OMCHamlin
Single-Sixer
Around here, an S&W M&P 340 with the first two as CCI "Big Shot" snake loads, followed by three Black Talons. When I have gone places where the odds of an encounter are greater, it's either been a 629 4" or a G32C
My Woods-Carry Choice
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Hertervillian
Saluki
I do not buy any S & W guns any more since a I bought brand new S & W .357 revolver that I loaded up with factory .38 specials. I fired and it blew up in my hand. Fortunately I wan not hurt, but the revolver was blown apart.
I sent it back to S & W and explained to them what happened. They sent me the gun back with a note that went something like this - Send us $600.00 and we will send you a new one. *WHAT?*
I went and bought a Ruger revolver! If something breaks on a new Ruger - Ruger will fix it or replace it.
S & W is worthless to me. - I do own a military WW2 S & W Victory .38 special, maybe they knew how to make them back then? Do NOT buy anything from Smith and Wesson!
Rocko Rizzo
RC44Mag
Buckeye
No brownies where I live so my S&W 686 .357 will accompany me where I venture upstate. A S&W 2.0 10mm was on my shopping list but hearing so many bad issues with the new Smith autos I decided a Gen 5 Glock 20 will be coming home here in the not to distant future. The price is right and they're apparently very trouble free. Never thought I'd go Glock but the times they are a changing.
I've been carrying a S&W 58, 41 Mag. for years.
TommyG1960
Bearcat
Lots of Black Bears around here. When I'm Mushroom hunting or Ramp digging my 41 smith is with me. Turkey hunting a shotgun with TSS loads Deer hunting a rifle. Black Bears are easy to run off until they aren't. If they attack they mean to kill you.
RC44Mag
Buckeye
I'm curious, what else did S&W say about your revolver after you sent it back to them? They had to have more than just send us a bunch of Franklins we'll send you another one. How a .357 blows up from a .38 is highly unusual to say the least, especially from a top end American brand revolver manufacturer. S&W has a lifetime warranty for all original buyers so that's quite odd.
Paul B
Hunter
My experience with Black Bears is long but very thin. I had to kill one back n 1959 that had decided one of the lady campers was going to guest of honor at his table. I had the only gun in camp. This was at a church campout. The gun was an S&W .38 Spl. 38/44 Outdoorsman. (.38 Spl. on a .44 frame) Two shots, dead bear. I caught a bit of flack when some of the people on this camp out learned I'd brought a gun. I believe there was some radical changes of opinion after the incident with the bear.
I've spent a lot of time packing a handgun of one sort or another especially after 1967 when I spent much free time in the Nevada desert and later Arizona desert after 1979. much of my free time I was either out in the desert or hiking the local mountains which hold a fair population of black Bears and Mountain Lions. It wasn't all that rare to see a bear or lion trotting across the desert going from one mountain range to another. Same thing with Mountain Lions although nowhere near as common as bears.
Hiking the mountains could get interesting as I actually saw fewer bears or lions. Guess they saw me coming and moved away . I always had a powerful handgun, usually a .44 mag. and sometimes a hot loaded .45 Colt.
Paul B.
I've spent a lot of time packing a handgun of one sort or another especially after 1967 when I spent much free time in the Nevada desert and later Arizona desert after 1979. much of my free time I was either out in the desert or hiking the local mountains which hold a fair population of black Bears and Mountain Lions. It wasn't all that rare to see a bear or lion trotting across the desert going from one mountain range to another. Same thing with Mountain Lions although nowhere near as common as bears.
Hiking the mountains could get interesting as I actually saw fewer bears or lions. Guess they saw me coming and moved away . I always had a powerful handgun, usually a .44 mag. and sometimes a hot loaded .45 Colt.
Paul B.
Getting to be that in some neighborhoods around here you have a better chance of encountering a bear than in the wild lands.
Not revolvers but there are two S&W pistols here. One is a M&P 2.0 40 Compact with a 4" barrel. It has been fine. Accurate, reliable, wonderful. The second is a Shield 380 EZ that was purchased for my wife. It would randomly fail to feed the last cartridge in the magazine. Sometimes it was a stovepipe. Sometimes it would just go through the pistol & out the ejection port without chambering. It was always the last round. I sent it back to S&W. They returned it with the same problem I sent it in with. I called back & requested new magazine springs. They sent them to me. I cut one of the old ones in half & nested it inside the new ones. It fed fine then. I finally wound up using magazine springs from another model of gun. The pistol runs now but is not S&W's fault. I may buy another S&W one day but my opinion of the company is much lower than it once was.
I got to shoot a buddies M&P Performance Center 10mm with a compensator and was surprised at how well it shot. It felt more like a 45 acp and think it would be a great woods gun. It was so easy to get back on target and was surprisingly light for something holding 10 rounds.
