Hiking Question

[tallengnr1]

Delete

[gose]

S&W 329 or 629, or a Glock 27 (if weight is a big issue).

[PanzerAce]

hmmm, doesnt S&W make a revolver mostley out of titanium?

[Trempel]

If I were to carry an automatic for woods protection it would be a Glock 20, loaded with some 180gr or 200gr soft points. It's less than 30oz. unloaded, but still fires a very potent cartrige.
I don't hike much, but for camping I usually keep a Rem. 870, 18" with slugs.

[Trempel]

hmmm, doesnt S&W make a revolver mostley out of titanium?

The 329PD, already mentioned, is made on a scandium alloy frame and weighs 26oz. unloaded according to the S&W website. That would be quite a handfull with full-power .44 Mag loads!

[MadMex]

[DrjonesUSA]

I have a co-worker who loves to hike/backpack. He goes on these 60+ mile one week excursions into the Sierras. I asked him if he has any 4 legged or 2 legged protection along with him...he said yes, a 25 caliber pistol.

Now, I'm thinking this does not sound like four legged protection, much less 2 legged protection. He is concerned about weight though, he says on these trips, ounces matter.

So if ounces matter, and caliber matters, what would you carry?

Craig

Yes ounces matter, but not as much as my life matters!!!!

He either needs to suck it up and carry a real gun or drop some other trinkets he's carrying.

A .25 is little better than a sharp stick, and I think I'd honestly take a stout staff over a .25.

[wuhungsix]

glock 29

g29 w/Double Tap Ammo 10mm 180gn fmj or XTP...should take care of anything in the CA 4 or 2 legged

[ECVMatt]

g29 w/Double Tap Ammo 10mm 180gn fmj or XTP...should take care of anything in the CA 4 or 2 legged

+1

Matt

[50 Freak]

I go backpacking in the woods and I always bring a G20 wtih Winchester 180 silver tips.

14 rounds of 10mm should be enough for anything in CA 2 or 4 legged.

[DrjonesUSA]

I go backpacking in the woods and I always bring a G20 wtih Winchester 180 silver tips.

14 rounds of 10mm should be enough for anything in CA 2 or 4 legged.

You don't carry any spare magazines???

[El Capitan]

I carry my G29 loaded w/ Doubletap 200gr XTP's and 200gr FP's, alternating. And 1 or 2 extra mags, depending on how many I'm traveling with (figure less backup needed when protected in large groups).

Ya, it's a bit heavy compared to a needle gun like a .25, buy why even bother carrying anything less?

[booknut]

The only two handguns I've carried into the woods are my Ruger SP101 in a snap-on beltslide Bianchi Accumold w/retention strap, and a Glock 30 in a couple of different holsters.

I never had the weight bother me when hiking for several days.

If he's an ultralight backpacker then ounces DO matter to these folks.

He should still consider why he's carrying a firearm at all.
If it's for survival, a .22lr would suffice if he was practiced enough with it.

If it's for protection, he really needs to take a realistic look at what he's figuring on shooting or even just threatening...

Wild beast - If he's worried about shooting snakes (I've NEVER had a problem where I had to shoot a snake in the wild - been around plenty of them too), something that will shoot a shot-load sounds good, although I have never had any experience with them.

If he's figuring on shooting larger animals...
Coyotes/Wolves/etc. - never had a problem with them in all my years in the bush of West Texas, New Mexico and Alaska. No need for a gun for these as far as I can see.

If he's worried about Mountain Lions and Bear...
Again, I've traveled alone in the bush where these animals live and never had a problem (this includes Grizzly too). Now, I know there have been attacks on humans so I won't say the risk is nothing to worry about.
Having never shot a Mountain Lion before, I can't say much about it.
Having hunted bear, including bringing home a grizzly from Yakutat, Alaska, I can say that a little handgun isn't going to do much.
I shot my bear with a .338 rifle and he didn't go down right away. He actually absorbed several rounds until I got him down.
The point being, once these animals get their adrenaline going, it's like taking down someone on drugs... damn near impossible sometimes!
Some folks in Alaska use the .44mag as the smallest beargun(handgun) carried in the field. I always carried a 12ga. shotgun when berry picking with my wife and daughter.

For humans...
Living in an area with pot growers (from our own country as well as from south of the border), including the meth freaks, I want something that I can shoot accurately, and at a small distance (farther than the 7 yards used for city selfdefense), that will give the wanted affect to the criminal.
I also want something that won't necessarily go spinning off into space if it hits a leaf on it's way to the target.
This is why my minimum firearm has been the .357. I prefer the .45, though.

I also don't like to wear my firearm out and visible.
Two reasons:
1) to avoid alarming panicky non-gun people
2) to avoid tipping off the low-life humans mentioned in the paragraph above. If I'm ever accosted by an armed criminal in the woods who tells me to, "Clear Off!", I'm not planning on standing my ground and having a shoot-out. I'll leave, report the location and description of the thug, and enjoy being back with my family. The gun is for those times I decide the scum are not going to let me walk away. I'd rather have a hidden gun then, than something they will see right away.

[glock_this]

I have a co-worker who loves to hike/backpack. He goes on these 60+ mile one week excursions into the Sierras. I asked him if he has any 4 legged or 2 legged protection along with him...he said yes, a 25 caliber pistol.

Now, I'm thinking this does not sound like four legged protection, much less 2 legged protection. He is concerned about weight though, he says on these trips, ounces matter.

So if ounces matter, and caliber matters, what would you carry?

Craig

no gun, I opt for my legs... I can run a 4:55 mile (no joke) which can get you out of a lot of bad situations (in the city or the back woods)

[wuhungsix]

4:55 minute mile is very fast but we are talking about hiking in the woods and if a 150 lbs mountion is stalking and pounces i doubt your legs or a gun is gonna help you much...look at it this way do you think you can out run a LEO K9...the "average joe" mountain lion is no slouch as well. like i said before glock 20/29 nothing smaller for CA woods carry and watch your back...

also i think running away from a predator will just trigger the chase instinct even more...that what i see with my 20lbs pug chasing my cat...

no gun, I opt for my legs... I can run a 4:55 mile (no joke) which can get you out of a lot of bad situations (in the city or the back woods)