Camping compromise gun, animal vs. people

[iblong]

Where I live,hunt ,hike a big bear is 300lbs,with mabe a 4-500 on a verry
rare occation,other than that coyotes and wolves.Most of which if you see them when out and about is the azz end doing 30mph in the opposite direction.I use to carry my 357,these days its my 1911 with a spare mag.
I do switch to hot hand loaded hard cast when in the woods and a mag of
hollow points in the my pocket.

 

[481]

Im live in the great north and my "one handgun to do it all" is a 4' 629 with 240 grain JHPs or 255-265 grain Kieth bullets. Fine for most animals and fine for anti-personel use. If I am fishing in brown bear habitat, I pack the .500, but for almost every other use the .44 is my constant companion.

Yeah, the 629 with those loads is pretty much a "do-it-all" gun- very versatile.

 

[David White]

I think this says it best...

 

[Scipio Africanus]

the full power . 44 aint worth a hoot vs men

Unless you hit them with it...

the repeat hit speed is much too slow- not the .40 second of the .44

.

I dunno, two full house .44 slugs in less than a second sounds ok to me.

 

[Scipio Africanus]

If two guys are shooting 5 shots a second at me, I am probably going to die no matter what I am carrying.

However, for a "one gun for just about everything whilst in the woods" I will stick with my .44 and I respect your decision to carry what ever you carry.

 

[David E]

the full power .44 aint worth a hoot vs men, the repeat hit speed is much too slow.

Practice and load choice matter.

body hits don't stop animal charges.

I wasn't charged by them, but breaking shoulders and severing spines dropped several deer instantly. Body hits can and do work, if you're hitting them with enough power.

With cut down .460 Rowland brass and 70 gr, tubular bullets, at 2200 fps, the Commander has amazing penetration in flesh and it tends to "grab" at the sloping surface of the snout-skull,

Sounds interesting. How many animals have you shot with this load? Of those, how many were charging? Of those, how many dropped instantly? What was the average penetration depth?

 

[IdahoSkies]

Glock 29sf in 10mm was the right combination of power, capacity, and portability for me. A Glock 20 I felt was to much weight, a revolver (my original choice) did not have the capacity I felt I needed If I ran into trouble out the woods. And with me hiking with my kids, (who are small) and cougars, increased marijuana grows on public lands, and the proliferation of wolves in the Idaho back country, 6 shots with a slow reload just wasn't enough to feel comfortable.

 

[Alaska444]

Glock 29sf in 10mm was the right combination of power, capacity, and portability for me. A Glock 20 I felt was to much weight, a revolver (my original choice) did not have the capacity I felt I needed If I ran into trouble out the woods. And with me hiking with my kids, (who are small) and cougars, increased marijuana grows on public lands, and the proliferation of wolves in the Idaho back country, 6 shots with a slow reload just wasn't enough to feel comfortable.

I carry a whole lot more ammo now than I did in the past here in Idaho because of the wolf problem. A friend of mine got a moose a few days ago and the wolves were howling nearby. Not so much an issue of power and penetration with a wolf, but having enough for all of them is a different story.

I still go with revolvers in .357 and .44 magnum. For SA, 10 mm gives great woods protection with the right ammo choices.

 

[David E]

How much ammo did you carry then? And now?

 

[TexAg]

I'm interested to know as well. Mainsail posted he only carried his Glock 20 with a ten round mag as a compromise to save weight. He was definitely covering more ground than I do on average these days. If I'm carrying a revolver I often don't carry a reload, so even with a ten round mag you've got more on board than me.

 

[David E]

Mainsail posted he only carried his Glock 20 with a ten round mag as a compromise to save weight..

Yeah, that baffles me. I thought he had a 15 rd mag but only loaded ten. A single round of 10mm Silvertip weighs 260 grains, which is real close to 3 ounces for 5 rds. 3 OUNCES! If the weight is that critical, shave it off elsewhere.

Me, I'm loading that magazine up.

 

[Malamute]

I carry a 4" Smith 29 or a 4 5/8" Ruger 45 most. Generally have a rifle along also, a scoped bolt gun or a 348 or 45-70 lever. We have both kinds of bears, the grizzlies seem to be in great profusion at this point and have expanded their range quite a lot in recent years, as well as a variety of other predators.

People problems are extremely rare, especially in the mountains. I figure whatever would work for critters would work for people if the need arose.

I generally have 30 or so rounds for the pistol carried in a belt, and 20-30 rds for the rifle on me.

I dont often do real long hikes, but when I've done longish ones, I just deal with the weight. It ain't the end of the world, and next time it wont seem as heavy.

It doesn't require a superpowered gun to kill bears, nor a big bulky chunky one. 44's/45's seem to work fine when loaded right and used well. The 4" Smiths and 4 5/8" Rugers are a joy to carry in a decent rig.

 

[Alaska444]

I carry a 4" Smith 29 or a 4 5/8" Ruger 45 most. Generally have a rifle along also, a scoped bolt gun or a 348 or 45-70 lever. We have both kinds of bears, the grizzlies seem to be in great profusion at this point and have expanded their range quite a lot in recent years, as well as a variety of other predators.

People problems are extremely rare, especially in the mountains. I figure whatever would work for critters would work for people if the need arose.

I generally have 30 or so rounds for the pistol carried in a belt, and 20-30 rds for the rifle on me.

I dont often do real long hikes, but when I've done longish ones, I just deal with the weight. It ain't the end of the world, and next time it wont seem as heavy.

It doesn't require a superpowered gun to kill bears, nor a big bulky chunky one. 44's/45's seem to work fine when loaded right and used well. The 4" Smiths and 4 5/8" Rugers are a joy to carry in a decent rig.

+1, I don't worry about the weight of my revolver (54 oz) or the weight of my rifle (9.5 lbs) at all. I don't do 10 mile hikes any longer, but the weight is not at all bothersome to me for the distance I go. Weight dampens recoil which allows me to comfortably shoot high powered, large weight bullets. Worrying about 3 oz seems silly to me.

 

[2zulu1]

Camping in areas near the international border in Arizona are complicated given the violence history.

I like the 10mm, but if in the mountains I've evolved to carrying a M29 Mountain for a number of reasons. It weighs approximately the same as a 1911 or loaded G20, numerous bullet choices for the handloader and it's a true 100yd + caliber.

I'm presently experimenting and testing the 200gr XTP loaded with N105 powder and what I've witnessed thus far is promising. N105 dampens the muzzle blast and felt recoil is very manageable compared to heavy W296 loads. While Hornady ammunition publishes muzzle velocity at 1500fps/7.5" barrel, I'm getting 1471fps from the 4" Mountain and 1606fps through a M629/6.5".

This is a very explosive option for both social miscreants or thin skinned predators.

While I've carried 300gr WFNs/JSPs for potential bruin threats, I'm dropping down in weight to Cast Performance 255gr WFNs. The larger bruins in this part of Arizona are in the 400# range and a couple of them have been hit on I-10. Bruin attacks on humans are extremely rare, however, attacks on dogs aren't and since many families bring their pets camping, it's a good idea to carry a sidearm with sufficient bone crushing capabilities IMO.

I realize threat potentials here are different than most other areas, it's common for people here to go from campfire to campfire in order to prepare for worst case scenarios and keep their loved ones safe from harm.

 

[murf]

my "gun of choice" is a ruger blackhawk in 45 long colt. i shoot a 265 grain hard lead semi-wadcutter bullet at 1000 fps. barrel length is 4.625". it rides in an uncle mike's belt holster (strong side). it will take care of any critter i encounter in the back country whether i am hiking, camping, or quad riding.

so, i don't compromise.

murf

 

[FMF Doc]

I like that you state upfront that this is a compromise. I prefer either a 10.. semiauto or a 4"bbl .357mag revolver.

 

[MachIVshooter]

My backcountry sidearm is almost always the G20. But the only animal I really worry about would be another camper's aggressive dog. Bear and cat attacks are so rare anywhere on this continent that I don't even factor them in; I just carry it with the same ammo I do in the city, which is a 180 gr. GSHP @ 1,400.

With cut down .460 Rowland brass and 70 gr, tubular bullets, at 2200 fps, the Commander has amazing penetration in flesh and it tends to "grab" at the sloping surface of the snout-skull

Sounds interesting. How many animals have you shot with this load? Of those, how many were charging? Of those, how many dropped instantly? What was the average penetration depth?

Twinny has an obsession with ultra-light, super-fast handgun loads, and doesn't understand/won't listen to admonishments that they do not work well.

 

[farm23]

I live where there are black bears but they really are not much of a problem. Coyotes, rabid animals, Ferrel dogs are another matter. At this point I carry a S&W 44 3" 629 and a NAA Black Widow for fun. I usually carry 44 special loads.

As I said in another post I am looking for a light weight 44 special but haven't made a decision yet.

 

[David E]

Twinny has an obsession with ultra-light, super-fast handgun loads, and doesn't understand/won't listen to admonishments that they do not work well.

I knew he wouldn't/couldn't answer my questions.

Now all his posts and threads seem to have disappeared......

 

[wperez]

Where I live I can carry concealed when out in the woods so I carry either a Ruger Security six in .357 with 3 speed loaders or a Beretta px4 .40 cal and two extra magazines loaded with Winchester Ranger 180 gr T series

 

[captain awesome]

I carry a 4" 629 in the woods usually. Pretty confident with it that I can get any job done that comes my way .

 

[BigShep85]

If I am in the woods I carry on the hip a Ruger vaquero birdshead in 45lc, for the power but I always carry my s&w m&p 40 compact just in case. Even in the woods it is never far from my grasp. Animals dont care that you are carrying a weapon and criminals will rarely assume you are carrying an unseen backup gun.

 

[griz1]

I like carrying my Ruger 3 inch SP-101, or S&W 3 inch 65 or 4 inch 19. I will be spending the winter in AZ and will probably carry the Ruger. In Alaska I like to pack my Bowen Bisley in 45 Long Colt. I feel comfortable carrying any of these four handguns in the outdoors.

 

[Captains1911]

My hiking and camping in VA consists of 5-15 miles, no more than two nights. I carry the same gun I carry daily, a Glock 23. Black bears aren't even a consideration, I laugh whenever I here people worried about them, people are the biggest threat. When hiking i carry in either a Serpa or fanny pack.

 

[Alaska444]

My hiking and camping in VA consists of 5-15 miles, no more than two nights. I carry the same gun I carry daily, a Glock 23. Black bears aren't even a consideration, I laugh whenever I here people worried about them, people are the biggest threat. When hiking i carry in either a Serpa or fanny pack.

Move to griz country and your opinion I am sure will change quickly.