Posted: 7/22/2008 10:17:25 PM EDT
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Two questions- Which one of your guns would you take with you if you were heading to a national park for 5 days, where you may encounter bears, mountain lions, snakes, criminals, etc ? If you could buy any single gun before your trip, which would it be? There isn't a huge probability you'll run into anything dangerous; the gun will be "just in case." It needs to be concealed, and you need to carry it along with 50 lbs of additional gear. |
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I would take my XD9 because that's the only handgun I have at the moment. (I know...) I would buy one of those S&W 500s with the 4 inch barrel. |
I recently obtained a Remington 870. That is about the smallest caliber I'd consider in dealing with bears.
One of the larger Marlin lever actions: 444, MAYBE as small as a .44 Magnum. |
Do you think you would be able to pull it out of your pack quickly enough if you needed it? |
Maybe that's why it's going to be "concealed".  I took my Beretta 96 on my last backpacking trip. Open carry. |
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I don't usually worry about the animals as much as I do other humans. For me, I usually carry my EDC Glock 23C. If I was really concerned I would take a S&W 500 w/ 4" barrel. BTW - 50 lbs for 5 days is a lot. Break it down for us if you don't mind. I'm curious as to what you are taking. |
I did 80 lbs for 5 days. <shrug> |
50lbs isn't all that bad, but maybe I should have just said "a heavy pack." I wanted to emphasize that the added weight of a minigun may be a bit much. As I said, this is hypothetical. |
 /sarcasm Just because you can doesn't mean you should. |
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LAR Grizzly .45 Win. Mag. I use a holster set-up that is on the hip belt of my Gregory backpack so the pistol is always with me. Carry another for use in camp or while fishing. I also used to have a P-tex scabbard for my backpack that would mount alongside using the straps. It was difficult to access, but I could do it with practice. Loaned it to a 'buddy' and it never came back. |
Correct you aren't. That said I've never been turned away when I've told the Ranger at the Entrance Station that I had a pistol locked and unloaded. I've also never had a Ranger express any interest at all in anything he couldn't see in a pack or a vehicle. I would consider my Ruger Vaquero in 45 with Cor-Bon and probably have the M-92 Winchester Clone in 45 also. Possibly the 870 if not going to be hoofing much. |
How exactly am I wrong? You can of course have a firearm locked in your vehicle. Carrying it is a whole different story. |
All pistol calibers are inadequate for bear... The chance of getting attacked by a bear would not be my primary concern... Meth-heads & having a survival weapon if lost are more likely problems... |
Fair enough. |
9mm is a very poor choice for a possible bear/lion encounter backpacking gun. The shotgun would be great but getting it out of the pack when a pissed off bear charges you out of the bush would be near impossible. Packing a good big bore on your hip is your only real option, now just choose your favorite big bore caliber. |
Like I said... I'm more likely to have meth-cook problems than critter issues... |
Come on Dave, you know that quite a few black and brown bears have been easily taken down with big bore handguns over the last 80 years. They are not even remotely "inadequate" and at times on the small black bears, they are a bit overkill. |
Pistol bear kills are, quite simply, luck... I've heard of both species being taken down with 9mm and .40SW service pistols (park rangers, cops, etc)... Doesn't mean I'd call those 'adequate' calibers... |