Wilderness camping and gun safety

[covered_wagon]

When camping as the lone camper with miles of wilderness around, do you feel safer with a loaded firearm handy? Or is having the magazine ready to slide in a better option? Thank you for any thoughts. I need to learn as I start investing time/ money in gun safety. Please no politics. Thank you again

[Geewizard]

Trekkar wrote:
What is a wheel gun?

It's like calling a shotgun a scatter gun. Slang term.

[jaycocreek]

Trekkar wrote:
What is a wheel gun?

A revolver aka with a round cylinder that holds the bullets instead of a clip..

[Reality_Check]

Trekkar wrote:
What is a wheel gun?

Revolver

[Trekkar]

What is a wheel gun?

[RetiredRealtorR]

Get some bear spray on Amazon :C

[deserteagle56]

silverbullet555 wrote:
I don't feel unsafe in the wilderness in a camper. But, I am generally armed when out and about. Humans worry me more than animals.

^ This is me also. I feel much safer out in the wilderness than I do in any city. I have also packed a wheelgun everywhere for the past 50 years (except Canada). In all those years I've never needed to shoot any animal that was threatening me. But there were a couple times when just having my .357 on my hip was enough to settle down some aggressive (and probably drunk) rowdies.

[silverbullet555]

I don't feel unsafe in the wilderness in a camper. But, I am generally armed when out and about. Humans worry me more than animals.

[jaycocreek]

How many of you who responded to the OP have EVER had to shoot an animal in when camping "with miles and miles of wilderness around"?

How many of you have EVER had to even get your firearm out in response to an animal?

I'd really like to know. No political agenda here at all whatsoever.

I have..Grandjean Idaho with horses..The local guides cook shot a black bear out of a tree with his .38 just wounding it..The fish and game officer came by our camp warning of a wounded bear and suggesting we move...That evening the bear got into our horses and when we went to intervene,it charged and succumbed to one well placed bullet..

I camp in the boonies where anything can happen..Wild places where there are few,if any people and always lots of wild game..Just a couple years ago we had a bear come down into camp by a back country air strip and went after the dogs and when I came out to intervene,it skedaddled up the hill..I put down the gun and tried to get a picture of it..I have it somewhere...

It happens in the true wilderness all the time..



Or near backcountry air strips..

[Geewizard]

Me too.....regarding carrying a fire extinguisher.

[narcodog]

I was a state certified firearms instructor for about 25 years and taught both LEO's and civilians. Many with the same question you have. Muscle memory is what one safe when handling a fire no matter whether it's a pistol, revolver, shotgun or rifle. Each have their own characteristics. A loaded revolver is the easiest to handle and easy to conceal. A pistol is somewhat more complicated. Some have safety's others don't. You need to know how to clear a jam, and they do. How to load a "magazine" they are not "clips". You need to know how to break it down and clean it, a fouled pistol will malfunction. One of the reasons that a pistol will malfunction with an inexperienced shooter is a term "limp wristing" which means that the shooter did not have a tight grip on the weapon and did not allow the slide to do it's job.

To get back to the OP's question. Unless one spends a considerable amount of time practicing loading, firing the pistol it's better to have a revolver, loaded.

As was stated an unloaded firearm is about as useful as a boat anchor. A quality revolver will not discharge if dropped, has no safety that you have to learn to manipulate. For the most part they are less expensive than a pistol and as stated less maintenance is needed.

There are other alternative to a hand gun that are easy to learn and maintain. In the last few years Remington and others have introduced a shotgun, which is classified as a "firearm" in both 20 and 12 gauge. The beauty of this is their 14in barrel and pistol grip stock. Loaded with "low recoil" ammunition the are easy to shoot. You can also get an "arm brace" for it to be used as a defacto stock. Then there are the AR style pistols. They are more complicated so I would stay away from them. As far as 12ga ammo everyone touts 00 buck when actually no. 4 buck is better it has a little less recoil which means a quicker followup shot. more pellets. Don't forget no matter which shotgun ammo you use the pattern will be very tight out to about 25yards.

The alternative to lead ammo is rubber shot. It comes in both a slug or buck shot and that's what I carry. In my time in the back country with my TC I have had three black bear encounters. I did not fire a shot but the rubber shell would have sufficed.
.

[specta]

Geewizard wrote:


Please tell me where you plan to camp alone with miles and miles of wilderness around? Give me an example, please.

How many of you who responded to the OP have EVER had to shoot an animal in when camping "with miles and miles of wilderness around"?

How many of you have EVER had to even get your firearm out in response to an animal?

I'd really like to know. No political agenda here at all whatsoever.

I keep a fire extinguisher in my camper too.

[Geewizard]

covered wagon wrote:
When camping as the lone camper with miles of wilderness around, do you feel safer with a loaded firearm handy? Or is having the magazine ready to slide in a better option? Thank you for any thoughts. I need to learn as I start investing time/ money in gun safety. Please no politics. Thank you again

Please tell me where you plan to camp alone with miles and miles of wilderness around? Give me an example, please.

How many of you who responded to the OP have EVER had to shoot an animal in when camping "with miles and miles of wilderness around"?

How many of you have EVER had to even get your firearm out in response to an animal?

I'd really like to know. No political agenda here at all whatsoever.

And in case you are wondering, I was an NRA instructor for many years (Pistol, Rifle, Shotgun, Home Firearm Safety, Range Safety Officer) as well as a Federal Firearms Instructor for Backcountry Firearms Skills. I have attended Gunsite Academy. I worked in remote parts of Alaska for 23 years and carried a 12ga shotgun and a revolver during that time. Not once did I have to fire them for personal defense. I've camped in Alaska, Canada, Idaho, Washington, and Montana and in remote places.

I think you are far better off using bear spray than a firearm. I suggest you also buy one or more of the practice bear spray (inert) and learn how it disperses, how long it lasts, and how important being upwind is when you shoot it.

[jaycocreek]

Being attacked while boondocking in the wilderness is about on par with being struck by lighting.

Pretty much..Although one time we were out on the horses hunting and when we came back to camp in the evening,one of the truck campers was tore up pretty bad from a bear trying to in thru the top vent to get to the bacon grease from the knucklehead's breakfast..He called the Fish and Game and they took hair samples from the aluminum TC the bear left..Turned out to be a grizzly that Idaho officially did not have at that time...LOL

When I am in the Wilderness area of the Selway-Bitteroot and the Frank Church I always carry my BFR wheel gun in 45-70...When not,the wife has the 45acp and I the .357 Mag...Plenty of 22's for plinking...Firearms are a great addon to truck camping and family fun..

[dirtyhandz]

Well since you asked..... As others have said an unloaded gun is a useless gun. My weapons are loaded and ready 24/7. They havnt just up and killed anyone for 50 years. I prefer a revolver and shotgun but I'm old. Revolver's are not very picky when it comes to ammo. If it fits in the cylinder it is a pretty good bet it's gonna go off and keep shooting. Yeah it's only five or six shots usually but again, I'm old. I'm not going looking for a gun fight unloading 15 rounds and reloading shooting at bad guys while doing flips and stuff. I'm pulling my weapon as a last resort and taking out who or what is trying to harm me or my wife. I carry and shoot 357's. Because I can use relatively less expensive 38 ammo or affordable 357 reloads to practice with and then 357 mag hydro shock whatever for defense. A good quality revolver will stand up to lots of shooting and last forever if you take care of it. Proper training is good but if you dont practice and shoot regularly you are at a serious disadvantage especially in a high stress situation. You need drawing, aiming, and firing to feel second nature so to speak. Practice! Oh yeah and pump shotgun with 00 buckshot while in the camper will shut them down at the door pretty effectively.

[covered_wagon]

I appreciate the responses.

What we hear in the news brought me to carrying my nostalgic Henry 22 Mag (all I have). Only loaded in the evening and stood up in the corner at least affords some sense of recourse if I need.

Yes being the greenhorn that I am, I need the classes that I think will be very interesting. I do camp some lonely beautiful places.