Time and place for carrying Two guns...your thoughts?

Hook686,
I agree with you about the speed of a bear attack. I should have written more clearly in the OP. I intended the term bear to be representative of attack by bears, bad guys, feral hogs, aliens, etc.. The main reason I carry two firearms is that, in case one suffers a mechanical failure I will not be deep in the backwoods unarmed, not that I believe I would have time to use the second during a bear confrontation. Another reason for my two gun carry is that my son is capable of employing either one. I can and do accept the additional weight when camping alone, but it certainly helps to have him along to take some of the load :). My personal backpack/gear configuration allows fairly easy access to both firearms.
What got me thinking about adding spray to my equipment list was that I recently changed which long gun I'll be packing and it got me thinking, and one thing led to another and, well.........you know how that goes. Anyway, I've never used the stuff and wanted to know if it's effective enough to consider taking along in addition to, not in place of, either firearm. The picture that came to mind was: holding the rifle, at the ready, with strong hand ( not difficult with a 16" bbl. Trapper ), and spray in weak hand. The hope I have is that the non-lethal spray would end the encounter, otherwise I could simply drop it and move my weak hand to the forestock for an accurate shot.
We could go on and on about possible scenarios but it will serve no purpose. This is still the U.S.A. and you are all free to disagree with me, however, unless someone has useful information regarding actual use of or mfg. recommendations regarding the spray I suggest we end this thread here, as we seem to have strayed too far off track.
To the members who shared knowledgeable information, My Thanks
 
This is still the U.S.A. and you are all free to disagree with me, however, unless someone has useful information regarding actual use of or mfg. recommendations regarding the spray I suggest we end this thread here,
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What you're really saying is, "you don't agree with me so I don't want to talk anymore". You're fears about bear attack followed buy gun failure are unfounded and people expressed better options in which turn you think the thread should end. Maybe it should but not because of anything that others posted but instead for you asking for thoughts and opinions and then flatly rejecting them. You wanted someone to come on here and say it's a great idea and you didn't get it. Maybe that should be a good indication huh?

LK
 
L Killkenny,
I may owe you an apology as that was not my intention at all. I'm willing to consider any constructive critisism of my choices. The fact that I may disagree with someone else's suggestions does not mean that I've rejected them out of hand. It simply means that I believe my personal choices to be more fitting to my situation. You stated that gun failure is unfounded, as I have seen high quality, well maintained firearms fail on occassion, I disagree with this premise. I have also spent decades in the field and have experienced accidental damage occur to a firearm, including my own, rendering them inoperable. While I admit that I intended the term bear to be representative rather than specific in the OP, I have had confrontations with packs of feral dogs, rabid animals, and now the possibility of feral hogs.

In the OP I was just curious how many others felt the same as I do regarding the carrying of a second gun while deep afield on extended trips. As well as request info about bear spray as a viable alternative to killing an animal.

Please consider that the term "Better options" Is your opinion and doesn't
make it any more valid than mine.

I honestly don't know what I said that offended you, but if you felt that something I said was meant as an insult to you, I apologize. I suggested that we end the thread not because of anyone questioning or disagreeing with me but because I felt several responses were off track as intended in the OP.

As for myself: I have 34yrs. of experience with firearms, spent over two decades hunting most species of small and large game found in the eastern U.S., competed in both bench rest rifle and IHMSA events, and served for several years as a police officer. While I don't consider myself an expert by any means, and try to remain open-minded to what others have to say, I do feel that I have enough experience to decide whether or not any suggestions are appropriate for me.

Best wishes, Bill
 
Is a gun on the hip and a small pistol/revolver in a ankle holster really that bad to carry while hiking? I didn't think so.

Does anyone know how affective that bear spray is? I never heard of it until a woman came into the local gun shop wanting to buy some.
 
For the most part if I felt the place was dangerous enough to justify a dual carry I would avoid the place if possible.

However if for whatever reason I had to go some place that was full of felons, gangbangers or general nuts I would dual carry.

The only places I can see that this might occur are if I had to pass through some protesting group (aka something similar to wall street protesters) or some unstable political group or the entire state of Kalfornia.

I don’t go to bars and night clubs and I dont visit back alleys or any sort of illicit environment. So for the most part I just dont see it happening.
 
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I live in WV and when hunting i carry 2 guns,my rifle and my 686 4 inch concealed.Now when i'm fishing and in the boat or at camp i carry 2,one on me and one in my fishing vest most times(both being handguns).

I'll carry strong side and have another in my vest,just in case one gets wet(my fishing vest gun is in a 1 gallon zip lock bag).I couldn't count how many times i've gotten guns wet from rain,sweat,or dew,so i asked around and the zip lock baggy works every time.


Any other time,i carry one in my shoulder holster with 2 spare mags = 46 rounds and my wife carries with 2 spare 13 mags = 40
 
That's a lot of extra weight for a long hike. Is your son old enough to also carry?

I do a lot of hiking and backpacking and I wouldn't want to tote a long-gun just b/c the weight becomes a significant factor over long distances and steep terrain. I'd rather be able to use my trekking poles, which can double as a temporary weapon if necessary.

Personally, I carry a G23 .40 in a Bianchi Universal Military Holster to which I have replaced the flap with a thumb-break snap. The belt-clip fits any of my backpacks. I keep an extra mag in my pack. The bear-spray goes in my right cargo pocket. In most situations, I'm reaching for the spray first.

It's a light, effective defensive load. Either the Glock or the spray can be a backup if needed.

I was bluff-charged by a big boar black bear a few years back. It happened so fast, I don't know if I could have "cleared leather" by the time he was on me. Fortunately he darted up a tree and proceeded to give me a tongue lashing instead of a mauling.
 
I could see carrying a back-up gun if someone works in a profession where they have the responsibility to protect people or confront criminals.

or- if you are hunting and have a handgun as well as a rifle.
 
Afghanistan. You have to assess the risk. More people are killed each year using escalators than are killed bears . But no one thinks twice about using one.
 
More people are killed each year bathing than are killed each year by falling Soviet era space debris also. And yet we continue to live on the planet Earth where we might be blasted to flinders by an old satellite at any moment.

What does this type of logic have to do with carrying or not carrying a backup firearm?
 
For me it is a 44 mag or a 500mag depending on the type of bear I'm concerned about (Black Bear / Grizzle or Brown Bear)
 
jhenry
Senior Member



More people are killed each year bathing than are killed each year by falling
Soviet era space debris also. And yet we continue to live on the planet Earth where we might be blasted to flinders by an old satellite at any moment.

What does this type of logic have to do with carrying or not carrying a backup firearm.

Its all about probability. The chance of someone shooting at you are very small the chance of your weapon failing is small. Why not tow back a up car behind you in case the one you are driving brakes down .

A lot of soldiers go to war with one gun. Which is i am sure is more dangerous than going to the cinema ect.
 
There's nothing wrong with carrying a long gun and side arm on the field. Live in brown bear country? It is advisable to carry pepper spray, regardless of the number of firearms on or near you, because you can legally spray bears in instances where you could not shoot them.
 
I always load out 2 guns when hiking. When we are in bear country the mix is most often a 45 colt DA revolver and a 45-70 lever gun. If bear is not the likely problem, mix tends to be 1911 and a XM 177-A2 shorty. (I find punks tend to leave us alone with the ugly black rifle hanging from a 2 point patrol sling, and yes I do have to watch sweep very carefully.) I am getting older so don't hike alone any longer so there is always several guns as well as bear spray in the group, we would prefer to turn them rather than shoot them.
 
BGutzman: For the most part if I felt the place was dangerous enough to justify a dual carry I would avoid the place if possible.

However if for whatever reason I had to go some place that was full of felons, gangbangers or general nuts I would dual carry.

The only places I can see that this might occur are if I had to pass through some protesting group (aka something similar to wall street protesters) or some unstable political group or the entire state of Kalfornia.
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I hunted a lot when I was younger, and always carried only one gun, usually a 30-30 Rifle. I lived in Oklahoma then in a rural area. Never saw a bear. I live in Texas now, and times have changed. I figure its no safer anywhere else, and at least I can defend myself in Texas. I carry two guns,
partly because I might want to hold my hand on one if someone I do not know or is suspicious walks up to me. The other main one is assuming I have time to draw, and see a threat.

Texas has lots of gangbangers now. They do not disarm when they go to
shopping malls with no gun signs. I can name three of those gangs, that operate, in the cities nearby. Most people I know who have CWP license in Texas, carry at least two guns. I don't know about hunters because I have not hunted in Texas. In vietnam we were issued only one, and mine was the M16. I thought I was through ever carrying a gun back then, but times have changed. Back then at least in the US we did not have gangbangers,
carjackers, homeinvaders, and jihadists. I really don't think anyone who carries more than one gun is paranoid. While in New Mexico one may be limited to one concealed gun, in Texas if one has a permit we can carry as many as we can conceal. If you live in a small town, in Texas and look through the local paper for the jail log, you will find a long list of repeated
felons and criminals, and they manage to get out, and then they are in the paper again. Reading through that alone would convince me to carry two guns. :)
 
DAS9mm,
I'm sorry if I inadvertently gave you the impression that I'm some sort of fringe,lunatic,survivalist with my post. It was NOT intended that way. What I said in the OP was that I would carry two firearms on deeper excursions primarily so that if one failed mechanically I would still have a working firearm for SD in case of bears, bad guys, etc.. I also asked about bear spray as I have no experience with it, but would certainly prefer discouraging the animal to shooting it. However, as I stated earlier, my son is often with me during these trips and I make no bones about this: Any potentially lethal threat to him will immediately be answered with deadly force regardless of circumstances or consequences. If you're a parent you'll understand this. I'd also like to add that the places I carry it is legal to do so. I intend to research bear spray, and if it seems viable will add it to my load-out. I will, however, continue to carry two firearms in these situations.

On a side note: I found your opening "war zone" comment to be a bit offensive. Although I will defend your right to speak your mind until my last breath. You, no doubt, have a wider range of backpacking experience than I do and have the absolute right to your opinion. I only ask that you allow me the same curtesy, as I have over thirty years of firearm experience, as well as several as a police officer.

sincerely, Bill
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No offense intended, sorry. With all the brouhaha over the current OWS protests and OC spray, I heard one quote in the news stating the the National Parks service recommends OC spray over firearms as being a more potent method of stopping bears. And that would be the civilian concentrations, not LEO / military grade OC. I have not researched the validity of that statement. Unlike my wife, if it had been me tramping around Alaska, I probably would have carried a gun. But I think more because I like guns and I could than any other reason.
 
If I were in 9ball's situation, . . . my most likely carry would be my 1911 with a staggered load of JHP and very hard cast lead for penetration.

Experts can say all they want about how "effective" their favorite bear spray is, . . . I don't know how many of them have an "agenda" behind their rhetoric, . . . my agenda would be to stay alive, . . . not become Smokey's snack, . . . and protect my son.

My personal backup would be a second gun, . . . my Beretta, 7 shot, riot shotgun, . . . If it is loaded to the max with slugs, . . . and IF I can bring it to the fight before I am overwhelmed, . . . then something is going to get hurt very badly. The gun is very light weight for carrying (beats your body bad during any practice though) and is quite maneuverable and dependable in a "situation".

But then again, . . . those are among the choices I have available, . . .

May God bless,
Dwight
 
"the National Parks service recommends OC spray over firearms"

That's not surprising. I wouldn't expect a governmental regulatory agency to recommend that national park visitors walk around armed, would you?

As far as using OC spray, Keep in mind also that bears frequent mountain country, where windy conditions prevail. Another point is that to use that OC spray, you have to let that bear get pretty dadgum close to you. I suppose it could be OK to carry it, but have something like a 4 inch Ruger SP 100 handy, after firing at least 500 rounds through it for practice.
 
Time for 2?

Always! Two is always better than one for self defense......better to be pulling a fully loaded second then doing a re-load
 
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