Here’s an article I wrote almost 20 years ago for Backwoods Home magazine.
It’s still relevant today, and I’ll tell you why. I live in an area where deer are hunted in dense vegetation, and a sporting hunter is only likely to have a long shot if they stake out a power line. The deer here are whitetails, not particularly large. I recently chatted with a fellow from out of town who just opened a gun shop in our area, and was shocked to find out how many customers wanted long-range 7mm Magnum rifles or similar to go deer hunting.
On the concealed carry side, I still see a lot of folks who buy a service-size pistol, fit it with an optical sight and an attached flashlight, and then discover it’s simply too large to conceal with their warm-weather wardrobe.
Rifle, shotgun, or handgun, size is a consideration in firearms selection. Tailor the tool to the task…and to the user.
My current carry pistol is a Sig C3 1911, which is an Officer’s-size aluminum frame with a Commander-length (4.25″) stainless steel barrel and slide in .45 ACP. With 7-round Wilson Combat magazines holding 230-grain hollow-points I don’t feel under-gunned at all.
Here in NW Wyoming I frequently go fishing up some seldom-used trails where meeting a grizzly is a possibility for much of the year. The only time I’ve seen one was when I got to the river and it was there ahead of me. I simply backed away as quietly as I could, and then went back down the mountain. I don’t need to fish the brookies that badly. I’ve smelled bear on the trails once or twice (they’re usually quite distinctive) and simply left the area as fast as possible. But I’ve made the decision based on bear encounter data that I’m not going to “up-gun” just for these rare occasions. If 7 rounds of .45 don’t deter a bear attack (yeah, I’ve got a spare magazine on my belt, but have you ever seen a grizzly RUN? I’d never get the chance for a re-load) probably not much short of a 12-gauge slug would.
And I certainly don’t feel like I’m under-gunned for 2-legged predators.
I standardized on .30-06 back in the 70’s because it seemed like the most versatile all-around hunting cartridge for everything from whitetail to elk, as your article noted. You can also find it just about everywhere, and usually in different loads since it’s still so popular. I don’t hunt any more since I can now afford store-bought beef, but while that cartridge may be over 100 years old it’s still effective and versatile. I haven’t taken my bolt guns to the range in over 4 years.
There are a lot of people who sort of sneer at the antique-quality of my cartridge choices, since I haven’t got the latest laser-trajectory round shooting a light bullet at warp speed. Nor am I shooting some shoulder-bruising .458 Mag just to prove that I can. But as an aging geezer I find that big, dumb, slow rounds will still perform as well as I need. I have no need to beat myself up with a 7mm Mag or full-bore .44 Mags.
I live in the South so wearing a cover garment is out for most of the year. I have too much of a spare tire 🙂 to be comfortable with inside-the-waistband holsters. I tried ankle carry and, while it will work for a small backup gun, I don’t see it as a viable option for daily carry. So, my main carry method is pocket carry which means a fairly small handgun or revolver.
For fifteen (15) years, I have been searching for the “perfect carry pistol” to fit my needs. I have tried at least a dozen different pistols and revolvers in my fruitless search. I have 3 or 4 models that will work but none (repeat NONE) are ideal. Currently, I wobble between carrying a Ruger LCP Max, in .380, or a Smith J-Frame in 38 special. As noted, neither is ideal but they (mostly) work.
Later today, I am going to pick up a new model pistol to try (I am reaching outside-of-the-box to Kel-Tec!!!) We will see how this latest contestant works out.
All that I can say is that, picking an ideal carry gun is extremely difficult despite the vast number of options on the market. I sometimes think that the “perfect packin’ pistol” has yet to be invented. Where is my phaser when I need it? 🙂
Back in the last century, Francis Sell convinced me to make my first new gun a 20 gauge double. Never regretted it, still got it.
I’ve run into an astounding number of folks who’ve bought 7mm Magnums. Locally, it seems the reason is that they think because it’s a MAGNUM, it shoots like a laser. If they can see it, they can hit it-without any consideration for the range.
Unfortunately with handguns, convenience seems to be more important to most folks than suitability for the purpose. Then there are those who promptly add an optic (and light/laser) to a micro pistol. Really?
Added: back when I lived in Pennsylvania, it didn’t take me long to figure out that if I hunted deer with a handgun, I’d have two hands available to get up & down the hills and also make it easier to drag the critter out. My model 29 never let me down-and it was a heck of lot lighter.
The only time rifles made any sense was if I was hunting farm fields or power lines.
Size matters. Select the right tool for the right job.
Here in Michigan, I have killed a number of white tail deer, and while I used a rifle once, the rest of the time I used a shotgun, the most recent time with an open choke, 18″ barrel and a sabot slug. The deer that I killed with the rifle, a 30/40 Krag, I could have killed with a 12 gauge and 00 buckshot.
And I also know those who use the 7mm mag and the .300 Win. Short Mag. to hunt here in Michigan for deer. I carried a .243 Remington caliber one year, and didn’t feel under gunned by any means.
As for CCW, I recently did away with my 9mm and now carry a 3″ Rossi RP63 revolver with .125 grain Hornady Critical Defense loads, and don’t feel undergunned with this, either.
When I decided that I was going to carry concealed, I took into consideration that I am a woman with broad hips. I shopped carefully for a conceal carry holster that would not show under my clothing. I have a choice between 2 pistols that I have for conceal carry. I was really glad that I did my research and found what works for me.
CCW – Snubby revolver with iron sights in summer; full size auto pistol in winter. Any threat I need to deal with will be 10m or less away. Easily carried and the only way the sights malfunction is if they get torn off. No weapon mounted light required since I don’t do much in the shadows at night away from home. At church, a full size service pistol, also with irons, and two spare mags.
Home Defense – Service sized semi automatic pistol with a weapon mounted light. Center the light beam on the target for a bullseye at 10m, the longest interior dimension of my house.
I’m not John Wick, therefore I don’t need to kit myself out as such.