Show off your wilderness sidearm.

When I lived in Oregon I carried my Ruger Vaquero (original) with hot .45 Colt rounds. Once I determined bears weren’t going to be an issue I switched to my S&W 327 Night Guard .357 Magnum.

Ruger Vaquero 7.5” .45 Colt
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S&W 327 Night Guard 8-shot .357 Magnum
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Here in WV I liked carrying my S&W model 10 C&E in a Tanker / Aviator holster.
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I do not intend to ever set foot in the Northwest again. I would love a trip to Alaska. I think that would warrant a revolver a bit more appropriate for the denizens of that great state. It would be time to go gun shopping. 😉
 
I didnt post my own....and am actually still researching what may well be my next gun purchase.
I have family in the chimney of Idaho just south of the border..
...i have a nephew east of Yellowstone in Montana. Ted and antelope.jpg

...i have people in Alaska too. IMG_4489.jpg

...i will be making wilderness adventures in the near future....Lord willing.
My work excludes me from almost all of the big game hunts that I am really interested in.....but fishing trips are definitely on my radar.

At this point I am leaning towards a Springfield Armory XDm Elite OSP 10mm, but wont turn down a deal on a 44mag.


For now I have a .45colt Blackhawk that serves as my deer hunting revolver. It would suffice as a wilderness sidearm until I make a new decision and purchase.
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Well, if it really has to be just “one,” I’ll probably bring one of my Glock 17 pistols, loaded with the Buffalo Bore 9mm +P Outdoorsman load that Phil Shoemaker used to defeat that grizzly. I have fired Glocks in some high-stress training scenarios, making some memorably decent hits. I reckon that shot placement and penetration are most important. No, I am not a Glock “fan boy,” but simply practical, being my best option for an ambidextrous service pistol, that is sufficiently “orthopedic” for my aging right hand.

I had wanted to say that I would bring my 5.5” Ruger Blackhawk Bisley, which has .45 Colt and .45 ACP cylinders, but, it has been a long time since my last range session with it, and with my aging hands continuing to surprise me, I am afraid to presume that I can still shoot stout loads with it. I have been shifting to my healthier left hand, for most of my shooting, and my Bisley was better for my right hand, whereas my left hand “prefers” the traditional single-action grip.

In the spirit of the way the original post is worded, I chose from among handguns that I have, at the present time. I have presumed that I can bring a long gun, which would probably be a Benelli M2 autoloading shotgun, for a generic “adventure.” I did not take big game hunting into account.
 
S&W329 is what I carry.

 
Currently this Smith M&P in 10mm. I've had 10mm Glocks in the past. Anything bigger and I'd prefer a long gun. I want something small enough to be on my person at all times. There have been hunters surprised while gutting game while their rifle was propped against a tree.

I wouldn't hunt anything larger than deer with a 10mm. But self-defense is far different than hunting. I've seen enough to feel confident.

I liked the Glocks well enough but could never get comfortable with a loaded chamber and no safety in my sleeping bag while camping. When Smith offered this I replaced my Glocks with it. I like the option of being able to mount a light on a semi. The dot sight I'm not 100% sold on yet.


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I made my 3rd trip camping in Yellowstone this summer and my 1st to Glacier. Grizzly were pretty commonly seen, and I slept as well with this as I would have with anything else. I do spend a lot more time in black bear country.

Photos I took this summer. Smoky Mt NP and Yellowstone NP

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Great question, and something I think about from time to time.

Lower 48:
Hunting/hiking/ bears - 44 Redhawk 4”
Fishing/water proximity/ 2 legged threats - Glock 22.3

Alaska:
Hunting/hiking/bears - 45 Colt Ruger NM Blackhawk 4 5/8”
All else - Glock 22.3

I prefer the versatility of the revolver for deep backcountry encounters but I acknowledge the utility of the Glock in a river environment and possible meth-head encounter.

Now I’ll throw this into your mix: if I were a bush pilot anywhere in NA I’d pack my G30.3 in a chest holster and feel adequately outfitted in the event of a downed plane.
Are any of these choices perfect? I would submit to you none are perfect. Each choice is a compromise of something.
 
asking us for examples of preferred wilderness sidearms is like asking a woman which handbag and shoes go on a trip.

i have often carried: bond arms 45lc/410 derringer with trigger guard removed in gloved hands weather. s&w 642 38sp snubbie with both snakeshot & wadcutter ammo. ruger single six with both 22wmr/lr cylinders with usually the former loaded. ruger bearcat 22lr revolver. my outdoors venues have no varsity apex predators, but if so i would carry a centerfire rifle or shotgun with a rimfire handgun.
 
Cool topic.

I picked up an "oldish New Model" Blackhawk in .45C with the short barrel for an ultimate "woods carry" gun. So I'll list that as #1.

Have some .357 Mags in both DA and SA that could work fine.

Also have .22LR guns in both DA and SA that would do fine for light duty.


I have even heard tell of people using a plain jane Smith Model 10 with decent results. Happen to have one of those laying around too. I suppose it's "alter-ego" (Glock 19) would work just as well (don't have one laying around but maybe I should).
 
Im pretty comfortable with my old SR9C anywhere i might roam.
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It shoots good, has excellent capacity, three mags hold over 50rds..
Mm I keep a decent weapon light mounted on its' rail for bumps in the night....
Not my first choice for brown bear country, but the odds are good that I won't get in a gunfight with a brown bear.
 
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I put together this custom bob-tail commander in .45 specifically for this use in my home state (Washington.) Loaded with Underwood Extreme Defender +P. I carry it in a horizontal shoulder holster while hunting. I know of a fellow in Texas that used this load to one-shot a charging 300lb. feral boar, and it has worked well on feral hogs in less dramatic situations so it's probably alright. I went with this because it's the platform I am most familiar and handy with and under stress the one that I am mostly likely to be able to put multiple hits on target in a hurry.

My previous Pooping-in-the-woods-OMG-is-that-a-bear?: gun was a Taurus Model 415 .41 Magnum. Had the power with a 210gr Keith bullet at about 1250fps from this gun, but follow-up shots were slower and I could just never get the rapid-fire accuracy I wanted out of it.
 
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