Revolver equivalent of the "field pistol"

[jtcarm]

Thanks guys, reading the attached resources. The reality is when out hunting at least one of us has the 375h&h or larger with us. I have also deliberated whether a larger calibre semi auto than the usual G19 with 147gr Rangers may be a better option given my parameters especially with regards to the prevalence of two legged threats here.

If you’re carrying a high-powered rifle, I would weight the choice of gun towards bipedal threats and ammo designed for penetration, like the bear loads offered by some boutique ammo manufacturers.

[Stephanie B]

If it's the critters, then a Ruger Super Redhawk or Super Blackhawk in .44 Magnum with a decent-length might be a minimum. Both guns can be impressively loaded.

Defensive, maybe a 4" S&W .44 Magnum has the most overlap with an anti-critter tool. You probably shouldn't load it up to the levels of pressure that the Rugers can take.

If it's all two-legged varmints, then .44s loaded to maybe a skosh over .44 Special performance may offer faster followup shots?

[GJM]

For years, a four inch Scandium 329 or .44 Mountain Gun was my field revolver. Could be again depending upon circumstances.

[Totem Polar]

In my particular area (Pacific Northwest/Washington State), where the primary 4-leggged concerns are black bear and mountain lion/cougar, I'm fine with .357 magnum; my choice is Ruger GP100 or Blackhawk for hunting, but for a hunting backup gun, I prefer a .40 Gen4 Glock G22 with Underwood Lehigh Xtreme Penetrator cartridges, or my Glock G21 in .45 ACP with similar.

The last time I was rucking into what is essentially a black bear dinner table in mountain lion and *maybe* grow op territory in Idaho, where such things (bait site) are a management tool, I used a .357 mod 66 with 145gr silvertip when I took a DA revolver, and hardcast 255gr/1000fps Keith loads in .44spec when I felt like the romance of a flattop Blackhawk. But when I went as help/muscle with my buddy’s wife instead of my very well-armed buddy, I most def took a semi. My sense is that many serious hunters who are also LE just take their duty gun; one can do a lot worse than a G17 with a light on it and 17 rounds of buffalo bore penetrator on board when out in rural Idaho.

But I digress. What I really meant to say is that I’m with JonInWA, above, both in residence, and in gear choice. If it’s not a Glock, just because sometimes we like to carry things because we like them, then a 4” medium-frame .357 is fine. For WA state/PacNW. For Africa? Not my area of expertise. I’d defer to Ross S on that.

[Stephanie B]

If hunting, be aware that sporting capacity limits may apply to handguns.

[Rick R]

On my first trip to ZA a friend of the property owner showed up one evening wearing a photographer vest. After having dinner and a brew and talking with us Americans he found out we were gun guys and confessed that the vest was covering a 6” S&W 629.

The other locals seemed to think it was a logical choice for whatever you might bump into in their corner of the bush. I’d think with a decent OC belt and holster a 4-6” double action .44 would get you out of most trouble without being a burden. Doesn’t PMP offer .44Mag ammo?

[Clusterfrack]

I'm currently carrying a modded Glock 20.4 for grizzly defense. But I wasn't unhappy carrying my SBH Bisley 3.75" .44 Mag

I used the ... Simply Rugged Sourdough Pancake w/o cartridge loops to carry the SBH Bisley last summer in Alaska. That setup is surprisingly easy to carry and conceal.

I finished up a training session with some GW drills with the SBH Bisley .44. If I'm going to carry this beast in Alaska this summer, I wanted to see what I can do with it. FYI, I'm NOT a revolver guy and never have been, and I had a ton of fun doing this.

Gun: Ruger Super Blackhawk Bisley 3.75" .44 mag, High Viz FO sights.
Holster: Simply Rugged Sourdough Pancake
Ammo: Full power 240gr reloads

Bill: 5.07s + 0.5 = 5.57s
F2S: 2.59s (Dark level)
2H: 2.32s (Light level)

I'll do a full set of drills from concealment soon.

For a frame of reference, I was doing about 1.3Xs draws and 0.6Xs splits. I found that the key to a "fast" draw was getting the thumb on the hammer at the beginning of the draw, and cocking it during presentation.

Here's a full set of GW Drills with the SBH Bisley .44.

Gun: Ruger Super Blackhawk Bisley 3.75" .44 mag, High Viz FO sights.
Holster: Simply Rugged Sourdough Pancake
Ammo: Full power 240gr reloads
Concealment: IDPA type vest
Notes: As before, I did not have much difficulty beating the Light time for 2H. Given the main use (grizzly defense), limited capacity, and glacial speed of reloading, I think this is by far the most important drill--so that's encouraging. It's been years since I've shot IDPA, and the concealment garment felt unfamiliar. I don't think I netted any time on the draws from concealment. On the very first run I pushed it too fast on the draw, and ended up cocking the gun before it fully cleared the holster. My finger wasn't in the trigger guard, but I did not like this one bit. I backed off a bit on the draw speed, focused on a good master grip, and only cocked the gun when it was pointed downrange for the rest of the session. There is plenty of time to thumb back the hammer during the final part of the presentation.

(Total time after penalties and concealment in parentheses)
F2S
3.67 (3.42)
3.55 +.25 (3.55)
3.03 (1.69, .68,.67) (2.78) Dark

2H
2.74 (2.49) Light
2.75 (2.50) Light
2.83 (2.58) Dark

4B2H
6.06 +1.5 (7.31)
7.33 +.5 (7.58)

Bill
5.43 +.25 (5.43)
5.44 (5.19)

[RevolverRob]

If I'm traveling the globe without knowing where I may be? A .44Mag/.45LC seems pretty handy. And I know it sounds crazy, but a high quality SA would be my choice. The simplicity of the SA gun gives it the advantage over a DA gun. You can fit damn near any part to a SA revolver with a Leatherman.

[HeavyDuty]

I used to tramp around the forests of northern WI and the UP of MI, and then moved to NH. Because of this I always kept a few full sized large caliber revolvers around for woods carry.

A birdshead Vaquero in .45 ACP, a .44 Magnum 4” S&W 69, and two 4” .357 S&Ws - a 619 and a 620. Hey, it was as good of an excuse as any.

[JonInWA]

If hunting, be aware that sporting capacity limits may apply to handguns.

And potentially caliber and barrel lengths.

Best, Jon