Back county pistol, what do you guys think?

[Howard1955]

Mine's a 5" .357 GP100, loaded with Buffalo Bore 180gr hard cast.

I'm with Stomper on this one. Hang onto your revolver, and carry a semi-auto too. My 3.8" XDM .45 fills that niche.

 

[FullMetalJerk]

.357 magnum, .44 magnum, .41 magnum, .45 Super (easy to convert a .45acp), 10mm, .460 Rowland, or even .40S&W. And some hot n' heavy solid copper or brass, hard cast, or FMJ bullets.

 

[Alexx1401]

I'm starting to look for a new general purpose back county pistol to take camping/deer/elk/bear hunting with me in western Washington. Currently I carry a 4 inch Ruger GP100 in .357 magnum but I'm wanting something with higher capacity. My ideas: Kimber Camp Guard 10mm, Glock 20sf, S&W M&P 2.0 .45ACP, or one of the new Ruger SR1911 10mms. Looking for input, Whats your favorite back country handgun?

For me something in 10mm would be the best. Which platform is totally dependent on you. Glock makes a GREAT pistol but they are not my cup of tea so to speak. If you like them you can't go wrong with one. If you like the 1911 platform to me that's the best gun ever invented. As has been mentioned the 10mm seems to finally be popping up in a few guns now and the round is VERY good for what you are after.

 

[Sgt Nambu]

Bust loose a full house .357 at tweakers, they'll leave! But, I get wanting an auto loader! These days in the woods (a rarity) I just carry a Sig .45ACP, capacity is 9 and 1. But, it's for outlaws, and cougars! Back in the olden days, I liked the 6" .357 because I could hit little bitty stuff, far away!

 

[Alexx1401]

Carried a six inch .357 in the woods for decades! Never needed more capacity or power! I guess the hoards of bloody criminals missed me!

I sold a 1911 to a "non gun guy" one time decades ago. He was not anti gun, just felt people who wandered in the back county with a gun other than for hunting were tinfoil hat types. Then one day he and girl were out backpacking way out in the back county. They stumbled onto a camp with a bunch of drunk guys literally in the middle of nowhere. Nothing happened but he said he had never been so uncomfortable in his entire life. He came to me, tried some wheel guns and a 1911. Ended up with a 1911 and said he would NEVER set foot in the wild like that again without one. This is a too each his own. Most will go their entire life and never "need" a gun. To me I treat it like the old American Express commercial. Never leave home without it.

 

[Sgt Nambu]

^^^I get that! The wife and I came down to the trail head after an REI sponsored mountain lake clean up, and found out from the driver that two young college women had been murdered in their tent just up the road! The perp had run over the tent with his vehicle and finished up with an axe! To the best of my knowledge it remains unsolved. Carried in the woods every time after that.

 

[Misteramax]

^^^I get that! The wife and I came down to the trail head after an REI sponsored mountain lake clean up, and found out from the driver that two young college women had been murdered in their tent just up the road! The perp had run over the tent with his vehicle and finished up with an axe! To the best of my knowledge it remains unsolved. Carried in the woods every time after that.

Jeeze...man. no one should die like that.

 

[Alexx1401]

^^^I get that! The wife and I came down to the trail head after an REI sponsored mountain lake clean up, and found out from the driver that two young college women had been murdered in their tent just up the road! The perp had run over the tent with his vehicle and finished up with an axe! To the best of my knowledge it remains unsolved. Carried in the woods every time after that.

Yep when I was young a very good friend of mine was murdered camping. Her and another girl hitchhiked up into Olympic Peninsula and set up camp. Some scum who had given them a ride showed up in the night and tied them up and stabbed them. They of course caught him for all the good that does. Even back then, hippie and all I was, I carried when we went out. MOST of my friends DID NOT like the gun when they knew I had one, until this happened. All of a sudden they were real quiet about me and my evil gun.

 

[B3dlam]

I carry a glock 20 with TLR-1 either in a hip holster or a Hill People Gear Recon Chest pack.

 

[MasterChief]

Speaking of.....I would love to have one of these.....just wish someone made a cheaper version. Any companies I dont know about? Great for 4 or 2 legged threats.

Amazon.com : Kenai Chest Holster for Glock 20/21/37, MAS Grey / Coyote, Right Hand : Sports & Outdoors

 

[MilitantBEEMER]

I usually carry my Glock 19 and if not that my 1911 in 45. With the right loads 9mm can handle anything you would come across. Last year a guide in Alaska took down a grizzly that was charging a group of fisherman with a 9mm.
Now if I owned a 10mm I would take that instead.
Additionally I plan on packing a 12g late summer when bear season resumes. If I have to go retrieve a downed bear, I want the 12g as my retrieval gun in case the bear is not quite dead.

 

[MrMillspecer]

On first thought I was going to say the 357. But it would be depending on the level of dust or mud it may be exposed to. In my experience with wheel guns it doesn't take much dust or dirt to throw off the cylinder movement and indexing. If kept fairly clean it would be my first choice.

But , I would choose the 1911 if it had a good chance of getting dusty or dirty. Only a 1911 that's a proven runner.

I wouldn't feel under gunned with a hi cap 9mm. But that's just me. Its mostly the two legged animals you need protection from.

 

[MilitantBEEMER]

Speaking of.....I would love to have one of these.....just wish someone made a cheaper version. Any companies I dont know about? Great for 4 or 2 legged threats.

Amazon.com : Kenai Chest Holster for Glock 20/21/37, MAS Grey / Coyote, Right Hand : Sports & Outdoors

I have had my eye on one of these. Just Wish these were not so expensive!!

 

[ZS27]

With true 10mm loads it outperforms the 357 magnum plus the diameter of the bullet is bigger, you have quicker follow up shots, and its quicker to reload. Underwood ammo is great. If you like glocks a g20 or g40 would be great i rec replacing the barrel with a normal lands and groves style because the glock twist rate is 1 in 10 and all the aftermarket barrels twist rate is 1 in 16. Tikkakoski and i have personally witnessed stabalization issues with a factory glock barrel on his longslide G40 that caused the rounds to keyhole. I had a kimber eclipse 10mm the thing constantly had feeding issues and there customer service was crap. At least with the ruger 10mm customer service will be good.

 

[The Heretic]

I call such sidearms a "field gun"; i.e., when I go "afield" what handgun would I carry - if I were to carry?

It would either be a .22 'kit gun" (right now, literally a S&W Kit Gun) or my S&W 329 PD in .44 magnum, or both if I was hunting (which I haven't in a long time) or on some trip in the backwoods where I might get lost.

My main reasons for carrying in the backwoods would be something I could use to signal with (if I got lost), something I could use to take game with and lastly something I could defend myself with - less against humans than large predators (not much of a threat, but just in case).

My main thing is weight, so both handguns are light. I would maybe carry an extra speed-loader or two for the 329 but I don't think I would need that much ammo. The .22 on the other hand, I would carry 50 to 100 extra rounds, but then that ammo is light and small.

I could carry a Glock, or a SIG or a Kahr or a number of other semi-autos, but I just don't feel the need. Indeed, I usually don't feel the need to carry at all.

 

[FullMetalJerk]

If you think you only need a .22lr in the woods... check out Missing 411 by David Paulides. You might change your mind after some investigating into this subject. It seems there's something large and sneaky taking people of all ages only feet away from others in national parks. Some blame sasquatch or possibly something else. Many theories about who or what is responsible for all the unaccounted missing people.

 

[MasterChief]

I have had my eye on one of these. Just Wish these were not so expensive!!

Maybe we could make one?

Amazon.com : Hazard 4 Varness Shoulder Harness for VentraPack, Coyote : Tactical Bag Accessories : Sports & Outdoors

&

Amazon.com : BlackHawk Serpa CQC Belt Loop and Paddle Holster For Glock 17/22/31 Right Hand Black : Gun Holsters : Sports & Outdoors


and some jimmy-rigging?

 

[The Heretic]

If you think you only need a .22lr in the woods... check out Missing 411 by David Paulides. You might change your mind after some investigating into this subject. It seems there's something large and sneaky taking people of all ages only feet away from others in national parks. Some blame sasquatch or possibly something else. Many theories about who or what is responsible for all the unaccounted for missing people.

I've tromped around, by myself, in the woods of the PNW (Orygun, WA, ID, MT, AK) for 5+ decades. Indeed, since I was a kid. On foot, in 4x4s, on dirt bikes, on mountain bikes, on skis and snowshoes.

I have never really needed a firearm (except of course when I was hunting) - although I sometimes carried one (especially in Alaska and Montana).

I have not gone missing yet - although a few times I was temporarily unsure of exactly the direction I needed to go and/or not correct about exactly where I was.

I am more worried about injuring myself (falling, tripping, etc.) or having a stroke/heart attack/etc. than I am about wild animals (including bigfoot). I like it in the woods - I feel safer there than in any city.

 

[MrMillspecer]

Out here almost everyone is carrying in the woods. I've started taking my AR truck gun so I'm not the guy with the pistol trying to take on guys with rifles. Worst case scenario but stuff happens.

 

[Misteramax]

Ok guys. Just traded out of something I don't want and only payed 70 bucks for this like new third gen. I love how after I completely trash talk the 10mm I go get one the next day. I'm such a gun whore. I'm gonna build off this one and see if 10mm will convert me or not.