horse back trip across America, what guns would you take?

[1stmar]

As many have suggested, minimize your ammo requirements by taking a long gun and a handgun in the same caliber, probably 44 mag. I like 4v50's recommendation.

[treg]

I too spend a lot of time on my horse. Not cross country time, but 1000+ miles a year, sometimes twice that.

To me Glocks (or any semi auto with no thumb safety) and horses don't mix, so that's out. Outside that there's lots of choices. I'll only say if it were me I'd carry a SA revolver of the compact versions now available in a good medium to high ride pancake holster so it could be covered with an untucked shirt. Or, your SP101 should serve you just fine as my Taurus M605 has me, although I have switched mostly to the SR40c.

Another thing to consider is the potential problems of carrying a firearm on the horse, not on you. Any kind of accident and a lot of situations (there are a LOT of potential scenarios) would lead to you not having control of your firearm(s) if they are attached to the horse, not you. Especially bad in highly populated areas. Easy pickins for a thief or the attention of LEO. Also, when traveling through towns you may attract some onlookers. All may not be well wishers just waiting for you to go into the store. I'd say if you're going to hunt, do it once you get out west and have some one send you a rifle or buy one there.

It would be neat to follow your adventure. Are you going to be reporting your progress on line?

Best wishes either way.

[L_Killkenny]

Sounds like a fun trip, hope you and the horse make it.

I'm of the belief that the guns people choose shouldn't really change just because circumstances do. I don't care whether it's in good times or bad, at home or away, etc etc. The same 2 gun combo for this trip should be the same 2 gun combo you'd want for everyday use. I have a few that I find work well (in order of preference if I was forced to choose):

- 12ga. pump (all around hunting and defense) and .22lr handgun (small game and finishing).
- .22lr rifle (camp meat) and centefire handgun (when things get bigger).
- Centerfire rifle and .22lr pistol (see #1 for uses for both).

On a trip like this you may be better of to just dump the handgun altogether (legal reasons). You could do a lot worse than a 12ga or a lever gun.

[walkabout76]

Hmm. Some good suggestions....Im pretty stubborn so once i start the trip i will most likely finish it even if i wasn't having fun.. But in the back of my mind i wonder if i would just keep on going like i did for 7 years hitch hiking around the country and a few others.. So a part of me wants what ever would be the best long term set up for hunting/ defense...If i new for sure that i would go straight across the country (takes about 7 months) then i wouldn't be so picky about guns.. I suppose in the lower 48 i would have to be absolutely starving before id poach larger game such as a deer... but my conscience could probably handle a grouse or rabbit every now and then.(-: If i was going to live like that forever i know id take my ruger #1 and a twelve guage pump or possibly a double. I suppose the best compromise (aside from perhaps bolt guns) would be a customised 45-70.... I think im pretty set on the sp101 and the mark three hunter 22.. probably a single action 45 colt too that id mostly just wear in bear country... and yes i would travel all year.. I will have a 6 Lbs tp style tent with a 4-6 lbs collapsible wood stove. Never hurts to be comfortable(-:

[walkabout76]

Treg.... A thousand miles a year is quite a bit.. I actually dont ride much lately because im a farrier.. after getting kicked around all day by horses the last thing i want to do when i get home ,with a sore back, is ride.lol.. On the east coast most the guns would be stored low profile on the pack horse, unloaded. And yes if the horse got away there would go my guns(-: ah welll.. If i ever finally get my gear together and head out il post a website. Also there are quite a few people currently engaging in such rides around the world. U can follow their stories by Googling "the long riders guild" and follow links from there. There is one older lady, retired any how, that has been riding around the country for i think 7 years...18,000 miles! Her dog got to old to keep up so the dog now rides atop a third pack horse,lol.

[APreacherandaCowboy]

I guess I am just nostalgic but I like the idea of a single action and lever action although might pick a more modern caliber. However, shotgun might be the most practical.

[walkabout76]

Just out of curiosity what is the max range on a 44 carbine?? and i guess 45lc well were at it...

[Ridge_Runner_5]

M16A2 if you're a bad guy, M14 or M1 Carbine if you're a good guy.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PD75cLjvRwA

[walkabout76]

Lol.. as cheesy as kevin costner is i actually like that movie(-:

[Crazy88Fingers]

A single action revolver is probably best for horseback riding. Aside from the nostalgia factor, the fact that you have to manually cock it greatly reduces the chances of an accidental discharge if you have to fire from a mounted position. If that thing rears back while you have a Glock in your hand, you may end up hitchhiking again because you shot your horse in the back of the head.

[dlb435]

I think I would pair that down to just the Glock and the 22. On a trip that long every pound is a huge burden.
Glock - self protection
22 - small game for food

I would carry a cell phone with a solar charger. That's the best protection you can have. Be sure it has GPS, mapping software would be good too.

[pat701]

If you can afford that trip, and take off work that long hire a body guard if you are worried

[lcpiper]

Go find one of those shotgun/.22 rifles for birds/rabbits and a desperate belly. Make sure you can ummmmm, make fire. A .44 Mag double action for defense against people and bears.

And for pete's sake, do not fire mounted, dismount first as I doubt your horses will be trained for mounted shooting unless you are going to train them yourself first.


EDIT: Oh, and by the way, those break-over .410s are good all-around shooters for all kinds of small game and are very light too. Bring some slugs for it and it becomes a hard hitter too. The slugs are like .50 caliber and pretty accurate out to around 100-150 yards.

[Skans]

Well, first you are going to need to leave the pistol at home, unless you are absolutely sure you are licensed to carry in the states you will be traveling in. Next, you will need to check out the laws about carrying a loaded rifle in each state you intend on traveling in.

My preference would be to carry a very short light-weight, non-tactical-looking carbine. A folding stock Mini-14 might be just right. Or, perhaps just a Winchester 30-30 lever action.

[johnwilliamson062]

El Camino de Santiago, Appalachian Trail, Iditarod Trail, Pacific Crest, etc. Maybe there should be a horseback CASS type trail. Would be a bit of fun I'd think.

[hardworker]

Also where do you plan to do all this hunting? Most people aren't going to like some stranger on a horse hunting their property when there's a grocery store down the road.

[lcpiper]

Well, first you are going to need to leave the pistol at home, unless you are absolutely sure you are licensed to carry in the states you will be traveling in.

Actually checking the state laws is good, I would, but many have laws that allow having a gun in your vehicle while traveling, Texas does. New Mexico says your vehicle is an extension of your home.

The problem becomes judging when you are traveling and when you are hunting.

As for cross country, you really will need to look into your route, access to government/public lands, vs personal property and gaining permission from land owners, etc.
Even if you don't bring a firearm at all you need to plan this carefully. By stock in Google, you going to be a google-mapping son of a gun.

[walkabout76]

Well i actually wouldnt be doing to much hunting but if i did it would be on national forest or blm land since most of my trip will be routed through the rockies and there is a lot of uninhabited land out there.. If i can get a hunting license i will, but i doubt it... and if i was close to a store i wouldnt be hunting.. As far as affording the trip i doubt i will have more than a few thousand dollars,(i know a guy who did it with only 300$ to start With). I plan to work at a few ranches along the way from time to time. I dont have any kids so giving up my current clientel and job as a horse shoer will only effect me. And yes i will be pretty hard up trying to settle somewhere again and restart my buisness with no money. But u only live once and being homeless or poor is nothing new to me... as far as the legality of guns on horse back it is a bit tricky but most of the states im going threw are open carry states and most also recognise a north carolina concealed carry permit.. furthermore if most the guns are unloaded on the pack horse, until i was way out in the bush, i would techinically be transporting them same as if you had them in a u-haul trailer while moving acrossed the country to a new home... at night at least one or two would be in my tent though(-:

[walkabout76]

410/22 over under is tempting.. i used to have one and im confident i could survive forever with it if i still had it. I guess i could state what guns people who have already done a similar trip have taken... Off the top of my head- (jefery spivey) a single action 45 colt and a 44 mag rifle. (Two guys that road from montana to alaska) alls they had was a 12 guage coach gun.lol. (some guy i watched a video on u2b)lol.. alls i saw on him was a 357 mag looked like a smith and wesson..(And a friend of a friend) took an sp101 and a 30-30..... I have read a lot of peoples stories about riding across the US, but most do not mention guns or just state that they have a couple...

[walkabout76]

Also to address the weight issue, yes if you don't have a pack horse weight would be a very important factor i would carry a g2 contender pistol with a 410 barrel and a 22 barrel and then probably a single action 45 ,or perhaps just my sp101, and that's it.... But i am pretty sure i am going to take a pack horse which means i can carry about 80 lbs of grain for my horses and approximately 40 lbs of other stuff ie- larger tent, small fold up wood stove, and guns and ammo. I should still keep it light but i could probably carry 15- 20 lbs of guns and ammo if that helps. I will only go about 20-25 miles a day and i will walk an hour/ ride an hour to be fair to the horses, and also give them at least one day maybe two off a week.

[Doc TH]

If you intend to enter Canada, you should consider taking you Ruger #1 or perhaps a lever action rifle. A handgun will be a problem at the border...

[Tucker 1371]

I'd get something in .44 Mag for DAAA bears and a lightweight .22 rifle for hunting. I wouldn't want to kill anything mug bigger than a couple rabbits and have to throw it on the horse or let it go to waste.

[1stmar]

Good luck with the trip, bring and iPad so you can chronicle here...jealous this sounds awesome.

[Strafer Gott]

A handgun will get you into more trouble than it will get you out of. I'd definitely go with a levergun, .30-.30 or a .44. Old reliable model 94, affordable and effective.