Back when the earth was young I was an investigator for the 82nd Abn Div MP Co.
I briefly served on the Atlanta Ga PD, I've done a little bounty hunting, and I was for several years the most active (probably, anyway) NRA Certified Handgun Instructor in WV. I grew up hunting; my first weeklong solo backpacking trip involved both a spinning rod and a Ruger 10/22. I've hiked from Jackson, Wy to Lander Wy alone, unsupported and without benefit of resupply. My eldest daughter outshot a sailor home on leave when she was 10. With a .45. I can go on. We all have to find what works for us; but I have some strong personal opinions on guns and backpacking and backpacking with guns.
.32 ACP is the second-most useless cartridge I know of. Forget kinetic energy (knockdown). Look at penetration. A.22 SHORT has better penetration. .32 ACP normally will not penetrate the skull from the front but slides along the outside of the skull. Ditto the heart. It can be stopped cold by belt buckles, books... probably hiking poles. Even given the psychological stopping power a gun has, I would rather have a KaBar than a .25, and it's certainly no better than a 50-50 proposition, in my opinion, .32 ACP vs Kabar.
Not to mention wild animals. .357 or .45 vs black bear? Oh, hell yeah. Either one will do the job nicely, given relatively good shot placement. I doubt even my ability to hit some other animals- coyotes, mountain lions, etc- in a fight, with a handgun, though; and I'm way better than most (I've won literally hundreds of local matches, a couple state titles, and one regional shoot). Gizzly vs. 44? Dream on. Maybe a .454 Casull in expert hands, or a .480. MAYBE. But there's something far more effective.
Oleo resin capsicum. Bear spray. It's effective on anything with eyeballs. You spray 'em, they go blind. Chipmunks to crackheads, instant nighttime. And its worse for predators, really, because many of them get at least as much info from their nose as from their eyes, and it shuts down their olfactory glands also. Point and shoot.
There are two problems with the spray- all weapons have limitations. You should if possible watch wind direction if you use bear spray. Thats normally not a problem in what many people fear the most- the attack of a predatory black bear. He will attack, usually, from downwind. The other problem is enclosed spaces. Which is why, in bear country, esp alone, I try to sleep in the open on the bare ground. I'll pitch a tarp in case it starts raining, and I have a bugnet deal if I have to use it. But never- never- all enclose in some single-wall tent or such taht have multiple layers of cloth and zippers between me and whats trying to kill me. I want to be able to fight back. I have adhesive-backed velcro on my bear spray. When I go to sleep I wrap an ace bandage around my chest, over any clothes I'm wearing to bed. Next a 10" strip of double-sided velcro goes under/around the ace bandage. Instant "holster". It may sound uncomfortable, but it really isn't unless you sleep on your stomach, which I never do.
But there are times I want a gun, too; especially hitching back to my car. I carry a NAA Black Widow in .22 Magnum. The cartridge has amazing flexibility, as much stopping power as a .38 Special, and better penetration (with solid copper rounds). I carry snake shot on the trail, usually, and <ahem> poach the occasional grouse, rabbit, and snake. I carry hollowpoints hitching, with the gun secured to a sturdy necklace, barrel up, under my shirt (the little SA revolver has some utterly unique characteristics that make this a safe carry imo). Finally, I sleep with solids in it, because... well, just because I do, I guess <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />
It weighs less than 9 oz and can safely carry 5 rounds. You can find it here.