357 or 45 acp for hiking

[loadedp3at]

I am not trying to start a war on this. I hike and have the option of a four inch 357 six shot or a full size 45 with 8 shots. Just wondering what people would of have carried between these two.

[papa61]

1 hour ago, loadedp3at said:

I am not trying to start a war on this. I hike and have the option of a four inch 357 six shot or a full size 45 with 8 shots. Just wondering what people would of have carried between these two.

I'm a HUGE fan of .45 acp for personal protection from two legged predators. For backwoods hiking where large fou legged predators roam, I would carry the .357. of course I have an 8 round .357 but even with six gun I'd take the .357 with 158 grain full power loads.

[pop pop]

A am a 357 guy and my EDC is a 7 shot Taurus snubbie. A 4" would be even better. Would like to have a 8 shot 357 Smith 5", but too stingy to put out the Lolli!  I am not a 1911 fan. 

[FUJIMO]

Are you starting yet another thread on this ?

 

[Sleep profit]

I would go with 357 with full power loads in back country 

[papa61]

3 hours ago, pop pop said:

A am a 357 guy and my EDC is a 7 shot Taurus snubbie. A 4" would be even better. Would like to have a 8 shot 357 Smith 5", but too stingy to put out the Lolli!  I am not a 1911 fan. 

I believe the .357 mag is the most versatile handgun caliber there is. It's also the best fight stopper. Still love my .45s for carry and I shoot them better than revolvers. I want the redhawk 8 shot .357 but I'm like you, can't bring myself to shell out the bucks for one right now.

oh yeah, my 357is the 4 inch ported fully polished. It hurt my wallet.

[Grayfox54]

It would depend entirely on what threats you may face. For two legged predators I'd go with the 1911. However, if you're worried about 4 legged critters capable of doing grievous bodily harm, go with the .357. If bears are possible, think 12 gauge slugs. 

 

[monkeylizard]

If it's the local black bears you're worried about, bear spray is a way better choice than a handgun. It's highly effective against them and you'll almost certainly never need it. Black bears are very rarely aggressive towards people. something like 60'ish people killed in the past 100+ years by them.

If it's western Grizzlies, bear spray backed up by the biggest hand cannon (.500 or .454 Casull come to mind) I can manage and a paid up life insurance policy would be the way I'd go.

 

For the 2-legged critters, carry what you always carry. An axe murderer on a trail is the same as an axe murderer in town.

[Moped]

I hike with my Taurus 627 Tracker.  It's a K-framed sized, 7 shot revolver in .357, with a ported 4" barrel. I carry it in a cheap recon chest pouch, that I bought off Amazon. I also carry two 7 round speedloaders and a first aid kit in the same pouch.  

I think the .357 is more than capable of handling either two legged or four legged threats.

[1gewehr]

East of the Mississippi, the worst 4-legged critters you will face are Black Bears and wild dogs.  The .357 revolver is good for both of those as well as the two-legged variety of nuisance.  Practice with a speedloader and you will be surprised how quickly you can have another six rounds in action.

I've long said that there is no more versatile handgun than a 4-6" barrel .357 revolver.  Plinking and target practice with cheap .38 reloads, or hunting anything up to deer with heavy 158gr hollowpoints.  The .357 does it all.

For Black Bears and wild dogs, the hot 125gr HP loads will do just fine.  For that matter, they are proven to work well on the 2-legged wild things, too!

[BigAl52]

Id do the 357 for sure but Im a revolver guy first anyway because the chance of a jam is greater in the auto.

[Quavodus]

A .357 with a  cast wide flat nose weighing about 180 gr. would be good loaded a little fast for weight. 

[papa61]

1 minute ago, Quavodus said:

A .357 with a  cast wide flat nose weighing about 180 gr. would be good loaded a little fast for weight. 

Slipped my mind but that is a concern. I can find 230 gr 45 acp right now but factory loaded 357 ammo is hard to find. If I couldn't find heavy, full power 357 I might go with 45.

[Quavodus]

1 hour ago, papa61 said:

Slipped my mind but that is a concern. I can find 230 gr 45 acp right now but factory loaded 357 ammo is hard to find. If I couldn't find heavy, full power 357 I might go with 45.

Ok, yeah I've noticed .357 is a little hard to find lately too. I handload mine and will buy a box once in awhile just for the brass. The good stuff, if you can find it, is expensive.

Something like Buffalo Bore almost requires a loan.

[Swamp ash]

14 hours ago, monkeylizard said:

If it's the local black bears you're worried about, bear spray is a way better choice than a handgun. It's highly effective against them and you'll almost certainly never need it. Black bears are very rarely aggressive towards people. something like 60'ish people killed in the past 100+ years by them.

If it's western Grizzlies, bear spray backed up by the biggest hand cannon (.500 or .454 Casull come to mind) I can manage and a paid up life insurance policy would be the way I'd go.

 

For the 2-legged critters, carry what you always carry. An axe murderer on a trail is the same as an axe murderer in town.

I concur, 100%.

Bear spray has been shown to be pretty effective against most anything and is my first choice!

I would also suggest something lightweight that you don't mind getting wet.  I  pack a Ruger 9mm that was cheap and replaceable.

[aknifemaker]

The National Park Rangers are advising hikers in Glacier National Park and other Rocky Mountain parks to be alert for bears and take extra precautions to avoid an encounter.
They advise park visitors to wear little bells on their clothes so they make noise when hiking. The bell noise allows bears to hear them coming from a distance and not be startled by a hiker accidentally sneaking up on them. This might cause a bear to charge.
Visitors should also carry a pepper spray can just in case a bear is encountered. Spraying the pepper into the air will irritate the bear's sensitive nose and it will run away.
It is also a good idea to keep an eye out for fresh bear scat so you have an idea if bears are in the area. People should be able to recognize the difference between black bear and grizzly bear scat.
Black bear droppings are smaller and often contain berries, leaves, and possibly bits of fur. Grizzly bear droppings tend to contain small bells and smell of pepper.

[DesertRanger]

I’m a former backcountry ranger at Rocky Mountain NP and Mesa Verde NP, and on the bear management team at both. Our duty weapon in the early 1990s was a S&W 686, 4” .357mag. We carried the old Black Talon rounds. In 1995 we switched to Sig and we were issued P229 in 9mm or, if we purchased our own -which I did- we could carry P229 in .40, or P220 .45 acp. I chose the P220 with Black Talon rounds. A ranger buddy of mine worked in Alaska. When we had revolvers, Alaska rangers could choose .44 mag S&W and they carried 870 pump 12ga with slugs for the big bears. When we switched to Sig, he chose a P220 in .45.  All said, I’m inclined to carry my .357. It’s been on my hip in mid, rain, snow, ice, on foot, horseback, ATV, and I never had a worry about a malfunction. 
For black bears our orders were , in order: noise, pepper spray, cracker shot, and if none of those worked, 12 ga slug to dispatch the animal. Animal attacks are very rare, but when they happen, they typically happen without warning, so whatever you carry, it should be accessible. You know how the movies show a mountain lion growling to announce its attack? That never happens. In Colorado my concern was always lions. And most bear problems are caused by people who approach the animal too closely, or attempt to feed it-I’ve seen some people take crazy chances for a picture. 

[knoxrocks222]

.357 for me 157gr JSP

[papa61]

On 11/8/2021 at 11:12 AM, DesertRanger said:

I’m a former backcountry ranger at Rocky Mountain NP and Mesa Verde NP, and on the bear management team at both. Our duty weapon in the early 1990s was a S&W 686, 4” .357mag. We carried the old Black Talon rounds. In 1995 we switched to Sig and we were issued P229 in 9mm or, if we purchased our own -which I did- we could carry P229 in .40, or P220 .45 acp. I chose the P220 with Black Talon rounds. A ranger buddy of mine worked in Alaska. When we had revolvers, Alaska rangers could choose .44 mag S&W and they carried 870 pump 12ga with slugs for the big bears. When we switched to Sig, he chose a P220 in .45.  All said, I’m inclined to carry my .357. It’s been on my hip in mid, rain, snow, ice, on foot, horseback, ATV, and I never had a worry about a malfunction. 
For black bears our orders were , in order: noise, pepper spray, cracker shot, and if none of those worked, 12 ga slug to dispatch the animal. Animal attacks are very rare, but when they happen, they typically happen without warning, so whatever you carry, it should be accessible. You know how the movies show a mountain lion growling to announce its attack? That never happens. In Colorado my concern was always lions. And most bear problems are caused by people who approach the animal too closely, or attempt to feed it-I’ve seen some people take crazy chances for a picture. 

I have 13 rounds of 45 ACP Black Talon left from when they stopped selling the original run. I switched to hydra shock.

[Quavodus]

What .357 is that? Nice.

[DesertRanger]

17 hours ago, papa61 said:

I have 13 rounds of 45 ACP Black Talon left from when they stopped selling the original run. I switched to hydra shock.

After the Black Talons went away, we were issued the HydraShock rounds. Good ammunition.

[knoxrocks222]

On 11/9/2021 at 6:26 PM, Quavodus said:

What .357 is that? Nice.

Mine is an EAA windicator 2 inch barrel

[knoxrocks222]

On 11/10/2021 at 11:44 AM, DesertRanger said:

After the Black Talons went away, we were issued the HydraShock rounds. Good ammunition.

I have 500 rounds of black talons in a Rubbermaid container 

[JustEd]

Whichever floats your boat.  I love the .1911 but always feel safer with a revolver.  Why, it has no safety just a long sure trigger pull.  As long as you loaded it, you don't have to worry about there being a round in the chamber.

jmo, others may have a different slant on things.

[JustEd]

OH, if you get a .357 get at least a 4" barrel.  Don't fall for a super light snubby if hunting.