Woods Carry 357 Search

[THE PILGRIM]

In years past, have carried my 19. Like my tale of pulling down on those goats. They was sneaking me in the dark!
When I pulled my 19 and turned on my flashlight, they just wanted snacks.
Later have carried my 4 inch 63.
Then a shorty J Frame.
A J-frame in 357 is my present day reference.
It’ll probably be loaded with 38 +

 

[garddogg56]

This 66-1is all I carry in the woods of Maine

 

[JiminMaine]

This may be heresy here...but for pure versatility I'd opt for my Dan Wesson 15-2. With the ability to change barrels to suit the situation makes it a primo gun for many missions.

That's also assuming you keep several barrels as needed.

I would think carrying all those extra barrels and tools, plus the time it takes to change barrels would slow down your reaction time.

 

[The Gila Bender]

These are in my "field kit" for camping and stream fishing in Arizona. 3" Model 13-2 and Model 640-1. Occassionally I'll carry a 4" 686-4 Plus 7-shot or 629-2 Mountain Revolver, but the K and J are adequate for woods-walking and creek-stomping.

 

[Imissedagain]

Tell the guy, that had his knee ripped apart, by a mangy Yote, in Northern Broward County, that they are not a problem.
A few weeks later, I spotted a mangy looking Yote, nearby, and about 30 yards away.
Called the local PD, and told the dispatcher, I could solve the problem with my pistol.
She replied, not to shoot a gun.
I replied, I can dispatch that critter with my bow and an arrow?
She replied, what's a bow and arrow?
True story.

 

[Igiveup]

In years past, have carried my 19. Like my tale of pulling down on those goats. They was sneaking me in the dark!
When I pulled my 19 and turned on my flashlight, they just wanted snacks.
Later have carried my 4 inch 63.
Then a shorty J Frame.
A J-frame in 357 is my present day reference.
It’ll probably be loaded with 38 +

 

[Igiveup]

I am not a fan of magnum, but when hunting I carry a model 65, either 3 or 4 inch barrel. Sometimes see a bear, and now have wolves in our area. Never know what might happen.

 

[Bill In Texas]

Wow! You guys carry some awesome guns in the woods! My usual gun to carry while hiking is my 60-15 load with some 158 grain hot .357 rounds my Father in Law loaded. I figure that 5 is enough for most critters outside of a grizzly.

 

[Puller]

Everyone has a different set of woods and needs to fit . . .

For my neck of the woods my preferred .357 is a 3 inch model 65. But in reality my most carried woods gun is a .22 Ruger Bearcat.

 

[413Maxwedge]

I'm liking this thread. I'm going on a family vacation to North Georgia next month and everyone wants to go hiking and mountain bike riding in the woods, along creeks and RR tracks. I've never been to GA before but understand they have hogs, Black bear and large cats.

I always pocket carry my M&P 340 J-frame for SD but now I'm considering bringing one of my 3" or 2.5" L-frames for animal defense. I could easily carry my 386PD in a large fanny pack while biking or climbing. * I have OWB pancake holsters but don't want to draw a lot of attention in a small tourist town*.

 

[M29since14]

Outdoorsy-type revolvers are much more interesting to me than a boxful of plastic nines, but I don’t use mine a lot anymore. When they came out, I thought the M60-10 was going to be the end-all of the woodsloafing revolver possibilities. They’re nice handy little guns, and not overly brutal to shoot with my typical .357 mid-range handloads.

If I were to choose between the guns mentioned by the OP, unquestionably I would buy one of the new Model 19s - if I needed .357 power. I think for most us midwesterners, S&W’s finest creation ever was the M631 4”, if you’re a handloader, and if not, the M651 4” is hard to beat. (Both of those need better front sights.) If I lived where there are aggressive animals that I might encounter, I’d favor the new Model 19.

 

[mtgianni]

OP shows an address of Libby, MT. I would forget the 357 and go with a model 69.

 

[BoulderTroll]

Wow! You guys carry some awesome guns in the woods! My usual gun to carry while hiking is my 60-15 load with some 158 grain hot .357 rounds my Father in Law loaded. I figure that 5 is enough for most critters outside of a grizzly. View attachment 758150

I think the 60-15 is an underappreciated gun. I had one, and regret getting rid of it. If they bring it out in a no-lock it will quickly jump to the top of my "must get" list. And I find the OEM grips for it to be the most comfortable "stock" grips for any J-frame.