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Monday, February 24, 2014

Choosing a “Pack Gun”

Hi Ferfal,
Excellent blog!
I am moving to northern idaho in the US and have been looking for an
all around pack gun. There are bears (mostly black and few grizzly),
wolf, mountain lion, coyotes, and possibly strange people (growers,
etc). I had been thinking of getting a wheel gun in 44 mag or larger,
but recently caught wind of the glock G20 in 10mm round. This round is
ballistically similar to .357 mag and in the glock you get 15+1
capacity.
What do you think?
Lance

   Glock 31 works for both two and most four legged predators 

 Hi,

Both 357 magnums and 44 magnum revolvers can be fantastic choices. I would go for Ruger and Smith & Wesson. A 4” barrel model 29 would be very nice, and although heavy loads in 357 magnum do work well, for bigger bears you don’t want to go for less than 44 magnums.
Having said that, if I had to choose I would go for a Glock 31 in 357 SIG since this would be a great choice both for two and four legged predators. Now if you have a significant chance of coming across grizzly bears, then I would go up a notch and go for the Glock  20 in 10mm. It may not be a 44 magnum but 10mm packs a punch, and you can get some powerful ammo from Doubletap and Buffalobore that goes into 44 magnum territory.  As you say, you also get more firepower with Glock 20’s 15 round magazines and follow up shots will be quicker and more accurate than with a DA revolver. The Glocks higher capacity, speed and ease of reloading would also be a big bonus in case you come across dangerous people rather than dangerous animals, which is possible but in general less likely.


FerFAL

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

You'll be getting some bear bells to go with that gun too, right? Neither bears nor growers want a big drama.

Anonymous said...

Senior Fiesta here.

Let's just say that your concern is bears. Pretty sure you will NOT get the drop on the "strange" growers. They will know you are coming before you know they are there.

Also, bear bells? What the heck is that? Bells could be a loud bird or something from a bear's perspective. The best surefire way to warn a bear you are around is a loud clap of the hands. To them it sounds like a large twig/branch breaking which translates to a large animal coming.

Anonymous said...

Welcome to Northern Idaho, Lance! I have lived here for well over 10 years and my packing gun of choice is a S&W Stainless .44. Glocks are great and I love them; but with the LOW crime we have here, and HUGE population of wolves and bears, a wheel gun that works as well in the cold as warm weather is ideal. You won't go wrong with either the Glock or revolver.

tweell said...

You should wear brightly colored clothes, some bells and carry pepper spray - this is to ward off the bears.

To know what bears are in your area, look at the bear scat (poop). Black bear scat is dark, composed mainly of berry skins and seeds, and has little smell. Grizzly bear scat has brightly colored bits and bells all through it, and smells like pepper.

dc.sunsets said...

Just FYI, most 10mm ammo now is loaded to levels similar to 40 S&W. Those wanting the full power 10 are often forced to handload their own cartridges.

Franky, if you compare the ballistics of factory loaded 10mm ammo you'll find that you can get at least as much, if not more power from factory loaded 45 ACP.

Anonymous said...

My BOL is outside Missoula Montana, w confirmed grizz sightings w/in 10 miles. Which means, Im in grizz territory. My carry when Im out there is a ruger super redhawk Alaskan in 454 cassull. However, unless Im picking huckleberrys. I generally have my win. 94 30 30 w/180 gr rounds. Or the trusty (as well as bear mace)Mossberg w slugs. You know why Montana guides file the front sights off there 44's ? So it doesn't hurt as bad when uncle grizz shoves it up there ass. Highdesertlivin out