SA revolver for camping/woods gun?

[CraigC]

If I ever get tired from toting around my little 37oz .44Spl, I need to tote more, not less.

 

[Gary A]

suppressive fire is directed into that place in sufficient volume to cover the area and kill the troops there

And how much of that can be done by one person limited to the ammunition carried on his person? How much ammunition is it reasonable for a person to carry on a daily basis?

There was an incident in St. Louis County a couple of years back where officers did just that in trying to rescue an undercover comrade in a drug deal gone bad. They did manage to kill their comrade but the others made good their escape. Bullets don't care who they hit. The shooter should.

 

[S&Wfan]

What's the general consensus on the viability of a single-action revolver for a big-bore camping/woods gun? I've owned my share of revolvers, but never SA, and I'm looking for something (1) to take into the woods (Rockies) and (2) to shoot big fat fast bullets when I feel like it. While it's not for self-defense (my CCW is a semi-auto), perhaps a charging cougar constitutes a self-defense scenario.

Hi,

Does this mean you are going to tote two handguns, and spare + different ammuniton + auto magazines on you for both as you climb in the Rockies?

I've hunted in the past with a Ruger SuperBlackhawk (.44 Magnum) and it is/was a fine revolver but I've hunted with a S&W Model 29/Holosight for the past decade or so and would never go back.

Go in the wilderness a bunch and strange things happen, whether it is a hard chargine cougar you mentioned, or the opportunity to drop three whitetail deer suddenly. This second scenario has happened to me TWICE through the years with the M29/Holosight . . . and twice I've put 'em all on the ground in mere seconds. One was "hard charging" away from me in a clear cut after the other two went down and I dropped it as it ran broadside, at 65 yards. It fell as a stone and never moved.

Now I'll tell ya . . . if a cougar was charging me, I'd rather my Model 29/Holosight clear leather to drop that cougar than any single action cowboy gun.

Here's the revolver atop a rare Whitetail PIEBALD hide from a buck I harvested with this rig. Lots of fine times in the wild with this rig. And the LOAD? A 300gr. hardcast lead flatnose bullet that would be great for almost any wild game you can encounter with a handgun in North America! Everything falls decisively to this supremely accurate load.

Would this be THE gun I'd choose hiking in the Rockies most of the time? Probably not. For that purpose it has usually been my 3" Model 65 in .357 . . . . or a lightweight Kimber Ultra CDP .45 Auto for those casual, fun days in the wild where two-legged predators are statistically a much greater threat.

Now if I was wanting a nostalgic feeling while in the mountains I might carry an ol' hogleg, but around camp I'd probably just have an Airweight S&W J-frame in the pocket.

If I was mainly hunting small game and for plinking, I'd be carrying my tackdriving Ruger MkII Target Model rather than a centerfire.

THE FUN . . .

The fun in carrying a handgun in the wild comes in many shapes and sizes. ALL types are great for one reason or another, including SA revolvers. If I chose to carry a SA revolver again, it would be a Ruger Blackhawk or Super Blackhawk in either .44 Magnum, .45LC, .41 Magnum or .357 . . . or a Bearcat in .22LR on occasion . . . another fun wheelgun.

Whatever you choose, shoot it often in practice and have some safe, fun times in the wild!