All Dressed Up With Someplace To Go

.Somebody screwed up the scheduling where my wife works, and she's actually going to get 2 days off in a row! Taking full advantage of this phenomenom, we're going to Idaho City for the weekend and do some hiking in the woods.

Just as my wife is picky about what clothes to lay out when we go somewhere, I too follow this routine, in a way. Although (as with most guys, I suspect), it's not any great concern whether shoes match pants, socks match shirts (or even each other!), I DO make sure the gun matches the terrain.

As I always travel with a pistol, I likewise NEVER hike in the woods without one. You never know what you might run into out there, anything from a rattlesnake to a mama bear with cubs. Cougars are not exactly extinct around here either. (Not even the one in our driveway........(pardon the pun).

Going through the handgun side of the collection, I have pistols ranging from 22's to the big 500 Smith & Wesson Magnum, which is probably overkill for anything in Idaho.

As with any road trip, I will take one of the revolvers (more reliable than automatics), and will most likely take a 357 Magnum, loaded with both jacketed hollowpoints and snakeshot.

I know a guy who hikes with a 380 automatic. Ok for 2-legged varmints, but just a touch "light" for black bears or even badgers (which have been known to stand up to multiple hits from 45's). To each their own, I suppose. I like a little more "punch" in the deep woods, myself.

As I pondered selection for this trip, I couldn't help but think about all of the different calibers that have evolved over the past several decades. I do not consider myself to be some ultimate authority on firearms, but my nearly 5 decades with them, draws occasional questions from others, such as: "I can only afford ONE handgun, Mike....what would you recommend?"

If you're one of these people, this would generally be my answer:

A double-action 357, by a well-known manufacturer (Smith & Wesson, Ruger, etc).

First of all, a revolver. They are consistently more reliable than automatics. They do not depend on proper magazine feeding, expanding gas extraction, shape of the bullet design, etc. In short, there is less to go wrong with a revolver. They are stronger, safer, and chambered for more powerful cartridges.........and over all these years, I have yet to encounter an "extraction or feeding jam" in a revolver!!! Those revolver cartridges just sit quietly in those chambers until they're needed. One cartridge in no way interferes with the next one!

Revolvers normally hold 6 rounds. In 357 Magnum caliber, you only need ONE....... (for "social work" anyway)...........in bear country, you might want something a tad larger, (if you can handle additional recoil).

A lot of automatics offer "the excitement of firepower"----15-round magazines and such............well, when you're shooting 380's or 9mm's, you'd BETTER have 15 available!

SECONDLY, a Smith & Wesson or Ruger. Yeah, there are a lot of other brands out there considerably cheaper, but with firearms, you get the quality of defense and reliability you're willing to pay for. Whether a mountain lion about to pounce, or a burgler about to enter, it's your life we're talking about, and you only live it ONCE down here. Spend the extra money, and buy the GOOD one. There's a REASON it costs more, and it'll be there for you if you ever need it to be.

The 357 Magnum is my personal favorite, and although there are a few more powerful "gee-whiz" calibers out there, the old 357 is not obsolete. State police all over America used to use them because of the gun's ability to break cast iron engine blocks in the cars of fleeing felons, and its great speed and penetration allowed an officer to shoot through various barriers to take down a criminal.

Why they, like the military, have changed to the wimpy 9mm, remains a mystery to myself, and many others.

The 357 magnum first breathed life in 1935. Police were using the old 38 Special. A fine cartridge, and a tad more stout than today's 9mm. But they wanted something bigger. The 45 Colt automatic had significantly more knockdown, but lacked the speed and accuracy of the more streamlined 38.

So, Smith & Wesson took the 38 case, made it longer, so it would hold more powder, and before long, they were getting nearly 1600 feet per second out of that same 38 caliber slug. It generated a lot more power than the 45, but retained that 38-caliber accuracy. It also generated more recoil, but most cops didn't mind that, because they would now be able to take the hoods down with AUTHORITY.

The test guns were built on heavier frames with thicker cylinders, to withstand the extra power. There was an initial concern that owners of 38 handguns might buy the new magnum cartridges, use them in their old 38's (which were too lightly built), and blow them up in their hands. But the new "Magnum" shells, although the same diameter, were too long to fit all the way into a 38's chambers. So, no worry there, but an added PLUS...........

The shorter 38 Special loads fit just fine in a 357 handgun, with room to spare, and with 38 loads, the heavier 357 handgun barely moves under recoil, so you can target-shoot 38's all day long in a 357 pistol, more cheaply and with less recoil. Fact is, most 357 handguns will shoot 38 loads more accurately than a 38 gun itself will, its heavier frame dampening bullet vibration better than the lighter gun. Then of course, you can load it back up with full power 357 loads for your "other needs."

What to call this new "supercharged 38"..............

The "38" is not actually a 38 caliber at all. Its true diameter being .357. "Magnum" is a name associated with "most volume" (as in a Magnum bottle of Champagne). The new cartridge cases FULL of powder, pushing a bullet of .357 diameter, that's where the name "357 Magnum" was derived.

Just for trivia..............the 9mm bullet is .355

The 357 isn't the most powerful cartridge out there these days, but is more than enough for most purposes, and will stop an intruder instantly. (Even on dope, no mugger is tougher than a cast iron engine block!). Recoil is fairly manageable for most shooters and ammo is available everywhere, including 38 Special cartridges when you just want to go out and "plink."

It is an excellent all-around gun and I highly recommend it "If you could "only have ONE."