My Conundrum!
I’m thinking I really need a Ruger Alaskan .44mag with the 2-1/2 inch barrel for hiking in bear country. It turns out there’s one in the immediate family that I’m free to borrow and see how I like it! Problem is... I have to use my own ammo to try it out.
With the limited availability of 44mag here, exactly how picky do I want to be? Realistically I’d shoot a couple boxes to get a feel for it. But... A COUPLE BOXES!!??? That’s like asking to give up my eldest son.
So, do I buy one and hope I love it? Do arranged marriages work?
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Take the time to try it out. I owned one for a while and while it was comfortable to shoot, I ultimately settled on a 4" redhawk
with express sights. to me the balance feels better and the slightly longer sight plane seemed to help as well. You will really
appreciate the grip on the super when you stoke it with a good 300g+ hard cast.
Enjoy whatever feels best and please avoid becoming bear scat for all of our sakes!
I truly enjoy what you write.
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Just buy it, she'll be sweet! I want a 4" S&W Mountain Gun, myself.
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I had lunch with my son-in-law and he recommended a Glock 20. He said the 10mm rounds pack a wallop and I'd have 15 of them to work with instead of 6. So I looked up a chart and I see muzzle energies as follows:
.44mag heavy load 1333 ft.lbf
.357mag 757 ft.lbf
10mm 728 ft.lbf
Of course my best answer is the 12ga. But I want something I'll habitually carry, not have to remind myself to bring because it's a big heavy fricken boat anchor hanging around my neck.
Looks like the .44mag is still my friend.
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44 mags are fun!
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a .44 mag out of a short barrel might do 800 ft pds.
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Interesting site for you...
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Start reloading. Its about the only way to shoot in any quainity today and even then components are hard to come by sometimes.
I think if I lived where you do I would go with the G20.
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I would also shoot that G20 with the heavy stuff the 2 that I had didn't like it first one would key hole anything over 200 grains and the second one didn't like to feed the underwood or buffalo bore ammo which is the ammo I would be picking for bear.
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I like my Alaskan very much, but it is not the most accurate (probably more me than the gun). I do much better at targets with my longer barrel SBH's but the Alaskan's Hogue grip is much nicer to hold... I would definitely suggest you try it out some first, and if you are gonna be shooting at a bear, how close you gonna be? A longer barrel may be your friend unless you plan on being real close to that bear...my 2 cents as a current owner of one... ymmv...
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If you need to stop a bear power helps. Your sidearm is for your last stand if you are using it on a bear the situation is serious with significant injury or death being the price of failure . Sidearms simply do not have the power of a long gun but may be all we have in a situation. Given that why would you purposely buy a sidearm with less power? Of course there is only so much power one can handle in a sidearm so there are limits in both accuracy and physical ability.
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I'm thinking longer barrel means an extra second to clear the holster. When you hear leaves rustle and branches break, start drawing it. Don't even hesitate.
I was looking last night... hello Super Alaskan Casull 454! My new best friend? And that's about the only ammo they have down at Cabelas over the last year.
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Why not S&W 500. 500 grains of a hard cast sledge hammer would stop anything on this planet, but then you have to be able to hit the target.
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I'd also recommend the Redhawk 4"
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Go with something in 10 mm instead. A lot of Alaskan guides have switched from 44 mag to that.
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Well well well... what's this? They make a S&W500 with a 2-3/4" barrel? Yes please!
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Good advice, my son-in-law mentioned getting a bit of crud in the wrong spot on my 1911 or one of my revolvers, rendering it unusable ... possibly when I need it most. He says the Big Plastic doesn't suffer from the same sensitivity?
15 rounds instead of 6 does sound appealing.
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..." A longer barrel may be your friend unless you plan on being real close to that bear..."
...My thought exactly...
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If I was going to get a X frame Smith it would be the 460 it will also shoot 454 casull and 45 colt
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Can't tell if the had cannon is ported. My son has one with a 8 inch barrel ported.
Death ray ain't the word. He shoots a 300 grain JHP Hornady.
I imagine if you could smell Yogi's picnick breath you would never notice the recoil.
Should not to have to worry about a second or third shot unless the beasties travel in pairs.
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savage170: 31149997176091/comments/31149962055707
If I was going to get a X frame Smith it would be the 460 it will also shoot 454 casull and 45 colt
There now, see THAT is the kind of information I’m looking for. Perfect. Thanks!
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Butchdog2 that’s the whole idea behind the snub nose rascal. I am rarely surprised by a bear but once in awhile one will pop up and I had no idea he was there. Last time it happened he was 20’ away. If he’s far enough away then my usual .44mag is fine. Unsnap it as I back away. But if I blundered into his comfort zone, I need something I can pull quickly and generally point in his direction hoping he doesn’t charge. That close, my field of fire is 10 to 15 degrees wide and I’ll hit something vital without aiming. So the snub nose is more than adequate.
Porting on a barrel this short? I saw one last night, 2-3/4 inch barrel with 8 ports extending back to the frame. I mean, what’s the point? Why not shoot an unported .357mag instead?
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Your fellow Alaskan Phil Shoemaker killed one with a 9mm 147 grain hardcast.
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Bears are SO unpredictable, they’re like big cats. Curious and cautious most of the time, other times they just want to stalk and hunt.
Hah, I’m watching a bear right now, big blackie just poked his head out right across the river on the hillside just moving along curiously poking around.
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I have a Ruger in 454. A lot more power than a 44 mag but you can step it down to hot 45 colt loads or 45 colt +P if needed and still be packing 44 mag power. Mine has a 7 1/2" barrel and is accurate enough to hunt with, actually it's very accurate and I've killed several deer with it. I bought it when I thought I was going to be spending some years in Alaska. As life turned I didn't get to do that. Mine is heavy enough and I am not interested in carrying a larger revolver such as a 460 or 500. Another cartridge to consider if the 454 recoil is an issue is the 480 Ruger, more power than the 44 mag but less recoil than the 454.
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A bit more barrel length is the best way to increase the on-target power level. Plus it will be more comfortable to shoot, leading to increased practice. Don't kid yourself that any revolver cartridge is a guaranteed stopper. Multiple hits on target will likely be needed.
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Griz killed a woman in MT. It was a 400# Griz and it pulled her out of a tent, killed her and was run off by others who used bear spray on it. The Bear was not found later in a search of the area.
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"Multiple hits on target" is what I'm thinking about. My .44mag delivers almost 2x the muzzle energy of the .357mag at 10, 20, 30 yards and I know I could get multiple hits with the .357 and probably get multiples with the .44 double action. Most of the reviews I've seen for the .454 and .460 say the recoil is so ferocious the recovery time is orders of magnitude longer than even a .44mag and that means one shot on target, if I'm lucky.
So 3 hits out of a .357mag at 500-ish ft.lbf energy or two out of a .44mag at 900=ish or maybe one hit out of a .454 at 1900 ft-lbf is the decision.
Sounds like the .44mag is my keeper.
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Nanuq907: 31149997176091/comments/
"Multiple hits on target" is what I'm thinking about. My .44mag delivers almost 2x the muzzle energy of the .357mag at 10, 20, 30 yards and I know I could get multiple hits with the .357 and probably get multiples with the .44 double action. Most of the reviews I've seen for the .454 and .460 say the recoil is so ferocious the recovery time is orders of magnitude longer than even a .44mag and that means one shot on target, if I'm lucky.
So 3 hits out of a .357mag at 500-ish ft.lbf energy or two out of a .44mag at 900=ish or maybe one hit out of a .454 at 1900 ft-lbf is the decision.
Sounds like the .44mag is my keeper.
I think you made a good decision!!! 👌
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Thanks to all the wiser heads here chiming in with opinions!
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Nanuq907: 31149997176091/comments/
"Multiple hits on target" is what I'm thinking about. My .44mag delivers almost 2x the muzzle energy of the .357mag at 10, 20, 30 yards and I know I could get multiple hits with the .357 and probably get multiples with the .44 double action. Most of the reviews I've seen for the .454 and .460 say the recoil is so ferocious the recovery time is orders of magnitude longer than even a .44mag and that means one shot on target, if I'm lucky.
So 3 hits out of a .357mag at 500-ish ft.lbf energy or two out of a .44mag at 900=ish or maybe one hit out of a .454 at 1900 ft-lbf is the decision.
Sounds like the .44mag is my keeper.
Now do that comparison with 10 rounds of 10mm +P vs 44 mag.
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