Options for mountain/backcountry gun..

He was a game warden, not a special forces soldier.

But then again, you might have no time to work on learning distinguishing characteristics of soldiers and civilian law enforcement. You're time is dedicated to figuring out how elk die.

Let us do the thinking, and you do the learning.
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Springfield Armory .308 Win with 20 round magazines.
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what he is makes no difference....the point is...its still a M1A..
 
I’ve spent a lot of time in the outdoors in both Alaska and in the Colorado mountains. I’ve had a number of bear encounters, but nothing too serious.

In Colorado, you only have to worry about black bears which are far less dangerous than grizz's or browns (there are a lot of black bears in the Wet Mountains, in particular).

Rattlers are a more common problem. A hiking pole is handy in a number of ways: you can move faster over rough terrain and through streams; sometimes a pole will stir up a rattler before your ankles are right in front of it; I suspect animals, including cougars, are more afraid of humans with some kind of lengthy object in their hand - it probably just doesn't look right to them and therefore makes them afraid.

In Alaska, moose are much more hazardous to people than bears, and there are plenty of moose in Colorado, also.
 
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WeThePeople, I'd say your 9mm, .40, and .45 ACP would suffice for two-legged threats in the back country, and probably for the 4-legged ones as well, with the exception of bear. For black bear, I think you need bear spray, and a bigger gun...and a bit of luck too.

A handgun is a last resort in my opinion, even a big caliber that you shoot extremely well, due to the speed of bear attacks and the element of surprise involved. The guys from Alaska that contribute here on TFL can give you some good advice as to guns and ammunition. Best Regards, Rod
 
.22 plinker and bear spray will do for hiking defense imo. Look into ammo from buffalo bore for your 40/45. Grizzly county gets my mossberg 12 ga and bear spray.
 
From the guns I have for a woods carry gun, one of the following depending on my mood and how concerned I am about Black Bear encounters (close).
SW M63 (22LR)
Ruger 3" GP-100 (357 mag)
S&W 4" M57 Mountain Gun (41 mag)

I have encountered a fair number of black bears in the woods and never had a problem of any real concern. But don't surprise them.... Even a 100 lb yearly could really tear you up.
Never lived or spent any serious amount of time where there are Mountain Lions. But would be comfortable with any of the above most of the time.
 
I think post #26 has my favorite answer to the OPs question. I like my Ruger 32 mags best for a woods gun. Here in Tx about the most dangerous animal I know of may be wild hogs. But the few I have seen in the wild would run away as soon as they became aware that you were there.

I have had one Black Panther run in front of my truck going down a very deserted road. I only had a couple of seconds to look at him before he was long gone. At a deer camp we had there was a mountain lion and at least one cub that would leave tracks around a small pond. I almost got to see it. I was walking back to camp and found its tracks as it jumped sideways into the bushes when it spotted me coming. I went in after it but heck, by then it was probably a quarter mile away. If I would have just sat on that oil storage tank I may have got a shot at it.

To my way of thinking running across a group growing pot out in the woods is the biggest danger you can face. But I still feel just fine with one of my 32 mags or a 4" 357 mag and a few extra rounds.
 
Traded my 629 for a G20---lighter weight--more shots--almost as powerful

There's nothing that can "get ya" around here---bought it for my trips out west.
 
If you aren't worried about grizzlies then 10mm or .357 will be fine for blacks and cats. I like to carry Underwood 200 grain hardcasts @1200+. I also carry on occasion Underwood .45 +P 255 grain hardcasts and feel fine.

In all reality you shouldn't need to worry about bears as long as you pay attention and don't do anything stupid (like get too close on purpose).

A can of spray is sufficeient for simply curious bears.

I don't know enough about big cats to advise.

If grizzlies or browns are around, then my minimum is .44 mag with hot hardcasts. Again your best bet is paying attention and avoidance, as bears as a whole don't want to mess with us anyway.
 
We trail ride mules all over creation and my wilderness guns of choice are either a S&W 686 2 1/2 inch eight shot .357, an Uberti SAA clone in .45 Colt, or a Ruger Redhawk .45 Colt. each has a round of snakeshot up first. Always at least one speedloader of spare ammo in the saddlebags.
 
Cougars, although they are about the fourth largest cat, are less lethal than their cousins. They weigh from just over 100 pounds to just over 200 pounds and can be stopped with most handgun rounds with a well placed shot. They kill their prey with a bite that separates the upper spine in the neck area while grasping the animal with their front legs. The technique doesn't work well on humans because their teeth are not aligned for our necks. An athletic man or woman can fight them off by hand. They typically ambush running game so if you stop and move to approach them they will most often run.
 
Black bears don't take a lot of power to put them down generally. I'd go with your 45. Buffalo Bore is great if your gun is built to handle +P ammo and feeds and functions with them. If not a 230g XTP hollow point isn't far behind. For a woods gun, I carry my Springfield V16 Longslide shooting Buffalo Bore 45 Super 255g hardcast at 1100 fps. I'm in Colorado too. I carried more in the woods when my kids were small. I'm too old and tough for any of the animals to want to eat me any more :)
 
I would strongly advise not to carry any FMJ of a round nose variety. Those will glance right off a bear's skull. I've seen it happen in person. What you want is something flat along the lines of a semiwadcutter which is why I choose a revolver for backcountry. Semiautos just aren't reliable with the type of ammo you need.

What I don't see people stressing enough is practice. A bear can move really fast and big cats move even faster and usually from ambush. You're going to need to be able to hit a small moving target under pressure.
 
I can't argue that a revolver is inherently more reliable, and can be had in more powerful calibers but some of us are just semi-auto pistol guys. My Springfield V16 Long Slide loves the Buffalo Bore 45 Super 255g hardcast bullets. It's incredibly accurate and reliable with them. It also feeds regular 45 ACP 230g Golden Sabres and 230g hardball flawlessly. More than a couple of Alaskan brown bear guides have begun to carry Glock 10mm pistols as well.



 
I have a new favorite trail revolver, a S&W 60-15. .357 Magnum, three inch barrel, adjustable sights, Hogue grips. 5 shot, but it's light weight, and packs easily in a chest holster for easy access.

 
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Mannlicher I have a gun close to yours. Mine is a model 36-6 38 special with a 3" barrel and adjustable sights and a matt finish like a model 28 Hiway Patrolman. And yes it makes an excellent trail gun. And a hot 38 is about all I care to shoot out of it. But more mild 158gr loads around 800fps does all I want it to do. Or even some WC loads at 750fps. Those are nice little pistolas.
 
ratshooter, I have to admit that virtually all I shoot in this Model 60 is my handloaded .38 Specials. :) Those .357 loads are just uncomfortable. When going out though, I carry one speed loader with Winchester 145 grain Silver Tips. Just in case.
 
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