Need help selecting the right DA "mountain" gun

[gunslinger_h]

For what it is worth, when in the woods or in the mountains on horseback, I always carried an 4 5/8ths old model .45 Colt with 296 loads. I carried it in a holster that sat on my chest or to the side of it a little like they show Doc Holiday in the westerns. I was shooting a solid Keith bullet that weighed out at 262 made from wheelweights and linotype. Great penetration with no leading and very accurate. I killed a black bear with it with one head shot, and it will penetrate both sides of an old safariland bullet proof vest. As much gun as I need. Reliable, fast, and instinctively accurate even from the hip in need be. My two cents worth. Hank.

 

[Sonnytoo]

My answer to that question was a 329PD. I sat on the fence for a long time and then one walked into a gunshow I snapped it up. I like it. If you plan to shoot a lot of full power ammo it might not be the first choice. YMMV.

You, sir, are honest. My 325PD (.45ACP) with 230gr Win White Box took a flap of skin 3/4" across and one inch long and laid it back on the web of my thumb, from 12 rounds. Traded it very fast...for a loss of course.
And I shoot .500 Linebaugh with no problem.
Would agree with many on Redhawk .44 4" or Smith 625 Mt gun.
Sonnytoo

 

[surveyor47]

The first virtue of a Mountain Gun is that it is:
RELIABLE. I dont trust current generation S&Ws due to internal lock problems and timing problems that I have been through.. Pre-Lock S&Ws are great and are ny gun of choice. Rugers WORK.
Relatively LIGHT WEIGHT: That disqualifies the Redhawk, except for the Alaskan. This favors the GP100, Security Six, SP101 as well as the Blackhawks and Bisleys.
Well Balanced: I find the Redhawk poorly balanced and clunky. The GP100, Security Six and SP101 are very well balanced and natural pointers. The Blackhawks and Bisleys are naturally balanced and point like your finger.
Action: The first virtue is reliability. Double action is nice to have, but if you are unwilling to carry the gun due to weight and balance issues, well a gun left at home is irrelevent. The next virtue is ruggedness. Single Actions are superior to double actions when it comes to very rough terrain. If you fall on a Blackhawk, about the only part to bend is the cylinder pin and if you can bend that thing, you dont need a gun. Double actions are inherently more fragile than single actions, by virtue of the crane, which is relatively easy to bend. If falls are a real possibility, the Single Action is the superior gun.

My Preference: Ruger Blackhawk 41, 44 or 45 in a 4 5/8" barrel.

 

[maxpress]

mawgie wrote:
ACTION:
DA. I had a Ruger Super Blackhawk Bisley Hunter that was extremely accurate with a Nikon scope, but sold it. Now I want a smaller, more totable package in a DA action

well, i hate to be a bubble breaker but as far as capacity, caliber and barrel length being equal a ruger SA is going to be lighter and smaller than a ruger DA. or maybe i missunderstood the comment.

that being said i carry short single actions in the outdoors and just got a montado.

 

[Chukar hunter]

I purchased a 5 1/2 inch Redhawk about 20 years ago. I thought that it would be an ideal "bear stopper" and carried it out in the wild quite a few times before I stopped carrying it. I got an Alaskan in .44 mag and although it is a larger frame, it has a very smooth double action trigger. I'm also bitten by the Super Blackhawk bug. I think that a stainless steel version in the 4 5/8" barrel length would make a very potent carry gun. I've shot many model 29's and liked them compared to my Redhawk, but I dont think that they'd like some of the more potent .44 mag loads out there. I'd have no problem shooting anything loaded to safe pressures and limits in any of my Rugers. As a matter of fact, I got a hold of some terrible reloads last year and thank goodness I was shooting them out of a Super Blackhawk. The primers were flat and the brass didnt want to come out of the cylinder. I don't think a Smith would have liked that at all.

 

[jpb in me]

This has been a great thread and I can certainly relate to the original post. I too have tried so many different handguns, pistols and revolvers, all different calibers trying to find that perfect all around gun. I have come to the conclusion that you need two. I have finally narrowed it down to:
1. ruger lcr for ccw
2. 4" gp100 357
can shoot 38's out of both, and I feel a 357 is plenty for woods carry. In fact my pancake holster will do fine for both guns. I only have limited resources to spend and theses two guns should cover my needs nicely for the money.