Just wanted to say I am pleased to report that, in accordance with the ridiculous rules here in Canada, I have taken the course and passed the exam to qualify to buy and possess hand guns.

I also convinced two non gun owners/users to take the full course (I only needed an upgraded license), along with getting another member here, VictoryXC, to upgrade his license to handgun.

The single best way we can fight back against encroachment is to get more people shooting and owning guns, especially women.

One of the newbies is my ex, and to her surprise she found that a friend of hers (our son's classmate's mother) shoots regularly, and so is extremely excited about getting started.

Once I receive my actual license I will be applying in NH for my CC permit. They have issued them in the past to Canadians.

Of course, now I have to figure out what to buy. Always fun shopping for new guns.

James, I have a Ruger Mark II bull-barrel .22, registered for target shooting, now restricted to the club. Has there been a change in regulations concerning handguns? Isn't Ottawa polling to ban handguns? I can't find enthusiasm to take on Ottawa; seems most have given up, including local gunshops. Opinion, please.

I am just not a handgun guy but after an experience I had last week that may well change. Considering a Colt SAA to keep my neighbors Dobermans inline after one them put a hole in one of my bird dogs last week. The only issue would be I have never been able to hit a barn door from the inside with a handgun. Then again at inside 6 ft I might be able to manage with a bit of practice.

Congrats cback. Food for thought, recently I thumped a few gophers for the first time in quite a few years. I took a 22lr revolver and had a blast. Steve, consider something that you're likely to have with you consistently, the next time they may try to corner you.

Oh they did Craig, the big male circling me and looking for an opening. I just ordered some repellent spray as well. I am a pretty big guy and loud when I need to be. I let them know I was more than going to put up a fight. I think if I showed any fear the outcome may have been very different. Good idea on the .22lr, might be a better option than a .45 LC.

Steve. please do not do that. An SAA of any brand, Colt, Ruger, etc. is for fun, not work. You'd be better off buying a little 9mm carbine.

Get a Glock or an S&W M&P and learn how to shoot it. 9mm is the default caliber and would be fine, but I like something different, like a Glock Model 40 10mm Longslide 6" with an RDS, or a Model 31 in .357 Sig. Potent medicine both.

https://www.gunsinternational.com/guns-f...un_id=101174102

JR

Thank You for the advice. I have never warmed to the Glock safety and lean towards revolvers. Might need to do a bit of research as to what will work for me.
Steve

Sorry Steve, I wasn't thinking pick a .22, only that they can be a ton of fun. For me, I'll take a good confidence shot up to seventyish yards, but fifty is better for me on the ground squirrels. Fun stuff, you can see the misses kick up dust at this time of the year.

Anyway, mostly I wanted to comment that I think single action revolvers have a definite place. I just think if you started regularly carrying a SAA, it would be disappointing to see rubs and scratches show up even if you had the ability to restore it. I have enough odds and ends to actually go looking, but if a decent 4 5/8" Blackhawk in .41mg or 45LC wandered in front of me at a great price, I'd probably pull the trigger. I'd be pretty sure the neighbors got the message, but riled up dogs can be tough to reason with.

I have two SAAs, both Italian made by Uberti. One is traditional .45 Colt. The other has a slightly larger cylinder diameter & is in .44 Mag with an extra .44-40 cylinder. I love them both, though have never used the .44-40 cylinder.

The SAA is a very natural pointing revolver. I would not choose one as a regular carry gun for self-defense, but for the purpose stated it should work great.

your problem with dobermans, is not the dogs, but the owner...did you tell owner of dobermans that his dogs attacked and injured your dog? did you file a police report? taking the law into your hands and shooting someone elses dog is likely to get you shot...time to consider alternatives to violence...

my first choice would always be a trad. 1911 in 45
If you want something smaller look at a Walther PPK in .380
enough power for your use,
external hammer (don't like the latest craze 'hammerless' autos - dangerous & unintuitive in my opinion)
first shot SA and or DA - then SA
absolute 'safe' safety - blocks the firing pin with a slab of steel!
can be carried ready to go

one of the safest and best made autos I've ever come across!
And small enough to carry inside your belt all day long

But then, you like revolvers -

to get any useful result out of a revolver (especially short barrel, you need a .357 at least, and they make a hell of a racket out of a short barrel. But you know all that...

I remember back in the 70's in Kenya, I dropped a .38 special out of a SW mod. 36 (2") on a standard interior kitchen door - didn't even go through something like 1/2" of wood from about 3 yds away!
Picked the slug out with my fingers....

just my 2c

rgds
Gunter

Thanks Craig, sounds like fun. However highly illegal here to use a hand gun to shoot anything other than paper targets, at a approved range.

No self defense allowed, no hunting allowed. No concealed or open carry allowed.

Gun must be stored, empty, with a trigger lock, in a locked container or locked cabinet or safe and with ammunition stored, locked, in an entirely separate part of the house, so that putting the gun together with the ammo is an inconvenient and slow process. Them's the rules.

Except of course, for those who don't give a damn, cause they are going to break the law anyway. Obviously our Lib govt cant see that.

It's not restricted to storage at your club unless you want it that way King.

Ottawa is not polling to ban hand guns, they are conniving to. All the more reason to kick up a fuss, rather than roll over and take it up the a$$.

2.2 million licensed gun owners in Canada, King. That's a pretty large special interest group if we didn't have FUDDS trying to throw hand gun and black gun enthusiasts under the bus. 30,000 new PAL licensees in Ontario in the last 6 month. Over a third are restricted. At $300 for the PAL and over $400 for the RPAL, I 'd call that healthy.

Don't forget, all those RPAL holders then need to go buy a gun, 2 strong boxes and join a club, which will be a minimum of $500 in Ontario. We are talking well over $1500 at a minimum.

Is interest in gun use and ownership dying? Hell no. Although there is a concerted effort to kill it.

If your local gunshop is dying, I would suggest that has more to do with his retailing skills than anything else. As you know, I'm pretty familiar with retail.....it's tougher and tougher for every kind of mom and pop operation to survive no matter what the product category is.

Ain't that the truth!

Gunter, I know next to nothing about hand guns. But a good friend who knew what I was doing recommended a 1911 45ACP and someone tried to sell me a PPK about 7 years ago. I'd have bought it if I had the license, but I had to pass. I did like the way it felt in my hand. Nice fit.

I think I will probably start with something in .22 that I can pile rounds through at the range, on the cheap, just getting used to shooting a hand gun. But if past history is anything to go on, that won;t be where the gun buying ends. LOL

Ooops, sorry about that. Maybe, some time you can work out the NH thing, and maybe leave a fun gun or two down in the states with a friend. I bet your boy would have a time going after a soup can, and many places have a no season no license policy for varmints and some predators. Nothing wrong with paper punching. I'd say have fun, but can I wish you an appropriate sporting purpose.

Thanks, James. You raise an interesting point. Could the strong interest in shooting that you mentioned in Ontario be caused by the attraction of competitive shooting at ranges (where coincidentally women can do as well as men)?

On the Southern thread, a member noted that there might be 20 young people attending among one thousand participants. That's what I'm seeing here in the Maritimes, fewer hunters every year. Scads of game but few early risers.

The women angle is tantalizing to the imagination. They seem to be taking over the world, men seem same-old and slow by comparison. Maybe their activism will do for shooting what they've accomplished in other fields.

That’s great to hear congratulations

Congrats on getting your license!

If you are limited to target shooting, I think that a single action is a good choice. I own several and use them a lot. If I just want to shoot, I often pick up the Ruger Single 10 and a box of .22 ammo. And I frequently carry a .45 when working around the farm. I am far more likely to shoot a coyote than to need it for self defense, and I think I have a better chance to hit the coyote with it when compared to one of my self defense guns.

I have tried to deer hunt with a Colt SAA .45 with cast bullets. The folks who know say that it will kill a deer just fine, but I have shot at 2 and missed both. I think I have given up on that idea, but I have taken around a dozen deer with a TC Contender. That would be another option for you since you are limited to paper. It's kinda cool to hit a target 200 yards away with a handgun.

I think a single action handgun and a sxs shotgun just go together, so I think it's an appropriate recommendation for this forum.

Good luck in deciding.

James,
The US could use a guy like you. Seriously, have you ever considered immigrating? How in the world could you make a more powerful statement on your belief system, then telling Ottawa to pack it, and come here, where your competence would be valued?
Do consider it.

Best,
Ted

Craig, I really appreciate your best wishes and I share your hope that one day, in Canada, I have some flexibility with how I can use a handgun.

In the meantime, paper targets are just fine. I'd like to get at home with a hand gun as I am with my shotguns. Now, the shotguns had a 50 year head start, so I have some range time to put in.

King, I think, and I've been seeing it for 10 years, that there are a lot of young people who have and still are discovering how fun shooting can be, in a variety of disciplines other than hunting. It's given rise to the popularity of "black" guns.

The problem is there are a lot of Canadian gun owners who are quite prepared to look at guns that aren't blued steel and walnut hunting guns and say "No one needs one of those.....go ahead and prohibit them or make them restricted".

It's short sighted and stupid. The NRA raises over $300 million annually for the defense of the 2cd and the promotion of shooting sports. Given the comparative size of our economy and level of wealth, we should be raising $25 million. Our disparate and "at war with each other" guns orgs aren't raising a fifth of that.

Part of me wants to just say F*** it and move to the US. But I'm stubborn, plus, my view is the correct one. I just haven't sold it well enough to the right number of people. So I keep at it.

Firearm laws are the canary in the coal mine when it comes to a nation's rights and freedoms. It's a battle worth fighting. Many in the past have already died for it.

wow! a TC-Contender!
now that's a gun! I remember vaguely that, when they went first on sale in Germany(have forgotten when that was - sometime in the 60's I'm sure) I wanted one! but could not afford it. One of the attractive parts was the ability to change calibers.
They were expensive then - what are they now? (are they still made? - I somehow don't think so)
Difficult to shoot off-hand though, I should think - weight alone..

Sorry, but this took me back some 50 years....

rgds
Gunter

I just have to add to this thread that it was thanks to the generosity of Steve Voss and Wingshooter16 (Mike) that got me going on this. Spending time with those two in Nebraska the last few years and having them take the time to show me and let me shoot a variety of their guns (as soon as they heard I'd never even held one, never mind fired one) while out in the Sandhills, really whet my appetite. Good folks.

Nice side story cback, it's about being there and the folks, not just the heft of the game bag.

taking the course is easy, buying a handgun is even easier....finding a club that is taking in more members, to shoot your gun...is near impossible.

a beretta 9 mil would be my choice nonetheless.

We started James out with a.22lr, moved up to a 9mm, then 45acp, and ended with a 38 Super. All 1911s, of course.

Truer words never spoken Craig.

Dal, I’m lucky enough to live an easy drive from several handgun ranges/ clubs that are taking in members.

Glad you listed those Steve. Was trying to remember what I shot. Not doing a good job. Lol. Hope you are well.

hammerless semi-auto pistol is too dangerous???
I guess hammerless doubles are too dangerous.

Ted, that's a remarkably kind and generous thing to say and suggest and it humbles me. I love your country and I love Americans and I love Americanism. But I love Canada too, for all it's faults and mostly all it's insecurities.

What I really wish is that as countries and as peoples and as individuals, I hope we continue to be the best of friends.

There was a fire in the 90s that destroyed the factory where the original Contender was made, and that was the end of first generation production. But they redesigned it and called it G2 and started making them again. I'm not sure if they are still in production, but I stick with the G1 anyway. They are available for about $400 from GunBroker and such.

There are ways to shoot them off hand that I think are much easier than a more standard handgun, but I've always tried to find a brace. I have also used mine with a .22 barrel and a scope for squirrel hunting with a dog. That's a lot of fun, but my dogs got old and died and I'm too old to raise new ones.

It’s probably the only way you’ll get to live in a city that has just won Lord Stanley’s Cup.

Good one in Dallas tonight.


___________________________
Great album
https://youtu.be/7KB3PPdvz_M

I'm probably the odd duck here but I've never enjoyed shooting .22 pistols that much. I love shooting handguns but lean toward the .44 or .45 caliber variety. Pre 29 Smith, 1911 Colts and my favorite FA in .454 Casull. I do tend to grin a bit when ringing the steel targets in the back yard with a heavy hard cast linotype bullet running pretty hot....

Ken you are indeed odd. The only pistol that I find to be any fun is my Stevens 35.

Sheesh, since Ted was thinking .222’s I had to dig mine out. Still works decent, it looks easily minute of coyote when I ran it out to four hundred yards. Then, this thread made me dig out my old Contender. It’s got me thinking about the .44 too. It’s been a while for some of these things for me.

Wish you were my neighbor. I’d give you some ammunition for your .222. Wonder of wonders, I have a Ruger .44 magnum carbine, also.

Fired it once, about 1982.

Best,
Ted

Coosa, what caliber do you use for deer? I shot the 10" 7 MM TCU wildcat cartridge competitively and it was incredibly accurate. In developing the loads for our guns, a buddy, Russ, and I shot them with a 6x extended relief scope off sandbags. Russ could shoot 5 shot groups at 100 meters that were sub half-inch. In competition, we were limited to leaf sights. I don't think the round was suitable for deer, at least back then, because the 7 mm bullet wouldn't expand at the velocities we shot. I had a custom unlimited gun built on the action by Vern Juenke, a gunsmith in Nevada. It shot a rimmed European cartridge. It was a tack driver with his custom adjustable peep sight on a 14" barrel. Gil

Gunter:

You can pick a T/C Contender up around here for under $500 and barrels run from about $175-$250 depending on chambering and style.

I own one for which I have 5 barrels: .22 octagon with iron sights, .22 octagon with scope, .22 Hornet with scope,.256 Winchester with iron sights, and .30 Herrett. I'm thinking of trying to take a deer with the Herrett. Most of the shots where I hunt are in the 60-75 yard range and I'm pretty sure a properly placed 125 grain spitzer would do the trick at those ranges.

Rem

I shot a stock Thompson Contender chambered in .30-30 Win. in IHMSA competition, back in the '80s. Of course, it was all iron sight shooting. I hand loaded my ammo using RE7 and 150 gr. spitzers. We shot from 50 meters at the chickens, out to 200 meters at the rams.

I didn't like the rules adopted by IHMSA concerning shooting a score higher than your current class, so quit after a few months. Killed a buck with it, that I rattled up, then sold it to a friend. Good guns, but very limited in use, IMO.

SRH

Stan, tie breakers were chickens at 200 meters, then index cards. We'd shoot at Godley Road and near Charleston. Gil

not sure why you guys like 45'ves. way too much kick for a follow up shot. particularly for the acp.

Most people who use a .45 do so with the realization they likely won’t need to shoot twice.

Best,
Ted

lol....got me!

A 9mm round will sometimes fail to expand, but .45 ACP will never shrink. Gil

Whoa! James is starting handgun, and wondering what type and calibre. Doesn't it depend on the mission? My two cents: anyone can shoot well, with practise. Get good with a .22, less expense, less noise and less-likely flinching. Type? Try what others are using at the gun club.

Agree- I shoot .22's almost year-round- 2 area clubs have pistol leagues- I usually use my Mark-1 Ruger Bull barrel target pistol, and get all the practice you can- it pays off. I have a Colt Python 6" barrel-- and I usually shoot .38 wadcutters in that masterpiece wheel-gun-- sometimes drop in a full house .357 round, and spin the cylinder close it w/o looking to see which of the 6 holes has the "Big Boy"-- great way to work yourself out of a flinch- can't use that technique with a 1911-A-1 .45 ACP however. RWTF

Whoa, better read what it says on the license, eh? My, up to fourteen and a half, sense is to get something that starts with a good crisp trigger or can be tuned by someone. After the newness wears off and if someone wants to improve their accuracy and maybe speed, I think a heavy, inconsistent trigger is tough to try to ignore. To me, it's sort of like binoculars, little jiggles end up multiplied down range.

Craig's right King......there can only be one legal mission in Canada, thanks to people who vote for gun and rights restricting politicians of all stripes. And those who would gladly throw other gun enthusiasts of any stripe under the bus as long as they are left alone.

Now, if I lived in the US it would be different. But as my dad always says...."If my aunt had balls she's be my uncle"

James, by mission I was referring to use: plinking, competition, self-defence.

I was 20 when I registered my Ruger with the Mounties and I answered Sgt. Rankin correctly that I was going to use it for target shooting. It was a different time. He looked straight into my eyes and said "If you're gong to shoot somewhere else just make sure there is no one around for miles."

I obeyed his liberal interpretation of the rules, and still do, except for when I left the pistol in my fishing kitbag at the side of road by a lake in only-me wide-open spaces. An angler found the bag and turned it over to the RCMP. When I showed up to get it, Rankin just pointed at the bag and said "There it is. Go."

At the time I was a reporter on the provincial daily living in Halifax. I built a 40-foot range, using shorts, in my basement. I've enjoyed plinking ever since. My visiting grandson said 15 years ago, "Gramps, see if you can hit this," throwing an empty 50-round .22 box into the air. It was my best-ever shot.

I live on 50 acres in the woods at the end of a 500-metre driveway. Canada is mostly wide expanses with lots of places to comfortably make moonshine or grow cannabis or make love outside of vows without a soul ever knowing. Be the man you want to be. Bandit Marchand gets away with it nearly every night before millions!

In shooting large caliber handguns, I would inevitably develop a flinch. My shooting partner would help me out the flinch by randomly handing me an empty chambered .22 lr. that I would fire not knowing whether or not it was loaded. A few sessions with the 22 was all it took. The interchangeability of the TC's helped significantly as it was the same action, same trigger pull, barrel to barrel. Gil

The mention of the Contender reminded me of this:

https://www.thefirearmblog.com/blog/2014/10/02/pachmayr-dominator-308-1911-pistol/

My late shooting buddy had one of these and I can just say that a 1911 grip frame combined with a .308 Win is not pleasant to shoot.

I believe I still have several of the JDJ wildcat dies in my cache from previous ventures with the Contender.

"Oh Crap," cried the King- and 50K loyal subjects hit the nearest Water Closet, for in that era- the King's commands were obeyed-- "Balls," cried the Queen- and the King laughed, not because he wanted too, but because he had two!""-- I have little faith in any Monarchy to govern its subjects in a fair and open manner- or manor, if you follow their domiciles-- all the fuss and feathers in England-- Old Liz will outlive her son Chuck-- and he'll never be crowned King- not even Burger King--RWTF

The British Commonwealth would agree with you, Fox.

King. I know you were. But my point is that plinking and self Defense in Canada are now illegal.

I weep for the formerly pristine acreage, forever tainted by decades of wanton lead disposal. The only relief is that some of the toxic poisons, that are not consumed by nesting waterfowl, run off into the marsh, that an infamous comfy chair and computer terminal overlooks. Big sigh, and with a heavy heart, signed the gimpy Bald Eagle that can fly no more.

What is the status of black powder percussion replica revolvers in
Canada? I have enjoyed a 44 cal 1851 Navy replica with a 5" barrel, made in Italy. Carrys and handles pretty well and with 40grs of FFg or Pyrodex behind the round balls, it punches without much recoil. Its no Glock, but when the US goes the way of Canada, its something that the regulators here may forget. Just be sure to stock up on powder and caps.

Hand guns are hand guns. They could be muzzle loaders from the 18th century. No let up of regulatory bullshit.

Thanks for the info. Hope we never get that far.

That's great James, we'll get you out to my club and you can try a few out while shopping.

M

I find that hard to believe considering the mental state you've displayed on this forum numerous times....

My granpappy always said foOls are easy to foOl.

Just saying

These days your aunt doesn't need balls to be your uncle.

Weep not, craig. Registered to FSC, most responsible forest sustainability standard in the world, this land of bald eagle nests, deer, grouse and rabbits, vineyard and gardens is in its prime.The gimpy Bald Eagle changes from wheels to floats next week. Life is always just beginning!

Ahhh, jOe, so nice to have you back among us, spreading your good cheer and wisdom.

Sounds great Mark. I have reason to want to get up just a bit north of Orillia, gun hunting LOL. See you at the SxS shoot.

Gil, I have killed all the deer with a 7x30 Waters barrel and a Burris scope on it. I could never attain the type of accuracy you are getting with the 7TCU, but it would shoot 1" groups off sandbags. The gun was not the weak link - that would be me. But I did get several in the 150 to 175 yard range when hunting out of a tripod with a rail around it for a rest.

I have thought of trying to find a 7 TCU carbine barrel to make a first deer gun for my grandson. But I don't know how old he will need to be to be able to easily cock the gun.