I’m a big fan of Daryl Bolke. Is it weird to be a fan of a firearm instructor? Probably, but I’m also a fan of his Facebook page because he shares some truly beautiful revolvers and wonderful educational content. See his post on the Fitz Special if you don’t believe me. I bring up Mr. Bolke because he inspired this article with one of his posts regarding the revived S&W 396 Night Guard in .44 Special, which he called a hood-to-woods gun.
The idea is simple, and if I understand it right, it’s a gun you can carry in the woods and deal with four-legged threats that tend to be a little tougher and more determined than the average street thug. A lot of dedicated woods guns tend to be big-bore, which in the woods can be carried openly without much issue.
However, when it comes time to return to civilization, you’d be hard-pressed to conceal them. Plus, they might not be the best choice for defense against two-legged vermin. A hood-to-woods gun is one that can do both pretty darn well. So, what are some good hoods-to-woods guns?
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It’s worth mentioning that, outside of the first gun, these are all my picks and aren’t reflective of Mr. Bolke’s opinions or recommendations.
The S&W 396 Nightguard
The man himself recommended the S&W 396 Nightguard, and it’s tough to disagree. The S&W 396 chambers the .44 Special, which is a bit of an orphaned round these days. The .44 Special doesn’t hit those .44 Magnum levels of power, but tends to cost the same, making it a tough option to adopt for modern carry.
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However, the big, hefty projectiles can penetrate quite deeply. Not just through two-legged vermin, but through those animals that don’t always understand the concept of a psychological stop. If you need to throw a heavy round that can go deep and expand wide without substantial recoil or the need for a massive gun, the .44 Special is tough to beat.
At the same time, the round has no problem stopping two-legged threats. You might want to switch to a lighter-loaded JHP between tasks for a little more control and a little less recoil. That’s your prerogative, and the good thing about revolvers is all your various ammo choices.
The Glock 29
The only gun that gets forgotten about more than the Glock 29 is all those Glocks that chambered .45 GAP. However, the Glock 29 certainly fits my definition of a hoods-to-woods gun. The Glock 29 packs 10mm power in a fat, but still subcompact, Glock pistol. The 10mm is a potent round that penetrates deeply, deep enough to dissuade a determined four-legged predator.
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The 10mm is a versatile round, so you can keep a mag loaded with some hard-cast lead to deal with anything from wild dogs to bears, but swap the mag and have a lighter-loaded, glorified .40 S&W round. The lighter load still gives you plenty of penetration and excellent expansion, with less recoil.
As a subcompact Glock, it’s still small enough to carry rather easily. If I were running the Glock 29 as my hood-to-woods gun, I’d probably carry it with a 15-round Glock 20 magazine and a grip extension for the added control a longer grip provides. For basic concealed carry, a ten-round magazine with a finger extension is fine for lighter-loaded rounds.
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Taurus 66 Combat
The Taurus 66 Combat hit the floor of SHOT Show and impressed me. Taurus is making some interesting revolvers, and the 66 Combat is designed for concealed carry with magnum power. It’s a .357 Magnum revolver with a three-inch barrel and a compact frame, but you get a seven-round cylinder.
The gun’s optimized for carry with a trimmed hammer, a high-visibility front sight, and a compact grip. If you like optics, well, you’re in luck; the gun is optics-ready via a plate system. As fun as shooting snub-nose .357 magnums can be, I don’t care for it. I like a 3-inch barrel for most guns with magnum in the name.
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As far as hoods to woods guns go, the Taurus 66 Combat works quite well. When loaded with hot .357 Magnum, there isn’t much you can’t deal with. For dealing with two-legged threats .357 Magnum isn’t overkill, but I’d probably carry .38 Special for the reduced recoil and increased control. It’s a powerhouse of a gun that fits the bill well.
Ruger SP101 .327 Federal Magnum
Some people’s woods and hoods are a little different from others’. I live in the southeast. The biggest bear we have is the black bear, and the more common threats would be coyotes or hogs, with a few rattlesnakes along the way. You don’t need one of the traditional magnums for my neck of the woods.
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With that in mind, the Ruger SP101 with a 3-inch barrel in .327 Federal Magnum will be tough to beat. It’s a six-shot, compact frame that’s light enough for daily carry but powerful enough for killing anything in my neck of the woods. It offers less recoil, good capacity, and good flat-shooting rounds.
Like most revolvers, I can also swap to al a lighter-loaded round for reduced recoil and better control against two-legged threats. It’s tough to beat the .32 H&R Magnum. From the SP101, it’s a real kitten and quite controllable.
From Hoods to Woods
I like the idea of a single handgun that can perform two very different tasks. As a man who lives in the rural world, it appeals to me. It’s also a fun thought experiment. With all that said, if you’re not following DB’s Shooting Adventures, you should fix that.
Additionally, Patreon kicked American Fighting Revolver off its platform for sharing a video they didn’t like. Daryl is one of the main guys behind AFR, and since Patreon kicked them off, they decided to start their own website, which you should check out here.
Read the full article here
