What caliber suits my needs best?

[streetstang67]

I'm trying to choose a caliber that suits my needs. I'll be getting a semi-auto handgun soon, and it needs to be a good all-around handgun, good for plinking and target shooting, good for carrying for protection when hunting, and defensive protection as well. Also, I'm interested in IDPA, so this gun might be used for that as well.

So, what caliber suits my needs?

[IanS]

Any service cartridge 9mm/.38 and up will be just fine for all of the above mentioned with a handgun. But since you mentioned a sidearm to take while hunting it will depend on what you're likely to run into while you're out there. If its belligerant two legged creatures, again 9mm/.38 and up will be fine. But dangerous animals like grizzly bear or moose you'll want a .44 Magnum minimum and pray God will be merciful on your soul.

[Sturmgewehre]

Yup, get a good quality 9mm or .357/.38 (if you're into revolvers).

9mm is pretty cheap compared to most other calibers out there. If you have a Wal-Mart near you (most everyone does) you can buy 100 rounds of quality Winchester White Box for $14 or so. That's usually about half the price of .45 ACP or other calibers. It's why I shoot so much 9mm and have so many 9mm handguns. :)

As IanS said, I don't know what you want to protect yourself from while hunting (bear, snakes, people, etc). The 9mm isn't the best choice if you live in bear country. But assuming you're talking about dangers posed by the the 2 legged variety of vermin, 9mm will suit you just fine as would any caliber 9mm or larger would.

If you want to get into a gun for $500 or less and get high quality, consider a Glock 17/19, Beretta M9, S&W M&P, CZ75 or clone, or even a Taurus PT99.

[streetstang67]

I live in SC, so when hunting, the general animals that I could run into include snakes, coyotes, and if I'm in the mountains, possibly a black bear or mountain lion...haven't heard of anybody around there thats run into any mountain lions, but I have heard reports of black bear.

[Silvanus]

Apart from bear defence, you can do just about everything with a good 9mm. The same could be said of a .45, .40, .357 sig, etc, though. But they are more expensive and IMO not needed.

[Sturmgewehre]

Generally bear are easily avoided, especially black bear. You're better armed with knowledge than weapons when dealing with black bear. You should never have to actually kill one. That's not to say they can't go completely mad and attack you, for which you would be well served by a good handgun like a .454 or .44 Mag. But I wouldn't live in fear of them as they are really very little threat if you handle yourself right.

So, it sounds like a good full sized service style handgun in 9mm might fit your needs. Here are my favorites:

1) Glock 17
2) Sig Sauer P226
3) Beretta M9
4) H&K USP (just a little big for 9mm IMHO)
6) CZ 75B

The M&P's appear to be very good pistols, I just haven't bought one yet. I'll probably pick one up this summer, I'm just in no hurry as I have plenty of 9mm's I enjoy shooting. But you should look into these handguns if you're serious about a good 9mm.

[BabyEagle.40]

Go with a 40. It's a powerful caliber that really is not that expensive. I like the 357 too but they cost to much to shoot at targets.

[BigJimP]

For defense in the woods, I like a revolver, its easy to carry in a shoulder holster and keep it out of the way while hiking, fishing, etc. Personally, I'd recommend a 6" barrel in a .357 mag or in a .44 mag. A good used one will cost you about $ 500 - $600 depending on what you want - an older S&W model 27 or model 29 would be perfect.

On a semi-auto I think a 9mm is a good choice for some competitive shooting, plinking, etc and the ammo is less expensive.

A .40 S&W or a .45 ACP would be good defensive calibers / and ok in competition as well but ammo is a lot more money.

In a 9mm, I prefer the 1911 frame - Kimber, Wilson Combat, etc or a SIG 226 model.

[Socrates]

Revolvers do really shine in hunting.
However, you do have some choices. 460 Rowland barrel swap on a 1911, 45 Super in a strong gun, and, 10 MM.

Key is to find a gun that allows you to shoot cheaper ammo in the same gun. In a revolver, the 44 magnum/44 special do this, as do the 357/38, which, with heavy bullets should work on bears. You also have the 454/45Colt, which would be my pick, in a revolver. Cheap 45 ACP bullets can be loaded for plinking in either 454 or 45 Colt brass, but, you pretty much have to reload, same with 44. 357/38 revolver would be your cheapest, and easiest to generally use.

However, Glock 29's, and the 10mm glocks are also excellent choices for a woods gun. 200 grain slow expanding bullet at 1250 fps is an excellent hunting/defense round. With Glocks, barrels and parts are cheap, and you can swap barrels to go to 40 S&W, and, I think, 9mm, with different magazines. Same with 45 ACP/45 Super in the Glock 30, and bigger glocks, with different springs.

I'm not a big fan, but, I'm getting there. For the price, they are very hard to beat. Just don't put anything in the trigger guard unless shooting.

Dr. S

[Sacha Baron]

Sig P220 w/ night sights !

end of story :p

its a .45 in case you didn't know the caliber

I think it meets all your needs

"needs to be a good all-around handgun, good for plinking and target shooting, good for carrying for protection when hunting, and defensive protection as well. Also, I'm interested in IDPA, so this gun might be used for that as well."

[DennisE]

Semiauto = 9 mm, Revolver = .38/.357 Magnum! Dennis