I have been toying with the idea of getting a G20 or G20SF to pack when I’m hiking in black bear country. What is the general consensus on this pistol and round? Who knows I might even deer hunt with it. Thanks
I’ve taken several whitetail deer, javelina and feral hogs with my G20 (and other 10mm handguns) over the years. Inside 50yds, it’s very effective with hot 200gr hardcast loads. Depending on the size of your blackies, it might be decent backup gun for sub-250lb targets. A very hot 10mm begins to approach a light .41Mag load, so it’s very versatile if you’re a reloader. If you don’t reload, look at the DoubleTapp ammo selections. Get the Glock 6" hunting barrel for your G20 and you’ll get a nice velocity boost, too.
I’m a big fan of the 10mm cartridge. However, it’s not a .44Mag, so don’t expect it to act like one. Seems like many proponents of the 10mm throw around a lot of hyperbole with regard to the performance of this round.
Ted Nugent swears by it after carrying and shooting many different calibers and platforms over the years.
Didn’t he, on video, empty a mag from a G20 into a Cape Buffalo while bow hunting in Africa?
I have both a 3rd gen Glock 20 and a newly acquired Glock 20SF. I use them as my off duty gun, since my duty pistol is my G21SF.
I have been using the 10mm since they came out. Shot my S&W 1006 so much, that it had to go to S&W 3 times. The G20 has been great. No problems at all. I do use a Wolff 22lb recoil spring for them and replace them at every 3,500 rounds.
My 3rd gen G20 has 17, 621 (documented) rounds through it now. Am I happy with this weapon, YES. Is it perfect - no.
Wow, I’d wonder where in Africa a non-citizen could import and carry a pistol on a wildlife hunting expedition. Or, for that matter, where a citizen in Africa could do that.
M_P
Before our new Firearms Control Act came into play a couple of years ago bringing a handgun into South Africa wasnt that difficult.I think you still can now with more difficulty I would need to confirm.
Yeah, I think it was his last day there on one of his hunting trips and he donated the meat to the nearby village.
He wounded a Cape Buffalo with his bow and they tracked it just over 2 miles IIRC.
He shot the piss out of it as it was about to charge. It’s on his Spirit of the Wild video from the early 90’s IIRC.
I’d like to know the over/under on hikers/G20 owners ratio…
Seems like that’s what they were made for, since no one else ever seems to ask about them…
Last thing I want to make plans to do is go hiking in black bear country…or any bear country for that matter. Actually - hiking in general. AFAIC, that’s what the Outdoor Channel is for…
I’ll say this:
The SF frame is GREAT…ESPECIALLY if you have smaller hands. The 21sf I just sold was a beauty to shoot, and it felt great after having Ben @ Boresight Solutions work on it. I’ve not spent much time with the 10mm round, but I AM a proponent of Glocks, and I think they’re moving in the right direction with the short framed pistols. I don’t think you can go wrong with a 20sf.
glock 10mm’s are awesome.
the G20 is super easy to shoot. if you like glocks you’ll be right at home with it.
the G29 manages recoil surprisngly well.
the round is roughly equivalent to a 357 mag. certainly a fine woods gun.
Always the showman. What a great excuse to kill something just for the hell of it.
If the animal fed people, it wasn’t “just for the hell of it.” If you eat meat- or anything that used to have a heart, or own anything made from leather you’ve been at the receiving end of an animal’s death. What is your point?
Back to the original question, I’d want something more than 10mm if bear were involved. JMO.
I had a G20 for a while. I have to agree with an earlier poster who said that it isn’t a 44 Mag.
Except for maybe the Winchester 175gr Silvertip, the big brand name ammo is not all that hot. You are better off with a .45 ACP. Double Tap and Buffalo Bore make decent full-power 10mm ammo if you dont reload.
But if you are really concerned with stopping bad tough critters with only a handgun, why not get a good 41 or 44 magnum? They say that a 10mm can approach .41 magnum levels, but a 41 magnum in a good revolver can be safely loaded much hotter than a 10mm.
Also, if you reload, you’ll find that a magnum revolver to be a lot easier on your brass than a stock Glock barrel. The revolvers have full chamber support and they don’t fling the brass all over the woods.
I traded my G20 in on a S&W 629 .44mag revolver and I’m a lot happier.
If bear were on the potential agenda, I’d go .454 Casull. The Ruger Alaskan is nice piece.
A friend of mine who lives on the eastern slopes (quite a few black bear “neighbors”) has both a G20 and a G29. He shoots Double Tap ammo through it and loves this set. I was impressed how easy it was to shoot “hot” ammo accurately the first time I tried these pistols.
They are a little bit on the wide side for CCW, but I would trust one as back-up in the woods.
Thank yall for your help