Guns

This thread started with someone thinking about carrying, a serious decision and understandable in today's environment in which there are over a 100 shootings a day, much of it stranger on stranger.
I had two random encounters in the past that convinced me to cary, and went through the typical learning curve doing so.
Body type and clothes do much to determine carry comfort. Sturdy belts and cover clothing is essential.
Anyone who does carry has a shoebox or drawer full of holsters, searching for the most comfortable.
Recoil can be handled easily by some, poorly by others, nothing will prevent accuracy more than recoil flinching, so always best to match the caliber and weapon characteristics with tolerance.
Pistol mounted red/green dot optics have become very popular, as they are very fast to acquire with excellent accuracy, why they are the go to for SWAT and military.
Revolvers are bulkier and heavier to carry and are limited in rounds. A snubby like a Smith 642 is one of the most difficult handguns to shoot accurately, and reloading a revolver is slower and takes more skill than swapping semi-auto magazines.
The new generations of high-capacity micro-compacts that started with the staggered magazine Sig 365 has been a carry game changer with 10 to 12 rounds on tap with surprising recoil control and accuracy.
One can never practice enough, even if it is just dry firing at home, and the spring loaded snap caps mentioned are best for protecting the weapon while practicing.
Storage is critical, any weapon in the house needs to be locked up when not in use. As someone who keeps a 9mm with multiple loaded magazines in his truck regardless of personal carry, I employ a ConsoleVault which secures both the weapon and the cash I like to keep available. If I am going into a government or medical bld that forbids guns my carry piece goes in there as well. Never leave a weapon unsecured in an unattended vehicle.
Some of us have been shooting for many decades so when deciding to carry are already comfortable with weapon management. For those that decide to carry not already weapon proficient, they would be well advised to put hundreds of rounds downrange with their chosen weapon before actually doing so, and should seriously consider taking one on one training with a licensed instructor.
 
SurfnFish said:
This thread started with someone thinking about carrying, a serious decision and understandable in today's environment in which there are over a 100 shootings a day, much of it stranger on stranger.
I had two random encounters in the past that convinced me to cary, and went through the typical learning curve doing so.
Body type and clothes do much to determine carry comfort. Sturdy belts and cover clothing is essential.
Anyone who does carry has a shoebox or drawer full of holsters, searching for the most comfortable.
Recoil can be handled easily by some, poorly by others, nothing will prevent accuracy more than recoil flinching, so always best to match the caliber and weapon characteristics with tolerance.
Pistol mounted red/green dot optics have become very popular, as they are very fast to acquire with excellent accuracy, why they are the go to for SWAT and military.
Revolvers are bulkier and heavier to carry and are limited in rounds. A snubby like a Smith 642 is one of the most difficult handguns to shoot accurately, and reloading a revolver is slower and takes more skill than swapping semi-auto magazines.
The new generations of high-capacity micro-compacts that started with the staggered magazine Sig 365 has been a carry game changer with 10 to 12 rounds on tap with surprising recoil control and accuracy.
One can never practice enough, even if it is just dry firing at home, and the spring loaded snap caps mentioned are best for protecting the weapon while practicing.
Storage is critical, any weapon in the house needs to be locked up when not in use. As someone who keeps a 9mm with multiple loaded magazines in his truck regardless of personal carry, I employ a ConsoleVault which secures both the weapon and the cash I like to keep available. If I am going into a government or medical bld that forbids guns my carry piece goes in there as well. Never leave a weapon unsecured in an unattended vehicle.
Some of us have been shooting for many decades so when deciding to carry are already comfortable with weapon management. For those that decide to carry not already weapon proficient, they would be well advised to put hundreds of rounds downrange with their chosen weapon before actually doing so, and should seriously consider taking one on one training with a licensed instructor.
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Excellent advice!

Almost spit out my morning coffee regarding your holster comment......I have a large collection acquired over the past decades, although I haven't purchased one in several years....once I found what works for me. Tend to carry larger handguns IWB and smaller ones in pocket holsters, which is also why I own a large collection of cargo pants and shorts (I wonder if my PFD is rated to support me and all the crap I carry around in cargo pockets if I went in the drink? 😀).

Been thinking about getting a Glock 10mm to carry in a kydex chest harness if I go back to flyfish coastal streams in SE AK.

Yes, I know a 10mm ain't really big enough for bear, but neither is a Casull 454 (which I certainly wouldn't shoot enough to become proficient), but a Glock 10mm would allow me to send out a shitload of lead before I got chomped. A big-ass high recoil wheel gun is inherently slow. Maybe I'll just stick with bear spray in that 'bear-rich' environment.

A somewhat unrelated comment; some folks think a stainless steel handgun means you can ignore weapon maintenence. I know a fella in AK that did just that and found out the while the gun looked great on the outside the internals had corroded to the point of inoperability.
 
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krusty said:
een thinking about getting a Glock 10mm to carry in a kydex chest harness if I go back to flyfish coastal streams in SE AK.

Yes, I know a 10mm ain't really big enough for bear, but neither is a Casull 454 (which I certainly wouldn't shoot enough to become proficient), but a Glock 10mm would allow me to send out a shitload of lead before I got chomped. A big-ass high recoil wheel gun is inherently slow.
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I carried a G20 10mm in a chest harness in MT. Packs plenty of poop to take down a grizz. Actually out-performs the .41 Mag with the right ammo. The Norwegian Ski Rescue teams carry G20s for defense against brown bears.

 
Fair point. I think I'd feel much safer with a shotgun in Coastal AK than any pistol, regardless of the caliber.
 
I'm liking the advice to the OP of buying a 22 semiauto.

We all know guns are like fly rods, if you buy one you'll most likely buy another. Starting with something cheap to shoot and almost no recoil, will allow for plenty of practice shooting while developing minimal bad habits.

Send 1000 rounds down range with a Ruger MKIV, Browning Buckmark or Walther P22, then buy a carry pistol as a more educated and experienced shooter.
 
krusty said:
Not nearly big enough when you've been watching a massive sow with two cubs the size of adult black bears foraging at the mouth of the stream you're going to fish tomorrow morning.
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I get that 100%, but a bolt-action rifle with that level of recoil might be a little slower than you want for follow up shots.

IMO, if a rifle is the way you want to go for brown bear protection, I think I’d go with a .45-70 lever gun loaded with 425gr hard cast bullets. Much faster & more manageable.
 
Evan B said:
I have very above average size hands, and Glocks, especially my Glock 41 (.45 acp) with the beavertail attachment is my perfect fit.

While I have multiple concealed licenses that allow me to carry in all but a couple states, I'm not much into carrying (especially in cities) for a number of reasons. But if carrying is something you want to do but aren't comfortable for whatever reason, look into a Byrna. I think it solves a lot of the reservations most people have while still eliminating a threat.

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Do you have first hand experience with these? I am trying to get my wife more comfortable with firearms and have considered getting one of these for her. From the videos I’ve watched, I feel like it has enough power to stop an angry teen throwing a tantrum with ill intent but not an angry tweaker. Better than nothing if she is not willing to get comfortable with traditional firearms though. It would be most something for when she is home alone.

krusty said:
Not nearly big enough when you've been watching a massive sow with two cubs the size of adult black bears foraging at the mouth of the stream you're going to fish tomorrow morning.
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You just say “fuck off mate, I’m fishing this spot”. That usually works. They don’t always listen. This guy popped out of the brush right across from me last summer on the Moraine and did a super man dive off the bank in a poor attempt to get a sockeye right after I said it….to which I of course said, “fine, fine, you win” and walked back upriver, rather briskly, to the perceived safety of the raft and others in my party. To be fair, if a momma and cubs popped out and gotten this close, she would have gotten a polite smile, a free fly rod and potentially a pair of dirty skivvies dependent on her behavior :).

IMG_2312.jpeg
 
jasmillo said:
You just say “fuck off mate, I’m fishing this spot”. That usually works. They don’t always listen. This guy popped out of the brush right across from me last summer on the Moraine and did a super man dive off the bank in a poor attempt to get a sockeye right after I said it….to which I of course said, “fine, fine, you win” and walked back upriver, rather briskly, to the perceived safety of the raft and others in my party. To be fair, if a momma and cubs popped out and gotten this close, she would have gotten a polite smile, a free fly rod and potentially a pair of dirty skivvies dependent on her behavior :).

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I think it's a testament to wild bears' (bears not habituated to human contact) strong tendency to avoid humans under most circumstances. We fished the stream the morning after we saw the sow and big cubs (indeed most of bays we visited had brown bears rummaging around on shore) and while we saw plenty of bear tracks, piles of bear shit, and a few places in the brush where they'd bedded down, we didn't see any bears streamside. We made a lot of noise breaking through brush, and did plenty of talking....certainly bears were quite aware of our presence and did their best to avoid contact. Nonetheless it was a bit unsettling.

I should mention that a couple of years later, and a few miles away, a local hunter (and the Sitka deer he'd shot) were both eaten by a bear attracted by the shot and deer gut pile.
 
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jasmillo said:
Do you have first hand experience with these? I am trying to get my wife more comfortable with firearms and have considered getting one of these for her. From the videos I’ve watched, I feel like it has enough power to stop an angry teen throwing a tantrum with ill intent but not an angry tweaker. Better than nothing if she is not willing to get comfortable with traditional firearms though. It would be most something for when she is home alone.



You just say “fuck off mate, I’m fishing this spot”. That usually works. They don’t always listen. This guy popped out of the brush right across from me last summer on the Moraine and did a super man dive off the bank in a poor attempt to get a sockeye right after I said it….to which I of course said, “fine, fine, you win” and walked back upriver, rather briskly, to the perceived safety of the raft and others in my party. To be fair, if a momma and cubs popped out and gotten this close, she would have gotten a polite smile, a free fly rod and potentially a pair of dirty skivvies dependent on her behavior :).

View attachment 176920
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If by "first-hand experience" you mean testing on human subjects, then no. But they have a great reputation and are known to do the job just fine.
 
While camping in Black bear country, I've been told... that a Remington 870 with an 18" barrel, pistol grip, with a light that has a switch that you squeeze on the forearm...is a very nice "camping gun". In case of a threat... Rack the slide, squeeze the light switch ... so that the threat can be clearly identified (very important!) also the center of the light is where the lead will go, also because you have a pistol grip you have far greater awareness of your surroundings.
 
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Once I was demonstrating this to my girlfriend. I placed a gallon water jug a few yards outside of our campfire light. In a folksy playful accent I said.. " And now we have perceived a threat. I will now proceed to light up the area to identify the threat, I will now chamber a round and neutralize that threat. BOOM. I brought the tattered water jug back to the campfire....
 
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