Woods Handgun

I don’t think a 1911 or 4” .357 mag are the best choices for your needs. I know when I backpack I like to limit the weight I’m carrying, and both of those are heavy guns. I’m happy with using a .38 special j-frame when backpacking and fishing, but here in Ohio I only have to worry about people. In the several times I’ve backpacked and fished the Smoky Mountains in Tenn and N. Carolina I’ve only see bears while driving, and you really don’t hear about too many black bear attacks. I have taken a Glock 23 backpacking in N. Carolina once and while I found it a little heavy for my tastes, I’d suggest something like that before a 1911 or steel framed 4” .357. Your chances or having issues with any wild animal is pretty rare, and most people that make the effort to go backpacking are pretty decent. I’d vote a small 9mm, a .38sp revolver, or an LCR in either .357mag or .327 mag for pretty much any 2 or 4 legged critter in the eastern US.
 
Aww just go ahead and get a nice stainless 1911 and a can of bear spray and you'll be good to go just about anywhere hiking in the lower 48. A glock 10mm is another lighter option that performs great as well.
 
A good .454 Casull would serve you very well, the compact Ruger Alaskan comes to mind as the ideal woods companion. Can we loaded mild to wild for whatever threat you encounter, be it man or beast.
 
Best handgun caliber? The one that allows you to get on target and shoot the most accurately the quickest. Hand cannon isn't going to do much good if you're winging squirrels in the trees instead of the charging whatever that you have seconds to hit and stop.:D
 
I spend most of my time working, hunting, fishing ponds and hiking in the woods here in Minnesota, Heck my house sit's out in the middle of the sticks. Over the last 40 years I've carried about every of the most common handguns there are on my hikes and my all around favorite is my old Commander in 45acp loaded with cast trunce cone bullets. I've used this gun and cast bullets to bring home several rabbits, squirrels and knock the heads off a few grouse, it might not be the best bear gun but I shoot it well and figure I can put 7 or 8 shots on target faster than a person can put two shots from a big single action revolver. I'm also somewhat of a four inch .357 fan too, it's a great all around gun for home defense, target shooting, small game hunting, even smaller deer if used right, pretty much a do everything pretty well gun. If I had some extra cash I'd really like to pick me up a GP100 in stainless.
 
Yep, I'm still hyping the .327 Federal as the best all-around woods walking caliber. Having carried a single action 7.5" barreled .22 for forty years and not feeling under-gunned in any way, shape or form (I worked in the woods daily for years, and have probably spent more time in the woods than most people ever will), I find that the .327 in a .22 frame is just perfect. Just ordered a bullet mold in a 130grain SWC for my .327s (two S7s and a Marlin 1894).
I think I'll get a SP101 in .327 next.
 
All it would take is some of our sticky clay to fill in the locking bolt notches on the cylinder, and it might not lock up properly, allowing the cylinder to spin halfway between the next chamber. Those notches are very exposed where a simple drop in the mud could do it. Or even if it worked for one shot, that mud may get down in the tightly fitted recess where the bolt pops up through the frame, and jam it.

In theory...
 
752Iron, I was quoting another post in this thread, which I disagree with. So maybe we agree. Not sure.


The quoting on this site sucks monkey _______.
 
I personally feel a .30 carbine Ruger Blackhawk the best. Moderate recoil but enough power to handle most anything, with easy to carry ammo.
 
A well made 1911 in .45 acp ...or a 4" - 6" revolver in .357 mag will both work very well in my view.

It really depends on which one you shoot the best...what fits your hands the best. For animals/or Defense in general -- its all about shot placement ..and picking the right ammo for what you need.
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You have some options today on .357 Mag revolvers...S&W has an L frame 686 plus model ( 7 shot in .357 Mag ) ....or the S&W N frame model 627 is an 8 shot in .357 mag....if either of those makes the decision easier for you. I like the N frames in .357 mag...( the older model 28's ...are a good value all of them are 6 shots / or look at one of the new model 627's - I have a model 28 in 4" and the 627's in 2 5/8" and a 5" ...all of them are very solid guns).

There are lots of very good 5" 1911's out there in .45acp...on a budget - I would look at the new Colts or a Springfield.
 
If you have long fingers, maybe. I don't, and many of the possible options get ruled out just because they don't fit my hand. Several other rounds offer similar power in normal sized packages though, like the 10mm, .357 Sig, 9x23mm, etc. The .357 mag can probably be hot rodded more in a revolver, but I'm not sure if an auto will take it. ?
 
Model12 winchester, I haven't shot one for many years and think it would be a great choice for targets and hunting up to medium size game, but that dang 30 carbine out of a handgun to me is one of the loudest firearms I think I ever shot. I wouldn't mind having one for varmint hunting though.
 
old saw

You still hear the comment now and again regards revolvers being more reliable than autopistols.........and I think the necessary revision to of old saw is "some".

Some autopistols will not run or tolerate much neglect or abuse. And I have seen more than one revolver that copped an attitude with a case/cartridge under the star, a fouled crane or some issue with its nice adjustable rear sight.

But a modern auto is a pretty reliable thing these days. Nearly all LE and military across a broad spectrum have switched to the auto pistol . Where the revolver comes into its own is with the big cartridges. For an auto to approach the power of the big bore revolver magnums, size becomes a real issue,.... think Desert Eagle. (never handled a Coonan). If one wants that power, it comes in revolvers. Otherwise, I would not condemn a good auto based on the old saw, "6 for sure".
 
I think even a good automatic is more subject to malfunction than a good revolver. The thing is, you can usually reduce the stoppage in the auto by hand, the revolver is more likely to call for tools and a time out.
 
I was using some reloads I had worked up in .357 magnum, using Red Dot as the powder & using small pistol primers (instead of magnum primers).

It left a bit of unburned powder - more than a bit really...

Some of the flakes found their way under the star extractor.

It wasn't enough to prevent the cylinder from closing,,,,but,,,it was plenty enough to prevent the cylinder from rotating.

It tied up that S&W M19 as tight as a drum.

Had I been the lazy sort (of which there is no shortage of here at this site, based on the plethora of comments I've read over the years regarding cleaning), that supposed "jam free" revolver would have been 100% useless had I put it away dirty, then loaded it up for carry - again dirty.

I learned a valuable lesson that day.......
 
And I have seen more than one revolver that copped an attitude with a case/cartridge under the star, a fouled crane or some issue with its nice adjustable rear sight.
Click to expand...



What does read sight adjustment, have to do with being a revolver?

Even if the shells are under the star, it still shoots. I had a 50s S&W where the crane came loose. But loose parts, while being an operations issues a little different than function of how a revolver works versus semi auto.


Military and cops use SA because the extra capacity out weighs the risk, and they are trained to take care of their weapon. I suspect many civilians do not clean their gun all that often. Revolver I just hose it once in awhile. Every so many years I open it up, but have yet to find anything in their. Even in my woods gun.
 
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