Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire Which one and why?

I sure would. I would say to Phil Shoemaker, "Mackay-Sagebrush asked me which one of these two loads I would carry for bear. Of these two, which one would you choose?"

And he might say, "Well, if I have to choose and I can only choose between these two, I'll go with [X]."

And I'd say, "Good enough for me!"

Thank you.

I have had that compass since I was an Infantryman many years ago. I may rely on more modern technology these days, but the old school compass is never far as even in the worst weather it will not fail, nor does its batteries.

Multiple people have mentioned revolvers of different stripes. I have carried, and still do carry a .44 magnum quite often. I could not even want to guess the miles traveled and hours I have had one on my belt.

My first Model 29 (but not my first .44 Magnum) was a 6.5" M29-2. It was carried for a long time and used for virtually everything from big game to ground squirrels. Still have it, and while it is a bit worn down finish wise, it is still completely serviceable. I found the 6.5" to be great for hunting, with its long sight radius, but a bit long as a hiking gun.





The 4" served better there





When weight is at a premium I will likely carry a polymer frame auto, but there are lots of times, that it is not a factor and the .44 Mag will get the nod.

.44 Magnums and .45 Colts are pretty hard to beat in a good double action gun that is fitted with a set of grips that fit properly, matched with a load that you can shoot quickly and accurately.

No grizzlies here and rarely a black bear. Coyotes and maybe a feral hog. There are reports of feral hogs in the next county. I carry a 4" S&W M65 with 180gr WFN hard cast bullets over a max charge of H110.

What kind of stocks are your N frames wearing Mac? I like the look of them, factory Targets are too big for my hands.

Those are Herretts Ropers.

You can get them made to fit your hands.

Mackay, when shooting your 29-2 excessively, you don't have any issues? Which finally led to the endurance package S&W offered to their customers after they found out that longer stop-notches in the cylinder can eliminate the problem of a rotating cylinder under heavy recoil. Also a bolt block was installed.

I have had around a dozen 29-2s over the years.

The first one, the 6.5" has many thousands of rounds through it. I know one spring/summer in college I bought 2500 240 grain hardcast SWCs from the Oregon Trail Bullet Company, loaded and fired every one of them. I was shooting them all at ground squirrels. We had a bumper crop that year and I wanted to get good with my new (to me) .44 Magnum. I also fired a good number of heavy 300-320 grain loads. It was intended for truly big game such as elk/moose. That said, the majority have been 240-250 grain SWCs pushed to about 1200-1250 FPS depending on barrel length, since that is a load that gets everything done that I need to with a .44 Magnum for 90+% of the game I hunt. After a number of years of experimenting when I was younger I learned that I really did not need the super heavy, top end loads, as the 240 SWCs were going all the way through Mule Deer and other game that I typically shot.

I reserved the heavy loads for elk and dangerous game. Over the course of time from all the firing (part of it from fast DA firing) the action has become a bit loose, which while it functions fine, I could tighten it up by fitting a new hand, and probably cylinder stop. Both of which are no big deal. There is much written about how "weak" the Model 29s are, but it is rare, outside of competition guns that have been subjected to a bunch of very heavy loads that actually needs repair, to find one that is completely beyond repair, and as stated above, those repairs are not difficult at all if you know what you are doing.

People often confuse/associate simple repairs and parts replacements with a gun that is completely worn out. There is no doubt that the Redhawk is a gun that is more suited for truly heavy loads, but the Model 29 will take literally thousands upon thousands of standard magnum loads with ease. These days I use a 5" Model 29-6 Classic which has the enhanced features. It is used for testing and well as in the field hunting due to its incredible accuracy.

I think quite highly of the Redhawks, as they are truly fantastic revolvers. That said, the Model 29 is in a class all by itself and will always be the quintessential .44 Magnum revolver.

Mac, how did you carry your 6.5" in the field? X-draw Sparks?

I'm open to suggestions!

Since I don't own a 10mm, I would choose the 45 in my S&W M&P 2.0.

BMT

I actually carried it in a very old Smith and Wesson brand straight drop belt holster that I have had since my early 20s.

FN 5.7x28
It’s like a rifle in a pistol package.
Until you’ve seen one in action you won’t understand.

There is an extremely good reason why the 5.7x28 was tested by numerous special mission units, who decided to pass on them.

But if someone want to use one as a bear pistol, that might make for some lively entertainment.

Mackay,

If I might ask, what brand of compass and are they still available. I'd like to add a better one to my always with me pack when hunting.

Old Gen 3 G20 nothing stock about it. Kkm barrel, trijicon hd xr night sights, vickers trigger, stainless steel extractor.

For the bear, and who else might be watching. I'll take heavy as possible and at moderate velocity.

I've posted it before. It is concise and gives all the reasons why for this choice, but this is the post that will end this argument.


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That is an old U.S. Military issued compass produced by Stocker and Yale. I don't know about availability, but I am sure they have similar models, as it is a very standard design.

That will do the job for sure.

I was up at a friends Saturday for a revolver shoot. Was primarily packing a 4" 629 in a Milt Sparks Summer Special, but brought along a couple others just to shoot and practice with.



Took my time getting there and checked out some places I hunt each year. Still pretty green. A few animals around as low as I was (8,000 FT).

45 acp hardcast, as rather a good amount of it already lives at the house. The platform would most likely be a G21. Mine's been stone axe reliable since it came out of the box.

I do not have a 10mm so I would use a 1811 45acp. We do have grizzlies where we live and if i go out amongst them I carry a 4 inch model 629 or 6 inch model 57. Both with heavy hard cast loads. if bird hunting I carry a 12 gauge auto. with slugs in my pocket for whatever good that would do.