I bet you thought I was going to say 'bear'
So, in about a week I'm finally going to be finished teaching summer school and for the last week of summer before I go back for "Professional Development" I will actually have a week of summer vacation where I can actually go on vacation. I plan to do some camping. I've also thought about visiting some family. I may put both together and go down to Ashville, NC.
The entire trip won't be just visiting family in Ashville, and Ashville itself will be a base of operations for other trips (in fact, if I go the whole week, I may also bring a tent for a night or two elsewhere in the state).
I may bring my kayak or an inflatable boat. I haven't done any kayaking in water moccasin territory yet, and to be honest, they kind of freak me out a bit (kayaking a few inches off the water surface in the territory of a big, poisonous, and by reputation, somewhat aggressive snake, what's there to be a little freaked out about? ). So, I definitely want a gun with me while on the water.
None of my guns that are of a material suited to a wet environment are cheap/disposable enough (either they are too expensive or I like them too much) to use on a body of water on a boat type that may flip. None of those I'd be OK using in such an environment are made of a suitable material (polymer or stainless steel) but are rather easily rusted blued steel.
So, I'm thinking about a stainless, aluminum or polymer .22 revolver. Is .22lr enough for snake? Is .22mag better, or do I need a bigger caliber? Is snake shot (whether .22 or bigger) suitable for water moccasin? What about alligator? I'm a bit less freaked out by them, they aren't super common in NC, and while they can be big and dangerous (especially if my kayak overturns), they are a bit shy and generally avoid people. Still, I don't want to be alligator food, so should I go bigger than .22 because of the alligators.
I'm thinking about a S&W 317 Kit Gun (3"), a 3" S&W 63 (basically the stainless version), a S&W 43c (it could double as a training gun for my 442), a Ruger LCR, or a Charter Arms Pathfinder.
Or would I just be better off to just avoid kayaks or inflatable boats on rivers, lakes or ponds further south than central VA? Note, with MD's waiting period, I won't be able to get any of these on time for this trip and I may have to bring my S&W 442 (or something else that isn't as suited to kayaking/possibly going overboard) this time around, so maybe that is the best advice this trip. However, I got to thinking and I do want something appropriate for this use (kayaking in water moccasin and alligator territory) for the future.
If I don't do any kayaking this trip, I still may do some fishing, but that doesn't require as water resistant a gun since it will be far less likely to go into the water.
So, in about a week I'm finally going to be finished teaching summer school and for the last week of summer before I go back for "Professional Development" I will actually have a week of summer vacation where I can actually go on vacation. I plan to do some camping. I've also thought about visiting some family. I may put both together and go down to Ashville, NC.
The entire trip won't be just visiting family in Ashville, and Ashville itself will be a base of operations for other trips (in fact, if I go the whole week, I may also bring a tent for a night or two elsewhere in the state).
I may bring my kayak or an inflatable boat. I haven't done any kayaking in water moccasin territory yet, and to be honest, they kind of freak me out a bit (kayaking a few inches off the water surface in the territory of a big, poisonous, and by reputation, somewhat aggressive snake, what's there to be a little freaked out about? ). So, I definitely want a gun with me while on the water.
None of my guns that are of a material suited to a wet environment are cheap/disposable enough (either they are too expensive or I like them too much) to use on a body of water on a boat type that may flip. None of those I'd be OK using in such an environment are made of a suitable material (polymer or stainless steel) but are rather easily rusted blued steel.
So, I'm thinking about a stainless, aluminum or polymer .22 revolver. Is .22lr enough for snake? Is .22mag better, or do I need a bigger caliber? Is snake shot (whether .22 or bigger) suitable for water moccasin? What about alligator? I'm a bit less freaked out by them, they aren't super common in NC, and while they can be big and dangerous (especially if my kayak overturns), they are a bit shy and generally avoid people. Still, I don't want to be alligator food, so should I go bigger than .22 because of the alligators.
I'm thinking about a S&W 317 Kit Gun (3"), a 3" S&W 63 (basically the stainless version), a S&W 43c (it could double as a training gun for my 442), a Ruger LCR, or a Charter Arms Pathfinder.
Or would I just be better off to just avoid kayaks or inflatable boats on rivers, lakes or ponds further south than central VA? Note, with MD's waiting period, I won't be able to get any of these on time for this trip and I may have to bring my S&W 442 (or something else that isn't as suited to kayaking/possibly going overboard) this time around, so maybe that is the best advice this trip. However, I got to thinking and I do want something appropriate for this use (kayaking in water moccasin and alligator territory) for the future.
If I don't do any kayaking this trip, I still may do some fishing, but that doesn't require as water resistant a gun since it will be far less likely to go into the water.