Hey all, my girlfriend and I are planning a camping trip in the next couple weeks and I have been trying to decide which firearms might be the best to bring along for protection. The area we are going to be camping in is known to have bear, mountain lion, fox, and a few types of venomous snakes, but also protection from 2 legged creatures that may want to prey on us. I really wish I had a revolver cause I know I would take that along but I don’t have the money right now to purchase one.
I do have a Springfield XD 9mm and a S&W M&P .40c and I don’t know of the two which would be the better since the XD has a cap of 16+1 9mm and the M&P has a cap of 10+1 .40. So of the two which do you guys think would be the best. Also I thought of my .22 single action revolver to take too but load it with snake shot. And my girlfriend will be carrying her Ruger SR9c while we are out there.
I would like to take a long gun too, but I don’t know which to take. I have a S&W M&P 15, Marlin 30-30, and a Mossberg 500 12 ga. So of those three which would you guys recommend being the best for protection from the listed animals.
We are planning on camping for 5-7 days so I feel like it would be a good idea to take a few different weapons just in case. We will be in a secluded area but I will be able to lock things in my truck if I need to.
Take em all!!! and don’t forget to take extra ammo… if it’s legal… why not. Heck, you can do some target shooting too… sounds like my kind of vacation.
As someone who spends a LOT of time in the woods, both at work, and at play, the thing that always gets my neck hair on edge usually walks on two legs.
The two-legged ones are the ones to worry about. The last gator I stumbled upon at work was dispatched with a socket wrench. The last snake got its head cut off.
If you end up needing a shotgun, or a magazine-fed, semi-automatic rifle on a camping trip, dude, you need a SWAT team.
Check the local game/hunting laws before bringing a long gun on your camping trip. Many jurisdictions prohibit having deer-caliber long guns in the woods outside of deer hunting season.
Ditch the .22 snake shot. I had some CCI stuff back in the day, and it wouldn’t even penetrate a cardboard IPSC target @ 3 yards when fired from a .22 rifle.
I’d take both pistols. You never know when you might need to hand one off to your GF (if she’s reasonably trained).
Your Marlin 30.30 will be the best all around long gun, slim easy to carry and packs a punch. But like the previous post said, check to make sure you can carry a long gun. and sidearns are just a given.
I agree with checking first as far as which long gun might be legal. Either the shotgun or the Marlin would be fine. If both are legal, bring which ever one you shoot better. If you need to use it against a Mountain Lion or a bear, it could be close and quick.
As far as which handgun, the XD or the M&P? I would bring which ever one you shoot better. Bring a couple of extra magazines for what ever you decide.
I find a hiking stick is just as useful for snakes as a snake shot loaded revolver.
The problem with carrying the .22 loaded with snake shot is that it would be a poor choice for defense against two legged threats. The idea of packing two pistols on your belt might be a bit much. Carrying one in a pack cuts down your presentation time to the point where by the time you got it out, it’d be too late to use it.
Rimfire snake-shot is about useless from a pistol, in a rifle it is not so bad (especially a smooth bore) - I use it in a rifle to dispatch snakes in the backyard, but only to keep down the chance of putting a secondary in the dog.
When I am bee-bopping around the desert, I usually carry a Glock 19 with a 9mm snake shot as the first round (it does cycle the gun) - as a few have already pointed out, I have had more problems with two legged animals than snakes…
I put this together for a little trail gun… it is pretty sweet, 7.62X39
+1 for screw the snake shot. I don’t understand why people insist on making such a big deal of something you can kill with a stick or a rock. No snake in North America is going to chase you, anyway.
I have camped in the Owen-Putnam State Forest in Indiana and run across a weed patch (unattended, but clearly cultivated), and have seen a couple of abandoned trailers that were probably meth cooks. There are some sketchy fuckers out in the woods.
If a snake is far enough away that I can pick up a rock… I will just walk around it - unless they are on my turf that is, in which case they become part of the food chain.
We have the Mojave Rattler, which many say is the most venomous snakes in North America… and there are anecdotal stories of them aggressing towards humans. I have not been chased by one, but they are aggressive and I have seen them strike without rattling.
I have found the 9mm snake rounds to be quite effective, and like having the choice of using it…
I have in fact been chased by both copper heads and cotton mouths. Seriously, no bullshit. I’m not at all afraid of snakes mtself, but I don’t want to share my personal body space with pit vipers either.
Down in Alabama my dad kept a .22 loaded with shot in his tackle box when we went catfishing since the cotton mouths would come into the boat with you.
Back at Ft. Harmar, we used to have a yearly August ‘creek match’ that involved traversing the creek as part of the course. I remember one of the range officers carrying a S&W M686 loaded up with .38 snakeshot in case of water-borne snakes, but I never got the chance to see him use it.
Most American snakes can be dealt with via a stick or a rock. I don’t necessarily discount the use of snakeshot, but I’ve never personally had a need for it.
I always have a shotgun in my tent at night loaded with 00 and slugs staggered for critters. I always have my handgun for 2 legged critters, as well as an M4 or Mini-14 near by. The biggest animals I would likely encounter are black bear, mountain loin and moose.
Thanks everyone for the advice. I have checked laws and where I am going it is fine to have a long gun. I have decided I will probably take a few different ones like turbo38gn has suggested just for fun. This is my vacation so hopefully I can get some practice in while im out there. My dad just got a new S&W 640 and he offered to let me take it with .38 snake shot in it in an ankle holster and then carry either my .40 or 9mm on my hip like normal as my primary. In all reality if I stumble on a snake most likely im going to let it be or use my hiking stick but I like the idea of having the .38 snake shot just in case. I really shoot my M&P15 or my Mossberg 500 the best so one of those will be my primary rifle while im out there, but I will probably take the 30-30 out there to do some target practice just because I like shooting the lever action so much. I know its not like I will be carrying all the guns on me while im out there but it will just be nice to get some practice in with them since I don’t get to practice much with long guns. I really wish there was a rifle range closer to my house so that I could shoot them more often.
But thanks again everyone for the input and if you guys have any more advice id really appreciate it.
Are you camping within sight of your vehicle or humping all that gear deep into the bush? Thats a whole lot of gun/ammo weight to lug along with all your camping gear! As to storing anything of value in your vehicle I would highly recommend against it as theft from vehicle is very high in camping areas. I would suggest your everyday CCW with a quality Hornady heavy for caliber XTP loading and a few extra reloads of same. In bear country I carry a 10mm Glock pistol with Hornady 10mm 200 gr XTP, its a deep penetrator and can work for both two or four legged problems. Just a word of caution, doing a lot of shooting draws attention to you and your camp site, unless you have a 24 hour posted armed guard to protect your gear I would say just to keep it simple. I folding PCC or a SBR in 5.56/6.8 is always nice to have but your primary carry pistol will most likely be all you can access if your attacker hits without warning. Have fun and be safe out there!
Where im going is pretty remote but I will be able to take my truck back there and have it next to the tent, so im not to worried about the weight or anything. My friends all go camping in this same area and they have set up a little shooting range from what ive been told.
I really would like to get a 10mm to take with me camping and maybe even for regular carry sometimes. I have never shot one but have been looking at them seriously. Also I have been looking at converting my AR to shoot 6.8 after reading so many good things about that caliber.
I will probably narrow it down to just 2 guns maybe 3 I haven’t decided yet. But the biggest thing is I just want to get out there and have a nice relaxing time away from everything.
