PEAK PUTTERS

A remarkable "story" of how a small 22 hand gun helped one guy walk away from a bear attack...

Firepower A 22 short should do it . . . . . Think not? Read on . . . . . . . . .

On Bud's Gun Shop Forums the question came up: What is the smallest caliber you trust to protect yourself? The best answer: My personal favorite defense gun has always been a Beretta Jetfire in 22short . Over all the years I've been hiking I never leave without it in my pocket. Of course, we all know too the first rule when hiking in the wilderness is to use the "Buddy System." For those of you who may be unfamiliar with this it means you NEVER hike alone. You bring a friend or companion, even an in-law. That way, if something happens, there is someone to go get help .

I remember one time hiking with my brother-in-law in northern Alberta. Out of nowhere came this huge brown bear and man, was she mad. We must have been near one of her cubs. Anyway, if I had not had my little Jetfire I'd sure not be here today. Just one shot to my brother-in-law's knee cap and I was able to escape by just walking at a brisk pace.

Kind of a funny story since my brother-in-law gives me grief for only packing my tiny 22 pistol in my front pocket when we go bear hunting

Thats funny

I don't like that Tim likes this; he's got one hell of a knee capper.

Hah!

I carry a .454 Casull in bear country. Wish I saw this earlier, coulda saved me some cash....

I heard some guys are trading in their pistol for a good pair of running shoes!

Can I add a serious post to this joke? I'm actually looking at getting a good hiking gun and I don't want to shoot anyone in the knee cap. Right now I'm looking at a S&W 642 .38 special. I want a revolver for snake shot and simplicity. Any advice?

I suggest a compact 357mag. such as a ruger SP 101 (best small 357mag). You can shoot those wimpy 38 special rounds for fun and then pack mag. shot or lead loads for the trail. Pack couple of speed loaders for back up. If you ever need to scare something out of camp, the 357 mag barks as good as most anything. The 38 special, not so much bark or bite and weights about the same as a 357.

SPR wrote:I suggest a compact 357mag. such as a ruger SP 101 (best small 357mag). You can shoot those wimpy 38 special rounds for fun and then pack mag. shot or lead loads for the trail. Pack couple of speed loaders for back up. If you ever need to scare something out of camp, the 357 mag barks as good as most anything. The 38 special, not so much bark or bite and weights about the same as a 357.

I agree. I've got both the 642 and an SP101, and the SP101 is definitely the better weapon. .38 Special feels almost like a .22 and having full power .357 magnum rounds is a nice option. It's a gun you can carry anywhere, not just on the trail.

Do as suggested and grab some speed loaders or spring for something like this:

http://www.moonclips.com/content/machine.asp

I carry a S&W Mountain Lite in 44 SPL. It like a cannon with the weight of a toy gun.

mattawajeep wrote:Hah!

I carry a .454 Casull in bear country. Wish I saw this earlier, coulda saved me some cash....

Do you really have a .454?

iaccocca wrote:

mattawajeep wrote:Hah!

I carry a .454 Casull in bear country. Wish I saw this earlier, coulda saved me some cash....

Do you really have a .454?

Yup, 7.5" ported Super Redhawk. I can bring it up on the next run if you want to shoot it. Might have some full power loads someplace.

I thought the best gun for safety while hiking would be a loaded one....