Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Handguns Perfect Packin Pistol

John Taffin created it. "Basically a Perfect Packin' Pistol is a handgun — either sixgun or semi-auto — with an easy handling barrel length between 4″ to 51/2″ chambered in a cartridge capable of handling anything you may run into. It's packable, portable and potent. It may be chambered in anything from .22 LR up to .500 Wyoming Express." In terms of "packing pistol" my understanding is that John was referring to a woods gun, not a CCW for packin on the street.

Mine varies, but is typically a Volkmann tuned Kimber Custom II in 10mm and more recently a Dan Wesson Bobtail Valor Commander in 10mm. Occasionally it's a G23 or SW 44 mag Mountain Gun. Been really digging the DW lately; I give up some velocity but it's packable, extremely accurate, great sights, and will cover 95% of my needs in the woods.

Off the top of my head here are some pistols that got considerable holster time in the woods over the years...

Ruger Single Six .22 Mag
Ruger Standard Auto .22 LR
S&W M63 .22 LR

Ruger Security Six .357 Mag (several of these over the years)
S&W M19/66 .357 Mag (again, several of these over the years)
S&W M15 .38 Special
Colt Detective Special .38 Special
Ruger Blackhawk .41 & .44 Mag
S&W M29 .44 Mag

Colt Gold Cup 1911 .45 ACP
Colt Lwt Commander 1911 .45 ACP
Colt Delta Elite 1911 10mms
Glock 20 10mm

Today because of the high likelihood to run into a bunch of wild hogs and/or the occasional bear I most often go strapped with the Glock 10mm. But my sentimental favorite is probably the old S&W M63. The Ruger MKIV LITE would be good... and a 4" M19 is always a good choice. It's getting mushroom hunting time and something is going to get the packed while I stalk the elusive morel.

Mine is mostly a 629 Mountain Gun. I've toted it hunting, fishing and just prowling through the woods.

While we have a few bear moving in, pigs are my biggest concern and snakes, forgot about snakes but a load of snake shot coming out of a 44 pistol works well.

S&W 329. Carry a lot, shoot very little with full power loads. Killed a pronghorn doe with it at 85 yards.

Mine is a five shot GP100 44 Special with a 3” barrel. Unless I’m going out in people, then it’s a Sig 365 with the 12 rnd magazine. For packing..... for play, it’s still one of my 44 mag Redhawks.

S&W 657 Mountain Gun 41 Magnum, 5.5 inch Ruger Flattop Bisley 44 Special and 5.5 inch Ruger Bisley 45 Colt.

Since I usually have a rifle when I'm out in the woods, this works well. Walther PP in .22.
Bob

I've had a couple Ruger SBHs that others had shortened to 5 1/2", and both were pretty handy in the right leather. Otherwise, a good 5" 1911 is pretty nice, too. Another worthy of mention was a 4" RB 686 CS-1 .357, a perfect sized gun I never should have sold.

Ruger 4 5/8 44 spcl flat top. Custom Ruger octagon barrel Bisley 4 5/8 45 Colt. Ruger 5 1/2 Bisley 45 Colt. And though I really like the little 44, I'm more of a 45 fan. Powerful, packable, practical.

Here's my version:



It's also fun to shoot.

The gun, loaded with 10 rounds, and the holster weigh 26 ounces all-in. I switch to Xtreme Penetrators off-pavement.

MId framed sized old model Ruger conversion to 41 Mag. Light, short barrel, potent.

I like a revolver for packing afield. I rotate between a S&W model 63, and a three inch Model 60 with adjustable sights.

I bought into the concept a soon as Taffins first mention of it. It might have been during the announcement of the S&W Mountain Gun, but I'm not sure. I do know that as soon as one was available I had to have one. It's a 629-2.
Before that I'd carried a 1911 in the woods quite a bit & still think it's a good PPP. Taffin was also delighted with the special runs of 5.5" stainless Ruger Bisleys that Accusport commissioned & wrote a lot about them. I agreed & had to have some of those as well.

Geography plays a big role as to what the PPP in IMO, & in my area, other than deer season, A Glock 23/19 or 4" 357 double action is fine is a good choice.

Then there's the sadistic 329 Smith. All the power of any mentioned, & lighter as well. Mine is carried with snake shot for rattlers while prairie dog shooting out west & specials around home.

All mentioned have spent a good bit of time with me in several locations. But when it all boiled down to the most carried & used, it all goes back to a .22. I sold a S&W 4" model 63 once that I'd had for some time & my brother ask; what in the hell is wrong with you! That gun was with you a lot & it killed more small game & varmints than anything you own!

He was right, I had to go buy another.

For me it is a Ruger New Model Vaquero in .45 Colt with a 4 5/8 inch barrel. It is built on the smaller Ruger frame which makes it lighter than the Super Black Hawks. It is the same size as the Colt single actions. It has that classic look and will do what ever I need a revolver to do.

I'll also give an honorable mention to my S&W M-13 which packs very nicely when spending a day in the woods.

I'm not so sure .22 or any of the mouse calibers technically qualify. Those fall more under the umbrella of trail or camp pistol. A PPP should be reasonably powerful enough for defensive use against any two or four legged critters that may be encountered.

Depends on where I'm trekking. In WI. it is a S&W M34 4" .22 because about the meanest think where I go is a red squirrel. In FL. it is a S&W M337PD .38 Special with snake loads up first and a few +P Specials in the cylinder to follow.

OK;that's a reasonable assumption. This one has killed a couple of pigs up-close.
Bob

Hiking around home, it's my M&P340 loaded with .38 +P DPX. When in the UP, it's the same gun but loaded with BB .38 +P Outdoorsman loads. I wish that I could just carry a 317 for plinking, but you never know when Mr Stupid is going to come walking down the trail towards you. I thought that I was going to have a problem on the Jordan River Pathway once, of all places.

If carrying a centerfire hunting rifle or shotgun I like a .22 handgun just fine. If the handgun is the only firearm I have I tend to like a little more juice than a .22 rimfire pistol offers.

I totally agree that your definition is correct. My drift was just that.

.357 magnum power & up, in a packable handgun should be the theme. Seems I recall 50 ounces as the ceiling.

S&W, BTW blew this out of the water 2 more times after the Mountain Gun. My hat is off to their engineering dept.