Best Caliber for Woods/Back Country gun

[gak]

The OP asked availability of a lever carbine in .45LC, as a companion to this new revolver. Yes, several options. I'd look for a pre-safety Rossi (EMF or earlier Interarms import) 92 in 20"" or 16" "Trapper." Very light and handy, found in SS or blued. Also found in .357 and .44 Mag. Newer ones from Rossi/Taurus, or Legacy Sports (LSI "Puma")--who just switched to more pricey Italian-made models still called Pumas, but most of the new Pumas found are still their previous Rossis--or post '06 EMF--come lawyered up with with a goofy safety switch, but are readily available as well.

[rodwhaincamo]

I say go with the 44 Mag. You can load anything from the 44 Spl on up to some heavy magnums rivaling the 454 Casull. Don't know if I'd recommend it, but I have a Taurus Tracker in 44 Mag that's been a good gun so far (400 rds). It is a 5 shot on a medium frame. Stainless with adjustable sights and weighs only 34 oz. Costed $500 new at gun show. The 4" barrel is ported. Recoil isn't much....maybe along the lines of a 357 Mag load with a standard magnum (750-1050 ft/lbs). You definately can't use the outrageous heavy magnums (1400-1650 ft/lbs), but most can't. Can't get a definate answer about using the midrange heavy magnums (1100-1300 ft/lbs). But you may not need them. A 357 with heavy hard cast loads may work on the black bears, but I'd rather have at least a 41 Mag. A 45 Colt may work for you as well.

[Ricky]

Moving up, even to a .41 mag is going to be a much bigger and heavier gun. When I'm hiking I don't want to be lugging around a 4 pound gun. I carry a Ruger SP101 .357 mag. Barely know it's on my hip. 180 grain mag loads should do the trick.

[win-lose]

I use a 44 mag, with low recoil buffalo bore magnum hunting rounds as my woods rig. We have some pretty big black bear (500+ lbs.) where we hike. Even a 250 lb bear is a pretty darn tough hombre, especially when compared to 250 lb human.

[culleniii3]

I vote for the Taurus .44 Magnum Tracker. Combination good carry with good hitting power.

[chewie146]

I have a "custom" 3.5" blackhawk "sherrifs model" revolver that I keep loaded with 158 grain hard cast LSWC or, in a pinch, LRN. I stay away from hollow points for the woods. In the event of a little too much penetration, it'll hit a tree or dirt. You could do worse than a 4" revolver with some hard cast bullets. The .44 special is probably the most under-appreciated round out there. It's in the same league as a 45 colt or .45 ACP. The 10mm Smith is the best of everything. It's a 41 magnum and a plinker pussycat rolled into one. 10mm from buffalo bore or doubletappammo.com would put that revolver into dangerous defense roles easily. The .40 would be a good practice and anti-personnel round.

I usually carry a 12 gauge single shot NEF around squirrel and grouse season with 5 heavy hitters in a butt cuff. I wouldn't hesitate to shoot a black bear with a 2 3/4" slug. With it's 18.5" barrel and youth synthetic stock, it's a very lightweight gun. It kicks like the devil, though. I get about 3" groups at 50 yards with slugs. Good enough for me for bears.

[temmi]

Wish I knew how to quote...

MAN That is a BIG CAT!


BTW incas I case not already said it...

480R or 475 Lim.


400g bullets.

If one of those won't stop it, you need a rifle.

[booker_t]

I'm going to take this a different direction.. for back country/woods use, how about an 1875 Army replica in .45 Colt?



http://www.uberti.com/firearms/outla...and_police.php

[Daryl]

Some of the replies actually surprise me.

A self-admitted new revolver shooter, and folks are recommending a .454, .467, .475 Linebaugh, etc?

Those are specialty cartridges, not exactly friendly to new shooters that may need to work on their shooting skills a bit first.

Something like a .45 Colt or .44 mag has more than enough thump for what the OP describes, along with the .41 magnum. .44 special would do the trick, too.

My fondness in this class of cartridge is the .45 Colt, but I handload. If I didn't, I'd look seriously at a .44 mag. A newb can start with .44 special, and then try the mags once the shooting skills are up to par.

One can do the same thing with the various levels of .45 Colt loads, but factory ammo is fairly expensive in comparison to .44 mags from what I've seen.

Daryl

[Cheapshooter]

357. 4" GP100. Load up these if you think you'll need the extra power.

Excellent choice plus the versatility to practice with 38 Spcl. ammo.

[pythagorean]

The "backwoods carry" question! What fun!
1. The easiest (Colt New Frontier)


2. The .357 (27-2)


3. The best (.41 Magnum)

[FairWarning]

When I'm in the woods, concealment is not a concern. It will be open carry side holster with a minimum 6" to max 7.5" barrel for a nice bump in velocity. I have my 686 w/6" for just this purpose and with 180 gr cast core rounds it is fine for my region.

If I lived in grizzly country, I'd have a Ruger Blackhawk 7.5" in .45 Colt with some STOUT rounds or in .44 Mag.

[seeker_two]

And remember....if you may encounter snakes or small varmints, you can always load a shotshell load as your first shot....and larger calibers let you have larger/more shot per shell....

[mavracer]

1 1/2 year old thread and OP hasn't had activity for 2 months LOL but a fun topic.

For me just about anything in the safe is fair game for a woods gun.The one exception that comes to mind is my seecamp.I don't get out to the woods near as much as I would like and have too many woodsie type guns so I tend to carry a couple at a time lol.
If I was in bear country I'd opt for something that penatrated well, doesn't necessarily have to be a monster though, a .357 with 158gr hard casts loaded hot will do.
In the quest for "the perfect packin' pistol" I've aquired in no specific order.
two 4 5/8" .357 blackhawks, a 4 5/8" 44 Special Blackhawk, a 3" Smith 696. a .357 Ruger Montado, a 4" birds head Vaquero in 45 Colt and cut my 44 mag Redhawk to 4" to mention a few.Heck I even got some bottom feeders that make fine trail companions.

[Falcon642]

Something has to be said about number of rounds put on target. I can accurately fire a .357 about twice as fast as I can a .454 Casul, and about 1.5 times as fast as I can fire a .44 Magnum.

I fully recognize that in a life or death situation I will not fire as accurately as I do Saturday mornings at the range. Personally I would rather fire a more of a smaller round like a .357, thus increasing my chances of scoring a hit, than less of more powerful round of something bigger like a .454.

Ballistics are important, but so are control and rate of fire. A .22 minigun is going to have more stopping power than a single shot .50 BMG.

[pythagorean]

I vote the best as either a .44 or .41 magnum on the bear thing (a possibility as the news has revealed despite those who say it is rare).

In the case of the .357 I think it is great for everything else but the bear attack. A bear has too much mass to depend on it.

[ET.]

I carry my Taurus Judge Ultra-Lite with Hornady 45LC & .410 000 buckshot. It isn't going to kill many bears, but it should be alright for what I would encounter in the mountains of NC. Plus the last bear I talked to told me he would rather find a human without a gun & would probably turn & run if shot with a 45LC instead of charging. That's all I need to know. He said the picnic baskets weren't worth being shot over. Evidently "Mr. Ranger, Sir" had already gone that route with him & Yogi wasn't real thrilled with the results. Then he had one last drink & left the BBG (Bear Bar & Grill) with his pal Boo Boo Bear. (Yes, I am a product of rather juvenile cartoons in my youth)

[mavracer]

In the case of the .357 I think it is great for everything else but the bear attack. A bear has too much mass to depend on it.

just where are you going to hit a charging bear with a 44 that a decient penatrating 357 won't work?