Secondary Carry

In a revolver - for lighter - I would go with a 4" gun, in .357 mag. I would stay with a steel gun / the airlights are very tough to shoot for most people ( they walk around in your hand as you shoot them - and some of them have terrible triggers in them ). A S&W model 19, 66, 686, etc are all good options / I favor the older models over the newer models with internal frame locks.

In a semi-auto / I would probably recommend a .40 S&W as an in between option for a caliber. Something like a Sig 239 - single stack, 7 round mags - is pretty small and relatively light.

When I used to back-pack and hike in for fishing, etc / I oftened carried a model 28 S&W 6" .357 mag / 10 - 20 yrs ago I began to carry a 1911 5" in .45 acp - but those are both heavier options. If I was in Grizzly country - Northwestern Montana or Alaska - then I went to a .44 mag in 6" - but again its a lot heavier.
 
How bout a S&W 340 or 360? They are tough to shoot but pack a huge punch in small package. When I hike I feel fine packing a FMJ .9mm, I'm also not in any real bear country.
 
I knda created a solution for a problem that doesn't really exist. I backpack in NH, and I decided that I wanted to buy a Springfield 5" 1911, with a .460 Rowland conversion. $1200 all told. Haven't bought it yet, but I'm working on it. Could probably take down a moose, if all the hype is real.
 
If you go with a revolver, I recomend the S&W 640 .357 magnum;(Its what I carry as a back-up peice). It is a solid, extreamly tough little workhorse.
I'd personaly stay away from the "Airlites",for the simple reason of felt-recoil.
The 640 is all heavyduty stainless steel,and has no problem handling the "Hottest Loads" you can find;and yet it weighs in at less then 23onces fully loaded. Works very well on both two legged critters and four.

If you wanna go auto,I suggest the SA XD40 subcompact,they are small and easy to conceal,I've fired over 5,000rds through mine and never once did it jam;they are easy to maintain and if you "Top-off" you got one in the pipe and nine in the clip. And with a little practice you can do a tactical reload in a heart beat.

In anycase, quality expanding jacketed hallow points,(Federal,Speer or Remington ect...) will make all the difference.

Hope this helps you friend, be safe.
 
for light yet reasonbly powerful, you have a few options.
Charter Arms bulldog in 44 special
Star PD in 45 ACP (very light pistol)
Walther PPK in 380 ACP
 
When I'm hiking, I usually need something that could provide a credible defense against a bear attack if necessary, and would also work against a mountain lion. I live on the east side of the Sierras in Nevada, both bear and mountain lion country. My CCW piece is an S&W Model 60 .357 magnum with a 3" barrel, which is okay for shooting full-bore .357 mag self defense ammo. I actually load it with .357 mag when hiking. While that's a little underpowered for bears, it isn't worth buying a separate .44 mag or other higher-powered handgun just for hiking.

Otherwise, I use .38 +P, where the concerns are 2 legged attackers in most cases and nothing larger than a dog in any case.
 
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