Obambulate
New member
Model 60 3" .38 Special with a couple snake rounds indexed.
Revolver for trail gun
- Thread starter azmark
- Start date
Deaf Smith
New member
Define 'pricey'.
$100, $200, $300, $400..??
My basic trail gun is a Ruger fixed sighted 3 inch GP-100 in .357. Nothing fancy. Regular GP100 smaller panel grips that came with it, same sight, simple leather holster (Buchmyer or Hunters), and six spare rounds. Add a light field knife and that's that.
S&W 65 fixed sight .357 would have done the same or even a .38 with +P.
If wheelgun, I'd look for a good Ruger Secruty Six 4 or 2 3/4 inch barrel revolver or used S&W about the same size. $400 or abut more except maybe a S&W M10 .38 would go $300.
Personally I just saw a GunsAmerica 4 inch fixed sighted GP100 I'd be real tempted on.
http://www.gunsamerica.com/92207321...pe/RUGER_GP100_357_MAGNUM_DAO_4_STAINLESS.htm
Just get a regular hammer and you are good to go for DA or SA.
Deaf
Pointshoot
New member
"Recoil of even hot 357 loads in a 6 inch GP 100 is not even bothersome. It's a heavy gun. I didn't mention 357 because I have significant hearing loss already and if you've shot full house .357 loads without your ears on, you know how painful that is. Since there are both 2 and 4-legged concerns where I'll be I need to not walk around with hearing protection.
I'm choosing to try to keep both my life and my hearing. I think I like the idea of a J Frame. " - - azmark
I know Exactly what you mean. For that reason I find myself going with guns chambered in 45 Colt and 44 Special now when possible. (38 Special is good too & I sometimes use them, but for my applications I prefer the bigger/heavier bullets). If you like the size of a J frame type gun you might also check out the new Charter Arms Bulldog. They have a 2 1/2" barrel snubbie and a 4" barrel 'target' model with adjustable sights. Both chambered in 44 Special. I thoroughly checked out a 4" target model last week and it was quite well put together with decent finish, especially for its price point.
I'm choosing to try to keep both my life and my hearing. I think I like the idea of a J Frame. " - - azmark
I know Exactly what you mean. For that reason I find myself going with guns chambered in 45 Colt and 44 Special now when possible. (38 Special is good too & I sometimes use them, but for my applications I prefer the bigger/heavier bullets). If you like the size of a J frame type gun you might also check out the new Charter Arms Bulldog. They have a 2 1/2" barrel snubbie and a 4" barrel 'target' model with adjustable sights. Both chambered in 44 Special. I thoroughly checked out a 4" target model last week and it was quite well put together with decent finish, especially for its price point.
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Onward Allusion
New member
Have you looked into in-ear amplified electronic hearing protection plugs that will act as a set of inexpensive hearing-aids during normal noise levels and shuts off to act as hearing protection during a muzzle blast? They can be had for less than $50. That would allow you to carry full-house .357 mag loads w/o worrying about predators sneaking up on you while protecting your hearing.
http://www.amazon.com/Walkers-Game-...TF8&colid=1IQMAIKBNTXWW&coliid=I1I8CL9C7E9KOR
Pointshoot
New member
Not to take the thread too far off topic . . . but I tried a pair of the cheaper electronic plugs and they were terrible. Feedback howling and poor sound quality. Plus they didn't offer much muzzle blast protection. Returned them to Cabelas. - - - Its been a few years though.
The quality in-the-ear units (wearing two to give stereo sound for better locating the direction of the sound) are expensive. I ended up using high quality electronic ear muffs, but they can be hot to wear. In any case, sometimes situations develop quickly and you don't have the time to put in hearing protection when needing to use a gun. The sound level of a 45 Colt is half that of a 357. (I recently looked up all this and how it relates to the sound we perceive). - - - The pressure level of the 44 Special is just a little bit higher - - SAAMI standard pressure level is 14,000 psi for the 45LC. 44 Special is 15,500 psi. 357 Mag is 35,000 psi and 44 Mag is 36,000 psi.
Note: how loud sounds are to us gets complicated. The SAAMI numbers arent for sound level measurement, but do give ranking of the pressure of various cartridges. Just do a websearch on 'loudness levels of various firearms' if you really want to get deeper into this topic.
The quality in-the-ear units (wearing two to give stereo sound for better locating the direction of the sound) are expensive. I ended up using high quality electronic ear muffs, but they can be hot to wear. In any case, sometimes situations develop quickly and you don't have the time to put in hearing protection when needing to use a gun. The sound level of a 45 Colt is half that of a 357. (I recently looked up all this and how it relates to the sound we perceive). - - - The pressure level of the 44 Special is just a little bit higher - - SAAMI standard pressure level is 14,000 psi for the 45LC. 44 Special is 15,500 psi. 357 Mag is 35,000 psi and 44 Mag is 36,000 psi.
Note: how loud sounds are to us gets complicated. The SAAMI numbers arent for sound level measurement, but do give ranking of the pressure of various cartridges. Just do a websearch on 'loudness levels of various firearms' if you really want to get deeper into this topic.
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I see several entries for snake shot. I grew up in a part of Florida that was simply called 'Rattlesnake' by the original white settlers. I worked in the swamps and boonies as a land surveyor and saw lots of snakes and gators. Folks you don't need snake shot. You just need to back off five feet and watch them flee.
I have stepped on gators not knowing that they were there and I have never been attacked or even threatened by them.
It ain't the 'critters' that worry me!
And snake shot probably wont stop a drug crazed mugger as well as a .357 or .45.
I have stepped on gators not knowing that they were there and I have never been attacked or even threatened by them.
It ain't the 'critters' that worry me!
And snake shot probably wont stop a drug crazed mugger as well as a .357 or .45.
rrruger...I can't speak for everyone here, but I am armed while outside at home as well as when away. Where I live, rattlesnakes are a real threat to small livestock such as chickens as well as pets. When I see one on or near my property, I exterminate it. You may think that's cold, but that's just what we do and don't give it a second thought.
I doubt I would waste ammo on a rattler who was simply nearby on a trail.
I doubt I would waste ammo on a rattler who was simply nearby on a trail.
Obambulate
New member
Same here but it's mostly water mocs. They can be extremely aggressive. I do back away, but what if the snake doesn't back away?
I had a fair amount of experience with water moccasins in FL in the 70's.
I found them to be very curious, and not the least bit tumid. I would be cutting line for a transit sight and see a cottonmouth paralleling me at a distance of just a few feet. Thirty yards later he would still be there matching my pace. I finally understood that I was only there to scare up his dinner. While this wasn't a daily occurrence it happened more than once. The only time that I really felt worried was when I was in the water with them and they would dive below the surface. It tends to make your heart race a bit. I didn't have kids or pets to worry about, so shooting at them wasn't really on my mind. The most vicious snakes that we had were the southern black snakes, mean, foul tempered, and a nasty bite...and fast!
I found them to be very curious, and not the least bit tumid. I would be cutting line for a transit sight and see a cottonmouth paralleling me at a distance of just a few feet. Thirty yards later he would still be there matching my pace. I finally understood that I was only there to scare up his dinner. While this wasn't a daily occurrence it happened more than once. The only time that I really felt worried was when I was in the water with them and they would dive below the surface. It tends to make your heart race a bit. I didn't have kids or pets to worry about, so shooting at them wasn't really on my mind. The most vicious snakes that we had were the southern black snakes, mean, foul tempered, and a nasty bite...and fast!
Ruger Gp100 357 or sp-101.
I have S&W 627 4 or 5" 357s, or a colt a python 4". However, you did mention affordable.
SP 101 is a bit beyond what I want to spend, although I like them. I'm getting closer to the purchase and for size and weight considerations I'm thinking about the LCR or a J Frame Smith. Even though it's significantly heavier, I do eventually want a Single Six to replace the one I sold. I've heard plenty of "well seasoned" outdoorsmen say that a .22 Magnum is underestimated and 22 practice ammo is cheap. I'm already set up to reload .38 caliber, so that mitigates ammo costs somewhat.
Snubby or Single Six? That's the basic question. What say you?
Snubby or Single Six? That's the basic question. What say you?
Willie Sutton
Moderator
Better than either: Look for a used Ruger Service Six in .357, 4 inch.
Why?
Medium sized.
All steel and somewhat of a classic.
Absolutely snag free and easy to extract from your pack or cargo pocket: (you will not always have it on your belt). This is not a target pistol....
Caliber choice = does it all.
Cost (not terribly high).
Reliability & Strength
4" v/s a snubbie offers adequate fun-plinking accuracy and also a bit better ballistics if you do decide to "load for bear" so to speak.
Look at them and see. Might take a gunbroker search but they turn up with some frequency.
Willie
.
Why?
Medium sized.
All steel and somewhat of a classic.
Absolutely snag free and easy to extract from your pack or cargo pocket: (you will not always have it on your belt). This is not a target pistol....
Caliber choice = does it all.
Cost (not terribly high).
Reliability & Strength
4" v/s a snubbie offers adequate fun-plinking accuracy and also a bit better ballistics if you do decide to "load for bear" so to speak.
Look at them and see. Might take a gunbroker search but they turn up with some frequency.
Willie
.