I would go with a revolver of some sort at least in .357Magnum. Taurus makes an excellent line of quality, low cost revolvers. I believe they are called the Trackers, I may be wrong. 5 or 6 shot .357 should be well within your price range and a 4" barrel is easily less than 3lbs.

actually they come in .17 (probably not the best caliber for the job), .41Magnum, .44Magnum, and .410/.45LongColt. I would think a .44Spl would do the job just fine, easy on recoil too. Here's a link: http://www.taurususa.com/products/pr...egory=Revolver
MSRP is $584 weight is 34oz with a 4"barrel.

I would go with one of Smiths large Scandium revovers. They come in .357, .41, and 44. very light, a little rough to shoot but a good pack gun.

I have an old Charter Arms Bulldog that has worked well when climbing, hiking,anfd rafting.

You can get a Ruger Redhawk for about $680 in .44mag at the gun shows around here. That's brand new in the box. You can get used S&W's for about $500 and up. I wouldn't want anything less than a .44mag if I was in grizz country. Wolfs can be taken out with a .38spl. Good luck.

go with a Glock 29 10mm or you can go with the full size Glock 20 10mm. 10mm is = to .41mag

Originally Posted by matt8rossi

With the recent rise in wolf population in Idaho i am looking to purchase a light weight handgun for wolf encounters.

Yeah, 'cause wolves attacking humans has become such a problem...

Ruger Redhawk with a 4" bbl should be more than enough and is built to last as long as you are able to walk. The S&W scandium are much lighter but the recoil can be brutal when practicing. They are both in 44 Mag.

As far as your reason for purchasing hey any reason is a good one to buy a new gun.

Originally Posted by TerryP

As far as your reason for purchasing hey any reason is a good one to buy a new gun.

+1

The wolf story worked on my wife so I am stiking with it.: smt023

Thanks for the advice. I see a lot of guns with smaller barrels then 4". I fiqured a 4" was about the right size for both light weight and higher accuracy. What does everyone else think?

sounds like a winner, it still comes down to what you are comfortable with. It doesn't matter how big of a gun it is if you miss the target.

Originally Posted by viper101

go with a Glock 29 10mm or you can go with the full size Glock 20 10mm. 10mm is = to .41mag

Plus 1......better to have a 10mm or larger caliber in bear country.

any 357 mag and practice with the light 38 spls
a lot of choices in weight and barrell length and a wide range of ballstic choices

for a pistol - for less than $700 i'd go Glock with 357 sig, 9mm or 45acp