Opinion on concealed carry gun for hiking camping etc

Really..being sarcastic here..You cant carry Captain Crunch or beef jerky with you instead." Shakes head and rolls eyes" I think there are better viable options than dog food ... you can eat dandelions you know.

took milk bones to school for recess in grammer school just to gross out the other kids.
they actually werent bad.
tried one again at the veterinarians office a few years ago, (they have a bowl of them on the counter)

almost puked
 
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You need to define "hiking". If you're wearing a pack then it's going to be tough to carry on your belt. I always carry a Bodyguard .380 in a pocket because it's light and doesn't bounce against my leg with every step.
 
I always switch over to FMJ's when I'm in the woods. I read an article once about a guy that shot a black bear 7 times at point blank range with 45acp hollow points and the thing still almost mauled him to death. Only thing that stopped it was a point blank rifle shot from the guys friend. Even then the bear ran 50 ft.

My prognosis is that the HP's didn't penetrate the heavy bear hide and fat deep enough. Long of the short. Whatever gun you bring in the woods, bring it loaded with FMJ. I/M/H/O.

Without an autopsy of the bear, this conclusion is based on junk science. From the sounds of it the hits were bad.
 
S&W 329PD. 4" .44 mag, carried in a Hill People Gear chest bag. Only 25oz, good enough for anything you'll run into just about anywhere.

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Hah! Love the kibble idea. Hmmm, what's the equivalent of bourbon...?

To the OP, my $0.02 are to take what you shoot well and don't mind carrying. I'm not a real hiker, but I have lugged too much stuff into the Presidents for 2-3-day hikes with a real hiker and have learned that light is right. On each trip, any milliseconds spent worrying about 4-legged critters was about as productive as work stress. As far as the 2-legged variety in the White Mountains, I would've been better off buying one of those now-legal-in-MA funny cigarettes and throwing that, a lighter and a bag of chips at the 2-legged "threat" and just strolling away.

Now, the real boonies may be different, although from limited experience there, perhaps not so much. In Alaska late last summer, after hoofing it up a couple of thousand vertical up a reasonable slope to a hilltop while carrying a .45-70 Henry rifle late last summer, I felt about ready to spit a lung out. It was then that it hit me. Caribou wouldn't rut for a few months, and even a sneaky bear stuffing itself on berries would be evident from a distance far enough to avoid. So, really, I could've saved about 9 lbs and should still have been able to protect myself and the kids from whatever wolves or rabid coyotes were not present that morning with my favorite 9mm and some +P defense rounds. ...and some locally sourced standard capacity magazines.

I digress; EDC includes the letters E and D, and I get that and live it (not ED, EDC), so I might also consider bringing a nice light .22 revolver snubby. Or, maybe borrow the Mrs.'s P238, cocked and locked. That said, my last multi-day hike in NH was with a favorite folding knife, because the memory of that extra pound+ when I lugged around more weight made its mark.
 
If you're hiking in Mass., you run the risk of falling afoul of hunting regs, if you have a handgun.

If the EPO sees you have a handgun, and it's during a season that is for, say, deer, you will likely be presumed to be hunting with the handgun, and that's a no-no. Restrictions: None does not apply during deer season.

Now, since OP specifies "CCW"...how would anyone know?.

If you're OCing down a trail in the Blue Hills, or some other popular place where lots of people are to be found...you might attract attention.
 
If you're hiking in Mass., you run the risk of falling afoul of hunting regs, if you have a handgun.


If the EPO sees you have a handgun, and it's during a season that is for, say, deer, you will likely be presumed to be hunting with the handgun, and that's a no-no. Restrictions: None does not apply during deer season.


Now, since OP specifies "CCW"...how would anyone know?.


If you're OCing down a trail in the Blue Hills, or some other popular place where lots of people are to be found...you might attract attention.

If you're hiking in the Blue Hills, the only bears you'll encounter are the two legged kinds, but I hear they're sure friendly [smile]
 
For hiking I'd go with a .38 +P snub nose. I wouldn't want to be weighed down with a bulky gun on a hike.
 
Where are you hiking? In Alaska I wouldn't accept much less than a 12ga with slugs. In New England, I'd be more concerned about two-legged creatures and I'd just carry whatever I normally do. Up here 9mm is fine, honestly.

Thanks for all the info. I'd be hiking here in New England. Father mentioned the low legged creature point too. Think I'll be opting on one of the shields so I'll have to get to a range and try them out. Thanks again everyone.
 
When hiking I am more concerned about 2 legged animals than 4 legged. 9mm should work just fine.
 
In my mind, a two legged animal is more dangerous than any four legged animal on the trails, I carry my LCP in my pocket all the time. If we had big cats in the mountains where I hike, I might be a little more concerned but "allegedly" there are none (I'm pretty sure there actually are but none in enough numbers to get me too worried...yet).

Back a few years ago, I was pretty sure I was being followed by a couple of coyotes at dusk but they were at quite a distance. Perhaps they were just "escorting" me out of the woods, just to make sure I got out safely [grin].

I've never felt unsafe in the woods here in NH unless I was camping where a lot of others camped or were camping. I keep a scrupulously clean campsite and food hung (when hiking) or in my vehicle when tent camping. I can't say the same for most of the other people around me. If I am tent camping, I usually carry my 357 Magnum around with me but it's way too heavy to take on a hike.
 
Cant really speak to the caliber choices here. But i can say ive carried my M&Pc In an IWB hybrid holster at 4:30 hip while rucking (35lb + back pack) in the woods. 10- 12 miles very comfortably.
 
Buffalo bore hard cast lead is good too. Actually designed for deep penetration on large predators. They are loaded to max Sami pressure too for best velocity you can get.

Buffalo Bore in hard-cast 340gr 44mag Ruger Super Redhawk will kill anything you encounter if you hit it. That's what I carry in Montana backcountry, also .50 Beowulf with 10 rds in a saddlle scabbard on horseback for awesome lightweight, semi-auto bear defense (after the Bear Spray doesn't work).

For New England, whatever you need for self-defense against humans will suffice with FMJ, even on black bears.
 
For optimum safety never go into the woods alone. Your chances of survival increase when traveling in greater numbers.
A tiny 22LR pistol will suffice for protection anywhere on this planet.
If you encounter a deadly animal. Immediately run for your life.
Then shoot anyone's leg that is running faster than you![rofl]

PS. This is what a guy I know says when asked about what he carries for protection in Alaska!
 
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Without an autopsy of the bear, this conclusion is based on junk science. From the sounds of it the hits were bad.

I believe he said that the last 3 or 4 shots were directly into the bear as it sat on top of him. I know he said that one shot was into the bears neck just below its head as he held the 45 stuffed into its neck.

The guy needed several reconstruction operations of his face, head and upper body according to the article. I'll see if I can find it again but it was a year or so ago that I read it on a gun or ammo site.

UPDATE: I cant find it but I dont use google so maybe it can be found there. However, there are alot of threads about bears being killed with a 45.
I think the title was, "So You Think Your 45 Will Stop a Bear?" or something like that.
 
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Just carry this and be done with it [thumbsup]

[video=youtube_share;hsvizH4U26E]http://youtu.be/hsvizH4U26E[/video]
 
Where would you be hiking or camping? Anywhere east of Montana my main concern is two-legged predators.


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^^^ this

And I happen to have a nice Ruger LCR.357 in the for sale section.....just saying

Unfortunatley still have to wait a few weeks for my license. Trying to get all the info I need so I can try some out to see what I like best. Waiting stinks days drag by.....if it's still there when I do I'll take a look.

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Where would you be hiking or camping? Anywhere east of Montana my main concern is two-legged predators.


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Mass and NH
 
I wear one of these while hiking:

https://hillpeoplegear.com/Products/tabid/762/CategoryID/1/ProductID/2/Default.aspx

I can wear a backpack and still have access to my firearm. Bear spray and fixed blade camping knife go in the mesh pockets on the outside of my pack, extra magazines go in the HPG rig.

If I am hiking without a pack, firearm sits in an OWB holster inside the rig so I can throw keys/phone/snacks in there and not have to worry about any snags.
 
Wanted to get your opinion on what you would use for a ccw for hiking camping etc in case of an encounter with a large 4 legged animal. I'm only purchasing one handgun at the moment when I can and would like something that's going to be good all around. Would a 9mm be sufficient enough? I've read many different articles and have looked at other forums and the 9mm doesn't seem to cut it so I thought I'd ask here and get your thoughts.

9mm is fine for up to bear sized critters.

https://www.northeastshooters.com/vbulletin/threads/64611-9mm-VS-a-Bear
 
Mass and NH

Then you should be most concerned about two-legged predators. So carry your usual CCW piece. Your chance of getting attacked by a black bear is almost zero. Your chance of getting attacked by a coyote is even lower. Your chance of getting attacked by a mountain lion that MA Wildlife continues to claim don't exist in MA is even lower than that, and they aren't very tough anyways.

As for moose, keep your distance and they won't bother you.
 
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