What is the best semi automatic handgun for self-defense vs wild animals like wolves?

I%26#039;m a first time buyer, and did take a hunters safety course. So, I have somewhat familarity with guns. I have land several miles north of where I live. We go to it somewhat frequently. Can anyone give me tips when buying?|||No, no, no, get a simple .22 for self defense, it is lighter, smaller, and packs less of a kick for someone new to gun use.


Besides .22 ammo is a lot less cheaper than the other caliber firearms.


Yes, larger calibers do pack a bigger kick, but nothing is going to keep attacking you after being hit with a .22. Also, with right aim a .22 can kill.|||thanks. i%26#039;ll check it out. Report Abuse
|||Dave Grohl Wanna Be!!!, the .45 Colt (also known as the .45 Long Colt) is NOT a semi-automatic pistol. He is asking about the best semi-auto handgun and that would be the .45acp which is NOT a hunting caliber. The .45 Long Colt is a good hunting revolver round.





H Report Abuse
|||Yes a Pistol in 10mm or .357 sig would be the bare minimum. If you want something cheap and reliable surplus firearms are also good. a CZ 52 can be bought for about $200 and that would come with 2, 8 round magazines, cleaning rod, gun and holster. It shoots the 7.62x25 round (.30 Tokarev) The bullets are smaller diamiter but are traveling much faster than the others listed. I have a CZ 52 and love it, ammo is cheap and the gun is accurate and easy to fire. Other than that a double action .357 mag and up revolver I%26#039;d recomend.|||This is a difficult question, because a gun for self defense and a first time gun should not be the same. Honestly though, even though they are hard to find, you can buy shotshells for a .22 So, if you were to buy a .22 as your first gun, it will be cheap, and cheap to learn on since regular ammo is cheap, and then to keep it loaded with shotshells for self defense is great.|||I wouldn%26#039;t recommend a semi auto pistol for the type of protection you%26#039;re asking about. Go with a large cal revolver 357 or above from a reputable manufacturer.





Find a good gun store and talk with them about what you%26#039;re concerned about. If they say semi auto I%26#039;d be surprised.|||I would have to recommend going with a larger caliber revolver, and staying away from the Glock semi auto%26#039;s. Specifically, I would recommend a S%26amp;W Model 60 .357 Magnum, or a S%26amp;W Model 629 .44 Magnum. Either one would be sufficient andd reliable enough for a first time owner.|||I bowhunt in wolf country and carry my Ruger .357 Magnum revolver. I%26#039;ve never had to use it, but I%26#039;m 100% sure it%26#039;s going to take out a wolf if need be.|||A semi-auto handgun is not a good choice for defense, especially against large game.





About the only two I would recommend would be a .44 Mag Desert Eagle or a 10mm Auto. A .357 Sig is not as potent as a .357 Mag, the hottest loads in .357 Sig are about as equal to the lower loads in .357 Mag





Best to get yourself a .357 Revolver since you are a first time buyer. A .44 revolver would be better in the event you were attacked by a bear, but you should be more concerned with learning how to avoid an attack, not buying a gun you aren%26#039;t proficient in and trusting it to do all the work.|||Since you are specifying a semi auto to use for protection against wildlife your best option is the Glock Model 20 .10mm. It is powerful, more reliable than other autos (such as the behemoth .50s, etc.), accurate and holds 15 + one rounds.





If the .10mm isn%26#039;t your cup of tea, then consider the Glock Model 31 in .357 Sig. It is not quite as potent as the ten but on paper as potent as the .357 Mag. revolver. This is definitely my last choice for the scenario you%26#039;ve described. I would still prefer a revolver, .357 Magnum or .44 Magnum over the Sig, but you want an automatic so there you have it. The Model 31 is also a 15 + one round automatic pistol.





Final Note: Wolves are a problem? Aren%26#039;t boars and bears a bigger menace? Wolves usually leave people alone.





Good luck.





H|||Like some others have said, GLOCK 20 in 10mm Auto is what you have to use.





Ted Nugent goes hunting with a GLOCK 20 and shoots boars with it, which is similar in size to a wolf.





However, I%26#039;d rather have a .44 Magnum revolver to protect myself from wild animals. (Desert Eagle doesn%26#039;t cut it, nowhere near as reliable)|||When i go out in the country i always carry a S%26amp;W M29 .44 mag it will take care of anything you will ever run into and you can load down to 44 specials if need be. I never take a chance when out in the country.|||The Colt .45 would be my gun of choice! Don%26#039;t believe me? Then follow the link and read the ENTIRE article!





http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/.45_Colt|||The .45 ACP is a man stopper, But there are those that swear by the 10 MM. Either round I trust my life with. Now with a grizz nothing under the .454 Casual|||If you are a first time buyer, why not go for a revolver? A good Smith and Wesson model 10 or 12 in .38 would be great. But if I had to buy an auto, it would be a Ruger or Beretta in 9MM for a first timer.|||Best semi auto for animal defense i can think of would be a Glock 20 in 10mm .Get a 6 inch barrel and load it with 15 rounds of 200 grain Double Tap and your good to go on protection up to black bears.|||Well...as a US marine,I use a .45 model 1911 semi auto because of the wide variety of available loads,like birdshot for snakes,etc.you can load with a ball round,then a birdshot,etc.so if you are in an area with snakes AND wolves,you are ready for both.The shot works good on scorpions too.|||You can probably count the amount of wolf attacks on humans on both hands. If this is a serious question, you really shouldn%26#039;t have to be worried about wolves. If you are needing protection against wild animals, you more likely would need it against bears. I wouldn%26#039;t trust any semi-auto for protection against any wild animal. Most semi-auto rounds have pathetic panetration. They were created for stopping humans, not animals. If there was ever a semi-auto that had real stopping power on animals, the 10mm would be it. It is essentially a longer version of a 40s%26amp;w and delivers higher energy.





For realistic protection against bears or wolves (I guess), I wouldn%26#039;t carry anything smaller than a 44mag. 454casul or 500s%26amp;w would be significantly better, but still would pale in comparison to a large rifle or shotgun slug for actual energy.|||Unless you have plenty of cash to spring for the Desert Eagle, or an AMT Automag, or something or the like, the 10mm would probably be your best choice. Which 10mm? Well the EAA/Tanfoglio Wittness would be your economy model, and when it comes down to it probably as good as anything else. It%26#039;s based off the CZ-75 action, which speaks for itself. If you like the safe-action style pistols Glock chambers it%26#039;s model 20 in 10mm. They are great and doing what they do. If you want a little class the Colt Delta would be an awesome pick as well, or a Witness Hunter if you can find one. They might cost a little more, but the Witness Hunter will out preform nearly every other 10mm ever made, and the Delta, well, it%26#039;s a Delta.





The 10mm is kinda odd, and if you chose something else I would say that .45 ACP is your next best bet, followed by a .40S%26amp;W which is maybe tied with the .357 Sig. 99% of the time a wolf would never know which one you used, so I would say something that you can shoot well would be a priority over which chambering has more power.





Buying tip? I%26#039;m a gun dealer and I buy 95% of my personal guns used. Just saves some money, especially when you get to know what%26#039;s a deal and what isn%26#039;t. I%26#039;d rather have 3 used guns instead of 2 new ones. Also, see if you can shoot a friends just to see what you like. You might wanna think about a revolver too, the big revolver cartridges (and even the .357) are gonna kick *** over any but the biggest and most expensive auto pistols. WAY more power.|||Ok number one don%26#039;t listen to these people...when dealing with big angry animals that want to eat you and you want a semi-auto there are only two correct answers. Number one Glock model 20 in a 10mm. Or number two Kimber 1911 in a 10mm. A 10mm is pretty equal to a .41 mag and will give you plenty of penetration power to hit the vitals on any predator from wolves to griz.|||I have to agree with the Glock crowd. The 10MM easily has enough power to stop such animals, yet I don%26#039;t think you really have a lot to worry about with wolves unless you go out baiting them. On the other hand some guy in Idaho did lose three of his hunting dogs to wolf attacks a few months ago.





Stepping up to something more powerful the Desert Eagle in .44 magnum is not a bad choice but it is a lot heavier. Due to the weight and the gas operation I don%26#039;t think it kicks much more than the Glock 20 does. But you don%26#039;t get as many rounds and it cost more and the thing does weigh a lot. Yet it will have superior stopping power.





Good luck|||You are talking about taking down varmints at a fairly close range, if you want to use a handgun. Therefore, I recommend a fairly high caliber, hollow point round. Forty (.40) caliber Glock would be my weapon of choice. The hollow point round breaks apart upon entree and goes in different direction. This offers better assurance the target will go down quicker, and not cause you further danger by continuing it%26#039;s approach after being hit.





I have worked with Glock for a number of years. I have never had a mis-fire or have the weapon fail to fire. Forty caliber is a powerful round but not the kick of a .45.





Most semi-automatics are expensive. A good quality, new weapon will cost you $600 or more, however most dealers have good used weapons available, too. It might pay for you to check these out, too!|||go to a Glock dealer look at all the models glock sells. Look at Ruger P90 i think it is. these are nice affordable pistols


i think you will end up looking at a .40 cal or a .45 maybe. Corbon makes rounds for each caliber that will definately end a wolves charge and you will be able to shoot both fast. I like the Glock for the reason of reliability and sturdiness. The Ruger is not bad but if Glock can win over all the police departments on the reliability issue then wolves look out