49 years ago a buddy and I were back in a wilderness area of a national forest scouting for archery season. No firearms (or bows) with us. We had hiked in nearly three miles, located the place to site our camp and scouting for sign when we had a nasty encounter with a pack of 8 feral dogs (there was NO house within 4 miles of us in any direction). The surrounded us growling and making feints toward us. I really wasn’t scared of being killed (though maybe I should have been) but I was scared to death of being bitten and winding up with rabies shots. Carl and I wound up retreating up a handy tree. The milled around growling and snarling for over an hour before they finally wandered off. We waited a bit then cautiously made our way back to my Scout. Came back the following day with an old Winchester 92 44-40 and an M1 carbine and permanently solved that problem. That was the last time I went back in the toolies sans firearm. A .380 (or even a .22) will do the job IF you do yours.
Is .380 ACP effective against canine threats?
- Thread starter Echo40
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Old guy here! Real long time ago a article was written about feral dogs in a gun mag. I think, repeat think it was written by Gary James.
I do not remember the area involved but there were lots of these dog packs around and they had a hell of a bad reputation.
A bunch of people were going to reducer their number significantly and the author wrote about what weapons to carry.
This was long before the AR style carbines and his suggested load out was to carry as big of capacity long gun as you could. His choices back then was the M1 carbine or some lever action rifles. Then he suggested carry a couple pistols with one of them being a Browning HP as backup. He finished up with also carry a Bowie type knife.
Like I said this was long ago but I do remember some details OK.
A pack of any kind of canines can be daunting.
When I'm out walking, with or without my dog, I'm never without one of my snubbies, oftentimes a Colt Cobra instead of my M649 so I have six rounds.
I love canines so much I really never want to have to shoot one.
So, that's neighborhood walking. Should I ever find myself in the boonies again then some form of 686+ will be with me.
Hunting is a whole nuthuh smoke, of course, because then a rifle is with me.
There's always knives.....when I walk without my dog I carry a sword cane. It's useful for balance.....etc.
When I'm out walking, with or without my dog, I'm never without one of my snubbies, oftentimes a Colt Cobra instead of my M649 so I have six rounds.
I love canines so much I really never want to have to shoot one.
So, that's neighborhood walking. Should I ever find myself in the boonies again then some form of 686+ will be with me.
Hunting is a whole nuthuh smoke, of course, because then a rifle is with me.
There's always knives.....when I walk without my dog I carry a sword cane. It's useful for balance.....etc.
OP
Echo40
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I would certainly carry a carbine or even a shotgun if I were intent on hiking through the woods, but I was only intending to go for walks down the road and I'm pretty sure that any motorists who saw me hiking with an "Assault Rifle" strapped to my back would most likely be perturbed and might even call the police.
There are woods surrounding the area and the road runs through it, sometimes animals cross the road, so I'm worried that I might encounter whatever is out there howling/barking while I go for walks down the road and back, but I don't actually intend on going into the woods, so I just want to carry something concealed like I ordinarily do.
Many years ago coworker told me a story about deer hunting in muzzle loader season. He was in a tree stand and a pack of dogs surrounded his tree and showed no signs of leaving any time soon. So he shot one of them with his BP rifle. He reloaded it and shot another one. He said the rest decided it was time to leave and took off.
When walking I’m armed of course. But I also use a ski pole as a walking stick.
I jabbed a pit bull in the face one morning. He yelped and ran off. The next morning he stayed on his side of the street. He gave me a dirty look as I passed by.
I also zapped a pit bull in the behind with a baton style stun gun. He still hasn’t forgiven me. But keeps his distance.
I jabbed a pit bull in the face one morning. He yelped and ran off. The next morning he stayed on his side of the street. He gave me a dirty look as I passed by.
I also zapped a pit bull in the behind with a baton style stun gun. He still hasn’t forgiven me. But keeps his distance.
Marshal Tom
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I am admittently a dog lover and was a LE officer for over 36 yrs. I never had to kill a dog and I am very glad for that. I often think that people shoot dogs when it is not necessary. Maybe it makes them feel macho or something. I live in rural Colorado. I walk, hike in the mountains and camp with my dogs and sometimes have had three labs with while out and about. I have had dogs approach me or us but rarely have felt threatened. I feel that dogs often know dog people and who likes them and respond accordingly. Not sure where all you people are encountering these vicious dogs that need killing. maybe I have just been lucky in all my years! I do carry all the time, everywhere and I am prepared to dispatch any sort of two or four legged mincrient that becomes a problem.
About 12 years ago a MI state Trooper shot a Rottweiller with a 40 Remington HP. The bullet in the neck and the bullet stopped after hitting a light nylon collar. The bullet was ineffective, one petal moved slightly. The bullet was removed and fortunately the dog was fine, I was asked to come in and verify the type, caliber of bullet. The Trooper went to a park to get a family off a lake and the Rotty was sleeping under the trailer and starting approaching and barking when the trooper started yelling to the family. The trooper was fine, so was the dog, so were the family. A friend in NYPD used his 9mm to stop an attacking pitbull, with one shot to the head, while on duty. He is a hunter. As was stated above a 22 lr in the brain in the correct place will stop any canid. I have had Rotts for nearly forty years, if you come to my house and are a friend, one will be on each side of you with their head in your lap. If you try to crawl through a window at O Dark Thirty, I do not believe our current male would be friendly. I have put a deer down after shot with a bow with a single shot of 22 lr, you need to know anatomy. The minimum caliber that I would carry is a 38 snub with Gold Dot short barrel loads for most dogs or coyotes. I live where there are wolves, Mountain lions, bears, coyotes, so I carry a SW 40 or a speed six 357 minimum if I go into the woods. To the mailbox, I will carry a snub 38 with a speedloader, and my male Rottie Jax, no one bothers us. In the last 35 years living here all of my neighbors children were allowed to play with the dogs with my supervision. I will tell you, do not make an aggressive move towards my wife or myself since the dogs will not accept that. Be Safe,
Add a magazine (+1) pinky extension and a Magguts +1 magazine follower/spring kit and you can up your capacity from 6+1 to 8+1.
Works great for my P3AT (the gun the LCP was patterned after).
YMMV...
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I too, would hate to shoot someone’s dog, but I’m not getting bit more than once.
This thread got me thinking along those lines. I'm figuring out how many bites I would take before I shoot a dog. Like a Tootsie Pop.
I used to ride a bicycle to work. On and early morning shift, I was opening the gate (first one to work) and was harassed by a small pack of small dogs at 4:30 a.m. They would bark and feint an attack. Each time they got bolder. Having had enough, I carried a .25 ACP pistol to work. When they started, I fired one shot in their direction. I doubt that it was a hit, as it was pitch dark with no artificial light anywhere near. It did stop them from ever again ambushing me at the gate. I didn't own any pepper spray at the time and never considered it, but it would have probably been a better choice.
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In the early eighties I was stationed overseas. One night as I walked home from a restaurant I was set upon by a pack of feral dogs that came at me out of a gully and into the ill-lit street. I shot the lead dog with a .380 ACP PPK/S. Hit it in the chest. The others turned around so fast that it seemed that tails suddenly sprouted where their heads had been. Rabies was endemic in that nation. I would say yes, the round is plenty for dogs. Don't know about wolves.
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max503
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I used to live in a county where people loved dogs and hated bicyclists. I sprayed many an attacking dog with Halt dog spray. It's the stuff mailmen use. It worked every time. You just had to trust it to work, and you had to wait until the dog was close then give it to the mutt right in the kisser. I modified the mounting clip so that it drew like a pistol from my side, clipped to my pocket. It was so bad over there that I would not get on my bike without my Halt spray. As you can see by the picture, I duct taped that metal clip to the can so that it hung upside down with the nozzle pointing towards my leg. I could grab it without looking, just like drawing a gun. It saved me many a day. I used it A LOT over there.
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max503
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My friends did penetration tests with their 380's (Glocks). They claimed it went through 6 water filled milk jugs.
hyena
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I was a mailman for a year in the mid 80's. (Hated that job.) I worked with a woman who showed me nasty scars front and back on her legs. She had been attacked by two German Shepherds. One would attack from the front, and while she was spraying it with the little spray cans they issued. the other would attack from the rear. And so on. She told me she was off work for quite a while, but what stuck with me was she said the spray had no effect at all. One incident, I know, but my takeaway from her experience was the spray won't stop a dog or dogs who are in full attack fury. Probably works pretty well against dogs who are mostly bluffing. Again...just one incident.
A quick related story. I was only bitten once in my year on the job. Walked up to a screen room to put the mail in the box, small yapping dog was jumping against the screen door. Older woman saw me coming, and without thinking cracked open the door to take the mail from me. Dog flew through the opening and bit me on the front of my right foot, above my shoe. While he was biting me, I punted him. He flew back, and as he bounced off the screen I clubbed him with the mail I was still holding in my right hand. He went yelping back into the room. Woman was looking at me with her mouth open, and I said "Appreciate you opening the door, maam." Whole thing took 5 seconds.
As for the effectiveness of .380, I hope it works. I walk three miles every morning in a semi rural area, and I pocket carry a .380 as much for possible four legged attacks as two legged.
A quick related story. I was only bitten once in my year on the job. Walked up to a screen room to put the mail in the box, small yapping dog was jumping against the screen door. Older woman saw me coming, and without thinking cracked open the door to take the mail from me. Dog flew through the opening and bit me on the front of my right foot, above my shoe. While he was biting me, I punted him. He flew back, and as he bounced off the screen I clubbed him with the mail I was still holding in my right hand. He went yelping back into the room. Woman was looking at me with her mouth open, and I said "Appreciate you opening the door, maam." Whole thing took 5 seconds.
As for the effectiveness of .380, I hope it works. I walk three miles every morning in a semi rural area, and I pocket carry a .380 as much for possible four legged attacks as two legged.
CROTCH SHOT.........Works on ALL males...........
CAJUNLAWYER
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I remember that issue!! We called it the "Feral Dog" issue of whatever magazine it was and it served as a permanent coffee book magazine for the coffee table at his parents country house on the northshore! Had a GREAT picture of a snarling dog on the cover-this was back in the late 70's
CAJUNLAWYER
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....of all species
gfors
Member
Feral dogs are not to be taken lightly. I saw them take down my buddy on a motor cycle (at 65mph)."Pets" can be dangerous, too. I was once ambushed by a pair of german shepherds, as I walked down a public sidewalk. The owner was in the drive way, working on his car.
Where I live and play now, feral dogs and other canines (pets, coyotes, wolves)are all possible. Throw in a moose or bad human, and I would not settle for less than a .357.
To the OP, a .380 is more than adequate for your purposes. A spray is probably a good idea, too. But, it never hurts to have a little more capability, than you think you'll need.
Where I live and play now, feral dogs and other canines (pets, coyotes, wolves)are all possible. Throw in a moose or bad human, and I would not settle for less than a .357.
To the OP, a .380 is more than adequate for your purposes. A spray is probably a good idea, too. But, it never hurts to have a little more capability, than you think you'll need.
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