Protection in the woods

357 mag with a good load will be a lot better insurance (something of comparable weight and dimension).

little ruger sp101 with a 4" barrel would do the job nicely.

The question is which mountains. Around here we have small bears and a few other critters that are usually scared of us. I normally carry my single action 357 with 7.5 inch barrel. I haven't hit breakin on my Kimber 1911 but will probably switch to that soon.
I would not count on the .410. It will pack a wallup but I prefer discouraging animals at a longer range.

I've carried a Glock 20 (10mm) in the field ever since they first came out. About the same power as a 357 Magnum (maybe a little more), but it throws a significantly bigger bullet (180-200 grains). Not the lightest handgun around, but easy to shoot, and it comes with a 15 round magazine (more misses allowed).

Loyal

flyin solo, post: 449737, member: 8089 wrote: 357 mag with a good load will be a lot better insurance (something of comparable weight and dimension).

little ruger sp101 with a 4" barrel would do the job nicely.

You're insane. The judge is the right tool on this one.

Loyal, post: 449740, member: 228 wrote: I've carried a Glock 20 (10mm) in the field ever since they first came out. About the same power as a 357 Magnum (maybe a little more), but it throws a significantly bigger bullet (180-200 grains). Not the lightest handgun around, but easy to shoot, and it comes with a 15 round magazine (more misses allowed).

Loyal

That SOB is a mule in your hands. I prefer the .40 because of the recoil.

Kris Morgan, post: 449741, member: 29 wrote: You're insane. The judge is the right tool on this one.

i'm just basing it on having shot a judge, and as far as using it with shells it'd have to be about point blank for me to have any confidence (see bionic's post above). and i swear, with all the 45s i've shot i could practically follow the round visually until it hit target. if i'm against something capable of eating me i'd at least want to aim something at it that i know had the juice to penetrate it.

Kris Morgan, post: 449742, member: 29 wrote: That SOB is a mule in your hands. I prefer the .40 because of the recoil.

shot a rock island tac 10 that actually wasn't too bad. the weight of the gun probably had something to do with that.

back in the spring during SXSW a neighbor had an unfortunate airbnb experience with a hip hop crew out of houston. one of those dudes unloaded a whole mag my way after i acted like a party pooper neighbor. i thought he was shooting a .380 or maybe a 9mm based on how it sounded. after i scraped myself up off the ground and the cops had run everyone off i went and found his casings: 10mm. glad he wasn't any better a shot.

The gentleman surveyor, when faced with potential dangerous game, carries a double rifle in .470 Nitro Express. 😉

James Fleming, post: 449749, member: 136 wrote: The gentleman surveyor, when faces with potential dangerous game, carries a double rifle in .470 Nitro Express. 😉

can't wait until javad mates a 30/30 to that j-tip thingy of theirs.

flyin solo, post: 449750, member: 8089 wrote: can't wait until javad mates a 30/30 to that j-tip thingy of theirs.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Powerhead

Maybe some day we will have a tag along security drone with real fire power. Maybe at that time ground surveying will no longer be needed. Who knows, but I can't pack and extra 10-15 pounds of protection, just to old. From what I've read bear spray not to effective on black bears, just makes them mad, two women killed in Alaska this year using bear spray. So far I've never run into a bear or cat, at least that I saw. Don't really want to have my first encounter be my last, at least not without a fight.

Kris Morgan, post: 449742, member: 29 wrote: That SOB is a mule in your hands. I prefer the .40 because of the recoil.

I have both a Glock 23 (40 S&W) and the 10mm. The Glock 23 is a bit small for my hands, but shoots well.
BTW S&W in this case stands for "Short & Weak" 😎

I find the Glock 20 to be much more comfortable to shoot than my brother's 4" .357 Python (quieter too). If you have small hands, then the grip circumference might be a problem with the 10mm. Being able to throw 15 200 grain bullets @ 1200 fps is a real plus when you are out in the mountains/deserts of the West. I have never had to fire the pistol while in the field, but I do shoot it for practice quite a bit (or used to).

Loyal

Loyal, post: 449753, member: 228 wrote: I have both a Glock 23 (40 S&W) and the 10mm. The Glock 23 is a bit small for my hands, but shoots well.
BTW S&W in this case stands for "Short & Weak" 😎

I find the Glock 20 to be much more comfortable to shoot than my brother's 4" .357 Python (quieter too). If you have small hands, then the grip circumference might be a problem with the 10mm. Being able to throw 15 200 grain bullets @ 1200 fps is a real plus when you are out in the mountains/deserts of the West. I have never had to fire the pistol while in the field, but I do shoot it for practice quite a bit (or used to).

Loyal

Looks like a Glock 20 Gen 4 weight about 32 oz, 40 oz loaded. 15 bullets, maybe extra weight OK. I've lost weight this year, maybe take off a few more pounds of fat and add the glock to my frame. Semi auto probably better than a revolver, but I'm not a gun expert by any means.

yeah, hand size can make a difference. i have smaller hands, so the only 10mm i'd want to use on a regular basis has to be a 1911.

another option (in both 357 and 40) is the chiappa rhino. they're ugly as hell, but shoot smoooooooth because of exactly what makes them so ugly.

I shot a 300 lb. male black bear in self defense in 2015. I used a 12 gauge with a 3" load that had a slug and 00 buck in it. He was about 30' away and moving towards me. This was after running him off 3 times earlier, including with a warning round. I wouldn't have wanted to have been any closer when I made the decision. Not being a proficient handgun user (at least not in a life or death situation) I was glad I had a shotgun. Hit him in the left shoulder and he went down very quickly after cartwheeling about 40' and bellowing something awful. Ironically, I had researched where to shoot one just months before, and almost everything I read said "not the head" and recommended the shoulder. It worked, but I didn't sleep a wink that night.

SPMPLS, post: 449756, member: 11785 wrote: I shot a 300 lb. male black bear in self defense in 2015. I used a 12 gauge with a 3" load that had a slug and 00 buck in it. He was about 30' away and moving towards me. This was after running him off 3 times earlier, including with a warning round. I wouldn't have wanted to have been any closer when I made the decision. Not being a proficient handgun user (at least not in a life or death situation) I was glad I had a shotgun. Hit him in the left shoulder and he went down very quickly after cartwheeling about 40' and bellowing something awful. Ironically, I had researched where to shoot one just months before, and almost everything I read said "not the head" and recommended the shoulder. It worked, but I didn't sleep a wink that night.

I agree with the 12 ga. option, and given a choice in that situation, the 12 ga. wins hands down, every time, no question about it!
There is however a significant difference in portability.

Loyal

This is my every day carry and holster. Many people don't even know it is on me at all times. You can get double stack magazines and that allow for a 12+1 combination. It also has an extended magazine option that will extend the grip to get the 12+1 or else I believe it is only a 10+1 option. I always carry the most ammo I can have in the gun at all times and then two magazines on an ankle holder above my boot.

http://www.springfield-armory.com/products/xd-mod-2-3-sub-compact-40sw/

http://aliengearholsters.com/shapeshift-modular-holster-system.html

No first hand experience with the Judge, but word on the street is that the rifled barrel spirals the 410 shot into an undesirable pattern.
Taurus has sold a bunch of them, the 410 - 45LC combo makes for a good pitch for the salesmen.

When I am in the woods in NE Texas, the most dangerous thing out there is me.
During hunting season would be when that changes and I really do my homework to find out if anyone is supposed to be on the land when I am surveying, at the neighbors land too.