I have for a very long time considered this an overlooked area of prepping. The ability to be observed carrying a saw and axe and 5 gallon bucket, and no firearm, could have value.
I use a 7.5" SRH 44 with scope. This video is with a S&W at 230 yards no scope Not really concealable unless you join the trenchcoat brigade lol Notice that his has no scope and it is semi concealed under his shirt. Mine with the scope is not concealable like that. Under a trench coat or an M65 field jacket it is though. Not going to wear that much in Florida though.
When you are talking 6 or 8 inch plus barrels, you have lost the conceal-ability to a major degree. I like the concept of magnum pistols for rural environments. Not so much for urban environments. Don't need a hand cannon to drop an urban critter.
You just use a cross the chest holster under your shirt. I have a FREEDOM ARMS revolver with 10" ported barrel and 2.5-8X Leupold Scope, .454 Casull chambered. I think with shooting sticks it could group 10" at 250 yards, especially with the new'ish pointed bullets. This firearm has sling swivels on the barrel and base of the grip. With the sling attached you could even position it across your back for hiding it. You could even put it in the 5 gallon bucket. The idea is that you go into the woods "NOT" looking like a hunter, but as someone gathering berries or firewood. Call it "Greyman Hunter".
Sourdough, I can certainly see the advantages in not standing out it many SHTF situations. What type of game are you looking to be able to take with a handgun? I’m not familiar with pistol ballistics at long ranges. I carry a 454 and assume the big flat round would loose considerable muzzle velocity quickly after about 100 yards. I have no idea how much killing power the round has beyond that. Any thoughts? A 22 magnum handgun with a scope would probably be a great gun for small game perhaps out to 100 yards or more.
Moose, Black Bear, Grizzly Bear, Caribou, Dall Sheep, Mountain Goats, would be the most plentiful here.
In my younger days, I shot silhouette with a Ruger Blackhawk with open sights. I could hit a man-sized target at 300 yards consistently. It honestly isn't as hard to shoot a handgun long distances as people make it out to be. As long as the gun that you pick is the right choice for that it is pretty easy. That means longer barrels, more powerful rounds, quality sighting systems, loads that are persistently uniform and propper firing technique. You are not going to be able to do this with most automatic pistols. Their barrels are short and that makes them have a short sight length. Most common carry revolvers have barrels 4" or less. A longer barrel isn't as handy and is harder to draw in some possitions like sitting in a car. Double action isn't important but a good longer barreled revolver like the model 28 and 29 S&W and the Colt Python in longer barrel lengths did well. I prefer the single-action guns because to me they tamed the recoil better and just pointed more naturally to ME. There were specialty guns like the Thompson Center break action single shot and the Remington XP-100 bolt action single-shot pistol were tack drivers but not a good choice for defensive purposes due to limited firepower. My carry weapon in the event of trouble will be a Ruger Security ^ 357 mag that I have reworked until the double action is glass smooth and as light, as can be consistently used due to dependability. Too light of a hammer-spring may not work on some primers. CCI primers are harder than most factory primers so I used them when adjusting my spring tension. It has a 4" barrel but I am fully confident with it out to 150 yards. The single-action pull is a little less than 4 pounds. On Ruger's, you need to have enough takeup to lift the transfer bar or you will have misfires. PS: We don't have bears, moose or elk in East Texas I can get by with a 357 mag. If Bears were a possibility a 44mag might look better to me.
by Texdanm... Amen on that.... I like my Thompson Contender with four different barrel choices..but it is not a gun for defense..more hunting and you have to use it with some kind of bracing.. and not free hand....with that long barrel..14 inches. It is a long sight radius. But it can go out there long distances with accuracy. Really nice trigger pull too. I like it for simple shooting pleasure when I an not in a hurry....you can only be in so much of a hurry with a single shot..so learn to make your shots count. I believe the Ruger Security Six and the SP101 evolved into what I often carry today in my GP 100 in .357 Magnum. Very satisfied with it. Watcherchris Not an Ishmaelite.
Sounds like a job for a 44 or 454 Casull. I just googled some ballistic data and both rounds are pretty flat out to 120 yards. I am curious to killing power out to say 200 to 300 yards. I wonder if anyone got scope eye while zeroing in a 454?
I have one of those in LR and love it. I carry it with 2 rat shots and 3 LR hp rounds. It is a snake killer mostly but if someone got on me I'll stick it in their ear and FLOSS their brains out. that is why I refer to it as my Ear Flosser. They are tiny but I can hit a snake from farther away than he can strike and if I have one in my boat after me the rat shot won't put a hole in my boat's hull. I usually have it and my 410 snake charmer in my boat when I go out or when I go out at night on the river bank fishing. Both the 44mag and the 454 Casull have a great side-benefit. Like the 357 mag that will also shoot 38 Special rounds, the 44mag also will let you shoot the 44 special and the 454 Casull lets you shoot the 45 Colt round for light loads.
You know Texdanm...my friend up in Tennessee has ….I think it is a 460 hand cannon. As I recall...he told me it would shoot 454s and also 45 long colt.... Nice bit of flexibility to be able to shoot different types of cases. Hope I got that right?? Saw one of those 460 cases....empty ..it is a lot of powder in that case. They gotta be expensive. Watcherchris Not an Ishmaelite
Yeppers the 460 S&W, the 454 Casull and the 45 Long Colt all have the same diameter case, bullets and headsize. They are just different lengths so that you can't fire the more powerful round in the guns chambered for the weaker rounds.
I have a Hill People Gear Heavy Recon Kit Bag. It is a chest rig that will hold a 4" Revolver or a full size 1911 comfortably. My 4" revolvers are 357 magnum, and the rig is quite comfortable to wear. Does not inhibit mobility. Easy to put on and take off. The 4" revolver might be more limited in range, but I don't know if my eyesight is much better past 100 yards. I agree with TexDanm on this one. There are no moose, elk, or grizzly bears in Missouri: 357 magnum should handle everything on 2 or 4 legs. I do have 44 magnums, but they would require additional clothing to conceal i.e. vest or coat. I know the thread specifically states revolvers, but I would like to ask the question. Does anybody carry a 10mm in the back country? I have seen a lot of debate over 10mm vs. 45 ACP. I have never fired a 10 mm, and wondered what others thought.
Yes, for roughly the last 40 years. Currently the KIMBER "Camp Guard 10" https://www.kimberamerica.com/camp-guard
Well that is a pretty resounding testimonial. So it would be safe to say you prefer the 10mm over the 45 ACP(?) I don't want to hijack the thread, but I would be interested to hear the advantages and disadvantages.
More powerful cartridge. In the same size firearm the magazine holds slightly higher number of cartridges, because of smaller diameter. In a single stack mag. 9 cartridges vs. 7 or 8 cartridges.