Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Handguns The ideal back packing pistol.

My current favorite is a Ruger SS Convertible in .22 Magnum. I've been making lots of noise about the new Ruger Bearcat and the new S&W Kit Gun.
The Kit Gun comes in .38/.357 as well as .22 LR. Even more so is their other light .38/.357, the Mtn. Light. All of 18 ozs. and seven rds. The Kit Gun goes 12 ozs. Both have adjustable sights and 3 inch barrels. Even at 18 ozs., the Mtn. Light is far lighter than the 32 oz. Ruger I currently pack. Or the 24 oz. Bearcat would be. And, of course, the .38 Special is much better field round.
To me, 18 ozs. would give me more weight to allow better shooting. And the .38 Special, with light, target ammo, kills small stuff amazingly well w/o meat damage. My experience with the .22's, both the magnum and the LR hollowpoints is either they don't kill well enough (the .22 HP) or they tear up too much meat in the magnum. I'm not good enough to make head shots most of the time.
Anybody have one of these light .38/.357 wheelguns ? How do they work for you ? E

The new S&W 329 would be great for backpacking. It only weighs 26.5 ounces and packs a big punch.

I think the difference in weight is not that big a deal for carring, felt recoil and recovery time is more important IMHO. But then I packed a 5" 29 for many years, so what do I know.

I have an S&W J frame .38 with a three inch barrel, high viz front sight, adjustable rear, and made of titanium. It's so light that it feels like it's made of wood. This would be an ideal backpacker.

How come nobody likes the Charter Arms Bulldog in stainless and .44 special?

I have one in stainless with a 2 in. barrel that I carry. It is not a really high quality gun but for carrying for use as a pack gun it works fine. Used it once too on some dogs that I wrote about some months ago.

Don't own one or I probably would carry it when I take out the trash or work around the yard. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/ooo.gif" alt="" />

Sometimes pack a S&W Mod 10.

E

A few years back, someone in one of the monthly rags did a test with 22 mags. I was surprised to learn that the Win. 22 mag. FMJ did the best overall in his tests. It expanded well (suprise) and penetrated very well. I went out and bought a case of them...@ about $6.00/box.

Backpack pistol, if I was to do that, it would be my Ti-S&W 296 in 44 spec. (it is really an ugly gun). About 16oz. Don't even know I have it on. I don't mind the weight of my older 629 mtn gun or model 19 Smiths, though.

Backpack? You know E. I feed my nag 365 days a year, I figure in return he can carry my butt up and down those Mtns. a few of those days. He has a pretty good life.

I have been eyeballing a 7 shooters Ti w/Hi-vis sights at my local gun shop. Also, a 686 7 shooter w/a BIG tritium (SP?) front sight.

Prospector

EVERY TUB HAS TO SIT ON ITS OWN BOTTOM.

I started with a S&W 34 Kit Gun that my Dad bought for me in 1971. I've had a bunch of them and their variations since then. My problem is that I just can't shoot them as well as a K Frame.

I now carry a .22 Magnum K Frame S&W. I like my rifles light and handguns with a little "heft".

It's not light by any stretch of the imagination, but I can shoot it well enough to bag the occasional grey squirrel that's too stupid to remain in the gene pool. It gives me .22 LR "rifle" ballistics in a handgun.

As far as ballistics go, the .22 Magnum out of a 5.5 inch barrel is pretty good - far better than any .22 LR I've tried. I understand they clock about 1450-1550 fps. Out of a 4 inch, they don't do nearly as well.
They will anchor a Jack on the spot with a chest hit or a hip to shoulder shot.
I've done in a small sidewinder with the so called ineffective bird shot load. One was all it took.
Squirrels don't go anywhere either with a chest hit.
Hence my preference for a .38 over a .22. If I think I need a .44 Mag., I've got a 4 inch that's as light as I want to go. E

I get about 1350 out of the 648 (6") with the WW 40 grain. The WW Supreme gets close to 1500.

Many serpents have been the victims of the "ineffective" .22 LR and .22 Magnum shot loads. I like the smaller sized shot. Seem to work better out of handguns than rifles.

Can't use centerfires on small game here 'cept when small game season runs concurrent with big game seasons.

I've got two Charter .44's and love them. One has a three inch barrel, the other is the target model with a 4"barrel and adj. rear sight. I bought them new back in the 80's. They are both very accurate - I have Pachmayer compac grips on both of them - Whenever I go back in the mountains I always have one of them with me - they are so light and compact you hardly know you're packing anything! LBT 255. gr bullets are my favorite -

Gary

I like carrying my Glock 20, 10mm outdoors. With 15 PMC 200gr FMJ flat points in the gun, I feel pretty comfortably equipped for about any encounter one might imagine.

MM

I carry a Ruger Bisley Vaquero .45 LC, loaded up with a large dose of w296 behind a 260 gr Jfp. This load will handle any black bear or mt. lion, or 2-legged varmint, in my area. I usually carry in a backpack, rather than around by waist. I always know where it is for quick access.

My favorite is a 4" Charter Arms Bulldog in .44 spec. It's a bit much to pack some days but it does carry well in a hip holster or a modified shoulder rig on a backpack. The alloy frame helps considerably with weight and rust protection. I handload some rounds down to a low power which really helps with meat destruction on small game. I like having that big chunk of lead as a bit of reassurance when dealing with feral dogs and feral humans in this area.

I like the Federal 50 grain gold dots in my 22mag pistol. I am not positive, but expect that I get a lot more energy out of my S&W model 48 than I would with lighter ammo.

when I go backpacking I carry my wife's Glock 26 9mm...I'm more concerned about wild humans than wild animals

Conrad,

I've heard mixed opinions on the Gold Dots. Are they accurate in your Model 48?

Regards,
JB

I have not shot them for groups. All I can say is that I had no problem hitting ground squirrels with them.

My main worry in the boonies is two legged varmints, and then four legged, so a handgun with sufficient power is a must. This rules out the .22's. On the other hand, almost all the shooting will be plinking for fun, much of it by my wife, kids and friends, so something easy to shoot is a must. Not much fills that bill like a .38/.357 revolver.

My own preference is a stainless Smith Mod 60 j-frame with 3" barrel and adj sights. Small enough to pack easily, big enough to shoot easily. Will fire anything from cheap .38 reloads to heavy .357 loads. The titaniums are lighter but pack a nasty kick, plus you can't shoot lead bullets in them.

BW

You can shoot target wadcutters in the titanium J Frame .38s. Not enough recoil to pull out the bullets. Target wadcutters are great plinking rounds, and are even first rate for taking small game (adequate for self defense too). Cuts a nice clean hole through a rabbit or squrrel, and they are very accurate.

I recently picked up a S&W Ti 357. 3" with hi-viz sights, Built on the J frame. It weighs under a pound and is the neatest thing for packing that I've ever had ahold of. This gun is so light that it feels like I'm packing a plastic squirt gun! Recoil is a little stiff but any 3" 357 will be anyway. I can pack it all day in an IWB holster and never feel any discomfort.
Good luck with your choice. Virgil B.