On the hunt for a BUG

[shootthesheet]

I am going to move up to 9mm from .380 for my BUG as soon as I find what I want at the right price. http://ruger.com/products/lc9/features.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Noticed this the other day. Not sure if these are actually available yet, or just a place holder on their web site.

http://www.cabelas.com/semiautomatic-pi ... ol-1.shtml" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Thanks for the link. I want to find one of these so I can check the fit in my hands.

[74novaman]

Especially if you've already got a lever gun in .357, a snubby in the same makes sense. Stock the same ammo, etc. btw, I love lever guns. Pics of the hog gun?

[nmartine]

Picked up the Bersa thunder .380 new years and it has become my edc. Still carry the px4 sc, but the bersa is much easier to just throw in my pants and go. Haven't had any problems with it shooting so far.

[AustinMRH]

Pics of the hog gun?

With the Sig for size. Easy to carry and pretty accurate to 50yds.

Right click and select View image to see the whole thing. Not sure why it cut it off.

[The Annoyed Man]

This guy says you're wasting .357 Magnums in a snub-nose.

http://ammo.ar15.com/project/Self_Defen ... /index.htm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

I dunno what the truth is, but I know my hand (especially my thumb) thank me for firing only .38s in mine

The Hornady Critical Defense 125 grain .357 load develops 1200 fps and 400 ft lb in a 2" snubnose - per Hornady. (The same load develops 1500 fps and 560 ft lb out of an 6" barrel.) I've shot that load in my M&P 340. Yes, it is.... "brisk" would be a good choice of words. But it isn't painful. Not at all like a full house 158 grain magnum load, which I know from a certain stupid range session of mine is actually quite painful. I will never do that again. Ever. But I honestly have no problem with the 125 grain Hornady load.

I know that everybody likes to carry +P .38 Special in their snubbies, but I actually have a choice. I can carry those, or regular .38s, or .357. Choice is a good thing, as long as it is also practical. I have no trouble with the Hornady Critical Defense load. Would I want to shoot 100 rounds of it in my lightweight snubbie? No. Of course not. But, neither do I have any difficulty snapping off 5 fairly quick rounds of the .357. So that choice is a practical one for me. If I am able to do so, why not carry that load? Nobody has been able to articulate a good reason why not that negates my own actual shooting experience with it. Others' mileage may vary.

[74novaman]

I'm with TAM, heck I haven't even shot any .38s out of my .357. I practice with what I carry. And I figure if the bullet kicks the BG as much as the gun kicks my hand, we'll be okay.

To the OP, thanks for posting the Marlin.

I've got one just like it but without the red dot. I think everybody should have at least one lever gun.

[The Annoyed Man]

Austinrealtor,

I forgot to add, it is .357 Sig that the author seems to think is a waste of time. He didn't cover .357 magnum, so far as I can tell, and .357 magnum has an excellent self-defense record.

[Napier]

Stay away from Bersa's. They are barking dogs. Aim low. Cain't beat the Kel-Tec P3-AT .380 acp. Not a picky eater. Reliable as the sun rising.

[TheGasMan]

Stay away from Bersa's. They are barking dogs. Aim low. Cain't beat the Kel-Tec P3-AT .380 acp. Not a picky eater. Reliable as the sun rising.

I've only shot WWB in mine, but it never missed a beat in 200 rounds.

[PostShooter]

Looks like you may be a semi-auto kind of guy. While the Walther PK380 and the Bersa Thunder have their place, I don't know about as a BUG because of their size. I guess it depends on where you plan to hide it. I would think about the KT P3AT or the Ruger LCP. Both can be dropped in a pocket and you're on your way. Another choice might be the KT P-11 or the PF-9, both of which can be pocketed and they are full-on 9mm. Ruger is coming out with an LC9, 9mm, but it's so new, no ones' touched one yet.

[Salty1]

If you go with a revolver I would sugggest highly the LCR, and you can get it in 357 for around $430 or so, I really enjoy mine although I rarely practice with 357 loads..... For a semi it would be worth looking at the Kahr CW9, that is in the $400 range as well and it can be shot at the range for fun unlike the micro 380's (unless you enjoy punishment).

[A-R]

Austinrealtor,

I forgot to add, it is .357 Sig that the author seems to think is a waste of time. He didn't cover .357 magnum, so far as I can tell, and .357 magnum has an excellent self-defense record.

Again, I'm just relaying what others have said (no horse in the race, nor do I even understand all the terminal ballistics well enough to make an informed decision), but (direct quotes from the web site I linked http://ammo.ar15.com/project/Self_Defen ... pl/.357mag" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;):

There is no reason to go with .357 mag in a J-frame, as the significantly larger muzzle blast and flash, and harsher recoil of the .357 Magnum does not result in substantially improved terminal performance compared to the more controllable .38 Special bullets when fired from 2” barrels."

it's questionable why one would want the extra recoil/muzzle blast of the .357mag when the .38spl load works just as well.

Again, I dunno what I"m talking about but this is not the first/only time I've heard this mentioned. Elsewhere I've heard/read that .357 Mag doesn't have time to develop the velocity from a 2-inch barrel needed to make it vastly superior to .38 +P .... but I'm also guessing this particular web site was put together before Hornady Critical Defense hit the market, and in my own amateur milk-jug tests that particular bullet (in other calibers/loadings) has performed well compared to other more traditional hollow points when velocity and grain weight are roughly equal.

Would be very interesting to compare .38 +P Hornady CD to .357 Mag Hornady CD fired from same snub nose. If you get to Austin area any time soon, we can head out to my uncle's place and set up some milk jugs.

[drjoker]

If you already like Sig, then the obvious choice is s Sig P238 in .380. It is just a tad larger than a Kel-Tec P3AT or Ruger LCP. However, the Sig P238 has real night sights not the crummy sights that are impossible to see typical of other .380 autos such as the P3AT and LCP.

[AustinMRH]

So I spent about 4 hours on Saturday at the range in Pearland. What an awesome place. We had an entire range to ourselves and threw lead on 6 different handguns. Sig 239, Sig 229, Para .45 double stack, Colt Officers .357 (6"), S&W 22a target grip, and a browning .22. It was nice to be able to practice conceal holster draw and fire. Shooting IPSC at 10yds I could empty a mag in all A, which certainly helps carry confidence.

The .357 was awesome to shoot. With the DA trigger I was all over center mass. Switching to SA I could put 6 rounds into a 3" circle at 10yds. No issues with kick, though the diamond grip really dug into my hand, certainly something I would do differently.

So at this point I guess I need to head to Red's and try a .380 and a snubby with .357/38. Not sure if a revolver is going to work, but I think with lots of practice I could get over the trigger pull and develop a good DA shot.

[jordanmills]

I got a kel-tec PF9 for my BUG. It's small and light and shoots the same stuff as my Glock 19.