1911 .45 or Sig 226 9mm

[lamokio]

45 is a man stopper. Alot of military prefer the 45

[Don Gwinn]

You're getting hung up on caliber here, but they're two very different weapons. He could be asking about the 220 vs. the 1911, and then caliber wouldn't matter. Then what do you say?

I don't own the Springfield. I would say that that the P220/P226 is more likely to be completely reliable right out of the box. The 1911 has come a long way, but if I had to guess which of the two would malfunction more often from day one, it would be the 1911. The SIG can be simpler to operate, since most models don't have a manual safety, but the P226 is usually sold as a double/single action, meaning you have to master the transition between the double action trigger pull on the first shot and the single action pull on the second and subsequent shots. That's not impossible, but the 1911 won't require you to do it.

On the other hand, the 1911 fits many hands better than the SIG. Have you shot both? If not, go do that. You'll probably know after you put 50 rounds through each which one works better for you. It's a tossup until you know how they feel in your hand.

Both are accurate.

Both are chambered in a reliable caliber.

Both have good sights (but if SIG still uses the "dot the i" sights, I prefer those strongly over the three-dot versions most makers use.)

Both have fairly good triggers, but two very different kinds.

[meataxe]

For self defence against bears, I've heard 12 ga. slug is the favourite choice. (At least for up north with the polar bears.) First round blank to scare them off followed by the slugs if the blank doesn't work. For smaller bears, you might not need that much. I once scared off a garbage disturbing black bear with a pellet gun. In retrospect, that was a stupid thing to do. But damn funny.

[Pandinha]

I have both. For the carry type, theyboth rock. Both very good shooters.

[Don Gwinn]

Did I miss the part about the bears? We're not discussing .45 and 9mm handguns for bears, are we?

That would be a bad idea.

[vigilus]

Did I miss the part about the bears? We're not discussing .45 and 9mm handguns for bears, are we?

That would be a bad idea.

Not as retarded as it sounds believe me.
No I'm not going out looking to mix it up with a bear. I was however thinking of having the 45 handy for a last minute situation either while out in the area where I camp or close to the cabin. Weekend warriors are showing up at an alarming rate where I'm at and the government is putting pressure on the game wardens to give hunters a VERY hard time with fines and harassment. My family has had that cabin since 1825. One year they decided to put a 911 number on the enterence road and all of a sudden the trail became a mechanized road and it's a $500 fine for walking on the "road" with a loaded weapon.

Having a long barreled weapon starts drawling a lot of unwanted attention. For the most part if we go anywhere we're still going to have a 12 guage or 308.
Also some of the folks hanging around the area are starting to get more and more ignorant and I find pistols make a decent 'go away' statement.

[SFGOON]

You can take out a bear with a .177 if you aim for and hit the chi meridians.

In fact, I know a guy in the bujinkan who did it with an airsoft.

[meataxe]

Guilty Spark, aren't you in Canada? Carrying would be illegal unless you are one of the well connected people or politicians who have a permit. (In 2000, there were six people in Canada with permits. One was Pierre Trudeau and he's not carrying any more.)

For hand held bear defence, I've heard of people carrying 44mag. I'd go for a can of pepper spray myself.

SFGoon, stop spreading secret knowledge in public. I guess it's not too big of a deal, since the bear meridians are totally different.

[meataxe]

Since it all out in the open, here is my guide to scaring off a bear with .177 air gun:



Keep in mind, you usually don't get this information until after you get your aquamarine sash.

[Don Gwinn]

Where is your sense of SERIOUS BUSINESS?