Post by woodscustom on May 30, 2012 19:32:41 GMT -7
A trail gun to me, has to have just two things....
1. Big enough to make a noteable stand against the biggest threat you could encounter with Proven reliability.
2. Light enough that you don't mind carrying it.
There's nothing worse than having the biggest and baddest handgun in the world setting at camp because you're tired of packing it around. Or, you're tired of carrying it in camp because it so big and heavy. It's a fact that you will never need it when you have it on you.
I have found what I consider the Ultimate Mountain Trail Gun.
The Smith & Wesson 329PD 44 Remington Magnum.
The 329PD weighs in at 25.1 ounces. That is "Almost" half the weight of your typical 4" Barreled S&W 686 357 Mag which weighs in at roughly 40 ounces. What makes the 329PD so light is the Scandium Alloy Frame and Titanium Alloy Cylinder.
The 4" barrel gives you good velocity and sight radius. The front sight is a Hi-VIS type, with a V-Notch rear. It's a single/Double action revolver, meaning, you can cock it and shoot, or you can just pull the trigger.
You can shoot Light 44 Special ammo in it for practice, Heavy 44 Special ammo, like Hornady Critical Defense for Personal or Home defense. When out in the woods, or up in the mountains, the 329PD can handle the heaviest factory loads available.
With "HEAVY" loads, like these....
You can expect one thing. .... PUNISHING RECOIL. It feels like you have your neighbor kid hit your open hand with a baseball bat, BUT, when a bear is chewing on your knee, I doubt you would be too worried about that.
What I did to help alieve this hand smacking, I installed S&W 500 Grips. These grips cover the rear section of the grip frame. Although they don't take all of the uncommonness away, they do help.
When shooting 44 Special loads like these....
the 329 is very pleasant to shoot with more than enough power for any personal or home defense application.
Now let's talk about actually carrying the 329PD in the field.
There are a lot of good holsters out there, and just too many to list, so I will just call out a couple of my favorites. The Bianchi Cyclone and Galco Dual Position Phoenix. Both of them are VERY similar and both have two different ways to carry. Either Strong Side, or Cross Draw depending on how you want to carry.
When packing in the mountains, I prefer a "Unconventional" method of carry. I wear a belt about sternum height with the holster in the cross draw presentation. I really got used to this carry method overseas. Although it "LOOKS" like the revolver is in the way, just the opposite is true.
With this carry method, the 329 is out of the way of backpack shoulder straps, and you can get to it VERY quickly, WAY quicker than carrying it in the conventional strong side or cross draw method. "VERY QUICKLY" is really nice when you're hunting Bears in thick Grizzly country, 8 miles from the truck.
I would, however, rethink this carry method if I was on a populated trail in Yellowstone, but for way back in the mountains, it can't be beat.
Without a doubt, after packing a handgun most of my adult life, I feel the Smith & Wesson 329PD is the Ultimate Trail gun in the mountains.
What do you all carry when you're packing in the mountains?
WC
1. Big enough to make a noteable stand against the biggest threat you could encounter with Proven reliability.
2. Light enough that you don't mind carrying it.
There's nothing worse than having the biggest and baddest handgun in the world setting at camp because you're tired of packing it around. Or, you're tired of carrying it in camp because it so big and heavy. It's a fact that you will never need it when you have it on you.
I have found what I consider the Ultimate Mountain Trail Gun.
The Smith & Wesson 329PD 44 Remington Magnum.
The 329PD weighs in at 25.1 ounces. That is "Almost" half the weight of your typical 4" Barreled S&W 686 357 Mag which weighs in at roughly 40 ounces. What makes the 329PD so light is the Scandium Alloy Frame and Titanium Alloy Cylinder.
The 4" barrel gives you good velocity and sight radius. The front sight is a Hi-VIS type, with a V-Notch rear. It's a single/Double action revolver, meaning, you can cock it and shoot, or you can just pull the trigger.
You can shoot Light 44 Special ammo in it for practice, Heavy 44 Special ammo, like Hornady Critical Defense for Personal or Home defense. When out in the woods, or up in the mountains, the 329PD can handle the heaviest factory loads available.
With "HEAVY" loads, like these....
You can expect one thing. .... PUNISHING RECOIL. It feels like you have your neighbor kid hit your open hand with a baseball bat, BUT, when a bear is chewing on your knee, I doubt you would be too worried about that.
What I did to help alieve this hand smacking, I installed S&W 500 Grips. These grips cover the rear section of the grip frame. Although they don't take all of the uncommonness away, they do help.
When shooting 44 Special loads like these....
the 329 is very pleasant to shoot with more than enough power for any personal or home defense application.
Now let's talk about actually carrying the 329PD in the field.
There are a lot of good holsters out there, and just too many to list, so I will just call out a couple of my favorites. The Bianchi Cyclone and Galco Dual Position Phoenix. Both of them are VERY similar and both have two different ways to carry. Either Strong Side, or Cross Draw depending on how you want to carry.
When packing in the mountains, I prefer a "Unconventional" method of carry. I wear a belt about sternum height with the holster in the cross draw presentation. I really got used to this carry method overseas. Although it "LOOKS" like the revolver is in the way, just the opposite is true.
With this carry method, the 329 is out of the way of backpack shoulder straps, and you can get to it VERY quickly, WAY quicker than carrying it in the conventional strong side or cross draw method. "VERY QUICKLY" is really nice when you're hunting Bears in thick Grizzly country, 8 miles from the truck.
I would, however, rethink this carry method if I was on a populated trail in Yellowstone, but for way back in the mountains, it can't be beat.
Without a doubt, after packing a handgun most of my adult life, I feel the Smith & Wesson 329PD is the Ultimate Trail gun in the mountains.
What do you all carry when you're packing in the mountains?
WC
