Attributes of a Trail Gun are....

David E

David E

Joined
Nov 10, 2005
Messages
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The HK vs Glock thread strayed pretty bad, so I'll start a new thread.

What desirable attributes do you think a trail gun should have?

(This is not for hunting or SHTF, but for general purpose woods-walking)

Do you carry one?

Why, exactly?

Would you prefer to carry something else?

How do you carry it?

How many rounds?

How "good" would one need to be to meet minimal skill requirements?

Thanks !

.
 
Inexpensive
Reliable
easy to carry

Something like an H&R 22 revolver is about perfect for me.It may not be perfect for any particular role but can function in a lot of different roles in a pinch.
 
I use a Beretta Jaguar that shoots .22LR ammo. I agree with R.H., 22 is perfect for a general purpose woods pistol, unless your worried about running into large bears or something in which case a 22 would do nothing more than piss the animal off.

EDIT:

I realized I didn't fully answer the questions.

Would you prefer to carry something else: As of right now, nope.

Why: Snakes, vicious dogs that I couldn't scare away, pesky tree rats (a.k.a squirrels), target shooting.

Method of carry: Either on my belt or in a tactical holster if I have a pack or something on my back. I also have a shoulder holster, but don't use it hardly at all.

How many rounds: I carry two clips, 8 rounds each. Plus I can put one in the chamber, so a total of 17 rounds. If I'm going on an extended walk I'll take another box of ammo along.

How "good" would one need to be to meet minimal skill requirements?: Not really sure what requirements your referring to. I've always been pretty good at hitting my target with one shot, but I would say that if you can hit a medium range target within 3-4 shots that would be the "minimum". But again, I'm not too sure what requirements your referring to.
 
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in my location I do not have to worry about Bears or Cougars ,So .....
Do you carry one? Yes, High Standard 9 shot Revolver, 22LR caliber 6" Barrel

Why, exactly? Snakes if they can not be scared off(Rattlers,copperheads), taking small game ,or just plinking

Would you prefer to carry something else?No

How do you carry it? on my belt

How many rounds? CCI Stingers 50 round container

How "good" would one need to be to meet minimal skill requirements? General firearm handle skills,I am not a marksman by no means but I just like the reliability of the revolver and no magazines to lose + my HS revovler has seen plenty of use over its 20+ years I have owned it....
 
Things are different on the trail. I go one of two ways.

A- A lightweight pump shotgun. Great for plinking, food, and two-legged problems.

B- A defensive pistol and a .22 rifle. This combo is more common. Have a great small game getter and plinker, but also something to keep the boogey man away.

But overall the trailgun should be light, rugged, simple, and well balanced, and be chambered in a round that covers local potentialities.
 
As someone already stated. It depends on where you are at. As far as where I am in South Louisiana, I usaully carry my Beretta Model 84F in 380 cal. it has 13 rounds.
It will take care of anything I would run into around here. I also carry my S.A.K. and for
a quik blade I carry my kershaw Blur with the tanto point.
 
I carry a Ruger Blackhawk in 357, 4 5/8 barrel. On the belt with 12 extra rounds on a carrier, on the belt also. For woods walking I generally load it up with 38 specials, 158gr SJHP +p, with a back up load of 357 in the carrier.

Will sometimes put a few snake loads in my pocket, just in case. Single actions are simple and effective IMHO. And it will handle a variety of loads from really hot 357's to 38 wadcutters

Main reason I carry when out in the woods is having a few scary encounters with wild dogs in the area, coyotes can be a problem too.
 
I carry a S&W model 60, in .357mag. 3"bbl. adjustable sites. first two rounds are snake shot in summer & the rest are 158gr. cast SWCs. it is very accurate & portable & stainless. great little woods gun.
 
S&W 36-1 with Federal 110 Gr. Hydra-Shoks. What for? Dogs, mostly. Would I rather carry something else? Nope. I used to just carry a NAA .22mag mini, but I decided I'd rather move up a notch.

P.S. Just so I'm clear... what HK vs. Glock thread?
 
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I walk mostly in the woods. I like stainless revolvers. Traditional, corrosion resistant and they conceal rather well.

Most of the time its a .357 K-frame but occasionally I carry a .44 Magnum. Load them both with soft point semi-jacketed ammo. Typically carry a total of 18-24 rounds.

I carry cross draw on the belt.

I normally carry a firearm for anti-personnel reasons.

I'll throw out a minimum accuracy standard - how about 6 shots on an 8" paper plate at 7 yards? However long it takes.

I'm pretty satisfied with my setup.
 
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My carry piece in the woods is a Glock 29 (subcompact 10mm) in a Survival Sheath Chest Raider. 10 +1 round capacity, with an extra 10-rounder at the ready. I'm pretty good with it, in fact I've been training with it almost exclusively, as it's been my carry pistol for a few months now (displacing my ancient gen 1 G19). I carry a Glock because it's reliable, I'm used to the manual-at-arms (been shooting Glocks for 15 years), and it's one of the few semi-autos in a compact format, that uses the 10mm. I like the 10mm round for woodsy type stuff, because it can basically handle any 2 or 4 legged threat in the lower 48, and I'm a big guy, so I can handle the 10mm recoil in such a small package pretty well. Would I like to have a nice .22 revolver for a plinker? Sure. But I won't rely on it for SD, here in cougar and bear country. I usually go hiking with my wife and young daughter, so SD issues are foremost in my mind.
 
If I anticipate wild hogs here in Texas I sometimes carry a S&W 657 41 mag, 7.5" barrel but that gets a little heavy after awhile.

Casual bumming around I prefer a Ruger Mark III Hunter 22 LR in a belt holster. I usually have a box or two of ammo but rarely shoot up even a box. I think someone should be proficient enough to be safe. I can't hit a quarter at 20 paces but doesn't keep me from trying. Of course with my eyes I probably can't see the quarter.
 
My biggest concern is wild dogs, too. It's the main reason I upgraded from a little P32 to a little .38.
 
S&W 360SC "kit gun". .357 mag, 3+" barrel, only 12 oz!!! Fits nicely in a small fanny pack, which doesn't look out of place out on the trail. I carry this in black bear country, but I am more concerned with 2-leged predators and dogs. Usually carry 20 rounds of Winchester 145 grain Silvertips.

My requirements are light weight and handy, small enough to fit in a compact fanny pack, and reasonably powerful.
 
Usually on the trail, I have two handguns if I'm going to potentially be around other people (public trail scenario), a Springfield Armory .45 and a .22, either my new Heritage or my S&W 422.
I'll have a 50rd box of regular .22 ammo - don't have any good reason. It's light and small. Might as well.
a 20rd box of shotshell .22 - for deterring things.
and a few mags of .45 hs - for two legged animals and creatures not deterred by the .22 shotshell.

If I'm on the trail and I don't have to worry about other folks, well... expected folks, I'll carry one of my rifles, and a .22 handgun. The rifle is only of course if I plan on shooting whilst I'm out, doing a little trail plinking and maybe getting some dinner.
 
Well, I always carry when I get an opportunity and always out hiking. My most often carried outdoors are either my Glock 23 or Charter Arms Pug in .44 SPL.

Why? Well, because I can and I would much rather have it and not need it than need it and not have it. I carried my little S&W 442 J-Frame in .38 with snake shot through college when I went fly fishing up in the mountains (eastern side of the cascades in WA) where I ran into several rattle snakes. I only killed a couple because they were in my way in a tight space and I didn't feel like waiting. I use to carry my Para Ordnance P-12.45 on previous backpacking trips and after one scary night with poachers near by (and I had the family...both kids pretty young), I swore I would always carry when outdoors.

I like the Glock 23...compact and svelte enough to carry comfortably; simple, reliable and I'm okay with the .40S&W; better capacity than most .45's and more punch than a 9mm (it's the only .40S&W I own). The Charter Bulldog Pug is a great little gun, and very light. I had heard both positive and negative reviews, but after my research I decided to give it a shot. It's a great little carry piece with a respectable punching .44 SPL...nothing too hot, just slow and big. Plus, I also carry snake shot for the first round when on the trails.

I have strong side OWB holsters for both...both carry flat enough to wear a pack's belt (but access is a bit@h!). I need to get a SafePacker for better access but still discreet for the casual observer.

For the Glock 23, I just carry one mag in the gun and an extra either on my belt or in my pack.

For the Charter Pug, I carry a leather belt pouch that holds 5 extra rounds and I keep a couple of speed loaders in the pack.

How "good" would one need to be to meet minimal skill requirements?
Click to expand...

Not sure what you mean, but I shoot almost monthly on my issue M9 9mm and I get to the range at least 2-3 times a month for my personal stuff. Accuracy is not a problem for me, but presentation speed takes the most time to work on; having to quickly draw, acquire and engage takes a lot of practice. I would add some quick reaction drills for malfunctions (FTF, FTE) for good measure. They are pretty easy to practice with some snap caps in front of a mirror.

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Too be honest, a good .22 kit-gun that is reliable and moderately accurate is probably more than enough for 99% of your woods-bumming needs/wants. S&W, Ruger, Taurus, H&R, Heritage, etc...plenty of simple revolver actions and a few autos such as Ruger (Mark series or 22/45) or Browning's Buckmark are all good choices. The advantage of the .22LR is cheap ammo = more practice; another reason I'm going to pick up an Advantage Arm's .22LR conversion for my Glocks.

ROCK6
 
Accuracy standard would be......let's use a previous example with modifications.

Since many of you carry the gun for wild dogs/hogs, etc, being able to hit quickly is an important skill.

So.........how fast should you be able to draw and fire 5 shots on a paper plate at 7 yds? 10 yds? How fast starting with gun in hand?

Great answers so far, guys!
 
reconranger said:
S&W 360SC "kit gun". .357 mag, 3+" barrel, only 12 oz!!! .
Click to expand...

I hope they bring this gun out in the new .327 magnum. I think it'd be an ideal "critter-gitter" on the trail, loaded with any one of the 4 available .32 rounds.

Of course, I'd carry a more serious gun for defense purposes, but the 360-SC is so light, it'd be a cinch to carry it, too.

.
 
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