Thinking of buying a Glock - need advice

[XXL]

I was a die hard Colt Government man, until Glock came out, they were built by an engineer named Gaston Glock, ( I am working from a rusty memory here), he knew nothing about firearms but, made many diffrent types of machines, when he designed the Glock Pistols, he used his engineering smarts and made one of the finest self defense weapons there is available. I was a Glock armorer for about ten years or so and except for a couple of early problems with corrosion in a few parts overly abused/neglected pistols, they have been flawless, in the hands of a trained operator. You have to have confidence in what you carry, make an informed decision, try it before you buy it, and when thinking of stopping a bear or anything else, most hand guns are inedaquate, but better than nothing. A hand gun is a good tool to fight your way to a rifle.

 

[H2SNOW]

Im not worried about shooting people at all. We're not allowed to in Canada.

Would a 10mm be enough to stop a bear? What dont you like about the Glocks WC?

nice pull deaner.....course I would probaly opt for the 44 mag or a colt 45 ...cuz thats enough to stop a GRIZZ in its tracks ...

 

[Luke The Drifter]

I hate to hijack Deaner's thread but here goes. I'm in the same position, I want to get a pistol for the same reasons. I already have my non restricted licence and I know that I have to get my restricted FAC (stop laughing you Americans). But what are the regulations on a handgun? I heard somewhere that I have to let the mounties know when and where I'm taking it. God I hope not, seems like a royal PITA just to have the thing. Any insight?

 

[H2SNOW]

I hate to hijack Deaner's thread but here goes. I'm in the same position, I want to get a pistol for the same reasons. I already have my non restricted licence and I know that I have to get my restricted FAC (stop laughing you Americans). But what are the regulations on a handgun? I heard somewhere that I have to let the mounties know when and where I'm taking it. God I hope not, seems like a royal PITA just to have the thing. Any insight?

word of advice brother ......just play by the rules....jus play by the rules ....

 

[deaner]

The way I look at it though, the chances of getting caught with one are slim if you arent being an idiot with it. And I would rather take a chance getting caught packing a sidearm illegally than coming face to face with a bear with no protection.?/QUOTE]

So you live in Canada and you want to carry a handgun while camping? And you won't play with the handgun in the campground? Perhaps you should review the laws regarding carrying a restricted firearm (handgun) anywhere and in a Provincial or National Park, as well as discharging a firearm in public....then decide if its worth the criminal charges! BTW camp in the city or near a townsite away from places where bears are if you are that worried about them.

And if you must get a handgun then...Kimber 45cal.

That is EXACTLY what I am saying. I know the laws. I know it is illegal, and that I would get my *** handed to me if I ever got caught. How am I going to get caught though? When was the last time you were patted down for firearms on your last camping trip? Id rather be alive facing charges for shooting a bear (chances of having to do it are slim), than getting killed by a bear because I couldnt protect myself.

Camp in town? Are you kidding. That kind of defeats the purpose of camping. Its not like Im going to tuck the thing in the front of my pants and go hiking through Banff national park. I tend to camp in more remote locations.

Edit - When I started the thread I was under the impression (from what I had heard) that pepper spray was not effective. After hearing some of the feedback, and doing a little more research I think this might be the way to go. Im still going to get a pistol to play with though.

 

[H2SNOW]

holy crap are you on crack ???????????????

pepperspray ?????????????????? that is the most rediculous thing that I have heard !!

yeah you bet .......Grizzlies ,like their supper spiced tooo !

 

[Nate]

Im still going to get a pistol to play with though.

LMFAO

 

[Luke The Drifter]

word of advice brother ......just play by the rules....jus play by the rules ....

So if the man in the nice red suit doesn't know about it, no worries?

*Notice* I'm a responsible, law abiding gun owner.

Seriously though, what are the regulations?

 

[H2SNOW]

So if the man in the nice red suit doesn't know about it, no worries?

*Notice* I'm a responsible, law abiding gun owner.

Seriously though, what are the regulations?

thats nice

what you need to do go join a dance parade or somthing ...you are definately NOT the gun owner type lol

first of all what is your classificatio on the back of your FAC ????

 

[Luke The Drifter]

Mike, I got a non restricted FAC, you really think I like our gun laws? If it were up to me, we'd be a lot like our brothers to the south.

Remember I don't live in the Yukon, where everyone hunts and fishes. Seems to be a lot of hippy types down here.

Ok back on topic LOL

 

[H2SNOW]

well it would seem that with a Restricted FAC you are allows to buy all restricted firearms that fall within the FAC rule book

apparently you forgot to tell me about your possesion requirements

 

[deaner]

holy fawk are you on crack ???????????????

pepperspray ?????????????????? that is the most rediculous thing that I have heard !!

yeah you bet .......Grizzlies ,like their supper spiced tooo !

So you're saying pepper spray doesnt work?

 

[H2SNOW]

pepperspray is for the National Geografic wanna bes .....we have at least 3-4 people eatin every summer .......story always includes ....."victum used pepper spray .....but failed to ward off the 1800 pound Grizzly .....remains were identified correctly by matching dental specimans found in the bear poop...........



Am I goin to fast for ya ......cuz if I am I will slow down to your pace .....

lol

 

[Nikolai]

Pepper spray is extremely effective(not so much on black bears), and unless you can fire your handgun within seconds your dinner. Even at that you better be a damn good aim and know where to shoot it. I've never carried bear spray as an only defense, but as a tool to buy me time to get a shot off. If your in thick brush, unless your firearm is in your hand ready to shoot you won't get a shot off.

There have also been bears that have had clips emptied into them and still mauled the shooter. Somes bears will stop dead in their tracks from spray or bullets, and some won't be stopped by anything except blunt force(why I carry a 12 ga.).

You just need to educate yourself. Living in Alaska for the last 22 years I've encountered lots of bears and not yet have I had to shoot one(not that I'd hesitate too).

 

[catssuk]

this is my conceal carry, target, and just fun plinking. gun. its a sig sauer 229 .40 cal police issue. i love this gun. put a laser grip sight on it. it is deadly accurate. i have fired this gun aleast 10k rounds thru it with never a failier at all. would recommend this for everything except bear protection

heres my bear protection gun. its a deasert eagle .50 ae. with hand loaded 500 gram full metel jackets. will put a bear down, and with 1 in the boiler and 7 in the clip. i have enuf to miss a few, and if any thing, give it a heart attack ,because this fricken gun is an ear drum killer. with the 10" barrel you have a little range also.

 

[ak ryda]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LZnsL7-UdGc

Watch the video, pepper spray wouldn't have done a thing. If a charging bear has its mind made up that it wants a piece of you and is not bluff charging, there is only one way to stop it. There is no replacement for displacement. Sorry but you wont catch me with pepper spray.

Deterring nuisance bears and having to STOP a bear that is about to take a bite out of you are two totally different things.


EDIT......... Back to the OP. If you want a .45, go to a range and shoot a few or them. I personally dont like the way the Glocks feel so i have a Springfield XD-45. But for bear protection it is underpowered. Like someone said before, sounds like you need 3 guns. A large wheel gun for bear protection, a 45 for personal protection, and a 22 pistol to play around and plink with.

 

[TIM]

pistols are not bear protection they are people protection

I like my springfield xd.

 

[Snow Fox]

Glock is my weapon of choice, and I own several. In my profession I use a Glock and I trust my life to it. Glocks are an awesome combat handgun. In a highly stressful situation a human will lose fine motor skills. This is where the Glock shines. It is simple to operate, which in the end can mean whether you walk away from the fight or not. All handguns have there strengths and weaknesses. I own several for different situations. I do not agree about some of the posts on this thread about something being junk, etc, etc. For someone to say one is better than the other is complete close mindedness. It comes down to individual preference, and that is why we have the choices that we have.

I carry Glock for on duty and off duty use. As far as being in the back country I will put my Glocks in the safe and carry my Redhawk .44 Mag. Some people prefer bigger, but I prefer to be able to control my weapon and not have to carry a "cannon". The right handload in .44 is simply awesome. If I feel I need something bigger than a .44 I will carry a carbine or leveraction and then have big firepower with long range accuracy. NO Hangun Can Compete With A Long Gun In A Fight. As I stated earlier it comes down to individual preference.

 

[H2SNOW]

personaly I carry a Beneli super 90 ......it is considered my bear gun..

the biggest thing that you need to do is be aware of where you are .....stay outa the thick stuff watch for sign ....and don't be pickin berries with a head down arse up aproach ..

never had to dispatch a bad bear yet

 

[milehighassassin]

As a person that spends a lot of time shooting and gunsmithing.. DONT BUY A GLOCK.. its out-dated junk.. if you are looking for a carry pistol the springfield, sig, h/k, or s/w would be a way better option for you..

As far as a bear stopper.. it all depends on quality of ammo and shot placement.. personally I carry a .45 for M cats around here.. but no bears.. when I go into bear country I grab my .460 with hand loads .. A 10mm is a great caliber, but would not be what i would depend my life on in a bear situation..

Nate chime in

I have a Glock and I love it. I shoot some dirty ammunition through it and I have NEVER had one jam on me. I try to clean after every shoot, but it doesn't always happen. I'm not sure how you consider a Glock out dated junk. When you have perfection why mess with it.

My advice: Glock doesn't make an auto that I would trust as protection against a bear. I am not sure if anyone makes a quality auto for a bear. Desert Eagle makes a .357 and a .50 caliber auto, but I have shot both and I couldn't get a clip through either one without it jamming.

Before you buy ANY gun, go shoot it. I had my mind and heart set on a USB .40 (H&K). Once I shot it, I hated it. I couldn't shoot it very well, it didn't fit me. I ended up with the Glock 22 (.40). You can go to a range and most of them have rentals guns which you can try. Most ranges sell the guns as well, they will usually let you try/rent a gun for free if you buy from them. Many times they charge you the rental price and when/if you buy from them they will refund/place the rental towards your new gun.