Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Backpack Hunting Sidearms

I went the first 20 years of backpacking with a Ruger Blackhawk in 357 Mag. Then I found a double-barrelled 45LC/.410 Leinad and carried that for a few trips. Ugh! I kept bird shot in one barrel and 000 Buck in the other. I never had to fire either piece for anything but recreational plinking, so I really can't say one was better than the other. However, the Leinad cured me of ever wanting another .45LC/.410 combination gun. It fired the birdshot into a 10 ft pattern at 10 feet. Even light 45 LC were painful. Therefore you can say it saved me the stupidity of buying a Taurus Judge or its ilk. I'd say that was enough.

I now own a Ruger LCR in 357 Mag and carry it daily. When I hike, it's with me, and I really could not ask for anything more. I am either carrying that, the 357 Mag Blackhawk or a Marlin 1894 in 357 Mag. My main concern is coyote and the odd feral cat.

G26/27 for the size, ease of carry and the benefit of double stack magazine... plus you can keep an extra mag handy with another 13/15/17 rounds if you wanted.

If you want a wheel gun (the biggest argument is reliability and the ability to load different ammo, ie snake shot and hollow points) then I would look hard at the SW 640 pro series-- its a 38/357, all stainless construction with excellent night sights and a good trigger.

I got this S&W M60 Pro Shop model, lightweight and accurate. Also has a tritium dot on the front sight.



John(dog)

In my experience I have encountered significantly more sketchy situations out camping and hiking around national forest/BLM/pub land (not technically wilderness backcountry as I believe you are referring) than I have in the city. Something about the sense of "no ones watching" while being out in the forest can draw out the worst in some people. In fact, the only two times Ive ever been robbed were camping. So while I may not carry 100% in the city I am ALWAYS armed in the woods.

personally, Im a fan of the Glock 32 in 357 Sig. (In non-griz woods) Lots of firepower in a compact rig, and from experience I know they will shut down a 300LB wild boar. In a revolver format I really like my model 60 with a 3" barrel. In griz country spray is better, but a S&W 629 mountain gun in 44M is my last line of defense.

Is this thread still going?

The opening line reads: "I don't live in bear country but I am pretty sure YOU should never go in the woods hunting or hiking unarmed." (Emphasis added.)

If the original poster had said, "... I am pretty sure that I should not go in the woods... unarmed." it would have been true but would not have lasted ten responses. It is almost always contentious when we start telling everybody what they should do.

FWIW, I do live in bear country, as in LOTS of bears, and when picking berries, fishing, scouting terrain etc. I am not armed outside of hunting season. I encountered three black bears while picking berries last summer, at close range. I carried a sidearm in my younger days and found it more weight and nuisance than of value to me. That's my decision in my AO and not even recommended to anyone else. Make your own call.

I've been threatened by grizzlies and black bears, a large bull moose, a mountain goat, a Stellar sea lion bull and assorted other critters. The goat at 10 inches and sea lion at two feet (I was in a kayak) scared me the most and I would have killed those two had I been carrying. On most of the bears, moose etc. I had a rifle in hand. Of different and deeper concern to me was a wild bunch of drunks one night at a trail head bivy my son and I did before starting a hike at dawn. In such areas I can see carrying and I might if I move back. When living where it is legal, I always have a concealed carry permit though have not carried. Lotsa factors and bravo to your personal choice for you.

Revolvers have two advantages over autoloaders: they don't jam, and they can shoot shot loads for the snakes the OP mentioned. Not light, but I like the Ruger Single Ten and the Super Blackhawk.

Can't quite recall last time my AR or my semi handguns jammed, but I"m sure it did happen at some point.

Funniest part, we shoot snake shells out of the 1911 kimbers in 45 quite often....

Glock 20 and 329PD are probably the only guns that we'll ever carry anymore backpack wise unless one of us ditches to LIGHT and hopefully suppressed 22 pistol for small game...

Generally speaking yes, revolvers are a reliable option, but when they do jam it's catastrophic. Ever had a bullet move forward out of it's case and protrude out the front of the cylinder? It locks the gun up. Can't turn the cylinder, can't pull the hammer, can't pull the trigger, and most times can't open the cylinder. I think every type of pistol has it's kryptonite, and each has it's pros and cons. I do like that a revolver will fire if pressed against an animal. I've carried both, but almost always end up with a Glock20.

I've had DA revolvers jam up from unburned powder collecting under the extractor star. Also from ejector rods backing out.

It can happen.

If only Toyota made handguns. Guess a Glock will have to do.

Oh yeah, revolvers "jam". My Ruger 357 mag failed me at the range. It got powder or something in it and locked up.

Be advised Speer snake loads in 9mm and .40 cycle just fine in my G23 and G19.

I've not tried it in my G29 but will; it fire extract, eject and feed .40 bullet loads reliably w factory barrel.

I carry a 44 mag at a minimum in elk country, either a SW629-4 MG or a SW329PD in a Simply Rugged pancake either on my belt or strapped to my packs hip belt if backpack hunting. Enough to deal with predators of the two and four legged kind.

Well, this was interesting to read. You'd think the woods or the suburbs was like stepping into the hindu kush or walking the ho chi minh trail. I have my CC, and I'm all for the option, but to think it's necessary seems excessive to me. Nice to have, sure, but I think it gets blown out of proportion. Lots can go wrong in life, things a sidearm can solve are way, way down the list.

More things can go wrong when you're packing meat on your back, hanging it in camp, and returning to a kill site.

That part I agree with! When you find these as you approach the carcass from the day before it's nice to have something. And it motivates one to pack very quickly and leave the area!

I haven't had a lot of revolvers "jam" on me. But the couple that did, were double action revolvers. I have never had a Single Action revolver "jam" up on me. And I have a few of them. That's what I mostly carry in the bush.

I've had half burned powder kernals, usually 2400, get under the extractor of a DA revolver and tie it up.

The only issue I've had with a SA revolver was with a Ruger super blackhawk. If that little spring-loaded plunger inside under the hammer gets rust in the hole so it can't move, like from factory bluing that wasn't cleaned out well enough, the hammer won't come clear back. It's ... disconcerting. Its one of the things I disassemble now and clean thoroughly when I get a new Ruger single action.

Tom

I know I'm stating the obvious, and not meant in a condescending way at all... but regular cleaning and maintenance helps with powder and/carbon fouling and other mechanical related failures with my firearms. but yes I've experienced the same thing in my DA revolvers. I just make sure and give 'em a good cleaning before I carry them. Bullets jumping crimp is a tough one to prevent, even with proper crimp and tension. I've had that happen when shooting really hot hard cast bullets a couple of times and it turns the revolver into a paperweight. Never had that happen with the specialty factory loads from Grizzly, Buffalo Bore or Garrett...

I carry a side arm (usually a DA or SA revolver) in the backcountry, usually only during archery season. Never had to drop the hammer on anything, but did draw it once thinking I might have to use it (but frankly I probably didn't) I took a huge 7'6" black bear in Alaska in 2013 that was on a hot sow. Boar ended up dying at the base of a tall tree right on the banks of the Tanana river and the sow just would not leave her man. Every time I'd approach she'd pop her jaws, woof, sling some dirt around and stand her ground, once even climbing up the tree a ways and putting on a real show... I wasn't giving up my bear and luckily she lost interest and finally moved on (drama queen)... but it was tense for a while! So with that exception, carrying in the field just makes me sleep better at night. I know it's extra weight, but like others here I look at it as an insurance policy... one I hope I never have to use. If I'm being honest, bear spray is probably a better option, but it just makes me feel more manly carrying a piece on my hip when I'm back in he sticks! 😳