re: Seeking advice for buying son a handgun for camping.

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would go with a revolver too. More reliable in poor field conditions.

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If that were the case I would think all special forces soldiers would carry revolvers.

I went with a S&W SD9 VE.
Though I haven’t purchased it yet as my background check is in a delayed status. Is anyone else experiencing this lately? I’ve purchased a few times before but always had immediate clearance to buy.

Are you talking about backpacking trips like the Appalachian Trail? It’s just extra weight that he’s eventually going to want to get rid of. Just teach him to stay away from sites near the roadway and he will be fine.

I carry a ruger blackhawk .45 colt with some stout hardcast loads if I'm screwing around in bear land without a rifle. Carry it in a leather chest holster under my bino harness. I think its a good choice when I can afford the weight. It is relatively compact and with grizzly 325gr Hardcast loads itll stop anything I can hit good enough.

If I could not afford the weight, I'd probably get something like a ruger LCR .357 mag. So far that hasn't been a problem, the Blackhawk is lighter than a rifle and if I have my rifle, I dont bring the pistol.

My dad just bought one. He’s always been a good shot, but when I saw the price of the gun I wondered what was up. If he complains about being accurate with it, I’ll mention a trigger job. I can bring my tools and install if need be.

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I went with a S&W SD9 VE.

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I know you want to get something for him, but the reviews on this gun aren't great.

If it's a gun for him, he needs to be the one to pick it out.

well since hiking is a game of ounces, "weight" always matters, therefore nearly every firearm is too heavy to be "convenient" for a hiker. however since he's a young man and since weight in the form of ounces doesn't matter until decades down the road when he realizes he should've lifted with his legs and not his back, i say get a glock 20 with a tlr1 streamlight and pair it with a kenai tanker holster. like other kydex holsters, you can get the kenai molded for the tlr1. i did and it's a perfect fit, as it should be with an american made product like a kenai. the glock 20 kenai with the tlr1 mold is not cheap, nor is it made cheap, nor will it last for a cheap amount of time. the tlr1 is not only lagniappe in the form of him having a really bright, really proven light strapped to his chest (because no hiker ever said, "i wish i had less candlepower"), it also adds an extra element of self-defense, as we all know.

it (the glock chambered in 10mm) will kill everything that he's got any business trying to kill, and it'll do it in a hurry and with lots of options in the form of magazine capacity. spray and pray, anyone? (he will need to hit the target though in order for the 10mm's poison to take effect.) the kenai holster will allow him to hike, chop wood, operate a tractor WITH the seatbelt on, or even take a shite and have a hearty wipe - all without the admittedly aforementioned meaty sidearm being in the way. as a matter of fact, the kenai holster makes the glock 20 quite comfortable to carry all day, especially for a young man. i used to do the same thing your son does (even had the dog (or two) to boot), and i would've loved to of had the setup that i'm giving my review on and that i use every day. as a matter of fact, i cannot sing enough praises for the functionality of the kenai holster for men and women who venture off the beaten path and who need a sidearm that is readily (i.e., quickly) available and yet out of the way for even the most arduous of tasks that a woodsman will encounter, like say, drawing down on an attacker with the quickness, or gathering firewood for carrying back to his camp site. i wore this exact setup for the better part of 5 hours this afternoon, and the immediate access and out-of-the-way convenience of having lots of gunpowder strapped to my chest gave/gives me peace of mind day in and day out. it also gives me one hell of a close quarters, 30 yard range whitetail brush gun as long as i practice with it.

speaking of practice, that's the only single downside that i can admit to in using a 10mm auto to kill booger bears with (because that's what guns are for right?): ammo can be pricey, but you can (could) find reasonably priced 10mm ammo to practice with (and lope them in once he gets good because the 10mm is a son of a bitch to dodge at longer yardages, relatively speaking for sidearms) and then follow up practicing with some heavy hitting field carry booger bear loads. the 10mm cartridge in glock 20 format paired with a tlr1 and kenai holster gives me confidence in the woods or not, and dammit, if i can't have confidence carrying a firearm then i don't want to carry it. it's like using a bass bait that gives you confidence: you just tend to hold your mouth right when you use it and catch more fish...or kill more bears...or delirious meth heads.

i work in the woods every day in varying conditions, and 99% of those days i'm carrying this exact setup. it is field proven for me. it is rugged. it does not require hours of meticulous maintenance and upkeep in order to work; because when a gun needs to work it needs to WORK, let alone a gun that lives its working life in the out-of-doors. it is by far the most practical, most no-nonsense, most simple and most ergonomic setup that i've found to date for a "one size kills all," yet out-of-the-way, yet functional, yet lightning fast, yet slobberknocking bad guy arse kicking field carry setup for all of north america. it is my version of the epitome of the word "utilitarian" when it comes to what you're looking for regarding your assumedly young(er) son's needs in owning and carrying a woodsman's sidearm. the glock 20 + tlr1 + kenai is one of my favorite work tools, as well as one of my favorite pieces of field gear that i've ever owned. ever. and i see no immediate reason to ever replace it. ever.

oh yeah and by the way did i mention that it'll kill the shite out of anything that needs killing? i did? well there's better news: you've got over a baker's dozen worth of rounds to kill "it" with, but if ounces matter to your son, like they do with so many other hikers the world over, your son can limit his magazine capacity by half and saves ounces' worth of weight and STILL have a sizeable arsenal on his person. he just needs to make sure to hit the cartel member, i mean the grizzly bear, center mass and real quick like since he only has 7 or 8 rounds, but the good news is that they'll be really really big rounds. really really powerful rounds. and he can get them sent downrange fast and in a hurry because he'll have a bright light to aim with in the dark woods and do it really really fast because the glock is quickly available in the kenai, and he will aim true and with balls of steel because he knows he's carrying a glock 20 and a streamlight in an extremely functional holster -all of which will work properly as long as he takes reasonably good care of them. it's a win-win-win, except for the bad guy.

Id recommend a 2 part gift. The 2 of you go to the range and try different guns. Would be fun. Wish I could still do it with my father. That's part 1

Then, buy the gun that he handles the best. That is the only correct answer to the question.

Regarding deals, sorry. Good luck. It's definitely a seller's market.

FNX-45 for the win. Put it on a thigh rig with a quality belt and the weight won't be an issue.

If weight is not an issue, he should just bring his rifle.