Help me pick a woods gun, please.

If you're trying for light-weight, with your stated goals, try to track down a s&w 360 3" kit gun. 12 oz, adjustable sights.

.45acp Kimber Ultra Carry. I love mine.

A K frame S&W! I just hiked around our cabin in NM and carried a model 19 and it was very comfortable. I felt well armed enough against black bear with some 180 grain .357. If I were back in TX where bear aren't a concern at all I might take my model 10 tapered barrel. Those 4" K frames are a breeze to carry.

These days in the woods I usually carry either my Colt Woodsman (.22 LR) or my Colt New Service in .45 Colt. The latter is not lightweight, but it will handle anything I might run into.

A single action revolvers are generally a little lighter than double action. I"d give the blackhawks a look.

hard to still find but.. i like my pmr-30, 30 rounds of 22 mag. best of luck

I use the following: Kimber conversion on a pro carry, sp101 3.1", security six 2 3/4", Judge, Smith 63, 4 5/8" blackhawk 45 colt, and on days when I'm feeling really nasty, a 624 with Keith 429421 hollowpoints cast of pure lead ahead of a sensible pile of Unique.

Look at the S&W 386.

Its a 7 shot .357 with a scandium frame and 3" barrel.

I have one and its LIGHT,and fairly accurate.

Good enough for 'minute of tree rat or rabbit'.

And with a hotter load,good for all predators.

Might even suffice for a small bear,if needed.

Kind of a tough request, wanting deep woods protection with the weight of a J-frame, but how about the .44 Charter Arms Bulldog with a 4 inch barrel? The K frame suggestion is also a good one, but my personal choice would be a single action Vaquero or Blackhawk, but that's just me!

LD

Charter Arm also makes a 4in 22 mag that I believe weighs in a under 25 ounces.

If you use a good belt and holster you can easily carry a heavier gun than a 25 ouncer. That would open the doors up to a whole pile of suitable guns. It sounds like a 3-4" adjustable sighted .38/.357 would do what you want to do.

I know many will cough and bark, but I carry a 4 5/8" Ruger Single Six .22 around the farm and on scouts. It is accurate, will take small game, dispatch wounded game, ammo is cheap, and not too loud. With a couple of boxes of shells in your pocket, a target of opportunity can turn into a range session. The wife and kids can shoot it and have fun too. If you feel the need....you can pop in the .22 magnum cylinder, and have a potent little eardrum bustin' flamethrower that certainly has earned my respect after carrying one for almost 35yrs.

Another vote for a S&W K-frame. I bought my 4" 19-3 new and 9 times out of 10 it's the one on my hip for a walk in the woods.

"Yes, I know I'm probably asking for something that doesn't really exist.
I took a look at the Bulldog and found that Charter makes a 4" in .357 also that's under 25 oz.. Loading that with .38 Spec. might just be right on the money. Thanks for the suggestion. "

Glad to help. I might also suggest that rather than finding a gun to meet your comfort needs, you find the appropriate weapon and re-adjust your comfort level. You'll find that with the proper belt and holster, a larger weapon is no challenge at all, and this comes from an old cop who carried a S&W Highway Patrolman for years! Take a good look at a SA Sheriff's model in .44 or .45 Colt.

LD

What about a Ruger SP101 in .327 FedMag. It has a three inch barrel, adjustable rear sight, and weighs 28 ounces.

Or there is the Charter Arms .327 FedMag. That one has a four inch barrel, adjustable sights, and weighs on 23 ounces.


These can fire S&W.32, S&W.32L, .32 H&R Mag, and .327 FedMag which makes it a really versatile gun.

This is what you need.

http://www.keltecweapons.com/our-guns/pistols/pmr-30/

I think a Glock 19 would be worth looking at, it weighs 21 oz. empty and is accurate and compact and 9mm is effective for your purposes.

I would suggest one of the S&W small framed revolvers such as the older 22/32 Kit Gun and it's successors in blue Model 34 and in Stainless Model 63. I prefer the 4 inch barreled versions.

As much as I want to also suggest a K frame S&W I suspect that one of the plastic 9mm semis would suit you. The S&W M&P and Ruger SR9 are marginally more compact and not as "boney" as a Glock. By "boney" I mean less square corners to dig in when you bend the wrong way.

But really the key to comfy carry is always going to be the belt and holster and how/where you carry the gun. If the holster is a poor fit for you or sits in a spot on your body that you're always bumping it or that it digs into your side you'll be constantly thinking about it. But if it's a good fit that is held securely on a stiff but not overly tightly done up belt you'll soon forget that it's even there. It's like any other item of clothing you wear, it's got to fit well.

The weight of the gun is just one factor. And truly it's not the most important factor either. If you get the other fit and location factors dialed in you'd find that you can easily carry a few extra ounces and soon won't even know it's there until needed.

With a good, stiff belt, and a holster which does not wobble on the belt, and fits the weapon well, I can pack a 4" S&W Model 19 all day, in comfort, and by comfort, I mean that if I stop to see if I can feel the weight of the weapon, without touching it, or turning to look downward, I cannot tell if it is there. An SP101, which is just a bit smaller, allows me to sit more comfortably in some situations, as the smaller grip is less likely to get against things, which can result in the weapon or rig putting pressure on me. I use Milt Sparks PMK holsters for these revolvers.

On the autoloader side, I can have the same level of comfort with a SIG P229, except that the fat grip can tend to bear against some things while I sit. This is with a Josh Bulman FDS holster.

If a 22 is adequate, get a Ruger Mark II or Mark III.. There are some real nice holsters out there for them now.

Since you seem to want compact, a 3" barrel K frame would be your best bet. For your uses, I'd suggest a .38 rather than a .357. I doubt you'd even need +P. I like the 64 with fixed sights but if you want adjustable a 3" barrel on a model 67 will do you just fine.

Me, I like my 4" Model 64 for this role with 158 gr. LRN loaded in it.