As the title says, I'm looking for a lightweight pistol to carry with me when backpacking in areas where animal attacks are at least somewhat of a concern. I'm honestly not a big gun nut, and am just looking for a single pistol to carry as a last-ditch defense against the types of nasties I might run into in, say, national forest land, after I move to Colorado. Frankly, I hope to spend the bulk of my time deep enough in the woods that I'm far more concerned with four-legged predators than the two-legged variety.

My main requirements are:
- Light weight (when I backpack, my base pack weight is 15-20 pounds)
- Ability to stop a mountain lion
- ease of use, including a not-too-ridiculous recoil, so my fiance can fire it
- reasonable cost. Again, I'm no gun nut, so I am not going for super high end fancy stuff here.

Right now, my thinking runs along the lines of compact semiauto .45's. They seem like a decent mix of weight and power for the woods. However, I've never fired one, so that will be a first step to see whether the recoil is something the little lady will be comfortable. I've found several that seem appealing, but am curious if ya'll have any recommendations.

Or, if you think another caliber or style of handgun would be more suited to my needs, I'm all ears - pretty much all of my gun knowledge is what I gleaned from growing up around 30-30's and 30-06's for deer hunting, so I'm pretty much clueless.

When I first read your title the Smith & Wesson 340 Scandium J-Frame revolver came to mind. A .357 5 shot 12oz pistol, perfect for backpacking. The only problem is they are close to $1000 and hurt like HECK to shoot. I had a full weight model and it was not pleasant.

Your problem is when a gun gets lighter the felt recoil increases. (I'm sure a physics professor knows this)

You mention a .45 which is a proven caliber, and I don't think recoil is bad with these. It is a slow Thuwamp opposed to the sharp Crack of a 9mm or.40.

You can get a subcompacted Glock G30 in .45 and 24oz these can be had for around $500 or less. This gun does only give you a two finger grip but shoots surprisingly well. The Glock is fairly simple to operate just point and squeeze, but with all semi autos you have more moving parts along with magazines to keep track of.

My personal choice would be a revolver and the Ruger SP101 would be it. It is a 5 shot .357 at 25oz. It can be loaded with tamer .38s if needed. Very reliable and very easy to operate. You can carry it in a multitude of ways, my favorite being a cross-draw rig. While you do have some recoil the weight makes it manageable. And you can find them below $450.

Sounds like a glock would fit your needs. Great pistols for the money and they are very lightweight. a .45 glock has a pretty good recoil, especially the compact, but maybe a 9mm. A 9mm will stop a mountain lion, plus you have 17 rounds too. Most glocks will run about $500.00

I like the 45 (it is now the only handgun caliber I carry) but my compact Kimber Ultra does have a decent kick - enough that my wife really doesn't like to shoot with it.

Best go to a local range that also lets you hire out pistols and try a few sizes and calibers.

As regards caliber, people will argue furiously and at great length about shot placement versus stopping power so anything I say here will be hotly contested. In reality, there are no right or wrong answers - only what suits you.

I would take a look at 9mm polymers.

You can split the difference between the .45 and 9mm and go with a .40 S&W. It would probably work on cougars. A sub-compact springfield XD or a sub compact Glock would probably fit the bill.

I also think the revolver in a .357 mag would be a good choice. The lighter recoiling .38 special's would be easier to shoot.

Seattleduke said it best, you should go to the range and try some out.

Mustard Man, I've bought a lot of pistols this year in revolver and auto; however, I am a fan of the revolver due to the simplicity of design. May I suggest something in .357 in a 6 or 4 inch bbl? For your use, either would work well but the 4 inch will weigh slightly less. Ammunition is plentiful in both .357 and .38 and I have had great success in getting what I want in the quantities I want from Sportman's Guide.

Right now, (for some reason...I'll blame the economy) Colt revolvers from the late 80's are plentiful. I've bought 4 this month but my favorite so far is a mid 70's vintage Colt Trooper MK III in .357...and, I got it for $375.00.


PM me if I can help you in any way.

Mark

Looks like this discussion was very timely... this article about a cougar attack in Colorado was just posted on the W&SS forum on bladeforums...


http://www.denverpost.com/news/ci_14086839?source=rss#ixzz0b6G2lgNx

I am a big fan of the glock 27 in 40sw. It has been my carry gun for many years. It is controlable and still packs a punch. However, it is still hard to beat a wheel gun.

The glocks do not fit some folks hands...try before you buy.

Revolver Pro's: Reliable, can handle rounds that are proven animal stoppers, carry nice, can be fired double action in a spur of the moment situation.
Con's: Limited number of rounds but in a situation very rarely will you have time to get all 6-8 rds fired off, they cost more than a Glock.

Semi Pro's: Can be reliable, some decent calibers for animals, magazine capacity.
Con's: Can be finicky, most calibers don't lend themselves to animal cartridges, require a little more learning curve in my opinion.

Calibers:soft point,
.357 Magnum: Can be had from 110 gr bullets to 180 gr in solid, soft point, hollow point, lead, and shot shell. Since the .357 mag is in a revolver then you can shoot .38 spcl in it too.

41 Mag: Great rd, but a handloader cartridge for sure.

.44 Mag: Can be had in loads from 180 gr to 240 gr. in the above variations. A .44 special can be used out of it too. Follow up shots are harder to master since it can be a real kicker.

.45 Colt (not ACP): Probably not the best because most loads are for cowboy shooting and reloading is needed to relize the true benefits.

9mm: Not a good animal stopper.

.40 S&W: Pretty good man stopper but not great for dangerous animals. Plus side is the amount of rds that can be fit into a Glock 22---15 plus another in the tube.

.45 ACP: Great man stopper, decent animal stopper. Problem with he ACP is that it is moving pretty slow. Not the greatest thing when being charged by a wild animal.

10mm: Best option in a semi auto that I can think of. The ammo can be had in solid, hp, lead, in between 125 gr to 200 gr. The 10mm is zipping, and was the father of the .40 S&W. A Glock 20 holds 15 plus another one in the tube.

Guns:
Revolver: Colt or Smith without a safety lock. I carry a 5" S&W Model 27 N Frame with 158 ge JSP a lot of the time. I am thinking that a Redhawk in .45 Colt will be my next but I do handload.

Semi: Colt makes the Delta in 10mm but pricey. Glock, as mentioned before, is a 16 rd go getter. Nice thing about the Glock is you can order a spare brl in .45 ACP for the G20 or a spare brl in 10mm for the G21, spare mags, and have 2 pistols in one. On top of that, get an Advantage Arms .22 LR kit with some spare mags and you have all bases covered: .22LR for plinking and small game, 10mm for hunting and self-defense, and .45 ACP for Self and Home defense. The Glocks come in a slim frame version, and even a compact version. I will be ordering a 10mm brl and mags for a G21 as a birthday gift come March.

I hope I did not confuse you too much, and if you have any questions ask away. You guys help me out all the time with stuff so the least I can do is help in the firearm advice.

Sumo. Sounds pretty good. I was gonna say, IF YOU CAN try out a Taurus JUDGE. Versatility of 45colt and .410 shotshells. the .410 for small game animals and the .45 for serious business. THEN you said to do the Glock mix and match thing. I REALLY like the 22 conversion. BUT I wonder if the .40S&W might not be better than the full 10mm. Just a thought, something you have put a lot into with your suggestions.

Although I carry a 1911 quite a bit, I still favor Glocks while hiking. I like the compact models as opposed to the sub-compact models mainly because I prefer a four finger grip. By the time I add a grip extension to my sub-compact Glock, I only save about .5 inches in slide length which is not really worth it for me.

I don't think pistol caliber matters as much between 9mm, .40, .45 etc as I used to based on the research I have done. I carry both .40 and .45. It's more about shot placement and penetration. The rabid cougar attacks around here I have read about lead me to believe that these sick critters don't really stop the attack until they cease breathing. This suggests to me that whatever you can be most accurate with in delivering a round in to the brain cavity is the best solution.

I have seen a couple of "bob cats" out here and they wanted nothing to do with me. Beautiful critters though.

Glock 20, a 10mm has roughly the power of a 41 mag and 15+1 rounds to boot. The only downside is the cost of the rounds which are a bit pricier than say a 45. The recoil isnt too bad either.


It seems that sumo beet me to the punch with this one...