Apestate,

Welcome to TLB. Lot's of interesting questions you have here. I am a huge fan of the .45 Auto and the Colt 1911 in particular. The PA GAP you've mentioned here looks nice for a backpack firearm. As I mentioned earlier in this thread I prefer to carry a small S&W snub nose revolver to anything else, but my second choice is similar to the GAP. I have an older Colt M1911 Lightweight Commander, in .45acp. I think it weighs somewhere around 27 oz, but I'm sure the weight changes dramatically when you add seven rounds of 185gr shells. It's kind of an older and larger version of the GAP, minus the more modern enhancements such as the bobbed hammer and DA action, and it uses an alumnium frame, as opposed to steel. These 1911-style handguns fit perfectly on my waist when using a backpack without a hip belt, and they seem to "nestle" there better than a revolver, at least for me.

I really like Glocks for what they are - an incredibly durable and function free semi-auto, but I've never cared for their larger, wider squared-off slide. I think they are safer than the 1911 design, though. If I carry my 1911 (which is rare these days) I always carry it unchambered. It doesn't make for a fast shot, but it takes less than two seconds to rack the slide and chamber a round.

Packable rifles - always an interesting topic, since I'm a hunter, too. My 1950's Winchester Model 94 30-30 fits perfectly on the side of my conventional packs, and it's 20" barrel doesn't stick out too high from the pack. It carries seven rounds in the tubular magazine so there is no need to carry extra shells or a separate magazine. My trouble is that my eyes aren't what they used to be so I have some difficulty with iron sights. I've been thinking of buying a Ruger Compact in 7mm-08, and topping it with a small Leupold scope. The Ruger weighs in at under 6 lbs without a scope, with a 16.5" barrel. You lose some velocity with the shorter barrel, but unless you're hunting at long distances I don't think this is much of a problem. I think there are several higher end custom rfiles that can be built for backpack carry, but for an off the shelf rifle, the Ruger Compact is pretty interesting.

link: http://www.centerfirecentral.com/productreviews/rugercompact.htm

Cliff