Camping Gun Recommendations

[don44]

I have a S&W Mt. Gun in 44 magnum. Shoots very well and is easy to carry, an all around revolver in MHO. I shoot 240 gr. reloads at around 950-1000 fps. It will get the job done.

 

[Anonymous]

Hi Beach Bum,

Nobody has suggested this revolver but a good used Security Six 4 inch barrel stainless steel I feel would be a good choice. They are 357 magnum. With the right ammo I feel you could handle anything up to a bear. The Security Six is light enough to carry but strong to hold up. And the Security Six is reliable. Plus you can get a good one for $350.00 or less sometimes. Below is my Ruger Police Service Six 4 inch blued. This is the fixed sight version of the Security Six. This will give you a idea of how the gun looks.

Good luck,
roaddog28

I'll echo that!

I happen to have this exact gun and a 158 Gr. Rem. soft point will shoot through a pine 4x4 and halfway through a 2x4 underneath.

I load that bullet to 1100 fps in the 4" gun as above and I have no doubt that a black bear under 300 lbs would be dead meat if hit any where near right.

Another plus is that it is easy to control for follow up shots and if it were me, I would not stop shooting till it ran dry. Fairly light to carry too.

 

[reuben_j_cogburn]

However, a bottle of pepper spray, made for protection againts bears, is way lighter to carry and it offers survival benifits for both you and the bear.

The problem with bear spray is that once it is dispenced it tends to "attract' bears.. so you would have to vacate the area....
I only know one person up here who carry's bear spray... in addition to his .44
The yuppy tourists carry the bear spray and wear the bells....

I'd carry for the most dangerous (excluding man), animal I might encounter. For me that eliminates anything .357 or smaller. I don't think an auto caliber will have the wallop you need for a cat, bear, or gator..
The ammo capacity is nice, but if you have to use more rounds to keep an animal down whats the diference?...

regards..

reuben...

 

[maxpress]

round here if its your only gun then you keep a snakeshot either in a reload or in the first chamber. i like carrying a jframe off side loaded with snakeshot and heavy solids in my primary.

for the most part i would think you would want heavy solids. if ya have to hunt with it a light hollow point is going to ruin way to much rabbit while not making it through a florida gator.

 

[piratedude]

I thought I replied to this thread, but don't see it....

I had said that I can't believe people seriously think you need a .44 mag for gators. I have lived around gators for most of my life (growing up in Fla.). I've never needed any kind of gun around them at all. For the most part if you don't go in the water you are fine. In terms of guns that you can use to kill a gator... a .22lr would work fine for the most part. A .357 would be great.

In Georgia, the bears are small. I would be a lot more concerned about bad people than bad animals. I would suggest an auto in 9mm or .40 S&W. The extra rounds will be more useful than extra power. If you really need a revolver, then get an SP-101 with a 3" barrel and load it hot. I'd rather have an auto with 15-20 rounds in the mag though.

 

[Silent Sam]

That's the first I've heard of bear spray 'attracting' bears.

 

[Dale53]

A prime choice is a 4" S&W Model 624 (.44 Special) or a 4" 629 (.44 Magnum).

Other excellent choices are a Ruger BlackHawk in either .44 Magnum or .45 Colt (handloaded with Ruger only loads) or a Ruger .44 Lipsey Special.

I have back packed extensively in the Smokies and have, at different times, carried each of the above. I NEVER felt under armed.

I also practice a LOT and am ready should I be called up on to perform.

Dale53

 

[BGoff_SC]

I would suggest a Ruger Super Red Hawk Alaskan 44 Mag, with a 2 1/2 in barrel. I have had .357s that kick worse. Bears, gators or Boars, not a problem.

But then to each his own.

 

[ndcowboy]

Anything that goes bang that you are comfortable with. Go to your local gun shop, pick up and handle lots of them, and then choose.

 

[EDK]

For this scenario, I'd get a Mountain Gun in 44 magnum AND be tempted to load it with 250 grain full or semi wadcutters for serious purposes. The 329 PD was a little more fun than I cared for.

While I shoot my VAQUEROS in 357 or 44 daily, a single action requires too much thinking and manipulation in a high stress situation. A double action is adequately accurate at "powder burning range...." and the park rangers are going to jerk you around for shooting their pets at long range...and you may have 20 juvenile witnesses with 20 different versions of the story.

My favorite...that I sold, of course!...was a S&W 58 converted to 44 magnum and magna-ported.

No one mentioned the elderly tree hugging yankee couple who got killed and partially EATEN in Georgia last year by a pack of feral dogs. They were walking in an isolated rural area near their home IIRC.

 

[BearBio]

That's the first I've heard of bear spray 'attracting' bears.

It's a curiosity thing I think. I know we had people spray trash cans when I was doing research in SoCal and it seemed to attract the bears. We joked it was all the leftover Mexican food in the trash.

The son of the local newspaper guy was a self-declared bear "expert" and he developed a trash can called Bear-B-Gone. It had a can of bear spray triggered by opening the lid. All it seemed to do was teach bears to stay away from blue trash cans laying on their side.

There ARE several types and strengths of spray. They vary from small, dog-sized sprays to large, bear sprays. Don't confuse them with mace or CN. Bear spray is about 20% capsaicin.

Valerius Geist did research a few (3-5?) years ago and bear spray was found to be more effective than a rifle in stopping bears. You also might want to read Stephen Herrero's book on bear attacks, especially the chapter on guns, esp pistols.

Fishing in Alaska? I carry both: a very HOT 45 Colt in a Ruger Vaquero (300 gr hardcast @ 1200 fps) and pepper spray. This year, fishing in Yellowstone, I'll carry spray.

Remember, the DOCUMENTED examples of a pistol stopping a grizzly or brown bear can probably be counted on one hand, certainly on ten fingers.

 

[Jayhawkhuntclub]

How many bear attacks happen in the US in a typical year? Anyone know? I assume it's several hundred thousand after all the discussions I've encountered about it on the internet. Seriously, does anyone know?

 

[BearBio]

How many bear attacks happen in the US in a typical year? Anyone know? I assume it's several hundred thousand after all the discussions I've encountered about it on the internet. Seriously, does anyone know?

That WOULD be interesting to know. Herrero might have something in his book==I'll try to look tonight if I remember. We need to set some parameters:

Black vs grizzly vs polar?
wild vs captive?
fatal vs non-fatal?
wounded vs unprovoked?
Just the US, US & Canada, including Alaska?

In the 2 years I studied bears, I had 3, maybe 4 aggressive interactions (1 bluff charge, 2-3 instances of snorting or jaw-popping). We had one "attack" (Convict teasing a wild bear at a work camp with a candy bar), one the year after (Boy Scout had his face licked while sleeping out and punched the bear, who swatted him). Several B & E's, prowlings, etc.

Now, I wouldn't consider any of these "unprovoked". Teasing a bear with a candy bar? In my case, this bear had been provoked by a research assistant for several days (seeing how close she could get to him) and when I got out of the truck, he was a LOT closer than I thought he was. In the other instances, he was in the brush about 50 feet and was just verbalizing. In one case, it was night and I never saw the bear, just heard him (and I had my GSP with me and she started growling first). The Boy Scout and the break-ins were just unsanitary conditions in camp/home.

My scariest experience was when was tracking a bear getting closer and closer, then felt something brush my leg. I had a skunk standing on my foot! I had to wait 1/2 hour until I saw him emerge from under my truck and walk away.

Anyway, I'll see if I can find something out for ya!

 

[reuben_j_cogburn]

There where three maulings in the City of Anchorage last summer... yes.. the City of Anchorage..
how many out-state?..
I'll look into it.
There where at least 6 bear killed in my area in DLP shootings...
If you want real bear protection, just hire "Yukon Don" (a local legend... :roll: ).... to follow you around.. he's killed more bears in DLP shootings than the whole rest of Alaska!

If you carry spray, just remember that after the incident, you will have to leave the area.. This advice was given to me by Fish & Game guy's....

ciao..

reuben..

 

[nhlever]

I would choose a caliber that has factory shot loads available for it. The secret with stopping bears is to take out a nerve center, so shots to the head, and the ability to make repeat hits makes sense. I would think that snakes, and gaters are a larger threat though I know nothing about gators. I would't be oposed to looking at a compact 3 1/2"-4" 45 ACP in your situation. They are natural pointers ( 1911's anyway) and carry the required firepower. Magazines can be loaded with different ammo too. Just a thought. To try to stop a bear with a quartering body shot, or even a broadside body shot probably won't work even with a magnum if he is P###ed. All the successful bear stops in attack situations that I have read about have been head shots, and the handguns biggest value is to give you the confidence that you need to stand a bear down.

 

[steve b]

Am just home from trout camp in the Alleghaney Forest. Due to early spring, bears already out and keying on the trout waters where fish are cleaned on the streamside, and guts/heads left. I carried a .44spec Bulldog, others from camp like their SP101's in .357. All in stainless for wear and use in rain and possible dunkings while wading. I'd recommend the 180 hardcast/heat-treated bullets for the .357's. If temps had been warmer, I'd put a shotshell in first. When shooting for REAL, noise not an issue, especially out of doors. Practice with .38 specials though. There has been a big push in the outdoor rags for the use of sprays. I do not agree that they are better against bears than a suitable handgun, and beyond that, they are a one shot solution to one problem only. Don't work in downpours, can't fire signal shots or warning shots, can't kill game for food, etc.. I've had a number of black bear encounters over the yrs.. So far a shot into the ground between us(aim slightly off line)has changed their minds. Stay safe, plan ahead. steve b

 

[Jayhawkhuntclub]

Bearbio: DAMN, I hope that kid got a merit badge out of that deal. Seems like you should get something for getting your face licked by a bear. BTW, are these stories about grizzley or black bears? Interesting stuff. Thanks.

 

[BearBio]

Black bears only in SoCal. Grizzlies were killed off in the 1920's. Interesting, folks wanted bears brought back in the 1930's. So, Fish and Game went to Yosemite and asked for some bears for re-location. Park Service said..."Have we got some bears for you!"

However, we had 2 bears over 600 pounds shot during my study and within or just outside of my study area. My biggest was 429 lbs.

 

[Old_School]

I have been considering buying a revolver for backwoods protection. I am an Assistant Scoutmaster and we camp, canoe and backpack primarily in Florida but with periodic trips to the Smoky Mountains in GA. Don't tell the BSA because they frown on such things but as a leader, I doubt I'm alone in preferring to go armed into the outdoors.

Lots of good advice here, but I don't think the bears in N. GA or TN are that big of a problem (and yes, I've been charged by a black momma bear in NM, as well as had bears come into camp in the Smokies). That said, a small, lightweight .44 Spl such as a Bulldog Pug or one of the Scandium S&W .44 mags might be the best choice.

Oh, and you might want to make sure of the reciprocal privileges in TN, rather than GA, as that's where SMNP is located.

 

[Anonymous]

I now am the proud owner of a Glock 20. That's my new camp guns. :0)