- Joined
- Jun 9, 2016
i'm not sure i would trust a cost-optimized .44 magnum which is the only thing that comes to mind with whatever "high-force" means. there are a good number of used .357's on the market though. typically people looking for a specific sort of firearm have an intended use-case or already know the ammunition they want to use. outside these you start getting into harder to find ammo that might not be easy to acquire to practice with.So given my like of /out/ing and -let's just say- other circumstantial vulnerabilities I predict in the near future, I am thinking of acquiring a high-force pistol/revolver for self defense. Besides the Ruger Redhawk, is there any cheap gun that fits this model?
(Also am newbie)
the old cheap rancher standby is a ruger vaquero in .44 mag or charter arms in .44 long colt or .44 special is probably inexpensive and powerful enough for most purposes like boar defense but regardless you're paying a bit of a premium on the ammunition itself. you can get a Taurus Judge in .44 LC as well for under $400 in most places if you can inspect it personally (most are alright in terms of manufacturing for minute of man use safely enough).
not sure either of these would have much (if anything) over a .45 ACP pistol in terms of terminal ballistics unless you're making your own loads. 200gr JHP at 1000 f/s from a .44 special is a very mean load and the go-to back in the day was a 180gr wad cutter or JSP at around 1050 or 1100 was a bear/pcp defense load for mountain men and 1970's door kickers for early SWAT teams.
i feel for personal defense against black bears or the like, a 1911 from RIA wouldn't be a bad option and shouldn't break the bank either. brown bears, not so much. if you have a specific use-case in mind, you're better off supplying some details.
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