1000 HP wrote:The best machine is one strapped to your hip.
I agree. It can happen fast! Check this out:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uMbnmLLn ... re=related
Imagine the surprise if the cubs were in the bushes too.
I don't know how you guys cope with the whole ATT thing as pilots. I move around all the time, and sometimes I just pack everything up and go for a drive at the end of a season. That sounds like a lot of red tape to put up with. I'd still like to get a wilderness atc anyway, because it seems to be a "use it or lose it" sort of thing ie. if they're not issuing any it will be harder to get. I'd like a sw629 for that in .44 mag (You know that gun: Do you feel lucky?). I'd also like a .45 for IDPA-type stuff, 1911's are great but I want something with a DA/SA action and a decocker, like a SIG P220 or SW4506. If it's a 1911, I see some really nice kimbers and paras all over the place. I don't see the big deal about everyone using 9mm and .40, the .45 is a pussycat. One of those tokarev's might be in the cards too, they're cheap and the ammo is dirrrt cheap. Should be more fun for practice than a .22. It's like the SKS of the handgun world.
Right now the "bear gun" is a norinco 870 clone. Sometime soon I'm putting a new stock on it that has a pistol grip, and a mag extension. It'd be nice with more capacity, because as morbid as it sounds: if I've put 7 slugs into the bear's vitals and it's still eating me, the 8th round is mine. It takes choke tubes and it's my only shotgun, so it does partridge/duck/goose/rabbit duty too. There's nothing nice about it, but it does a decent job. I'm confident in my abilities with it, however it has had a couple of simple malfunctions. I'm going to try to tune it up a bit to take care of that.
If I was in polar bear country, I think a custom remington 7600 pump would be ideal: all stainless, in .458 win mag, with battue sights, and an AR-style rear stock to be able to adjust length of pull for parkas, pack straps etc....... something like that would be quick sighting, quick firing, super-powerful, and still reliable as long as you handload for the cold weather. I think they used to make a high-caliber custom 7600, I guess it's beefed up a bit. Right now they're only offered in .30-06.
re: the saiga. I think it's under one of the prohibition orders. I think the only AK-derived thing that's legal here is the Valmet. I could be wrong though, it looks like a nice choice for a semi. But I'm sure I would have seen one at the range by now.
in both occations a gun was not needed but could have been handy if things went different. I did fail to mention that in the encounter at the mine they were less then 10ft away and just as startled as I was never let your guard down in bear country! I have at least 2-3 bear encounters every summer and just being aware of bears and what attracts them and how to act around them is far better in preventing an attack then a gun would be however if all else fails it could be really handy!
