Looking for opinions on a woods gun. . .

I carry a S&W Model 13 with fixed sights. I shoot .357 and 38's through it without loss of accuracy. The best thing to do with any firearm is practice. Fixed sights work just fine and do not get snagged on things. Practice with both ammo's and you will get the feel of your gun. I like the .357 because I can also use shotshell loads out of it.
 
not to hijack the thread but What about a ruger single six with interchangable cylinders for .22lr and . 22 mag?.....the lr's are great for plinking and putting a bunny or a grouse in the pot...and a belly full of .22mags would be more than enough to discourage any would be bad guys....I know a .22 (even the mag) is not considered a great self defense round....and it is certainly less than perfect, but they are cheap to practice alot with, and easy to control in terms of recoil....I've seen people shot with .22 lr's and and be fine afterwards. I've seen others shot with the same cartridge that died on the spot...I've seen the same with 9mm cartridges...If I was only concerned with defending myself I think .357 would be a great way to go, but If I was looking for something to plink, and small game hunt with that could be used in a an unlikely pinch that I think you could do worse than a single 6, but that's just my opinion and while I like firearms my experience in using them tactically is extremely limited compared to many others here..
 
More good info on sights. Thanks L.W.! I wasn't really too worried about the adjustable sights anyway, but I think it is something I'll want to take into consideration when I start looking more seriously at my carry options. I'll try look for something that will give the rear sights a little protection if possible.

Alright, you all have just about got me talked into the 4 inch barrel now. I was leaning toward the 6 inch for more accuracy and a bit of extra weight to soak up recoil. I don't imagine there'll be too big of a difference in the recoil, but do you think a 2 inch shorter barrel makes much difference in accuracy?

Thanks again for all of the great responses everyone! I know this is a knife forum, not a gun forum. I really value the opinions of a lot of folks on here though and it just made sense to me to ask here instead of going and starting over again as the newbie on another forum.
 
I've carried a six inch GP100 in stainless in the woods for a lot of years. If you're not going to carry it as a concealed weapon in town, the extra two inches of barrel length make the .357 mag even more formidable in the woods, and the couple of ounces of extra steel are not noticed. I've carried mine while hunting, backpacking, or off-road motorcycling in Utah, Idaho, Wyoming, and Washington.

Just a slight warning about shooting both .38 sp and .357 mag. If you shoot a lot of .38 sp and then start into .357 mag without cleaning the cylinder, you may find the longer .357 cartridges hard to load or extract. The shorter .38 cases allow for a build up of crud where the longer .357 cases need to be so just make sure you clean your cylinder occasionally, and whenever you go from .38 to .357.

I think you've picked a winner with the Ruger!
 
Without a quite a bit of practice, its hard to hit anything with a 2 1/2 03 three inch 357. I would go with the 6 inch even though its harder to carry. The difference in shootability is like night and day between a 3 inch and 6 inch barrel. Personally unless you need the fire power, I too would go with a 22 caliber. The Ruger GP-100 is among the best handguns ever built and even though I have also had the Colt, they Ruger is the TANK of magnum revolvers.
 
RescueRiley said:
not to hijack the thread but What about a ruger single six with interchangable cylinders for .22lr and . 22 mag?
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When I'm out with a rifle, this is exactly what I carry. They are great guns, but I stick with magnums or WRF ammo if I want .22 LR velocities. Reason is, the LR cylinder is by necessity as long as the Magnum cylinder and the cylinder gap jump for the .22 LR seems to be a bit too much, making the .22LR much less accurate than the WMR or WRF, at least in mine.

However, if one is only going to carry a sidearm, IMO a .357 is a wonderful choice, and the GP-100 is probably one of, if not the toughest one out there. Also the ones I've shot have been incredibly accurate.
 
I carry a 22/45 3" in my Maxpedition. I consider the .22 to be the ultimate survival gun. If you can hit it, you can kill it.

I normally carry a rifle in addition, but if it's knock around in the woods, the .22 pistol is fine.

If I were going into cat or bear country, I'd up it to a 10mm or .44.
 
That's the .22 I've been looking at Robert H. I was figuring that would be my 2nd gun. The posts suggesting a .22 are starting to make me reconsider though. I may do a 180 and get the .22 first. :confused:
 
I have a 4 inch 686 and think that it's a really versatile weapon but after buying a 642, I hardly even touch the magnum anymore. A four inch magnum really can't compete with an air lite .38 snubby as far as packability. But if you're set on carrying the gun in a pack and not on your hip/pocket then the Ruger is a good choice. Although I recomend Smith's. It's worth the extra money IMO.;)
 
You can't go wrong with the Ruger 100. I'm partial to the 4" barrel since it is easier to carry than the 6" barrels. I spent a long time going over what gun to purchase and really, I think a .357 magnum revolver is a great first gun. A revolver more simple to operate than a semi-automatic. The 357, as you noted, can also fire .38s giving you more versatility in your fire power. Go get the gun, use it and then you have a better idea of what features you like and dislike before you buy the next time. You will always have a great gun in the meantime.

I have the Smith and Wesson Model 13 with a 4" barrel in .357 magnum. I like it as it is easy to port around. We have Russian boars and mountain lions at the ranch where I hunt and I like to keep the .357 with me in case one of them comes along. The gun does not get in the way too often. The ranch is private property so it is OK to carry in the open.

When I go hiking in public trails and have to carry concealed, I use a snubby 2" barrel Charter Arms airweight Off-Duty in .38 Special. It fits in a pocket holster and I hardly know it is there. I pulled it out once when wild hog jumped out of its bed in front of me. Luckily for the both of us, it went the other way.
 
Salamander42 said:
That's the .22 I've been looking at Robert H. I was figuring that would be my 2nd gun. The posts suggesting a .22 are starting to make me reconsider though. I may do a 180 and get the .22 first. :confused:
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Depends on where you live. If you have boar or cats, I'd go with the .357. Anywhere else, the .22 will kill it, with decent shot placement.

Of course it's for survival, otherwise known as poaching. ;)

A 357 does have the ability to run a wife variety of loads, including birdshot.

Like anything else, it's location, location, location.
 
Ask yourself what you are really looking for: a dedicated carry gun that is light enough to hump yet versatile/powerful enough to do what you want, or..

A range pistol that will but fun yet affordable.

I would not consider a GP100 as a woods gun. Not because it isn't a good gun, it is. Rugged, well made and reliable, absolutely. But heavy, especially if you want a 6" barrel.

If you want a handgun that would be fun to shoot at the range, it would be a better choice. But have you checked the prices of factory ammo lately?

How much are you willing to spend on ammo? How much do you want to shoot?

For someone who has never owned a gun, I would suggest a quality .22 auto or revolver.

A Ruger auto or revolver would be my suggestion, but in a mid-length barrel.

Those long barrels had a lot of weight, and they make the whole package harder to conceal, if that is legal in your area.

.22 ammo is by far the least expensive factory ammo these days. A box of premium .38/.357 can cost you from $10.00 - $25.00 per box of 50.

My first revolver was this, a six inch model 28 S&W. It's an "N" frame, at least the size of the GP100.
100_1024.jpg


I bought that revolver while I was in high school in the late '70's. I never carried it then, but I did hunt with it. Even then, ammo was expensive for me, so the next handgun I bought was this one -
100_1027.jpg


I have put many thousands of rounds through that Ruger Mark I, and I laid the groundworks with the .22 for the handgunner I have become.

I shot lots, lots more because I had a .22.

Good luck with your choices!

Andy
 
While it only has a 3" barrel, I like to carry this very light S&W 317 AirLite .22LR. It carries well and with a little practice, it is pretty easy to hit with. Handy for rattlesnakes and such. It makes a great woods gun, IMO.

SW317001.jpg
 
I often use a 2.5 inch S&W Model 19-5 .357 as a woods gun. There's nothing wrong with the GP-100 s a woods gun but it is a hevyweight revolver. I wouldn't go with the six inch barrel. I´d prefer the three or four inch. That six inch barrel is going to add alot of weight to an already heavy gun.

Like others have said if you want to get good with a handgun buy a .22. I learned to shoot with a Single-Six. As an adult buying a first gun for woods carry or home defense the .357 magnum is a good choice. You will soon be shopping for a .22 understudy to practice with though, so prepare the wife. Mac
 
My 2¢:

The GP-100 is a fine gun, but since this is going to be your first gun, a .22 is a better choice. Shooting a handgun well is a skill which requires a lot of practice so that you can get the fundamentals down. .22 ammo is a lot cheaper than .38 or .357, which allows you to practice more for the same money.

Just as important, the noise and recoil of a .22 is much less than even a .38. New shooters are often distracted from concentrating on the basics of sight picture and trigger squeeze because they are anticipating recoil and the muzzle blast. A .22 is less likely to induce this and cause you to pick up bad habits which you'll need to unlearn to become a good pistol shot.

I prefer revolvers over autoloaders for teaching new shooters, since the manual of arm is simpler. Additionally, revolvers are less dependent upon the quality of the ammunition for reliable functioning.

The Ruger Single Six as has already been mentioned is an excellent choice. They are available in stainless steel for reduced maintenance, and come with interchangeable cylinders chambered for .22 LR and .22 Magnum. This allows you to practice cheaply with .22 LRs, then swap cylinders and have the more powerful .22 Mags on tap.
 
I went with a Ruger Single Six Convertible for my first pistol. It's blued with the 5.5" Barrel and agustible sights. The .22 Mags are way fun to shoot and fly really fast. It has better penatration then a .38 special but makes a smaller hole. So, if you practice a lot and have good shot placement a .22 Mag works great!!

Bought a Ruger Blackhawk Convertible in .357 Mag/9mm. This one is also blued but has the 4and 5/8th inch barrel. I've tried out the GP100 4" Stainless at the local range and also like that gun. With the right belt and holster I don't notice my 1911 with it's 5" barrel and 4 spare mags much. Though thats only wearing it around the house for a few hours a day.

A longer barrel gives you a bigger sight radious which makes it easier to shoot. The longer barrel will also give the .357 Mag more velocity which = better penatration. I like shooting 125 grain HSM brand .38's though mine. When I get a GP100 I'll probably get the 6" Barrel.

If you can, hold both the 6" and 4" side by side. That way you'll know which one you like better. You might find that the heavier barrel feels better or worse to you. If one is more comfortable to hold, it helps. Getting the .22 first though will help with practice and the Mags are great for protection.

Heber
 
Salamander42 said:
I was leaning toward the 6 inch for more accuracy and a bit of extra weight to soak up recoil. I don't imagine there'll be too big of a difference in the recoil, but do you think a 2 inch shorter barrel makes much difference in accuracy?
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Yes.

You'll get a 50% longer sight radius with a 6" barrel and more muzzle weight out front to steady the barrel.

Also, the extra 2" will help to hold the muzzle flip down, so your follow-up shots will be a bit faster.
 
I went out shooting today and my buddie brought out his 4in GP100 and I shot 150 rds out of it, 100 .357, and 50 .38. I had never shot a ruger revolver and I was impressed enough that I am gonna buy a 4in stainless GP100 this week. It points very natural and w/ the versitility of .38 or .357, its not that expensive to shoot. (compared w/ any other handgun not in .22) I say get the gun you want. You wont be disapointed.

The 4in however did not fit in my fatboy versipak. 3in would fit but 4in was too long. The 4in would fit in the jumbo, but I seriously doubt a 6in will fit. Whatever you choose, practice with it, and shoot safe!
 
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