Woods gun question(s)

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hubris

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In virtually every thread I've seen on the subject the weapon of choice is a Ruger .44mag or equal with a few recs for SW 500 or fewer still 10mm. My questions are: Is this a revolver vs semi preference?, A difference in the cartridges?, North woods, Alaska history? Why not a Desert Eagle?

I have no agenda here; just trying to learn something.
 
woods (hand) guns

I always get in on these woods guns talks, so here I go again.

If we are talking handguns as a last ditch defense against the big bears (oh gosh, not again) , then the magnum revolvers offer the most portable option in .44 mag and up. A griz, brown and polar bear are huge, fearsome creatures, and the more punch on hand the better. Whether a pistol is sufficient as a bear defense is debated. Folks that I have some acquaintance with who've worked in great bear country want a powerful long gun with them, and the handgun is purely secondary. While I have just a little experience in griz country, I'd rather have a firearm as one of my options as to not, and having a firearm involves having it on you, all the time. A powerful handgun makes this a bit more plausible. The Desert Eagle is a big honkin' pistol and is reported to be ammo sensitive as well. Something like a Ruger SuperB or a S&W M29 is far more portable, and can shoot near any cartridge you choose in .44, and as you noted, .480, .454 and even .500 revolvers are available.

The 10mm auto's are gaining some ground as bear defense guns, but they are not the equal of any of the big bore revolvers power wise. What the 10mm autos offer is near magnum power in a flat and convenient package that is easier to carry than a larger mag revolver. They have more ammo on tap as well, a lot more possibly, depending on the make.

Back east, and near everywhere else, a woods gun can take on a slightly lesser dimension, as you are not dealing with the great bears. Any serious handgun that is used for personal defense will work just fine as your woods gun, as threats are likely from humans and not critters. Should you have to deal with a black bear (unlikely) or from what I can gather , a big cat, (no experience) the run of the mill defense caliber should suffice. I have personally spoken with a ranger who killed two black bears with .40 SIG and JHP ammo. He said he just kept shooting 'till the bears (who had just committed a fatal attack on an adult subject) went down.

I sometimes like a woods(hand) gun that can serve two roles, powerful enough for personal defense, yet , in areas where safe and legal, pleasant to shoot recreationally woods plinking. With no need to protect myself from great bears, I've found that a .357 revolver has an edge. Two of my .357's will shoot .38spl 148 WC, and mag 125 gr JHP to same point of aim. I just swap loads before and after the plinking sessions. Both of those mag revolvers are a bit heavy to tote, and if I do not see a plinking session in my outing, I've gone to carrying a 10mm or .45 auto, as both are a wee bit easier to carry than the mag revolvers.

Finally, all of this logic goes out the window if I carry a long gun AND a handgun, which is something I seldom if ever do these days, as it's just too much hassle. But if feeling really adventurous, and two guns it is, then one or the other is full power, and the other a rimfire.
 
Down around where I trek, a "woods" gun can range from 22LR to ever how big you want to lug around.

The largest threat we have is snakes that can hurt you. But, the last few years have seen the cougar (puma, mountain lion, whatever you want to call them) have made their presence know.

Something that can handle one of those prolly should be at least in the 357 Mag category, but then again, it all depends on your range since all areas do not have them.

We have wolves, but you are lucky to get within 200 yds of them, unless something is wrong with them.

Coyotes are everywhere, but normally they are not a threat to humans, unless you are walking a small dog.

I have carried 357 Mag, 44 Mag (both with a couple of rounds of snake shot), 9mm, 45 ACP, 500 S&W, and so on. It just depends on location.

When pig hunting, it is something that can knock them down. For me, once again the 357, 44, 500, & 45 ACP. I really don't need the 500, but it is there, so I occasionally use it.

The only place where black bears are seen on occasion is the piney woods of East Texas, but I seldom frequent that area, and a sighting once in a blue moon down south in the border area. The bear sightings are only what I have read about, the cougar sightings have been locally and my Mom & Dad have had them in their area killing deer.

Those are my thoughts and practices.
 
A 50 AE Desert Eagle would be a great choice. Except it's a pretty heavy gun. I think most people who want a "woods gun" for personal protection against wild animals are looking for two main things: Power, and portability.

Even a 6" 44 magnum Ruger Redhawk weighs considerably less than a 50 AE desert Eagle, and when your hiking around the woods all day, you're going to feel that extra weight.

That's a big reason why people like the 10mm. Because in a Glock, you get considerably lighter weight and also greater capacity, with power levels on par with 357 magnum.

I've read that more wild animal attacks in recent history in the USA have been stopped by 9mm handguns than any other handgun caliber. The main reason for this is because more people happen to be carrying 9mm handguns when trouble comes their way than any other particular cartridge. But you also have to consider that rapid fire and shot placement might be easier for people in general than it would be with a 44 magnum double action revolver, or a 50 AE Desert Eagle.

Carry whatever you have confidence in I suppose.
 
i have both, glock 29 in 10mm and a ruger blackhawk in 44 mag. Im on the east coast so black bears and 2 legged critters are the 2 things i have to worry about, the glock is all i need but the blackhawk is cool.

i could make do with a lesser gun, sometimes i carry a g27 which is 40cal...i feel like thats more than adequate and its easy to carry. Any gun 9mm and up, with a decent capacity in my mind is a fine choice if you dont have to factor in brown bears
 
As noted by Dufus copperheads are the primary woods issue for me, followed by rabid coons and feral dogs. I am surprised that revolver reliability wasn't one of the reasons given.
 
The same thing that concerns me in urban areas, concerns me in the woods. Everything else is just going to have to understand I’m using something not designed for them, but will work pretty darn well on them all the same.
 
A Desert Eagle weighs 5 pounds for one. Will not fit everybody's hand either. Still laugh about how far my finger was from the trigger on the one I shot years ago. Gotta say shooting it was rather pleasant though. Even though it was literally sideways in my hand.
"...A griz, brown and polar bear are huge..." Yep and no hand gun round is going to help either. Putting one of 'em down with one shot ain't going to happen, even if you hit Yogi in the head.
"...unless you are walking a small dog..." Still not a threat to humans. Wiley would have to be really hungry to try an take a poodle with the human actually there. People here are running into Wiley while walking Fido, regularly, without incident. And that's in town.
Most people who want a "woods gun" do so more because they can than any serious threat from any critter. Except maybe one with two legs. Never had any fear of being in the bush myself.
 
When I hear the term "woods gun" without the actual use or needs clearly defined, I just assume that being in the woods for any purpose OTHER than handgun shooting or hunting is the goal. That means a Desert Eagle is way too much to be toting around all day if handgunning isn't the primary event.
 
Woods guns mean different things to different people. Some have an irrational fear of being mauled to death by a vicious predator. I've seen guys carry heavy 500 magnum revolvers in the woods where the bear are under 200 lbs.

For others a small 22 caliber revolver or pistol for plinking is enough.

Others understand that any attack from a predator is so rare that the same compact 38, 380 or 9mm pistol they carry in the city is just right for the most realistic threat, 2 legged predators.

Here is my interpretation, what I carry and why.

The threat of being attacked by a predator is rare, but happens enough that I think it a good idea to be prepared. A smaller framed, 3-4" 357 or 44 mag is about as big as I want to carry. Either of those are versatile enough with different loads for multiple purposes and with the right loads are adequate for 99% of any predators. The large coastal brown bear in Alaska is the only animal where I'd feel better with a bigger gun. And even then a 357 or 44 would probably be as good. I have no use for the hand cannons. I think they are a better option for those "hunting" large game. For personal protection they are too big and cumbersome.

But the revolvers would actually be my 2nd choice. I prefer a Glock 29 for that role. The Glock is 2" shorter and a full pound lighter than my 4" revolvers and holds nearly 3X as much ammo. With the better loads it'll match 357 and come closer to 44 than most want to admit. Since the odds are the real threat will be from 2 legged predators I prefer the more compact gun holding more ammo. Especially in a wilderness setting where help would literally be a couple of days away. At best.

If I'm in the woods where there are no predators I'm carrying one of the compact 9mm pistols just like I'd carry in town. And for the same reason.
 
My woods gun is also my deer hunting handgun, there’s symmetry in carrying the same gun whenever I enter the woods. Also .45acp is a cartridge that I’m comfortable firing without hearing protection.


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The worst thing I might see if I were to wonder in the woods around here is a cougar. My 9mm carry pistol would be enough to deter one of those but out in the wild, I tend to carry my stainless S&W .357 mag. Why, well because I like it more and I don't have to hide in the woods.

Cougars are supposed to be on the rise here in NW Oregon, but I haven't seen one in 35 years. I think a feral dog is more likely to be a problem and either my 9mm or .357 is more than enough...

Tony
 
Animals in the woods are rarely a problem. When I'm hunting my woods gun is a centerfire rifle. If my tag has been filled or I'm just kicking around the woods, camping in the summer, etc., more often than not I just carry a 9mm. Not ideal for a black bears but they are very rarely problematic, and suitable for a cougar or 2 legged predator both of which are more likely to be an issue (especially the latter).
 
10MM Glock loaded with non-expanding ammunition

Why? Capacity and near control equivalence to my 9MM Glock (there are some dimensional differences that impact control equivalence)
 
I’m inspired to tell a story.

When I was a serious bicyclist, my friend Speedy’s husband simply could not keep up. He liked to build bikes and tinker with them but we would later find out he liked the drink far too much. It explained a lot, in retrospect.

Speedy got a tandem bike and popped her husband in front. It soothed his ego and he had a big engine behind him- Speedy was pretty darned fast on her own. Over time, she felt like she was just working harder and harder up hills.

One day, they had a flat. No problem, The Husband loves working on bikes. (No problem, the woman could change her own flat in about 3 minutes. Serious biker.)

The husband open up the panniers (that’s biker talk for saddle bags) and proceeds to pull out a 20 pound vise, a collection of wrenches, and a one pound bag of coffee. Speedy went ballistic.

All you need is another inner tube and maybe a couple little plastic popcycle sticks (“tire irons”... total weight, 1 ounce)

She’s beet red, wondering how many weeks she’s been powering a freaking 20 pound bench vice around. In case you are wondering, that’s about as useless as a toilet brush in outer space. “You never know what you might need...”

Why a pound of coffee? “Oh, that’s where that got to. I forgot where I put it months ago.” She didn’t say a word, but never rode with him again.

This from a guy that would spend an extra $400 to shave an ounce off the weight of the bike.

See where this is going?

We’re gonna go for a 12 mile hike. A couple extra pounds start to become very significant after about mile five.

A few months later stuff got worse and worse and she found where he was hiding the empty bottles. He kept his drinking problem pretty well hidden. Except for some serious lapses. She divorced him.
 
I agree with IdaD. The genuine danger in the woods (at least from something which you could shoot) is a 2-legged varmint.
 
My woods gun and trail gun when we ride our mules is either an Uberti SAA clone in .45 Colt or the S&W 686 plus 2 1/2 inch .357. First round up in both is Speer snakeshot.
 
Never gave it much thought. My "woods" gun was normally my old S&W Model 29 but simply because the woods were West Virginia countryside and my choice rifle was my old Ruger 44 Carbine. I would have felt just as comfortable with a .357 in that countryside. So I guess it comes down to what one is comfortable with in any given woods excluding any two legged threats. No clue why I prefer a revolver in the woods. I did drag along a Colt Delta Elite one year but likely because the gun was new to me at the time, the following year I was back to the Model 29.

Ron
 
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