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.

S&W 329 PD. Although I now carry a G20.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: FishOn,

If revolver, S&W 610

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.

SP-101 4.2" chambered in .327 fed.

I like to keep some 32 S&W handy for Grouse, during hunting season. Otherwise .327 is pretty a solid performer.

I do have a .41mag Blackhawk if I'm worried about big ol' bears. It's much less comfortable to pack around though.

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.

Mine is a S&W Mountain Gun in .45LC.

Is mostly use a Ruger SP 101 3" in 357 mag.

For revolvers I like my Ruger Redhawk 4.2” and my S&W 329.

I usually carry a Glock 20 though.

quote:

What's your favorite "woods revolver"?

Mod 63. J frame is just a little easier to carry, but can be just as accurate. Hard to beat a S&W .22 RF revolver.

S&W 4" model 28 with Pachmayr grips.

Wiley Clapp version of GP100. My favorite 357 of all time. Its a tank and its practically a snubby at the same time.

4.2 inch Ruger Redhawk in .45 Colt. I carry it in a Diamond D chest rig.

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.

quote:

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.

Sounds like a good excuse to me!

quote:

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

Ruger's new GP100 in 10mm is awfully tempting!