Trail Gun

[Armored farmer]

I think a single-six fits the bill here:
A cylinder full of .22 shorts does well on unsuspecting grouse.
A dose of .22 mag is pretty good medicine for SD under most situations.(If you don't have first hand experience with the .22 mag....stand down...some people are WAY too over-read in that dept!!)

 

[Matt018]

This may sound crazy, But I would go with a Taurus judge. A 45lc is a serious defensive round and a box of 410 for grouse doesn't way to much. For your uses I would take a serious look at the Judge.

 

[Mainsail]

 

[Brian Williams]

Mine is an S&W Mod 65 with a 4" pencil barrel. It carries very well and has a great bark.

 

[Erik M]

I kept a .22 magnum on my hip and a .357 in my pack when I was big into offroading. 6" GP100 & a Heratige Rough Rider. Lots of underbrush and mudholes on the trails here so snakes were a primary concern. We also have numberous coyotes and the rarely seen mountain lion and black bear. Even human predators (mostly thieves) have been known to appear occasionally on the trails.

 

[59Bassman]

I was given a Taurus Tracker 4" .41 magnum a few years ago. It's a stainless 5 shot. Over time, I've decided that it's my woods/fishing/trail gun. Don't really have to worry about getting it wet in the rain, it's very accurate, and I believe a .41 magnum would be sufficient for anything I'm likely to encounter on 2 or 4 legs. However, I'm not shooting grouse with it. Heck, at $1.50/round for factory ammo, I'm not shooting MUCH with it.

 

[dewalt-2]

This little guy is deadly at 25 yards once you learn to shoot it with it's small grip frame, and it'll fit in the front pocket of your jeans with just the grips sticking out...
Ruger Bearcat

For more power, I agree with the .357 with a 4" barrel...

A Single Six is a good choice as well, mine's a little long for anything but hunting and target shooting but a shorter barreled model would suit you well with the dual cylinders.

Best of luck with your choice.

 

[Vern Humphrey]

I've killed plenty of squirrels and rabbits with my Colt M357 (6" barrel) using .38 Specials loaded with 148 grain wadcutters behind 2.7 grains of Bullseye. I used the same gun in Viet Nam with .357s loaded to the gills.

But hunting and backpacking are two different activities. As a hunter, you move slowly and stalk game. As a backpacker, you move fast, racking up miles and not seeing much game -- the critters hear you coming a long way off.

So for true backpacking, I think I'd carry my Colt Detective Special -- and expect to never really need it. And for small game hunting, I'd probably carry my Colt Woodsman.

 

[336A]

IMHO only I feel that a good revolver chambered in .38 SPL fills this role very nicely. One can use powder puff loads containing WC or some nice +P 158gr SWC such as loaded by Double Tap, or a heavy loaded 148gr DEWC as sold by Buffalo Bore. Or if one reloads they could load up some 200gr bullets for up to 850fps from a 4" barrel.

Everyone likes to espouse magnum this and magnum that. However unless one lives where truely large bears (and I don't mean black bears) live then these cartridges aren't needed. For hiking a good J frame .38 SPL would be ideal, for general woods bumming or camping a good ol' K frame works quite well. The merits of the .38 SPL are many. Such as cheaper cost of ammo, less recoil/muzzle blast, and lighter guns.

I have yet to feel the need for anything larger, after 5 years of carrying my S&W M10 for back up while hunting I've not once ever needed to use it.

 

[ironhead7544]

A K frame sized 357 Magnum, SP101 3 inch 357 Magnum or a Charter Arms Target Bulldog 4 inch 44 Special would be my choice. For a little heavier revolver, the Ruger New Vaquero in 44 Special would be ideal. If Ruger brings out a light weight version of the Flat Top 44 Special with alloy grip frame and ejector rod housing it would be really perfect for a trail gun. Just my .02.

 

[bannockburn]

For years I carried a Beretta Model 70S .22LR while hiking through the woods. I had it in an Uncle Mikes nylon holster and never even noticed the extra weight of having it on my belt. Later on, I went with a Rossi Model 88 .38 Special in stainless with a 3" barrel and high profile sights. I always thought this J framed sized revolver was possibly the best set-up for a trail or kit gun.

 

[PR-NJ]

Consider a Ruger SP101 or GP100 with a 4 inch barrel in .327 (yes that's a 2) Federal Magnum. Kills two birds...well, one grouse and something potentially much bigger, with one gun. Might not easily kill a bear, though.

I've got a GP100. In addition to .327 Magnum, it will fire .32 H&R Magnum, .32 S&W Long and .32 S&W. It's a heavy frame for .327 Magnum (the GP100 is medium frame revolver designed for the .357 Magnum cartridge). As such, there's very little recoil shooting the smaller loads.

 

[TriTone]

Can't go wrong with a mid-size revolver in 357/38

 

[CajunBass]

Just to be different. Everybody has a Ruger or a Smith & Wesson and they're a good choice, as is this one, but this one has a "cool" factor all it's own.

Harrington & Richardson 999, 22LR. Nine shots



Plus when you break it open and all those empties go flying, you'll feel like Michael Caine in "Zulu."

 

[Pete D.]

Trail gun: rides in my hunting vest. S&W 317 Airlite.

 

[EVIL]

I guess I don't get the idea of a dedicated "trail gun" - unless you live in grizzly country where four legged creatures "may" be more dangerous than the 2-legged variety. (OR if you need an excuse to purchase a new firearm...) I train with and carry my main CCW - a Glock 27 - everywhere including on the trail or hunting. It's "relatively lightweight" which is a consideration when camping, hiking or backpacking. I'm much more concerned with 2 legged creatures in my neck of the woods...and .40 S&W is good medicine for them.

I certainly agree a .357 revolver is great - if that is your main carry, and you are trained up & profiecient on reloading. I would do wonderfully with mine for 5 shots....and then I would have to re-load a revolver in a stressful situation...yikes! I carry mine as a BUG sometimes. ANd I love & appreciate the qualities of a good revolver, I am just WAY slower reloading than with any semi-auto...I'm sure there are guys on this board who can reload them faster than I can my semi-auto BTW...as I have seen the revolver guys in competitions...awesome!

If I plan on taking small game I bring a shotgun, a .22 rifle or .22 target pistol (ruger MKII or buckmark) in addition to my main defensive, CCW weapon. (However, shotgun or rifle are promoted to primary defensive arms over a pistol if I have either with me) Personally I am much more proficient in taking small game with a .22LR rifle then a center-fire handgun (at least by group size...)...but who knows. A .22 rifle is minimal in weight and high on utility, but admittedly I don't take one w/ me if I am on a local trail or bike trail out of season...but then I have my trusty, comfortable G27 always.

 

[lloveless]

Pete D,
What kind of casings are those. I'll betcha they don't fit in that gun!!! Ha ha.
ll

 

[easyg]

I guess it depends upon (1) why do you want to carry a handgun on the trail, and (2) how much weight do you want to carry.

If you intend on hunting (as you mentioned) then a long barrel revolver makes sense I suppose.

But for myself, I don't hunt when I'm hiking, and I don't like to carry unnecessary weight.
The only reason I even carry a handgun when hiking is because of the possibility of dangerous two-legged critters.

So, when I go hiking, I carry this +1 extra magazine....




The last thing I want to carry is a heavy 6-shot revolver.

 

[Bill B.]

I think a 22lr/22 magnum convertible Ruger revolver would serve the purpose you described.

I agree. The Ruger Single Six with the 4 5/8 barrel and both cylinders would be hard to top. 22 mag. is an under rated round IMO.

 

[wrs840]

The new S&W 637 Airweight 2-1/2"bbl is one of my current favorites to carry when out on the trails of the NC/VA mountains on trips with the wife and kids.

Les

 

[Hoppes Love Potion]

NAA Black Widow .22LR & .22 Mag. It's also my CCW. When I'm in the woods, I duct tape the kydex pocket holster to my outside thigh and I'm good. Just have to drop my hand and it's there if I need it. The holster also holds the extra cylinder.

My accuracy shooting LR is getting very good. I don't shoot Mags that often, but in snake country I use the Mag cylinder with 2 shot shells for starters.

Many will claim I am undergunned, and I agree. But I also think a man with a 4" .357 is undergunned vs. a .22 rifle. At 50+ yards, the rifle should win that battle easily.

 

[PabloJ]

Just to be different. Everybody has a Ruger or a Smith & Wesson and they're a good choice, as is this one, but this one has a "cool" factor all it's own.

Harrington & Richardson 999, 22LR. Nine shots



Plus when you break it open and all those empties go flying, you'll feel like Michael Caine in "Zulu."

I have seen that a while back at Greentop Sporting Goods. I would have bought it if rear sight blade wasn't missing.