Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire Trail gun- 51/2 or 61/2" barrel?

Deg..,

Don't understand those negative comments re the .357. I carried a Smith M19 four inch every day for six years. It killed everything I needed it to. Ammo is cheaper and easier to find and also lighter.

Now days I carry a three inch 696 in 44spl. Everything about it is heavier and I load my own ammo. My old M19 is in semi retirement.

But it's a Ford-Chevy thing. If you want a 357 get it and be happy.

O

I've considered sticking with my PT1911. As far as my caliber choice, I picked the .357 cause for plinking, and option of shooting .38 or .357 depending on ammo availablity and using rat shot on "ole no-shoulders". Plus it's packs enough (imo) to handle any deer I'd encounter out to 50 or so. Naturally the solution to all these much appreciated opinions and advise, is to buy at least one of everything I've personally considered. But there-in lies another decision.....how to get the scratch to pull off such a mind blowing, fantasy enduced shopping spree as that would be
Just so happens that in Little Rock there is a place called Don's Weaponry where you can test-fire before you buy. The 41 mag was actually my first choice and the 45LC ran a close 2nd....but the 357 won out for reasons i mentioned. At least til I go do a "test fire" on some of the short barreled bigguns this Thursday and make a more educated choice.
Thanks to everyone for your insight

Mine has served me well.

I picked up a S&W 396 ti 44 special in 4.5 inch and it's turned out to be a helluva fine trail gun.

It's a feather and it's accurate...It blows away the 629 heavyweights I've had. They're fine relovers, but you'll feel that weight after a long day.

What holster you use makes a big difference in what you can carry comfortably.

I use a S&W 25-7 .45 Colt as my all around gun and with it's 5" barrel I have no problems at all.

Of course I use a high quality chest type holster that gives the best of all worlds in my opinion!






Look up "Guides Choice" if you're interested.

Keith

12 inch i love a good buntline good for everything carry in a cross draw it rides nice.

5 1/2"!

Go shorter. I finally ended up with a 4" SP101, but I have other calibers in longer lengths.

It is a personal decision with many right answers. It depends on what you think, not a bunch of people you have never met.

In .357 I like a 4 in or 4 5/8 in barrel on the hip. For .44 mag and up, I like a 6 in barrel carried cross-draw.

Measure your inseam. If it's like mine, you'll have to use the 5.5" barrel or the front sight will drag on the ground.

In .357, my choice is 4". In .45 Colt, which I carry more than the others, it is 5.5".

The .357 rides in a strong-side hip holster, the .45 Colt rides crossdraw.

Neither one is a bad choice for an all-around trail pistol.

Ed

Now that is a prepared pistolero. I have a crossdraw for my Ruger 4 5/8ths .41 Mag and a tanker for my Smith 4" .44 Special.

I like this...

This is nice too...

I appreciate any and all input here and other questions I've posted. I find even the "not so positive" to be something to learn from.
Karnis...that chitt was funny
To everyone else please feel free to post pics of what you have. I like the gun porn and ideas for my next piece. Understand though, at least one of you stand high risk of having me copy what you have. Carry on......

In the right holster, no. They're not heavy.

In the Triple K Wyoming belt with Cheyenne holster, I don't notice the weight at all. And that's with 25 rounds in the belt loops. It's heavy overall, but the way it sits on the hips, you don't notice at all.

I use this rig for hunting. I probably hike around 7 miles a day, for six days. Average probably. Very hilly terrain. I love this rig. I've tried all sorts of sidearms and holsters. Including a 1911 in a paddle holster. And I've not found anything more comfortable than this. I used to get back to camp and immediately remove all the excess weight. Now I don't even drop the rig. Dump my pack and start cookin. Now, a comfortable pack is something I ain't found yet.

Triple K leather is as good as it gets. It's not fancy and period correct like El Paso. But this set up is a working rig, not show. And the price can't be beat with a stick. Nothing against El Paso. If I wanted fancy, high quality, period correct leather I'd likely go there. But for a durable, comfortable, high quality rig that still looks nice, Triple K is it. Treated with Balistol, this one rig has lasted several years without any signs of fatigue or stress.

As to barrel length, I prefer the 5.5 if I think I might be taking longer shots with it. It's a personal thing, but I "feel" steadier with it. As to caliber, I like the .45 Colt of all the "4s". As for .357, I don't think there's anything wrong with it. I like .45 because my rifle takes it as well and that's my primary hunting rifle.

As for cost, well, the .357 has the .45 beat there. If cost is your main concern, you're better off not getting anything. If you keep the concerns to defense and handgun hunting, the .45 is just a little better than that .357.

For a trail gun the barrel lengths you're asking about are way too long. Think 3 inch. Pack in a waist holster where its handy. If you don't think your caliber of choice packs enough punch in 3 inch then up your caliber. A 3 inch .44 mag is more comfortable to carry than a 5 inch or longer .357.

Normally, I'd agree. But he's also talking about using it to hunt with. It's hard to say there's a barrel length that is the best of those two worlds. But I'd err on the side of hunting in this case.

I carried a Ruger .45LC with 4-5/8" for several years. I tried longer barrels, but when hunting out of tree stands like I do a lot the 4-5/8" was the longest I could use and not have the barrel push the grips up against the side rails on tree climbing stands when sitting.

Shoulder hostler would remedy that, but I liked wearing it on my hip.

Arkansas has a minimum 4" barrel length. Y'all wouldn't believe how hard it is to find a 4-5" barreled in any we've mentioned. I did find a really nice stainless S&W .357 in 6" today. Can't remember model- $599.00 I thought was a little high. So for now and scouting, placing stands I've got my little Taurus 941.
Anyone know a leather cross draw that's not over $50?