What is your favorite carry companion for doing ranch chores?

We are being run over by varmits. Armadillos, feral dogs, opossums, coons, etc. I usually keep a .22 rifle behind the seat of the truck but it is almost never handy when I actually stumble onto critters. It is too light for putting down stock too. I have done it, but it is never the best option. The wife has a Glock 26 she carries when working on the farm. She does alright with it at close range, but it is too small for me. I'd like better accuracy too, and better sights. I use to have a Ruger Blackhawk in .45 that did a pretty good job, but I don't have it anymore and I am not sure it would be the best option today. Any ideas?

I was thinking a TC Contender would be the thing for the truck and tractor, but even with a 10 inch barrel it is likely too much to carry when mending fences and the like.

An alternative would be an older 4 or 5" S&W in .45 or .44, but I am not sure if I could use them for the odd small game opportunity. I have looked through the .44 thread and noticed lots of folks take rabbits with a handgun, but we don't have many of those. I could definitely see trying a shot at a grounded squirrel while deer hunting, would the big revolvers be up to that? A K-38 might be a better choice for small game but I don't believe it would be ideal for putting stock down or even a small deer.

Not sure how to get one handgun for all of the various jobs. And one gun is much preferred, I don't want to try and convince the boss I need her milk money for both a new Smith and a Colt Match Target too

Thanks for your time,

-Rex

Getcha a Glock 10 mm, and put a fast fire on it. Or 6 inch 357 mag.

The two I use the most while doing chores are Ruger's 4.2" SP101 in .357 and a S&W Gov. The Gov is mainly for shooting rats while bush-hogging.

Smith Governor 410/45lc

3" to 4" double action revolver or 4 3/4" or 5 1/2" single action revolver of your choice in brand and caliber.
or if you prefer a auto a Glock 19 or 23 size auto. you could go a little bigger to a full service size like the great new HK VP9. Can't go wrong with a government model or commander either. I also like the previous 10mm idea too. let us know what you pick.

A beater Ruger Security Six or GP100 in .357 would cover damned near all bases and affordably so.

Is that what you carry on your ranch, Sean?

I carry my old S&W Model 66 .357 service revolver all the time since I moved to the toolies. It would be good medicine if a wolf decided to try to eat my German Shorthair while we are out roaming the woods and fields together.

It rides in a full flap holster, loaded with Winchester Silvertips that I got free when the department went to semiautos a few years before I retired..

Agreed!
Ruger Security Six would be hard to beat, or a RUGER BlackHawk in just about any caliber would do.
My two favorites fro when I'm working at the Ranch is either my old model Ruger Vaqeuro in 45 Colt, or my Glock 32 in .357 sig caliber.

A 38+p a 44 special a 41 or a standard pressure 45colt should do it.

Good advice here. I'm not a Glock guy but I'd use any of the others in a heart beat. I already have them.

Interesting, I would not have thought a semi-auto would be a good choice when working off of either equipment or horse.

Anyone know about the Taurus .44s? A friend recommended one today. I gave a small Taurus .38 to my father years ago for a carry gun, but I am sure he has never actually fired it outside of running off some birds from his fish pond.

I admire that model a bunch. Are you confident in the .357 for putting down stock or deer?

The Taurus may nt have the class f a smith or be bomb proof like a ruger, but it should work for what you're doing. And they're cheap.

I put an elk down with a 380, I think a 357 will work for deer and stock.

How accurate are you with the fast fire? I have thought of something similar for other purposes.

Good to know, thank you. I like the medium frame Smiths a bunch, just thought they were too light.

Ive been planning on hunting antelope with my 357 and 158 cast bullets. Fwiw.

I've packed numerous SA revolvers for farm chores but these days, I just carry my main battery CCW gun; a Sig 229 in 40 S&W.I keep a couple mags of Perfecta Flat Point FMJ for that purpose and I make it a point to know exactly where it shoots with that load, from snake-kilin' distance to about 75 yards.

I've killed more varmints around the place with one of the kids' 94-22's than anything else. Both kids have identical 94-22's so I don't know if one has killed more than the other or not.



When actually in the tractor cab, I carry a Smith Governor.

Those 94-22s are sweet. I especially like the full length ones. Unfortunately, mine is the shorty version. Yeah, yeah. I know. TWSS.

Around these parts, you see very few shorty 94-22's. I wish I had one. Both of these will be gone in a few years. ...assuming the kids leave home.

LOL.

Im trying to get every tractor/truck outfitted with its own verminater....dont care for packing one on my body when Im working

have a sr22 that rides in the pouch on my 4 wheeler when checking cows....its tough and works good for gophers , skunks and such

a stainless security six would be great for one gun , and trust me , you will like stainless for chore duty.....I wouldnt care to throw a nice Smith in the tractor...things do tend to get beat up and wet

I would like to get my hands on a sp101 in 327; the older model with a 3 inch barrel....near perfect for any vermin in my book

been thinking on a sr9c for another tractor....supposedly they are quite accurate and 9mm ammo is cheap and plentiful

a m77 all weather 223 with 6x scope rides in a old scabbord on my wintertime feeding tractor....perfect for the job and tough as nails

you will never see a dumb yote when you are packing a gun though , apparently they can smell a weapon a mile away

two loads of snake shot, 3 hollowpoints

I spent 25 years as a game warden. I carried the 66 with Silvertips as a service weapon for about 9 years. It accounted for about 30 deer and one bear during that time, plus several feral dogs. I have no doubt that it would suffice for any 2 or 4 legged problem I would ever encounter around here.

Oh good. TRH only wants people to post about things they have direct experience with.

I hunted deer for several years with my 6" S&W 686 with 145gr SilverTips. Worked kind of okay with thru-the-ribs shots. However, one year I was in my tree stand when a shot rang out. Along came a limping large doe that had been shot in the hind quarter. She decided to bed down directly under my tree. So, I thought I would do the half-@ss shooter a favor and put his deer down for him. My shot was from above and down thru her back on one side of the spine and angling into the chest cavity. At the shot the deer got up and walked off. I was astounded. This was the morning, and after lunch I returned to the same general area to hunt. I was on the ground now, and along comes a limping doe (Yep, same deer) that I dispatched with my shotgun. In dressing the deer out, I found a nicely mushroomed .357 SilverTip bullet in the heavy fat on the back of the deer. The bullet never penetrated into the chest cavity. I quit hunting deer with the .357 Magnum after that, as I find it to be a marginal deer cartridge. Now I use a .45 Colt that puts them down with authority. While the 145gr Silvertip may be okay for a defensive load, it is woefully inadequate as a hunting round. Just MHO.

Don

Sean sent out the Bat Signal hours ago. What took you so long?

When all else fails, just play the victim card.

I certainly do not doubt you, but my experience with the 145 gr. .357 Silvertip was much different. I cannot remember a bullet from that load ever staying in a deer. Typically there would be an exit hole about half to three quarters of an inch in diameter on a chest shot.

Admittedly, I was shooting deer that had been injured by cars, fences and dogs, but some of them were still mobile and had to be hunted down. I remember one good sized doe that I tracked into a swamp after she was hit by a car. She was on 3 legs but could still go faster than I could. I got a quick shot at her from about 30 yards and hit her right behind the shoulder broadside. She went down like a pile of bricks and the bullet ended up in the swamp somewhere.

I don't consider it an explosive expanding load like a 125 gr. HP, but penetration has never been an issue in my experience.

Ruger calls this their Ranch Rifle in .223



If you'd rather carry a hand gun then I think either of these in .44mag loaded with .44 special would be the ticket

Thanks for sharing, that is a lot of experience to draw from. I'll keep a look out for a nice older .357.

Thanks for sharing, occurrences like that are one reason I started the thread.

I usually have a rifle in the truck, but it seems like I am a half mile from it when I need it.

I'd carry a .44 mag or .44 Special with 250ish grain Keith bullets loaded to about 950fps.

If it will see lots of rounds, I'd buy a heavier gun. If it won't see lots of rounds, I'd buy a lighter gun.

I'd keep the barrel 4" or under (that's what she said).

If not this choice, I'd get a 66 and load it with 158gr SWC's to about 900fps.




Dave

Hard to go wrong with what 'flave prescibed.

Taurus .44 Special with 240 grain SWC at 950 fps. Goes everywhere I do these days.

In the fall and winter it's the G20 10mm or .40S&W. Mostly because the opportunity to go after some hogs or a deer can pop up at any time and I like to be prepared.

Now that it's hot I've been carrying a G19 9mm because it's cheaper on snakes and the bigger critters are more scarce. This summer it has already accounted for one copperhead, one water moccasin and five rattlesnakes. Just this morning I dispatched a corn stealing coon with it. I find 9mm to be adequate for critters under 50 pounds. I however, do not consider it a general purpose "ranch" gun. The 10mm still fills that role nicely.

A G40 with a red dot would be ideal for riding a tractor or four wheeler for the rare stupid coyote that thinks it's safe at 100 yards. I fully plan on getting one someday when funds allow.

A Ruger Single Seven .327mag would be a classy ranch carry piece IMO.

My Model 66 and Model 60 .357's, are two of my favorite revolvers to carry anywhere.

since i have a problem concerning 41magnum, the above 44loads as applied to 41 are what i am doing these days. Having said that, couple of months ago i cooked up some 358156 keith style cast bullets both gas checked and powder coated. My non scientific test was to shoot some river rock at about ten yards with these out of a 357magnum, probably in the neighborhood of 1100 to 1200fps. They cracked the rock. No worries at all about penetration.

I've put down more deer THan I can count and a few cattle and one horse with a 357 Sig

Thanks for sharing your photos and wisdom gentlemen. Only problem now is I'd like to have one of each of those posted to "test" out!

I've gone with revolvers a lot for the use you describe, but on a quad, horse or tractor, especially when doing field work under dry, dusty conditions, I've favored my Glock 20. It has nowhere near the number of access points for dust, pollen, and assorted forms of airborne crud that s revolver has and is (IMHO) easier to clean up at the end of the day. With a stiff loaded 180 grain XTP it makes a fairly good 100 yard proposition with issue sights. Also, you've got 15 rounds on tap.

To me it would depend on what I was doing and my load out for the day. I've carried a 629 4" countless number of days with a Keith 250 at 1200. I also carry a 686 3", Ruger SBH 4 5/8, and a glock 23. After doing a bunch of penetration tests I find the 40 S&W penetrates adequately for any protection. I feel a little more at ease with a DA then a SA revolver for bear protection. 2 shots under 10 yards is too close at near full tilt. I have both but prefer the 629 standard over the Mt revolver.

When I lived on a farm we had much the same thing as far as critters that could become problems. I just used my carry gun because a 9mm or .45 ACP were quite ample for dealing with most things you encounter in the lower 48, and I might as well just use what I'm probably carrying anyhow.

There were times where I was doing certain jobs and I'd choose a gun because I knew what I would encounter. I carried my K-22 when mowing grass because I knew I'd see a gopher. And I carried my 9mm Hi Power with 90-115gr +P when doing hay because I'm going to see coyotes. Otherwise, I just carried what I normally carry.

Mine would have to be a Ruger Stainless Bisley with 5.5 inch barrel. Chambered for 45 Colt.

I carry it in a Galco SAO holster and in the years I have owned it, I cannot complain in any way.

Never had to deal with a horse, but I can add moose to that list.......

George

I've put down a few groundhogs, an assload of squirrel, a few rabbits, two goats and a grinner with the HEATER

I carried daily on the ranch for about twelve years. Mostly, I carried a 4-inch S&W Model 66. It worked fine for dispatching critters from rabbit/skunk size up to bovines. However, during the winter, I switched to a Glock Model 20, mainly because of the possibility of having to confront armed smugglers in heavy winter clothes. I also carried a semi-custom Colt Model 1911 made by Michigan Armament in .45 ACP when I felt like it, just because.

I am faced with this same issue. I have a 466 ac farm and never know what I will come upon that needs shooting. I thought I found the answer in the Keltec PMR 30. Thirty rounds in .22 WMR in a pistol is a lot of firepower. I put it in a Simply Rugged chesty puller rig so it would always be outside my clothes at the ready. The gun turned out to be so inaccurate that I missed a groundhog at 25 feet. I sold the gun and will soon sell all the things I bought for it (holster, speed loader, brand new extra barrel and what is supposed to be the best ammo for it-Hornady Critical Defense). I am currently settled on just using my concealed carry gun (Glock 26-summer or Glock 19-winter) and a CZ 512 Tactical in .22 WMR if it is a shooter(have not shot it yet).

One of the best 22 mags I've come across is a Henry Lever.

That will get some grief for sure, but I've made some hellacious shots with mine, that either must be luck (I ain't that lucky) or skill (questionable as well).

The gun is just accurate & reliable.

You won't get any grief from me. Accuracy trumps all. Me? I only owned one lever gun and will never own another. Now a WMR in a semi auto-that turns my crank.

I carry a S&W M60, 3 inch while at the farm/ranch.

Well if blue is like any other masculine guy he was spending time with his girlfriend and a couple hooked while his wife was working