The Rohrbaugh Forum
Miscellaneous => The Water Cooler -- General Discussions => Topic started by: Kalifornia_Kid on August 14, 2010, 07:52:54 PM
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Spending more time fishing, canoeing, and kayaking on the Georgia coast. Have seen and come close to some intimidating critters on little Tybee and Cumberland island. Should I carry my R9S or my S&W 640 in .357 Mag on these trips. The both will ride in my pocket or my life vest pocket. Its pretty much guaranteed they will get damp if not soaked. Your thoughts are greatly appreciated.
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I think just for the sake of knock down power, and simplicity of design I would go for the 357. A revolver is pretty straight forward. in the event you had to take them apart on the trail for a good cleaning due to being submerged in water, mud etc. the revolver does not have all pins and springs to worry about loosing. Also in the event of damage you could shoot a revolver with out it's grips,(wouldn't be fun) as we all know the pup is just a paperweight if the right grip is broken.
John
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Kid. John says it well. I vote for the .357, too. The R9S is a defensive weapon, however, not necessarily for critters in a wet environment or to be carried in such.
The .357 should do very well. Simple is good.
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If you value your hearing, do not carry the .357.
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He can wear ear plugs! ;D Kid. Carry the .357; just wear the plugs. ;)
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Not realistic to wear ear plugs in that environment; one needs all of the senses working out there.
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Oh. I would think with canoeing and kayaking, the ear plugs would be needed. Just my thoughts. ;)
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Perish the thought.
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tracker. tracker. :(
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Ok.
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When a bear or boar is coming at you the last thing you will need to worry about is your hearing. When the bear tears your head off because you peed him off with a 9mm you stop hearing
anyway. In a dangerous environment especially if there is any chance of a bear encounter you do not want a 9mm.
John
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I gonna have to agree with that! ;D
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Gentlemen and Ladies, Appreciate the feedback. In California I saw the occasional wild pig. But I never had a big gator or any gator bump my boat. Your posts support what I thought, but just looking for another point of view. On the islands I have seen pigs, gators, snakes, and some really aggressive raccoons. I have no ill will to any of them, but just in case, I want to assure I am prepared. In California, the government did not believe in self-defense. They thought the animals were on the same level as humans and their natural instincts triumph the plague of man. These policies and poor wildlife management led to Man becoming a part of the food chain of mountain lions.
As for ear plugs, well,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, I leverage them every evening because my better half,,,,,,,,,,, well. You understand. In the wild, I need to defend my family, I think a ringing in my ear is worth preserving my wife of 22 years and my 12 year old son.
Hay, I am a straight guy born and raised in the city of San Francisco. A son of an Army Air Corp B29 pilot, Air force brat, a man raised with southern values, trapped in the Peoples Republic of Kalifornia. Work liberated me to Georgia 4 years ago and I am home.
Thanks KK
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A .357 will take care of those aggressive raccoons.
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I know I'm late chiming in here; I'd go with the .357 as well.
Tracker, if hearing/noise levels is/are an issue for you, I sure would not jump on the R9 custom porting band wagon that some members seem to be riding.
I have and have had many ported handguns and they significantly raise the noise levels! :P
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A 45 Colt would work admirably against those critters, and isn't that loud. Perhaps a 44 special as well.
Avoid a 10MM at all costs - used one once to put down a buck someone hit w. a truck - hearing's never entirely come back.
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I agree with you Aglifter; there has to be a better choice than a .357 or an R9 for kayaking and canoeing around Tybee or Cumberland where there are no big bears that will take you apart. Personally, I would opt for a Glock in .45 or .40 caliber that would also address most issues including reliability in wet conditions.
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All good thoughts, for sure. Kid was just asking about the two guns he owns, which one shoud he carry. Of the two, the .357 has won, to answer his question. :D
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I had reread his question several times and am offering another alternative if it is feasible.
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Good thought tracker. I'm sure it's feasible.
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Kid:
Other than a Smith & Wesson Model 500ES with a 2¾" barrel (which I find painful just to contemplate firing), I might humbly suggest something to accommodate the 200-grain .45 ACP Speer Gold Dot JHP +P round. The bullet of that cartridge leaves the barrel at about 1,080 feet per second and can deliver 518 foot pounds of energy.
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Certainly, another good thought, for sure!
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Lets not forget he specified pocket carry.
"The both will ride in my pocket or my life vest pocket. Its pretty much guaranteed they will get damp if not soaked."
Most 45s are pretty tough to put in any pocket.
It didn't sound like he wanted to purchase another gun for this purpose. Although all the suggestions on caliber and different weapons are feasible, if the only choice is between the two mentioned guns, the nod has to go to the revolver.
John
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If this were a scored debate, John's point would probably win the match. By way of a last-gasp rebuttal, something such as this was what I had in mind: ;)
http://springfield-armory.primediaoutdoors.com/SPstory19.php
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Lets not forget he specified pocket carry.
"The both will ride in my pocket or my life vest pocket. Its pretty much guaranteed they will get damp if not soaked."
Most 45s are pretty tough to put in any pocket.
It didn't sound like he wanted to purchase another gun for this purpose. Although all the suggestions on caliber and different weapons are feasible, if the only choice is between the two mentioned guns, the nod has to go to the revolver.
John
John. I whole heartedly agree. Kid asked a specific question. That question should be answered as stated; not go into different guns.
Guys, Kid has his answer.
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Richard,
I agree that would be a fine choice, the overall length and weight are nearly the same as the 640.
If a purchase is an option, a couple of choices I would consider would be a Kahr PM40 or PM45, much lighter than the S&W 640 or a 1911 micro.
It comes down to wanting, needing or being able to make the purchase of another gun.
John
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I must defer to others in making gun purchase suggestions for the Kid! ;D
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http://chppm-www.apgea.army.mil/documents/fact/51-004-0204.pdf
These earplugs provide hearing protection while letting you hear whats around you. They are available double sided, or single sided for gunfire protection only. I tried a pair of the latter last week and while the sound of gunfire was louder than with solid plugs, it was not at all painful and I had no ringing after. The range was busy while I was there.
http://earplugstore.stores.yahoo.net/coarsiea.html
These are the plugs I bought. Haven't tried wearing them around to judge what effect they have, if any, on low level ambient sound, but conversation sounds normal with them.
Oh, and I vote for the 357.
Rick
Rick
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Time to move on but my answer to his question, "Should I carry my R9S or S&W 640 in .357 magnum on these trips" is: No.
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Rick. Good suggestion on those ear plugs. I like the fact "provide hearing protection while letting you hear what's around you".
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What kind of critters would you expect to see?
I guess bears/big cats would be your worst case.
I had to dispatch a rabid racoon a few months ago, 9mm head shot did fine. But I am glad it wasn't a bear.
I am probably wrong, but protecting against bears in Ga and bears in Alaska would mean two different things to me....
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That is a great question. The type of villains should be identified before the weapon is chosen. A Grizzly in Alaska is certainly different from whatever is walking, floating, or crawling around Tybee or Cumberland Island.
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;D
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There is only one handgun for bears in Alaska, Ruger Alaskan 454 Casull. ;D
john
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I would agree, however, I think the .454 Freedom Arms Casull would do well. Since I have both, I can choose. ;D
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The .357 should match up with those Cumberland Island bears.
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Now back to Cumberland Island! ;D
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If you stay at the Greyfield Inn you can leave the armament at home and relax.
http://www.greyfieldinn.com/
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Hey, that's nice. I like it. :)
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Have not seen any Bears on Cumberland. Don’t tell my wife. The gators and Pigs scare her enough and she is not there. The Inn looks and sounds great, but my son and I like camping. All the hardware options are great, but I will stick to what I have. Never imagined a simple question could cause soooooooo many great responses and differing opinions, what a country. ;D
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Well then the answer is the S&W 357mag revolver. ;D
John
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YES! :D
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K_K, I don't remember if I have welcomed you to the forum yet. If not then I sincerely do so now. As to the gun you carry, I don't think it makes a lot of difference. The greatest danger we face every time we step out our front door comes not from the wild pigs, snakes or alligators, but from our own species. If we can protect ourselves and our loved ones from the animals that look just like us then the four legged critters should be easy. Hope I haven't thrown a wet blanket over this thread, but I think that we need to remind ourselves occasionally of the reason we carry these little jewels. Gene
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As always, to each his own and this link says it quite well but I would not want to blow out four ears instead of two in the unlikely event it was even perceived as necessary.
http://www.snubnose.info/docs/357_self-defense.htm
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Nothing wrong with trying to press your point. Good article.
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BUffalo Bore makes a home defense 357 Mag round. 158 Gr hollow point with low flash, and low noise. Its designed to be able to shoot in the house without going deaf and blind.
Rick
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BUffalo Bore makes a home defense 357 Mag round. 158 Gr hollow point with low flash, and low noise. Its designed to be able to shoot in the house without going deaf and blind.
Rick
Yeah, they are called the "NO Tommy" rounds :D
http://www.thewho.com/index.php?module=movies&movies_item_id=92
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BUffalo Bore makes a home defense 357 Mag round. 158 Gr hollow point with low flash, and low noise. Its designed to be able to shoot in the house without going deaf and blind.
Rick
Good thought! Now the best of both worlds! :)
http://www.buffalobore.com/index.php?l=product_list&c=21
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Yeah, they are called the "NO Tommy" rounds :D
http://www.thewho.com/index.php?module=movies&movies_item_id=92
Don't know Reinz, the price of the Buffalo Bore rounds can leave you speechless. :o
Rick
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At a buck and a half a pop just a little steep to do much practicing. :o
John
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Maybe just good old .38 Special +P would work.
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That would be cheaper, for sure!
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Don't know Reinz, the price of the Buffalo Bore rounds can leave you speechless. :o
Rick
;D
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At a buck and a half a pop just a little steep to do much practicing. :o
John
Yes, indeed!
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No, i don't think you would want to practice with the Buffalo Bore. I have a box and have shot 2 rounds from it. These, however, are fine for practice.
http://www.ammunitiontogo.com/product_info.php/pName/500rds-357-mag-fiocchi-142gr-fmj-ammo/cName/357-magnum-fmj-ammo
Rick