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There is an option i hadnt seen. I like that.

In all honesty I have a cheap High Standard Sentinel that I use for a truck gun. Would do fine as double duty, and the abuse couldnt hurt it. Always fun to look at options.

I'd like a Smith 651 for carry or safe spot in fishing gear.
But they be pricey these days.

For a beater I'd get maybe an LCRX.
Or a used Glock 9mm.

I've lugged a 629 and 1911 on my hip when fishing.

Just remembered, also toted a 648 for a while.

But my back is screwed up and I'm older now.
No more full size rigs when fishing.

If you are not looking for something for bear defense, or something to shoot at beer cans or turtles, etc., it would seem to me that you already have just what you need. Load your J - frame S&W with a combination of snake shot and SWCs or HPs of your choosing and you are well armed for whatever. Take along an optional speed strip or speed loader if desired. This should take care of any rabid animals - coyote sized types and 2 legged types as well - that you might encounter, snakes, attack perch, etc., that you may encounter. A J - frame is lightweight, compact, and .38 SPL is powerful enough punch for any of these critters. Now if you have a concern about bears, I would suggest a S&W M-69 .44 Mag with the heaviest SWCs you can find. This is an L frame and a little bit larger than a K frame, but much handier than a N frame. A good way to carry it would be in a chest holster. JMHO, YMMV.

Covers all bases plinking, self defense, etc.

Given the OP's stated use for said "Kit Gun" (which sure as hell isn't a .40 S&W Y'all) I would suggest perhaps an Ruger LCRx in either .22 WMR or .38 Spl. The .327 Federal magnum sounds interesting, and I might just be tempted if they ever bring it out!

My favorite "fishing" companion is a S&W 60-10 J-frame .357 Magnum 3" with adjustable sights.

If you want a little lighter then the above mentioned LCRX3" in .22 LR, .22 Magnum, .357 Magnum, or the 9mm or .327 once they are brought out, are about as good as it gets for a compact "plinker".

Bob

I keep a governor for my fishing boat gun. couple bird shot and some 45 colts. Shoot snakes, hogs whatever I need it for. It does everything I need.

I'm surprised that no one has mentioned this yet...

A PMR 30 would be an interesting choice.
Reports on early ones were pretty problematic, but it looks like Kel Tec sorted out their issues a while ago.

Super light (gun loaded with 30 rounds is about 1.25 lbs), very high capacity, easy triggers and they are a Blast to plink with. Mine is a good, accurate plinker but not a target gun. Shoots better than I expected though so I'm happy with it.

40 grain bullets run around 1300 fps so its a lot like shooting a .22 rifle. A little louder than most people expect, and you get muzzle flash but NBD.

A far cry from a Ruger Mark II, or a K22 Masterpiece, but WAY more packable. And you'll never worry about scratching it.

Just a thought.

Back when I lived on the Olympic peninsula, I fished a lot of beaver ponds and trout/steelhead streams.
My handgun was a Charter Armrs Pathfinder 22lr, 3 inch.
Fed it CCI mini mags, which it liked. Shot a lot of critters with it.
Still have it, but it has been replaced by a Ruger SR 22
You could do a lot worse than a 22

Any kind of Glock.

I gave my son a Ruger SR22 a couple years ago. He does a lot of kayaking on rivers fishing for those bronzeback bass. The little .22 semi auto is always in the yak. He had to shoot one cottonmouth that wouldn't let him by and said it was comforting at the take out spot at dark one evening when two nefarious looking dudes drove in and parked nearby giving him the stink eye. He doesn't have to actually carry the gun but size is a consideration in a kayak. If it were me, I would probably have an Airweight J frame .38 along on my fishing trip. But I'm getting kinda old school and find that more often than not I usually have a S&W 642 with me. It is becoming my "always have gun."

I don't understand the seemingly common view of "kit guns." The things people choose seem exactly counter-intuitive to me. If I'm out fishing, I'm not going to shoot something unless it is fixin' to kill me or permanently maim me. About the only options we have for that are bear, cougar, wolves, feral livestock, and real bad large dogs. Those call for a .44 magnum, not a rimfire. If the problem is snakes, if I can hit them in the head with a pistol, they're not doing anything that warrants shooting them in the first place. If I truly need to shoot them, then I need a shotgun with quail loads ... like low base 12 gauge 3-1-8s.

My fishing gun is my short single action .44.

YMMV.

Tom

WE usually fish among bears... I have taken to carrying a Taurus Titanium 5-shot revolver in 44Spl with hard-cast...

Would Never question someone using a 22lr for a carry-around. Those little suckers really dig deep. About as much good as you can get without substantially more weight.

I don't fish much, but my best friend does. We both have SW360 PD, and they weigh almost nothing. He has first 2 rounds birdshot for snake, and the other 3 rounds 337 hollowpoint. I just use 357 for walking the dogs in the woods. EZ carry and secure in a blackhawk serpa..

I grew up reading outdoor writers from my very early youth and envisioned myself in this romanticized ideal of someday packing a .22 "kit gun" as i hiked/hunted or whatever through the wilderness using it to shoot targets of opportunity, defend myself from snakes, bag a rabbit or grouse for supper, or even to survive off the land. Many years later when I was able to buy a gun like that, I quickly discovered that even shooting the lowly .22 LR out of a handgun for a few rounds without ear protection, leaves my ears ringing.

Over the years, I've arrived at the conclusion T_O_M stated here- except we don't have cougars and only recently have there been black bear sightings where I live and hunt, so I don't actually need a .44 magnum.




So, I've arrived at the conclusion that I need to decide before I leave for a hike or whatever, what the purpose of the gun is. If it's to shoot targets of opportunity and maybe try to bag a small game animal or two, I need to either bring ear plugs or take a suppressed gun. If the purpose of packing is to have a gun for my personal comfort/ security while I do other things, where the most likely predator that I would encounter would be the two legged kind, I want something more powerful than a .22 LR.

For the former purpose, I have a 22/45 Lite & suppressor. For the latter, I would've gone with my 5" aluminum frame 1911 until recently, but I bought a 3" S&W 60 that I've worked over a little bit and have grown pretty fond of it.

Agree with this.

I see a lot of gun writer and youtube types putting down the concept of the Governor, but I think it is a damn good gun. Useful, and fun to shoot.

I’ll join the chorus of people advocating for the Sig 365. Great gun. Fired over 1000 rounds without a jam of any kind, plenty accurate, and really small. Best choice, in my experience.

The compact Glock G30S would be a solid choice.



It is lightweight, yet has sufficient capacity for a compact .45 ACP pistol (10+1)

With proper ammo selection it will likely handle any aggressive animal, large or small.

It is also roughly the size of a G19, so it is pretty comfortable to carry on a regular basis, so a guy is not likely to leave it in a pack or his camper instead of wearing it in a chest pack, or belt holster.

If I'm carrying a pistol these days it is a PPQ45 or a short, heavy frame Vaquero in 45 Colt.

And I am damn near always carrying a pistol.