Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Handguns 357 for general defense

HighRoad,

That is one good looking gun. Is it manageable with heavy, magnum rounds, say 158-to-180 grains?

I love lightweight guns for trout fishing in black bear habitat. I'm thinking of picking up an SP-101. But I'd like to shot one before I buy.

Yeah, watch out for those donut stuffed bears. They're in heat and super dangerous.

If you want an SP 101, look at the older Security Six in 357. I just bought a very nice stainless Security Six with Pachmyers for a shade less than $400 shipped. The SP 101's weigh 29-30 oz and the Security Six weighs 33 oz - both with 4" barrels. I'll save a couple hundred bucks and give up 4 oz.........

Highroad - dig those grips - who made those?

The .357 is overrated. A moderately loaded big bore will do a better job and not make your ears bleed.

I'd say you picked well. I like them too. Should last you the rest of your life. I've got a 4" and a 2-3/4" tough to beat.

Thanks for the pics HR. Nice Ruger!

Jason

In Oregon the min is 0.24 cal.

I can't remember the last time I went in the woods, mountains, or canyons without a sidearm, even with a rifle

I'd say it was worth 4 ounces to gain that extra hole in the cylinder.

This.

Missed that - another bonus!

Our cabin borders national forest. Sometimes we'll find them in our meadow (front yard) which is always fun. Always leads to the "shootin'em from the porch" comments. These were about a mile from the cabin. Our challenge here in WA State is drawing a tag for these guy's. In this unit, there's usually 1500 applicants trying for only two (2) branched bull tags. I was not drawn this year so I'll be hunting only "True Spikes" again . . . with a few other folks. Spikes become cherished trophies when that's all you can legally take.

Hogue, they are Pau Ferro wood -- looks like dark walnut.

I just came into a 4" Ruger Security Six, mfg. date 1973, serial 150-XXXXX. I purchased from original owner who put exactly 39-rounds through it. He included the box of Federal's he bought with the gun. 11 rounds left -- price tag on red and black box is $7.05! The revolver is rust free. However, it has a lot of holster wear. The holster was a sloppy fit and the rig has bounced around in his truck (s) for 40 years.

I see on Ruger's website that they will polish and reblue a revolver for $130 plus $30 return shipping. Does anyone have experience with this service by Ruger? Good deal?

I've got a T-Grip on the way!

A quick tale about sketchy people in the mountains might be in order. I realize the events occurred about 40 years ago, but things have probably only gotten worse.

I grew up in Knoxville and went to UT. One of my classmates in a Botany course was a National Park Service employee for the purpose of collecting data on wild hogs for a Master's thesis. Being an employee allowed him to carry a gun and shoot hogs. He had a uniform but was told by his superior never ever to wear it out in the field collecting data. He found out one day why.

He was sitting eating a snack up on the A.T. when a man just appeared out of the brush. The man had no pack or any other gear. He was just there. He sat down and talked to my friend for a while and asked about his hunting success. My friend never said the he was a NPS employee. After a few minutes, several more men appeared out of the brush carrying their guns, packs, and other gear. The were poachers who were waiting out of sight until they were convinced my friend was also a poacher.

The NPS supervisor later told my friend that he would probably have never made it out of the woods alive if he had told the man what he really was doing. The supervisor also said that there were probably 400-500 people poaching in the park every day and that a lot of those people would just as soon shoot you as look at you. Fortunately, most poachers stay away from the popular areas and trails.

Between moonshiners, pot growers, and poachers (not to mention crazed tree huggers), the remote areas can present some rather significant dangers.

Yep.

I hunt alot in the mountains north of Knoxville and get off on some remote logging roads. I came out on the road one day a few years ago right at dark and found a guy looking into my truck. I was about 100 yards from him and coughed. He saw me and moved up the road without acknowledging my presence. It was in hunting season and I was carrying a rifle which I think helped him decide to move on.

I also ran into a guy last summer 2-3 miles back in that acted nervous and plain weird. He asked me all sorts of questions related to law enforcement. I left quickly and decided to do some mountain jogging for a mile or so after we parted. Pretty sure he had a pot patch nearby.

I also ran into a Plott hound that wasn't too friendly last summer. He had a tracking collar and was obviously lost from someone running bears. He'd obviously been there a while.

All told, I feel safer with a pistol.

my experience with poachers, both down here and in Virginia, leads me to believe that they don't really kill people, but they are damn wary, and probably more woods savy than most. I believe they can, and will, avoid others in the woods, rather than just shoot them.
Killing folks brings cops like flys to honey, and the last thing a poacher wants to do, is bring attention to his activities.

I carry/have carried the 357 a BUNCH, albeit in a Marlin with a 16 1/4 barrel. If one CAN carry a rifle then it would always be my choice over a handgun.