Camping with guns

[ec9]

Jungle or urban jungle why not carry? As it always goes it's beter to have it and not need it yada yada yada..... Aside from the bear argument some are right any service cal. will do. Well unless your a piss poor shot and in that case just take a shotgun A few well placed shots will go along way to stop just about any threat regardless of the grain of the bullet. Everyone has there opinions but there is one fact none can escape. If your going to carry anything get training and know how to use it.

I always carry at least my 9mm in my bag or on my person in the woods. It's really second nature at this point for me and I'd never draw it unless I intend to use it. If I have it pointed at something negoations are over by then.

 

[crossada]

The hunting examples ... I suppose they are relevant, but to me, they are relevant for all the opposite reasons than the ones people are talking about. Like the story of the viet nam vets, my experience is that even if you shoot a deer/antelope with a big powerful 30 calibre rifle, who knows what will happen after that bullet hits (other than hitting it in the brain/spinal column, which, from my experience and common sense about physiology means that it is going to go down immediately). So, one thing that I have always thought is that if you are ever in a situation where you want to stop dangerous game before they can get to you, you want quite a bit of overkill. For something like a big grizzly or brown bear, I honestly don't think there is a pistol out there that could assure that a decently placed shot will put them down within a few seconds (there is the story about the guys finding multiple .44 mag slugs still stuck in their hide!). And it sounds like a shot that doesn't stop them is only going to make matters worse for you. For boar, I would think decently placed .44 mag would put them down pretty quickly a high percentage of the time, and is it possible to get them more pissed off than they already are if they are already charging at you? .357 though... hope the boar is more in the 150 pound than the 350 pound range.

I purchased that Handgun Hunting Down Under DVD from Cold Steel and Lynn Thompson dropped tons of boar with a 44 magnum Ruger Redhawk. He also took many large buffalo with it but his shot placement was extremely good. I think he said he was using Hornady XTP

 

[swamp]

+1000. I carry the G29 myself, it conceals better in my fanny pack. That's my woods carry. When car camping, any combo of G29, my G19, Ruger LCR (in pocket holster), and/or my Remington 870 youth in 20 ga.

Glad you like the the 10

 

[swamp]

+1000. I carry the G29 myself, it conceals better in my fanny pack. That's my woods carry. When car camping, any combo of G29, my G19, Ruger LCR (in pocket holster), and/or my Remington 870 youth in 20 ga.

Glad you like the the 10mm. (anyways go to Mike McKnett for your ammo at doubletap dot com) So many people don't understand. If your not in Griz territor, it's almost more than needed! Just trying to let others know about Double Tap, not you. You can even water the loads down to .40 cal if you want to.:thumbup:

 

[crossada]

Glad you like the the 10mm. (anyways go to Mike McKnett for your ammo at doubletap dot com) So many people don't understand. If your not in Griz territor, it's almost more than needed! Just trying to let others know about Double Tap, not you. You can even water the loads down to .40 cal if you want to.:thumbup:

Thanks for that site:thumbup: Do you think these 45 colt + P rounds really are safe for the Ruger New Vaquero which is a small frame revolver?
http://www.doubletapammo.com/php/catalog/product_info.php?cPath=21_38&products_id=434

Buffalo Bores +P rounds strictly say not for the New Vaquero and i just was wondering if there was a mistake before i bought some.
http://www.buffalobore.com/index.php?l=product_detail&p=38

Again thanks for the site.

 

[Swampdog]

I always carry a revolver with me while camping due to watermoccasin snakes are plentiful where I camp in Florida. I usually carry my S&W 340 PD in .357, it also my CCW so, I practice with it while out in the woods. I choose a revolver because I can select my chamber with shot shells if needed, to dispatch a 'moccasin. I am able to conceal it very well and it only weighs 12 ounces so you hardly know it is on your person.

 

[sambo.]

I always carry a revolver with me while camping due to watermoccasin snakes are plentiful where I camp in Florida.

there's King Brown Snakes, Inland Taipans, Tiger Snakes, Bandi-Bandis along with a bunch of others all over the landscape where I go camping.

i would honestly prefer a stout pole or a good folding shovel over a gun on snakes. the good old garden hoe is the single best snake-despatch device i've ever used.

now, just a Q about N-American snakes: in Oz, if you stamp your feet regularly, 99.9% of snakes will scarper long before your anywhere near them. Do North American snakes behave in the same way?

 

[reconranger]

now, just a Q about N-American snakes: in Oz, if you stamp your feet regularly, 99.9% of snakes will scarper long before your anywhere near them. Do North American snakes behave in the same way?

I have two species, the Western Pacific and Red Diamondback Rattlesnakes in the local hills. Elsewhere, high desert and low desert (offroad and camp), and mountains (hiking, camping, backpacking), we have to deal with all of them: http://lomalindahealth.org/medical-...venom-er/conditions-and-treatments/index.page

This study is going on in the hills behind my house, where I hillclimb for exercise every day: http://www.pe.com/localnews/inland/stories/PE_News_Local_S_snake16.3879ae8.html

Sean Bush, Vemon ER show: http://lomalindahealth.org/medical-...and-divisions/venom-er/our-doctors/index.page

Neither species that I deal with on a daily basis seems to be particularly aggressive IMO. The Pacifics are dark and easy to see, but the Diamonbacks are lighter and can blend into the soil fairly well sometimes. I hike wide powerline roads where the brush is cleared, and the snakes will tend to sit in the brush at the egde of the trail. Many times they will rattle a warning if you get to close and they feel your footfalls, or more likely they will just be silent and avoid confrontation. You can easily see their "slithers" in the dust on the road, so that gives easy cluses to where they come and go and how many are out there. It is the little ones that don't rattle yet, early in the spring, that you really have to look out for!

The secret is to hike down the middle of the trail, staying away from the brushborders. If trail running, things happen fast, so you darn well better be on your game! A huge help is if you are out in the hotter part of the day, when the snakes need to stay in the shade so they are off the trail. In winter, when they have hibernated, you can let your guard down a little, but I never take anything for granted.

I have worked with these snake guys (also scorpions and spiders), doing venom analysis by immunochemistry and mass spectroscopy.

 

[Zombie Zeke]

I have two species, the Western Pacific and Red Diamondback Rattlesnakes in the local hills. Elsewhere, high desert and low desert (where we offroad), and mountains, we have to deal with all of them: http://lomalindahealth.org/medical-...venom-er/conditions-and-treatments/index.page

This study is going on in the hills behind my house, where I hillclimb for exercise every day: http://www.pe.com/localnews/inland/stories/PE_News_Local_S_snake16.3879ae8.html

Sean Bush, Vemon ER: http://lomalindahealth.org/medical-...and-divisions/venom-er/our-doctors/index.page



Neither species that I deal with on a daily basis seems to be particularly aggressive IMO. The Pacifics are dark and easy to see, but the Diamonbacks are lighter and can blend into the soil fairly well sometimes. I hike powerline roads where the brush is cleared, and the snakes will tend to sit in the brush at the egde of the trail. Many times they will rattle a warning if you get to close and they feel your footfalls, or more likely they will just be silent and avoid confrontation. You can easily see their "slithers" in the dust on the road, so that gives cluse to where they come and go and how many are out there.

The secret is to hike down the middle of the trail, staying away from the brushborders. If trail running, things happen fast, so you darn well better be on your game! A huge help is if you are out in the hotter part of the day, when the snakes need to stay in the shade. In winter, when they have hibernated, you can let your guard down a little, but I never take anything for granted.

I have worked with these snake guys (also scorpions and spiders), doing venom analysis by immunochemistry and mass spectroscopy.

You are lucky we have the Mojave Greens all up in our Kool Aid over here on the other side of the San Gabriels, tenacious and sneaky little suckers not to mention a Big Female Lion that has claimed our neighborhood as a hunting ground (or so says the Game Warden). We also have a really bad issue with feral dogs packing up and Coyotes as well. I take my Rajah and a .45 on some days others just the Rajah.

On a sidenote I had a 7.5" Super Redhawk in .454 Casull and I liked it aesthetically but it was a terrible gun to shoot (too much recoil, too slow to get back on target) so ultimately I traded it for a Marlin Levergun in .44 Magnum and some other toys.

 

[reconranger]

On a sidenote I had a 7.5" Super Redhawk in .454 Casull and I liked it aesthetically but it was a terrible gun to shoot (too much recoil, too slow to get back on target) so ultimately I traded it for a Marlin Levergun in .44 Magnum and some other toys.

After years of shooting them, I have reached the conclusion that the 7.5" and longer Readhawk is not the best choice as a defensive sidearm. To big, to heavy, and to slow....but certainly way quicker than a long gun that is out of reach!

We have settled on the .454 Alaskan for bigger bears (son wants to move back to Alaska, so we are thinking about the future), but for black bears, I am going to try the Alaskan in .44 (and maybe some of the lighter short barreled S&W's later on???). The recoil should not be that unpleasent, and it actually isn't much bigger than the 4" GP100 that I often pack.

DeSantis makes a slick little holster for the Alaskan (crossdraw or strong side): http://www.desantisholster.com/storefrontB2CWEB/browse.do?action=refresh_browse&ctg_id=121188

 

[reconranger]

Not trying to be a jerk here.
I am asking the question because I really don't know.
How common are bear in Southern California?

Watch the video!

http://www.angelesrising.org/index.php/2010/06/angeles-requiem/

 

[Swampdog]

Good day Sambo,
I only shoot the water moccasin snakes if they head in my direction, some biologists say they are inquisitive, my opinion is they are aggressive. Around my home I have removed pigmy rattlesnakes, coral snakes, and eastern diamondback rattlers by using a snake stick. I then put them in a 5 gallon plastic bucket with a lid and then drive them out in the woods a few miles from my home and release them. I live in a residential sub-division so firearms are not an acceptable form of pest control.
Yes, here in North America most critters will move out of your way if they hear you coming, but not always the case with snakes. Most of the time they sit still and will rattle their tail as a warning to let you know where they are located. I have found water moccasin snakes territorial and don't move away out of your way.
I only will kill a snake if it is poisonous and in the area that I am camping.

 

[Les Snyder]

Sambo... I live in the approximate area that Swampdog does, and there must be an enclave of the .1% of the cotton mouth moccasins that don't know they are supposed to run...some are down right ornery

 

[Cpl Punishment]

Moccasins are aggressive and will come after you. Even if you go away, they often follow.

Just about every other snake will leave if given a chance.

 

[Zombie Zeke]

Moccasins are aggressive and will come after you. Even if you go away, they often follow.

Just about every other snake will leave if given a chance.

I highly disagree with you on this one (not to say I am an expert by any means)...the Greens where I live are just as aggro as any Cottonmouth, I've come across (as a kid I grew up in Tennessee). These out here, are ridiculous little snakes that come out of nowhere just to say hi. Thank god they make noise or both of my dogs would be goners by now.

 

[Zombie Zeke]

After years of shooting them, I have reached the conclusion that the 7.5" and longer Readhawk is not the best choice as a defensive sidearm. To big, to heavy, and to slow....but certainly quicker than a long gun that is out of reach!

We have settled on the .454 Alaskan for bigger bears (son wants to move back to Alaska, so we are thinking about the future), but for black bears, I am going to try the Alaskan in .44 (and maybe some of the lighter short barreled S&W's later on???). The recoil should not be that unpleasent, and it actually isn't much bigger than the 4" GP100 that I often pack.

DeSantis makes a slick little holster for the Alaskan (crossdraw or strong side): http://www.desantisholster.com/storefrontB2CWEB/browse.do?action=refresh_browse&ctg_id=121188

Brother, you are a mightier man, than I. The recoil on those Lil Supers actually knocked one of my crowns loose. I'll stick with the .45 ACP and/or my levergun as need be.

Have you shot the .500 or .460 Smiths yet?

 

[bulgron]

I've been thinking hard about a sidearm for hiking in the Sierra next summer. For size, weight and performance, I'm edging towards a Glock 20 (10mm). Ought to be good for just about anything I could possibly run into up there.

The thing that's bugging me is that no CCW means I'm going to have to carry openly. To work around a thick backpacking belt, I believe I'm going to have to do some kind of a thigh rig. Sounds a little uncomfortable.

California does truly suck, by the way. Hopefully one of these years we'll have a lawsuit that forces LEO to issue CCWs.

 

[Zombie Zeke]

I've been thinking hard about a sidearm for hiking in the Sierra next summer. For size, weight and performance, I'm edging towards a Glock 20 (10mm). Ought to be good for just about anything I could possibly run into up there.

The thing that's bugging me is that no CCW means I'm going to have to carry openly. To work around a thick backpacking belt, I believe I'm going to have to do some kind of a thigh rig. Sounds a little uncomfortable.

California does truly suck, by the way. Hopefully one of these years we'll have a lawsuit that forces LEO to issue CCWs.

10mm is a nice package, especially in the Glock, you can get comparable effect as a .41 magnum with more cartridges in an easy to use package. The thigh rig is going to look mighty tactical bro, maybe add on waist pack with a holster like the Maxpedition rigs?

 

[gadgetgeek]

if you have to carry "open" maybe some sort of chest rig like some folks use for large radios? plus if you carry something else in there, like a GPS, it could be a "hidden in plain sight" sort of thing.

 

[bulgron]

I dislike the chest rig thing due to heat loading. If I could find a holster that I thought could attach to a backpacking hip belt, I'd just do that, but I am aware of no such beast. If I could get a CA CCW (or if I just decided to backpack outside of CA), then I'd go with a safepacker, which is designed to fit a backpacking hip belt.

I guess I really should apply for a CCW from my town's CLEO and let him deny me. (100% guaranteed that he'll deny me since I'm not "special" enough.) That way, when people wonder why I'm carrying with a thigh rig, I can tell them that it's because the law insists I do it that way.