In the late 60's, 70's and early 80's my favorite recreation was backpack bow hunting for elk, or fly fishing in the Rockies, usually by myself. I always had a .44 Magnum with me - my favorite was a Mountain Gun. Now that I am in a different geography my favorite by far is a P220 Carry SAS with a DAK trigger. A better trigger than most Smiths from that time frame, easier to carry, and better capacity. If I had it to do over again that would be my choice, even in the Rockies.
P239 M11-A1 340 M&P
Posts: 552 | Location: Okla | Registered: August 27, 2004
GP100 with a Diamond D chest rig was my go-to. A Gunfighters Kenai recently replaced the leather, but I'm now thinking that I'd rather have a G20 with a Kenai instead.
I think your basic premise is wrong. Once upon a time I carried a revolver in .357 in the woods. But at this point I can't conceive of that being the best choice overall. A G20 is my choice in bear country and a G21 otherwise. Easier to carry, better capacity, more reliable, etc. etc. Of course your YMMV.
“So in war, the way is to avoid what is strong, and strike at what is weak.”
S&W 696 with a 250 Keith slug at 975 fps. Big medicine for anything I may meet locally. I liked the 696's so much that years ago when they were discontinued I bought a spare.
MNSIG, I think the revolvers you mentioned would be good choices. I'd go with a 4-inch, just for the longer sight radius and a little less muzzle-blast. I'd also add a used Ruger Security Six or Colt Trooper Mark III, or even a Blackhawk (which may be the cheapest choice) to your list.
Whenever I see responses to questions like yours, I always wonder how much "bushwhacking" the respondents are actually doing. Like you, I'm in northern Minnesota (Hibbing at the moment, up to the property north of Isabella tomorrow). My biggest concern when I'm traipsing around Koochiching, St. Louis, Lake or Cook counties is a wolf or wolves going after my dog. Black bears are more of a nuisance than a threat, and while I've seen some two-legged dirtbags, I haven't seen any packs. These days I'm usually carrying a Ruger Single-Six in .32 H&R because it's light and relatively compact, very accurate, powerful enough with handloads for my needs while not tearing up too much ruffed grouse meat.
I'll jump on the SP101 .357 bandwagon for 90% of my woods time. I prefer the 4" with bright fiber optic front sight. I smoothed up the Ruger trigger with a drop in Wolf spring kit. I had RGrizzle make a superb IWB with clip for it, so that I can wear it any time, even with hiking pants that don't have a traditional belt for normal holsters. I've got a few field holsters as well. When I'm in known bear country on more aggressive outings, I usually move up to a 10mm with solids, but for a fairly lightweight, decent caliber, 100% reliable and plenty accurate rig, that SP101 is hard to beat. Being a heavy, all stainless Ruger, I don't mind beating it up either. It can take whatever you throw at it.
Posts: 847 | Location: Alaska | Registered: April 29, 2015
Originally posted by mesabi:Whenever I see responses to questions like yours, I always wonder how much "bushwhacking" the respondents are actually doing. Like you, I'm in northern Minnesota (Hibbing at the moment, up to the property north of Isabella tomorrow). My biggest concern when I'm traipsing around Koochiching, St. Louis, Lake or Cook counties is a wolf or wolves going after my dog. Black bears are more of a nuisance than a threat, and while I've seen some two-legged dirtbags, I haven't seen any packs.
Very true. Mine is probably similar to yours. Exploring deer land, repairing stands, etc. Having spent a good chunk of my youth in the woods of St Louis County, I never actually shot a bear. I fired a shot over one's head once to scare it away from our lunch pack, but that's it. OTOH: More than a few grouse with a .22 or .44Magnum shotshell.
In reality, it's as much an excuse to shop for and buy a new gun as anything.
Posts: 9053 | Location: The Red part of Minnesota | Registered: October 06, 2002
Originally posted by MNSIG: I'm looking for a handgun to be used for hiking and backpacking, and leaning toward a revolver. IMO: The durability and cartridge selection outweigh the lack of capacity when covering the spectrum from small game to black bears to bad humans. Probably something with a 2.5-4" barrel in .357 or .44 mag. Top contenders would be S&W 66/686, 629, or Ruger GP100, SP101.
What are your criteria or favorite models for such a firearm?
Criteria is as much power as can be stuffed into as little weight as possibly
Originally my choice would have been the 357PD. 41 Magnum N-frame power but it weighs in like a 4" K-frame
However, Smith and Wesson then released the Night Guard series and I would go with a 357NG or a 310NG. The 310 carries 10MM Magnum ammunition
The Night Guards are pure pleasure to carry since they weigh in just like a 2 1/2" Model 66
