Perfect "Camp and Trail revolver?"

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The M10 is never the worst choice you can make. I love mine.
However, my 15s have adjustable sights and my 10s don't.
I might choose one of them.
Then again, my 586 no dash has both DA and SA pulls to die for.
 
Camp/trail revolver. Only thing to consider is which single action to choose. Personally I think go big or stay home.

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That's a .45 Colt. 4 5/8" barrel. It carries nice, and is sufficient caliber to deal with most things.
 
Here is my field rig. Normal one just for traipsing.
Ruger 3 inch GP100 'Canadian' (it now has a DAO hammer I installed and super slicked up.)
The pouches on the GP web belt have purposes!
The six shot cartridge holder has both bird shot and slugs.
The pouch by the knife sheath is a Bianchi dual speed strip pouch.
And the one by the cross draw Buchmeyer holster has a snake bite kit and quickclot bandage.

And that knife is a Black Jack 'Jet Pilot' number 15 knife.

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But if deer hunting I use my 629-1 4 inch .44 Magnum with El Paso 1942 shoulder holster.

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Both are real good guns!

Deaf
 
Im in favor of Magnums. My reasoning is that it is better to have lots of power and not need it then to need power and not have it.

Just saying
 
Thats a good question and I will admit that I did not read the entire thread.

Not to change the subject, but the answer is IMHO always revolver over auto loader.

I suppose a lightweight, or a lighter weight, .357 is the right answer but with at least a 4 inch barrel. I have been on a lot of long trips where controlling weight is essential. I have also been lost in the woods and while I have never had to actually hunt in a survival situation, I have been close. So the answer for me is a gun with enough power and accuracy to knock down game at 50 yards but not so heavy that it becomes burdensome. I can do that with a security six but its not exactly light. If I ever go on a trip like that again I would look at a GP100.
 
Another option that comes to mind, though I have no personal experience with them, is the Charter Arms Bulldog 5-shot .44 Special in the standard or shrouded-hammer versions. I admit that the .44 is overkill for small game, but .44 Special shotshells carry a lot more shot and are much more effective than .38/.357 shotshells for snakes or taking squirrels, rabbits or birds for the pot up close. You could hand-load light loads for small game a little further out, full-power hollowpoints for four-legged and two-legged predators and hard cast wadcutters for last-ditch defense against bears. The guns are not too heavy at 21 oz in stainless and seem quite rugged. Just a thought....

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The gun I have carried for years is my M29 with 4" barrel. first two rounds are snake shot and the rest is 240 grain JHP. I don't worry about hunting, mine is strictly for defense.

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50 shots, 15 yrds offhand

I would pick this guy, a 1932 38/44 Heavy Duty 5" with service grips. I can shoot 38 specials or load up to 38/44 HS rounds that are equal to modern 357 Magnum rounds for the same barrel length. It has fixed sights, nicely rounded front sights for easy carry, a good long action for accurate shooting and if nothing else it is pretty to give you comfort when you hold it.
 
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50 shots, 15 yrds offhand

I would pick this guy, a 1932 38/44 Heavy Duty 5" with service grips. I can shoot 38 specials or load up to 38/44 HS rounds that are equal to modern 357 Magnum rounds for the same barrel length. It has fixed sights, nicely rounded front sights for easy carry, a good long action for accurate shooting and if nothing else it is pretty to give you comfort when you hold it.

...Very nice (both the shooting and the firearm)! :cool:

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As much as I love my SA revolvers, none of them can even approach the SA triggers in my Smith/DW/Ruger DA revolvers or my Taurus M44.

Even my little Improved I frame Smith .32 Long has an SA trigger to die for.
The Dan and the K frames and L frame? Amazing.
 
I have to say that the only trails I can trek nowadays are through the aisles in Kroger and Walmart, and my 3 inch SP101 is my constant companion. However had I had this little revolver "back in the day" it would have been perfect for me with a load tailor- made for the fixed sight picture. Shot loads for poisonous critters up close, and light semi wad cutters for busting up dirt clods for fun. Until packs of calf-killing feral dogs started showing up on our farm (close to a vacation home weekend getaway lake for folks from the city) I never felt threatened by anything. Then my dad required me to begin carrying my Remington 870 also. My dog, a 100 pound Rottweiler also enjoyed the treks with me. Thanks for reminding me of good times this Christmas Eve. Don
 
I've recently moved to this, an M1903 Colt in 32 ACP. Eight or nine shots, and pretty accurate. I like flat nose slugs - I'm trying out some Buffalo Bore loadings.
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I guess it all depends what you're looking for in a handgun. This won't take large feral pigs, but it'll do fine on grouse or rabbits as far away as I can hit them, and I expect it'll do fine on defense requirements, too. (I don't much believe in handgun "stopping power," anyway, and nobody wants to get shot with anything.) The only real problem I have with it is the cost of spare magazines. Basically, the pistol's more than a 22 LR, and easier to shoot quickly than most revolvers.

This is replacing my old Beretta M87 22LR.
 
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Jaywalker, a lot of flat-nosed 32ACP ammunition came into the US from FN about 10 years ago. It was good stuff; I bought a lot of it. Sometimes I still see it at gun shows. It was all in little translucent white plastic 25 round boxes.

I think it was all Berdan primed though, if reloadability is a factor.

I keep looking at Beretta Model 100's, a target-sighted 32 auto that was made briefly about 1970, but the prices are too high.
 
Depending on what you might have to shoot but a revolver in 357 magnum 3 inch will do the most damage to most critters you might have pop out and try to get you from snake shot to buffalo bore heavy loads .
 
Question to me on shooting 38+p's in a 38/44.

Two points. One, I have yet to see a gun marked "38/44". They are marked "38 S&W Special CTG. (usually). Two, yes, you can shoot 38+P's in them. I have chrono-ed vintage 38/44 HS ammo in my 38/44's and figure 1100 to 1150 out of a 5" 38/44 Heavy Duty for a 158 Grn LRN. Original 38/44's are very close in power to modern 357 Magnums from major brands.

38/44 Heavy Duty's are great guns. Way over built for what they are, but all in all great guns.
 
I hike and Hunt the Colorado woods. In 1980 or so, after a cougar walked up to me while I was bow hunting, I started carrying a .41 Blackhawk. It was pretty heavy and was a terrible small game gun. I switched to a model 66 S&W and shot a few grouse and rabbits in season with it using 148gr wadcutters.

Now I just carry a Bearcat. Great small game gun, easy to carry. I don't have to worry about feral pigs here and the few bears I've seen were heading away from me as fast as they could go. Probably not ideal for cougars but when they used to hunt them with dogs, they were routinely dispatched with a .22 Magnum. They aren't much of a threat to adult humans unless they decide to take you from behind. That would be awkward.
 
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