Pondering a big bore pistol for hiking

[zxcvbob]

Any advantage of .45 Colt?

Yeah, it makes a bigger hole (.452 vs .429 is a bigger difference than it sounds like)  Also the guns are a little lighter and better balanced.  And you get the "romance" of the big old cartridge.

But other cartridges have advantages too.  You probably *dont* want a .45 Colt if you get a double-action revolver (the rims are too small and the ejector star can slip past.)

[Jamie B]

Remember that you can shoot .44special in the .44 mag.

I can shoot my 5" .44 Redhawk all day with 230 grain JHPs with no problem.

Try renting and shooting one at a local range with different bury weights.

[Jamie B]

I meant bullet weights!

[Brad Johnson]

Smith 329PD.  Insanely light for such a big-bore thumper.  Great carry piece for hiking in Large Dangerous Critter territories.

http://www.smith-wesson.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/Product4_750001_750051_765591_-1_757767_757751_757751_ProductDisplayErrorView_Y

Brad

[zxcvbob]

Just thinking about shooting that makes me flinch

[SADShooter]

Just thinking about shooting that makes me flinch

Might be tolerable with hot specials. Then again, I'm not fond of .357 out of a steel J-frame either...

[Tallpine]

My every day house/woods carry is a .357 Blackhawk.  I just haven't seen the need for anything bigger and the ammo is cheaper and fits several guns now.  I have a .45 "old" Vaquero for going up into the western mountains which we rarely do.  It's a pussycat with standard loads but I have some "bear loads" for mountain carry.

I just don't get the recoil thing with .44 mag  I've shot a few .44 Blackhawks and there's a lot of twist and rise, but - so....?  Only thing that ever hurt was some insane .45 loads out of a friend's Bisley Vaquero: the back of the trigger guard kept smacking my 2nd finger  

I prefer single action over double action, but it's just a matter of preference.  A good holster is probably more important.  I prefer a "low ride" (but not dropped) for open carry: the tip of the hammer about even with the top of the belt.

[AZRedhawk44]

Just thinking about shooting that makes me flinch

I think it has enough grip to avoid the pain issues.  It'll just have a lot of muzzle rise.

I wouldn't carry that defensively until I could do DA controlled pairs though.

[41magsnub]

I sold my inherited .41 mag N frame with the super short barrel because of muzzle flip.  All I was accomplishing with that was teaching myself to flinch.  If it had a longer barrel it would have been better.

For a long time I carried my 4" .357 Security Six in the woods and would do it again in a heartbeat if I didn't have other options.

[Ryan in Maine]

Heads up on a good 9mm woods load:
https://www.buffalobore.com/index.php?l=product_detail&p=225

[Tallpine]

For a long time I carried my 4" .357 Security Six in the woods and would do it again in a heartbeat if I didn't have other options.

^^^^ What I used to carry.   

[zxcvbob]

For a long time I carried my 4" .357 Security Six in the woods and would do it again in a heartbeat if I didn't have other options.

That's my usual Sunday-go-to-meetin' gun, with .38 Specials.  For a walk in the woods I would use .357's. 

But I thought we were talking about an excuse to buy a new 40-something. :D

[lee n. field]

I do a fair amount of hiking, often by myself Often in broken, mountainous terrain. For high activity (lotta climbing), I carry a Sig P250 as it's small, lightweight and easy to conceal. I also carry a Sig 226 for when I do a lot of walking. Both in 9mm.

I'm pretty sure it would only really annoy some larger animals here in the Northeast. Mostly, bears. While bears are not extremely much of a concern, I'm essentially screwed if I do run into one. Wild pigs are another mild concern. Feral dogs and coyotes aren't uncommon either.

Thoughts? Rhino in .357 Mag, or should I go larger? I'm fairly comfortable with the 454 or .45-70. Not an insane fan of .44 Mag, usually by the 50th shot, my hands hurt enough that I'm calling it a day.

So?  For your uses, you won't be shooting 50 shots in one session.

Like most hiking equipment, requirements contradict each other. Needs to be light, strong, reliable and useful for as many purposes as possible. Also, I carry concealed. Usually on hip, but I'm thinking of going to shoulder holsters. There are times when I carry in a small backpack. The theoretical weapon should be comfortable with getting wet, or in contact with mud.

So, "automatic" instead of revolver?  .45 (or 10mm?).

I think I would still be looking at a big bore SA revolver.  You're not going to be shooting high volume.

I've debated a Draco, for environmental concerns alone.

Kind of a clunky handgun, if you ask me.

[lupinus]

I'd say .357 mag is going to be plenty and there's no reason to go bigger unless you just plain want to. .44 mag is nice but there's not a single thing in your neck of the woods that I can think of that it'll handle that .357 wont make just as dead, particularly at stumbled across/defensive range. If you were talking handgun hunting where you want some more range, that might be a different story. But we're talking "OH $^&#!!!!!" change your drawers after you live through this range.

Other option, as mentioned, is 10mm if you prefer the auto loader (which I personally do). Packs plenty of power and has all the usual semi-auto vs revolver advantages. The Glock option will shoot lead fine, just not for a lot of rounds before it needs a good cleaning. Or there's always aftermarket barrels with standard rifling.

[Boomhauer]

For a long time I carried my 4" .357 Security Six in the woods and would do it again in a heartbeat if I didn't have other options.

It's what I carry. Load it with some hot .357s and you're good to go in non-griz areas IMHO.

[AZRedhawk44]

I still think the .44 is gonna be overkill for what you want to do.

You don't seem like the handgun hunting type, Rev.  Nor much of a revolver aficionado.  And it seems you don't want that kind of recoil energy, either.

The number I've always seen floated, is 40-200-1000.  .40 caliber or larger, 200 grain projectile or heavier, at 1000fps or faster.  That's what it takes for reasonable woods defense from anything other than North American super-predators like griz and polar bears, or giant prey like moose or pigzilla.  You have neither of those in Pennsylvania, just regular black bears.

.357 magnum is borderline acceptable in 158 and 180gr offerings due to incredibly high sectional density and velocity well in excess of 1000fps.  But most of this starts with 10mm, and concludes with .41mag/.44sp/.44mag/.45acp/.45colt/.45super/.460rowland/.454/.480/.475 and so on.

You can fit in these three numbers very easily with a plain-jane .45acp service pistol.  But if you want to play with a novel new bearkiller platform, go for it.

I've got hundreds and hundreds of miles on my boots though, starting with a .44 on my hip and bringing that down to a .357 for awhile, then a .400corbon and ultimately to a .45acp with half the platform weight.  I've only had to draw for defense once, for a snake I killed before my dog got to it, and I'm glad I had a trigger that was similar enough to my usual daily defense gun that the shots were true (rather than suddenly changing to a DA trigger pull for a defensive situation when I typically carry and train with an SA trigger most of the time).

[charby]

Sounds like .44 mag and a 4 inch barrel is what people are recommending. Crap. I hate shooting .44 mag, and I'm not sure how comfy I'd be until I put at least 1k rounds through a platform. A shame the SP-101 doesn't come in that caliber, because I like the design. I want small (ish) and concealable. Weight isn't a huge deal, because more weight will help with recoil. And I hate .44 mag recoil. Very sharp. Maybe I'm a wuss, but more than a handful of rounds is unpleasant.

Any advantage of .45 Colt?

I don't reload yet, but will "real soon now". I prefer relatively easy to find commercially rounds. Also, if the round is even semi common in lever guns, so much the better.

You mentioned you were comfortable with a 454, 44mag has les energy. Did you shoot a .44 mag in an ultralight revolver? I own a 454 Casull in a Ruger SRH and a 44 mag in a Ruger Redhawk is a pussy cat compared to that fire breathing SOB.

[roo_ster]

Sounds like .44 mag and a 4 inch barrel is what people are recommending. Crap. I hate shooting .44 mag, and I'm not sure how comfy I'd be until I put at least 1k rounds through a platform. A shame the SP-101 doesn't come in that caliber, because I like the design. I want small (ish) and concealable. Weight isn't a huge deal, because more weight will help with recoil. And I hate .44 mag recoil. Very sharp. Maybe I'm a wuss, but more than a handful of rounds is unpleasant.

Any advantage of .45 Colt?

I don't reload yet, but will "real soon now". I prefer relatively easy to find commercially rounds. Also, if the round is even semi common in lever guns, so much the better.

You can reduce a lot of the sting by handloading 240gr LSWC at ~1000fps.  I like Trail Boss for that.  Such a load will penetrate anything you will see in your neck of the woods.  That was also my carry ammo for my 4" SW629.  Looking at Buffalo Bore, they now produce a similar .44spl load with a 255gr pill and a full-wadcutter with a 200gr pill.  Might have to switch from my handloads for social carry.

Here are some hefty .44spl loads:
https://www.buffalobore.com/index.php?l=product_list&c=99
https://www.buffalobore.com/index.php?l=product_detail&p=88

Also, be sure to try different grips.  Took me 3 tries: Target, Houge squishy, then skinny factories with Tyler T-grip (the winner for me).

[Hawkmoon]

SP-101 in .357 is looking very economical. About $500, with rounds being mostly affordable commercially.

Ruger Vaquero is interesting. Looks like it's offered in .357 and .45 Colt. Probably be a hell of a lot cheaper than .45-70

You probably won't be running into any grizzleys in the northeast, only black bears. .357 Magnum is enough for black bears, and certainly for coyotes, feral dogs, and pretty much anything else you're likely to meet up with. Ditto for .45 Colt and .44 magnum. If it takes 50 rounds of .44 magnum before your hand and wrist give up ... no problem. Any critter that needs 50 rounds of .44 magnum to put down will have eaten you long before you can reload that puny six shooter 8 times.

[vaskidmark]

Although it is still a botique round, .327M can give ballistics close enough to the .357M with only about 3/4 of the weight.

No annecdotal info that I'm aware of on bears, but it seems to be reported good enough on the rest of the game list mentioned.

Just be sure to buy it by the caseload - sometimes it just is not that well stocked.

stay safe.

[lee n. field]

The theoretical weapon should be comfortable with getting wet, or in contact with mud. I've debated a Draco, for environmental concerns alone.

Al right, y'all.  Revolvers aren't as good as autopistols* for resisting mud.  Will a good flap holster provide enough protection for what he wants?

*yet another synonym to argue over.

Feral dogs and coyotes aren't uncommon either.

How many dogs to deal with at once?  A possible argument against a revolver. 

[geronimotwo]

of all the wild beasts here in the catckills, the coyotes are the ones that raise my neck hair.  when out cutting wood we will occasionally see them on the fringes, as if waiting for the right moment.

[Lee]

Speaking of pondering...I'm pondering selling my S&W 625 that has been converted to .460 Rowland. It has the advantage of a wide power range and super fast reloads. I also have two barrels for it (3 and 5 inch) and a good cross draw holster.
I love the gun...but got too many things going on these days to even get it out of the safe. And need to raise some cash. It wouldn't be one of your cheaper options though. Drop me a note if interested.

[Boomhauer]

Al right, y'all.  Revolvers aren't as good as autopistols* for resisting mud.  Will a good flap holster provide enough protection for what he wants?

*yet another synonym to argue over.

How many dogs to deal with at once?  A possible argument against a revolver.  

Butbutbut its impossible for a semiauto pistol to be a woods gun! Everybody knows the revolver is the only way to go for a woods gun...you are just spouting crazy talk by not suggesting a revolver...

[French G.]

Butbutbut its impossible for a semiauto pistol to be a woods gun! Everybody knows the revolver is the only way to go for a woods gun...you are just spouting crazy talk by not suggesting a revolver...

Field strip my glock 17. Ok, done.

Dropped my S&W 325 in sand and saltwater. 2 hours later in the bathroom sink I had it apart enough for me, cleaned and put back together.