Hiking! Which one to bring?

[Deputy Dog]

I am going away on vacation this week into the white mountains. We are going to be doing some Hiking in the woods and dont know if I should bring the Glock 32 .357 Sig or the Sig 220 .45 ACP. I will be carrying the Winchester Bonded XP's. in the .45ACP and Ranger STS LE Grade HP in the .357 Sig. They are loaded a little hotter than some of the other 230 grainers I have shot, but they are not marked +P. Which one should I bring? Realizing the different types of animals I am bound to run into, I think the .357 Sig would be a wiser choice. And somebody suggested to load FMJ in the gun and a spare with JHP. Any comments and Suggestions are more than welcome! I read the ballistics on each one, and the .357 Sig has better velocity and kenetic energy than the .45 ACP.
I shoot equally well with both of them and reload the Glock a little bit faster. The sig has the European mag catch on it. Which is also good for hiking, so you dont inadvertingly press the mag release and release the mag without knowing it.
TYIA...

DD

 

[hardworker]

I'd say bring whichever one you feel like you can hit a charging animal with. On a small animal like a cat either will probably work on a large animal like a bear neither will probably work.

 

[sdj]

G32. But I'm biased...

 

[azredhawk44]

.357 Sig has better velocity and kenetic energy than the .45 ACP.

Velocity and kinetic energy have nothing to do with penetration.

KE is a function of weight times velocity, squared.

Momentum determines penetration. Cartridges with more momentum penetrate more than cartridges with less momentum. A cartridge can have more KE than another and still have less momentum. It will penetrate less.

Momentum is a function of weight times velocity. Notice that it is merely weight times velocity.

This is one of those situations where you have to realize that autoloader cartridges are not equal to woods gun cartridges.

And you ultimately have to take a look back in history, to the early 20th century. The .45acp was modeled after the old .45colt revolver cartridge. The desired terminal ballistics were the same. It's a big chunk of lead moving at a moderate pace.

Elmer Keith will tell you the same thing I'm telling you, but he experimented with the .38 super versus the .45acp (when he took time away from his sixguns). The .38super, while nice and fast and nifty against car doors, windows, and hard barriers... ain't got nothing on .45acp when it comes to penetration in flesh.

The .357sig is just a short stubby bottlenecked .38super. Same idea, different shape. A little faster velocity due to better metallurgy and powder, but nothing stunning.

Go with the .45acp, and use either FMJ or hard-cast lead. You want penetration. You want momentum. You want weight.

 

[zombieslayer]

Well, when I hike, I travel as light as I can. But when I say hiking- I mean backpacking. I'm really more worried about critters of the two-legged variety.

 

[43FLcracker]

.45

 

[predecessor]

You're splitting hares (pun intended).

Either will serve you fine for anything you encounter that a pistol can handle. And neither will protect from anything you encounter that a pistol can't. (For those beasties you should carry an 1895.)

At the end of the day I would choose the Glock - not because of the cartridge you have it chambered for -- but because it is lighter and who cares if it gets scratched by brush or caked with dust.

 

[Bird3897]

BOTH

 

[Deaf Smith]

I'm really more worried about critters of the two-legged variety.

There is the answer. Pack the Glock. If the White mountians have only Black bear, then the Sig will do, and it will definalty do on two legged critters to. And the Glock will take any kind of abuse you could think of in the mountians and keep going.

Plus if some of those two legged critters have a rifle, the .357 Sig is alot flatter shooting than a .45 and the Glock holds more ammo.

Deaf

 

[Osageshooter]

45 or 357 sig

I am outdoors a lot too. Either cartridge would be good. I have both, but lately, my go-to gun is a Sig 229 in 357 sig. It is flat shooting and very accurate. If I ever have to take a longer shot with a handgun, I suspect it will be when on my land or on the trail.

 

[Daryl]

I wouldn't feel disadvantages hiking the White Mountains with either firearm/cartridge you mentioned.

I've hiked all over those mountains with nothing but a bow and a few arrows, or a .40 S&W. Never bothered me a bit.

Daryl

 

[Jarhead05]

Either is fine.

You're far more likely to encounter a two-legged varmint than a four-legged one. Whatever you're most comfortable with. Keep in mind the three most critical aspects of stopping power: bullet placement, bullet placement and bullet placement.

 

[jmr40]

Take the gun you like best. I would take the Glock simply because I think it is better suited for hiking conditions. Lighter, more rust resistant etc. But if you like and shoot the Sig better go that way.

 

[Jim243]

Actually the 357 Sig has slightly better penetration than the 45 ACP. BUT, I would go for the slower 45 ACP at 230 grains than the faster 357 Sig at 125 grains of lead. Just put a lot of them into whatever your shooting.


45 ACP would be my choice.
Jim

 

[Edward429451]

Go with the .45acp, and use either FMJ or hard-cast lead. You want penetration. You want momentum. You want weight.

^what he said ^

 

[wnycollector]

Deputy Dog, enjoy your trip to the white mountains. I normally carry a 4" .357 while hiking in a safepacker, but I have brought my SIG P220 there and didnt feel under gunned in the least! The glock would probably be my choice.

Hiking up there will be spectacular at this time of year. I have gone there for about a dozen of the last 25 years. You will see LOTS of black bears (I ran into 4 this summer) 99.99% of the time they are running away so have your camera ready at all times! The real critter to be worried about is the moose. You will be hiking at the beginning of their rut...those guys scare me a LOT more than black bears! One final warning...pack everything (especially GPS') away inside your car at the trail head, there are LOTS of break in's especially at popular overnight or multi-day trail heads.

 

[darkgael]

Mts.

The White Mts. in New Hampshire? Not much to worry about there other than the trail. I'd pack the lightest gun with one magazine extra. (Actually....if it were me....it'd be a .22 S&W 317 Ultralite. I'd not want to be carting any unnecessary weight.)
As to two legged animals - the States to be most cautious in when on the AT seem to be Pennsylvania and Virginia. New Hampshire has had one murder in the Whites, that was back in 2001.
Pete

 

[Pilot]

Unless in Griz country, pack whatever you pack in town. The last time I checked there were no Grizzlies in New Hampshire.

 

[LordTio3]

Very misleading...

Velocity and kinetic energy have nothing to do with penetration.

KE is a function of weight times velocity, squared.

Momentum determines penetration. Cartridges with more momentum penetrate more than cartridges with less momentum. A cartridge can have more KE than another and still have less momentum. It will penetrate less.

To say that Velocity and Kinetic energy have nothing to do with penetration is like saying Tires and wheels have nothing to do with the top-speed of a drag-car; only the engine displacement. You can stomp that accelerator all you want, but without tires and wheels, you aren't going anywhere. Just like momentum. You can harp all you want about momentum being the ONLY measurment that matters for penetration, but good luck calculating momentum without knowing the mass AND velocity of the projectile.

Quite honestly, velocity is VERY important to penetration and, by association, stopping power. Personally, I'd take the Glock. I would not care nearly as much if I happened to fall on my side and booger up the side of my Glock rather than the side of my Sig. That being said, both calibers have their intended purposes, but your purposes fall well within both of their effective ranges. Strap on the one you care the least about and have at it.

~LT

 

[zombieslayer]

Darkgael - you must hike like me. I bought an NAA 22 years ago for hiking. Got rid of it as it kept breaking. You're right about Pennsylvania , a good number of Appalachian Trail hikers avoid the Pa section. Its rocky and rutty, and there are rumors of meth labs and crazies. To be honest, the only thing that ever deterred me from attempting a through-hike of all 2165 miles is the thought of walking that far unarmed...