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Honorable mention for a fun handgun to carry for plinking, where it is not needed for protection (you have a rifle, shotgun...), could be an air pistol. Nearly silent, compared to a firearm. Perhaps an option where firearms are prohibited or where good sense would otherwise prevent you from shooting too close to inhabited areas. They are so cheap to shoot and to own.

PAL,

I have the pump version of that CO2 pistol. The Sheridan HB20

It will easily and cleanly take all sorts of small game. I've had it since the late 70s. For survival, a tin of 500 pellets with this pump pistol can provide a whole lot of food

A couple of choices for me, for general summer urban use, kimber 45 Auto, for nasty weather prolonged use. Sig same caliber. If "big" bears are anywhere within a100 miles a marlin 1895 in 45/70. Pistols are worthless unless you are very, very lucky or can shove it in their mouth.

An airgun is so fun to plink with because of its low cost and low report. All I have left is my Sheridan carbine.

Glock 27. 1lb 10.7oz, loaded. We don't have any brown bears here in the Sierras, but tons of black bears. Honestly though, the glock is not carried for bear protection when I backpack, I always bring my belgian malinois along, and bears give her a wide berth. The handgun is just in case of the 2 legged loonies out there.

I carry "condition 3" in a pouch on my backpack belt, so I can save the weight of a holster, and avoid detection in the liberal-friendly areas where I backpack. I know a lot of people have hard and fast rules for how they carry firearms, some will never use a shoulder holster, others only carry condition 1, etc. But for me, the perceived needs/ risk factors are always taken into account, and for backpacking, Condition 3 carry without a holster fits my needs the best.

I have no affiliation whatsoever and can't speak for the seller or the piece, but will mention that on armslist in MT there is a 329pd for sale with a crimson trace grip for $900. It has been on there a few weeks and I was considering buying it because it's a good deal and I love mine, but I have no use for another.

Jim,

I number my chambers too. One is numbered 357 Sig and the other 9mm.

Of course, I'm a Glock man and that simplifies things immensely.

Dave, we need to go shoot

Glock 20 with DT wide meplat GC 200gr, Lone Wolf barrel,Truglo sights a 3.5lb connector, misc.extended small parts

K1500,

I've had two of my back-up hunting revolvers come down with problems. One S&W Scandium N-frame PD, and one 5-shot Taurus Ti.

On the PD, the scandium barrel shroud came loose. I had no way to tighten the assembly so it was sent back to S&W. The heaviest loads shot were 255gr hardcast at ~900fps so not exactly wrist wreckers. As I understand it, the shroud is held in place by tightening the barrel into the frame. So, was the barrel unscrewing? Don't know, but didn't like the flip-floppy shroud with front sight going side to side!

On the Taurus Ti, the center pin in the ejector star was stuck in the retracted position. I had fired a cylinder or so of ammo one day, then the revolver started to jam. WTF?! At the time this was my hunting sidearm. I about chucked that Ti into the Snake River from Hat Pt.

When the pin remains retracted the cylinder is not locked. I found a burr had formed inside the ejector rod. The center pin had been hammering the inside of the ejector rod. This revolver had relatively few rounds through it when it went down. A little interwebs searching found other Tore-us owners with the same exact problem. I know a few dudes with 5-shot Tauri and told them to inspect their revolvers but it goes in one ear and out the other . Such a simple thing to check. Haven't seen or heard of this problem with S&W or Ruger revolvers. Mebbe the ejector rods on the Tauri are soft? Don't know.

I've had other issues with revolvers but mostly timing or shooting them loose. An enhanced 629 didn't like 300gr at 1200fps, and a Bearcat would spit lead. There's been others too but those come to mind.

I've only had three Glocks, but haven't had any problems with the Nines. G30 would occasionally have feed/eject problems that are not unheard of for that model.

Jason

I'm not a back packer but I think this makes two great points important to a back packer carrying a sidearm or for any handgun hunter for that matter. First, to JJH's point, in a WCS, the thing has to be immediately in hand to operate which it is in a cross chest carry; second is, the cross chest carry mitigates the weight somewhat due to a shorter fulcrum. For instance, it's not in a pack somewhere further from your body or hanging on a hip.

I use my RRH 5.5" 45 Colt to hunt whitetails. This handgun is heavy--in the 50's oz-wise but hunting with it in a cross chest holster makes me sigh compared to carrying a rifle or muzzle loader as I usually do.

FWIW.

George, the same can be said for shoulder style bino straps like crooked horns.

Even my 10x42 geovids are an effortless carry with a shoulder strap carry system

Spreading the weight over a larger area makes a big difference

I had that or another version in the very early sixties when my dad was in grad school at the univ of Wyoming in Laramie. I was about 12 or 13 and roamed for miles east of town wreaking havoc on praire dogs. I had to be very close and hit them in the head.

You didn't say what kind of country you ramble in or what your greatest perceived need would be. If not big bears another direction could be truly light-weight. The S&W, 317 Airlite .22 with 3 1/2" barrel is about thirteen ounces and 22's of course weigh little. These can have adj sights with a fiber optic front.

Mine is my "kit gun" and goes with me everywhere outside unless of course I'm doing some serious hunting; then there other more effective options.

Mine's 12.3 oz empty. Quite accurate.

I have carried a number of handguns for backpacking over the past 30+ years. The first consideration, for me, is can I hit with a particular handgun. I tend to shoot a little heavier gun more accurately than an ultralight. I tried a 329, and really liked it, but with full power loads it kicked like my FA 454.
I used to carry a Dan Wesson .44 mag backpacking because I could shoot it well. Last year I carried the 454 for a month while guiding. It is a fairly heavy gun, but carried in FA's chest holster I keep it tucked under my left arm out of the way of my bino's, and the weight is much less noticeable in a shoulder rig.
I carried the DW in a El Paso Saddlery tanker.

Lot of LEO could say the same...so?

329PD for most everything and a 340PD when I'm going small and light during bow season.