.357 mag
Member
TC contender in 22-250. 8 power scope and your good to go 
choosing a s&w revolver for dealing with racoons
- Thread starter mg357
- Start date
Larry from Bend
Member
This Model 60 would be a good choice.
A medium frame .38 should do the job and handle the recoil. You did not say if this was a new shooter, but for a newbie this is the best. Anything smaller will only make the animal angry, while larger calibers are overkill and diffiult to master for a person in his circumstance. Please let us know how this comes out.
feralmerril
Absent Comrade
I am afraid I am not much help as to what gun to use. However, I do have a couple of suggestions for the hero in your story. First I would carefully have that wheelchair checked by a qualified repairman and be sure the axles are well lubercated and wheel bearings greased. I then would look into researching bottle rockets and afixing a few to the chair in case things go badley here.
G.T. Smith
US Veteran
If the guy is in a wheel chair he may be living on some type of disability type income which ain't much. He probably couldn't afford to buy a new revolver, but could more than likely afford a police trade in. .357/.38 for instance. Maybe it has been handed down from a family member. Maybe a gift from a friend concerned for his safety? Whatever the case, a 3 or 4" K frame would be nice in a shoulder rig, and with mild .38's would be manageable and quite effective. Did you want him to make a killing shot every time? A few close calls? Increase the load to decrease his accuracy since you have the option of full power .357's or a mild .38 special in many of S&W's high quality handguns.
Good luck with your writing no matter what he winds up with.
Let us know what he uses in the end!
Peace,
gordon
Good luck with your writing no matter what he winds up with.
Let us know what he uses in the end!
Peace,
gordon
Anton Chigurh
Member
Anything starting with the .22 Mag and stopping with .38 Special should work well.
Maybe a war souvenier .30
Luger would show a high level of panache.
Maybe a war souvenier .30
Luger would show a high level of panache.
1965
Member
To add a little more about my "system", we have a series of 12 Passive Ifra-Red Sensors around the property that I can move around to focus on problem areas if need be.
When they go off, which they do every night (I'm up from 11 pm to 7-8 am) I usually grab my Merlin Fanny Pack with the .327, slip my Streamlight Stinger HP LED in the ring on the pack's belt, put on my Ghillie Coat and finish up by slinging my Night Vision (Yukon Ranger). When things get interesting I'll call my cell phone from the house phone, which gets left on the Sensor Receivers, and use my Blue Tooth. This way I can hang around outside and hear the Sensors as they trip then focus on those areas, as opposed to destroying my night vision by looking through my Night Vision Monocular more than necessary.
The good thing about having so many Sensors is that I can get a "direction of travel" based on the sequence in which they are tripped...........
If I'm having trouble with a savvy critter I'll also sling my 20 gauge, Remington 870 Tactical that has a Streamlight TLR2s, which gives me more range.
The key to my success with the Revolver is the Crimson Trace Grips / Sights. Early on I learned two things, one, the Taurus Judge (3" Magnum) was pretty much useless unless I was within 10', which is why I sold it, and that all of my night training with a Flashlight didn't help me much. I'm pretty good as long as my target is standing still but as soon as things get dynamic, all bets are off. The Crimson Trace changed all that.
Here's an image of one of our Sensors, which don't come "camo'ed", that's something I do.............
For those interested in more information on the Sensors, you can find it here.
Cross Point Industries' Voice Alert System-6 Wireless Annunciator
P.S. The reason I went into so much specific detail is because of who, and what, the OP is and does (writer looking for details)...............
YOU SHOULD BE THE WRITER!!!
1965
Member
I used to have a problem with coons coming into my backyard and eating my dogs food.
At first I tried being friends with them and giving them apples so they would leave my dog's food alone. This worked for about two weeks. Then the critters wanted two apples instead of one. Pretty soon it was up to four apples a day.
I paid it because I really love my dog and wanted her to eat a good hearty meal each day, but these coons were running my bankbook to the ground.
I got on my computer one day and Googled for a solution. I read that peeing on food makes it less attractive for the coons and should discourage then from stealing my beloved pet's food.
So one night I tried it, much to the chagrin of my dog (who appeared to struggle with growling over my desecration of her food and the desire to once and for all removal of the coons), I drank 18 Bud Lights and relieved myself in the food bowl.
When I woke the next afternoon I noticed the food had not been touched. SUCCESS!!!
Well, I hoped that helps the OP some. If you need anymore help or helpful tips, please feel free to ask.
At first I tried being friends with them and giving them apples so they would leave my dog's food alone. This worked for about two weeks. Then the critters wanted two apples instead of one. Pretty soon it was up to four apples a day.
I paid it because I really love my dog and wanted her to eat a good hearty meal each day, but these coons were running my bankbook to the ground.
I got on my computer one day and Googled for a solution. I read that peeing on food makes it less attractive for the coons and should discourage then from stealing my beloved pet's food.
So one night I tried it, much to the chagrin of my dog (who appeared to struggle with growling over my desecration of her food and the desire to once and for all removal of the coons), I drank 18 Bud Lights and relieved myself in the food bowl.
When I woke the next afternoon I noticed the food had not been touched. SUCCESS!!!
Well, I hoped that helps the OP some. If you need anymore help or helpful tips, please feel free to ask.
I had a similar experience with a Opossum, 2 body shots with a 45colt, then finally one to the head. Those things are pretty tough!
Out here where I live we end up shooting quite a few nuisance animals, and it seems like a 22 just does not get it done efficiently.
For raccoons and other similar sized animals, I would probably go with (and do use) a 38 special or a 45acp, and try to hit him in the head.
ogilvyspecial
Member
YOU SHOULD BE THE WRITER!!!
Oh the stories I could tell about, what I call, "playing the chess game." Many nights, especially in the Spring & Fall, I spend almost as much time outside as I do inside between midnight & six in the a.m.........
The Rabbits around here, which get a free pass, really don't pay a whole lot of attention to me and in return for "safe passage" they do their part to help. When I'm out there "deaf", i.e. no Blue Tooth, I keep an eye on the activity of any Rabbit that may be hanging around because their hearing is much better than mine and can be a good indicator of something else moving amongst the barns, trees and all of the heavy equipment parked around here.
I used to be one of those "Live & Let Live" types, that is until we had to have our roof fixed 3 times in a 5 year period due to Raccoons. On top of that they tore up a foam seat on a Skid Steer and damaged some wiring on a Bucket Truck while clearing a passage to make a den, and that's not even the half of it..........
Lobster Picnic
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You could make it an old Victory Model from the war. This is a 4" .38 Special, later called the model 10.
And chambered in .38/200 would be cool.
Model 19 6" - could use w/c, std .38spl. or .357mag as the needs require.
We've had a coon population explosion around these parts. Consensus is that a .22 will do the trick. One felow is using short hollow points so they stagger off and die elsewhere. That said, I've loaded my Model 17 up with Velocitors:
Worked for armadillos in Georgia, too.
Worked for armadillos in Georgia, too.
I've shot litterally hundreds of racoons...A .22 to the head kills them so fast they don't even know they are dead quite often.
The story line may need some work to start a rabid coon would be attacking him and not his garden.
More than one rabid coon at the same spot would be a bit too much also
I think. JMHO
I also think a cross draw holster would work better for the character
stantheman86
US Veteran
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.22 LR out of a rifle has a hard time stopping groundhogs, let alone aggressive raccoons. I have had several groundhogs get away with 3 or 4 .22 slugs in them, one of them died under the floor of my barn days after I shot it, and let me tell you, prying up plywood to dig out a rotting groundhog body on a 98 degree summer day will make you wish you used something bigger
Shoot 'em in the head, Stan. They die before they hit the ground..22 LR out of a rifle has a hard time stopping groundhogs, let alone aggressive raccoons. I have had several groundhogs get away with 3 or 4 .22 slugs in them, one of them died under the floor of my barn days after I shot it, and let me tell you, prying up plywood to dig out a rotting groundhog body on a 98 degree summer day will make you wish you used something bigger
I am not sure why some recommend such powerful rounds for raccoons. I do a lot of airgun shooting. Higher quality air rifles regularly make single hole 25-yard 5-shot groups less than .20 inches center-to-center. One can make 50-yard 5-shot groups that are easily .5 inches or less. At such distances, air rifles often make groups equal or better than .22 caliber rifles can.
A quick cruise of the Yellow Airgun Forum shows that its members take raccoons all the time. By placing a premium on bullet placement - that is, waiting for the raccoon to turn his head, then firing at an imaginary spot between the eye and the ear, the airgunners always hit the brain. Much less messy than having to bring out the fire hose when you're done.
A quick cruise of the Yellow Airgun Forum shows that its members take raccoons all the time. By placing a premium on bullet placement - that is, waiting for the raccoon to turn his head, then firing at an imaginary spot between the eye and the ear, the airgunners always hit the brain. Much less messy than having to bring out the fire hose when you're done.
