Image in choosing your tools

E

Eric_425

Joined
Sep 21, 2002
Messages
460
I always thought it a source of pride to be practical. I'm not some mall ninja wannabe. My knives are spyderco's and an HI. Plain, but very functional, and just do their jobs perfectly. But this next decision. Handguns, I feel a bit of shame for wanting an autoloader over a revolver. It's for recreation, protection and I'd like to try deer hunting sometime too.

If I go auto, a 10mm is pretty much the only choice I've got that'll fit my criteria. It's a highly accurate load, and probably the only one with enough power if I intend to try hunting. I'll probably have to go with an EAA witness, or try to find a good used glock 20. They're the only ones in production nowadays. The others are rare and/or expensive. It's kind of a crapshoot for reliability with the witness. Some are great, some can't get through 1 magazine without jamming

I know revolvers are reliable, give a broad range of choices, more accurate, and shoot more powerful calibers.

But... they're just so damn ugly to me. They're like an old man's gun. I think that's the only reason I'm leaning towards the autos.
 
I am far from fitting the mall ninja mold, and really have never subscribed to it.
With age has come the wisdom of fitting in, making myself look like another middle-aged Dad out shopping for his kid.
At 5'9, 180ish, and pushing 49, that's pretty much who I am.
That I may or may not be armed at any given time is not something I even want people speculating on.
I have no firearms related decals on my vehicles, I rarely wear pro-gun apparel, and never when armed.
Although I will deal with trouble as required of me, I don't go trolling for it.

Go with what fits your hand best, and points most naturally for you.
Then put as much ammo through it as you can afford, and spend what isnt left over on training.
I wrassled with a Colt Detective Special for a couple years, after buying into the "old school"
philosohy of small frame revolvers for self-defense.
I bought a Sig 229 back in around 93 and couldnt get used to the trigger, sold it.
I finally found what works for me (see gun pics thread), and thats a CZ.
The EAA Witness is actually a clone of the CZ 75B action.

Good luck and good shooting.

DaddyDett
 
Eric,
Old man's gun?? lol I carry a 4" 357.mag most of the time I am out oin the woods..


Me and daddy have similar taste's in gun's and I have fired the Eaa Witness 10mm a couple of times...The springs suck in them...I would get a kit from Wolf and some bullets from doubletap and go and sin no more:D
 
Found a taurus .44 mag like new for under $300. Guess I should jump on it?
pix2797111640.jpg
 
Not a bad price...Would I get it?? doubtful but I am biased towards the .357 for most of what I need it for..

44mag is fine though and if it gets your motor running then have at it:thumbup:
 
I really like the EAA Witness line. They have the grip frame reminiscient of the old CZ-75 models, and feel super comfortable. The metal work is excellent on the ones I've fired. You could do a lot worse.

Norm
 
Should you choose the .44 mag, the best penetration comes with 10.0 to 10.2 grains Unique under anyones 240 grain bullet. I preferred Hornady's 240 JHP. This load comes in about 3/4 full throttle, comfortable recoil, and all the accuracy you could want. I carried it on the job for about seventeen years, until policy changes made me switch to a .45 auto. The guy who told you that the 10mm would do something the 45 ACP won't is badly misleading you. Whichever handgun you choose, practice resting your wrists on either side of a tree, or grasp a sapling about 1 1/2 or 2"" as a field rest....just make sure the front edge of the cylinder is not in line with any part of your anatomy!!!
 
Great. Now this is swaying me back towards the witness. They're supposed to be great unless you have to deal with warranty issues. I also love the grip, the price, and vastly prefer the looks of the thing.

Jurassic, why won't the 10mm be better than the .45acp for hunting? The 10 is supposed to be on a power level between the .357 magnum and the .41 mag, with factory loaded ammo delivering over 750 foot lbs, 135 grains at 1600 fps from a 4.5 inch barrel. I've heard of .45 +p loads, do they make enough power to take large game with? It'd save me a bunch of money, plus ammo and gun selection opens up massively.

The .44 just seems more practical... Like an ugly girl who can cook, make you laugh, and makes money, compared to the stunning, jobless model who can't do anything but you have fun with. Argh.
 
I was extremely happy with my Witness, and when I had some questions EAA was quick to answer and very helpful.

Sadly, I had to sell it before I had it too long due to needing the money to help out a family member.
 
Your analogy regarding the .44 is on the money. I would steer you in that direction, with this caveat....what is sold as 'mid-range' practice ammo recoils less (good for practice, short on penetration) and full house stuff is down right jarring to shoot. What you want puts a 240 grain out at 1,100 to 1250 fps....pleasant to shoot, and consequently you will shoot it better. If you or a friend don't reload, stick with a 45 or 10mm with a full 5" barrel (barrels shorter than 4" give up too much). I've shot deer with both 44 and 45...aim to put a hole thru BOTH lungs, no fancy neck or spine shots, and you'll be just fine. That said, NOTHING beats a rifle where legal.
 
jurassicnarc44 said:
Your analogy regarding the .44 is on the money. I would steer you in that direction, with this caveat....what is sold as 'mid-range' practice ammo recoils less (good for practice, short on penetration) and full house stuff is down right jarring to shoot. What you want puts a 240 grain out at 1,100 to 1250 fps....pleasant to shoot, and consequently you will shoot it better. If you or a friend don't reload, stick with a 45 or 10mm with a full 5" barrel (barrels shorter than 4" give up too much). I've shot deer with both 44 and 45...aim to put a hole thru BOTH lungs, no fancy neck or spine shots, and you'll be just fine. That said, NOTHING beats a rifle where legal.
Click to expand...

Hunted deer once (successfully) with my scoped S&W Model 29. After doing it once, I liken the experience to bow hunting deer. I found I need to have a steady rest and be within 40 yards of the deer to be comfortable with the experience. In other words...to me handgun hunting deer is about like bow hunting deer and not really my cup of tea. It is not really a "stunt", but calls for better than average skill and discipline on the part of the hunter. I'd much rather use a rifle, or even a good slug gun on deer. Also be aware of your state's regs. on handgun hunting. Mine will allow a .357mag. , but not .45acp for example. Just for what it is worth on the topic.

Jeff
 
devo55 said:
Hunted deer once (successfully) with my scoped S&W Model 29. After doing it once, I liken the experience to bow hunting deer. I found I need to have a steady rest and be within 40 yards of the deer to be comfortable with the experience.

Jeff
Click to expand...
Jeff, my distance limit with a handgun is also 40-50 yards. In 1966-67 as a National Park Ranger, I culled some off Jamestown Island (overpopulated for winter carrying capacity). Note my remarks above on learning to shoot with wrists against tree, or holding sapling to steady your shooting hand.
 
etp, svashtar, or others who've seen the fullsize witnesses, are they really big enough to make for an awkward concealed carry? They seem to be sold out everywhere. Heh heh... actually, I've kind of become engrossed in a kind of sick fascination with the new kel-tec PLR-16 semi auto pistol, after spotting it. So impractical, but so much fun. It's huge, and almost certainly too big to cc except maybe during the wintertime. 18" in overall length. About 3 lbs. I think it'd be like trying to carry a full size ang khola as your edc. And yeah, it's a kel-tec.

But it just looks so damn cool. I can imagine much fun that would be to shoot. More FPE than even the .44 magnum, 2-3" groups at 100yrds, mild recoil, and inexpensive to boot.
 
Eric_425 said:
Found a taurus .44 mag like new for under $300. Guess I should jump on it?
pix2797111640.jpg
Click to expand...

I had that exact pistol.(M44) It was lots of fun to shoot, but it isn't drilled and tapped to mount a scope- so not the greatest for hunting. I sold it to help pay for my Glock 27.
 
Rat Finkenstein said:
...It was lots of fun to shoot, but it isn't drilled and tapped to mount a scope- so not the greatest for hunting. ....
Click to expand...

scope?

reminds me of a day back about '75 in decatur, alabama; drove across the river to the local shootin' spot to test some 45-70 hand-loads, found i'd not seated the primers good enuff so's it took two hammer blows, one to seat, the other to make it go boom (took them home carefully removed bullets & powder, reseated primers & they were fine, kicked like a mule, but fine).

anyhow, since the 45-70 was a washout, i took my ruger .22 auto (iron sights) & popped a few cans.

just about ready to leave & walking back to the pickmeup truck & here comes one of the new engineers from the project i was working on. he pulled out a scoped .223 & came over & asked me what i'd ben shootin' at, i pointed to some tin cans about 100yds away. (i'd been shootin' at them from about 20 yds, but didn't tell him that)

he started on about his super dooper varmint special tack driver, so i asked him to pop one of them cans. he missed by about 6in. just for the hell of it i sent one down range from the .22 knowing i'd not a chance in hell, but darned if the can he'd just missed didn't jump up in the air. i immediately packed up & went home. he spent about a year tellin everyone how i was the most deadly pistol shot he'd ever seen. i'd smile of course. :D

that's 'image in choosing yor tools' !
 
Good story. :D I had a similar accidental bullseye with the .44, shooting at a target taped to a fridge 100yards away.

If I was hunting with a pistol, I would want a scope- for better accuracy so as not to wound the deer, but to kill it outright.
 
.44 favorite practice load 16.5 grains 2400 under any 240grain bullet. Low recoil, highly consistant velocity, and accurate as hell in my 629. ****disclaimer*****Always read and follow information in loading manuals, never exceed max loadings.***end disclaimer***
 
Eric_425 said:
etp, svashtar, or others who've seen the fullsize witnesses, are they really big enough to make for an awkward concealed carry? They seem to be sold out everywhere. Heh heh... actually, I've kind of become engrossed in a kind of sick fascination with the new kel-tec PLR-16 semi auto pistol, after spotting it. So impractical, but so much fun. It's huge, and almost certainly too big to cc except maybe during the wintertime. 18" in overall length. About 3 lbs. I think it'd be like trying to carry a full size ang khola as your edc. And yeah, it's a kel-tec.

But it just looks so damn cool. I can imagine much fun that would be to shoot. More FPE than even the .44 magnum, 2-3" groups at 100yrds, mild recoil, and inexpensive to boot.
Click to expand...

Yea I am waiting for someone to ask for a belt rig for this...:D

If I wasnt in the grips of "kitfever" I might have to get one of these...
 
Heh, the long range AR pistol. It must make people giddy to shoot.

cat20.jpg


KelTecPLR16scope.jpg


They're trying to market it as a long range hunting machine. 2600 fps.





KelTecPLR162.jpg
 
They're trying to market it as a long range hunting machine. 2600 fps.
KelTecPLR162.jpg
Click to expand...

or a short range flame thrower :D

don't need no bullets, the muzzle flash will scare the target to death!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top