2 pistols for hiking.

[slink]

I really like the Star PD .45, it's $300, 25 ozs, 7.5" long. The other "trail pistol" is a Smith 2214, 6" long, 18 ozs, great trigger pull and sights, very accurate. About $250 used. Both are out of production, both can be found on GunBroker.com and GunsAmerica.com.  With a total wt of a mere 43 ozs and about the same bulk as a 4" .44, the pair offer lots more versatility.

Why make the noise, waste the cost of a .44 or .45 on a frog, snake, bird, etc, when you can use the 2" at 25 yd accuracy of the Smith .22lr autopistol?  Why have nothing more than a .22lr, when you need to stop a dog or a man, or want to take a deer, hog, etc?  The .44 is a poor defensive choice, especially for ccw, but the PD .45 is not. Load it with 165 gr Corbon PowRBall ammo and it will be a powerful, yet controlable friend.  Why not have the .22lr for some plinking, mud turtale-popping, etc? 2 compact, lightwt, accurate guns make more sense than one big, heavy gun.

I see quite a few favoring a big, heavy .22lr, and nothing else, for "survival" or trail-hiking with a pistol.  Sure, maybe you can brain a deer at 20 yds with such, but I know for a fact I can hit the deer in the chest at 40 yds with the Star .45, and I won't have to try to brain attacking dogs or men with it, either.  I surely would have to get head hits on such if all I had was a .22lr pistol.

I believe that this pair of guns makes a lot more sense than having just a rifle, or a pistol-carbine combo (in the same caliber). Such a carbine and pistol have the same handicaps.  If I am going to lug around a rifle, it's going to offer me something that I can't get with my pistol. As in the 1/4 mile fighting distance of the AR-15 in 223, with its .22lr conversion unit.

[DWARREN123]

A semi or revolver as a back up/trail gun/kit gun because of size and ease of carry, a carbine in pistol caliber for a little more range and power.
As for caliber use the size you will need , if in bear area a 44 or 45 may be what you need if just for small game and varmint then a smaller caliber and for the two legged kind bigger is better in my opinion.

[flamenblaster]

the gun i chose depends depends upon my situation and circumstances..22 lr makes excellent choice almost always when camping...great fun for target shooting and also good for my wife..she can shoot it easily..i prefer ruger blackhawk when in woods..sometimes bring along sks rifle..at home ..well im on waiting list for 5" springfield xd in .45..as far as concealed..havent really done that yet..but..would probly go with compact..kahr comes to mind..only needs to work in MY hands and not malfunction

[slink]

(8" barrel, 160 gr swc at 1550  fps).  The Star .45 has no problem getting a 160 gr jhp to 1300 fps.  I'm not after elk or grizz, so it fills the bill just fine. It's also a ccw piece, unlike the monster revolvers.  Why settle for a "little extra" range with the longarm, when you can have a LIGHTER gun and ammo, box mags, a LOT more range, etc? By having the AR-15 and its .22lr unit, I dont have to bother with the .22 pistol in order to handle small stuff.  

The 223 AR's are winning the 600 yd stages of the HighPower matches these days, beating even the bolt actions.  So they have a lot more effective range than the pistol caliber carbines.  They are delivering 3-4" groups at 600 yds, and the lever .44 has real trouble delivering such at 200 yds.  In fact, most guys, with open sights on the .44, have trouble doing better than that at 100 yds, from prone with no rest for the rifle.  If I'm going to lug around a rifle, it's going to have considerably more capability than a lever action in a pistol caliber.  If it's not going to offer me a lot more than the pistol can, I'll just carry the pistol.

[Mannlicher]

slink, if carrying two different handguns works for you, then go for it.

[slink]

The reason for posting about it is that so many "think" that the way to go is a $600 .44, or JUST a .22lr, like a Smith K22, when either one cheats you out of a lot of performance that you could have, by having the same money in 2 of the right sort of other pistols.