Projectile Choice for Woods Carry

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WrongHanded

WrongHanded

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Whilst there are some who choose to load something other than expanding hollow point ammunition for personal defense, the general consensus seems to be that HPs are the preferred option for SD against the two-legged predators.

But when spending time in wild places, we know there is the potential to encounter other dangerous animals. And I don't just mean bears, wolves, and mountain lions. Moose, elk, and even deer can pose a threat to people in the right circumstances. Not to mention feral hogs, feral dogs, or even agressive off-leash pet dogs. And there's still the chance of meeting unsavory and violent people, like those running the local backwoods meth lab.

So given variety of potential dangerous fauna, what type of projectile do you prefer in your "local" wilderness areas? Do you favor a typical HP SD bullet, or do you like to have some heavier hardcast lead?

Being that I spend most of my out-of-town time in the Rockies - where there are some larger animals - I tend to prefer LSWCs, or a heavier HP that gel testing (for what that's worth) shows less expansion and more penetration than lighter grain weights in the same caliber. How about you?
 
Generally I carry .45ACP since I'm not normally in big brown bear country.

Typically, I carry Underwood's 255gr +P hardcasts.

But I've been known to also carry Hornady Critical Duty +P as well since it's supposed (hopefully) penetrate nicely for an expanding bullet. It's easy to find at any store.

If I'm not going for expansion on a fast bullet (like 9mm), then I like the fatter options like .44 or .45 as they make a marginally fatter hole.
 
Central TN where I hunt and work outside the most I am usually carrying an old Model 10 heavy barrel in 38 Special. Loaded with any of a variety of 158g bullets usually LRN or some JHP.
 
357 magnum and Federal 158gr Jacketed Soft points would be my choice for woods carry here in NW Pennsylvania, 686grip1.jpg in my 4 inch 686
 
Jonesy814 writes:

357 magnum and Federal 158gr Jacketed Soft points would be my choice for woods carry here in NW Pennsylvania.
Click to expand...

Exactly what I bought to take when I go up to Western NC, since I try to get some hiking there. The gun is a Ruger Police Service Six.
 
I daily carry an 8-shot 357 revolver for work in the woods. I generally load it with 4 hot flat nose 158gr followed by 2 125gr hollow points followed by 2 38 spl.

My logic being that bears are the greatest danger with the least amount of warning so the cylinder is always staged accordingly. The hp’s Are for wolf/ 2-leggers and the 38’s are for squirrels or practice... at the end of the day I always shoot the 2 38s before heading back to camp
 
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Glock 23 with hollow points. More than adequate for our "dangerous critters"- hogs, snakes, canines, and the unlikely event of a Fl black bear.
 
If we are talking handguns I wouldn't want to try to stop a large animal with a 9 mm. IMO you should be looking at larger caliber magnums, shooting hard cast flat point projectiles. You want bone breaking penetration. :thumbup:
 
Living in south-western Ohio the most dangerous animal we have will have 2 legs or be a dog, so I stick with my normal hollow point loads in 9mm or .38 sp, even in my SP101. Even going on fishing and backpacking trips throughout the Appalachians I stick with the same setup, I’m not terribly concerned about blackbear.

Since Cali isn’t a reciprocity state I just carried pepper spray on a 4 day hiking trip in Kings Canyon/Sequoia Nat’l Parks. Which was for humans, not bears or lions. On backwoods fishing trips in the Black Hills and around Breckenridge/Silverthorne I didn’t carry anything, but that was before I had my CCW permit. I didn't give it a second thought though, animal encounters are pretty rare.
 
A hard cast LFN or Keith SWC with a large meplat with a heavy for caliber bullet like 315 grains for the .44-45 caliber guns for the bigger critters

In Texas a soft point 158 grain .357 magnum WILL handle all things you can run into here, including large hogs.

I normally also have a shotgun with slugs or buck near by so the handgun is just a back up and then I got the two knives.

I DO NOT like FMJ for woods not even in 10mm, all an FMJ is, is a soft lead core with minimal plating, if you carry an auto Id much prefer to carry a LFN as produced by companies like Buffalo Bore among others, If you will carry FMJ as it is more readily available Id recommend at least using the Flat Nose rather than round.
 
WrongHanded said:
Whilst there are some who choose to load something other than expanding hollow point ammunition for personal defense, the general consensus seems to be that HPs are the preferred option for SD against the two-legged predators.

But when spending time in wild places, we know there is the potential to encounter other dangerous animals. And I don't just mean bears, wolves, and mountain lions. Moose, elk, and even deer can pose a threat to people in the right circumstances. Not to mention feral hogs, feral dogs, or even agressive off-leash pet dogs. And there's still the chance of meeting unsavory and violent people, like those running the local backwoods meth lab.

So given variety of potential dangerous fauna, what type of projectile do you prefer in your "local" wilderness areas? Do you favor a typical HP SD bullet, or do you like to have some heavier hardcast lead?

Being that I spend most of my out-of-town time in the Rockies - where there are some larger animals - I tend to prefer LSWCs, or a heavier HP that gel testing (for what that's worth) shows less expansion and more penetration than lighter grain weights in the same caliber. How about you?
Click to expand...
For me it would depend on what I was carrying.

I would place a priority on tough bullet construction and penetration. Maybe something like the Lehigh penetrating load if reliable feeding in a pistol and acceptable accuracy were there.

In two legged or four legged predators I would want penetration over expansion. Through and out the other side if possible.
 
Only time I recall being picky about projectile choice was for very occasional use when I'm in an area holding Black Bears. Have yet to see one in that area but it's well known to have them. My J.I.C. (just in case) gun is a 4 & 5/8" stainless Blackhawk in .357. Using Cast Performance 180 gr. WFNGC 's with some Accurate #9 behind them they get launched in the 1150 fps range which ought to be sufficient in that defensive scenario. For other woods carry in other areas it's usually a Ruger Single Six convertible with the 22 Magnum cylinder in it loaded with some CCI Maxi-Mag loads that use a 30 gr. jacketed hollow point because they shoot so well from that gun. Twenty - something years ago we had some rabid raccoons running around and my woods carry piece at that time was a S&W 2206 Target Model with, IIRC just some CCI .22LR Stingers, or whatever 22LR ammo was in the magazine at the time when I headed for the woods.
 
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