.22lr, 45acp, or .357 magnum?

[buzzz45]

A friend of mine posed this question to me and, of course we dont agree on the answer. So we thought I would ask the collective brain trust that is RFC and see what we got for an answer.
Here goes. He will be hiking 5 to 7 miles into the rugged Ruby Mountains in northern NV, To hunt trophy mule deer. Area 10 if your interested. He will be alone. He has the required skills to do this. His pack will be 40 to 50 pounds, add to that approx 75 pounds for meat, head and cape. Weight is definitely an issue. He wants to carry a side arm for protection from man and mt.lion. For that he has 3 choices
Browning 1911- 22 in 22lr. 2-3extra mags
1st gen Springfield xd45 short barrel .45acp. 0 reloads
S&W 640 5 shot .357 mag DA only. 2 moon clips and 5 more in pants pocket.
I guess I should add that he will also have his deer rifle a Browning A bolt in 30'06 with 1 3 rnd mag and 15 extra rds
Which one do you choose RFCers and why?
I will post his answer and mine latter

[Toomany22s]

Imho, The 357 j frame is the best choice out of those 3. The 22 is almost useless for protection . The 45 is a semi, and they jam to easy in a tussle between a person in a sleeping bag and a predator. If he's standing the 30/06 will be protection enough. He's going to be most vulnerable at night .

[Al the Infidel]

Not the 22.

[gcrank1]

357Mag revolver. Wont notice carrying it (and carried is what it will mostly be doing)
and has the reliability and beans if needed.

[bangbang]

you can tell you friend...

if he wants to take the 22, make sure he files off the front sight. So that if he tries to use in on the lion, when the lion takes it from him and shoves it up his %%%%% it wont hurt so much.

but take the 357.

i hope he knows and can use it. Its more simple to use too.

[flangster]

.357 seems the most practical, given his stated needs. Plenty of "oomph" and the ability to quickly reload. But I question his pack weight. 50 lbs is a lot to hump over varied terrain. My advice would be to cut it down to 25 lbs. And take the .357.

[elohssa63]

The .357 hands down.

[Rimfiregal]

357 every time for a woods/backcountry cartridge. Better selection of loads, everything from small game up to heavy 180 hardcast bear loads and, of course, 38s.

[Plinkhead]

357

[RaySendero]

Yeah, Think i'd pick the 357M, too.

[GreggieBoy]

357

[wmrike]

Just standing in the wilderness with a .22 in hand should lend clarity to a reasonable person.

Wheel guns. Just pull the trigger. Never fails.

Automatics, not so much.

If you need more than five shots, you're already toast, so the number of clips and half-moons in your pocket doesn't matter.

[gcrank1]

That
Reminds me of the line in the old Daffy Duck cartoon,"Halt while I adjust my accouterments".......

[HectorFuego]

Eliminate the .22. Then it's a choice between the .357 and the .45. Both would be adequate. The questions then are: which one weighs less and which one does he shoot the best.

BTW, from my personal experience, revolvers do jam ... not as often as semi's but when they do you are screwed. A jammed semi can be cleared quickly ... usually but running the "slap-rack-and re-assess" drill.

Hector

[wkd]

357 would be my choice but not in a light weight double action only revolver. I'd go with a 19 Smith and find a way to save weight somewhere else.