While many of our customers are interested in taking our speedloaders to the firing range, it’s not very often that you’ll find someone whose only interest in revolvers is target practice. Sure, they love setting down their loading block and speedloader and spending the day perfecting their stance, but they’re also interested in self-defense, collecting guns, hunting, and, of course, spending time out in nature. That’s what we’re talking about today: hiking.
Is there a perfect hiking revolver? Sure, there are times when a Ruger LCR and its speedloader (or moon clips) are exactly what you need, but other times you might want something larger. In our next blog we’ll discuss some of the best hiking handguns, but first we think it’s important to ask yourself a few questions.
Where Are You Hiking?
Without a doubt this is the most important question to answer when it comes to picking a revolver. You can probably guess that it’s not about the scenery, but rather about what kind of dangerous animals you might encounter. Taking a five-mile hike in Alaska is certainly different from taking a walk on a friend’s farm in Missouri. In Alaska you might run into a charging grizzly bear as Greg Brush did back in 2009, the only thing saving him being the large caliber of his .454 Casull in his Super Redhawk Alaskan. In Missouri there aren’t any grizzlies, but you have to worry about that chance encounter with a black bear or mountain lion. In all likelihood, though, you won’t be needing .454.
Do You Also Have A Rifle?
Sometimes you simply need something less powerful than the rifle you’re hauling around. While at first that might seem counterintuitive, the fact is that you don’t need to be shooting at the ground 10 feet in front of you with a 30-06 if a rattlesnake shows up. No, you’re going to want something a lot smaller to take care of snakes and rabid animals that might be getting a little close.
Do You Just Want To Scare?
Bears don’t scare easily. Once a bear starts at you, you’d better hope you have something big on you. But a stalking big cat will most likely be scared off with a shot fired into the air, as will most smaller carnivores. Of course, if they don’t scare and you’re carrying a smaller revolver, you might want to have some moon clips in your pouch so that you can reload quickly.
How Much Weight Can You Carry?
Oh, let’s be honest, the question isn’t how much weight you can carry, it’s how much weight do you want to carry. After all, you could take your .500 Smith & Wesson to accompany your shotgun on a duck hunt, but do you really want to be carrying an extra five pounds of steel on your hip the entire time?
When you’re backpacking or heading deep into the woods to your favorite hunting spot, weight matters. There’s not only the weight of the hunting gear you have to think about, but also that of the tent, the food, the cooking gear, and, of course, your sidearm. While a larger revolver might be your first choice, you have to ask yourself the likelihood that you’ll really need it (especially if it’s simply a backup to your rifle).
Unless you own just a single revolver, you’re going to have to make a tough choice about which handgun to take with you when you go hiking. In the next blog we’ll go over some of the most popular options out there. In the meantime, go over those questions up above again to decide which type of handgun (and speed loader pouch) goes with you on the trip.