Assume You're Not Confronting a Bear, Mountian Lion, Wolf, or Other N. American Predator ... ?..HG ?

Sergei Mosin said:

The most dangerous thing around here is the common soccer mom, armed with a two-ton SUV and carrying a latté in one hand and a phone in the other. The best defense against them is a very loud horn!

OK, we do have coyotes, but pretty much any centerfire pistol will do for them. So far no close encounters though.

Click to expand...

Well said! And around here I've noticed they tend to drive those tanks like they're Formula 1 race cars. The best defense I've found is to recognize their patterns and avoid routes with high concentrations of them. (I'd also add that I don't consider "soccer mom" to be a gender-specific reference...)

As for a firearm for the original poster's premise, I'm happy with any medium-frame, medium-caliber semi-auto or wheelgun. I tend to like to carry a revolver when out wandering the woods, and a short semi-auto when I'm in and out of the car "in public places." Though my current favorite 1911 in .38 Super tends to bridge both roles rather well, IMO.

Assume You're Not Confronting a Bear, Mountian Lion, Wolf, or Other N. American Predator ... ?..HG ?

no european or asian predators in my neck of the woods...except starlings if you are a bug. So. a .22LR

Dogs. Same as two legged predators. Semi auto, probably double stack, 9x19

Around here, criminals are the main predator. The main natural predator that could be a threat to humans are black bear (and becoming more common in parts of the state not too far away). Coyotes around here are quite shy and run away, fox are small and shy. I guess the next natural threat after criminals, and more common than bear, are animals with rabies (squirrels, raccoons and fox most commonly). Loose (but not wild) dogs could be a danger in my area at times. Any of these threats (other than the bear) could be dealt with using the same gun you might carry for CCW. Though, actually here in MD, that is complicated by the fact that most of us can't carry here, so your best defense will be pepper spray. When out of state where I can carry, I may be shopping at a suburban mall less than an hour away where the threats will be pretty much the same, or camping where snakes (including water moccasins), mountain lions, or even alligator may become possibilities. Suburban shopping and most vacations have lately seen me with either my SIG P250 Compact (.45ACP) or SIG P290RS, though I'm moving back to 1911s. Some of the camping (and winter carry for fun) sees my S&W 625MG (.45LC) as my choice.

Round here, I'm most worried about aminals carrying rabies over actual predators.

I find a 9mm to be just fine. Fast follow up shots and good power for the job.

My state has had verified mountain lion sightings for the last 15 years or so, and unverified sightings for decades before that, so I try to carry a .38 Sp. or a 9mm. My LCP sure is comfortable to carry, though, so sometimes I carry it.

A few stats, though: There are 77,000 sq. miles in my state, and way less than 100 big cats. Probably around 50, in fact. There have been about 20 fatal puma attacks on humans in the United States over the last century (or more.) The cats are found less often in my part of the state. I'm something like 100 times more likely to be stung to death by bees than killed by a big cat...and I'm not that worried about bees.

Still, I walk/hike alone, so that elevates my risk slightly, and Murphy's Law has been known to come crashing down on me in the past, so...

9mm or .38 may not be optimum, but they're easy to carry, and will provide some measure of protection. The Ruger .380 less so, but it's better than nothing. I may dust off my Taurus PT 145 if I start to think cats could be an issue.

Gun Master wrote:
Assume You're Not Confronting a Bear, Mountian Lion, Wolf, or Other N. American Predator ... ?
...
If you are not confronting any of the above, what predator do you consider the most possible,...

Click to expand...

Well, in the title you excluded bear, mountain lion, wolf or other N. American predator, so I suppose that since all the North American predators have been excluded then here in North America about all I would have to worry about are Asian, African and Australian predators that may have escaped from zoos or nature preserves and I consider that risk so remote that there's no point arming myself to defend against it.

Even if this was a backhanded attempt to get us to think about other humans as the "predator" we might be facing, well, they likewise will be here in North America with me, so your question has already excluded them and that makes the entire exercise a triviality.

Jim NE wrote:
My state has had verified mountain lion sightings for the last 15 years or so,...

Click to expand...

Before she passed, my mother reported regularly seeing mountain lion active on the far shore of the reservoir, but only in the early morning hours. They were always so skiddish that any movement by a human on the opposite shore (nearly a quarter mile away) would send them running. They scrupulously avoided people and we never regarded them as a threat.

Likewise, the coyotes would go out of their way to avoid contacting people even out in the woods at night. So we never regarded them as a threat. I understand that some populations of coyotes have inter-bred with wolves and are showing aggression previously not seen in coyotes, so we are on the lookout for that threat.

Bears and wolves have not been reported as having been sited in the county.

Feral dogs and mad deer are probably the greatest threat and that's why every time someone leaves the immediate area around the lake-side house, someone in the party takes an AR, Mini-14 or Shotgun (with buckshot) with them (or in my case, my 5.7mm Johnson Carbine). It's easier for me to carry the 5.7 Johnson with a 30 round magazine than it is to have some iron strapped to my leg, so I don't usually carry a pistol, but if I did, I would carry my grandfather's M1911.

RPZ wrote:
But in regards to shooting critters; shoot a bear or other dangerous animal out of season, no hunting license etc in self defense and you may wind up having to hire an attorney as well.

Click to expand...

Amen to that.

Our family farm completely contains a state licensed dam and associated reservoir. As one of the property owners, I have a permit to hunt or trap nuisance animals that could threaten the dam regardless whether or not they are in season. Beaver and muskrat are the principal concerns. We just have to report them to the game warden and bury the carcass whole - we cannot keep the pelt. The game warden has never asked us to dig up a buried beaver, but if he did and it had been skinned, we would lose the license to hunt/trap and probably the license for the dam as well since we could no longer ensure its integrity, so we're very careful to abide by the rules.

Cooldill said:

Round here, I'm most worried about aminals carrying rabies over actual predators.

Click to expand...

Same here, plus feral's. Dogs primarily, but there are some vicious 2 legged types that roam free-range.

[/QUOTE] ....find a 9mm to be just fine. Fast follow up shots and good power for the job.[/QUOTE]

I agree with this very much, a very nice balance between adequate power/performance, shootability, and a reasonable size & weight. The quick reloading with a spare mag is a big plus too.

I used to go with a .357 loaded with .38 +p's but as I've come to be more comfortable with them my preferred gun has evolved to be a 9mm loaded with some hot ammo. I prefer +p 124/127 or 147 gr hollow points.

Several times a year I'm in an area with black bears..... Not many but they are around....... That's when the .357 Blackhawk gets the nod with some 180 gr. WFNGC's handloaded to chrono about 1159 fps as sort of a "personal safety measure". Any of my usual wooded environs that are bearless calls for a 9mm G-19 with 147 gr. hollowpoints. That would be sufficient for the likes of anything rabid like the rabid racoons we had running around 20-something years ago. I ran into one back then and I was unarmed but managed to get away. Possibly feral dogs or a coyote too. I rarely see a coyote anyplace but my seven trail cams in different areas see one occasionally. So as long as I'm not in the bear's neighborhood the 9mm is enough for most anything that I might encounter around here.

Gun Master said:

Nice! Some of my favorites!
Identify each, please?
Fairly sure I know, but don't want to guess.

Click to expand...

It was a 3" Model 65, I had a 4" pencil barrel for a 64 installed with a moonclip cut on the cylinder. I also installed a Target trigger and hammer from a junky 4" model 19. Shoots 180gr FPGC real nicely, a real thumper. Reasons; longer barrel is for a longer sight radius and a bit more velocity, pencil for lighter weight. Stainless for the corrosion resistance. Target trigger and hammer for the good grip and ease of use. Rubber grips for lack of slippage and it fits my hands. I don't remember my loads but they are thumpers at 180gr both in this and in my Marlin 1894. The blue one is a S&W 13, also a great gun and one of my favorite carry pieces.

Gun Master said:

Nice! Some of my favorites!
Identify each, please?
Fairly sure I know, but don't want to guess.

Click to expand...

It was a 3" Model 65, I had a 4" pencil barrel for a 64 installed with a moonclip cut on the cylinder. I also installed a Target trigger and hammer from a junky 4" model 19. Shoots 180gr FPGC real nicely, a real thumper. Reasons; longer barrel is for a longer sight radius and a bit more velocity, pencil for lighter weight. Stainless for the corrosion resistance. Target trigger and hammer for the good grip and ease of use. Rubber grips for lack of slippage and it fits my hands. I don't remember my loads but they are thumpers at 180gr both in this and in my Marlin 1894. The blue one is a S&W 13, also a great gun and one of my favorite carry pieces.

My out and about gun is a G20----lighter than a all steel revolver with nearly 3 times the ammo load with an easy reload with nearly 3 times the ammo load----the 10mm is capable of downing most anything I should come across.

Many years ago I had an issue in the desert and the .22 lr rifle felt awfully small. I moved up to a larger long gun, but it gets to be a pain to haul around some times.

Now I primarily carry cross and I'm a southpaw. But, being force to do things right handed as a kid left me pretty much able to do things with either hand. So, I have put together a neat little rig that allows me to carry a Blackhawk in .45 colt on one side and a Super Single Six on the other. It balances extremely well So while the OP ask about a single handgun, I'd prefer this rig. Cartridges at the opposite end of the spectrum and ones that should cover all eventualities.

I live in the foothills of the Huachuca Mountains in southern Arizona and we never know what we’ll see in the forest or coming across the Mexican border, which isn’t very far away. We have black bear, cougars and wolves. I’ve encountered each on several occasions. The bears and wolves ran off immediately upon seeing me. Most of the cats took off but one of the cougars wasn’t very afraid and simply walked away. He had apparently been watching me for some time but didn't move off until we made eye contact. That concerned me a bit.
The Game and Fish also reported another Jaguar sighting here this year only a few miles from my home. I know very little about Jaguars despite having owned a 1970 E Type years ago. I don’t know if this spotted variety is a threat to humans or not but I would like to be prepared just in case.

I’ve been a 1911 guy for years but have recently decided I wanted something a bit flatter shooting with higher capacity so I’ve started carrying a Sig P229 in .357 Sig when I‘m out and about. It’s a good accurate round with less recoil than the .45 and nearly twice the magazine capacity.

I’ve also started experimenting with the Lehigh Defense solid copper bullets after watching some impressive ballistics get video on the Lehigh website. I may start carrying some of those Lehigh Xtreme Penetrator bullets. Has anyone here had any experience with the Xtreme Penetrator or the Xtreme Defense bullets? If so, I would very much appreciate your thoughts on them.

The most probable predator you will encounter is another human. A .45 will be good and plenty. If you want more range and flat trajectory, the a 10mm will be alright then too.

MT has a few rattlers but they aren't extremely prevalent. Not much for dangerous reptiles, venomous or otherwise here. People are obviously the apex predator on this rock and still the one I prepare the most for whether I am in the woods or the city. Other than that, I would imagine feral dogs and coyotes, or the occasional rabid skunk or raccoon would be the most likely threat. One good thing about carrying a 10mm Auto is that you feel pretty well armed regardless of whether it is a 350 pound black bear, a 250 pound tweeker, or a 25 pound rodent. My one size fits all solution is usually a 10mm 200 gr JHP @ 1250 fps.

MTMilitiaman said:

MT has a few rattlers but they aren't extremely prevalent. Not much for dangerous reptiles, venomous or otherwise here. People are obviously the apex predator on this rock and still the one I prepare the most for whether I am in the woods or the city. Other than that, I would imagine feral dogs and coyotes, or the occasional rabid skunk or raccoon would be the most likely threat. One good thing about carrying a 10mm Auto is that you feel pretty well armed regardless of whether it is a 350 pound black bear, a 250 pound tweeker, or a 25 pound rodent. My one size fits all solution is usually a 10mm 200 gr JHP @ 1250 fps.

Click to expand...

Man is only the apex predator when he has tools and medicine. If we don't have those (and many people wander out into the field without them by choice) were are way down on the food chain. This is seen almost everyday somewhere in the world. Without our accumulated knowledge and such anything from a virus to a polar bear can have us for the taking.

If I'm not running into big game it'd be 2 legged or rabid. My carry 9mm would do the job just fine.

Unless I'm carrying a .45, then that would do the job just fine.

Bottom Gun said:

I’ve been a 1911 guy for years but have recently decided I wanted something a bit flatter shooting with higher capacity so I’ve started carrying a Sig P229 in .357 Sig when I‘m out and about

Click to expand...

Did you consider a .38 Super? Just sorta curious - not criticizing your choice as I'm a fan of the .357 Sig and the Sig P229. But I also am a 1911 guy at heart, and I'm thinking about getting another one in .38 Super.

.308 Norma said:

Did you consider a .38 Super? Just sorta curious - not criticizing your choice as I'm a fan of the .357 Sig and the Sig P229. But I also am a 1911 guy at heart, and I'm thinking about getting another one in .38 Super.

Click to expand...

I've been wanting to go that route myself of late. Seems like a great option for a 1911 these days.

.308 Norma said:

Did you consider a .38 Super? Just sorta curious - not criticizing your choice as I'm a fan of the .357 Sig and the Sig P229. But I also am a 1911 guy at heart, and I'm thinking about getting another one in .38 Super.

Click to expand...

I think the .38 Super is a great round. I’ve had two in the past that I wish I still had but at the time I decided to sell them, I was fed up with the poor bullet selection available for reloading and also disgusted with the anemic factory ammo available then which had been downloaded from what used to be available and wasn’t any hotter than 9MM +P.
Of course now that I no longer have them, there’s a great selection of .356 dia bullets available for reloading. I have no idea what the current factory ammo offerings are these days but that’s a moot point.

I would consider going back to the Super if I hadn’t gotten into the .357 Sig cartridge big time. These days I find I like the power and reliability of the Sig bottleneck cartridge better.
I still have a handful of nice 1911s but for carry purposes now, the P series Sig pistols suit me better.

Bottom Gun said:

Of course now that I no longer have them, there’s a great selection of .356 dia bullets available for reloading.

Click to expand...

Dang! That's the way things usually go for me too. Oh well, such is life.