Scary Experience, Advice Needed

N

Northrunner

Inactive
I had a scary experience this year during hunting season. Walking in the dark during elk bow season just before daylight, I ended up with several wolves within 15 yards from me. All I had was my bow and arrows and that did not feel like enough. I'd like to buy a handgun to carry during archery season and during my other days in the woods on hiking trips, firewood cutting, etc. Something reasonably light, but accurate and dependable. I own a Virginian Dragoon in .44 mag, but it's large and only single action (I'd prefer double) and also a Colt 1911 Government Model MKIV / Series 70 .45ACP, but it's still like new in the original box and a little too valuable to be banging around in the woods.
What would you suggest...something fairly small to keep the weight down as much as I can and affordable. I like the S&W 620 and 686's, maybe the 629's. I've also read good things about Ruger's GP100. Any suggestions on gun and caliber? Thanks...
 
Two choices that leapt to my mind were a Glock in .357 Sig, and a Ruger Security Six in .357 I suppose the Smith and Wesson M19/M66 is also a very good choice, and in fact I like it better, but for a rough use gun which will be exposed to the elements, the Ruger might take a greater amount of abuse. The Glock of course holds a greater amount of ammunition and is about impervious to the elements. For my tastes, the GP100, or an L or N frame Smith are heavier than needed for the intended purpose. They will get the job done just fine, but will be more noticable on the hip over the course of a day afield if they are not the primary hunting arm.

If the .357 Magnum or it's ballistic equivalent the .357 Sig, does not float your boat, then I might suggest a Glock 20 in 10MM with full house loads.
 
You're looking at the right kind of guns in the S&W 620 and 686, although they are heavy. If you like .357 cal then take a look at old K-frame S&W's like model 19, 66, 65, etc. They're lighter and more compact, especially the 3" versions, just can't take the pounding of long term heavy magnum use like the L-frames can (620, 586, 686, etc.)

Personally, I've always liked .44 Mags for woods guns since there isn't much out there they won't take care of, but those guns are even bigger (although not much heavier) than a 686. A 4" Model 29 (or 629) S&W or Ruger Redhawk would serve you well also.

Might I also suggest looking at a Glock 20 or 29 (or other 10mm's); the 10mm also works well as a woods gun if you like autos.
 
Save the money and get a Tokarev TT-33; 200 bucks, ammo readily available online, doesn't mind being in the woods. I'm not to sure about it being nice and light, however :-).
 
I second either the glock in 10mm or a short barrel ruger in 357. Both are sturdy and will handle the elements well and should be plenty for wolves and woods protection.
 
Of current production guns the gp 100 and sp 101 are both good choices. The gp will be more pleasant to shoot (which would be my preference of the rugers) but the sp will be lighter to carry. I really enjoy the s&w 686 and 19 (I don't have any with the internal lock so I won't judge them.). For carrying I think a good model 19 would work well. Lighter than a 686 and should be able to find good used ones reasonably priced.
 
Dogs are tough – coyotes are tougher yet! Wolfs, well wolfs are crazy tough. Penetration would be my primary concern.

Though, I know of only two “verifiable” cases were a Wolf could be blamed for an attack on a human; I would bet that 99% of the time, letting off a round in any caliber would have them running. If that didn’t work, then from what I know of canines, you’re going to have to kill one fast to get the others to stop.

I think the .357 Mag and Sig recommendations are great. The .327 would work well too from what I saw it do to a side of pork on Gunblast’s site. Penetration in all these calibers is awesome, and I think would do the job.

Revolvers are great – but predators are fast and tough, and though I hate to say it, a pistol leaves more room for error – but that is of course, only if you are that guy/gal unfortunate enough to have to deal with that 1% probability.

Besides that, a pistol is also helpful in the unlikely case you lose lol – CSI will be able to see from the spent shells, where the whole altercation originally took place, and be able to tell your loved ones exactly where to put the cross! … ok that was cheesy :eek: … sorry :) .
 
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do you think a wolf would run from a flare out of a flare gun? Of course, you'd be running the risk of setting stuff on fire...
 
Wolves aren't that large or heavily built so I'd think that any handgun suitable for defense against two-legged threats would work equally well for wolves. If, however, bears or large feral hogs are a concern then a larger handgun may be in order. For those types of animals, I'd consider either a .41 Magnum DA revolver loaded with JSP, hardcast, or FMJ ammo or a 10mm auto with similar ammunition to be the minimum.
 
I would rather have an auto due to the high capacity available to you although most of the handguns mentioned would do the job. You shouldn't worry about penetration as much as what kind of wounds the ammo will create. Most handgun calibers out there will penetrate a dog / wolf / mountain lions skin easily but I would want the round that will do the most damage. I have seen a couple of dogs shot with .40 cal. hollowpoints and usually stop after one round. Wolves may be a little tougher due to the elements but I would think it would have the same outcome. I would think with the sound of a gunshot the wolves would be running. I would nix the flare gun in the woods idea though if you would consider hunting that area the rest of the day! Hope this helps
 
Two choices that leapt to my mind were a Glock in .357 Sig, and a Ruger Security Six in .357 I suppose the Smith and Wesson M19/M66 is also a very good choice, and in fact I like it better, but for a rough use gun which will be exposed to the elements, the Ruger might take a greater amount of abuse. The Glock of course holds a greater amount of ammunition and is about impervious to the elements. For my tastes, the GP100, or an L or N frame Smith are heavier than needed for the intended purpose. They will get the job done just fine, but will be more noticable on the hip over the course of a day afield if they are not the primary hunting arm.
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I'll second this. If you are leaning towards a .357 Mag, which it sounds like you are, I'll try to narrow it down further. Since this gun will be a knocked about in the elements, I personally wouldn't carry a pricey gun like a S&W K Frame .357.

If you keep your eyes open, you can find 4" or 6" Ruger Six series revolvers (Security, Speed or Police Service Six) for less than $300. I recently picked up the below Ruger Police Service Six in .357 Magnum for $275. The finish is worn, but it is mechanically solid. Given it's price and the fact that is is cosmetically far from prestine, I think it would make an excellent woods gun. Like the K Frame S&Ws, these guns are relatively lightweight, handy and point quite naturally. Their actions aren't as nice as the S&Ws, but good ones are fine.


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First, check your local game laws; some states prohibit carrying any firearm during bow season.

As noted, a blank pistol might do the job, but I second the vote for a Model 19 or 620. Stainless steel would be best for woods carry. My preference would be for a revolver partly for reliability, partly because a lot of game wardens still associate auto pistols with criminals.

Jim
 
I think I'd stick with a .357 or a .44mag or sp. I think I'd stay away from 10mm or .357 Sig. I don't see any down in this part of the country. 'Course I've never seen a wolf down here.
 
Dogs and I think wolves though I have no experience with wolves, are bad hombres when they think they have the upper paw, when they are in a pack or before they learn that some humans can bite back, hard and from a distance. When they loose the advantage they are cowards and your main challenge is to hit a fast retreating target. They are not hard to kill either, no harder than a man I would think though having never killed a man I don't know for sure. My advice is anything suitable for two legged wolves should work for four legged wolves except you can expect wolves to be in a pack so higher capacity will be an advantage. Note that if carrying a handgun is not legal and you choose to do so anyway and get caught things might go better for you if you are carrying something that is impractical for hunting like a 9 mm or a 38 versus a 10 mm or a 357 or 44 magnum.
 
You didn't say what state you are hunting. In Montana, we have both wolves and bears (incl grizzly) and are allowed to carry a handgun while archery hunting. Hunters are also seeing a lot more mountain lions. You are especially vulnerable when bow hunting elk. You are sneaking around the woods smelling like elk, bugling/cow talking and generally making like a bear/wolf/lion dinner. My personal choice is a double action .44 Magnum with a 4" barrel and I always carry it.

Paul
 
Just to get some facts straight, the .357 Sig is not the "ballistic equivalent" of the .357 Magnum. Some loadings may have velocities near one another, but that's irrelevant as the energy levels are nowhere close.

The .357 Sig is a 9mm in a .40 case. Defensive loadings tend to have a bit more energy than a 9mm, about on par with the .40/.45 but with more penetration.

The .357 Magnum has easily 50% more energy, as does the 10mm.

As for the TT-33, it'll give you more penetration than the .357 Sig or 9mm for a ton cheaper. It's not as big as you'd expect--mine surprised me when it showed up, and it weighs under 2 pounds.
 
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