Calling all mountain men: Best Sidearm for remote hiking or backpacking

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In VA I have hiked with a sp101 and a 66. Both in .357. I have used a g-32 and a light weight commander in .45. I have never seen a bear. I have seen either wild dogs or coyotes. They did not close but, the 85 lbs lab had something to do with that. The dog is no longer with me and I am looking for another. I might see more wild life with out him but I'll never feel as " safe". Patrick
 
Living in S Georgia my chances of bear are pretty slim. I am thinking of getting a 3" SP101 in 357 for CCW, woods (snake, human pred) etc, I am wodering if it would be adequet for deer at appropriate ranges such as a bow.
 
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Have to put mine in.

I carry a S&W TTR8. When you take off the steel accessory rails you have a very light gun with a 5 inch barrel and eight rounds of doubletap 180gr hardcast .357...considering how light it is it is really easy to control. If I trusted my life to an auto I would be really intersted in the glock 20 as well.

For everything else it is the .500. 2900lbs at the muzzle really similar to the hot 12ga slugs.
 
Is the Beartooth lead gas checked round ok for use in a Glock, I thought the rifling caused problems with non jacketed bullets possibly causing a kaboom? If it's ok is there a link to the info?
Thanks
 
The Beartooth load will work fine in your Glock barrel. It's hard-cast and gas-checked so you don't have the lead transfer around the slug, but you do want to clean your barrel after every box just to be sure.

I shoot them out of a 6" Jarvis pipe and have no problems, and my wife shoots them out of her factory Glock 20 barrel with no problems.
 
I've got my favorite woods gun - 3" S&W 629 .44 magnum.

Nothing I can't do with it, compact, easy to pack. Reloading opens up a world of possibilities for me, from the lightest .44 special loads (in magnum cases) to bear stopping cast bullet loads.

Revolvers are by their nature more dependable and 6 rounds is plenty. I can carry a couple speed loaders on my belt as well. Shot shells made with gas checks work brilliantly in snake country.

I have Trijicon 3 dot self luminous sights for twilight and night time duties since I find myself humping back to camp after dark and cougar are plentiful in California. Don't think I'm advocating cougar hunting - I'm not. I'm advocating my own survival if forced to make the choice.

P8150007.jpg
 
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I like my FS Witness in 10mm. It carries 15+1 of the 230 grain beartooth rounds and easily hides under a t-shirt for CCW purposes if you are in Wilderness territory and still want protection. And, to my surprise, it was actually pretty comfortable under my daypack waist belt. Sure, you can argue that it would add to my draw time, but backpacking any weight w/o a belt is silly. It still in the best location it can be, one hand can undo the belt while the other draws. I'm not going to use one of the safepackers or anything of that nature unless it can actually be made to fit my backpack waistbelt.


I have not tried this rig on my big Vortex pack just yet, but I suspect the same comfort levels. It did not become uncomfortable until I got sweaty and fatigued. But compared to my feet, it was a nice distraction.
 
LAK supply------- I called glock and asked about that beartooth round and he said quote: " we dont like anything that isnt jacketed in our guns" and basically told me NO on whether the G29 could take the DT HC rounds. Is he just being on the safe side? He didnt seem to knowledgable about DT at all so maybe thats the case.:confused:
 
There is no build up with Double Tap BTB loads. The barrel is as clean as jacketed loads.
 
That makes sense for the 29 but given the increased control you have with the full sized grip of the 20, especially with hot loads, I'd take the extra three ounces and shave it off my load somewhere else.

Whatever you get the Safepacker is far and away the best backpacking holster I have ever seen. It will attach to the waist belt on your pack and then quickly go from there to your belt when you put your pack down and when you are around camp. A big plus is that it doesn't look like a holster. Unless you tell someone what it is they would have no idea.
 
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LAK supply------- I called glock and asked about that beartooth round and he said quote: " we dont like anything that isnt jacketed in our guns" and basically told me NO on whether the G29 could take the DT HC rounds. Is he just being on the safe side? He didnt seem to knowledgable about DT at all so maybe thats the case.
Click to expand...

The consistency of the hardcasts is such that fouling is not usually an issue. As Kilgor mentioned, the 200 gr BT and the 230 gr (he's not using BT bullets for these although they're very similar) will usually leave a clean barrel just as jacketed bullets will. If you are shooting a lot of the hardcast bullets I would clean your barrel after every session..... This is probably not necessary, but after shooting a lot heat tends to build up and some leading may occur. I would rather be safe than sorry in this case....

As for Glock... they are not knowledgeable about many of the loadings out there; they simply know (correctly so) that most lead bullets are going to foul a barrel with poly rifling. It wouldn't be wise on their part to recommend ANY lead bullets without knowing the exact specs of those bullets.... that would be opening them up for serious liability.

You will be fine with the hardcast bullets that Mike offers..... you won't be disappointed with their performance. I think Mike said the 230's will penetrate something like thirty-three 3/4" pine boards; they will leave a wound channel you can stick your thumb in when fired through living tissue. That is more than adequate to take down anything alive as long as you do your part.

My Glock 20 rides on my hip with either the 200 or 230 hardcasts from DT.... and my 6" Jarvis pipe for a little extra velocity (200 gr at 1410 or so and 230 at around 1250) and better accuracy. I'd rather have something like that than something like the 460 that is so heavy I don't want to carry it for more than an hour...... that's not to mention recoil and follow-ups. I can put 3 rounds into a 3-4" group point-shooting at distances of 15-20 yards in the time that it will take me to get one off out of the big-bore wheelguns. When the adrenaline is pumping and things are being carried out on instinct I would much prefer something that is only adequate but is controllable and comfortable...... the biggest baddest big-bore is useless if it can't be used effectively.
 
That is true. Although, I just read an article( in shooting times I think). It was about lion hunting in africa. Granted we have no real lions but their hide is alot softer than a bears. There was an experience of a hunter putting two rounds from I believe a 375H&H magnum rifle in this charging lion. One at 25yds and one at 5 yds. She then proceded to destroy his left leg and maul him badly before dropping dead. They found that one of the rounds had ripped right through the center of her heart destroying it, yet she lived "long enough".

Point was that even a perfect shot to the best of vitals might not do the job, and with that being said a big, heavy, powerful round is key cause you probably only have one shot.

Sounds like a sweet combo on that G20 . Probably the best a person could get when concerned with weight. I just cant stop thinking about the SR alaskan in 454 though. Its only 41 ounces. Im thinking thats not so heavy afterall since my XD45 weighs like 42 ounces loaded:eek:
 
Your definition of "best of vitals" needs to be revised. If you need dead or stopped right there, you need a central nervous system hit.

Shoot the bruin's brain or disconnect it from the rest of the body with a spinal hit. I choose to aim for the nose as it is the easiest corridor to the brain. Bullets have been known to glance off of the thick, sloped forehead of a bear.
 
IMO, Kilgor has it right.

Stopping a heart only stops blood flow.
Blood carries glucose, oxygen and CO2.
If muscles have sufficient glucose & O2,
movement can continue for minutes ...

Stopping a CNS
(brain/spinal cord)
stops movement.

Stopping a heart via
.357, .44 or .45
won't stop movement.

Stopping a brain w/ any of those will.

Shot placement, shot placement, shot ...
 
Yeah, thats true. Heart shot is great if your hunting and dont need an instant kill or at least an instant stop. Problem is, theres no way to train "shot placement" with a dangerous wild animal charging you. Theres just no comparison. No amount of practice or training can prepare one for that.

And I dont care how good a shot someone is, You most likely wont hit what you need to in that few seconds(if you get that much). No, I will rely on absolute brute force over shot placement in that scenario anyday. With a big and bad enough magnum, I believe that any frontal body hit will at the very least slow or stop him long enough to follow up with a more thought out kill shot. 454 it is:D
 
I will rely on absolute brute force over shot placement in that scenario anyday. With a big and bad enough magnum, I believe that any frontal body hit will at the very least slow or stop him long enough to follow up with a more thought out kill shot. 454 it is :D
Click to expand...
I can't argue against that strategy, C'Peak.

But then, I can't support it unequivocally either. I'm NOT saying it's wrong, I just don't know any stats.

Besides pure anecdote, does anyone know if that "brute force" tactic really works, say on a charging, pissed off griz?

Sounds plausible, but ... "plausible" could get one eaten.

I have no doubt that if I was in AK, I wouldn't be carrying a .357 mag as my primary SD arm.

If a handgun (which is what the OP asked about), it'd be more likely to be .454C or something similar in AK. (In my neck of the woods, I feel just fine with .357 mag).

But in AK (or Montana or northern ID or other areas where Mr. Griz hangs out), I'd be more likely to carry 12 ga slug gun or something like .45-70 (e.g., 1895G or something similar). If'n ya want brute force, I'm betting they'd do better than the .454C ... but again, that's a guess. Haven't looked at the ballistics.

Then, again, this IS a handgun thread, so the argument may be moot.
 
Thats the conclusion Iv come to. From what Iv read and heard (LOL which is the only thing I have to go on) in the instance were discussing, our eyes arent gonna see a bear. Their gonna see a big black or brown blur heading toward them at a very high rate of speed. And we will fire into the center mass of that blur as fast and with as many rounds as we can, instinct I guess. My idea is that I dont believe any human can hit any certain part of the mentioned blur in that situation. So I will count on getting lucky with one of those shots and up my chances with a big bore.

But there are many ideas about this that could be right. In fact in any given circumstance any idea could be better than the other. But I find this one the most consistantly believed in and to me it makes the most sense.

I prefer to underestimate my ability's and overcompensate than to find out the hard way. Besides, I would probly pass out before I even cleared the holster:D


Heres some stats on the casull from double tap. pretty impressive


http://www.doubletapammo.com/php/catalog/product_info.php?cPath=21_39&products_id=148
 
I bet I can put 5 hardcast 10mm rounds on target faster than you can get a second shot on target with a .454 casull... hell maybe before you can unlimber that hog leg and get one shot off.

If you think you will be point shooting, wouldn't more rounds faster make sense?

I have 16 deep penetrating rounds in a light, ultra-reliable auto. How about you?
 
I'm young but have experience...

Hello,

When my Grandpa and I decided to go onto some private game farm to go hunting for a couple of days the owner let me carry my Pap's Ruger Security Six .357 Magnum with a 6" Barrel in a hip holster. I carried that thing while walking through the woods with my thick heavy hunting clothes on and even when running around trying to veer animals off (Long story) it became very cumbersome and had to hold it down half the time so it didn’t flop up and down. Although I have to admit I'm 14 and although I'm very responsible with firearms and respect them highly I kind of felt like Dirty Harry for those couple of days :p:D. When the time came to kill my hog it was very easy and was glad to keep that .357 on me the whole time. We ended up getting close and personal with some Buffalo and elk, and when walking with two other fella's from my hunting group I accidentally stumbled upon a hogs meal and wished I would of had that .357 with me because it came at me in a threatening manner :uhoh: until the gentlemen I was with pulled me behind him drawing his .45 although the pig ended up going the other way in the end :eek:. But a .357 should do you just fine...I really like those Smith and Wesson 627's they got out :). The extra two shots could come in handy I suspect.

-Tre
 
Umm....did I say something to offend you? If I did I'm sorry. In my earlier post I did say that a G20 with hardcasts in my mind is probly the best all around. If you are for a fact that good, then great. I hope if this ever does happen someone like you is with me cause I like my chances alot better(not being sarcastic). But im not gonna put all my faith in something I have no experience with. Have you been attacked by a bear? Did you put 5 rounds in him successfully? And did he drop? If so then man, Im a believer.

But if not........then its just speculation as to how your brain will react in that scenario. This is fact. None of us really know. And as far as the " faster than I can clear the holster" thing... maybe so. But its not because of the difference in guns. I dont know which auto you have, Im guessing it is the G20. This glock weighs like 27.5 ounces empty, a loaded mag (15rds) weighs about 11.5 ounces. This makes 39 or so total ounces. Only about 7 ounces less than a loaded casull.....not much. Plus the SRA is shorter than the glock. So human ability's aside, I doubt it.

I believe you should read my last post. That was my personal choice, just thrown out there to maybe help someone. Im not saying its better, JUST MY CHOICE. ;)
 
I personally carry a 357 when I'm out in the backcountry. I live out here in Colorado, the biggest potential threat is a Black Bear and the chances of being mauled by one of those is slim. I'm more concerned about the 2 legged critters that are drunk, drugged up, or just looking for an easy target. Recently, there was a murder at a remote campsite outside of Fairplay, Colorado. I'm very accurate with my Taurus Tracker 357, it has a seven shot cylinder and the recoil is not bad at all, even with full house magnum loads.:D I load Buffalo Bore 158's in my 357, they push 1475 fps with 750+ ft lbs energy. I'm accurate with it and its controllable, that's why I carry it. If I can't handle the situation in 7 rounds, then I figure I'm pretty much screwed.:neener:
 
Bear defense

As far as personal defense weapons for bears go, if you cant get ahold of an rpg or vulcan 30mm cannon go with the Ruger SuperRedhawk Alaskan in 44 mag. I own one and love it. I guess it could be a little on the heavy/bulky side for some people, but in a waist pack I hardly notice it is there. I carry it in a waistpack hiking in east Tn. I almost had to use it on a mama bear with two cubs. I would of hated to do that but my little girl was with me and as far as that goes I'll shoot first and ask questions later. Luckily the mama and three cubs just ran off. But it sure felt good having that hand cannon in my hands.With the shorter 2.5 inch barrel it still retains good 44 mag ballistics (only about 50 to 100 f.p.s. slower) and with the weight and those rubber grips, recoil is nothing.As far as two legged critters goes, corbon makes the 200 grainDPX load in 44 special. I have chronographed this load at 890 to 920 F.P.S.
That puts you with 6 shots of 45 acp ballistics.
 
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