First time post. I am going hiking on the Appalachian Trail in 2 weeks, and wondering what some thoughts are on loads and guns for carrying along. I have a Smith 21 .44 Spl and a Smith 57 .41 Mag. I also have a Super Redhawk .480, but I am not considering it (too big and heavy). There is a very slim chance of black bear, which are fairly small in the Southern Mountains, and cougar. More worrisome are the two legged rats on the trail. I had a cousin and her boyfriend murdered in their tent on the trail back in the 80's. No rape, no robbery, just shot in their sleep for the @#$$ of it. No gun in the world would have helped them, but I am still taking one. I went back and re-read some old articles by Brian Pearce, and I am looking for opinions on which caliber and whether to go with some of the hot Buffalo Bore hard cast loads or something like the Hornady XTP loads. I also have my eye on one of the Ruger Blackhawks .44 Spl built on the .357 frame. ( I am basically just looking for a reason to buy it, it seems it would be less bulky to carry. Any help is greatly appreciated.
By the time I was 16 I'd walked just over 1,000 miles of the AT. Never, ever felt the need for a handgun. If I felt the need, I'd resist and carry bear spray. Damn effective on two and four legged beasts. FWIW, I never pack a handgun here in grizzly country, except when packing out bloody elk meat... then it's just a backup to bear spray.
Carrying a handgun is an awesome responsibility. If you've ever taken a human life you'll know what I mean. Unless you're thoroughly trained and have the right mindset, I'd not carry.
