Is there such a thing as an all purpose handgun?

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MikePGS

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A year or so ago I was reading an article in one of the gun magazines that described the S&W Model 29 as being the perfect gun, as it could be used for hunting and concealed carry purposes (with .44 specials of course). Now this is probably dumb, but I'd like to only have to buy one gun for awhile (limited funds, and so on) and I'd like to use it for... you guessed it both concealed carry, and hunting. For hunting I would most likely be hunting deer and "maybe" black bear, but that's a few years off with the lottery system used in Michigan, so probably will be able to get another gun at that point. Would something like say a Ruger Redhawk 4" barrel, or a Ruger GP100 with a 4" barrel be able to serve both purposes, or would they be too large to comfortably conceal and thus defeat the purpose?
 
S&W 1006 10mm semi-automatic. It's big, but can be carried concealed (I used to do it, carries similar to a full-size 1911). Cartridge is used by some to hunt the same things you are. Solidly built, well made... and no longer produced! Arg!

Used ones can still be found.

Yeah, I miss mine.
 
It is awfully hard to CCW a .44 Mag or .45 Colt caliber revolver.

They are big guns, and need a good belt & outside holster to carry comfortably all day.
By then though, you got a pretty big hunk of "Stuff" hanging off your port side to try & hide!

.357's are a lot better in that respect, but getting on the small side for big deer & bear hunting.

10mm combat auto's are maybe an alternative, but usually do not have the accuracy of a good revolver for longer range hunting use.

I think if I were you, I would start out with a 4" .357.
Ammo is way cheaper, especially .38 Special ammo, and you can afford to practice with it a lot more.

Buy the time you get good enough with a handgun to consider hunting with one, you may be able to afford a dedicated 6" .44 Mag hunting handgun.

If not, a .357 will kill a deer just fine, if you can put the right bullet in the right place.

rcmodel
 
I don't think there's truly an "all purpose " handgun. Sure, you can get get a jack-of-all-trades that will perform more than one role, but what you're really doing is compromising so that you get a tool that's not best suited to either CCW or hunting. IMHO, a handgun that is powerful enough and can be shot with sufficient accuracy at range to hunt with will simply be too big to carry concealed. For instance, a 4-inch Redhawk will give you an expensive, 47-ounce weapon for concealed carry, and a short-sight-radiused, hard-kicking revolver for hunting. The GP100 sheds about half a pound in weight, but then you'll have marginal ballistics for hunting, especially if black bear is your quarry. Unless you're set on handgun hunting, I suggest you take the same money (limited as it is) and buy a Bersa Thunder .380 for CCW and then pick up a Handi-Rifle or other less expensive rifle in a substantial caliber for hunting.
 
I agree with the jack-of-all-trades rather than all-purpose "philosophy". Since your handgun hunting may be "...a few years off...", I suggest you look for the carry gun now and start saving for a hunting rifle.

There are a number of police turn-ins to be had that are relatively cheap (compared to buying new) and are typically in very good condition. A 9mm semi-auto with a double-stack magazine is not difficult to conceal or carry, and 12-15 rounds of 147-grain Speer Gold Dots can be a real attention-getter.....
 
Well, the closest thing I can think of for an all-purpose gun would be a Ruger Super Redhawk Alaskan (Alaskan = compact) chambered in .454 Casull / .45 Long Colt. Small enough to conceal, but if you hit something with that Casull round, it's going down.

For a semi, I wouldn't really say anything could be considered all-purpose.
 
It will depend largely on where you live.
In my area the .357 is enough to kill anything that can be killed with a handgun - no issues with hunting with one. I know people who have killed large bears with them back before bears became genetically altered and began requiring the .454 to kill them. In some areas the bears are big enough that a bigger gun would make sense.

IMO, a 4" .357 with adjustable sights is about as multi-purpose as it gets but it's still deficient in some areas. Most notably, even a small one will be pretty big so the odds are good that you'll be wanting something smaller for carry eventually. A 686 or GP-100 will work OK for CCW for probably three seasons here but it isn't so great for summer carry.
 
I agree that there probably isn't a single gun for all purposes...however, the cost of guns may make it necessary to obtain a single gun that would fit a variety of purposes. My pick would be a .357 mag revolver, or possibly a .45 acp
 
i have a gp100 4 inch in 357 and i consider it a very good all around gun. I carry it sometimes, especially when i can easily conceal it in the winter. Summer can be tricky. Other than that, i cant really think of any issues. Plenty of cheap 38 practice ammo around too.
 
+1 for the 10mm auto platform.

Many makes and models are concealable, the caliber can be loaded up or loaded down offering incredible versatility, you increase your capacity over a 5 or 6 shot wheelgun, and it's an all around fun caliber. So. . .you can take care of the serious business as well as have some fun at the range (a whole lot more fun if you reload, I'm told!).

My other contender would, of course, be a 4" wheelgun in .357 - maybe a SS GP100 with some good aftermarket sights.
 
The all-purpose gun...probably a Springfield XD .45 Compact. Full-length slide, two different mags. One gun gives you a full-size and a CC piece.
 
Ruger GP100 would be an excellent choice. You have a wide variety of .38 and 357 loads. While not a lightweight carry it fits that bill much better than any .44 Mag.
 
Another .357mag fan here. Wouldn't argue against 44mag as a another great choice.
 
Ruger GP100 with a 4" barrel

You answered your own question. A 4" L frame 357 would also work if you like the S&W flavor. A K frame just can't take the wide variety of 357 loads and keep ticking long.

A 4" 357 is:

1. Not too big to conceal
2. Big enough to shoot easily
3. Capable of shooting wadcutters or standard 38s for small game to full magnums capable of taking up to black bear.
4. Ammo is plentiful in a wide variety of loads.
5. No magazine required (it stays with the gun).
 
A .44 revolver is very doable for close-range hunting (think of brushy areas with limited visibility), but needs a long barrel for ease of aiming & for more ballistic oomph. If you want to carry one concealed but still want to hunt with it, you might consider a 4" barrel and scope mounts. The model that comes to mind is Smith's 629 Mountain Gun, but most of these can only be found used. The only new ones I've found seem to be sold by Cabela's.

The only context that I'd use a Ruger Alaskan to hunt with is if I were to go bowhunting; then, the gun would be there as protection, not as the hunting weapon. It's a tough little gun. If you want to use it for carry, I'd recommend it in .44 instead of .454 because its fluted cylinder makes it a tad lighter. You can also find a few grips that are more compact than the factory's. One nice thing about the Alaskan is it can handle .44 magnum +p, which Smiths can't.

I'd agree with many of the others in that a .357 might make a better all-around choice than a .44 in your scenario. A 4" Ruger GP100 is a fine choice if you want to shoot a lot, and Smith's 5" model 60 is both shootable and light, yet has a useably long sight radius. Whatever gun you go with, make sure it has adjustable sights. Don't be afraid to switch back and forth between compact & full-sized grips if it helps make your gun more useable for both hunting & packing, too.
 
There can't really be a perfect all-purpose handgun, but perhaps there is a pistol that allows compromises in all areas but still performs decently in most areas.

So I'll throw in my vote for a .357 w/4" barrel in stainless revolver.

It's powerful enough and more powerful than most.
It's small enough to carry (sort of) but big enough to handle the magnums.
The barrel's short enough for (sort of) concealment, but long enough for basic survival hunting at least (can be scoped if desired).
It's stainless so it doesn't require much care.

Top choices in that category might be the Smith's Model 66 or the 686 (even better for it's 7-round option).

My .02...
 
While I'd be hard pressed to argue against a 3-4" 357mag or my 1076 Smith.gotta admit when reading this I thought to myself the last gun I bought might just be it.Smith 29-10 3" 44mag
PB140156.gif
 
If you're not worried about bears, a 1911 or any other .45 will do you well. John Linebaugh's utility load is a .45 Colt 260-grain Keith at 900 fps said to go lengthwise through a mule deer.

Accurate Arms has several loads for lead 230-grain .45 ACP that exceed 950 fps. With a lead SWC, you'd be have plenty of penetration and a fairly destructive bullet shape. Of course there is also .45 ACP+P and .45 Super for use in some guns with nothing more than a recoil spring change.
 
Might want to check your game laws in Michigan.

The .38 Super, .357 SIG, .40 S&W, 10mm, and .45 ACP are not legal for deer hunting in Kansas, although the .30 Carbine, and 32-20 revolvers are!

(It's all based on case length, not killing power!) :banghead:

rcmodel
 
My carry gun is a 4" S&W N frame in 45 ACP. I have a Bianchi 5BH and a Roy Baker Pancake for OWB and a Sparks IWB. All work well.

For hunting and CCW I would rather it be chambered for the 45 Long Colt.
 
A .357 in any flavor, 3inch to 4inch barrel! You have to consider your own multi purpose role. You may choose an auto pistol? I have found that a revolver is still my goto everything purpose pistol. I have a small variety to choose from too. I still grab a .357 revolver. It really comes down to a pistol you feel comfortable with, a caliber that will perform to the extent you need it too, and one you will practice with. Just my thoughts
Dave
 
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