stoeger 9mm auto or taurus 357 magnum
06-30-2012, 08:00 AM
#1
Fork Horn
Thread Starter
Join Date: Jun 2009
Posts: 136
stoeger 9mm auto or taurus 357 magnum
a few months ago i posted on getting a new gun, i decided to wait to see if i could put a few more dollars back and look at other guns. well next week i'll get the gun and i have narrowed it down to two, its the stoeger couger 9mm or the taurus 65 in 357 magnum. i would like to know for my intended purpose which would be the overall better gun? i will open carry here in kentucky when i'm out walking where i live which is a rural area, and i'll be taking it in the woods hiking and camping. the biggest threat will be feral dogs or coyoties, with a possible black bear which is rare and a wild hog which is starting to be more numerous as several were killed last deer season, the two legged vermin are always a threat and hiking you don't know what you'll walk up on. there were couger tracks seen within 60 miles of me and a few people swore they seen the cat but the KDFW only confirmed tracks not the animal. as for coyoties and dogs, around here they are beginning to worry me. this past turkey season i had to kill two dogs that were a threat and a coyotie that came to my call dropped low and its hair stood up on its back and started snarling at me when i stood up to run it off so i wouldn't scare the turkeys. i had to kill it too, so which would be the best overall gun? i've handled both and they both fit my hand, thanks for any help.
07-02-2012, 03:00 PM
#2
Typical Buck
Join Date: Jul 2009
Location: southwestern va
Posts: 753
my opinion for the situations laid out would be the 9mm, if bear concerns were greater then between the 2 id lean more towards the 357 (although id say its a marginal caliber for black bear). For a do it all woods gun in our area, id personally suggest a glock in 10mm.
07-03-2012, 01:38 PM
#3
Fork Horn
Thread Starter
Join Date: Jun 2009
Posts: 136
i will have a chance of seeing a bear or hog but the chances are remote. my biggest threat is a rabid coyote or pack of dogs and the 2 legged pot growing or meth labbing human. are the taurus revolvers that bad as most claim? a good 9 is better than a bad 357, and these two are i can afford if i want to be armed. thanks
07-05-2012, 02:47 PM
#4
Fork Horn
Thread Starter
Join Date: Jun 2009
Posts: 136
well the shop called today and all guns came in, but he said there was a problem with the taurus 65. the barrel is not exactly inline, he said it wasn't bad but could be seen if eyed closely and he said he put snap caps in it and it felt like the cylinder was rubbing on the forcing cone. he said the bullet gap wasn't there he didn't have a gauge that would fit in it as it was too close. he did get the cougar in 9mm and 40 and said those were ready to go, but he was sending the taurus back. i really wanted the 357 but i guess i'll have to settle for an auto. thanks to everyone's help
07-05-2012, 07:13 PM
#5
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: May 2006
Location: Huntin' In Colorado
Posts: 2,910
For the money you are going to spend on that Stoger you can get a Smith and Wesson SW9VE 9mm. It's the same as a Glock. I mean the same. Lots better gun than the Stoger, in my opinion. Just sayin.......
Last edited by Colorado Luckydog; 07-05-2012 at 07:15 PM.
07-05-2012, 07:34 PM
#6
Boone & Crockett
Join Date: Feb 2003
Posts: 10,679
well the shop called today and all guns came in, but he said there was a problem with the taurus 65. the barrel is not exactly inline,
I had a Taurus revolver that had a barrel that was slightly off, just as your dealer describes. I noticed it one day after I handed it to a customer. When he handed it back to me I set it on the shelf behind me. When he left I looked at it again. I literally unscrewed the barrel by hand and removed it from the frame. Imagine if I had sold that Taurus to a customer and they had to use it to defend their self or family.
If you want an inexpensive .357 revolver look at Charter stainless target. Though they are inexpensive their quality is quite a bit better than Taurus.
http://www.charterfirearms.com/produ..._Pug_73540.asp
07-08-2012, 06:03 PM
#7
Dominant Buck
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Wisconsin
Posts: 21,193
With the choices you gave, it would be the 9mm. I am not sure I would go after the model 9mm you wanted as I believe there are better choices out there. But my reasons for picking the 9mm over the .357 are;
ammo is cheaper, so you can practice more.
recoil a much less so a quick second shot is usually more in target.
9mm usually has a much larger cartridge capacity in the case of wild dogs, multiple shots might be needed.
with the correct ammo, a 9mm is still a very deadly cartridge. Especially for canines or hogs. You want to hit center mass, and let the bullet do the work.
I just feel that a pistol is often more easy to aim and shoot in a high stress situation. also they are faster to reload.
ammo is cheaper, so you can practice more.
recoil a much less so a quick second shot is usually more in target.
9mm usually has a much larger cartridge capacity in the case of wild dogs, multiple shots might be needed.
with the correct ammo, a 9mm is still a very deadly cartridge. Especially for canines or hogs. You want to hit center mass, and let the bullet do the work.
I just feel that a pistol is often more easy to aim and shoot in a high stress situation. also they are faster to reload.
07-09-2012, 01:15 PM
#8
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Oct 2009
Location: Kansas
Posts: 3,871
Other than this cylinder clearance issue, I have seen very good results from the ALL STEEL taurus revolvers. The ultralights have issues with cylinder pin and firing pin bushings breaking and seizing the revolvers, but their all steel revolvers are generally bombproof.
Personally, I would rather have a Taurus 65 than the Stoeger Cougar, and I'd rather have a .357mag over a 9mm for open carry, but to each his own.
Personally, I would rather have a Taurus 65 than the Stoeger Cougar, and I'd rather have a .357mag over a 9mm for open carry, but to each his own.
