I have been back-packing all my life. about 55 years as of now. When going to the mountains I usually pack as light as I can, but one thing I never gave a thought to was buying a L.W. handgun for pack-trips.
The gun that goes with me the most and has for 45 years is my 4" M29 44 mag in a full flap holster.
About 1/2 the time I carry a rifle. When I do and it's not a hunt but just a back-packing trip, the 2 that I take most often are either an AR15 carbine or an AK47 with a folding stock. Another that I carried a lot years ago is my M1 Garand, which is anything but light. Sometimes I have taken a good 22LR, usually a Ruger M77/22 or an old Winchester M62A. When taking a 22 I usually take several hundred rounds to shoot. But taking the AK or the AR I often don't take more then the 30 rounds in the gun because I am not going shooting with those most times but just going on a hike and they are with me for the odd times I want to shoot something.
In every case however I carry a hand gun . I have taken about every one I own or have owned at one time or another, but the one that gets taken most has been the 4" M29. If for any reason I wanted to take a handgun because of it's light weight I'd take my 4" S&W Kit Gun, and maybe my M10 S&W 38 special.
Last edited by szihn; 03/28/21.
