SP101 or Glock 30

[45R]

Which one now..............

5 Shots of .357Mag 2.25 or 3" barrel vs 10 shots of 45ACP

(primary use as an easy to carry trail gun)


Let the debate begin.

 

[Dean Speir]

O, for a moment there…

 

…I thought that you were serious.

Whew! Imagine my relief.

 

 

[Majic]

What's to debate? Get a big bore magnum snubby and leave the kiddie stuff at home.

 

[Bainx]

For camping, hiking and outdoors in general, I think the wheelgun.
Don't ask me why.

 

[E=MC^2]

Two so strangly different options of one another. One could simply break it down into revolver vs auto.

Because it's a 'trail gun' you're looking for, Id go with the SP101. I have a 3-inch version in .357 mag. Great gun. Although, I always have a Colt Govt 1911 in .45auto with me wherever I go. This includes the woods, fields, and streams.

Either will stop a black bear encounter. I've personally experienced it with both calibers and more. Of course, in most cases, I was the aggressor.

 

[Tamara]

What are you most worried about meeting on the trail?

 

[45R]

Brown Bears and probably Moutain lions would be the biggest thing to encounter in CA. Not sure if a .357 with a 2.25 in barrel will do the trick......

 

[Rob96]

3" S&W 629

 

[saddlebum]

ain't no brown bears in cali. either should work. which ever you like best. saddlebum

 

[Black Snowman]

I'd think you'd want the better penetration and energy of the 357 over the .45 against dangerous animals. If you don't stop it in 5 shots, it's not likely you'll get to use the other 5 you'd have in an automatic and you'd be mauled by the time you got to try and do a reload. So, I'd say the SP101 with the longest barrel you're comfortable carrying with good 158 gr hollowpoints of those 2 choices.

 

[444]

I personally would go with the SP101. I think it gives you far more options in terms of bullets. If I was seriously worried about bear encounters, I probably would work up a load using 180 grain bullets.
I own both an SP101 and a small .45. For a trail gun, I would carry the SP101 before I carried the .45, although living in Nevada, I would just carry a .44 Mag. If I was real worried about it, I would carry a rifle.

 

[JERRY]

for back packing niether is close to as good as you could get for the same money.

 

[CZ 75 BD]

Taurus 445 Ti 2" snub

light at 19 oz. .44 Special for punch, revolver for reliability.

 

[larryw]

Go with at least a 3" or 4" 357 (SP101 or GP-141) and you're good for the the big kittys or black bear you'll find here.

Don't like a auto for this as they'll go out of battery when the muzzle is pushed against the target, like may happen during a mauling.

 

[denfoote]

You can actually carry a weapon while hiking in the People's Republik of California???

Resistance is futile.
You will be assimilated!!!

 

[George Hill]

Never heard of an SP-101 KB.

 

[Shane]

So, I'd say the SP101 with the longest barrel you're comfortable carrying with good 158 gr hollowpoints of those 2 choices

Isn't penetration better than expansion on a large animal like black bear? Wouldn't a FMJ (100 percent penetration) or JSP (limited expansion but good penetration) be a better choice to reliably penetrate into a bear?

 

[Shane]

You can actually carry a weapon while hiking in the People's Republik of California???

Not in most places I've hiked. In the Bay Area, the Rangers give us strange looks and sometimes hassle hikers for even carrying medium sized knives.


Perhaps in a rural county its different though?

 

[Bob]

I use my pockets for carrying things that are private. And Mom always taught me to keep my privates private. Ya know what I mean?!?
Bob

 

[TheeBadOne]

Glock 29 10mm

 

[Jack19]

Boy, that's a toss up.

I have an SP101 that I like a lot, but it's purely a backup gun.

I've owned two G-30s, a couple of years apart, and was not overly impressed either time. Mostly my dissatisfaction was due to the alleged 10 round mag capacity....I found that when loaded with 10 rounds, the mag was difficult to fully seat in the weapon and pulling the slide back over 10 rounds was also difficult. Additionally, I found that the slide would not always fully chamber the first round from a fully loaded 10 round mag. This didn't happen all the time but enough to worry me. When loaded with only 9 rounds all was well.

For a serious trail gun I'd second TheeBadOne's recommendation of the Glock 29. The 10mm is no where near the beast everyone claims it is....those who tell you the 10mm is uncontrollable have never shot one.

 

[GlocksRock]

Get the Glock 30. Whate else would you expect me to say?

 

[Dean Speir]

O, sweet honey mustard…

 

GlocksRock asks:

Get the Glock 30. Whate else would you expect me to say?

Whew! You're not afraid to ask the toughies, are you?!?

I'd expect you to put down that flagon of Kool Aid long enough to read the question in its complete context and give an honest response rather than a knee-jerk one!

I think the Glock Model 30 is the ideal CCW pistol… and you can check back issues of several gunzines (circa 1997-98) to see why. I have some reservations about its utility as a trail gun, however.

But if you think the Model 30 is a superior "trail gun" to an SP101 and can stop genuflecting at the altar of the Tennifer Temple long enough to articulate your reasoning, do so.

 

 

[Andrew Wyatt]

Why not go with a full sized pistol, or even a shotgun for a trail gun? an H&R Topper in 20 gauge is quite light.


I'd not feel unarmed with either weapon, though i'd have a preference for the glock, despite what dean says. mountain lions are about the most dangerous 4 legged critters around here, and the .357 loses velocity out of the 2 inch barrel.

 

[Sean Smith]

For the stated purpose neither gun is a really good choice. Assuming you could legally carry it in Cali in the first place. But at least with the .357 Magnum you can find ammo appropriate for mean animals.

By the way, the compact Glock you should be considering for the stated role is the 29, not the 30.