The .44 Special 3" is what I would lean towards...with a hard cast SWC at 900-1000 fps it will be controllable for followup shots.
That said, have you tried any of the Buffalo Bore 255 grain .45 ACP +P loads in your 1911s. At 900-950 fps they would be just the ticket and you would have several extra rounds and a quick reload.
Friend just built up a Colt Combat Commander so it can run .45 Super. Loads are running a 255 at 1070 fps. All you really need is a flat bottom firing pin stop, 25# mainspring and a heavier 18-22# recoil spring... His gun runs standard pressure .45s with zero problems...
Bob
If you can not deal with reality, reality will deal with you....
I'd say the number one threat would be Moose and a Momma Moose is something I would go a long way to avoid, but getting down in the Willows, it's too easy to get within a dozen feet by accident and Moose are not something to take on with a hand gun.
Hi Tracks, here's a couple that appeared on camera just after walking over the spot where you had your outfitter tent set up a few years ago.
"Don't believe everything you see on the Internet" - Abraham Lincoln
Of the 3 pistols the OP mentioned, I’d go with the 1911 in 45 acp with some of the Buffalo Boar hardcast heavy loads. I’ve killed some pretty large feral hogs here at the Ranch with that same combo. I usually have a spare 10 round CMC extended mag loaded with those in my back pocket with me when packing a 1911.
Like Mackay Sagebrush mentioned, FMJ or hardball ammo is a piss poor killer on wild game of any size.
Last edited by chlinstructor; 06/05/18.
"Allways speak the truth and you will never have to remember what you said before..." Sam Houston Texans, "We say Grace, We Say Mam, If You Don't Like it, We Don't Give a Damn!"
What MS said. I carry my G19 everyday and practice w/ it frequently so it is the handgun I shoot best. I hunt wolves frequently and sometimes in Griz country and took Phil Shoemaker's story of stopping a Griz w/ a 9mm to heart. I have a 17 rd mag loaded w/ Buffalo Bore Outdoorsman 147gr hc that goes in my EDC while in the back country. I carry the gun in an HPG kit bag and practice presenting it on a regular basis.
Whatever you choose it must be readily available at all times and you must be capable of firing as many rounds as needed in as short a time as possible.
mike r
Me too, I have a magazine for my G19 loaded with that on hand.
Closest I've come to needing a handgun in the woods was when I was confronted by a really big feral boar that debated a while about 20 yards out whether to yield the right of way despite my waving arms and yelling. At the time, looking at that big boar, the 3" .357 Mod 60 j-frame in my hand just seemed to shrink. The G19 has three times the bullets in an easier-to-shoot-well platform.
"...if the gentlemen of Virginia shall send us a dozen of their sons, we would take great care in their education, instruct them in all we know, and make men of them." Canasatego 1744
Your situation screams 4" .45 Colt Mountain Gun with 255 hard casts. But, given your choices I'd go with the 1911 .45 ACP loaded with Buffalo Bore Outdoorsman hard cast. Ain't a whole lot out there they won't stop, and probably give Momma moose a pretty good headache.
Slaves get what they need. Free men get what they want.
Where I woods-walk, hogs are always a possibility, so my 10mm EAA Witness semi-auto goes with me a lot. Also carry a .45 ACP on occasion, either in a 1911 or a Sig P220 - both have threaded barrels. I finally took the plunge and got a Charter Arms .44 Special Bulldog - a "Target" model with decent sights and a 4.5" barrel, and have several speed-loaders for it, so it gets in the "rotation", also. Occasionally carry a .44 mag, .45 Colt, or .480 Ruger, also.
It appears you already made your decision. My opinion is, i would carry the 45 or 9mm because i want as much ammo available to me as possible if i had to defend. Although a 357 would be a good pick, only carrying 5 or 6 rounds isn't enough. When the SHTF, you will miss. I would rather have 17 in the mag, than 5 in the cylinder no matter what caliber.
I walk right up on feral pigs quite a lot, IME around here they don’t respond to the noise of your approach, they flush like quail at the last minute. I’ve walked up on nursing sows while pushing through tall weeds and heard piglets nursing at conversation distance. Closest approach to a big male black bear I’ve had was about ten feet when we both were surprised when I was trail running.
Never seen a mt lion, I’ve heard em, smelled the pungent cat odor where they had marked, come across apparent recent kills, more often had that “watched” feeling.
If any of these situations had gone bad I’d want to be able to respond with “bangbangbangbangbangbangbangbang.....”
Ya, I know you can’t miss fast enough to hit, I’d just prefer having the most chances is all.
"...if the gentlemen of Virginia shall send us a dozen of their sons, we would take great care in their education, instruct them in all we know, and make men of them." Canasatego 1744
Id go 44 or 45. I like a revolver. I usually tote a Blackhawk 45 or my 629 4" in the woods. Either will handle anything I want. They make some pretty hot ACP's. I shot some double tap 230's in my blackhawks with the acp cyliunder and they were noticeably stronger than standard pressure 45 colts like leverevolution
I prefer to carry my S&W 58 but most often carry the Glock 32. The 357 is a very competent cartridge and the Glock magazine gives me plenty of opportunities. It just seems to make more sense than six rounds of the .41 if I'm serious about my reasons for carrying. Birdwatcher mentioned that "watched feeling". I know it well.
I like the idea of carrying a revolver, but were I in your situation, I'd just as often reach for an auto as a revolver. So I don't think you can go wrong with the 44 or the 45. Leave the 9mm ball at home.
I like a warmly loaded 40 with 200 WFN at about 1050 or a SBH 357 loaded with 230gr LFN and shooting about the same 1050. Either would put down whatever if shot right, and both shoot very well, well enough to hunt with if I desire.
