Woods carry gun

[Davemuzz]

I agree the recoil is probably equal, but the of power factor of the .44 far out weighs that of the .357 mag. let alone the mental gratification  and the comfort level of the .44?

Well, It's like this. If it's not comfortable to carry the gun, then chances are the gun isn't going to get carried. So, from that aspect a 357 has much more power than.....nothing.

Dave

[odoh]

Re shooting UNDER water thing. A fella at elk camp was shooting INTO the water and unconcious fish floated to the surface. After a spell, they (the ones he left) regained consiousness and swam away.

Accordingly I wish NOT to be UNDER water when discharging a firearm ~ it be not good thing for man nor equipment!                

[Revolver Nuts]

My vote would be for a S & W 629 Trail Boss. It's a 3" 44 mag.
Just a little easier to carry than the 4" Mountain Gun and a great looker IMHO.
Revolver Nuts

[superdown]

I think the 629 is a great suggestion but i would recommend something with a 4 inch BBL only because my state requires a minimum of 4 inches of BBL for hunting and a few others do as well your state maybe different. i don't know how many times i have been hiking or fishing and popped a rabbit or grouse and been happy that i had a legal hunting weapon. I personally would not carry anything that was not legal to hunt big game . With the scandium and titanium options out there today theirs no reason not to and if the recoil bothers you in such light guns get a chambering that has a special counterpart ie 357/38 or 44mag/44special and practice with the specials and when hiking use the mags. superdown

[S.B.]

superdown, original post sounds more like he's worried about self defence not hunting? To me anyway?

[superdown]

S.B. your correct . my point is if he's out hiking and happens to see a deer , black bear , rabbit , grouse ect . and isn't "hunting" but has his tags / licenses it would be a shame for him to have to watch something walk away based on one inch of barrel. superdown 

[SHOOTALL]

You got to wonder about laws like that , in Va. its a FT. LB. energy rating for factory ammo in the gun you are using . no mention of bbl length . information must be published ! for factory loaded ammo ! so a strict interpretation says no hand loads for hunting !
so a 38 spl. with a 4 inch bbl. is OK but a 454 with 3 inch bbl is not Ok to hunt deer !
I'll be honest this is a real head scratch-er !

[superdown]

SHOOTALL , gotta agree with ya on that . I would much rather have 3in 454 than a 4in 38. my state Washington states that the firearm must be a centerfire  6mm or larger and must have a minimum of a 4inch BBL. superdown

[Greeenriver]

I have actually read all the posts on this thread, and they were informative and entertaining, to say the least. (Still wondering about that silver bear poop thing).

Where I live, bears are the least of my worries when out woods walking. Mostly, I'm more concerned about the two legged predators,
and for them, and as my normal woods walking gun, I Cary a Ruger Single Six in 32 H&R Magnum. It fits me well, and shoots without thinking where I point it.  When not carrying the Ruger, it's a Uberti single action in 45 Colt with a 4&3/4 in bbl.

If I had any worries about bears, I would be carrying a short bbl SA in 44 Mag. The Ruger Redhalk and S&W revolvers are great guns, but a SA fits me much better.

Greeenriver

[ought6]

While I agree whole heartedly with the 4" mountain revolver in 44mag and the 329, the Glock 20 in 10mm sure feels good having one in the chamber and 15 in the mag.  If you're not a reloader, you can buy from DoubleTap ammo and get true 10mm power levels which is VERY near 41magnum.  i.e. 180gr gold dot at 1300fps from a G20.

What is hard is deciding which to take on any certain day.  I have ample belt room  , so I can take both.

[Davemuzz]

While I agree whole heartedly with the 4" mountain revolver in 44mag and the 329, the Glock 20 in 10mm sure feels good having one in the chamber and 15 in the mag.  If you're not a reloader, you can buy from DoubleTap ammo and get true 10mm power levels which is VERY near 41magnum.  i.e. 180gr gold dot at 1300fps from a G20.

What is hard is deciding which to take on any certain day.  I have ample belt room  , so I can take both.

ought6.....Quit bragging.....besides....if you pull both of 'em out at the same time.....whoever is on the other end....your gonna have a first hand demostration of that silver poop thing! 

Dave

[Lawful Larry]

You got to wonder about laws like that , in Va. its a FT. LB. energy rating for factory ammo in the gun you are using . no mention of bbl length . information must be published ! for factory loaded ammo ! so a strict interpretation says no hand loads for hunting !
so a 38 spl. with a 4 inch bbl. is OK but a 454 with 3 inch bbl is not Ok to hunt deer !
I'll be honest this is a real head scratch-er !

Well, Yes you are correct.  I can only think that some idiot that has no hunting background came up with this stupid rule.  However, I did talk to a friend of mine that is a game warden and he asked me if,  "When you reload my ammo are  you not a manufacturer of this ammo?   He said that he could think of no game warden that  uses that part of the rule.  He just worries that  it  is .23 or larger.  But it is the rule and one that must be changed so that some hard assed warden doesn't use it to harrass some poor souls!

Rule Quote:   "Pistols and revolvers are lawful for deer and bear hunting only in those counties where hunting deer and bear with rifles is lawful. Cartridges used must be .23 caliber or larger and have a manufacturer's rating of 350 foot-pounds muzzle energy or more."

[SHOOTALL]

you are correct , i went back and read it !
and Virginia is fortunate in that many leo's tend to ignore gray areas and focus on real threats !

[SingleShotShorty]

I usually carry my Blackhawk 41 mag