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  • Today marks the 24th anniversary of 9/11. I pray that this nation does not forget the loss of lives from this horrible event. Yesterday conservative commentator Charlie Kirk was murdered, and I worry about what is to come. Please love one another and your family in these trying times - Spark

Backpacking pistol

I carry on my 90 acre farm daily so I have tried to figure out the "best punch/accuracy vs weight" equation. Here is what works for me.

If you want to go with a .22 that's not a bad decision. You can shoot the occasional small critter for food, plink along a riverbank, and it would be better than nothing for self defense. My favorite for carrying all day long is the Ruger Bearcat. Most of my experience is with the older brass trigger guard model but the new ones should be fine and they have a hammer disconnect safety unlike the old ones. They have fixed sights so nothing to go wrong there. If you practice and learn to have a good trigger squeeze they can be amazingly accurate. I've killed swimming water mocassins at much greater distances than I really had any business shooting at them. It's too bad the .22 magnum cylinder didn't work out in the new ones but .22 LR can do a lot of things very well and extra ammo takes up little room.

In larger calibers there are some good choices. I haven't had the money or opportunity to buy/shoot some of the newer titanium guns but they sound good. Guns I actually own and carry in similiar situations would be a Glock 19 (9mm), Rossi .44 Special (spurless hammer and fixed sights), and a S&W 640 .357 (concealed hammer, fixed sights). The Glock is the biggest but holds far more ammunition. I usually just carry a full stick and don't bring anything else (especially with the +2 extender on a mag). It is also accurate and has enough stopping power for most uses. I've killed a lot of skunks and groundhogs with mine. The .357 and .44 would be more for just carrying concealed and reserving for self defense. They do that well. Actually both are surprisingly accuate at moderate distances but bullets are so big that carrying more than one reload is just too much.

Around the farm I tend to carry the Glock 19 (or 17) for general utility and any opportunities at a varmint. If I'm going to go plink in a pond or the creek I usually carry the Bearcat. The .357 and .44 are both full time car guns.

Gregg
 
Glenn,

I like doing day-hikes myself here in the Pacific Northwest. I normally just take along my daily carry, which I've been packing for the last fifteen years. It's a S&W Model-66 (stainless .357 revolver). (I'll refrain from making any political comments regarding S&W here.) All things aside, this is a very dependable gun. Mine has a 2-1/2" barrel with a round butt finger-grooved cocobolo grip from Hogue. Load the chambers up with 158 gr. - .357 Hydrashoks. (Or for less recoil, you may load it with .38 Special +P ammo instead.) Pack it in a Bianchi #10 (IWB holster) and we're good to go. The overall package is quite comfortable to carry (and I've always carry it up front, crossdraw). If you normally wear a semi-loose shirt while hiking, it's easily concealed. Good luck with your choices!

Kevin

[This message has been edited by Chubbs (edited 07-14-2000).]
 
A thunderfive wound do very nicely for stopping a bear. It fires .45 long colt or .310 shotgun shells. I believe the web address is http://www.thunderfive.com
cool.gif

 
I would second the posts by JJ Magnum and Spark, Islander72 and Kirk D.

If you insist on 16oz as a limit, and are headed for the boonies, at least get up to .380 acp with a Colt Pocketlite or consider an additional 4oz to the 20oz range (loaded) with the KelTec P11 in 9mm (10+1 rounds with a single magazine). The P11 has a long pull, heavy, stacking (crappy) trigger, but that wasn't a listed priority. I own one, I know how crappy the trigger is. Even after a trigger job.

There is a big difference in performance against humans between 9x17 (.380 acp) vs. the 9x19 (9mm Kurz or Parabellum). Shave the 4oz somewhere else IMHO. For example, lose 1/2 pound of body weight before you hike. Seriously.

If you can lose 1.5 pounds of body weight before you hike, and carry the handgun close to your body so leverage of carry isn't an issue, carry something serious in .45acp like the aforementioned Glock 30 and 36 or a 1911 patterned Kimber lightweight compact (e.g. Kimber Combat Carry) with a backup magazine full of 230gr Hydrashoks or GoldDots or StarFires or Golden Sabers or... soo many good hollowpoints these days, anyway, good for people and much better for most critters than anything smaller.

I personally witnessed a Glock magazine failure (flat out broken magazine in lip area) at a Mas Ayoob training class. Rare, but possible.


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rdangerer@home.com

[This message has been edited by rdangerer (edited 07-20-2000).]
 
I would tend to prefer a .38/.357 revolver, make it as big and with as long a barrel as you think you can live with.

S&W revolvers are great. Just buy an old one. One that left Springfield before S&W changed sides on us.


Mike
 
You just can't go wrong with H&K or Glock for animals of the two legged variety. Take your pick.

My Canadian $0.02 (almost worthless
smile.gif
)

Steve
 
On short hikes I carry mostly in case of a run in with an ornery rattlesnake so my NAA Mini revolver in .22Mag. fits the bill for me. I carry it in a pocket of a water bottle fanny pack that`s real easy to access and load the first 2 chambers with CCI shotshells. For hikes where I`m likely to run into 2 legged critters in isolated areas I sometimes carry my trusty Keltec (5000rds. and still going strong) but I usually step up to my Ruger P-97 .45 for long hikes or camping trips. The NAA mini always comes along even if I`m carrying something else. It weighs 6oz. so it`s no bother. Marcus
 
rdangerer, 9mm kurz is .380, not 9mm parabellum or Luger. Kurz translates to "short" -- which is of course .380.

Bruce Woodbury
 
On my last two hiking trips I took my Taurus model 85. Three inch barrel with five shots of Glazer blue tip +P, and an extra speedloader with five shots of snake shot. Carried it in a fannypack in the front, with my SAK and some spare waterproof matches. I didn't notice the extra weight since it was in front of me and all my attention was on how heavy the thirty eight pounds on my back was.
smile.gif
 
For a self-described ounce weenie (like all experienced backpackers) needing defense against two-legged vermin, the Keltec P-32 is ideal. Get the belt clip, it adds so many options. A front pocket holster is most versatile, no problem to have that little gun in your hand with your hand still concealed in your pocket. Helps keep your voice from quivering as you try to talk your way out of an encounter. A spare magazine is about the size of a bic lighter. And the 6.6 oz weight of the empty gun answers the question.
If you can pack a 14 oz (empty) gun, go with the Keltec P-11 which holds 10+1 rounds of 9mm, or the P-40 (but sample one first, it is far less popular in .40). As with the P-32, get the belt clip for IWB, also a pocket holster. I have lots of guns, but these two are my most often carried.
Your backpack needs a real belt and harness, so find another place for your gun.
Nothing is faster than front pockets, but if you have no pockets or hike in the nude, then either a rip-open fanny pack on the belt crossdraw, or an innocent camera case anywhere on the belt. I used to carry a 6.6 oz NAA minimagnum revolver, occaisionally in a kydex neck holster, but my 6.6 oz are better spent on the p-32.
If you don't like Keltecs, your 16 oz limit includes various Airweight revolvers.
Mine is reliable and carries well, but is less fun to shoot than a semiauto. Once you cross that 16 oz threshold, you have many choices, but you are also more likely to avoid the extra weight of the gun at all.
For Keltec info, try www.ktog.org the unofficial forum.

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ChuteTheMallGawdSortaMount
 
for quick day hikes i pack and American derringer in 9mm but they make an Alaskan survival model in 45LC/.410 that is pretty awsome...overniters i carry a stainless Taurus .357 5 shot revolver, it's small and compact with plenty of punch, but i'm partial to stainless just from an ease of maint. standpoint.
 
I think the Kel-Tecs are solid little guns, but wouldn't use a .32 when I could get a .40. I don't know how reliable it would be when dirty, though, and a revolver would be my personal choice. Many autos (especially the higher-end ones from Glock or H&K) are quite reliable, but all are dependent upon ammunition design & consistency. My carry is a S&W mountain revolver in .44Mag/Spc, but they also make a smaller framed one that holds five rounds of .44 spc. That's a sweet piece, and would be my choice for easy carry and enough power to do whatever needs being done.

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V.
 
get a bfr or a desert eagle good guns if i do say so

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after the take our guns away they're comin after our knives
 
My favorite way to carry while backpacking is by fanny pack, carried in front. You can even get the fancy kind (someone mentioned this earlier) designed for gun carry but I just use a regular fanny pack.

If I had to pick one gun to carry, I guess it would be a 4" 357 wheel gun. However, I usually carry a Walther TPH in 22 cal or an old Charter Arms 38 stainless loaded with +P. Both are fairly lightweight. I've often thought of carrying a short-barreled super blackhawk 44 mag for bear but for grizz, this just might do nothing more that get their attention. I dunno.

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Hoodoo

And so, to all outdoor folks, the knife is the most important item of equipment.

Ellsworth Jaeger - Wildwood Wisdom
 
Originally posted by bruce:
rdangerer, 9mm kurz is .380, not 9mm parabellum or Luger. Kurz translates to "short" -- which is of course .380.
Bruce Woodbury
Click to expand...

Oops. I actually knew that, but didn't slow down to notice my mistake. Sorry about the misinformation.

While we're fixing my mistake, let's add:

9X18 is neither 9X19 Parabellum/Luger, nor 9X17 Kurz=.380 acp, but the 9x18 Makarov ... I've only seen it in Makarov pistols or copies but I suppose it might exist in others.

[This message has been edited by rdangerer (edited 08-01-2000).]
 
Wow. This thread is all over the map. Nothing like consensus....and diversity. You're welcome, Glenn.

While we're spraying shots all over the target, let me add that the Kahr people have finally gotten a polymer frame 9mm onto the market, the P9.

Kahr makes much higher quality guns than the Kel-Tec IMHO (I own the P11 and sold my MK9, however), and now that the weight is coming down, and if you can swing the $ for the Kahr, give it a look. www.kahr.com

They show the P9 at 15.8 oz plus 1.9 oz for unloaded magazine, so whole package loaded with 7+1 probably runs 21-22 oz.

I'll probably buy a polymer version when they come out with the small version, the MP9 or whatever.

My Kahr MK9 was a neat gun, and I thought the +P+ 124 gr Hydrashoks outta this gun were a bit milder than about any loading in .40 S&W.

My Kel-Tec P11 runs reliably, but something about it gives me uncertainty as to long term reliability. Can't put my finger on it. Maybe it's that I paid $199.95 and you still get what you pay for generally. Or that I tore it apart to give it a trigger job and I saw everything inside.

Reminds me ... Taurus Millenium PT-111 is very similar to Kel-Tec P11, although I haven't shot one and don't know about reliability (just don't know).

Taurus now has a PT-145 Millenium in titanium and polymer, in 10+1 in 45acp!... at 17oz unloaded. That'll be a handfull to shoot, and I haven't seen any reviews on it yet as to feed reliability.

Also, if you like revolvers, S&W and Taurus have titanium versions out but they are kinda pricey to gain weight savings. 38 sp +P is about all I'd want to shoot outta these babies... as .357 mag is probably just really no fun to shoot. However, at some level, you gotta say "who cares if it hurts to shoot" if you shoot it little and carry for defense, and can hit what you are aiming at with it.

Taurus .38sp titanium goes 13.7 oz unloaded, and is rated for +P, only 5 shots. The .357 mag in titanium goes 19.7oz unloaded, so that's enough there for a backpacker to shoot .38sp +P.
http://www.taurususa.com/

I like S&W a good bit better than Taurus, the hammerless 342 in titanium goes 11.3 oz unloaded in .38sp +P format.
http://www.smith-wesson.com/
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rdangerer@home.com

[This message has been edited by rdangerer (edited 08-01-2000).]
 
Sorry if I double up on some other posts. I don't have the time to puruse two pages. I have carried a Colt MK-IV LTWTCMDR for over twenty years in a Milt Sparks Summer special.
This holster style is copied by several holster makers. As a lightweight trail gun I would carry a S&W Titainium wheelgun though. There is a larger variety of ammo available and there are no lighter compairable pistols out there. You should look at the DeSantis belt bag holster. I have one with a paddle attachment. It does not look like the erzatz fanny pack holsters and could be mistaken for another packers pouch. I can carry any of my 4" large bore revolvers or 5" autos in one and have room for the reloads. I also have a Kel-Tek .32. It rides in my waistband with the pocket clip.

Cheers,

ts

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Guns are for show. Knifes are for Pros.
 
A note on those who dis S&W. It is unfortunatly the small part of a British owned corperation approximately 20%. It is also 80% of the corperations liability. They could have just closed the doors and took a one time loss. Thus giving a major victory to the anti-gun crowd and putting a lot of people out of work. Instead they chose to try and work out a deal. It has NOT been ratified! There are still many things going on in the world. The next election will be the deciding issue. They are hoping for a change in administration. There are more gun owners in the US than any other group of voters. If we ALL VOTED there would be a change for the better. Quit being a whiner and stand up for yourselves. The voting booth is the way of the new revolution. It is the responsibility of every American Citizen.

Sorry for the off post reply. But, several other comments led to this.

Vote or be a serf.

ts

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Guns are for show. Knifes are for Pros.
 
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