Undergunned??????

[mattaylor81]

I currently carry a Ruger GP100 357Mag loaded with Federal CastCore 180gr when hunting or camping in the backcountry.  Do you all consider this a capable caliber/load combination for a sidearm in the WASHINGTON backcountry, or am I undergunned?

[257 Wby Mag]

Your right on the money Matt. I pack a Springfield XD 357, 357 Sig , with 125 grain Speer Gold Dots.

[PacificNWhunter]

I don't usually carry anything when I am out and about camping, if it's high traffic season I might throw the 9mm in the pack.

[CP]

No one with a .357 is undergunned, it is the most effective handgun round period.   A 180 gr. round won’t be my first choice, I prefer 125 or 145 JHP. 

[mattaylor81]

I was actually asking about it being used as a sidearm for protection from the 4 legged variety (bears, cougars, etc).  I wouldn't use a 180gr Hardcast for home protection.

[boneaddict]

I suppose if you are in a fire fight with a Mac 10 or M16 you might be a little undergunned, but for anything else, I'd way rather have a 357. than just about any other gun, except maybe a .41,  Anything that will split through an engine block is worth shooting at a bad guy or bear.

[mossback91]

357 great for shooting tweakers and such. A 44 is what I call great because if he has buddies the noise will make them run haahah and the size of the hole that just got blown through their buddy

[bucklucky]

You are undergunned, you should be packin a 500 smith instead
Just kiddin, 357 is perfect. Its what my wife packs.......LOOK OUT!!!!

[Coasthunterjay]

Honestly i believe you are a little undergunned as you say. but carrying a gun is better than no gun at all. the noise alone would probably scare an animal away more so than it actually being shot......if you shoot a really pissed off bear with a 357 you may detir him from attacking you any farther, but if it doesnt you are screwed. He is just going to keep comming at you.....

You at a minimum are going to want to carry a 357. for what you are talking about, but for in actual case. I would rather hold a gun in my hands that is actually going to put STOPPING power onto an animal or person. And a 9 mm is deffinantly not good enough....

There is a reason why all military(and i am military and the CG has recently just switched over to sig 40 cals) are switching over to 40. caliber pistols or  higher....Because of the drugged out tweekers which would be the same as an over powered animal.....They arent being stopped by 9 mm. they get shot and keep comming. same with smaller bullets.....you want something with stopping power.

Recommend a 40, 41, 44, or 45. something that gives out huge muzzle velocity and Bullet velocity. you want something that comes out screaming and when it hits its target. throws the target back off of its feet........BAMM!

my fav, would be the 40 or 44.....Lots of options out there.

Also, honestly speaking i carry Mace(pepper spray) a small can that attaches to my camel back and i have heard and seen research that proves that it is 10x more effective on animals, such as bears than shooting them.....huge bears are not going to stop unless something really fases them. and a bear may see you as a meal and he aint stopping if thats what he thinks, but mace completely shuts down a victim and messes there world up. Being in Law enforcement i have had to be sprayed and i promise you one thing, i think ide rather be shot than sprayed ever again.........i had a women instructor say she would rather have twins over being sprayed again, and she already had three kids.....she said it was worse than pregnancy, by far!

Cheeper, lighter, possably more effective, and a larger spray area(incase you are shaking from fright and cant shoot it correctly you have a wide spray range on a good can of mace.....)

Good advice!..... Watch a bear hunting video and watch what the first thing the guys pulls out of there pack is.....a big can of mace(paper spray). Thats because it works better

Think of it as a cheep insurance policy.......im sure you can pick a small one up at your local sporting store for 6 bucks.....


  ......................AJ

[MountainWalk]

if you are hunting, then your carrying a rifle. why bother with the weight of a pistol? 
if your bow hunting, then your not supposed to carry.
i dont think many people are fast enough in their heads to see the threat, draw, aim and fire.. sides, if you miss and meat shoot em, youve done pissed em off worse. or worse yet, ya get so excited that your liable to shoot yourself in the foot. i myself have no problem with camping without a gun. i dont fear animals. i dont believe they are lurkin around every bend to get me. if that was the case, there would be a helluva lot less of us on this board. if your THAT concerned with animal threats while hiking or camping, get a little side by side 12 guage and stuff it with slugs.

[CP]

I was actually asking about it being used as a sidearm for protection from the 4 legged variety (bears, cougars, etc).  I wouldn't use a 180gr Hardcast for home protection.

Even so, I stick with my earlier recommendation.  The 180 gr round will have more energy at a longer distance but the lighter JHP or SJHP will have more up close where you need it. 

If you can handle the recoil consider a .44 mag.  The .40, .41 and .45 ACP are all good weapons but they don’t have any more stopping power than a .357 mag.  You might give this a read;

http://www.chuckhawks.com/ammo_by_anonymous.htm

Applies to 2 legged stopping power but the principles are the same.  You want to stop the threat, not necessarily make a clean kill at a distance.
JMHO

[littletoes]

Mostly handguns are carried because of the two-legged variety of dangers, not the four legged variety. Kinda makes the .357 big enough, don't it?

Attacks from cougars and bears are rising a bit, I'd reccamend watching little ones, and smaller dogs the most. Easy meals.

[Coasthunterjay]

lik i said though, a 6 dollar ca ofmace will do the same if not more.......and you dont have to be accurate with a can of mace to be lethal, just point in the general direction and spray, then watch the stream and fix direction....most the time if you spray it in there direction and start walking back the smell itself should detir any animal........Cheep and light weight.....incase you really are wanting to carry something.

[Intruder]

.357 is fine for what you're talking about.  It's going to handle any 2 or 4 legged hooligans you're apt to run into in the woods in WA.

[boneaddict]

Just for intrest levels....everyone talks about their Glocks and so forth and the .45

Take two blacks of ice out and shoot it one with the .45 and the other with the .357 and see what happens.  Do the same with a bucnh of magazines tied together.

Granted, I wouldn't want to be on the recieving end of a .45 but just doesn't hold a candle I don't think.
They are just about for making noise and for bullet capacity, again for troubles withthe two legged variety.  Bigger bullet doesn't always mean the stuff.  It also has alot to do with t he powder behind it.  A .357 is a great compromise with power and the ability to carry it around with you. 

One shot, one kill.  I survived a bear attack and or a charging bear.  You've got time for ONE shot, better make it count.  You could empty your 9mm into one and it wouldn't have the muscle to hardly break through the hide.