ORIGINAL: bigcountry
ORIGINAL: VT_Hunter1980
I do a lot of hiking and I would like, at some point, to pick up a sidearm that is dedicated to personal defense in the field. So far I've been carrying my .357 Blackhawk, but the 6" barrel makes it a bit too bulky for extended and strenous hikes. I need something a little more compact, but poerful enough to deal with all potential threats. Around here those could be: 1. Smaller rabid/feral animals (coyotes, etc.) black bear, and two legged predators.
I'm considering a compact D/A revolver in .357 mag or possibly an auto in 10mm or .45 acp.
I'm not sure that the big bore magnum revolvers are for me. I've fired a .44 mag on a few occasions and kind of found it to be miserable.
Any advice?
What I do when I see a black bear is wave my arms in the air and yell like a crazy guy. You ought to see em, bear run away fast as they can. Even mama bears with cubs climb trees if at a distance.
Gun might be fun for shooting some cans or something later.
I know that most of the time they are more afraid of you than you are of them. But occasionally, there is a predatory maneater. I like to keep all my bases covered if possible.
I'm planning on doing a bit of overnight backpacking this summer and I would definately sleep better with a good sidearm close by. You never know what 4 or 2 legged critter might find a hiker in a tent to be a target of opportunity.