Woods gun recommendation

Wheeler80

Wheeler80

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Nov 12, 2013
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I plan on doing a lot of bow hunting this year at my family's farm. There is a new highway coming in a few miles away and they're starting to scare up some big(ish) critters (bear, Bobcats, etc.) nothing major and I'll probably never run into anything but I tend to be on the cautious/prepared side when in the woods.

Everything I have at this time is 9mm. I do have some shotguns and a rifle but who wants to pack that bow hunting. I'm thinking about picking up a 10mm. Probably a Glock 20, maybe a EAA Witness. I'd appreciate all thoughts, recommendations, & opinions.

Thanks in advance.

Mods, if this is the wrong forum feel free to move the thread.
 
10mm will work for bear problems, the 9mm is good for bobcats and other smaller predators. Well placed shots from your 9mm will work also.
 
You better check your hunting regs to make sure it's legal to carry a gun while bow hunting. I can't.
 
You need a cartridge big enough to handle what you might face, and you need a gun that you can shoot effectively. A Glock 20 would probably be a good choice, as would a Glock 21. If you have a preference toward autos there are plenty to choose from. If you consider revolvers there are lots of good choices in .44 mag and .45 Colt, maybe a good .357 would work for you too. If I was in that position and serious about it, I would choose .44mag, or maybe 10mm.
 
Check how much paperwork you need to do if you actually put down an animal. Also, make sure you are very clear on the rules, there might be conflicts between different levels. I don't know how any of that works, so if you know you are good to go, then no problems.
I'd figure spray would be a better option, and easier to pull and deploy if you are in the middle of cleaning an animal. If the biggest you are dealing with is black-bear, there isn't much to worry about. I wouldn't worry about cats either unless there are cougars or the like in the area. A bobcat might try to take your kill, but only before you get to it, or if you leave it hang. Even then, most of the cougar attacks I've read about in hunting situations, it was cats that had been habituated and were looking more to steal the kill rather than tangle with the hunter.

There is a family story of a black bear being taken down with a single .22 short, but it still ran a mile before falling. However, that was a non-aggressive situation, in an actual attack situation, I'd want to be sure that I could do some skeletal damage to slow it down. Realistically though I think the spray is a better all around option, then you are not relying on having to do much of anything.
 
Glock G40 MOS will be ideal....., if they ever become available. Model 20, 21, Ruger GP-100, S&W 66 or 69 are all excellent choices. Do you have wild boar in your hunting area? If so, and with bear, I wouldn't consider anything less than a .44 Magnum. My late father used to say, "better to have it and not need it than to need it and not have it".
 
A 4" 629, like a Mountain Gun would be my choice.

I have a 657 Mountain Gun and it feels great and has plenty of punch to it.

If you wanted to keep the weight down you could go the 329PD but it could be a handful to hang onto if you're not much for recoil
 
If you go up against an angry bear with a pistol, you must...I repeat you MUST have that front sight filed down smooth. It wont hurt as bad when that bear shoves that pistol up your ass......
 
A 10mm will get the job done on black bear. As will a 44 magnum or special, 41 magnum or a properly loaded 357 mag. Plenty of choices in a revolver, but not so many in a auto. I'm sure a 45 ACP to the head of a black bear would put a stop to it also. But I like the revolvers ability to throw heavy lead. If I miss the head shot, I want something that will penetrate as far as possible.
 
Depends on the woods. Plus a bear really needs to be hit with a rifle cartridge. In the Eastern woods a Malin 336 or Winchester 94 in .30-30 is really all that is needed. Handy woods rifles allowing fast follow-up shoots in a cartridge plenty adequate for the Eastern woods. There has been more large game taken in the Eastern woods with the .30-30 cartridge than any other. If I'm going to carry a 6.5" M29 S&W into the woods for bear protection, I might as well carry a M94 carbine instead.


Slowrie put it well:

slowrie said:
If you go up against an angry bear with a pistol, you must...I repeat you MUST have that front sight filed down smooth. It wont hurt as bad when that bear shoves that pistol up your ass......
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leghog said:
Depends on the woods. Plus a bear really needs to be hit with a rifle cartridge. In the Eastern woods a Malin 336 or Winchester 94 in .30-30 is really all that is needed. Handy woods rifles allowing fast follow-up shoots in a cartridge plenty adequate for the Eastern woods. There has been more large game taken in the Eastern woods with the .30-30 cartridge than any other. If I'm going to carry a 6.5" M29 S&W into the woods for bear protection, I might as well carry a M94 carbine instead.


Slowrie put it well:
Click to expand...

Some places in the US, if you're bow hunting, you're not legally allowed to carry a rifle. Where I've hunted, you may carry a handgun for self defense and finishing off wounded animals, but you explicitly may not carry a rifle while bow hunting.
 
I used to have a longslide G20 loaded with Doubletap hardcast 220gr I think for woods critter control. That's up near 41 magnum territory with the same loaded weight as a revolver but with twice the ammo. The EAA Witness Match Elite seems to be a fantastic 10mm for the $$$, BUT I decided I had more confidence in the Glock working if I dropped it in the mud or such
 
The Redhawk Super Alaskan in .454 might not be bad either. Been a while since I held one but I remember it felling pretty comfortable for such a large caliber in a snub nose. I'd prefer a 4" barrel for velocity sakes but the 2.5" (or whatever it has) would serve fine. I have a customer who bought one to take on fly fishing trips. Said it has a good amount of punch to it but wasn't terrible. Some hard cast or 260gr Platinum Tips and you'd have a lot of power.
 
Many years ago I used to hump a 629 in a cross draw when rifle deer hunting for an opportunity for an ethical handgun shot on a buck. Quit when got tired of the extra weight and recognized few actual opportunities in the areas I hunted.

Did see within the last few years where a hiker in Denali killed a charging brown or grizzly with a batch of hits from his 1911..bear ran into the bush and was found later..consensus seemed to be, the hiker was a very LUCKY man.

Living will..bear spray..shotgun..pistol..none would be my choice for your setup.

Best.
 
I'm pretty sure I can't use a rifle during bow season. And I'm not bear hunting I'm just looking for something as a last resort.
 
.44 mag lever gun?

henry_h006_lever_.44mag_big-boy_30ccw_400.gif


Henry makes great guns
http://www.impactguns.com/henry-wis...in-101-walnut-stk-steel-rec-619835200006.aspx

10+1 .44 mag? Thats nice....

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10mm Glock would be my choice for an autoloading woods gun, to be carried concealed. I cannot see myself wanting to carry a long gun if "primary" is a bow or an SLR or larger camera, unless in grizzly/brown bear country, and the OP is not discussing such environments. (I "hunt" wildlife with a camera, though I support those who hunt with bows and firearms.)

In actual practice, I would tote a revolver, because I do not own a 10mm Glock at present; I sold my Gen3 G29, and plan to acquire either a Short Frame or Gen4, to better fit my hands. If there is a better "get-off-me" woods sixgun than my Ruger Super Redhawk Alaskan .454/.45, I don't know what it would be, even in grizzly country. (Not saying any handgun is a best choice for grizzly/brown bears, but again, the OP is not asking about that part of the world.)

I would not feel a need to load full-pressure .454 ammo, in this context. In fact, with my right wrist and thumb joints already suffering from my big-bore Magnum sixgun days of the 1980s, I may never actually fire full-pressure .454 ammo through my SRH Alaskan, staying with quality "heavy" .45 Colt ammo, and perhaps mid-range .454, unless I plan an Alaskan trip, and my gimpy right knee can be repaired well enough to permit going into wild areas on foot. I reckon bullet construction trumps velocity when applied at nasal-spray distance, anyway.
 
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