Thinking of buying a Glock - need advice

[1911freak]

Not a Glock fan at all, after awhile they shoot themselves apart

Springfield Armory OR Kimber IMO

Love my kimber, love the springfield armory.

Also, dont see why a .45 wouldnt stop a bear. If you need a honkin wheel gun then go for it

Nate, please tell me where you got THIS information.

Some of you guys who don't know what you are talking about are gonna get someone killed.

As a long time gunsmith I can unequivocally say that a Glock will out last any other pistol in any conditions, especially a 1911.
I have personally seen Glock pistols go 10,000+ rounds without cleaning and still function. The best I have seen a 1911 go without spring changes and with light cleaning is around 6500 and that was a custom pistol with a he!! of a lot of time put in it.
Don't get me wrong I love 1911's and have built many, many of them but when it comes to longevity and reliability you cannot beat a Glock. The Glock may not be sexy but they always run.

When it comes to effective ammo on animals what you need is penetration. A .45 is a slow but big round. It is effective on humans and I suppose lighter animals because the large diameter and slow speed allow it to dump all it's energy quickly.

When it comes to large animals you need to get through the tough hide to the bone and then start busting stuff up. What you need is penetration.
About the only choice I would trust in an autoloader is the 10mm and IMO that caliber as it applies to bears is slightly above marginal. Like I said, you need speed and a heavy bullet so the larger magnum revolvers are the way to go in that arena.

Deaner,
If you want to cover the most bases with one gun the setup you describe 10mm with a 40 barrel, is what I would choose.

 

[Nate]

Nate, please tell me where you got THIS information.

Ive personally done it, and have seen quite a few damaged recievers

Sorry bud, I told the guy to shoot what he wants, if you want to depend your life on a Glock, knock yourself out World is full of choices, if there was the best gun ever then there would only be 1 brand of pistol, instead you get choices. I like my Kimber, and I like the Springfield Armory's. Quality goes a long ways

Personally I think Pistols are not what your looking for Deaner, a good sidearm is a good sidearm but if Pepperspray works then use that. Or get yourself a nice sidebyside 12ga 16" or a semi auto 16 tactical shotgun or something, that would stop a bear I wouldnt know, i dont live in bear country

But i sure as hell wouldnt pick a glock for a bear gun, possibly a plinker, but I wouldnt put my life on the line trusting one

 

[snow_knight]

^^ backing nate again..

All I know is that when my life is on the line.. I want the best possible product in my hands.. and from a gunsmithing and machinist stand point glock isnt even close to the best option

buy what ever you like just remeber

.. and be happy that we are still allowed to own them

 

[Nikolai]

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.

100% dead on, and there are a few areas up here I fish where the gun takes priority. These threads just concern me a little as I've seen a lot of people carry guns for bear protection yet never practice giving them a false sense of security(I've also seen people with the holsters under coats, guns in the backpacks, ect.). Nothing will replace the shear stopping force of a large caliper hangun or a shotgun, just make sure you(people looking at buying guns) practice with it and act out the scenario so you can react fast enough.

 

[snowman]

Think of the XD as an improved glock.
Side by side it is very difficult to tell them a part.
The XD has a couple of safety features and I feel the grip are better to me.
Grips can be replaced.

A .45 acp isnt going to stop to many bears.
Ever see a .500? that might stop a bear but at about a 1.50 a round and the force it delivers you wouldnt want to shoot it for fun.

 

[milehighassassin]

By the way pepper spray is effective and preventing bear attacks. As long as it is BEAR spray. Human spray is weak. I think human pepperspray is like 0.4% active, where bear spray is like 5.0% active.

http://www.cbc.ca/technology/story/2008/03/26/bearspray.html

Study that says bear spray is better protection than guns.

Reasoning in this study: It takes an average of 4 HITS to stop a bear.

On top of that I would say most people are not capable of making well placed shots with a gun while a bear is charging them. With spray it mists/fogs towards the animal.

 

[F-Bomb]

coaching please

Ok it looks like most of the original posters questions have been addressed and it also looks like there are several knowledgable opinions here in so I will interupt for some info.

This last weekend I was fortunate enough to win a Springfield Armory Model 1911 A1 45 ACP at the Oregon Hunters Association banquet. I've been wanting to get a hand gun and my initial research led me to conclude that the .45 was were I wanted to be for caliber. The lucky raffle draw took care of the brand and with internet research I'm feeling even better about that now. The gun feels very good in the hand! Anxious to get into using it but want to do it "right".

(intended known use against ...targets and cans with a remote posibility of wolves, cats, yotes, maybe a black bear, and the biggie would be some bad guy(s) wanting to do me harm)

First off I've read some reference to break in. (sounds to be a little functional break in but more mechanical experience just to see what works in the gun and finding out if the one I have will experience issues) I want to hear what is the best brand and grain/velocity of ammo to use in this weapon. Want "game situation" practice so I'd like an ammo that will cover these bases as an average but also function well with the firearm. Researching I read about jams, stove piping, and various other malfunctions that I want to avoid. Sounds like you start with the weapon brand, clean it, and then use the right ammo to avoid such things. Advice or comments?

Read about various gunsmithing techniques to improve the performance or use of the weapon. Is there anything you would recommend and why?

 

[snow_knight]

F-bomb.. as you have probably read.. pretty much every gun out there likes differences in ammo.. thats something you will just have to test.. but for a premium bullet you cant go wrong with any of the corbon varieties.. for PD and shooting game.. for practice you will want something a little cheap.. wad cutters work well and are inexpensive, however will require you to clean the weapon after use.. they leave alot behind..
When you are talkn about jams.. most of the time this is a ramp angle problem compared to the actual bullet you are using.. keep the ramp well cleaned and if need be some honing and polishin may have to be done..

Smoke stackn can be from a couple different reasons.. the most common being recoil spring.. if this happens the loads you are shooting dont have enough energy to cycle the firearm consistantly..

When you talk about improving the performance of your 1911 the possiblities are endless... but the first very first thing you will want to do is have a trigger job done or put in an adjustable trigger..

 

[Sambo11]

Ahh come on i've got a SW 500 it's a blast to shoot. Granted it's not like plinking with a 22 but they really are fun to shoot. They're like shooting a cannon. The recoil isn't as bad as the people who have never shot one make them out to be. Expensive well yeah you got me there.

If you're looking to stay with an auto without getting something really large the 10mm is about as good as your gonna get. I'm not a Glock guy but for the money they make a good gun. Kimber makes a sweet 10mm also but your looking at spending a few hundred more too. I don't know how much you are looking at spending but the G20 in a 10mm and getting a .40barrel for it will cover you pretty well for a wide variety of shooting enjoyment

 

[ARCTIC DUCK]

WELL.......................im sure this is gonna open up the worm barrel, but here it goes

i once killed a small black bear w/ a 45acp. the bear was wounded and charged me. by the time i actually shot, the bear was almost on me. the bullet glanced of the ear and went right thru the spine, killing the bear instantly. i could have reached out and kicked it right in the nose, it was that close.

the 45 is WAY TO SMALL!!! i was xtremely lucky

 

[RedRider]

If you want to import a hand gun, rifle, ammo from the US you better start filling out paper work now.
If you get caught with a restricted fire arm when not going to the range from home,you will be in deep ****. they take your guns away and you can never own a legal one again.
As for bear stoping power in Alberta, I would start thinking of stuff like a 450 marlin, 45/70. When I'm in the back country I pack my 30.06 with 180 SST, I hope it stops after five rounds.

 

[jimmy buffet]

If I had a 3rd choice it would be a grenade, because thats about how useful Pistols are in a gun fight anyways

NATE YOUR 3RD CHOICE IS MY FIRST. IF ITS TAKING ME DOWN THEN HES GOING DOWN WITH ME.

LOVE MY DESERT EAGLE, BUT NOT ACCURATE, LOTS OF KICK TOO