A 44 magnum will abuse your hands on the range. I'm a big guy and I've done a lof ot handguning but after a few cylinders without a padded glove, the 44 magnum starts making my my wrist a little sore. I have to throw my vote for the 357. You can practice with .38 rounds till the cows come home and you won't develop a flinch then you can work up to heavier loads. For .357 I like Speer Gold Dot rounds. They are heavy hitting monsters and I would have no problem relying on it for personal protection. The only thing in North America that would make me want more firepower is a Grizzly. It also fills the bill of being inexpensive.

David

Ditto!! .357 is plenty!!

I have killed three cougers, all three were in trees. I have used a 30-30 on two of them & a 22-mag on the third one. The 22-mag was plenty for the couger & the situation I was in. Couger in tree, dogs at the bottom, other people there with other guns to back me up. That being said I am not recommending you carry a 22-mag.
My vote goes for a DA style revolver or a semi-auto pistol that is light. I also carry a pistol when I fish. I have a Colt 1911 chambered in 10mm.
I would recommend a 40-s&w, 10mm, or 45-acp. in the semi-auto. The 357 in a DA style revolver gets my vote.

Good luck,

What about a reg. out 9mm... i was looking at some yesterday and i saw some pretty nice/cheap ones.

If it was for hunting cougar, the 357 would be plenty. But you are talking of a "defensive" gun. Thats the reason for the big calibers I mentioned. When it comes to protection, there is no such thing as "overkill". Just my .02.

I have a Model 19 Smith 357 with a 2 1/2 inch barrel. I carry it everywhere. It is light, handy, and easily concealable. Recoil is moderate and not at all uncomfortable with the combat grips I have. I would recommend the model 19 for such a purpose as yours. I have used mine on several species of small game.

Clint

I would check out the laws in your state for legal handguns to hunt with since you said you have a tag for a cougar. That may limit your selection of minimum barrel length and caliber []. I would like a 5 inch with a bull barrel in 357mag minimum. I prefer the 44mag but I shoot it alot [8D].
Make sure you practice drawing the pistol in a hurry and keep it accesible.
Good luck!!!

I'm glad you're going to put in the due time that handguns deserve....

I'm going to throw out another question, is this going to be a defensive pistol against cougars or just for hunting them? If you're going to be hunting them with it only, then a .357mag is enough, I've even seen cougars fall to .38spcls and .32H&Rmags (slightly more potent than a .38spcl), even one to a 9mm pistol-all with one shot. In this case, a single action would serve you just as well as a double action, when firing rapid aimed shots, I can shoot a SA just .1sec per shot behind a DA (when firing the first shot in SA then DA for subsequent shots in the DA), and all of the "follow up" shots are pretty inaccurate due to the massive trigger pull and travel, SA's are light and crisp no matter what shot you're firing. For hunting, a 7.5" bbl is great, although for portage, you might think more about a 5-6" bbl.

If this is going to primarily be the gun that'll save your hide should the need arise, then you're going to want a lot more stopping power, i.e. the .41mag should be the absolute bottom dollar, with the .44mag being my cartridge of choice. A 6" or shorter DA should be the choice for this, that way you can draw and fire in a big ol hurry and keep firing even if you can't do anything but pull a trigger (try cocking a SA in a position that you'd be in if you were on your back with a cougar on you-pistol close to your body trying to get under the body of the beast). Even if you get a chance to hunt with it, you can just use it as an SA. Truth be told, if I were getting one that would fit this bill, I'd probably get something along the lines of a SA/DA pistol in 10mm or .45acp-barring that they're legal in your state for hunting...on the off chance you'd hunt with it, you've got the ability, but when it comes down to crunch time, there's nothing like having a lot of rounds that you can dump in no time flat.

Check out a taurus tracker theyr'e light and 7 shots in 357 with ported barrel and rubber grips. I've shot two deer with mine this year. Seems like a good gun for the money so far. Might want a light gun if your packing it for miles.

I like a 357 mag while i have a 41 mag i still carry a 357 far more.
i have three 357's while the s&w 19 in 2 1/2 bbl a great gun (cause i have one) i prefer the s&w 686 in a 4" bbl. it's a little heavier than a 66 but it's my preference.
now a ruger gp 100 is a fine piece of hand steel and i wouldnt hesitate to give some green backs for one. some around here may find that strange but heck i like to be strange.[]