Pistol Recommendations for Hiking

[EPS]

My uncles did the hunter guide thing for years in Montana Wyoming and Nevada he carried a S.W. model 29.44mag in a shoulder holster both his partners in the guide service carried S.W.357 pistol and they had 44mag saddle gun's I guess I should have said they had a guide service that used horse to get to the back country not a Jeep or truck like you see on TV now

 

[American123]

Depending on your potential adversaries: Whatever gives you the highest ft lbs of energy on target (projectile and pistol combo) that you can accurately fire under duress and having sufficient capacity to engage the target multiple times or multiple targets as necessary.

For me, it is a Glock 20, my Uncle prefers a 44 mag though because he is a revolver guy.

 

[Decoy]

A lot of issues I see with someone worring about having too heavy of a gun is related to personal size, holster type/quality and of course the quality of your belt.

If your belt is too weak it will not support the weight of your gun or help spread the weight over a larger area. I personally carry a 5" 1911 (Ti Frame) with a surefire light every day and forget that I have it on until I get in the truck. Having a thick belt of good quality is the difference.

When I am in the woods or on my atv or motorcycle I carry my 1911 in my "tank rig" (center chest holster designed to worn in tanks due to close quarters). I alway have my jacket slight unzipped so it is easy access and very easy to carry without snagging and while climbing or riding.

My thoughts are, carry the gun that you need and find ways to make it happen.

 

[Hegel]

I use a kimber pro crimson carry for edc and a TRR8 for back country hikes. Both have served perfectly their intended purposes.

 

[nwwoodsman]

Glock 26 is adequate for any predators you will encounter on the streets. SP101 in .357 with either a 3" or 4" barrel is pretty light, small and adequate for any 2 or 4 legged predators you'll encounter in the woods around here. I've encountered cats, dogs and bears in the woods and they have all hurried off in the opposite direction. The only animal I was attacked by was a grouse and really wished I had a .410. Fortunately I did have a machete on me....

 

[BillyJean]

I do a fair amount of ultralight backpacking, most of it solo, both on and off trail. (For a 2-4 night trip in non-rainy weather I'm loading out under 15lbs not counting food.) I typically carry a Kahr CM40 or CW40 when I'm going that light or if I'm going to be running into many hikers along the way. Easy to conceal and I'm certainly more concerned about the two legged problems than anything.

What I dream about carrying on the trail (or at least trying) is a S&W 340PD.

If I'm doing fewer miles or less days or know I'm open carrying off trail or in the middle of nowhere, I'm often carrying my Colt Lightweight Officer's.

In the city it's almost always either a Sig P239 in 40 or a Sig P938.

 

[SmitKoWitz]

First it depends on how back country or remote you are going to be, and how high the % that bears, or other serious 4 legged predators might be possible. If I was going way out where the % of an encounter was relatively high, I'd probably bring my S&W460V or the S&W629 44mag. (if I had a 10mm that would also do well). I am generally within a few hours of some sort of civilization and not too concerned about larger 4 legged critters, so I carry a 9, 40 or 45. The time of year and clothing I wear determines my choice, most of the time, as does how far out I am planning to hike. The big pistols go into a shoulder/chest rig, the others are typically in a belt holster.

 

[bbbass]

How many days in a row pass that you don't wish you still had the Jeep?

Way cool jeep and picture.

Thanx!!!

Yes, I have wished that. We bought it for $1000 and sold it for $1000. It was strickly a woods crummy and took us a lot of places we couldn't have gone otherwise. On this particular trip, we hadn't been there before, we took our VW Rabbit PU with the backpack in back, trying to get to the trailhead and ran into this rockpile. Since home was only 40min away, we went back and got the Jeep. Believe me those rocks were bigger than they look in this pic. Not Rubicon type stuff but I had never had to manuever on top of 2' rocks before, putting one wheel up and then turning the wheel to do another. The wife stood outside telling me where to go.

 

[bbbass]

My first semi-auto purchase was a Sig Sauer SP 2022 in .40. The mags come in 10 or 12 round capacity. It is a polymer pistol and relatively light. The cost is about half of a Sig 1911, but about half the weight too.

Sorry folks, I'm a Sig gal. I bought the hubby a Glock 42 for concealed and we both hate it. One of these days I'll get it up for sale.

I'm a Glock shooter, and a 2011 shooter, but I never did like the mini-Glocks. G19 is the smallest frame I still shoot. My wife has a Taurus .380 pocket gun for EDC but it's really not fun to shoot.

 

[bbbass]

Nice pics bbbass !

Alpenlite external frame here....still in service
1950 Willys wagon L-head (ol' man's)
1968 Jeepster Commando Buick V-6 (ol' man's)
1957 CJ5 F-head converted for Ford 302 (mine)
1962 Willys wagon 327 Chev
1985 Jeep Cherokee V-6
1999 Grand Cherokee 4L
Have a Taco now (not bad)

Nice bunch of rigs!!!

Before this Cherokee, I had a newer one, still full size, with the flared fenders and a racing stripe. It had a stick shift and was a blast to drive. Lost it in the divorce. I also had a restored CJ2, baby blue paint and lots of diamond plate covering the rust. It as fun in the woods but as an everyday commute rig I couldn't keep it from spinning out on ice.

BTW, my first experience with a backpack was with my brother in the pic above. He loaned me a Stansport external frame. It was a cheapie but got me interested. Unfortunately, we had to sell the North Face packs after I needed a CPAP to sleep.

 

[Wolf256]

I'm a Glock shooter, and a 2011 shooter, but I never did like the mini-Glocks. G19 is the smallest frame I still shoot. My wife has a Taurus .380 pocket gun for EDC but it's really not fun to shoot.

I had that Taurus. After a misplaced thumb got bit I moved to the Sig P238. It's lovely to shoot. The Taurus is so small my support hand thumb drifted right up to the edge of the slide. The bite split the skin and the nail. Had to ask the RO for a bandaid. I keep some in my range bag now.

 

[bbbass]

I had that Taurus. After a misplaced thumb got bit I moved to the Sig P238. It's lovely to shoot. The Taurus is so small my support hand thumb drifted right up to the edge of the slide. The bite split the skin and the nail. Had to ask the RO for a bandaid. I keep some in my range bag now.

For sure! Another problem is that if I/she doesn't grip it very tightly and stiff wrist, we get a cycling malfunction. I've also noticed they are ammo picky and won't cycle well with some ammo. Thought it was the mag lips or feed ramp at first, but then I noticed it worked well with other ammo. (Not PMC)

So it could be a one shot gun in an emergency. Not good. I've been thinking about getting her a lightweight .38 or .22 but she doesn't want to carry a handgun that large anymore, and is burned out on buying guns. Keeps saying we don't need anymore guns. WTF?

 

[SmitKoWitz]

For sure! Another problem is that if I/she doesn't grip it very tightly and stiff wrist, we get a cycling malfunction. I've also noticed they are ammo picky and won't cycle well with some ammo. Thought it was the mag lips or feed ramp at first, but then I noticed it worked well with other ammo. (Not PMC)

I've never had good luck with any CC style Sig firearms. Had a P290RS, P938 and the only one I still have, the P232 (it had issues, may finally be fixed). On the other hand, I shoot any ammo I want out of my Remington RM380, even intermix mags, without a hitch. I also have had zero issues with my Kimber Micro 9 CSE (a Cabela's only model). They offer about a dozen models of the Micro 9 and the Micro (the 380 version).

 

[Wolf256]

The top is the Sig 1911 Nightmare Carry. The bottom left is a P238 with 6 rd mag. The right is the Taurus. You can see the size is comparable, but the Sig is heavier which keeps the recoil easy to manage.

 

[bbbass]

I'm jealous!

 

[Wolf256]

Here is what I call the Concealed Collection.

Sig P238 (.380), Sig P938 (9 mm), Browning 1911 Black Label (.380). The Browning is hubbys favorite. Okay, mine too.

 

[Wolf256]

Yeah, the Kimber is a nice pistol, but I got my P238 and my P938, combined for what one Kimber costs. The only issues I've had with the P238. I had to clean the firing pin chamber. Lots of build up. The P938 need the rear sight drifted. The Browning eats anything and punches paper like my full sized 9's. First shot out of a brand new pistol - middle of the 10 ring. Love it.

 

[SmitKoWitz]

Yeah, the Kimber is a nice pistol, but I got my P238 and my P938, combined for what one Kimber costs.

Did you buy them used? As I haven't seen them for $300 each anywhere when new.

 

[bbbass]

I've fired various Sigs and couldn't get used to the triggers. I also fired M&P and Bersa... same deal. Altho I think in an emergency I wouldn't notice the dang trigger at all.

 

[ZigZagZeke]

I've recently started walking and hiking more to loose weight. Being overweight has also come with painful back problems. After several dangerous encounters with dangerous wildlife, I'm not willing to be an "ultralight" hiker and go without a firearm. Being cautious of my total hiking weight, I've started looking for an EDC for use in both city and woods with a better chance to quickly stop a dangerous animal than a 9mm Glock 19/26. As I live in a relatively high crime urban area, I'm also very cognizant of round capacity and over penetration.

My main concerns are that its:
1.) Reliable.
2.) Fairly lightweight. My full size Springfield TRP 1911 was too heavy.
3.) Less concern of over penetration than 10mm.
4.) More effective round (No Glocks in 45 due to bad past experiences).
5.) At least have a 7+1 capacity.
6.) Less than a $1000.

I'm leaning towards trying a lightweight version of a commander/officer sized 1911 or the compact Sig P320 in .45 but I've never carried either. Does anybody have any good experiences or recommendations for these or other pistols that might fit the bill? Thanks.

Maybe it's not the type of gun you carry that's as important as the way you carry it. This rig makes it pretty easy and comfortable to carry just about anything while hiking.


For purposes of hiking and encountering large dangerous animals I'd lean towards .357 Mag minimum, maybe .45 ACP or .44 Mag or .41 Mag, maybe a 1911 in 10mm.