5-90
NAXJA Forum User
- Location
- Hammerspace
The .500S&W can be fun (I've popped a couple cylinders full,) but it's more of an addadiktome round than anything else - anything you're likely to need done, you're likely to find better tools to do it with.
If you're worried about goblins, a .44 Spl is plenty (if you're interested in a wheelgun.) Get one that handles .44 Spl & .44 Mag, and you've got something you can use for hunting or long-range steels as well (Elmer Keith had a huge hand in designing the .44 Magnum - he used to plink with it somewhere in excess of 750 yards.)
If you want a "full-house" round, you can go with something like a .480 Ruger - it offers a significant ballistic performance increase over the .44 Magnum, without the "paw punishment" that the .500 Smith can hand out (I've shot the .480 as well - the .500 Smith makes it look mild, and Ruger does a good job designing grips. I'd compare it to a cranked-up .44 Magnum on the backside.) However, it's a bit much for home defence - if you miss, it's going to go halfway through the next house!
The 9m/m has a history of overpenetration, which is why I don't recommend it if you're buying a new sidearm. If you've got one already and want a defense round (assuming home defense, which is typical,) you'll either want a frangible round or a soft-alloy expander - Hydra-Shok, Silvertip, Glaser Safety Slug, and even the Cor-Bon hollowpoints all seem to fit that bill rather neatly (preference to the first three.)
@outlander - if you want some serious "hand cannon" action, Freedom Arms makes a five-shot revolver, 10" tube, .45-70. WOW! Shooting that smarted more than holding up a 12ga and firing it like a pistol!
If you're worried about goblins, a .44 Spl is plenty (if you're interested in a wheelgun.) Get one that handles .44 Spl & .44 Mag, and you've got something you can use for hunting or long-range steels as well (Elmer Keith had a huge hand in designing the .44 Magnum - he used to plink with it somewhere in excess of 750 yards.)
If you want a "full-house" round, you can go with something like a .480 Ruger - it offers a significant ballistic performance increase over the .44 Magnum, without the "paw punishment" that the .500 Smith can hand out (I've shot the .480 as well - the .500 Smith makes it look mild, and Ruger does a good job designing grips. I'd compare it to a cranked-up .44 Magnum on the backside.) However, it's a bit much for home defence - if you miss, it's going to go halfway through the next house!
The 9m/m has a history of overpenetration, which is why I don't recommend it if you're buying a new sidearm. If you've got one already and want a defense round (assuming home defense, which is typical,) you'll either want a frangible round or a soft-alloy expander - Hydra-Shok, Silvertip, Glaser Safety Slug, and even the Cor-Bon hollowpoints all seem to fit that bill rather neatly (preference to the first three.)
@outlander - if you want some serious "hand cannon" action, Freedom Arms makes a five-shot revolver, 10" tube, .45-70. WOW! Shooting that smarted more than holding up a 12ga and firing it like a pistol!
