I may be in the minority here, but my favorite carrying gun in the woods is a S&W 657 with a 6 1/2" barrel. It's chambered in the .41 Remington Mag; my favorite bigger bore caliber.

I've been firing factory Buffalo Bore ammo (230 grain keith style bullets at 1430 fps) and factory Cor-Bon ammo (250 grain Keith style bullets at 1325 fps). For fun shooting, I use the standard fare of 175 grain or 210 grain factory loads.

This handgun with open sights is very accurate and carry's well for me as it is well-balanced.

This is the same as the 629, but the 657 has thicker cyclinder walls which greatly contributes to its strength and tightness over the years with heavier loads.

For a general, all-around, utility carry gun, I still like my S&W model 15 Combat Masterpiece in .38 Special and 4" barrel.