[HarryB]

Looking for a handgun for hiking, camping, etc in the AZ outdoors. Concerns are primarily mountain lions and black bears as well as the possible bad guy. My two choices are the Glock 20 or a Smith Mountain Gun in 44 Mag. Price is about the same and I have had both Smiths and Glocks in the past. Usually I carry a 1911 in .45 but looking for something with a little more umph to stop a threat.

Price is about the same...

[Gerald McDonald]

I'm the wrong guy to answer this one, my idea of the perfect trail gun would be something of the 38/357 alloy frame with 3" barrel adj sights clan.

[Rich357]

If you seriously think you will have to shoot a bear take a Remington 870 Police, with slugs.

Rich

[Ala Dan]

I'd go with the S&W 629 .44 magnum "Mountain Gun".
Ever since I flopped down hard earned cash for a 629-
5 S&W "classic" with a 5" tube; my faith in the .44 has
been reaffirmed!:) :rolleyes: :uhoh:

Best Wishes,
Ala Dan, N.R.A. Life Member

[blades67]

I carry a Glock 20.

[Midnight]

I'd go Glock 20 loaded with 200 grain TMJ, especially if you have a 15 round full cap for it.

[stevelyn]

S&W 629 Mountain Gun with Federal Cast Core Hunting loads.

[jem375]

Another good choice........S&W model 610 revolver in 10MM....

[Sean Smith]

If the biggest critters in your area aren't bigger than people, 10mm. Otherwise, .44 Mag or bigger.

[Midnight]

jem, while the 610 is an excellent revolver, if he is gonna limit himself to 10mm power (as opposed to .44 mag), then he should at least go with more rounds, don't ya think?

[jem375]

midnight.......probably so...the G29 also might be a little better than the 610.......I carry a super blackhawk 44 mag with Garrett's 310 gr. hardcast hammerheads when berry picking in Minnesota and Wisconsin....

[dairycreek]

a rifle is, of course, a better choice. If a pistol is going to be the choice then a Ruger Super Redhawk in 5-1/2 barrel with a hot 44 mag load. If bears are of no concern then, by all means, the G20 will do just fine. Good shooting;)

[HarryB]

Arizona's bears are on the small side, nothing compared to a POed grizz...

[agtman]

Lions and bears and badguys, ... oh my! :D

Okay, seriously ...

"Usually I carry a 1911 in .45 ..."


This would suggest you're comfortable with autoloaders. A lot of guys who are heavily into revolvers aren't.

The "autoloader-or-revolver?" choice for a trail gun is one you have to make upfront. You've certainly listed 2 great gun/caliber selections in their respective categories.

Given your stated concerns, I'd go with the 10mm Glock 20, with it's 10+1 (or, with preban hicaps, 15+1) firepower. It's there on tap if needed. But don't waste this choice by loading it up with some watered-down .40-duplicative 10mm load. Stoke it with something like CorBon's 10mm/200gn "Penetrator" @ 1200fps, or Texas Ammo's 200gn XTP-HP @ 1250fps. And buy enough of your carry load to practice with before you hit the trail.

[Midnight]

^^^
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good advice

[Chuck Perry]

44 Magnum. Why limit yourself to the 10mm? I have both, and each has their place. The 10mm rides in my duty holster, the 44 is for the woods. The 44 can be downloaded to do everything the 10 offers, and uploaded to do twice as much.
I prefer a revolver for animal defense. If something "pounces" upon you, you might have to do contact shooting. An auto's slide can be pressed out of battery and will not fire in such a situation. Also, an auto may jam when gore blows back into the action. The revolver will suck up some gore, but I think it would be easier to keep it in the action than the auto.

[BigG]

The 44 S&W Magnum would answer most all my questions on the trail. :cool:

[litework]

I'd go with the Glock 20. I have to share my property with black bear, and they're not terribly aggressive unless you catch a sow with cubs. If I happen across one while I'm hiking, and I have, I'd like to give them every opportunity to retreat. I think I would be less inclined to fire a warning shot if I were limited to six bullets. That means the bear (or stray dog) will die if it gets within my comfort zone. With a Glock 20, I have 16 or 10 rounds worst case. I feel I give the animal more opportunity to "just walk away." Plus I have a few extra rounds in case of a charge. When I'm in the woods, I absolutley hate carrying large frame revolvers. They just don't seem to carry well for me. The Garrett cartridges mentioned in the previous posts are very good cartridges but the 10 mm is more than enough to handle a black bear.

[Deuce]

When I go into the woods, I always have my G20 with me ... loaded with the corbon penetrators.

For me, it's an accuracy issue. I have an Anaconda and a 629 5" classic. As well as a 686 and a couple j-frames. I simply enjoy shooting semi-autos more and, as such, I'm far more accurate with my G20 than any of my revo's.

If I've gotta protect my life (or that of my family while camping), I'll stake it on my G20 every time. Why? 'Cause 6 .44mag rnds don't mean ????? if they don't hit their target. And the plain truth is, I ain't gonna go broke practicing with my .44's trying to be just as accurate so on one of the several occasions I'm in the woods I can trust 6 .44's instead. The fact that I've got 10rds helps me sleep a little better too. Not that 10rds of 10mm is any better than 6 .44's (or even close to it). Just that if I get the chance to squeeze off several, I can.

My advice? Carry the one you're most accurate, under stress, with. If you get a G20, spend an extra $30 and put in a 3.5lbs connector ... it won't be like a 1911, but it sure made a big improvement for me.

BTW, I've had 2 black bears come into my campsite on the same day (two different episodes). I wasn't around for the first one (my buddy and I were about a mile away plinking while the women locked themselves in the other car) and the second one I chased away with my 1911 shooting over his head. Why the 1911? It just happened to be the only gun with me as I brought it for plinking (good thing we didn't use up all the ammo). At that point, I never gave bears a thought. Now I'm never in the woods without my G20. We lost a lot of food to the first bear. BTW, air-horns and pots-n-pans don't phase camp-bears. A .45acp will send 'em out of their skin though.:D

WWTND (What Would Ted Nugent Do?)

Good luck.

[MCNETT]

The G20 is the ticket. You don't live in Grizzly country and the 10mm (properly loaded) is enough for any "lower 48" black bear. I have taken two 200+lb black bears with my G20 and have not recovered a bullet (complete penetration 180XTP and 200XTP handloads).
-Mike

[denfoote]

It's my experience that 10mm ammo is near impossible to get here in the greater Phoenix area!! In fact, after an exhaustive search, one Saturday, the only place I could find with even some plinking ammo was Mandall's in Scottsdale!! That ran me $20/box!!!!!! :eek: My G29 sits in the safe ruling over all the other guns, but without any proper ammunition, She's a toothless queen!! :rolleyes:

.44MAG may be the better choice!! At least, you can get ammo for it!! :evil:

Where you planning to get this gem??? Pistol Parlour in Mesa will give you probably the best deal in town!! Clyde is a good guy!! I bought my last handgun from them, a Ruger P97!! :D

Personally, when I go camping in the desert, especially the Superstitions, I carry a rifle as well as a handgun!! Did you know that there is some dude tramping around the Supers that carries a .500 Nitro express!!! He comes down to the Circle K in AJ every so often!! Chalk this up as reason #1 for carrying the rifle!! :what:

[sig970]

Another vote for the S&W 629, though mine has the 3" barrel.

If I can't stop a bear or cougar with 6 .44mag rounds then I need more help than a handgun.

[Hutch]

The 629. You can carry snake-shot, mid-range cast-bullet loads, and planet-wreckers all at the same time and not have to worry about reliability.

[TheeBadOne]

I love my 629 .44 Mag Mountain gun. It carries light as can be on my hip compaired to any other wheel gun I've ever held/used. I admit I'm tempted to get a G20 too, for general woods gun. If I was worried about cougar/bear the 629 would be on my hip even if I had a G20

[SteelyDan]

My two cents: Black bears are nowhere near as scary as brown ones, but they're plenty scary in their own right. Eighty percent of the time, a .357 with decent solid ammo will probably do the trick. Maybe. But why take the chance? Stack the odds in your favor and go with the .44 with Federal hunting loads or Garrett or Buffalo Bore or whatever. Actually, for black bears I prefer the Federal 300 grain Castcore hunting loads--that's what I took this past weekend on an excursion into northern Minnesota bear country (the Gunflint Trail).

[dude]

There are a few black bears and LOTS of mountian lions 'round these parts. In my pretty much everyday few hours out in the woods and lots of camping I happily carry a Taurus ti .357 snub with 7 shots of 125g soft point and don't feel a bit undergunned. As mentioned above the bears are rarely a threat and warning shots are usually enough. The 125 SP is more than enough for a big cat, even with the snub as the range will be quite short if needed.


This being said I am thinking about scoring a 4" Taurus ti and cutting it down to 3' just to get more performance out of the rounds while keeping it easy to tote in the fly vest.


Carry what you are most comfortable with.

[only1asterisk]

I intend to get a S&W 329 as soon as the hit the wholesalers. 28 oz N frame 44 mag w/ 4" tube. Will replace my 625 as woodstrail gun. 10mm/45 ACP +P shoud be fine against animals, but the 44 is simply more useful.

Dave

[only1asterisk]

I intend to get a S&W 329 as soon as the hit the wholesalers. 28 oz N frame 44 mag w/ 4" tube. Will replace my 625 as woodstrail gun. 10mm/45 ACP +P shoud be fine against animals, but the 44 is simply more useful.

Dave

[J. Parker]

This year I'm gonna be doin' the 10mm thang in the woods. I love this little G29 I picked up recently. Is it the near perfect "trail gun"? Hmmm. Best, John

[10-Ring]

I'd go w/ the a 629 & a G29 as my bug :D

[Glamdring]

denfoote: http://www.georgia-arms.com/power.htm
G10B 10mm 180gr JHP+P @ 1150
price box/100/1000 = $13.75 $27.00 $260.00
Or they have a 155jhp @ 1375 same price.

Gold dot bullets for both loads.