Are low caliber handguns essentially worthless in the wild? Would a hgh caliber weapon be the only viable choice for wilderness survival.

My first thought was the safepacker holster. The Safepacker is the best, most versatile and truly utilitarian holster in the world.
They can be used in in rocky, dusty and sometimes rain soaked environments.

Most people don't require a gun to survive in the wilderness. There are plenty of other ways to hunt.

You're right, and 9 out of 10 wild predators would agree with you as well.

9 out of 10 predators can be killed with a "low caliber" weapon. I assume that we mean anything less than 270 here. Shot placement is king, and mountain lions, black bear, feral dogs, and feral pigs can all be taken with a .223. The trick is selecting the right bullet- pointed soft points for the larger beasts such as black bear, and VMAX or hollow points for the dogs, mountain lions, and pigs. Obviously, I wouldn't want a single shot .223, but something along the lines of an AR or an AK in 5.45 or whatever the odd-ball cartridge is, would be ideal.

Worst case scenario, it beats throwing stones!

_________________
I'm a freelance Linux Consultant: http://linuxconsultant.info

If I had to go with just one gun for survival, I would want my Ruger M77 Hawkeye in 223.

The 223 has enough power to use for large game, but will not completely destroy small game if used on it. The reason I prefer this rifle over an Ar is a bolt action is a lot more accurate than a semi-auto. However, I do not believe in just 1 firearm for survival. If SHTF you may have to defend yourself against human predators as well, and that's where an Ar or AK come into play, along with handguns. Another plus for a handgun is if you have to leave an area quickly and cannot grab a rifle, you can still hunt with a handgun.

My survival includes my family as well. I keep an arsenal on hand, that gets spread throughout my family. We have plenty of firepower to handle any situation, and I have the ammo to go with them as well.

_________________
Hope for the best, but plan for the worst.

NRA Certified Instructor for Basic Handgun and Personal protection in the Home.
V.F.W. Life Member
NRA Member
U.S. Army Veteran

The chance of running into a wild predator that would actully consider you a meal are remote at best. I personlly don't think a gun is "needed" in a survival situation. But it sure would be on "want" list.

_________________
-The Road Warrior

I wouldn't say remote at all. Bears are a problem in a lot of the areas in the U.S, as are mountain lions.

That being said, taking care of your camp trash and food goes a long way to preventing issues, as does keeping a watchful eye.

For a pistol, I wouldn't want anything less than a .38 special or .40 s&w out in the wilderness.

_________________
http://www.envisiongloballeadership.com ... ining.html

If I had to pick one firearm for survival in the woods, it would be my Ruger 10-22. If I could
have 2 the second would be either my Taurus Titanium Tracker in .357 or .41Mag.

_________________
Retired Navy SERE (Survival, Evasion, Resistance, Escape) Instructor
certified pistol, rifle, shotgun, home defense Instructor
NRA Life Member
Survival & Disaster Preparedness Instructor

For me, handgun choices would be a .22 for small game and a .45ACP for pest control. If I had a pack-mule, I'd also want either a .270 (good for almost any game), and/or carbine in .45ACP like this http://www.kriss-tdi.com/. As you can probably tell ... I likes my .45acp .

Hopefully the wife doesn't get too rambunctious carrying the extra firepower (ROFL).