G29SF with a red dot?

[Tensaw]

Okay, so it looks like I will be moving/retiring to the mountains of Virginia in the little while, and as you guys may have figured out by now, this flatlander has concerns about *BEARS!*. Well, maybe I'm not *that* freaked out by them, but I do plan on spend a significant amount of time kicking around in the national forests there and so I might as well upgrade to an appropriate rig, right? Besides, new gun.

In casting about a little, I think I have settled on the G29SF as my backcountry pistol. Mainly, because I have been doing the Glock thing for a couple of decades and have the most familiarity with them. (The long term plan would be to throw a KKM comp on the front of this thing and also run the Underwood 220 grain hardcast loads for the woods.) Depending on how sporty the 10mm loads are, I might switch to .40 for in-town carry, or not.

So the question becomes, what dot goes on this beast? For me, there are only three options: RMR, SRO, Acro. The RMR is proven and "rugged" - but has that smaller window. The SRO is unproven (but I am guessing has the same electronics as the RMR) with the nice large window which is mo' better for finding the dot when the bear is coming to eat me. The Acro has the closed emitter which would be great for a woods-walking rig, but is still largely vaporware - perhaps that will change by the time I start putting this rig together. I will assume a good bit of ruggedness for the Acro, but that too remains to be seen. My main concerns with the Acro would be the unique slide milling that has to go on (unless I use something like the AOC method, I am committed to the Acro once the slide is milled - I want a direct attachment), the size (will be carrying this rig in town, not just in the woods, and the cost (but that just is what it is).

Regardless of the optic chosen, this rig would ride AIWB almost exclusively, but might go 3:00 OWB at times.

The other thing I am wondering about is how the 10mm recoil is going to play with the electronics. Wondering/hoping the comp might mitigate that somewhat. Thoughts?

I am probably going to get moving on this in the fall, so I have a lot of time to ponder on this. Let me know what ya'll think with respect to which dot might be best.

[iveschris]

Good luck with this. I could never (meaning two pistols over two years, 10 years ago) get my '29s to run reliably. Didn't care for the "Glock smiles" from pressure with factory ammo or the indifferent accuracy (with me shooting them).

Test very carefully heavier-than-180gr projectiles. Another P-F member has written extensively about his dealings with heavier projectiles in 10mm Glocks. It's a thing. My now-wonderful Glock 20 (with either a BarSto or KKM barrel) will shoot 200 grain projectiles but not reliably work with anything heavier.

You might look at the real difference in length between a comp'd up '29 and a '20. Cutting down a '20 to take '29 mags if the frame's just too long might be cheaper than a comp'd barrel. That said, I don't run Glock 10mm barrels; just me.

As is often said, YMMV

[flyrodr]

There was significant discussion by GJM and others in this thread https://pistol-forum.com/showthread.php?16503-HK-USP-45-field-pistol about the G20 and G29, and their issues with some of the boutique 10mm loadings. I have a G29SF with an RMR on it. Didn't shoot it that much, but decided it didn't really fill that much of a need for me, and moved the RMR over to another pistol. It held up fine under the few hundred rounds I put though it on the G29. G29 is collecting dust. It did function fine with the "inexpensive" loadings, but not so well with some of the more potent (and flatter-nosed) Buffalo Bore/Underwood type rounds.

[sharps54]

I believe the take away from the other thread was either .45 Supers out of stock USP full-size or HK45C compact pistols or for the bears you’ll see here any reliable service pistol caliber with Lehigh Penetrators.

[Clusterfrack]

I have shot a G29 a couple of times, and decided it wasn't for me. It has taken quite a bit of work to find (or develop) full power grizzly bear defense loads that are reliable in a G4 Glock20, and they do not work in a stock gun. It's hard to see how a G29 could be more reliable with heavy 10mm, but it can't hurt to try (other than the pain in your hand and wallet, and the time investment). See this thread:
https://pistol-forum.com/showthread.php?25552-10mm-200gr-Hardcast-Load/page5

When I go to black bear country, I am perfectly satisfied with my 9mm EDC loaded with either Underwood/Lehigh XP or regular self-defense rounds.

Given that a lot of bear encounters take place at night, you may want to explore how well a RDS works with handheld illumination or a WML. If iron sights don't work well for you, you might consider a WML/laser.

[GJM]

I would go G45, or equivalent, with an Acro, and Underwood Lehigh penetrator ammo for field with a good JHP for everything else.

[flyrodr]

Meant to add a couple of references to the size and distribution of black bears here (NC).

Big ones are in eastern NC:

https://bear-ology.org/BearFacts-Largest.aspx

https://www.starnewsonline.com/article/NC/20141225/News/605049564/WM/

They're not nearly that well fed or big in the mountains of NC or VA ;)

Although they have become pests in some of the mountain communities. Asheville, for instance:

https://www.citizen-times.com/story/news/local/2018/05/17/answer-man-bears-more-aggressive-abundant-year-asheville-dot-radio/618688002/

https://www.charlotteobserver.com/news/article221903215.html

For the most part, lacking the attraction of food, there's very few bear-human interactions out here.

[Bergeron]

I wonder if the KKM comp would help expand the envelope of realible 10mm for the 29.

Not to thread drift, and apologies if that’s what I’m doing, but I’d love to see a USP with an ACRO, particularly if it were an Expert.

My 10mm experience has been with 1911s, but I have been under the impression that Glock was a challenging platform to extract reliability from when using heavy loads. I’m still interested in building a 20 from the Lone Wolf “reduced” large frame. OP, would a grip chop on a 20SF work for you? The longer slide may help?

[Tensaw]

Guys - thank you for all the intel. G19X (that I already own and love) with Acro it is. I will watch with interest as you guys try to break one whilst I save my pennies. Ya'll took all the fun out if it (no new gun), but then dropping $$ into a gun that won't run ain't all that much fun either. With that out of the way (my debate is settled), I will say that Bergeron beat me too it.

I was wondering if the comp, and perhaps even the additional weight of an optic, might not slow the slide speed down with the heavy loads enough to increase reliability. It would be an interesting experiment, but someone else is going to have to test that particular theory.

Thanks again ya'll.

[HCM]

Okay, so it looks like I will be moving/retiring to the mountains of Virginia in the little while, and as you guys may have figured out by now, this flatlander has concerns about *BEARS!*. Well, maybe I'm not *that* freaked out by them, but I do plan on spend a significant amount of time kicking around in the national forests there and so I might as well upgrade to an appropriate rig, right? Besides, new gun.

In casting about a little, I think I have settled on the G29SF as my backcountry pistol. Mainly, because I have been doing the Glock thing for a couple of decades and have the most familiarity with them. (The long term plan would be to throw a KKM comp on the front of this thing and also run the Underwood 220 grain hardcast loads for the woods.) Depending on how sporty the 10mm loads are, I might switch to .40 for in-town carry, or not.

So the question becomes, what dot goes on this beast? For me, there are only three options: RMR, SRO, Acro. The RMR is proven and "rugged" - but has that smaller window. The SRO is unproven (but I am guessing has the same electronics as the RMR) with the nice large window which is mo' better for finding the dot when the bear is coming to eat me. The Acro has the closed emitter which would be great for a woods-walking rig, but is still largely vaporware - perhaps that will change by the time I start putting this rig together. I will assume a good bit of ruggedness for the Acro, but that too remains to be seen. My main concerns with the Acro would be the unique slide milling that has to go on (unless I use something like the AOC method, I am committed to the Acro once the slide is milled - I want a direct attachment), the size (will be carrying this rig in town, not just in the woods, and the cost (but that just is what it is).

Regardless of the optic chosen, this rig would ride AIWB almost exclusively, but might go 3:00 OWB at times.

The other thing I am wondering about is how the 10mm recoil is going to play with the electronics. Wondering/hoping the comp might mitigate that somewhat. Thoughts?

I am probably going to get moving on this in the fall, so I have a lot of time to ponder on this. Let me know what ya'll think with respect to which dot might be best.

I don’t understand all the concern about bears:

https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=bear


TOP DEFINITION
bear
A term used by gay men to describe a husky, large man with a lot of body hair.
George's sexual tastes run toward bears.

That said, GJM’s suggestion is the most practical regardless of the type of Bear you are worried about.

[Sigfan26]

For that setup (and shots inside 75 yards): I’d use a Trijicon RM04 Amber. That’s what is on my traveling gun (g26). About a bullet proof as the design gets. I’ve had more issues with the dot being too bright during the day (vs too dim). Use good BUIS for any instance where the dot isn’t visible. Realistically, though, the necessity of an optic on a defensive gun like that is questionable. If you want an optic, that’s cool. It really isn’t necessary, though. Going into the woods, it’s generally my 329PD loaded with 44 special wadcutters that comes.

On the G29: I had one. LOVED IT!!! Until I was shooting it strong hand only with my preferred Winchester Silvertips (one of the few high powered loads at the time). My XXL hands (when sweaty) couldn’t keep it stable enough. A failure to feed would (1 Mag out of 5) occur. I just couldn’t trust it. Make sure and test the G29 with at a minimum 200 rounds of your carry ammo and slick hands.


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[PD Sgt.]

I had a G29 I had picked up for hiking out west/northwest with a very similar plan for switching loads if need be between town and woods. While mine ran fine with everything I tested it with, I never really warmed to the gun.

I ended up getting rid of it and picking up an LEM HK45C. This way I can run .45 Super penetrator loads in the woods and my usual HST in town. It also carries better for me AIWB than the G29 (my usual manner of carry in town).