Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Handguns Perfect Packin Pistol

I love that MK II.

Were those factory 2”?

Alan, NICE pic of that great Moose, don't know how you could sell that one after that hunt !

I've heard many rave on the Bisley grip, my last BHK was a SS 4 5/8 44 mag, had pachmayr's worked fine, but mostly shot a mild load with Universal Clays, about 9 grains IIRC, with 240 cast. REALLY liked an OMBH in 41, had an aluminum frame, not too heavy loaded, with fluted cylinders. That would be awesome gun if you had that same aluminum frame, in a bisley style, flat top, SS, fluted......

Enjoy that new shorty. Deflave, I recall setting eyes on a 696 long ago, 3", SURE Seemed like a handy piece, seldom seen. I'm sure the Ruger does not disappoint.

I remember reading John Taffins articles about this subject and thoroughly agreed. My de-evolution of this process started with a Freedom Arms .454 then to a Ruger Vaquero in .45 Colt shooting heavy Buffalo Bore loads and has finally arrived at the .45 Colt New Vaquero. It's almost dainty compared to the two larger guns. A handload pushing the 270-SAA bullet at near 1000fps is enough to take down anything I'll encounter in the lower 48.

Skeeter Skelton was writing about the perfect trail gun before Taffin's packing pistol articles.

http://darkcanyon.net/What's%20The%20Best%20Trail%20Gun%20For%20You.htm

I fondled one in Grices gun shop in Pa. last year and nearly had them ship it here. Probably should have because I've not seen one here.

What my outdoor situation is determines what I’m packing with me.

G20 in a Gunfighters Inc. chest rig has been my primary sidearm for hunting, hiking/camping. The GFI holster system is all day comfort with excellent access to the pistol. 10mm ain’t 44 mag, but still good medicine for pissed off fur.

The Ruger LCR 38 +P was a freak purchase I made looking for a ultra-light packing gun primarily as a spring-summer snake gun.
It’s no Ruger SP101, but for its price point and excellent accuracy out of the box with everything I’ve fed it. It’s an excellent revolver that I’d recommend anyone try out. Especially, now that it comes in 357 mag.

My Ruger Redhawk 44 mag is a beautiful beast to my eyes.
Stoked with hard hitting Buff solids. It would probably do just fine in turning a black bear away from thinking me or the wife are good eats.
I need to shoot it more to become proficient with it like my Glock 20.

I’m well covered for a woods handgun with these 3. 😎

In a traditional revolver I would pick a Smith & Wesson Mountain Gun 44 Magnum.

In the non-traditional category I would take a Glock 20 in the SF frame and with the trigger guard undercut and rounded up.

Sarge,
Agreement on the S&W Mtn Gun. I owned an earlier version. It came to me lightly used with a very nice trigger job.

I was young and a financial crisis caused me to have to trip it.

It was a helluva lot easier to run on target then my Redhawk.

😎

Just to be contrary, I'll agree on the platforms but insert .45lc and acp.

George

Nothing contrary about that George. I've run both your mentioned cartridges for decades and killed a lot of stuff with both. I could just as easy get along with the 45 LC/ACP Redhawk, as any of them.

I do enjoy my 10mm, but the P220SAO that i shoot it in, to me, doesn’t fit into the ‘packin’ pistol’ category.

Hard to beat either of those! Especially in Bear Country.

If I’m not in Bear Country, my Glock 32 in .357 Sig suffices pretty well too.

My old Ruger 44.

I remember those articles too. Back then one of the things to do was to take those smaller framed FlatTops in .357 and convert them to a .44 spl or .45. I always wanted one of those conversions but never got around to it.

Then one day Ruger introduced the New Vaquero. I think I waited 30 years for Ruger to make that revolver.

That's a nice one Ed. What load are you shooting now?

Yes sir, I think they called it 4” but that’s to the end of the bolt face. They originally came with the thumbrest grips that came on the slab sides. Super handy!! Everybody that shoots it loves it.

I am really liking my Ruger GP-100 in 44 Sp. with 3" barrel. However, with grizzlies not far from my doorstep I do carry a M29 when in some areas. I had an acquaintance killed by a grizzly while dressing out a elk and we all remember the Wyoming guide who suffered the same fate under the same circumstances. Bear spray would be a good idea too.

We just had a guy attacked last week by a sow griz while out hiking in west central Montana. He had a gun (no idea what caliber) and was able to use it on her which drove her away. She was later killed by F&G. He did suffer a bite to his thigh though. That's 5 attacks in 6 months as far as I can remember.

in bear country i just have always packed a 4 inch barreled 44 mag.in a leather holster, sometimes bowhunting deer i pack a kel-tec 22 mag semi-auto pistol/30 shot clip.

That's a fugkin' sweetheart. I will keep an eye out.

Love those faux ivories too.

Thanks.

If I lived out in western MT. where sis does, I'd still be walking around with my 629 Classic. For as many references as I've seen here to packing a .44 Magnum something, I don't see any references to loading it down with .44 Specials. That Classic of mine was $400. in a pawn shop with one cylinder of magnums through it. Some woman had bought it new, shot it once and decided it was too much gun. Not knowing that she could have shot .44 Specials through it got me a heck of a deal.