......


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## fliperoo (May 22, 2009)

PhilR. said:


> Protection from what? People? Animals? Large carnivores?


trees maybe? :smt082


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## PhilR. (Apr 25, 2007)

fliperoo said:


> PhilR. said:
> 
> 
> > Protection from what? People? Animals? Large carnivores?
> ...


Hey - don't laugh. I had a girlfriend once that had a tree jump out in front of her while she was driving. Ruined a nice example of those old German Capri's......


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## dosborn (Apr 17, 2009)

I just spoke of this gun in another post minutes ago, Taurus Judge. I know alot of people say Taurus is junk right now but you should be able to find a good one. If not, send it back on their dime and they will fix it or replace it at no charge. I suggested the Judge because you can shoot 45 long colt or .410 shot shells out of the same gun. You can even do 1/2 longs and 1/2 shots.


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## manitou (Jul 22, 2009)

What do you envision as your need for a gun in the woods? Large canivoure protection
Why are you thinking about a revolver, in particular? I don't want the the gun just for large carnivoures. I like the style of the revolver, and the impression it makes on people tends to be more impressive than a Sprinfield XD, for example
Have you a preference for a particular .45 cartridge? Not a huge preference. I would probably prefer to use hollow-points
How much pistol-shooting experience have you had? I have been shooting the pistols of my relatives and friends since I was 8 years old. In fact, a pistol was the first gun I ever fired. My uncle shot a pop can with his to demonstrate to me what happens to inside a person when they are shot, and why you should NEVER point a firearm at a human being. He then proceeded to hand me the weapon, told me to keep it pointed at the pop can, and then retrieved the popcan placing himself directly in the line of fire of an 8 year old haha.


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## Steve M1911A1 (Feb 6, 2008)

• Revolvers are easier to learn to manipulate than are semi-autos.
• Semi-autos absorb some of the recoil, as the slide moves and the spring works.
Yer pays yer money and yer takes yer choice...

• The "impression" that your pistol makes on somebody must not be an issue. You should not be waving it around, either to show it off or to intimidate someone. If you expose it to the world, it should be only because you are going to shoot it at something. Or somebody.

• A good new revolver will cost more than a good new semi-auto. _Do not buy a cheap revolver._
• A good used revolver will cost more than a good used semi-auto, but it will be easier to find out whether the semi-auto is in good working condition.

• All of the ordinarily-available .45 cartridges are about equally powerful. There's .45 ACP, .45 GAP, .45 Auto-Rim, and .45 "Long" Colt.
• The .45 ACP will be found in more gun shops, and in more different configurations, for instance with good HP bullets, than the others. However, you can't conveniently use it in a revolver without separate "moon" or "half-moon" cartridge clips. Instead, there's .45 Auto-Rim...if you can find it in a store.
• The .45 "Long" Colt is a traditional revolver cartridge, but the loads you will be most able to find will be reduced-power "cowboy competition" loads.

• The best new revolvers these days come from Smith & Wesson. They're not cheap.
• The best used revolvers are also S&Ws. They're not cheap either.

Anyway, that's my "take" on the answers to your questions.
Other people may feel differently.


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## fiasconva (Jun 14, 2009)

I have to agree that Smith and Wesson do make the best revolvers and of course, are the most expensive. However, Ruger makes a great revolver and they are very durable and are less expensive. Some people prefer them to the Smith's. Also, Ruger makes a revolver that has interchangeable cylinders so you can load either 45 acp or 45 colt, whichever you prefer or have available. Check out Ruger's website or the Ruger forum.


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## Steve M1911A1 (Feb 6, 2008)

fiasconva said:


> I have to agree that Smith and Wesson do make the best revolvers and of course, are the most expensive. However, Ruger makes a great revolver and they are very durable and are less expensive. Some people prefer them to the Smith's. Also, Ruger makes a revolver that has interchangeable cylinders so you can load either 45 acp or 45 colt, whichever you prefer or have available. Check out Ruger's website or the Ruger forum.


You're right of course.
Sorry...
Didn't think of that Ruger.


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## Mr.clean (Jul 30, 2009)

Ruger makes some of the most reliable guns.


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## clanger (Jan 27, 2009)

I've been around the block a few times.....

Wanna shoot a .45 cal revolver?

Here's one that will do just that, also shoot +P .45 LC Buffalo Bore (excellent defence round), and, the uber-obnoxious .454 Casull (why ......). You can plink with standard .45 LC as well.

Forget about the semi-auto. Those are made for people, not furry critters with big claws and teeth.

Get one of these, stuff it in a Simply Rugged pancake and get back on with your life, knowing same is well protected. This will keep on belching fire long after the Smith has expired. It has the thickest top strap ever. 
I've shot a *lot* of PD HG's, this one is a keeper and I really love it. After the trigger and sear 'marry' it's really slick and super easy to pull. The grip is excellent and made by Hogue esp. for this model.

Comes in .44mag too. :smt033


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## clanger (Jan 27, 2009)

No disrespect to the author but, I disasgree with the below in a lot of cases:



> • A good new revolver will cost more than a good new semi-auto.
> • A good used revolver will cost more than a good used semi-auto


W/ 'good' meaning 'premium': 
Premium big-bore and, even small bore semi-auto's, are much more than premium revolvers and sometimes twice the price.

The Ruger I pictured is 900$, $750.00 through Davidsons.

A decent 1911, in .45 and 9mm, starts at about $1000.00 and goes up from there. Way up. I don't consider poly-framed, DA semi's 'premium' type firearms.

And:



> • The best new revolvers these days come from Smith & Wesson. They're not cheap.
> • The best used revolvers are also S&Ws. They're not cheap either.


If one has the money you can't go wrong with the service at S/W. S/W charges a premiere grade price for a premium firearm. 
Being the most expensive does not mean being the best.


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## Steve M1911A1 (Feb 6, 2008)

I didn't mean "premium," I meant "good."
As in "practical and completely functional."

Yes, revolvers are made that fire much more powerful cartridges than do semi-autos. I wrote about semi-autos just as something more to consider, since all non-Magnum .45 cartridges are approximately equal in power.
Further, since the question was about ".45 revolvers," not ".454 Casull revolvers," I took the question at face value and wrote about non-Magnum guns.

I am not sure about the need for the interchangeability of a two-cylinder revolver capable of firing .45 ACP and .45 "Long" Colt, since the two cartridges are approximately equal in power and utility.


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## clanger (Jan 27, 2009)

Copy that.... :smt023

As stated- he was interestd in a .45cal roller (which a .454 will fire, as well as .45 LC +P etc, which is the least one really needs for Mr. Fur-n-fang protection as opposed to something going 900'/ps w/ 300#/' of ME...).... for wilderness protection. 

Ain't no gun better for that job than a Ruger Alaskan. It's what it was designed for.


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## Steve M1911A1 (Feb 6, 2008)

Good point.
Agreed.

Hard to shoot well, of course. But one is not likely to need more than one shot, and from up very close.


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## clanger (Jan 27, 2009)

I thougt it was gonna be hard too.... 

Hold it high, stroke and poke. 

At 41 oz. it aint no lightweight and that helps. W/ Buffalo Bore .44m and hot +P .45 LC the recoil is very doable. 
Either are way more doable than a .454 and one can reaquire and recover twice as fast for follow up if nec/possible. 

The ultimate was the .480 Ruger. Half the pressure of the SRP Casull with 3/4's the energy. A GREAT round and pistol and they dropped it from the line up. 
I prefer the .480 Ruger over them all as a back-country SD firearm.


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