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Thread: Backpack guns

  1. #1
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    Default Backpack guns

    I have sent myself down a rabbit hole of research and planning. I have watched one too many movies about people getting themselves into the woods with no protection from wildlife. Most times people will go out under prepared and always seem to leave their only defensive weapons laying on the ground somewhere. This has got me thinking of what to carry when just going hiking. Being in Florida, I do most of my hiking in the everglades. Many times its me and a couple friends in kayaks or my small boat heading out for some back country camping. We all carry pistols but almost never carry a long gun of any kind. Mostly i carry my XDs 45 but sometimes I carry my RIA 10mm 1911. I have been looking for a new 10mm pistol. Im leaning toward an Xdm in 10mm. Before people go into a huge debate over different 10mm pistols or other pistols that are good to carry, I will say i have enough different pistols for just about any situation i might hike into. My question is what people carry for a long gun in their backpack? Right now i have a ruger 10/22 takedown, a TNW Aero in 10mm, 9mm and 460 rowland, a single shot 12 gauge and a 20 gauge and a ruger PC carbine 9mm. Most of these are good for heading into the everglades but what about going other places? What if one was heading into bear territory? One day i want to do a fly in camping trip in Alaska or the northwest US. Now i know that different states have different laws as to carrying weapons into certain areas while camping or hiking or fishing or whatever. I always do a lot of research before heading into new areas and for the most part i don't go places where i can't carry. So im just wondering what others carry when they go into bear territory? Im looking for a rifle that will fit into a backpack or considering just sticking with a high powered big bore pistol.


  2. #2
    Member Mannlicher's Avatar
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    Never hunted bears out west, only in Florida, and it's been many years since I shot the last one. In FL, I want a handgun on my waist. If I need it, then I need it quick. Same thing my friends tell me that do hunt brown and Grizzly bears out West and in Alaska. A suitable rifle, .338 Magnum or up, carried with a sling over the shoulder. If you need it, you need pretty quick access.

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    I have a 338 win mag. I知 just always worried about being somewhere I can稚 just carry a rifle in slung over my shoulder. I take my Tnw aero in 10mm in my backpack when I go hiking a lot or boating into the Everglades. I only take it out when I know I知 far away from other people.

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    Senior Member kyratshooter's Avatar
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    State of the art handguns out the wazoo.

    Very expensive and high tech pistol carbines.

    A rifle to reach out 1,000 yards and kill anything one the planet.

    Not a shotgun fit to carry.

    And a Stoger 12 gauge coach gun with 20" barrels would fit your requirements perfectly.
    Last edited by kyratshooter; 06-06-2021 at 07:55 PM.
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  5. #5
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    Quote Originally Posted by kyratshooter View Post
    State of the art handguns out the wazoo.

    Very expensive and high tech pistol carbines.

    A rifle to reach out 1,000 yards and kill anything one the planet.

    Not a shotgun fit to carry.

    And a Stoger 12 gauge coach gun with 20" barrels would fit your requirements perfectly.

    I知 trying to figure out a rifle that will fit in a backpack. I知 hoping I never need it over my 10mm pistol but even in a bug out scenario I would like it hidden in my backpack until I get where I知 going

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    I never did any back packing ... or hiking, unless whatever I was driving or floating in broke down or was otherwise incapacitated. I have spent my fair share of time in the woods, brush and swamps. When I was growing up, carrying a pistol was nearly unheard of in South Louisiana. Even the old Nutria trappers used a hardwood stick to dispatch their catch rather than put a hole in the head hide of a Nutria Rat. A shotgun sufficed for most other issues. I don't ever recall anyone having to defend themselves against any form of wildlife. I put a lot of miles in knee to waist deep water and never felt undergunned with my Stevens 20 ga.

    In South Texas the biggest concern was rattlesnakes. Any other wildlife was getting on out of there when humans started stomping around. Back when I spent more time on a tractor I carried a 357 mag loaded with my snake shot loads. No other wildlife was of any concern. Deer hunting was done with a deer rifle and bird hunting was done with a shotgun suitable to the task. Most pistol packing was done because of two legged varmints. Never heard of anyone having to defend themselves though. Plenty of gunplay at the cantinas on Friday and Saturday nights. They use whatever was at hand. I tried to stay away from that sort of thing, ...tried....

    A survival type firearm should be carried in a backpack. A firearm carried for protection should be carried in a manner that facilitates its use as such.

    Now, with all that high talk done....

    Up until 20 years ago I'd walk off in the brush with a 22 pistol on my belt and in the 40 years prior to that recall very few times it was actually unholstered and used.

    Today, when I go to the ranch I carry a Glock 17 and three extra mags. We've had two illegal alien encampment/dropoff/pickup points on the property. I also carry (in the truck) an AR in 7.62x39 with plenty of extras.

    I don't have any experience with any kind of bear, don't intend to. But, If one wanders up with Visa or Master Card, I can tend to that too.

    It's still the two legged varmints that will get you down South.

    Alan

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    I've always thought that the perfect little backpack rifle was that Armalite AR7. Henry makes one too. I don't have one.

    Alan

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    I like the ar7. I had one for a while. I traded it for a ruger 10/22 take down. Not sure which I like better yet. I am starting to lean more toward getting a new 10mm pistol. I have the perfect mold to cast 200gr wide flat nose bullets. But like I was saying in the OP, the only reason I知 in this rabbit hole is because I have watched too many crazy movies and start to wonder what I would do in certain situations when I figure out I知 lost in the deep woods somewhere wishing I had a little more firepower.

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    Why are you bugging out? Where are you bugging out to and who is going to be there when you get there? That weapon in your backpack won't do you much good when that bear charges out of the brush or that weird post apocalyptic zombie has your brains on the menu. You don't get to call "Do Overs". Just a thought. If I choose to carry a weapon I want it readily available. Your mileage may vary.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Rick View Post
    Why are you bugging out? Where are you bugging out to and who is going to be there when you get there? That weapon in your backpack won't do you much good when that bear charges out of the brush or that weird post apocalyptic zombie has your brains on the menu. You don't get to call "Do Overs". Just a thought. If I choose to carry a weapon I want it readily available. Your mileage may vary.
    Could be anywhere. No idea who will be there. If I have to hike any distance off the beaten path the rifle would come out. If I知 near other people then it would stay in the backpack and I always have a pistol on me

  11. #11
    Senior Member kyratshooter's Avatar
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    The "Swampers" are all sitting back and laughing at all of this. Yes Gator-hunter we have a half dozen or so people here that live in those swamps and have for decades. And you are going to ignore them all and do "whatever!".

    I believe we have an imaginary scenerio straight from the pre-pandemic armchair theorist domain.

    First, foremost, and last word of advice: MOVIES ARE NOT REAL!!

    And SWAT and "combat arms" magazines are not the place to make decisions about survival firearms. Their survival world is entirely different from the real world.

    Have you bought any 10mm ammo lately? Where did you find it? How much per shot did you pay? Where are you going to get more when you run out in the swamp? Do you have, and can you carry enough to last forever?

    Remember the pandemic, remember the lockdown, remember the travel restrictions that are still in place in many areas, remember the road blocks in Michigan to keep all of Detroit out of the Upper Peninsula. Even property owners were not allowed past the checkpoints!

    You have a phantasy going on in your head and a brain worm called 10mm. As long as you are stuck on those fixations no information we give will be of any use to you.
    If you didn't bring jerky what did I just eat?

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    I'm reminded of a sorta funny story that I've likely told before. If indicted on that count I will play the "Old Fart" card....

    When I was 13 I'd go off in the swamps with my one and only shotgun at that time, an Eastern Arms dogleg 410. It was quite enough for squirrels and rabbits and was a great saver of ammunition. I always wanted to carry a couple of buckshot rounds with me in case I got a shot at a deer but my father, in his wisdom of not wanting a dead deer out in the middle of a waist deep swamp, never would allow it. I came into possession of some lead balls of .36 caliber. I found, by some means that escape me at the moment...., that, if I cut off the 410 shell in the shot, leaving only enough room for one of those balls with a slight crimp, that it made an excellent smoothbore round. In addition to it being relatively accurate, it was very quiet. It just made kind of a Ploomp! noise when fired.

    So, off I go and got a few rabbits (swamp rabbits are rather large, much larger than cottontails). I skinned and cleaned them and my mother fired them up! The whole family was chowing down and suddenly my father stopped chewing..... he rolled something around in his mouth and took it out. There in his palm was a slightly deformed 36 caliber lead ball..... He just looked at me and kinda let it clunk onto his plate.... Never said another word about it.

    That Christmas I got a Stevens 311-D 20 ga... Didn't even ask for it either.

    Alan

  13. #13
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    Black bear? Do they attack? I'd see all kinds of signs of them in AL but never saw one except once. I could wrestle the guy (I didn't. He ran away).

    Now we have grizzlies out here so I carry bear spray. Y'know, those things are pretty quick. If I had a gun in my backpack, Griz would have me before I could get it out and the bear would feed it to me before it ate me. These bears don't have much of a sense of humor.
    True enough, my final home is still out there, but this is most certainly my home range and I love it. I love every rock I fall off and tree I trip over. Even when I am close to dying from exhaustion, a beautiful sunset doesn't lose it's power to refresh and inspire me and that, in itself, is enough to save me sometimes.

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    Quote Originally Posted by kyratshooter View Post
    The "Swampers" are all sitting back and laughing at all of this. Yes Gator-hunter we have a half dozen or so people here that live in those swamps and have for decades. And you are going to ignore them all and do "whatever!".

    I believe we have an imaginary scenerio straight from the pre-pandemic armchair theorist domain.

    First, foremost, and last word of advice: MOVIES ARE NOT REAL!!

    And SWAT and "combat arms" magazines are not the place to make decisions about survival firearms. Their survival world is entirely different from the real world.

    Have you bought any 10mm ammo lately? Where did you find it? How much per shot did you pay? Where are you going to get more when you run out in the swamp? Do you have, and can you carry enough to last forever?

    Remember the pandemic, remember the lockdown, remember the travel restrictions that are still in place in many areas, remember the road blocks in Michigan to keep all of Detroit out of the Upper Peninsula. Even property owners were not allowed past the checkpoints!

    You have a phantasy going on in your head and a brain worm called 10mm. As long as you are stuck on those fixations no information we give will be of any use to you.

    It basically is a scenario. If I was getting away from craziness in south Florida I wouldn稚 head into the swamps. The reason I知 taking about a backpack gun is because I知 just running down a rabbit hole of ideas. I知 not trying to say I知 walking into the woods anywhere specific. Just a what if situation. As for 10mm ammo, I have enough to last a long while at home but if I left it would be difficult. At least at home I have the ability to load more. The 10mm is just my go to for most things at this point. I知 not trying to start anything crazy, just asking a question. If it痴 going to lead to insanity in a thread I値l just let the idea go and move on to other rabbit holes. Sorry if I worded it all wrong but even trying to explain the idea to myself is difficult.

  15. #15
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    I have walked a lot of woods and swamps in this country and others. I would not feel uncomfortable with a large caliber handgun or a shotgun.
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    I was just thinking today that I needed a shotgun in the shop. The tree rats (that are left) are getting kinda gun shy, and evidently my steady aim has gone the way a lot of my other skills have gone, down the drain.

    Now, just a thought on the bugging out into the swamp thing. It's just my personal opinion but when I bug out (which I hope happens in the morning because I'm really tired by afternoon), I'm going to bug out to someplace where there is a clean source of drinking water, and maybe a heat source for coffee. Half of my bug out bag is coffee....


    Alan

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    I would give a good honest bet the other half is bacon and the other half is bread. Coffee and bacon sammiches is bugout staples in anyone's book. If you have half your bag in coffee, half your bag in bread and half your bag in bacon, life is good.

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    I'm probably a little heavy on the bacon...

    Alan

  19. #19
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    Quote Originally Posted by Rick View Post
    I would give a good honest bet the other half is bacon and the other half is bread. Coffee and bacon sammiches is bugout staples in anyone's book. If you have half your bag in coffee, half your bag in bread and half your bag in bacon, life is good.
    Add to that..........being half in the bag and life is still good.
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    From where I知 at, if bugging out happened I知 going north. The down side is getting past tampa. I have never though I needed more than a pistol in the Everglades. Even when we have been gator hunting all over florida it痴 just a pistol and a bang stick. Although there were at least in a boat. I guess I just like the idea of having a rifle I can easily stick in a backpack until I get to where I知 going and not be obvious with a big bulky rifle hanging out

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