walking around piece

[white eagle]

whats your walking around piece for your world
for me it my 45 cal Blackhawk (45 acp-45 colt)
the biggest problem I would see would be a ignant
coyote or a cwd deer that run rampant in these parts

[DanWalker]

My Ruger blackhawk in 45Colt goes with me when I'm out and about.
The 870 is our camp gun.

[Trey45]

I too have a 45 Blackhawk convertible, and often use it as my woods/swamp walkin' around gun, usually it's wearing the 45 Colt cylinder with some business loads of 310gr NEI's on top of H110.
I also will sometimes carry my 4" 45 Colt Redhawk with the same loads in it.
Then again, there's just something about strapping on the 1911.
Or the XDm 45.
Or the Beretta Storm 45.

We have bear, coyote, fox, there's been sightings of cougar and we have at east 2 alligators back in the swamp.

[Love Life]

Mine is a freedom arms 454 casull. People may ask why. I ask why not? There are bear and mountain lions in the area me and the family hike and camp in, and open carry with a loaded firearm is legal in the unincorporated area of Mono County on public lands.

Aside from the clawed critters around here the closest I have come to being attacked by and animal was by a mule deer. Go figure.

[Jim]

2007 built Taurus Judge w/ 4" bbl.. Summer time, first two rounds are .410 X 2.5 #6 shot, last three are .45 Colt, 230 gr. JHPs. Outside of snake season, all rounds are .45 Colt 230 JHPs. I always have a few spares of .410s, JHPs and 230 gr. R/N cast in my pocket.

[Potsy]

5.5" Bisley .45 Colt while hunting.
Kimber Eclipse Target II while doing anything else.
Really neeing a set of grips and good leather for my 624. Pretty good odds of it becoming a favorite walking around gun.

[August]

629 4".

After having the whole camp destroyed by bears many years ago, I never leave home without the Smith.

[redneckdan]

Used to be a 4" 629, since near 'bout october it has been 4 5/8" bisley flat top in 44 special. If I am heading down state it is a full size 1911 with every magazine I can lay my hands on....

[Trey45]

If I am heading down state it is a full size 1911 with every magazine I can lay my hands on....

Those 2 legged vermin are much more dangerous than the 4 legged variety.

[Murphy]

I'd have to say I don't have just 'ONE' piece to cover it all. However, if I did have to pick just one of mine, it would be my S&W 625 Mountain Gun in .45 ACP.

Being in Oklahoma all my life, bears have never been an issue until the past 8-9 years down in my neck of the woods. Up until I'd finally seen a bear in my hunting territory and paw prints on the window's of the cabin I stay in, all I'd carried was a .357 4". I figured it was enough for my 'hills' gun. I now carry a S&W Model 29 Mountain Gun for that.

As for the 625 Mountain Gun, I can load up some heavy Auto Rim rounds that will take care of business just fine up in the hills for anything I may run into. It's also a great self defense gun loaded with full moon clips & 230 Gr. +P HP's. If I'm just woods walking for the heck of it and worried about neither of the above? Just some good ole' 230 Gr. LEE TC boolits loaded to standard velocity makes a fine load.

Murphy

[Thin Man]

In the summer when snakes are moving I carry a revolver (38 or 44 or 45) loaded with shotshells, home built with #12 shot. If I carry during hunting season the preference is a 44 or 45 bore revolver with legal hunting loads. Yet in either warm or cool season I may pack along a 22 auto or revolver with a 4 inch barrel or longer to ensure shot placement at most reasonable shooting distances.

Thin Man

[Jack Stanley]

Used to be a 4" 629, since near 'bout october it has been 4 5/8" bisley flat top in 44 special. If I am heading down state it is a full size 1911 with every magazine I can lay my hands on....

Now Dan ........ you ain't even tryin' hard . I'm surprised you don't carry an M1A and fifteen loaded magazines like the rest of the guys :mrgreen:

Since I spend a good deal of time with my hands wrapped around a tractor . polaris or chain saw a four inch model twenty-nine does well . That's not to say the M1A isn't nearby , it's just that the forty-four loaded to a bit above 44WCF is a bit more handy .

Jack

[P.K.]

My "three season" gun of choice is my 1911, warmer weather though it's a taurus 850.

[Char-Gar]

I favor a good 1911A1 pistol in 45 ACP or my Smith and Wesson 1955 Target Model (45 ACP) with the barrel bobbed to 4".

[9.3X62AL]

Backcountry means S&W 686 x 4" and a rifle or shotgun. In town means a Glock 23 these days.

[targetshootr]

If I ever make into woods again I think I'll take the 4" 25. Do they have computers in the woods nowdays?

[Mumblypeg]

Been a Stihl 024 on the fence line. Marlin 1894 in .45 Colt with 13 rounds in the truck and Glock 22. Was an 1895 Cowboy in there today also. 10 rounds of RD 360grainers. Now that I'm retired from policing, nobody's tried to kill me lately. No bears here. Nice and quiet in the woods...

[Matthew 25]

Well it USED to be a SBH 44m 4 5/8. Now I'm all goofed up. If I can get a solid 45 acp load for the 625JM it'll be that, otherwise likely defaulting to the old Vaquero in 45LC. My urban friend is a fine little SP101, very smooth.

[Kraschenbirn]

For real back-county boondocking, my 4 5/8" OM Vaquero .44 with a #12 shot load first up, followed by five solids...usually 200 gr RNFPs at around 1000 fps. For more urban environments (where legal, of course), a 3" SP101 .357 with 130 gr HydraShoks.

Bill

[Sprue]

I'm shuttering at the thought, o'dear. Not exactly my favorite but a baby glock with three 33 round mags comes to mind for one. Um.... bump firing a home built ak.

[oldhickory]

See avatar. 4" 629-3.

[Bret4207]

Charter 44, Smith 22 Kit Gun, sometimes a '17 Smith. Mostly the 44 since it's light, the holster is very secure (spent a couple days looking for my M19 once!), and it's more than adequate for anything on my farm.

[missionary5155]

Greetings
Generally for me it is either a 41 mag Blackhawk or a 41 mag Taurus Titanium. In all my years wandering the woods and swamps of Michigan & Illinois biggest threat I have seen was a huge St. Bernard. There are some Panthers now in east central Illinois but I still think a 41 mag is gonna be enough.

[curiousgeorge]

Depending on the "back country", 4 5/8 RSBH .44 mag, 4" Mod 19, or Ruger 22/45.

Back streets call for a holstered .45 acp with a mod. 36 stuffed in a pocket.

Steve

[WARD O]

I have come to really enjoy my Smith Wesson 337. It's a 3" 38 special with adjustable sights and weighs around 13 ounces. I like to ride the rural bike trails and this allows me a nice concealed carry and if I feel like it I can stop and have a little informal target practice just for the fun of it. I know it's not in keeping with the "carry a big stick" line but this gun really works out well for me.

Now if I am going for a jaunt in the woods, I just might grab my 329 with some nice 44 special loads for fun and a few heavies in my pocket. And that qualifies as a "big stick."

Ward

[oscarflytyer]

Ruger BH 4 5/8" 44 Spc - never leave the truck headed into the woods w/o it.

[EDK]

Currently, an Original Size VAQUERO/BISLEY VAQUERO in either 357 or 44 for knocking around the place...shoot Cowboy Action some.

I need to get a CCW permit...no big problem here in MO now. Mostly I avoid places where trouble happens...and drink soda when I'm watching the show. My choices of CCW will be a 3 inch S&W 625 (or its 5 inch sibling) a 5 inch 629 or a well worn 645....mostly so someone's mutt doesn't chew on my leg while I'm out walking in my rural area. It's a d*** stupid critter that doesn't sense that you have the means and desire to drop him like a bad habit for his aggressive behavior. If they think they got you, well....

:cbpour::redneck::Fire:

[TCLouis]

Have been toting the Taurus 431, but it is heavy so I may well switch to SS Bulldog.

I need to shoot a few hundred more rounds through the Bulldog to get comfortable with it.

[twotrees]

I found this one in a pawn shop and love it. It's lighter than my 22 auto, and packs a much better punch.

6 inch bbl and adjustable sights make it just fine for all my woods carry needs.

[NHlever]

I found this one in a pawn shop and love it. It's lighter than my 22 auto, and packs a much better punch.

6 inch bbl and adjustable sights make it just fine for all my woods carry needs.

The Trackers look like great guns, and I have a friend that really likes his 4" .41 Mag. I wish they would make one without the ports. I already have hearing issues, and don't need any more. It would be interesting to see sales figures if they did offer that option! If my Ruger Flattop .44 Special were offered with an aluminum frame, and ejector housing I would carry that, but for now it is usually either my .45 Colt Blackhawk, or my 1911 that goes along. I've been looking some at Ruger SP-101's, etc. lately too. Small game is pretty much non existant these days in this area. I've tried to manage my land to help them by creating brush piles, etc. but every time I get some rabbits, etc. the coyotes come through, and I find a bunch of red spots on the snow. So rabies, ferral dogs, plinkng, and the joy of just having a gun along are the main reasons for having something along. I do have a friend that does a lot of metal detecting, and he was checking out some old foundations in the woods one day when he realized that a very large black bear had been almost as interested in his progress as he was. His views on a carry gun have been different since that day. :D

[redneckdan]

If my Ruger Flattop .44 Special were offered with an aluminum frame, and ejector housing I would carry that, but for now it is usually either my .45 Colt Blackhawk, or my 1911 that goes along.

I hear ya. I swapped over the ejector housing from a .30 carbine black hawk. I wish someone made aluminum bisley grip frames.

[targetshootr]

Has anyone tried to fit an om alloy grip frame to a new model? I have a feeling it would work with if you open the trigger slot and drill for the hole in front of the trigger slot.

[NHlever]

I tried one Blackhawk grip frame, and it didn't fit at all. I didn't think to try the .22 Single Six frame since that trigger is different too. Ruger would have to design, and purchase a new mold for the die casting, and I expect that expense will put them off unless they feel there is a pretty large demand. The steel grip frames are produced in investment castings, and the injsection molds for them are not cheap either. Probalby could buy one of each gun Ruger makes for less.

[targetshootr]

It's funny, before the new flat tops came out everyone wanted steel grip frames. I'm going to try one of my om grip frames on a nm tonight.

[Rafe Covington]

Been carryin a 45 Colt Ruger SS Bisley for years, do alot of hiking and camping. Haven't had to use it to protect myself yet but it is nice to have it just in case.

Rafe:redneck:

[Alchemist]

CCW is a Kimber stainless Ultra Carry II 45 ACP. S&W 586 or 624 for woods...usually have a model 70 30-06 out there too. We are having more sightings of long tailed pussycats around here all the time.

[Otony]

In town? Glock G32 .357 SIG although it sometimes wears a Lone Wolf .40 S&W barrel. There is also a 1911 in the truck most times.

In the woods? Just fooling around it is a Ruger Sheriff's Model .44 Special. If I feel the need for something a bit more serious it is a Ruger Flattop .41 Magnum.

Small game or plinking is a variety of .22 or .32 handguns........

[biscot]

In town or out, for me it's a Browning Hi Power 9mm. Great all-around carry gun and fun at the range too.

[Combat Diver]

For walking around the urban jungle my EDC is either a M1911 in .45 ACP or a Smith 442 Pro in .38 SPL. Around the house doing yard work its a CA Bulldog in .44 SPL. During hunting season on the gamelands its a Smith 58 in .41 mag but during closed season out tracking/scouting they only allow a .22LR pistol so then it the Colt Conversion on top of my 1911 or my Ruger Single Six.

CD

[Lloyd Smale]

ive got 3 I use mainly for kicking around. Probably my favorite is my 4 5/8s stainless super blackhawk thats fitted with an aluminum grip frame. The two others are a 4 inch 629 and my montado. I guess i cant leave out the 1911s though they ride on my belt real often too.

[joeb4065]

I generally take my NM 41 4-5/8", has belt mountain pin, Bowen rear sight, Wolff springs, home done round butt, re-cut forcing cone, SBH hammer, home trigger job. Really comfortable and handy, either truck, 4 wheeler, or horseback.

[targetshootr]

If my Ruger Flattop .44 Special were offered with an aluminum frame, and ejector housing I would carry that,

I forgot that some other new models were made with alloy xr3red grip frames so it's just a matter of finding one and swapping them out.

[krag35]

In town Kel Tec P-11
Out in the woods Sig P 220 loaded with BD45's
Now that my RedHawk has a 4" bbl, it'll parobably go out in the woods with me more often.

[NHlever]

I forgot that some other new models were made with alloy xr3red grip frames so it's just a matter of finding one and swapping them out.

So far, the grip frames I have tried do not fit the new Flattop guns. They do use the same grip frame as the New Vaquero's, but those are steel too.

[targetshootr]

So far, the grip frames I have tried do not fit the new Flattop guns. They do use the same grip frame as the New Vaquero's, but those are steel too.

Is the rear boss the difference? I put one of the new steel xr3s on an old model gun and that was the only thing that seemed off.

[rststeve]

I perfer Ruger blackhawk 5.5 inch barrel 45LC 250gr, That is my mountain gun. In the area of my cabin in Washington we have mountain lions, black bears, and wolves not that I plan to shoot any of them (out of season) of course, but if provoked.

[Dale53]

Mathew 25;
>>>If I can get a solid 45 acp load for the 625JM it'll be that,<<<

I suggest my "heavy" load for my 625's:
7.0 grs of Unique behind an NOE cast clone of the Lyman 454424 (250 gr Keith). It chronographs at 900+fps with a nice LARGE meplat and will do neat work on "man or beast"... Here is that load put up in .45 Auto Rim Cases:

http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/jj80/Dale53/4DalesPistolsRevolversSelects-3336.jpg

I cast these out of WW's+2% tin and size to .452" and lube with Lars White Label Carnauba Red.

On the other hand, the 200 gr hollow point from a Mihec mould might be an alternative for you - these can be driven, safely, to over 1000 fps in either a 1911 or a 625. The pictures show Auto Rim cases. However, you can roll crimp .45 ACP cases (in your 625) if you headspace on the full moon clips and they will take the same loads. I taper crimp the 200 gr Hollow points as you might guess after seeing the pictures.

http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/jj80/Dale53/4DalesPistolsRevolversSelects-3332.jpg

Dale53

[NHlever]

I perfer Ruger blackhawk 5.5 inch barrel 45LC 250gr, That is my mountain gun. In the area of my cabin in Washington we have mountain lions, black bears, and wolves not that I plan to shoot any of them (out of season) of course, but if provoked.

I have a 4 5/8", and a 7 1/2" Blackhawk in .45 Colt, but am beginning to believe that the 5 1/2" you have is the best for balance, and shootability.

[white eagle]

I like my @ 5.5
I had my 7.5 SBH cut to 5.5 just for that reason

[DanWalker]

I've had both 4 5/8 and 7 1/2barrelled 45 colt blackhawks. The 5 1/2" gun I've been toting around for the last half dozen years just strikes the perfect balance for me too.
Waiting on a promotion next month, then I'll pony up the cash for a new in town walking around gun. Getting a kimber ultra carry stainless in 45acp.

[Matthew 25]

Thanks Dale53. I'll give that load a run. I've been experimenting with some Blue-dot with a 255 swc. I need to chronograph these, as there isn't much load data for that type of 45 load. Judging by the fact that Clark Custom Guns uses the 625 w/o strength modification for their 460 Rowland, I think it'll hold up to quite a bit.
DanWalker, congrats on the upcoming Kimber, I've been eyeing one myself-- but I have a Para p-12 that's almost as small so it's hard to justify the Kimber.

[Dale53]

DanWalker;
You mean, like this?:

http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/jj80/Dale53/DalesPistolsRevolvers5Selects-0210.jpg

Dale53

[DanWalker]

Dale.....That's just mean. I gotta wait another 4 to 6 weeks for mine... :(

[Dale53]

DanWalker;
Naw-w-w! Just trying to give you something to look at while waiting on yours...

By the way, mine is FAR more shootable than I thought it might be. The first time I shot it, I was at my local outdoor range shooting at 25 yards on the NRA 25 yard timed fire target. My WORST shot in the first ten shots was a 10! That's pretty amazing for a "little ol' squirt gun"...:guntootsmiley:

Dale53

[Tom Herman]

I prefer the Ruger Redhawk 4" .45 LC for every day work. Same gun, but with the 7-1/2" bbl for out in the woods.
I do find myself carrying one of the .44 Specials a bit more.

-Tom

[Shooter6br]

Sig 250 C in 45 ACP in a 'Smart Carry rig. Today had it when i went to the store. Wore my sweat pants and a T shirt

[waco]

full size kimber .45acp for around town, 4 5/8 ruger SBH .44mag out in the sticks.

[NHlever]

Is the rear boss the difference? I put one of the new steel xr3s on an old model gun and that was the only thing that seemed off.

Yes, I tried a variety of grip frames again the other day. A NM Single Six, a 3 screw .357, and a NM Blackhawk. There are two ears on the front of the upright section of all these frames that fit into coresponding slots in the cylinder frame, and it appears that these are the only thing holding things up from fitting. I expect those ears were designed to take recoil loads away from the screws that hold the frrame on, and I'm a little reluctant so far to file the ears off to see if it would work. Now if I had my old Bridgeport mill, I might consider milling that slot in my new flattop frame. More support from recoil isn't a bad thing.

[targetshootr]

Yes, I tried a variety of grip frames again the other day. A NM Single Six, a 3 screw .357, and a NM Blackhawk. There are two ears on the front of the upright section of all these frames that fit into coresponding slots in the cylinder frame, and it appears that these are the only thing holding things up from fitting. I expect those ears were designed to take recoil loads away from the screws that hold the frrame on, and I'm a little reluctant so far to file the ears off to see if it would work. Now if I had my old Bridgeport mill, I might consider milling that slot in my new flattop frame. More support from recoil isn't a bad thing.

I forgot about those slots. The round grip frame ears are lower on older models which would be noticeable on a new gun but the new flat top grip frames don't have those slots that fit into the receiver. Kind of odd that they did away with them.