[HMMurdock]

Just for ****s and giggles, what do you, my fellow high roaders, consider to be the man's man of sidearms? I mean the handgun-ification of the beef jerky eating, flannel wearing, whiskey swilling hard@$$ of defense guns?

A wheelgun in a Magnum caliber? .357? .44?

A traditional 1911 with wood grips?

A no-frills Glock in .45?

What else?

If you retired to the life of a grizzled old mountain man, what sidearm would be an appropriate trademark? Don't go by what you own or "like", but what embodies the manliest of traits in the form of a handgun?

Enjoy.

[velojym]

If I were wearing flannel (and yep, I have some shirts), and hanging out in the cabin in Timberon, and went with the mood... I'd say a Super Redhawk in .454 Casull would do fine. :cool:

[Iggy]

If you retired to the life of a grizzled old mountain man, what sidearm would be an appropriate trademark?

http://i130.photobucket.com/albums/p246/Iggy25/Flintpistol.jpg

:evil: :D

[Geronimo45]

Any wheelgun in .454 Casull would be a good bet. Maybe a Taurus with the .45/.410 chamber.
How about a snubby .500 S&W magnum? Or the 10" barrel version with a sling mount.
One of the M1 Carbine pistols would work as a preferred autoloader.

[HMMurdock]

For hiking and living outdoors, I agree with the .454, especially the Super Redhawk... In target gray... mmmm :)

What about for basic personal self defense? Against humans and the like?

[MikePGS]

Oh i thought this was a thread to discuss what caliber was best for hunting lumberjacks:P They trap businessmen for their pelts you know... besides, everyone knows that a mans man carries a gold-plated .50 caliber desert eagle in each hand:P

[HammerBite]

.500 Linebaugh conversion.

[CWL]

Colt SAA revolver, one he won in a poker game.

[ChefJeff1]

+1 for Colt SAA revolver, one he won in a poker game.

Iggy - that's awesome! nice gun

[Seancass]

have a pair of iggy's guns in plain sight, showing them off. then for actual use, have a 1911, desert eagle, etc. wicked cool gun. BFR also potentially ok. and probly the greatest one of all: the wild west gun: http://www.wildwestguns.com/Bushwacker/bushwacker.html

a pair of super sawed off double barrel 12 gauges might not hurt.

[10-Ring]

In a mountain man application, I too would go w/ a Ruger in 454

[RNB65]

A real lumberjack would carry a manly gun -- the .500 Magnum!

http://media.popularmechanics.com/images/tb_gun-lg-1.jpg

[Squidward]

A real lumberjack would carry a manly gun -- the .500 Magnum!
:what: :what:

That lets me out

[velojym]

I'd considered the .500, but didn't want to seem... pretentious. ;)

[Bezoar]

Im in the boon docks of michigans lower peninsula, live in flannel most of the time, do indeed cut down trees, have a beard and am rather mountain manish.

Lets see, something resistant, really really resistent to rusting from accidental oil/gas spills and sweat. And it cant mind getting stray sawdust in it all the time.

Seems like a revolver would be the thing, stainless or titanium, in a caliber good enough to drop a bear or moose as well as people. And in a size that wont make it a tiresome bother to carry around. And in a caliber that gives good performance but doenst need a 6 pound piece of steel to control recoil.

[19-3Ben]

Honestly, I don't see a 500mag being the right gun for this purpose. It is indeed pretentious as metioned above.
It has an aire of "I have the biggest, and most powerful, so mine is better than yours."
A "lumberjack" isn't about beating the Jonses. Hell, a lumberjack couldn't give 2 sh*ts about the Joneses.

His gun will be unassuming, brutally strong, rugged, reliable, probably relatively inexpensive, and ulimately practical.
This leads me to one and only one gun. The Ruger Redhawk in either .44mag, or .45 Colt.
I could also see a good argument for a GP100.
Definitely no autos, and nothing fancy like Freedom Arms, or the high-end smiths.

[gaucho1]

Well fellers


D.A.Colt army .45,six inch,blue,stag grips.Full flap holster.

Its Lumberjack,not lumberperson.

[Brian Williams]

S&W 1917 cut down to 3" and round butted,
Colt new army in 45 Colt,
SAA in 45 Colt
Ruger Blackhawk in either 45 Colt or maybe in 429 Mag
1911A1 bring back.



But more than likely a S&W Model 10 with a 4 in pencil barrel, cause a handgun is just to allow you to fight back to your rifle which would more than likely be a Win 1894 in 30-30 or may be 32 special.

[ZeSpectre]

Colt SAA revolver, one he won in a poker game.
Almost right
Colt SAA revolver and derringer that he took from the unconscious body of the man who tried to cheat in a poker game. :neener:

[Walkalong]

Its Lumberjack,not lumberperson.

Yea........Lumberjack is already gender nuetral.

[R33P3R]

if you want to call the 500 magnum a MANLY gun, why not go with the short. I shot one of these and i thought i broke myself (yes, as in my entire self. lol) afterwards. but it sure was fun.

http://www.pdhsc.com/S&W5004.JPG

[Rick O'Shea]

Anyone else here mentally singing the Lumberjack Song?

[whited]

A man's man would :

1. Understand calibers
2. Be comfortable with himself
3. Not feel the need to impress

Therefore, the obvious choice would be a Ruger GP100 4" .357 magnum.

:)

[HMMurdock]

Anyone else here mentally singing the Lumberjack Song?

"I'm a lumberjack, and I'm okay.
I sleep all night and I work all day.

I cut down trees. I skip and jump.
I like to press wild flowers.
I put on women's clothing
And hang around in bars."

Monty Python was a troupe of Brits, so that Lumberjack would be carrying...? What? A Webley .38? ;)

[M67]

Anyone else here mentally singing the Lumberjack Song? :D

I was thinking pearl handled .25 acp in the garter...

[GCW5]

The only true lumberjack I ever met carried a S&W model 10 with 158 gr lead round point bullets. in a WWI leather flap holster. The old man could draw and kill a snake so fast you didn't know what was going on till it was over.

[TallPine]

Ruger Security Six in .357 magnum ;)

[461]

Super Blackhawk.

[Sniper X]

A TC in 45-70! Nah, I'd still carry the Kimber Tac Custom II I carry every day right now, but also carry a few extra mags. But I would also get a 336 in 45-70!

[briansp82593]

no no no, all of you are wrong it is this! :D :evil: :D
http://i140.photobucket.com/albums/r27/beretta96/19.jpg
you read it right... 50 BMG!! (Big M-fing Gun)

[Cosmoline]

No, the big DA boomers are NOT the lumberjacks of handguns. Those are for greenhorns and cheechakos. A 4" to 5" single action SAA style in .45 Colt or .44 Magnum is the classic woods packing handgun. An old model blackhawk, for example.

[Sniper X]

YEA for Cosmo! I was thinking of carrying these out there.

[SIRVEYR666]

SW-5 (with the roll pin inserted into the front sight.)

Special Weapons RAWK!

Signed,
Todd


:neener:

[Scotticus]

I vote for the 1911. No frills, no fluff...God help the man that calls your bluff!

[velojym]

Briansp,


..... ow.... :eek:

[Otony]

Personally, I think Colt SAA fits the bill, but "my" lumberjack would also like a new 4" Redhawk.

And I'm OK!

[KINGMAX]

S&W 686-1 in .357 w/ a 4 inch barrel, :fire: or a no frills ugly GLOCK 21 IN .45 acp. :fire: Either one would stop Paul B.A. Bunyan him self. :evil: (JOMHO)

[MikePGS]

What about the .825 mag? :D

[Geronimo45]

http://www.littlegun.be/curios%20et%20antiquites/m1_carbine_enforcer_assault_pistol-3.jpg
That's the M1 Carbine 'Enforcer' pistol I mentioned earlier.

[Waywatcher]

A man's man would :

1. Understand calibers
2. Be comfortable with himself
3. Not feel the need to impress

Therefore, the obvious choice would be a Ruger GP100 4" .357 magnum.

:)


I am in 100% agreement with the above statement.

[HMMurdock]

Your Lumberjacks can eat beef stew with mine any day of the week and twice on Sunday!

What finish should a proper grizzled man's man have? Stainless? Blued? Target Gray? Nickel plating with Pearl Handles? ;) What?

Which is a manlier snubnose? A Colt .357 or Ruger?

I used to own a "Thunder Five" revolver chambered in .410. I dunno how the new Tauruses stack up, but my Thunder Five was a piece of art!

[gaucho1]

For those who think LUMBERJACK is gender neutral.

For once,no apt reply,life is short,enjoy your time gunperson.

To all aspiring mall lumberpersons,buy early and buy often.

Other than that,couldn't agree more,flap holster says it all.

;)

[Run&Shoot]

Well, I was a lumber jack back in the late 1970s, Western Washington, Olympic Peninsula: Shelton, Quinault, Forks areas. At that time most of us that own a handgun had a .44 Ruger Redhawk, Super Redhawk or .357 Blackhawk. S&W was for city folks. :)

I would say only about 1/4 of us had handguns, while nearly 100% had hunting rifles. And the Win 94 .30 WCF was in the window rack of just about every truck, with the occasional bolt action (usually .30-06 or .270) or compound bow.

That was still long enough ago that we drove around with a rile in the window all the time and never thought twice about it being stolen.

[Dr.Rob]

I interviewed some lumberJILLs for a whacky sports article.

Can't think of anything more macho than a .45/70 Alaskan survival derringer, carried as back up to a axe.

Seriously I have a friend that has one, and he's a pistol nut that likes wildcat single shots in scary calibers... this gy has a 14 inch Encore in 30-06... even HE hates shooting the derringer.

[EricTheBarbarian]

i would think an m1 garand cut down to a pistol with a chain saw attached to the bayonnet lug would be appropriate

[Cosmoline]

I don't think of lumberjacks as big hulking people. Most of the ones I've seen have been highly fit, average size guys with above-average upper body strength. They're not these massive people, because massive people don't move fast enough up the side of impossibly steep slopes while toting enormous chainsaws.

[TallPine]

I don't think of lumberjacks as big hulking people. Most of the ones I've seen have been highly fit, average size guys with above-average upper body strength. They're not these massive people, because massive people don't move fast enough up the side of impossibly steep slopes while toting enormous chainsaws.
That's the truth! ;)

Most of the big guys drive logging trucks - all they have to do is waddle around :p

Back in the days when I was working in commercial logging, I never carried a handgun but usually had a rifle of some kind in the pickup (heck, I practically lived in my pickup). I was young and strong then, and I figured a big running chainsaw was more than enough weapon. These days, with all the eco-terrorists, I'm not so sure about that. :uhoh:

[sb350hp]

For this sort of mans man who is not looking to impress his peers, cuz he simply don't care. I would say 44 mag. Tried, tested, proven. Not a "sissy" gun as some would call at 357 mag, and not over intimidating like a 454,460 or 500.

This sort of mtn man is reading the latest american hangunner to see the latest ballistics of the new high tech offering from Ruger/SW/Colt or Taurus. He simply says.. Hmmm killed the last three bears with this here gun. You gotta remember "beware of the one gun man". He probably hunts with a 30/30 or 45 lever and does not carry then newest 88 magnum either. Reloads his own ammo, purchases only what is needed and is not at all interested in overkill. Remember his company is a mule not a thouroughbread.

[Run&Shoot]

Can't think of anything more macho than a .45/70 Alaskan survival derringer, carried as back up to a axe.

The ax part is certainly correct! We used a double bit ax for minor limbing, falling any tree under 2ft diameter, and for chopping out the occasional stuck chainsaw.

On breaks we would invariably get to throwing our axes at a nearby stump or tree trunk. Anyone that practiced this at all often could easily hit a paper plate at 15 paces, maybe a little more. We never seemed to get into throwing our knives, but I guess after getting good with an ax the knife is anti-climatic.

Probably a lot of tool oriented are like that. You use a tool so much throughout the day that you know its balance intimately and probably get curious and start seeing if you can throw it or whatever. When I worked for the Forest Service we were pretty good with the double bit ax, Pulaski, and sharpened fire shovel. We could stick any of them on a stump for about 15 paces. throwing a shovel like a spear is no big thing, but throwing it end over end and sticking it took some practice.

Anyway, I would beware the man who uses hand tools all day long. He has probably figured out some ingenious ways of wielding it.:evil:

[Hot brass]

Super Black Hawk 44 Mag.

[gaucho1]

OK

An axe with stag grips in a flap holster....................................












:banghead:

[plumberroy]

ruger blackhawk .45 colt ,blued, 5 1/2 barrel. hand loaded ammo 250 to 300 grain hardcast keith style bullets at 900 to 1000 fps stainless guns ain't got no soul............
Roy

[HMMurdock]

Rugers seem to be popular amongst our Lumberjack community :cool: What kind of grips? Rugged laminated wood? Or some durable Pachmayrs? Simple Hogues?

Not just Rugers, but all of these choices? What kind of grips and finishes? Durable and flashy stainless? Simple and understated Blued? What and why?

[TallPine]

Probably a lot of tool oriented are like that. You use a tool so much throughout the day that you know its balance intimately and probably get curious and start seeing if you can throw it or whatever. When I worked for the Forest Service we were pretty good with the double bit ax, Pulaski, and sharpened fire shovel. We could stick any of them on a stump for about 15 paces. throwing a shovel like a spear is no big thing, but throwing it end over end and sticking it took some practice.

I never could quite get the knack of throwing my chainsaw :)

[Tinker2]

Just teasing.


Tinker2

[HMMurdock]

Exactly what is that model, Tinker2? It looks like Paul Bunyan holding a single action Colt! :what:

I'm opting for wood grips on a man's man gun. A revolver in a Magnum caliber. .357 as a minimum.

[Tinker2]

HMMurdock

That is a Cimarron model “P” Jr.
And yes, a big guy.

It is my teasing nature that keeps coming out.
Keeps getting me in trouble too.
http://www.cimarron-firearms.com/Specialty/ModelP-Jr.htm




Tinker2

[W Turner]

Freedom Arms in .454 Casull...MMMM....warms my heart just thinking about it.

[V-fib]

Well, when this lumberjack is out cutting firewood to feed my outdoor furnace, I carry a Taurus 94. snub with CT grips in a belly bag under the flap of my bib overalls so as not to get sawdust all over it. However I have plenty of other weapons at my disposal: 3 chainsaws, 2 hookaroons, 1 machete, 2 axes, 1 long handled lopper, and misc. lengths of chain, along with my pocket knife. :D

[Legionnaire]

5.5" Super Blackhawk or 4" Redhawk, either in .44 Mag.

[ArchAngelCD]

OK. I'll play too...

There are a couple that come to mind.

The S&W 4" Model 29 Mountain Gun in .44 Magnum
http://www.smith-wesson.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?catalogId=11101&storeId=10001&productId=51407&langId=-1&parent_category_rn=15706&isFirearm=Y

The Ruger Alaskan in .454 Casull
http://www.ruger-firearms.com/Firearms/FAProdView?model=5301&return=Y

If you can find one, an older S&W 4" Model 57 in .41 Magnum

[Smith357]

A real manly man would just need a large knife, but a nice SA .44 mag. on the hip and a Pre-64 M70 in .30-06 slung over the shoulder would have a modern mountain man kinda look. :)

[Two Cold Soakers]

I see in my mind's eye a DA 4" stainless .44 spl. (okay, magnum). With a lanyard of some sort.

Big enough to be effective on deer, bear and other man sized game;
Small enough to fit under my mackinaw;
Stainless, so the pine sap can be scraped off;
Enough bbl to take the head off a backwoods grouse;
Decelerator Grips, because I need something sure to hold after 8-10 hrs on a Stihl 880 (http://www.stihlusa.com/chainsaws/MS880.html)...

I could go on.

[phoglund]

Like my fellow Montanan TallPine:

Ruger Security Six in .357 magnum

At least that's what I carried last year while cutting firewood for this winter season.

[TallPine]

Geeze, 2 Cold ... what kind of trees in MI do you have to need that big of a saw :confused: :what:

I assume you must be cutting some real hard hardwood.

My current saw is an 046 Magnum with 30" bar. I used to use the older and heavier 045's - I even still have one lying around that still runs.

[Two Cold Soakers]

I originally posted a 460MS, but, heck, I'm playing lumberjack on the innnernet!
Going for the gold and you call me on it :D :D :D

(Actually, I run a 361 - 20" high-kickback; unarmed. :o )

[Rembrandt]

You guys wouldn't know a real lumberjack if you saw one.....so let's set the record straight who may have been the greatest lumberjack of all time....and he didn't use a chainsaw either.

John "Liver Eating" Johnson was probably the manliest man that ever cut wood. It's well documented that he cut firewood for the river boats in exchange for money. There never was a "Jeremiah" Johnson, just made up for a Hollywood movie for that wussy Robert Redford.

While "Liver Eating" Johnson did posess a Hawkin rifle, he was best known for his custom matched rosewood handled Colt Walker revolver and 14" Bowie knife....he also carried a stone encased tomahawk.

Various times through his life he carried the latest in firearms, a matched pair of Remington .44 six shooters, a .45 Colt, Spencer repeater, and had various Winchester lever action rifles. Contrary to the movie, he didn't get his Hawkin rifle from the frozen body of Hatchet Jack.....he bought a new Hawken 30 caliber in St Louis for $50.

The movie, (while good entertainment) doesn't hold a candle to the book and John Johnson's real life exploits. Stood 6'2" weighed 240lbs....killed approx 500-600 indians (300 of which were from the Crow tribe), and left his trademark of partially eaten Indian livers so they would know who did the killing. Was a Mountain man, Civil War veteran, and sherrif who died in 1900.

One story is that Johnson was ambushed by a group of Blackfoot warriors in the dead of winter on a foray to visit his Flathead kin, a trip that would have been over five hundred miles. The Blackfoot plan was to sell him to the Crow, his mortal enemies, for a handsome price. He was stripped to the waist, tied with leather thongs and put in a teepee with an inexperienced guard outside. Johnson managed to chew through the straps, then knocked out his young guard with one crippling jab between the eyes, took his knife and scalped him, then quickly cut off one of his legs at the hip. Allegedly using the leg as a blunt weapon, he made his escape into the woods, and survived on the Blackfoot's leg until he reached the cabin of Del Gue, his trapping partner, more dead than alive, a journey of about two hundred miles.

His real life story can be found in the book "Crow Killer". Here's a photo of Johnson with one of his Winchesters.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v405/Rembrandt51/johnson.jpg

[jwerlc]

Had a 45-70 sharps, wouldn't he want a handgun that uses the same cartridge?:D

[HMMurdock]

Other than being an "old school" caliber, I don't understand the affinity for the .45LC... it has sufficiently less stopping power than the lowest of Magnums, no?

Or am I wrong...?

[TallPine]

Other than being an "old school" caliber, I don't understand the affinity for the .45LC... it has sufficiently less stopping power than the lowest of Magnums, no?

Or am I wrong...?

You are sorta wrong ....;)

In an original or replica SAA you are correct, though still it is a powerful round (comparable to .45ACP IIRC).

In a Ruger or comparable modern revolver, the .45LC may be handloaded up beyond .44 magnum levels. Some "hot-loaded" commercial ammo is also available.

[HMMurdock]

Interesting. Does this ability apply to the modern Ruger, Cimarron, Uberti, etc. replicas of the original design or only to the Ruger Super Redhawks of the gun world?

It can be handloaded to Plus .44 Mag levels, but does anyone make a commerical load of this quality?

Thanks again!

[TallPine]

Interesting. Does this ability apply to the modern Ruger, Cimarron, Uberti, etc. replicas of the original design or only to the Ruger Super Redhawks of the gun world?

We're getting into a whole 'nother subject, of which there is quite a bit of information about on the revolver forum.

But in brief: the Ruger single actions (Vaquero and Blackhawk) are not really "replicas" at all, but modern handguns that look a lot like a Colt SAA. Better and more steel (bigger), and completely different internal mechanism.

The true replicas (Uberti, etc ...) are safe only with loads approximating the original black powder specifications. You don't want to mix up your ammo or you might blow yourself up :uhoh:

Jim March is the resident expert on single action revolvers, and he knows which ones are replicas and which ones can handle "magnum" loads. I just bought a Vaquero and be done with it ;)


And yes, there are some commercial loads for hunting, etc with the .45LC. I have a box of of 300 grain loads for carry in grizz country. Can't remember but I think they are PMC (?). They have a warning on the box that they are ONLY for Ruger handguns, and a few brands of lever rifles (Marlin, for one).

Personally, I just load my handloads a little "warm" and don't mess with pushing the limits. I had a buddy who did, and I shot some of them out of his Bisley Vaquero - and that was the only time that my hands have ever hurt from handgun recoil (including .44 magnum).

[MrTwigg]

...gold-plated .50 caliber desert eagle...

Them's fer sissy "Metrosexual" types... :neener:

[Leanwolf]

REMBRANDT - "John "Liver Eating" Johnson was probably the manliest man that ever cut wood. It's well documented that he cut firewood for the river boats in exchange for money."

Yep, as you said, aside from being a fur trapper, Johnson was a successful "woodhawk." This was at a time when cutting firewood for the steamboats on the "Big Muddy," or the Missouri River and its tributaries, was very dangerous work.

Johnson's woodyard was on the banks of the Musselshell River, in present day Montana.

To emphasize to the Indians that he was not to be trifled with, Johnson placed a long row of stakes in the ground, along both sides of the steamboat landing at his woodyard, and on each was the grinning skull of an Indian he had killed.

Johnson's motto was "Never give an Indian an even chance," and he practiced what he preached.

For modern loggers and their handguns, there is a man on levergunluvers.com, named "JaycoCreek." He's logged all over Idaho and the northwest for 35 years. His packin' pistol is a Taurus Raging Bull in .454 Casull.

FWIW.

L.W.

[Blakenzy]

Colt SAA revolver, one he won in a poker game.


I was going to say something else, but I guess this is a winner.

.45 Colt in a no frills, untactical, simple rugged gun. Yep, that embodies the man's man spirit.

[win71]

When I worked for the Forest Service we were pretty good with the double bit ax, Pulaski, and sharpened fire shovel. We could stick any of them on a stump for about 15 pacesI can vouch for that. When I worked in the woods in the 60's that's about all we ever saw the willies doing. Throwing their tools around. Never did figure that one out.

[TallPine]

They don't call it the "Forest Circus" for nothing ;)

[HMMurdock]

I saw a S&W M29 "Mountain Gun" .44 Magnum in my local gun store and fell in love. It embodied everything a Lumberjack could want... except for the high $$$ price tag.