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| Guns for the Trail, for Camp, for Survival | November 2021 | |||||
| Gerhard Schroeder | ||||||
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Trail and Camp
The year before that, a Grizz did wander through our camp on the shore of Lewis Lake
inside Yellowstone. And several years back, before that big fire, a black bear
visited our camp in the White Mountains. He came for the rabbit guts the kids had
left after adventuring on their own with a single shot 22 rifle, and bagging two
bunnies. Bears can be the real deal.
Steve and I tested for that a bit. We defended ourselves against cardboard bear
heads placed 11, 8 and 4 steps away. We also engaged those targets as quickly as
we could, since an approaching bear inside his last 10 yards tends to make a person
very uncomfortable. For that we had ‘gun in hand(s)’.
As that group of Alaska hunters told me afterwards, many times my Ruger was out
of the holster and in the hand of the leading guy whenever they passed through
areas with thick alder patches. My two ‘in camp’ bears would have given me time
to draw (and in the White Mountains to retrieve a weapon from my vehicle). Neither
charged, by the way.
About the guns:
The Kimber PBP Ten II in .45 ACP used to be my camp gun on every hunt. Built on
an aluminum frame with high-capacity capability (13+1), it is lighter than a
standard steel 1911. I fired it with 230 grain +P loads.
The Stoeger STR-9C (3.8” barrel) I’ve had for a little over a year. It has sort
of already replaced the Kimber as camp/‘sleep in the 4Runner’ companion. Ammo
was also loaded with heavy-for caliber, 147grainers.
The Mossberg 500A Riot pumper was chosen for its short barrel, which makes it a
lot easier to stash, or carry on your back. Its fodder was slugs, 530 grain at
around 1200 fps.
For a rifle the best candidate I have is a Ruger American Ranch in 300 BLK.
Again, its 16.3” barrel makes it handy. Bear(?) ammo was a 230gr lead slug at
max book, about 1100 fps.
Steve brought his Glock 10mm and Mossberg Shockwave 12ga pumper. He fired
factory ammo in both.
Here are our results. We shot at them in the 11, 8, 4 step order, one shot at
each, and a few times more than one at the closest.
When I was shooting the Mossberg pump, we wished we’d filmed that. Because my
shot at the middle target went just low enough to hit the flat steel, to which
a 2x2 section was attached, to which the cardboard was attached. The slug blew
the wood into splinters, bent and ripped the steel out of the ground, and sent
the cardboard sailing. If I EVER get attacked by a bear, I want it to go down
like that target did!
Now, if there is a way to really simulate some 500+ pounds of deadly fury barreling
down on you, I can’t think of it. Anyway, Steve occasionally ‘aimed’ at the targets.
All my shots were for raw speed, spray ‘n pray. When I was shooting the Mossberg
pump, we wished we’d filmed that. Because my shot at the middle target when just
low enough to hit the flat steel, to which a 2x2 section was attached, to which
the cardboard was attached. The slug blew the wood into splinters, bent and ripped
the steel out of the ground, and sent the cardboard sailing. If I EVER get attacked
by a bear, I want it to go down like that target did!
Bottom Line: The bear won! Too often we missed (m) outright, or hit the cardboard
where the shot would have only wounded (w), instead of stopped or killed (K).
At least for me, the testing showed that controlling a semi-auto in rapid fire is
way more manageable than that 44 Mag in double action.
Of course, delivering 12ga power felt most comforting. Afterwards, Steve and I
agreed that should this ever be a timed stage, any time of more than 2 seconds
should score ‘zero’ (or max penalty), because within 2 seconds a bear would be
on you. But no matter what gun, practice, practice, practice.
That all said and done, in 40 years of hunting, fishing and camping in Arizona,
I have never been threatened by a wild animal. Or made nervous by some two-legged
creature. Fire POWER seems to be a secondary issue. Protection clearly has an
overlap with ….
Survival
To get some I can’t think of a better weapon than a combo rifle/shotgun, like my
Blaser ES-70, which also happens to be quite light at an even 6 lbs. I would also
suggest a ‘poor man’s” combo, a simple 12ga single shot and an insert barrel. Those
come in many calibers, like .22LR, 9mm, .357 Mag, .45 Colt, etc. I’ve had such
insert barrels for decades, one in .45ACP, another in .45-70. Barrel length also
varies. More on that in another story.
Or of course, use whatever primary hunting gun I came to said remote location with.
Case in point, while certainly not a survival situation, back in ’96 my brother came
to Arizona to hunt elk. On our third day he wanted ‘the experience’, shot a squirrel
for that evening’s pot. The critter was a little too close for the 12ga on his
Krieghoff Drilling, so he took its head clean off (to paraphrase Harry) with the 30R
Blaser rifle barrel (in power just shy of 300WinMag). Over the years I’ve done
similarly on a few squirrels with my 308. Note that there is another extreme. Eskimos
have killed moose with 22LR.
Scenario #2: You’re at home, and all electrical power is out in the entire country,
for months! At least water still flows. But all stores are soon empty, and no more
new supplies. Now every creature in the yard equates to food. Even neighbor’s kitty,
quickly re-classified as roof rabbit, is fair game. Can’t think of a better game
getter than a (preferably suppressed) .22 rifle.
There was a similar situation in Germany after WWII. Food and income were scarce.
Many, after retrieving their single shot .22s from some dark place in the attic, or
more likely digging them back up somewhere, were very keen on any wood pigeon,
Hungarian partridge, cottontail or hare that ventured too close (or was outright
poached in the neighboring woods). My mother knocked the occasional pigeon out of
our cherry tree, using a .22 Flobert (its case even shorter than a .22 short, with
a lead ball bullet). Yes, long term, the .22LR rules indeed. It clearly would be
tough to beat in any subsistence scenario.
Camp / Entertainment
Here now a short list of what I would consider the ideal weapons for Trail, Camp,
Survival:
For protection, a Glock in 10mm – it can spit out an awful lot of hot lead in a hurry,
and carries way lighter than any 44 Mag. Also, based on how Mike 308 dominated with
his 10mm during our last Handgun Hunter’s Challenge, it would bring home much bacon.
For food procurement, a combo in 20 Ga / 5.6x50R Magnum, which would be even lighter
than mine in 12ga / 7x65R. The 5.6x50R Magnum is like a stretched 223, with rim, in
speed nipping at the heels of the 22-250.
Whichever, I would definitely experiment with some type of stock for that pistol.
Nothing that attaches, which would be illegal or cost an extra $200 and months of
patience. No, something to press against, to see what accuracy gains that would yield
if game meat becomes a priority. Something that would rattle around in my vehicle,
only to see action when I’m far from pavement and really hungry.
May it never happen.
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