Not to cause too large a digression but there was a piece in one of the gun magazines in the ‘80’s, probably Guns & Ammo, where they asked gunwriters what pistol they would take with them to a foreign country for a year with no with type of gunsmith or factory support. At least two picked SAAs due to ease of working on them and ease of making them continue to work with some broken parts.Originally Posted by RevolverRob
You could probably make parts for them with a hand drill and a piece of flat stock steel. Fit them, then heat treat them with a torch. That sounds crazy until you remember these guns were originally built in the 19th century and kept running where your local "machine shop" was a blacksmith with a hammer.
My 629 Mountain gun with lumber to match the 29-2. I would consider the MG my field revolver but the red dot on the 29 has made my woods walk scores soar. I am finding no EASY Button for red dotted wheel guns, but have only just started the search. I am using a Comp Tac IDPA holster for 29 but would not trust it for more than a stroll in the woods.
G17 if I can bring a small kit of spare parts. Flattop .357 Blackhawk if I can’t…
”But in the end all of these ideas just manufacture new criminals when the problem isn't a lack of criminals.” -JRB
One of these three is on my hip when I step off the pavement headed into the woods. All are 3 ich barrels, two are .357 and the other is .44 Special. The .357 with 158sjsp or 170gr .38-44 load will take care of any of the 4-legged critters I may encounter. The .44 is carried with 225swc with the intent of taking a feral hog, if I ever encounter one that I want to shoot. Any of the ammo I carry would be more than sufficient for the 2-legged variety.
I do believe if they were large frame guns, they would get left at home more often. This brings up the S&W M69 in .44 Magnum, its only 5 rounds but it is an L frame gun in either a 2.75- or 4-inch barrel. This would be my perfect field gun if I thought I would encounter anything larger than our black bear that we have here in Appalachia.
A Ruger GP100 in 10mm would cover all of my needs and hold fast to the idea of doing everything with one caliber but they are currently nonresistant and where is the fun of just one.
This whole thread prompted me to dig deeper into this.
When I get a faculty position - I'm going to order a custom Magnum Research BFR. 5" Octagonal Barrel, Black Nitride finish, Bisley grip frame, Keith #5 main frame and take down pin. Why a BFR over a Ruger? The BFR (and Freedom Arms Model 97) are leaf-sprung SAA clones with transfer bar safeties. Best of both worlds. Caliber? .357 Magnum with a fitted 9mm cylinder.
Many of the old reports of SAA's failing due to breakage of flat springs, cylinder stops, etc, went on to temper this known small parts fragility with the assurance that these were easily fixed problems... assuming you could get or make the parts. Sometimes there was also the qualification that the gun would still function if you used some sort of odd field expedient ("you can use a dance hall girl's elastic garter to power the hammer"*). When I went through my own SA revolver phase and justified my choice - though only partially - on similar grounds, I got a "reductio ad absurdum" lecture that suggested I go even further back in time and learn to make flintlocks from scratch.
Ouch.
That being said, I still think that even I might at least stand a remote chance of just getting a Colt SAA or Ruger SA functional if all I had was a couple of files, a coffee can half full of rusty tractor parts, a Victorinox Farmer and a whole lot of spare time.
*Yes, I made that one up... but it would have been a great "Have Gun Will travel" subplot.
gn
"On the internet, nobody knows if you are a dog... or even a cat."
My Revolving Field Pistol, Texas: Ruger GP100, .357 Magnum.
My Alternative Revolving Field Pistol, For Where Large Dangerous Mammals Roam: Ruger Blackhawk-series, or Super-Redhawk Alaskan. Or, maybe the that GP100, with appropriate 180-grain ammo.
Notably, I have NO experience in Africa.
I hunted humans in SE Texas, during 33+ years of peace officering.
Best “speed loader” for any Revolving Field Pistol, when/where multiple human opponents are likely: Glock G17.
Retar’d LE. Kinesthetic dufus.
Don’t tread on volcanos!
I saw no unsatisfactory choices presented in the thread. I've seen bears and big cats in a zoo but nowhere else, and my woods roaming has been regional. My choice is a Model 19 .357 Magnum revolver. The 2 1/2 inch version is compact and handy, but my best shooting has been with the 6 inch barrel length. However, I have often left home with a 9mm or 45 Auto pistol. I hate to use the term "back up handgun" because that implies that I would get in some sort of jam and lose my primary weapon. Not so. My primary weapon was a solid stick. My biggest fear was stepping on a venomous snake. Once I walked into a farmer's electric fence. I had never seen one but quickly figured out what it was.
I still kick myself, I have had two separate .45-70 BFRs over the years and let them go, I never had one with a short cylinder but the ones I had were very well put together. You mention the extra cylinder, my nod to owning a survival handgun is a 6.5" .357 Blackhawk with extra fitted cylinders in 9mm, .357 SIG and .357/44 Bain & Davis.
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