what to choose?

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Bezoar

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Im not in tip top, fight em off davy crockett shape right now. Excercising to much and dieting. The half mile trudge to my blind doesnt leave much fight in me now.

Ive been getting trailed last few days by a few large predators. The prints in crusty snow this morning were about 5 inches long. Very similar to bob cat, coyote, and slightly to wolf based on the "heel" piece of the track.
THese things can reduce a rear leg and side of a dead deer to bare bone in under 50 minutes. Probably weigh 80 pounds easy.
Thus i need a bit of protection. Love my muzzleloader, just takes a bit longer to load and i wouldnt have a chance to reload unless i could outrun to the blind, thats not going to happen.

What bp handgun would you reccommend? size, weight, etc?
 
For self defense, use the most advanced cap and ball revolver available, the Ruger Old Army.
 
Wow. Not many people get to see any cats in North America so you should consider yourself lucky. And the area you are hunting is obviously a good area to support such wildlife.

For a back-up gun I would recommend Taurus's new "The Judge" it is a .45LC revolver that you can shoot .410 shells if you wish. Great snake medicine and big game protection as the .45 Long Colt is a great round and tons of power. Not to mention the pistols retail for ~$450.

Hope this helps :)
 
Bezoar, Where are you hunting and what kind of animal are you talking about? A wolverine? Check your laws, in Ohio if you have concealed carry you can carry anything as long as it is not used to kill the game that is in season. If it's a wolverine I wouldn't screw around The Judge sounds about right loaded with 00 and deerslug.
I shouldn't jump to conclusions you said "a few predators" I've got an old friend that traps up in Canada and he was plagued by a wolverine that would run his trap line before he could. According to him wolverines are mostly loners. Game laws be damned carry the best you got. Just don't show or use unless you have to.
 
Bezoar, may I ask why you want a BP handgun? I would recommend a large caliber modern handgun. A good Ruger Blackhawk in .44 Magnum should suffice. If you must select a BP revolver, then the Ruger Old Army would be my choice. But I must repeat that a modern handgun would serve your needs must better.


Timthinker
 
80 pound animals are well within the killing power envelope of the Colt Navy or better yet the 1860 Army or Remington New Army.
Nothing wrong with the Ruger Old Army I suppose, but I've had mixed results with Ruger's quality control of their Cartridge Revolvers.

The Remington with one or more preloaded spare cylinders is as quick to reload as a modern swing out cylinder gun, and near as quick as an autoloader mag change.
 
My thoughts...

I know that you posted this in the BP forum, but being that your safety might be on the line, I cannot in good conscience recommend a BP fire arm.

For my $0.02, I would say a 4" 357 like a GP100 or a S&W 686. You will have all the power that you need for an animal that is about the size of a large dog, and will have easy follow up shots. Also, a 4" 357 is a lot easier to get on target than a 8" BP cap and ball type revolver. It is a heck of a lot lighter too. If it is a cat, like a mountain lion, they are fairly delicate compared to other predators and a 357 will be plenty gun.

PS. It the tracks have claw marks it is a canine (dog, 'yote, or wolf). If no claw marks are present, then it is a cat. All cats, except the cheetah, retract their claws to protect them when they are walking or running, or doing anything other than attacking something or defending themselves.
 
I'm sure that if you can walk to your hunting shack you can kill what ever is stalking you with a baseball bat. It really is the best way in that you don't spoil the pelt. And if the thing is really trying to eat you your adrenalin will more the make up for any state age and disease has put you in. And one of the nice things about a baseball bat is it never runs out of ammo or misfires in the rain. It doesn't jam or shoot yourself by accident.
 
If you are being tracked, and you think it's more than curiosity on the part of the animal so that your safety is involved..., don't mess with a cap-n-ball. They work fine, but went out of use as cartridge guns were more reliable. Anything that thinks you might be on the menu needs serious discouragement. A ball bat might work on one animal, but you have to let it get close for it to work, and if you don't get a critical hit with the first blow, it's on you. If there is more than one (coyotes and coy-dogs hunt in packs) then while you mess with the one in front, the one in back has you. If it was me I'd rather be launching nice, loud .44 mags from a Super Blackhawk at predator at many feet from me, and have time to spot any additional predators before they are too close.

The other option is this

http://www.loyalistarms.freeservers.com/bayonetsscabbards.htm

LD
 
I went on a Boar hunt last spring ..I noticed the guides were all carrying sawed off 12 ga shot guns with the barrels flush to the 5 shot magazine ..loaded with 2 slugs first followed by 3 loads of 00 buck shot ..got to thinking there just isn`t much that walks the planet that could live through a hail of those at close range . Excellent choice of weapon.
 
Ah, Pancho....

Shooting a Wolverine in Ohio is considered fine sport, but it's usually confined to the area around Columbus...
 
Yes but Mykeal, in Columbus they don't shoot the Wolverines, these people in red shirts stomp them.

Back on subject, and I stated before, modern would be best, and what would be best is what you are comfortable using and legal.
 
mykeal, I'm in Ohio. I don't know where Bezoar is. I asked but so far he hasn't responded.
I don't think a ball bat would be such a good idea considering Bezoar's current health. I've also seen what a police dog looks like in action they're so fast it'd be hard to hit them with a ball bat.
 
I live in michigan. Lots of violent unpleasant animals in the backyard.
10 years ago the DNR trapped and removed a black bear literally 50 feet from the back porch, just a year and a half before we moved and built the house. I got 3 dnr monitored bear dens within 2 miles of my house. I have found a few bear prints in the dirt now and then over the years. With quite a few dead deer carcases buried in leaves and branches like bears are said to do.

The prints have claws fully extended, they did follow in every step, from the door of my blind to my backyard.
I know a bp gun isnt the greatest, but its legal for shooting deer with in rifle and muzzleloader season, and i do want to get a deer with a bp handgun one of these days.
The reason im leaning to bp is that where i live BP is the cheapest handgun you can get. Even used and worn out stuff is priced as MSRP, yeah a 20 year old loose as can be ruger or smith or charter arms even will go listed at the current msrp for that model.
 
take if from someone who lives in mt.lion, bear country. get a modern pistol in .357 or better. or if you must use you're cap and ball get a conversion cylinder for it. a can of bear spray will work too if you can't legally open carry in the woods.

i'm not saying that you can't defend yourself with a CB gun, but why take the risk of a misfire or wet primers/powder.

where i live they say for every 8 hours spent in the back country you're stalked by a mt lion atleast once. i can open carry anything i want in most places of my state, colorado. if i know i'm going into a questionable area i take the proper tools with me to insure i make it back out.
 
If you decide on a C&B revolver carry it in a shoulder holster inside the top layer of clothing but easy to get at. Cold weather can harden the cylinder lube enough to make it hard to cock. First shot will warm up the lube just fine though.

Unless a C&B pistol is drenched by rain or left laying in water or snow for some time its not likely to misfire due to a wet cap or charge.
 
Bezoar,

I also live in Michigan's black bear country. Don't forget that we now have gray wolves as well.

Absolute minimum gun that meets your preferences is a Ruger Old Army, although frankly a Walker or Dragoon would do as well, IMHO. However, finding a used ROA is not simple in this neck of the woods. Go to the Birch Run gun show or start calling the local dealers and ask them to look out for one for you. I've been looking for a couple of years and the closest I've come was at Birch Run.

Buying a mail order Dragoon or Walker will be less expensive and they will do the job. However, you'll need a dedicated holster as carrying one of those hand cannons, well, it won't fit in your pocket and you'll very soon not like sticking it in your belt.

I am, however, like the others here - a modern .357 magnum or .44 magnum is a better choice, and a used one should not be hard to find.
 
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