Road trip handgun

D

defjon

Member
Joined
Oct 22, 2005
Messages
1,355
What do you take along? Normal ccw?

Does location dictate? Certainly would play a part if you're going to awb states.

I don't bring long guns personally, but I usually bring my ccw. I like guns I travel with to stay with me as much as possible.

Part of me likes revolvers. I shoot them best, and if I bring an auto I feel I must being every mag I own with me. I don't know why that is.

Bringing two fully loaded german shepherds, who can stay behind if we do non outdoor stuff. Gun is probably safe in its locked case with those two meat heads keeping watch.

Anyway. Assuming it's a free state with no infringements, do you go for capacity? Firepower? Accuracy? Ease of ammo resupply should you do some shooting?

Plan to hike where there are bears, but when we go they shouldn't be up yet.

Thinking of a j frame 357 magnum. I was pretty fast with it last weekend with 110 gr jhp and 158 jsp.

Right on with my airweight too. I could load 38 hardcast swc and feel okay about it in the outdoors.

Or, I could bring big magnums, or compact 9mm, or full size, or 1911, or...

I love them all. It's...difficult.

Anyone else with a good and happy collection struggle with what to take along on longer trips?
 
I bring the same gun I always carry, either a J Frame .38 or a LCR in .327 Fed, pocket carry.


Edit to add- If I was going hiking around black bears I would bring either my 686 in .357 or my Sig 220 in .45acp. Hardcast bullets. I would have no issues with a full size 9mm either but don't have one that I would carry in the woods.

Brown bears I would bring my Glock 20 10mm. For years in Alaska I carried a 629 in .44mag but today it would be the Glock.
 
Fun story-
When I was a wee lad, my Dad packed us up in his van for a road trip to Granna's several states away. Lacking a decent gun safe, and fearing theft, he brought his modest collection- 30-40 handguns- with us.
Unfortunately, a patch of black ice put our trip (and van) to a sudden and premature end, rolling the vehicle twice.
We were mostly uninjured, but the crumpled rear doors sprung open and released our luggage all over the Interstate.
When the Highway Patrol found us (this was long before cell phones), we were huddling under a pile of blankets by the roadside sitting on a stack of Doskocil cases packed full of pistols.....
 
almost always a rimfire handgun, usually a ruger sr22, because my destination offers outdoors plinking spots, i’m most comfortable/accurate with a sr22, which is handy enough to be a ccw. or a ruger single six if ccw is impossible.

often some version of a 38sp revolver.

sometimes a bond arms derringer with several barrels, mainly to facilitate ammo scrounging during ammo droughts.

occasionally only a 22lr rifle or maybe a 410 single barrel shotgun secured in the trunk to accommodate highly restricted locales.

i’m always careful to be lawful, have several states’ ccw permits, check handgunlaw.us before departure. i worry about bringing too much if i’m involved in an accident or emergency along the way.
 
defjon said:
What do you take along? Normal ccw?

Does location dictate? Certainly would play a part if you're going to awb states.

I don't bring long guns personally, but I usually bring my ccw. I like guns I travel with to stay with me as much as possible.

Part of me likes revolvers. I shoot them best, and if I bring an auto I feel I must being every mag I own with me. I don't know why that is.

Bringing two fully loaded german shepherds, who can stay behind if we do non outdoor stuff. Gun is probably safe in its locked case with those two meat heads keeping watch.

Anyway. Assuming it's a free state with no infringements, do you go for capacity? Firepower? Accuracy? Ease of ammo resupply should you do some shooting?

Plan to hike where there are bears, but when we go they shouldn't be up yet.

Thinking of a j frame 357 magnum. I was pretty fast with it last weekend with 110 gr jhp and 158 jsp.

Right on with my airweight too. I could load 38 hardcast swc and feel okay about it in the outdoors.

Or, I could bring big magnums, or compact 9mm, or full size, or 1911, or...

I love them all. It's...difficult.

Anyone else with a good and happy collection struggle with what to take along on longer trips?
Click to expand...

Focus on the TASK and not the gun nuttery.

Yes, location matters. However, I often just default to the Glock 26.3. It can go into any state in case my flight is rerouted or something happens on the trip requiring me to go somewhere.

If I'm going hiking, I leave the Glock at home and take my S&W 629. It also can go into any state. I take 50 rounds of Federal 44A 44 Magnum and 50 rounds of 44 Special JHP. I also take three speed loaders and three Split Six leather loader holders. I have an OWB holster for hiking and a Milt Sparks Versa Max 2 for concealed carry. One loader sits in front of the holster; other loaders will sit on the opposite side if needed. By the way, I take all that ammo in case I decide to hit the range and there's no 44 available. Realistically, I keep 18 rounds in loaders and six in the gun.

I wouldn't take a J-Frame in 357 Magnum. Recoil is too high for quick follow-up shots and ballistics can be compromised.
 
Last edited:
It's nice to have choices, but I don't really struggle with it. Beyond the usual CCW, I find that a full-sized .357 and a .22 of some kind covers the bases well if so inclined. I'm not in big bear country.
 
It's changed based on location and destination.

Back East, I became fond of my XD45 compact... Kinda Glock 19ish size but able to handle defense loads or woods loads as I spent alot of time in rural areas.

Now, out "West", I really favor the 10mm as my highway companion for the same reason.
 
My road trip guns are a Glock 19 and a .300 BLK AR pistol, fitted with a LAW folding adapter, in a backpack.
 
defjon said:
Does location dictate? Certainly would play a part if you're going to awb states.
Click to expand...
We're flying to Austin next month. I have never flown with my firearms. I am considering taking my trusty old LCP and mrs' taking her LCP.
We won't be doing any hunting or target shooting. Maybe a little hiking.
Our guns will be strictly personal self defense.
My decision is not made yet.
 
EDC, dead stock 1911, JHP, and two spare magazines. I also carry spare JHP and ball.
Kansas Resident Regular CCW, recognized almost everywhere. See https://handgunlaw.us/
Got a brother in Connecticut. Told him I will NOT go there, if he wants to see me he has to come out.
The rest of mine and wife's family is drivable, some in Constitutional Carry states.
 
My last road trip I took 4 - 22 rifles, 4 - 22 pistols, 2 - 9mm pcc's, a 9mm 1911, my normal carry gun and about 3000 rounds of ammo. I took my granddaughter and her stepsister to the SASP nationals.
 
DR505 said:
It took a couple of decades…. I had to retire in good standing as a LEO to qualify under the HR218/LEOSA statute.
Click to expand...
Same, four decades in my particular situation.

When I travel I take the same pocket carry pistol I normally wear, a LCP. It’s what I’m most familiar with, see no reason to change just because I’m traveling.

Extra magazine and full box of ammo stashed in the car. If I’m going to a vacation rental, if the location is isolated enough, I’ll often take a BB /pellet pistol for target practice.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

Macchina
  • Locked
What do you carry when you actually hike?
2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
Replies
202
Views
16K
BigBore44
BigBore44
B
  • Locked
Which handgun for Alaska trip?
2 3
Replies
50
Views
2K
Hesa Hard1
H
M
  • Locked
Road trip from WA to UT, bring handgun?
Replies
2
Views
452
NavyLCDR
N
R
  • Locked
pistols on planes
2
Replies
29
Views
1K
Ed Ames
E
The_Shootist
  • Locked
Range Trips in the Rain?
2 3
Replies
50
Views
7K
searcher451
S
Back
Top