Sidearm for hiking
 

Looking into a sidearm for when I'm out hiking (but not for bowhunting... that's illegal in PA [:'(]) I'm thinking .357 mag. Any suggestions?

RE: Sidearm for hiking
 

I have a Taurus Tracker in 357 and it is a good shooter, I just don't shoot it as much as my other guns. If your willing to buy a used gun let me know ;)

RE: Sidearm for hiking
 

Challynger can you please tell us a little more about what you need it for?

Plinking?
Squirrel?
Bear defense?
Two legged critter defense?

Answer some of those and I'll be happy to give you a couple of good suggestions!

Thanks,

RE: Sidearm for hiking
 

Hiking in PA, I assume you just want something to carry 'just in case'. If you are looking for a revolver, and something light for dispatching snakes and personal protection you may want to consider dropping down a notch to the 38 spl. You can carry jacketed bullets and snake shot. My choice would be the S&W Lady Smith.
Of course if you got a 357 you could shoot 38s out of it. But for hiking I would stick with a 4" or less barrel length.
The choices are almost endless: S&W, Colt, Ruger, Taurus. And you can probably pick a nice used one up at a local gun shop. Pick one that feels good in your hands.

RE: Sidearm for hiking
 

Ruger SP101. Stainless steel, so it's easy to maintain, lightweight, accurate... a very well made five shot .357.

RE: Sidearm for hiking
 

I like the versatility of the .357. You can shoot .38’s fairly cheap, but always have the option of the .357. My opinion: better to have and not need than to need and not have.

RE: Sidearm for hiking
 

I agree with y'all. For general purposes you can't go wrong with a 357.

I personally have a Taurus model 66 with a 3" barrel and I also like the Ruger GP100.

Good luck!

RE: Sidearm for hiking
 

I carry a Rossi S.S. Competition .357mag

RE: Sidearm for hiking
 

mid size glock, g 19, g23... very light, super tough, will not rust, lots of ammo.

RE: Sidearm for hiking
 

I quess its not for everyone but I purchased the Tausus Ultralite 44 Mag. Its just 26 inches with a 4 inch barrel. With full power 44 Mag loads its a handfull but with 44 Specials or reduced loads it real portable power. I load 300 Grain LBT style bullets at about 1000 fps. Thats an easy load to shoot but delivers some serous Horse Power.

RE: Sidearm for hiking
 

No one seems to have touched on this. What are you comfortable with? How much experience do you have with handguns? If your not experienced stay away from semi-autos and large calibers. Semi-autos take training such as reload drills, malfunction drills, proper drawing of the gun without shooting your self etc. Large callibers can scare new shooters with their recoil,this to include the 357 mag if youve never experienced it.

My suggestion is find a local gun shop that rents firearms. Try a few and buy what works good for you meaning whatever you can shoot and can make hits. Get training on whatever the weapon is and practice practice practice. To many gun owners by them shoot them a few times and think that good enough and put them away for a just in case moment. Your marksmanship degrades with time thereforemaking a bad situation worst when its time to pull it. Your confidence will not be there and you'll hesitate.I hope this helps