OT Companion guns

[RKrodle]

I need to be educated, I guess. I don't get the whole idea of carrying a pistol and rifle in the same caliber. I would rather carry a pistol of small caliber and a rifle of large caliber or vise-versa. You know like a 22 revolver for small game and 30 WCF for large game, or a 22 rifle for small game and 475 Linebaugh for things with big pointy teeth. It just does not seem logical to me to carry two of the same thing. Educate me please.

[336A]

Yikes what the heck do you have down there in Texas that requires ordanance that size (.475 Linebaugh) My companion gun is my beloved S&W M10 loaded with 158gr SWC for around 850 fps with a spare speed loader with the same boolits over 5.4gr of Unique.

[J Miller]

I carry a side arm primarily as a self defense weapon against bipedal predators. There are many instances where I may not have my long gun within reach. Therefore I want the short gun I'm carrying to be of sufficient power to fulfill that need.

Joe

[L_Kilkenny]

I'll agree that 2 guns, one caliber is sorta a thing of the past. I've toyed with the idea of takin my .32M or .357 with me for use on coyotes when small game hunting with a .22LR rifle. Likewise I toyed with the idea of taking my .22LR Ruger with me when deer hunting since I see about 1,000 squirrel and rabbits while doing that. But the state has put the kabosh on that making it illegal. Have to carry deer only guns when deer hunting in Iowa.

But overall I've decided to stick to one gun in the woods at a time. I'll just have to make due with the gun in my hands.

LK

[kimwcook]

Carrying big and little depends on what I'm planning on doing. It doesn't happen very often. I usually carry big and big for the reason if I don't have my rifle in my hands for whatever reason, I have something big enough to take care of a problem or accomplish what I want to do.

[Mich Hunter]

Usually a 1911 Gov size on the hip in the winter. Ruger LCR in the summer.

[AJMD429]

Yep - I'm more likely to have a mixed-pair when roaming the woods:

• A .22 LR handgun (for plinking) and a .44 Mag rifle (for if I see a coyote or in-season deer), or
  A .44 Mag Handgun (for self defense) and a .22 LR rifle (for plinking)

However, I still like the CONCEPT, because having that 'pair' of .44 Mags STILL enables me to stock less variety of ammo or components, even if I generally don't use them simultaneously. If I had a .357 Mag handgun, and a .44 Mag rifle, I'd lose that advantage.

[AJMD429]

But overall I've decided to stick to one gun in the woods at a time. I'll just have to make due with the gun in my hands.

At least if you pop a squirrel during deer season with a 12-gauge slug, you won't have to field-dress it...

[Hank Dodge]

I like the principle of sharing the ammunition between both guns. I frequently carry a Winchester in .44 mag and a revolver in .44 special. A few heavy magnum rounds loaded in the rifle to start with, twenty spare .44 specials on my belt, and a few shot cartridges in a pocket. That keeps me very happy for a few days in the woods hunting, prospecting, or just camping. I feel confident enough that I've got what it takes to handle most situations with that kit.

It's funny, I prefer to hunt with a rifle; but I like to wear a pistol around camp and when not hunting for general protection against predators and such. I suppose that influences this trend for me. I'll bring a .22 rifle camping with me instead of a larger caliber, but I'll always have a major caliber sidearm along.

[donw]

38/357 Taurus revolver and an 1895 38/357 lever carbine...the .357 is capable of taking very large game, and capable of dealing with the bipedal predators as well...don't have to worry about different ammo, light in hand...accurate...ammo available almost anywhere you go.

even the .38 special fired from the carbine is nothing to scoff at...

[OK357]

I only own one firearm, a Rossi in .357 which makes this a non-issue for me. If I were inclined towards getting a sidearm I'd likely get a .357 revolver of some sort just to keep ammo selection uniform.

[RKrodle]

Normally if I carry a handgun while hunting I carry big for the same reason some of the others have stated, in case my rifle is not within reach. And I don't normally use a pistol size cartridge in a rifle for hunting. I do like my 357 in my Marlin and my 45 Colt Winchester Trapper but I rarely use one for intended hunting. And I have a tendency to carry a rifle in a bigger cartridge then some other people find appropriate for the game I'm hunting.

I believe some people misunderstood what I meant by "companion gun". I may be using the wrong term, but what I mean is a rifle and pistol chambered for the same round and carried together.

[vancelw]

Simple.
It's neat. No other reason needed, is there?

I like to have my .45 Colt Vaquero and .45 Colt 1892 Winchester (Jap) with me...just because. Instead of having to carry 50 rounds of rifle and 50 rounds of handgun (and worry which one I run out of first) It's nice to have 100 rounds that fit in either.

I need a .44 mag rifle to go with my Super Redhawk.

Years ago I had a .357 Marlin rifle and S&W model 19. Traded the rifle off for some stupid reason, can't remember why. I think it had something to do with the price of .357 ammo and the price of diapers...

I used to have a.308 companion set, but the .308 handgun was a bit much for me. I scaled it down to .243 and eventually gave that up because it was more accurate than my rifle. You get in trouble quick taking rifle shots with a handgun.

My favorite combo is my .22 Single-six and 10/22 rifle for all sorts of situations. Of course, if you catch me in the woods with only 2 guns on me, it's because I rushed out in a hurry.

[adirondakjack]

A matched pair works for me because a rifle gives ya more accuracy and at least a little more velocity (sometimes a good bit more), and a fairly stout handgun load acts as a secondary arm for those moments when the rifle is not immediately at hand. A .45 caliber 250 at a fair clip will do all ya need it to.

[Nate C.]

I once had a 'friend' who got himself into a spot trying to ensure that he had a pair of 'companion' guns for every occasion. A model 92 in .357 demanded a wheelgun to accompany it. Then he got a .44 hogleg and had to get a levergun to match that. Once all the calibers were covered, he started matching up the finishes on the various guns, then barrel lengths. It got entirely out of control. He needed a bigger safe. The wife figured out the scam. An intervention was called. You get the idea.

My 'friend' is much better now.

[horsesoldier03]

A lot of times game laws prohibit the carry of specific calibers, shotguns or rifles while pursuing game. In my area, a .22 falls into that catagory. A .38 with a 125 grn LSWC can do things that a .22 can't but also will do many of the same task as well as a .22. That being said, I dont have a matching rifle/pistol pair although I wish I did in either .38/357 or .44 mag.

My wife says that men are really like WOMEN and just like to acessorize!

[AJMD429]

I once had a 'friend' who got himself into a spot trying to ensure that he had a pair of 'companion' guns for every occasion. A model 92 in .357 demanded a wheelgun to accompany it. Then he got a .44 hogleg and had to get a levergun to match that. Once all the calibers were covered, he started matching up the finishes on the various guns, then barrel lengths. It got entirely out of control. He needed a bigger safe. The wife figured out the scam. An intervention was called. You get the idea. My 'friend' is much better now.

Boy, I can't imagine being like that; what a weirdo!

That's just stupid. Stupid, stupid, stupid...

I mean plain idiocy, pure and simple.



Really.


What a fool!


Wow. . .



. . . Hey, Ummm - by the way,

. . . if he's interested in selling any of them guns,
. . . I really need a .45 Colt in Marlin 1894, with a blued, but round, 20" barrel, to go with . . .

[2X22]

I like the principle of sharing the ammunition between both guns. I frequently carry a Winchester in .44 mag and a revolver in .44 special. A few heavy magnum rounds loaded in the rifle to start with, twenty spare .44 specials on my belt, and a few shot cartridges in a pocket. That keeps me very happy for a few days in the woods hunting, prospecting, or just camping.

Agreed, Hank! 6 or 7 rounds in my rifle, 5 in my pistol and 15 more on my gunbelt and I'm ready for a lot of shootin'

Another reason I pack a 44 rifle/pistol combo. One time a few years back I leaned my rifle up against a tree and backed up a couple steps, took off my pistol, dropped my drawers and proceeded to do my 'business'. I had no more than made it to the 'moment of no return' and yep, sure enough a nice 3 point blacktail walked out of the brush 30 yards below me. It was no mean feat to pick up my pistol and collect my buck. That has happened to me twice

2x22

[adirondakjack]

I like the principle of sharing the ammunition between both guns. I frequently carry a Winchester in .44 mag and a revolver in .44 special. A few heavy magnum rounds loaded in the rifle to start with, twenty spare .44 specials on my belt, and a few shot cartridges in a pocket. That keeps me very happy for a few days in the woods hunting, prospecting, or just camping.

Agreed, Hank! 6 or 7 rounds in my rifle, 5 in my pistol and 15 more on my gunbelt and I'm ready for a lot of shootin'

Another reason I pack a 44 rifle/pistol combo. One time a few years back I leaned my rifle up against a tree and backed up a couple steps, took off my pistol, dropped my drawers and proceeded to do my 'business'. I had no more than made it to the 'moment of no return' and yep, sure enough a nice 3 point blacktail walked out of the brush 30 yards below me. It was no mean feat to pick up my pistol and collect my buck. That has happened to me twice

2x22

LOL. My SIL shot her first legal buck with a .38 snubbie while her pants were around her ankles, and her rifle was in the tree stand. But she had her little Rossi in her coat pocket, and got her deer, a lung shot from all of 8 feet

[2X22]

LOL. My SIL shot her first legal buck with a .38 snubbie while her pants were around her ankles, and her rifle was in the tree stand. But she had her little Rossi in her coat pocket, and got her deer, a lung shot from all of 8 feet

Awesome! A companion in spirit

2x22

[FWiedner]

I like to have "companion" pieces so that I can use the same ammunition in multiple firearms. It's a convenience issue.

I don't recall ever having carried both firearms at one time, but I have occassionally swapped back and forth between them dependent on what my activity was. I generally carry one or the other. Sometimes a carbine is what you need, sometimes a pistol or revolver serves the purpose.

Having the flexibility to choose a task appropriate tool in an effective caliber is the issue.

[adirondakjack]

I once had a 'friend' who got himself into a spot trying to ensure that he had a pair of 'companion' guns for every occasion. A model 92 in .357 demanded a wheelgun to accompany it. Then he got a .44 hogleg and had to get a levergun to match that. Once all the calibers were covered, he started matching up the finishes on the various guns, then barrel lengths. It got entirely out of control. He needed a bigger safe. The wife figured out the scam. An intervention was called. You get the idea.

My 'friend' is much better now.

That's bad. Now a guy with two Marlins, three rugers and a rolling block all in the same little .45 chambering, he might be ok, right?

[rjohns94]

Hmm, I carry a .357 handgun in the woods almost all the time. Only time I dont is when I have the .475 linebaugh on me. I may be hunting with a .22 rifle, a .357 levergun, the 1886 or a shotgun at the same time. I like the .357 to finish a wounded deer, or take a fox or for other uses. I don't hunt with a .22 pistol. I prefer longuns. If I have the .357 levergun with me in the woods, I still keep the handgun a .357. The rest of the year, the pair of .357s ride with me everywhere.

[RKrodle]

I once had a 'friend' who got himself into a spot trying to ensure that he had a pair of 'companion' guns for every occasion. A model 92 in .357 demanded a wheelgun to accompany it. Then he got a .44 hogleg and had to get a levergun to match that. Once all the calibers were covered, he started matching up the finishes on the various guns, then barrel lengths. It got entirely out of control. He needed a bigger safe. The wife figured out the scam. An intervention was called. You get the idea.

My 'friend' is much better now.

That's bad. Now a guy with two Marlins, three rugers and a rolling block all in the same little .45 chambering, he might be ok, right?

I see we may need to open a clinic for some of ya'lls "friends" . Of coarse it would turn into the inmates running the asylum.

[Buck Elliott]

A matched pair works for me because a rifle gives ya more accuracy and at least a little more velocity (sometimes a good bit more), and a fairly stout handgun load acts as a secondary arm for those moments when the rifle is not immediately at hand. A .45 caliber 250 at a fair clip will do all ya need it to.

That pretty much tells the tale. I can carry a single action .45 Colt, stoked with 250s @ ~1100 fps, while the same load clocks 1400 & change from my 24" '73, giving me the effect of two different loads. In .454 Casull, the load that runs at 1700 fps in a 7 1/2" revolver turns up 2100 fps from a rifle or carbine. In 357 Mag. you can expect right close to 250 fps difference between six-shooter & carbine; very close to 300 fps spread in .44 Mag.

As someone else said, a few light loads in a pocket, or maybe a handful of shot loads makes up a wide-reaching combination, covering almost all bases. For convenience' sake, all the ammo fits both the pistol and the levergun, eliminating fumbles and mixups when things might get Western -- and believe me, they can get Western in a hurry, and usually when you least expect it.

If a .22 revolver goes along, it's normally stowed in a pack or saddle-bag, for casual plinking or pot-shooting.

[Chas.]

357's? 44mag's? Lightweights. I carry a 45-70 lever and a 45-70 BFR wheelgun on my side. But I don't carry 'em far cause I'm outta breath.

[m48shooter]

im in the same camp as buck...
my pistol is norm a 45... been an acp, but like just carrying one main round, and am pleased as peaches to be putting a bk together with my 92... my primary game is hog so i like having a hard hitting pistol on my hip... works just as well for 2legged varmits... but i always have my .22 in the pack... i just love the fuzz tails...

just adding a the fact that when i do take my "long range" rifles out, scoped .308's i still pack a .45... but for run of the mill bushwacking, or hog hunting u cant beat a stubby heavy hitting bushgun...

[gak]

I'm with a lot of other folks here "just because," shared/simplified ammunition and different tasks (for general tramping - I don't worry too much about individually optimized loads). Low in the desert, a sixgun and carbine paired in .357 is usually all that's needed for two, four and no-legged encounters. Up in the high country, that gets upped to a pair of 44s that can deal with anything I might run into. Come hunting season, these pairs also come with me to those respective locales. The pistol caliber carbines get relegated to camp duty except for quick forays from camp rests into the brush to give the 'long guns' (:-)) a rest. Otherwise, the main long guns for "serious" (longer range/larger quarry) duty are .270 or .30-30, depending,...but a sixgun is always on the hip--as others have mentioned, either to finish off a critter, or if the "other" isn't handy for some reason.

[C. Cash]

This is a very, very dangerous thread. I can feel my bank account drain as I read it.....

I really, really would like a trapper length 44 Mag. to go with my sixguns.

[jeepnik]

Way too many choices. Sometimes I'll pair a large caliber rifle with a small caliber pistol, or vice versa. Others I'll go large or small combos. I'l mix bolt, lever and pump guns with single action or double action revolvers or pistols. Whatever mood strikes me. But my all around favorite right now is two handguns. .45 Colt Blackhawk and .22 Single Six. But that is subject to change on a moments notice.

[fordwannabe]

Dang it now...I told myself I wouldn't buy any new guns this year and didn't yall just go make me want a 357 rifle to go with my 2 pistols. Whats a man to do? Tom

[Buck Elliott]

Dang it now...I told myself I wouldn't buy any new guns this year and didn't yall just go make me want a 357 rifle to go with my 2 pistols. Whats a man to do? Tom

"What's a man to do...?"

BUY 'EM. You'll never get another chance to do it any younger...

[Tumbleweeds II]

It's a gunfighter thang - like a Colt SAA and Winchester 73 in .44-40, or a 1911 and Thompson in .45 ACP. Don't know how practical it is in the woods. However, a Colt .32-20 does make a good backup in case the squirrel charges after being shot with the Remington rolling block in the same caliber.

When I get my camera from the shop I'll post a picture.

[tman]

if i'm out hunting in bearcountry i got the 4" .357 loaded with buffaloebore 180grn. hardcast. up close it should kill any game in the world in a closeup emergency, charge,whatever situation. as for self defence in the hood, nothing beats the glock 27 with 11 and 13 shot magazines. now, i not talking about HUNTING a brown bear with a revolver. this is last ditch close up survival. yeah, we all want a bigger gun, but at close range, does it matter?

[vancelw]

I really, really would like a trapper length 44 Mag. to go with my sixguns.

No..no..no.. Haven't you been paying attention?


you NEED a trapper length 44 Mag. to go with your sixguns.

All that stuff about interventions is just scare tactics. They want you to leave all the leverguns for them.

[Buck Elliott]

It's a gunfighter thang - like a Colt SAA and Winchester 73 in .44-40, or a 1911 and Thompson in .45 ACP. Don't know how practical it is in the woods. However, a Colt .32-20 does make a good backup in case the squirrel charges after being shot with the Remington rolling block in the same caliber.

When I get my camera from the shop I'll post a picture.

Not so much "gunfighter..." but purely practical logistics. I know that most of you guys have never had to live beyond road's end for an extended period, where resupply is a nonexistant entity. Interchangeable ammo becomes a very attractive way to go.

Been there -- done that -- they don't sell T-shirts for it...

[Sixgun]

It was more practical "back in the day". People were way out in the toolies and they did not have the knowledge of ballistics or the variety to choose from that we have today. You could only load so much blackpowder in a case and those boys were happy with how those guns delivered.

I find myself doing it but for some danged reason, I'll carry the same cartridge with different loadings.For instance, while deer hunting, I'll carry an 1892 Winchester in 44-40 with 200 grainers running 1600-1700 and my SA Colt will have the same bullet at 850.-----------Sixgun