.40 or. 357 for the woods?

[12 gauge watergun]

So heres the deal.  I am having a heck of a time deciding which gun to carry for self defense from anything that may want to harm me in Washington.  I need to choose between the SR 40 (27 ounces)  .40 Smith and Wesson shooting 200 grain Doubletap ammo at 1050 fps with 490 foot pounds of force.  The other caliber is the GP100 (42 ounces) .357 shooting buffalo bore 180 grain at 1400 fps with 763 pounds of force.  Obviously the 357 produces more power but the weight sucks when hiking.  The question is will the .40 be enough for whats around here or stick with the .357?  Your thoughts or experiences are appreciated.

[Dirty Mike]

glock 29 10mm

[rebal69972]

glock 23-- 40. i have put several animals down with a 40 mostly hogs and w/t but i have faith in it

[Biggerhammer]

glock 23-- 40. i have put several animals down with a 40 mostly hogs and w/t but i have faith in it

I agree, I carried a Glock 23 .40 cal EVEYWHERE  for 10 years or so. Since I have gone to .45 acp in all my Auto's.

[grizzlyadams]

glock 29 10mm

   Thats what I carry only the full size G20. Its got way more power and penetration than either one. I use Double Taps 10 mm specials 200 grain cooking at 1420 fps. Additionally for under $100 you can get a 40 cal barrel to throw in it for cheaper plinking. Not to mention the G20 is legal for hunting in washington....the G29 is not due to the shorter barrel. If you ever have to finish an animal and do it with your 40 cal......you're breaking the law.

[Button Nubbs]

another vote for the 10mm!

[12 gauge watergun]

I agree with the 10 mm as well but I only have the .357 or .40 cal to choose from.  I also want to be shooting what i will be practicing with.  I just checked out Double tap and the difference was minimal from the .10 to the .357. or at least when i compared a few loads.

[carpsniperg2]

I carry a 357mag most of the time in the woods. My everyday carry gun is a 40cal. I like the 357mag a little better for a woods gun. They can get nasty and full of dust and the wheel gun will run great. I do like my 40 xdm for everyday carry but don't like them for a bear gun in the woods. cats or people you are fine with either.

[12 gauge watergun]

If you ever have to finish an animal and do it with your 40 cal......you're breaking the law.

I am not a modern season guy so I don't know the regs, but I've been told that as long as it was a larger caliber than a .24 caliber, it was legal as long as the barrel was longer than 4 inches.  The .40 meets those requirements or am I misinterpreting the language again?

[seth30]

357, it will stop anything that comes at me, and shooing twice is just silly

[wreckerman5357]

If you ever have to finish an animal and do it with your 40 cal......you're breaking the law.

I am not a modern season guy so I don't know the regs, but I've been told that as long as it was a larger caliber than a .24 caliber, it was legal as long as the barrel was longer than 4 inches.  The .40 meets those requirements or am I misinterpreting the language again?

You are correct. The regs changed to include and centerfire, greater than .24 caliber, and coming out of a 4" or longer barrel a few years ago. Before that it was based on whether the caliber would deliver a minimum amount of energy.

[Huntbear]

Go with the wheel gun.....   like Carpsniper said.. they can get full of crap, twigs, dust... and the revolver just keeps going.  No jams, no performance issues, just goes bang 6 times.  Of course you should only need one, two at most. 

[Glockster]

G20 10mm me too 

[goosegetter79]

Ok he asked for opinion's between the two caliber's .40 and .357, not what caliber should he get!!!

As far as the question at hand I would go with the .357   

[jackelope]

Ok he asked for opinion's between the two caliber's .40 and .357, not what caliber should he get!!!

As far as the question at hand I would go with the .357   

Seemed pretty straight forward to me too. .40or .357... I have one of each and always go with the .40 although I'm not sure why.
It's the 2 legged mammals I worry about more than the 4 legged ones.