The dreaded sidearm question...

[chukwithak]

I understand many here claim they don’t hunt with a sidearm. I always have for cats. Having something with night sights that I can fire off a little faster than my bolt action gives me a warm fuzzy. The other night I was in bear country and trying to glance down my scope and use a head lamp for spotting... I just started laughing. There’s no chance in hell.

That being said I’m also doing a lot more backcountry hunting and walking mountainous terrain in the dark. Bears don’t scare me as much as cats do. I’m also transitioning into hunting grizzly country and wolf country, Idaho. I would LIKE to find a sidearm that I can carry on my leg like I did in the military. I’ve been leaning towards the 10mm but educating my self and realizing the 10mm might need to be reconsidered. Those of you that have experience, please dump it on me.


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[ProAlpine]

Seems like 10mm would be just fine for cats, maybe not so fine for grizzlies. Where in Idaho are you concerned about Grizzlies? Certainly parts of Eastern Idaho and where the state borders MT and WY it might be a consideration, but I wouldn't be concerned anywhere else.

 

[chukwithak]

Seems like 10mm would be just fine for cats, maybe not so fine for grizzlies. Where in Idaho are you concerned about Grizzlies? Certainly parts of Eastern Idaho and where the state borders MT and WY it might be a consideration, but I wouldn't be concerned anywhere else.

I’m unsure at this point in time. This next year will be my first Idaho hunt. Going to DAV OTC for the first time so trying to do the research now.


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[ARK_Ginger]

It's not a popular opinion, but a 9mm you shoot often will be better than a 10mm you shoot occasionally. I like my Glock 48 with shield arms magazines mounted to my Sitka mountain optics harness.

 

[Dioni A]

Given the fact that it's very unlikely you'll ever need it. it becomes a hypothetical question where the best answer is, carry whatever makes you feel good. I keep a 10mm in my truck in case I need to make a second pack out and don't want to carry my rifle. Having said that I've also harvested multiple animals with big bore revolvers and they're incredibly unimpressive at killing animals.

 

[MiiisterAnderson]

Following wrhoads lead and putting the debate of should/shouldn't you have a sidearm on you aside: If you do carry a sidearm I'd carry something that you shoot often and well with a round that brings with it as much energy as possible.

I recently went big game hunting and my much more experienced friend convinced me that it wasn't necessary. I was concerned with bears and the statistics that I could find suggested that bear spray was more effective than a pistol. I haven't been part of much large(r) bore pistol hunting but from what I have seen pistols are not ideal for killing animals. If I need protection (other than the rifle), then I'm more likely to opt for spray since it's lighter to pack in. YMMV.

 

[Krieg Hetzen]

10mm is fine for bears, ask Greenland, they use them for polar bears. If you want a semi auto then I’d go with 10mm, I had a G20 till it got stolen and replaced it with an XDm 4.5 (just personal preference). I use 180gr buffalo bore hard cast lead and it will tear through a full grown moose spine (50.5” bull, bullet went through the thickest part of the vertebrate from 5ft away and maintained almost all of its weight). Sorry I haven’t had a bear charge me to test its abilities but 10mm has finished off 3 moose in the last couple years for my group and done it quickly and cleanly.

As for spray, I hunt and like to be in the mountains. It’s always windy. I did plenty of non lethal in the Marines, I don’t want bear spray in my face when a bear is also in my face. If you take your sidearm fishing then you are very limited on movement to gain an advantage to use spray effectively. Often times youre already in the water up to your knees and the bear comes out behind you on the bank to say hi.

There’s a few options for holsters that can help satisfy your needs, though you may just want to opt for night sights and maybe even a weapon mounted flashlight like the Surefire X300U. I’m using a Safariland GLS thats been mounted to a low ride holster adapter. It hangs low enough to clear the hip belt on my pack but doesnt have any straps that go around my legs (cant stand that feeling).

Lastly 10mm has been coming down in price a lot recently, making it a lot more affordable to practice (I have a 10mm Vector, its takes a lot to feed it).

Good luck in your search for an answer, if you check my post history there pictures of the recovered 10mm slug from last year if you want to see it.

 

[rbljack]

I don't carry mine during the rifle hunts if I'm the one with the gun. It stays in the truck, and if I have an animal to pack out, after the first load hits the truck, I can switch out the rifle for the 10mm. Mine is the glock 29. I also carry the Glock 29 during scout trips and turkey hunts. My concern during spring turkey hunts is a cat coming in to a call instead of a gobbler. Im hunting New Mexico, so grizzly is not an option I need to worry about. There are black bears, but that's it. I considered carrying spray, but in NM, it seems that overall, wind is present more often than not. So...wind would greatly detract from the ability to use spray. Just my 2 cents on it.

 

[grfox92]

Defense Against Bears with Pistols: 97% Success rate, 37 incidents by Caliber

Using a pistol to defend against bear attacks seems to be a viable option.

www.ammoland.com

Pistols of all different calibers seem to be working great for grizzly defense. I opted out of the 10mm and went with an ultra light weight 41 mag. It's a 5 shot revolver but it shoots a 265 grain Hard Cast with over 1000 lbs of energy.

I always thought having the 10mm with 15 rounds was better then a 6 shot revolver, but if I'm lucky enough to pull a pistol in a charging griz I'll be lucky to get off 1 or 2 shots before I'm on the ground. I rather those 1 or 2 shots come from a magnum revolver than a 10mm thats "pretty good" for bear protection.

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[CO-AJ]

I always carry a sidearm regardless of the outdoor activity. The bear, cat, and moose, know you are there long before you know they are there so I don't ever expect to have to fire it in self defense from a charging bear, cat, or moose. I do however know that my 9mm will easily dispatch a charging two legged animal. In addition, I am much more proficient with the 9mm than I am with many of my other handguns.

 

[Wrench]

Having killed a bear in my face with a 10.....I typically have a g43x as my go to when hiking or bow hunting.

Whatever you choose, shoot it often and don't be afraid of the recoil.

 

[thinhorn_AK]

Another vote for a 10mm glock here.

 

[chukwithak]

Thanks for all the info guys. Glock 20sf came in stock at Sportmans so pulled the trigger.


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[Kgentry]

I carry the g20 in a diamond d chest holster simple and you don’t notice the weight

 

[4dcfries]

Having killed a bear in my face with a 10.....I typically have a g43x as my go to when hiking or bow hunting.

Whatever you choose, shoot it often and don't be afraid of the recoil.

Dude...that is some story you have to tell. I carry the 10 in moose and bear country and the 43x with 15 round mag on the area not known for bear but with hard cast bullets. Just in case. The American made chest holster works like a charm.

 

[Rich M]

Don't forget that there are some great bullets out there - solid cast and the copper penetrators.

Something you can shoot under duress is always a plus.

 

[Bearman]

I have been carrying a Glock 20 while fishing/hunting/camping since 2005, for some odd reason I am a better and more accurate pistol shooter than someone with a revolver.
I prefer to carry in OTW holster over a chest rig, chest rig gets in the way of my binos and most important while field butchering game. I want it ready if a griz comes out to claim my kill.

 

[coloradocelt]

S&W 629 3”, 44 mag 300gr hard cast. With cross draw holster doesn’t interfere with pack or sitting.

 

[MeatMissile]

I carry a S&W M&P45 with a Surefire X300u-b light, in a Safariland 6354 mounted on a Safariland 6004-25 semi-rigid thigh rig. Same basic setup as my duty gun, but in 45 ACP instead of 9mm. I also use 230gr FMJ because the stuff penetrates great.

 

[xFREDx]

I would stay with the 10mm with hot loaded underwood extreme penetrator. 15 rounds of that i think you will be completely fine.