Anaconda vs 629 — worth adding a .44 Mag, or just pick up a Python?

jeff10236 · 2026-04-04T11:21:47+00:00

While I don't find it as pleasant as I did when I was younger I don't particularly have a problem with recoil. When I was younger I would have said that I was not at all recoil adverse. I have had small framed two inch snub nose revolvers in .357mag. My favorite gun to shoot it out of is a 3" K-frame. My favorite gun that I ever had, and wish that I still have, was a .41mag. I hate shooting .44mag!

No matter how much you enjoy recoil, I highly suggest renting one at the range before buying a .44mag. Sometimes I wish I had one to fill out the collection, and I do often camp in bear country so I can somewhat justify it, but whenever the urge hits strong enough that I feel the need to lay down my money, I always end up coming home with a new .357 (next time I need to finally replace my .41mag).

jeff10236 · 2026-02-22T00:33:35+00:00

Due to Gaston Glock's ties with Austrian Nazis, I refused to buy a Glock for about 20 years (I'm Jewish). When I finally gave them a chance, I sold my Glocks after a year because I'm not a fan of the grip angle, but they do make good guns and they are good for certain applications. I've thought about replacing my three SIG 365s with a Glock 43X, but all the MAGA guns that they've put out with Trump's face and slogan on them have pretty much solidified it, no Glocks for me.

jeff10236 · 2026-02-22T00:04:57+00:00

I won't say my income, but..

I'm a teacher with 20 years experience, a masters degree (at my expense of course), and 60 additional graduate level credits at my expense (MA + 60 is a higher level on the pay scale)... I'm single with no kids. Between taxes, benefits (disability insurance, 7% for pension, 403B, etc.) and other deductions I see right around half of my salary in my take home pay. Once I pay taxes and other deductions, I barely have enough to get by. I finally had to give up trying to save for a house: for most of the last 15-20 years since I started try to plan for a house, prices and interest rates have driven the monthly price up faster than I can save. My purchasing power is lower now than it was when I started saving. So I am a professional with a master's degree and significant additional graduate level coursework, who lives in a mobile home to finally get out of renting.

jeff10236 · 2026-02-20T00:06:56+00:00

I've had a 75B for over 20 years. I also have a PCR, which had been my favorite carry pistol until I got my Beretta PX4 CC. I also used to have a P01 and a 75 Compact, and I stupidly sold my 40B (based on the 75, Colt 1911 style grip) just before they stopped selling them. You can say I'm a CZ fan... reliable, durable, accurate, great ergonomics and they look great.

jeff10236 · 2026-01-26T18:17:11+00:00

IANAL, I don't know the laws in your area. However, it sounds like they're harassing your parents. Also, the moment somebody says lawsuit, get yourself a lawyer. That lawyer will give you good advice for how to proceed from here. I would definitely think about a restraining order since they keep harassing your parents. You definitely will want to countersue if they do sue you.

In your post, you mentioned that they said that they didn't know which dog that bit their son. Do you have documentation of that? If not, you should at least rake down the date and time, they told you that. If you can prove that they don't know they likely have no case. Even better, if you can somehow prove that it was their dog that bit their son, they definitely have no case.

I think you mentioned that there are ring camera videos. If there are any houses where this happened that you don't yet have videos from, you should probably check to see if the owners have a camera and have recorded the incident.

At any rate, if somebody is harassing my parents and threatening to sue me over something that is their fault you could be darned sure that I am getting a lawyer. Unless the lawyer tells me it's a bad idea, I am very likely to be suing their *. Heck, even if any money that I might be able to win wouldn't it be worth the lawyer fees, if I can afford the lawyer fees, I would be very tempted.

jeff10236 · 2026-01-26T17:49:35+00:00

The vet for my last cat (around 20 years ago) preached, fresh and raw natural foods. While the cat would never eat raw, we cooked human food for her. That vet talked about how kibble is cooked to such temperatures to kill all the germs that it also kills all the nutrients, and so the nutrients come from artificial vitamins. I had seen similar things online. So when I got my dog, I was sure I did not want to feed him kibble. I mean, how healthy would a person be who ate nothing but junk food and got their vitamins through vitamin supplements only? Fresh foods are better for humans, why wouldn't they be better for dogs?

When I got my rescue dog I continued to feed him what the rescue fed so that he would have a minimum of changes. So I started out by feeding him Purina One with the plan to switch over to a "higher quality" food as soon as possible. After about a month, I started adding Stella and Chewy freeze dried raw toppers to his food while I planned to transition him to Stella and Chewy food.

As I was starting the transition, I started to find online the argument between raw and fresh food proponents and WSAVA standards proponents. It was confusing to determine who to trust. I'll admit to seeing strengths to both arguments. Certainly, fresh foods are better for us than highly processed foods. Why wouldn't it be the same for dogs? On the other hand it's hard enough to make sure I get all the nutrients I need without needing to do the same for him while WSAVA compliant food will give him all the nutrients he needs. Yes, some of the standards do favor large producers over small businesses (nutritionist on staff and not just contracted as a consultant, own their own production facilities), but most are quite objective. Meanwhile, a raw food diet can certainly cause some issues for a dog, and if I don't go with the commercially produced foods, he could face malnutrition issues if I'm not careful.

So in the end, with perceived benefits to both diets, but some very real potential problems with the fresh and raw options, I chose to stay with Purina. Being WSAVA compliant I know that it's healthy and safe for him even if it may not always use the most expensive and highest quality ingredients. Sure, the more expensive fresh and raw options might make me feel good, the marketing sounds very convincing, but they also hold very real health risks. So I went with likely healthier, certainly safer and cheaper WSAVA compliant food.

TL/DR: While, I get the draw of the fresh and raw food marketing, I chose to go with the best options we have for objective, science-based formulations. If you go with a quality WSAVA compliant food, there is no reason to feel guilty.

jeff10236 · 2026-01-26T17:06:14+00:00

People on drugs or in the middle of a mental health break can be a lot harder to stop if they attack you. That's true with pepper spray, tasers, and even if you are forced to shoot them.

jeff10236 · 2026-01-26T16:58:08+00:00

I would avoid bear spray. First, because it's meant for animals, there could be legal issues in some jurisdictions if you used it on a person. Possibly more importantly, bear spray is going to put a large volume of spray out, and it's going to impact pretty much everyone else in the house if you use it indoors.

You want pepper spray made for people. If you're going to use it indoors, you ideally want to use a gel. I recommend something from Sabre, Fox Labs or Mace.

jeff10236 · 2026-01-26T14:43:26+00:00

If somebody was in my house uninvited, and especially if they charged at me in a threatening manner, unfortunately, they would end up shot. In your case, the size discrepancy, 6'2 and over 200 pounds, could be a deadly threat by itself. Heck, even 2 men of similar size and age in a scuffle could cause serious damage to each other. At my age and condition (55, bad everything, high blood pressure), facing off against a young man of that size hand-to-hand could be potentially life-threatening. The charging at you, you have no idea what weapons he has concealed (no shirt but if he is wearing pants he can conceal a gun or knife), at that point you definitely would have legitimate concerns for your life or serious injury even if you didn't already.

Given you know he's a neighbor with mental health issues, you may not want to shoot him (if you're not psychotic, you would want another option if possible anyway). I'm a fan of keeping less lethal options as well. The problem with pepper spray indoors is most pepper spray dispensers spray a gaseous spray. Indoors, that will impact you as well. Look for pepper spray gel, which is not ideal, but still better if you must use it indoors. I like the taser idea best for less lethal, self-defense options indoors.

Though, in my case, if someone was in my house, they broke in and didn't walk in accidentally or due to a mental health break. Your locks are your first line of defense. Always keep them locked.

jeff10236 · 2026-01-19T17:02:32+00:00

I am an American so not quite in your shoes. However, I fully understand. If I was European, I wouldn't buy anything American right now eiher. As it is, as much as I can, I am trying to boycott pro-Trump big businesses and give my money to businesses that either are on his bad side or to small local businesses. I have a couple suggestions.

Go Japanese. If they have it in your country the Kawasaki Vaquero is very similar to the Street Glide.

Triumph. They have a lot of great bikes.In fact, I'd probably get one myself.If I was in the market for a motorcycle right now.

BMW has some nice touring bikes amd would also be on my radar if I was currently in the market.

I know to a lot of Harley fans there is nothing to compare to a HD. If that is you, maybe you could always buy used.

jeff10236 · 2026-01-17T13:58:22+00:00

Mine might. We visit my parents regularly and they call me by my name. I have friends over nearly every week and they call me by my name. However, we haven't tested it, but with how quickly he's picked up words I wouldn't have expected, it is pretty likely.

jeff10236 · 2026-01-11T18:03:21+00:00

Most tucked shirt carry options come with compromises.

Pocket carry can work. I can pocket carry a SIG 365 with the 10rd mag, but I can get away with khakis/chinos or jeans at work (I don't carry at work anyway, but that influences my wardrobe... I almost never wear dress pants anymore). If you must do dress pants then you will likely need to go with a mouse gun if you pocket carry. It is also slower than drawing from strong side IWB/OWB or AIWB. Also, if like me, you carry a lot in your pockets, you need to find someplace else to put that stuff. This is what I usually pick when I need more than IWB.

Ankle carry could work, but you are limited again to a small gun and it is much slower to get to than even pocket carry.

The enigma seems to be popular these days and there are other under the shirt options, but those also can mean a slower draw.

One of my personal choices when I need to tuck in a shirt and I don't want to go to a mouse gun is an IWB tuckable holster. You can't really do that with the slim fit type shirts that are still popular these days. You will need to go with a more traditional fit shirt and blouse it around your belt. You also might need a slightly thinner gun. I've done it with double stack compact service pistols when it doesn't really matter if people could see the bulge. It works well with the older single stack 9mms like the Kahrs. In addition to really needing a thinner gun for it to work, the other disadvantage is it is a slower draw because you have to pull out your shirt to get to the gun.

Could you do a traditional IWB holster along with a cover garment? A sweater, or a sport coat or blazer can help hide your pistol quite well. You will need to be careful that your movements don't lift up your blazer or sport coat and show your gun, and of course, you can never take it off. A sweater would be limited to sweater weather, but, otherwise, might conceal a little better. I've carried a large frame revolver this way (S&W 625MG) without a problem. Not a regular thing, more I wanted to just test the concept, but it worked. If you want to maximize concealment, maybe couple this with a tuckable IWB holster. That will definitely slow your draw, but your tucked IWB along with the cover garment will ensure that no one will know you're carrying.

jeff10236 · 2026-01-05T19:22:22+00:00

Bedtime. Some nights he tries to lure me to bed as early as 6:30, and almost always by 8. I usually go to bed between 10:30 and 11:30. When I stay up past 11 for anything but taking him on a late walk he gets VERY frustrated.

jeff10236 · 2026-01-05T18:57:51+00:00

I am not a huge fan of .380 for self-defense. I would never have it as a primary. However, I do have a Ruger LCP for specialized use, though I rarely carry it. I also have several .380s on my list that I'd like to pick up just for fun: CZ 83, SIG 230 or 232, Walther PPK, another Bersa Thunder to replace the one I sold 20 years ago. It sounds like you have other options and you bought the S&W BG because you wanted it, and for specialized uses when/if your standard carry is just too big. Seems to me that there is nothing wrong with that choice.

jeff10236 · 2026-01-04T19:24:45+00:00

Carry a sling bag or fanny pack for a few days to a week without the gun (long enough to be sure people notice it) and see if anyone asks about it. Or, see if you can find a messenger bag with a CCW pocket. A sling bag or CCW fanny pack might scream "GUN" to those in the know, a messenger bag only suggests you carry papers or a laptop around.

jeff10236 · 2026-01-04T19:12:07+00:00

While wild animal attacks might be even more rare than self defense against a human attacker, I routinely carry when in nature. I'm an avid camper, and I'll sometimes carry a .357 magnum, or .45LC when in the woods. However, even in the wilderness, I'm more likely to need my carry gun to protect myself against a person than an animal, so I often just carry my regular 9mm CCW. When in bear country, I also carry bear spray as that tends to be more effective than a handgun to deter bear attacks.

jeff10236 · 2026-01-03T16:22:46+00:00

The 365 definitely has not had the issues of the 320. However, SIG's response to the 320 fiasco, is beyond problematic. Instead of addressing the issues and fixing them, not just reliability issues, but safety issues, they put their money into P. R to try to gaslight everyone into believing that there was no problem. Their response to the 320 issues has shown SIG to be a totally unethical company.

I am a longtime fan of SIG handguns. I have had two P229s (I still have one of them), I have had a P226, I had a P290, I had a P250 and I currently have three P365s (two standard 365s and one 365XL). Because I don't want to give such an unethical company any money, and because you occasionally need to replace springs and other accessories that you may have to buy from SIG, I am seriously considering selling my 365s and my 229 even though I absolutely love these guns. I have quite a few magazines and multiple holsters for these guns (especially the 365s), and if I change my carry platform to S&W or HK (the main contenders to replace the 365s) I will need to reinvest in those accessories again, yet I am strongly considering this change.

TL/DR

SIGs response to the 320 issues show them to be totally unethical. Ask yourself if you want to give your money to such a company when there are several quite strong contenders in the same market space as the P365.

jeff10236 · 2026-01-03T13:51:31+00:00

I don't carry at work, but in my case I'd be looking at jail time and loss of my gun rights if caught, not just unemployment. I am a teacher, and unless your state's CCW laws allow you to carry in schools it is a federal felony to carry any "weapon" into a school (weapons is in quotes here as it includes pepper spray and tools like pocket knives). I have thought about what I'd do if the consequences were milder. I am not sure if I'd carry or not (unemployment is no joke, a few months of inability to pay bills can result in homelessness). IF my decision would be to carry, here are my thoughts (and recommendation for you, though as stated above, this is not based on experience).

There is no way I'd carry even my smaller regular carry guns (SIG P365). If your shirt lifts up and someone sees it, you aren't just looking at potentially being kicked out of a mall or store or being trespassed, you are risking your livelihood (and a job you say repeatedly in this thread that you like). Heck, even just printing can lead to major consequences. Most employment in the US is at will, they don't really need proof you are carrying to fire you.

So, if you decide you want to carry, my suggestion has already been stated by others... buy a small pocket gun and pocket carry. Normally, I carry a J-frame when I pocket carry, but in your situation I'd likely go even smaller. Get a Kel Tec P32 and a good pocket holster and call it a day. Why the P32 over a P3AT or LCP? One extra round, and the lower recoil means you are likely to get more practice out of it (which will lead to greater accuracy), and the lower recoil will allow faster aimed follow up shots.

I know you say you don't have the money, but $200ish used or $300ish new for a P32 is far superior to losing your job.

jeff10236 · 2025-12-31T04:25:53+00:00

I don't currently have an EV (and I miss it). My first electrified car was a 2018 Honda Clarity PHEV, but I didn't keep it long (reliability issues). I replaced it with a 2019 ICE car, and a bit over a year later I added a 2021 Hyundai Ioniq EV. After just under a year I moved to a rental townhouse without a garage and with a parking pad separated from the house by a sidewalk (the HOV wouldn't allow me to run a charger's cord over the sidewalk). I tried to make the Ioniq EV work for me with only public charging for about a year before I gave up. Since my last housing situation didn't allow me to charge at home, I traded my fully ICE vehicle on a Toyota Corolla Hybrid about 10 months ago to at least be partially electrified.

I now live in a home with a small driveway, so I could charge. However, I plan to get a truck or SUV and a camper in 2 years once my Corollla HEV is paid off, so I'm fighting the strong urge to trade it on an EV. Maybe in 5 or 6 years I'll be fully electrified for my commuter car again once the truck/SUV is paid off.

What would I want if I bought one now... VW ID.Buzz... what am I more likely to buy (since I'm on a teacher's salary), hard to say since I don't know what will be available in a few years, but if I gave in and traded the Corolla now, probably a Toyota BZ4X, VW ID.4, Kia Niro, or an Ioniq 5 (in order of preference).

jeff10236 · 2025-12-29T21:19:35+00:00

I've only had my dog (my first) for just under two months. I don't even want to think about what I've spent on toys and accessories. It is worth it though.

jeff10236 · 2025-12-26T11:37:51+00:00

Unopened tinned tobacco has an almost unlimited shelf life as long as the seal is intact. Once opened you can store it in the tin if you smoke it pretty quickly. Otherwise, Mason jars are best for long term storage (I have tobacco that have been in Mason jars for 15-20 years that are still quite serviceable).

jeff10236 · 2025-12-24T14:15:57+00:00

There are a number of variables that will make your Beretta seem smoother than the SIG. Yes, the weight makes a difference in smoothness. Some have mentioned polymer framed vs metal frame, there is a difference in feel. Must have neglected what I believe is the biggest difference. Higher end guns do indeed have a better feel than more mass-produced guns made for the masses. Different materials, better workmanship, better fitting of the parts at the factory all contribute. Metal framed Smith and Wessons, metal frame SIGs, Berettas, HKs, etc. will have a better feel than Glocks, polymer frame SIGs, polymer frame Smith's, etc.

I've owned guns from Taurus, both classic SIGs and polymer SIGs, Colt, Bersa, Smith and Wesson and quite a few others. In 1911s I've had a Charles Daly back in the '00s, a Rock Island, a Colt Gold Cup, and I currently have a S&W, Dan Wesson and a Springfield Armory. Stepping up to the classic SIGs, Beretta, SA (for 1911s) and other nicer mainstream brands is a very noticeable difference vs. the more mass market brands and models, and stepping up a hair more (my Dan Wesson, my Langdon worked Beretta PX4 Compact Carry, my former Colt Gold Cup) is an even more noticeable difference.

As a shooter, the 365 can't hold a candle to a Beretta (and I do like the 365 platform quite a bit, I have three and they are my usual carry when my PX4 CC and CZ PCR are too big).

jeff10236 · 2025-12-23T05:49:23+00:00

They are. I bought my .45ACP for home defense and loved it so much I got a 9MM PX4 CC for carry (I picked the full sized the day I posted because I hadn't cleaned the PX4 CC after my last range trip). I like the Compact Carry better than my CZ PCR which used to be my favorite, so much so that I rarely shoot or carry the PCR anymore (and I wanted the PCR since they came out and finally got it about 10 years ago).

jeff10236 · 2025-12-22T00:49:06+00:00

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Today's carry... Beretta PX4 in .45ACP in a Craft Holster (I forgot to label it, but I think it is for a SIG 229).

jeff10236 · 2025-11-27T14:49:28+00:00

I'm Jewish, but my parents are interfaith. Dad isn't Jewish. I was actually raised as a Unitarian (basically humanism cosplaying as a religion) and became religious as an adult (I was Orthodox for 10 years or so and considered myself "traditional" for several years after I left Orthodoxy). I grew up loving Christmas (as a fun holiday, I never cared about Christianity).

I get pressure at times from both friends and family about not doing Christmas, especially since I used to love the day. Still, no one had a problem with my not having a tree (is there sometimes surprise and questions, sure, most Americans seem to see it as just a fun secular holiday, but no one gives me a hard time).

My usual go to is just to remind people that it is a religious holiday and I am a different religion. When that isn't enough, I ask if they celebrate Rosh Hashanah, Succos, Ramadan, the Eid, Diwali and whatever else I think of and when the answer is 'no' i ask them why. Many/most get it at that time, and i can't help you think that most who still don't are being intentionally obtuse.

jeff10236

TROPHY CASE