[s&w 24]

What caliber ruger single action revolver would you pick for a extended trip in northern MN including canoeing, hunting, and trapping. For dangers there are black bear, moose, wolves, and feral house pets. For hunting there is deer, rabbit, and grouse.

to help pick the rifle look here

http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?s=&threadid=11769

[braindead0]

More input...need more input.. ;-)

Do you reload?

What kind of weight are you looking for? I mean, can you handle say a .45-70 BFR strapped to your hip (or over the shoulder)?

As I reload, my personal preference would be a .45LC in a strong gun...

[GooseGestapo]

Single Action ????
No.

I got a Ruger Security Six, 4"bbl .357mag, stainless for the same purpose you stated.
Cost ?? $125.00, and added two HKS speed loaders. Was looking for a Redhawk 5" but couldn't turn down a "deal". (Was from a dealer, not private sale !) It is my "Truck" gun. Loaded with 150gr cast-gc hollow point @1,300fps. Quite accurate, and effective. One shot kill on 130lb white-tail @40yds.

[s&w 24]

yes I do reload and if it were a 2 month or longer trip I would load in the field with a lyman 310 tool or a lee loader. I already selected a 5.5" ruger SA because I like the bbl length and balance and the SA over DA because It has less parts to break and you can fix most problems in the field given a few tools and a small amount of parts. This is also intended for a companion piece to a NEF rifle in some caliber(see link above). The question now is what caliber 44,357,45 colt, 22 lr, 10 mm, or uncle bucks wiz bang wild cat.

[braindead0]

I'd got with .45LC... With the newer SA's you can +P (and more)... Plus, I think a good stiff .45LC would perform well against just about any (or any even) of the dangers you listed below.

.44 wouldn't be bad either.. I love .357, but given your specific requirements.. if I were buying for that purpose I'd do the classic LC..

[Jim March]

Both 44Mag and 45LC (with some 45LC+P fodder by Cor-Bon, Buffalo Bore or similar) can do the same jobs. The 45LC+P can get there with a bit less peak pressure but the differences are really marginal.

Out to 100 yards, either caliber from a rifle can hunt black bear, elk or the like.

There are "Cowboy Loads" for either caliber, consisting of lead round nose fodder doing less than 800fps from a handgun. These can be very accurate and are extremely mild to shoot, and would be perfect for rabbit or similar without screwing up the meat too badly.

There's also "personal defense loads" for either, usually a 200grain JHP at around 1,000fps. These can handle deer or coyote, and of course the dreaded two-legged rattlesnake :rolleyes:. But if you're in black bear country you'll want "hot hardcast" in the handgun, which will perform adequately in a personal defense role regardless of target.

Which would I pick? I'd try and match the rifle, myself. The Ruger 44Mag clip-fed levergun handles well and has a sweet short leverstroke. *Somebody* out there is making 10rd mags for 'em, although I haven't been able to find 'em yet 'cept for one guy in *England* :scrutiny:. Marlin leverguns in either caliber are guaranteed able to handle any load that'll work in a Ruger SA.

[Tom C.]

My choice is a SS 5 1/2" NMBH in .45 Colt with a .45 ACP spare cylinder. 250 gr. SWC loaded modistly and firmly, and 250 XTP loaded firmly. Point of impact seems to be related more to bullet weight, and less to velocity. If this won't handle the situation, I probably need an M-2 .50 cal.

[Gordon]

Since I reccomended .308 in part one I think I'd go for .22 mag Single six in part 2. Can take small game with pistol and the little extra of mag won't hurt.

[Kahr carrier]

Single action -44 MAG. Super Blackhawk .:)

[braindead0]

Hmm, what about .480 ruger? Do they make that in a SA?

[ACP230]

I've got a .357 Blackhawk so I'd probably end up taking it.
If I was buying a Blackhawk for a trip like that I'd get a .41 Magnum. It would make a good excuse to pick one up.

[Tom C.]

On the East coast, bears, wolves, cats are pretty unlikely, but foxes and coyotes breeding with wild dogs, producing nastier wild dogs, which can travel in large packs, becomes an issue. Anything above .38/9mm would probably work, but I would still feel more comfortable with my .45 Colt.

[Jim March]

The 480 isn't a factory SA option yet. There's a few gunsmiths building 'em as 5-shots, Gary Reader probably is, ditto Linebaugh.

I don't see the need. Hot 45LC+P can do 1,300fps with a 325grain hardcast from a bone-stock Ruger SA. Unless you're up against Griz or for some crazy reason you're going to hunt moose with an SA wheelgun, that's enough to do the job.

Then again, Ruger is about to ship a "Hunter model" 44Mag SBH that's been "Bisley-ized", Bisley grip and hammer...but with that bull-barrel 7" tube with integral scope ring mounts and rings included. That class barrel should be able to drive a 310 hardcast at 1,300+ (Garrett) or other super-hot 44mag.

[braindead0]

Sounds like fun, but no BFR ;-).. wonder how hot you could load one of those things...hmm...

Well, they've got one sitting in the case at the store...nobody is crazy enough to buy it so peraps it'll go on sale soon..

[labgrade]

From your other thread .... I'd have a 12 ga SG pump loaded with buck/slugs (at your pleasure) for the "defense" you'll never need. But it'll give you some solace & a toot sweet performer for whatever may come your way.

Nothing like a pump 12 for keeping the nasties at arm's length.

Handgun? I'd use a .22LR that fits you to a T. Coupla boxes for anything real & a brick or two if you feel you'll get lost.

With proper trip planning, I bet you never fire a shot.

I'd be more "worried" driving to & back.

[s&w 24]

I listed the hostile animals as possibiltys not garantees. My friends that live in the area report that there are at teast 12 black bear attacks per year in the Ely/tower area of MN per year also they have been confronted by wolves interested in there trap lines/bait and the animals were agrresive. Your right moose are mostly calm as can be but if they feel threatened or if it is a cow with young they will charge.

[braindead0]

young they will charge

And when they demand a receipt..they mean it!:rolleyes:

[JMLV]

Wolves DO attack (and kill) humans and are doing so with more and mor regularity since their "reintroduction' into areas where they had previously be eradicated. Tim sundles and his wife were attacked just over a years or so ago and he had to kill a wolf. he got a world of trouble from his action and now has a web site decated to the truth about wolves and their true nature (they are a PREDATOR) CHECK OUT hTTP://WWW.NATURESWOLVES.COM for some intresating info about wolves and records of their attacks on humans (current and historic accounts).

[JMLV]

I would use my bisley vaquero in 45 colt matched up with my winchester 94 also in 45 colt. Loaded properly I have a 10 shot gun with balistic'a close to 300 grain 45/70 factory loads in a lighter gun. same loade will shoot fine in the vaquero abit at slight lesser volicity(300 gr lead swc @ 1200 fps) Perhaps a couple of 45 shot loads or snakes(of the poisonious varity that is)
I have a nice full flap holster and cartridge belt for the sixgun.

[Dr.Rob]

If it had to be a Ruger SA, I'd choose the 44 vaquero with a 5.5 inch in glossy stainless. You are taking it canoeing after all, so go stainless. And get a holster that doesn't retain water and will positively retain your piece, even if.. say, you were capsized or fell out of the boat.

My 'fishing gun' is a Colt Magnum Carry.

[ReadyontheRight]

I saw wolf tracks all over our hunting grounds in northern MN last Fall. There's are two reasons wolves were almost extinct -- 1. they will kill people 2. after 1700 or so, people could shoot back.

It's great that timberwolves have made a comeback and all, but I won't go into those woods without at least a .357. Better yet, be totin' your old .44.

Moose are probably only a problem if they're rutting.

[dairycreek]

I have faced that oh so rare happening in the woods of Oregon. A black bear that was really angry with me and started moving in my direction with malice in mind. I had a Ruger Super Blackhawk in 44 magnum and, very thankfully, it was enough. Turns out that the bear was old, sick, and therefore angry. If black bear are a possibility I would recommend either a 45LC or a 44 magnum loaded as hot as safety allows. When I am in the woods now I carry a Ruger RedHawk with Garrett ammo. I want to minimize risk without having to carry a rifle. Good shooting;)

[sixgun_symphony]

.45 Colt

255gr cast bullet w/SPG lube and 35gr Goex FFFG

[billcameron]

I would want a .22 RF in either rifle or handgun. The weight you will save with ammo will more than equal weight of a rifle or handgun. I suspect most of the game you will shoot will be small so why use a 44,45, etc. Still if you want a heavy handgun a 45 LC would be a good choice. But I would also have a Kframe type .22 RF at the very least.

[RugerFan]

I echo ACP230 concerning the Ruger .41mag BH. I've had one for years and love it. Fairly inexpensive too. I also have a .44mag Ruger SBH Hunter. For an extened trip outdoors the latter might be preferable because its stainless.

[sctman800]

I really like the good words about the .41mag Blackhawk, just picked one up yesterday and went shooting today. Really like it, goes well with my Taurus .41 mag 2 1/2" barrel stainless, happy with it also. I would have no problem carrying either in the situations mentioned, probably take the stainless if canoeing. What really amazes me is the sheeple you hear about being attacked by bears, cougers, whatever, but don't carry anything to defend themselves. That is not going to be me. Jim.

[Lone Star]

These wilderness gun threads always produce the same variety of answers.

If you insist on a Ruger SA, take a .44 Magnum Super Blackhawk. Use magnum loads for carry, and load .44 Specials to hunt small game and grouse, if legal. You don't need 300 grain bullets, either!

A .22 rifle will let you forage with the least weight in rifle and ammo, and I gather that you won't be out during hunting season, so a centerfire rifle might get you in trouble with the game warden. What do your laws say? Can you shoot small game for food?

I've studied wild animal attacks over the world for years, and wolves do attack people, especially in Eastern Europe. Elmer Keith had some comments on wolf attack in either Canada or Alaska, too. The liberal animal lovers cover it up when they can. Wolf attacks are rare in the US, but could happen.


Bear attacks are so common that it's silly to say they won't happen. And most predatory bear attacks are by blacks!

I don't think you need a single-action for ruggedness, and it's slower to reload than a DA gun like a S&W M629, which would be my choice. Still, unless you get in a gunfight with drug smugglers or a gang of backwoods punks, the SA should serve fine.

Lone Star

[Oracle]

My current "woods gun" is a 5.5 inch barrel Ruger Vaquero in .45LC. I like that I can load up Gold Dots for it for personal defense (in areas that are unlikely to have bears), 300 grain JSP's at around 1200fps (for bears or other large animals), and they even make snakeshot cartridges in that caliber. I usually load the next cylinder to come in line with snakeshot, and then load up whatever load I'm using at the time in the other cylinders.

The only disadvantage to this is that the gun is heavy. When I really am worrying about weight, I carry a G26 into the woods :).

[Sam]

Wolf attacks in the US are rare only because we have thinned them out.

As for bear attacks, ask the little old lady from Mora NM who was dragged from her home and eaten last year. (you will have to ask her in heaven) I haven't seen all the figures but know that the state of New Mexico killed about 150 "problem bears" last year alone. That was only in the NE 1/4th of the state.
I also remember a 13 year old girl et at Strawberry reservior (Ut) while I lived up there. dragged out of a pickup and et.

You do not even want to start counting moose attacks that result in fatality. Oh by the way, how does a 67 year old woman hanging laundry on the line provoke a moose into stomping her to death?

Carry a large caliber weapon when woodswalking, cheap insurance.

I for 1 like the 44 SPl. Can be made up into a light peice that will be carried. Has adequate power and is very accurate. Looking for a proper old model Blackhawk to chop up now as I already have a M24. BTW the M24 is much nicer to carry than any of the 29's. An old model Blackhawk makes up into one of the nicest 44's possible.

Sam

[s&w 24]

I think I have found a solution ! I picked up a Hawes SA revolver in 22 mag for $20. It needs a new hand but one is on the way. At the next gunshow I'm going to look for a 22 lr cylinder. Paired with the H&R 12 bore that I found for $40 I think I'm covered and If I need a rifle I can get a MCA sports 30/30 or 30/40 sleeve for $65.

[Mr. Purple]

357 mag. Light easy to carry and will take care of pretty much any business you need it to. Use jacketed soft points and not hollow points. On bigger animals you want penitration and the soft points will do it.

Keep in mind that most encounters with any animal will rarely if ever require any defensive action on your part. If you honestly believe you will encounter such a situation bring a long gun. A 12 gauge pump is the most versatile. With slugs, buck and bird shot you have everything up to brown bears covered.

[labgrade]

"I picked up a Hawes SA revolver in 22 mag for $20. It needs a new hand but one is on the way. At the next gunshow I'm going to look for a 22 lr cylinder."

You may want to have that Hawes sent to the shop for a fitted .22LR cylinder, s&w 24.

I'm no 'smith by any strech, but do believe some expert fitting other than "picking one up at the next show" might likely be in order.

I'd sent a Ruger Single Six back in for an extra cylinder & the bill came back as an easily digestible $20 - cylinder, refurb & all.

FWIW.

[stevelyn]

Well for the long gun question based on your location and what you were doing, I recommended the 30-30 Win. For a side arm, I would take a .22. I've gotten far more use out in the woods with a .22 pistol than any other caliber. I think that part of the reason is that I can't or won't justify knocking off a grouse or ptarmigan with a .45.
Oh yeah, don't forget to take a flyrod.

[Glamdring]

For me it is simple if SA revolver, which you said is what you picked, then 45 Colt.

If DA revolver then 44 mag.

[tex_n_cal]

Peter Hathaway Capstick (hardly a anti hunter) claimed that in Europe, wolves definitely did (and still do) eat people, having been around humans for hundreds of thousands of years. He thought that numerous wars and corpses left in the woods made scavenging opportunities for wolves, who learned to eat human flesh - hence the fear of wolves that many immigrants to America brought with them from their native Europe.

In America, though, Capstick stated he'd never been able to document an attack by a wolf on a human. He thought that perhaps when North American wolves encountered people, which was only 30,000 years ago, they recognized them as a competing predator, and avoid them. This is spelled out in his book Maneaters

I for one would like to shoot a wolf with my Nikon. Ditto a mountain lion.:)

That said, I'd probably take a .44 mag DA revolver with me, and hope I didn't need it.