Cosmoline
Member
There are a lot of Ruger Alaskans and SRH's around here, along with a wide array of .44 Magnums. They're very very common. It's much easier to get a nice .44 Mag bear revolver than it is to find reasonably priced ammo for it.
But I found my SRH .44 to be too brickish and slow. It carried heavy and drew heavy. You'd need to put some long hours into practicing before getting good with those ergonomics, particularly with the oddly short and thick barrel. A Redhawk is better IMHO.
25 oz scandium for BEAR loads? Ouch!
The one all-important rule about handguns for bears is you MUST practice practice practice, then practice some more. You have to be a very good shot with your revolver firing full powered hardcast slugs. That means you must practice with those loads over and over again. Just throwing some light thing in the bag assuming you'll suddenly be a marksman with it when the time comes is not a plan for success. You truly would be much better off with only bear spray in that situation. Local bear encounter reports around here are full of incidents where hikers or fishermen armed with big magnums draw fast and hit nothing. Thankfully they don't usually get mauled, but if the bear had wanted to it could certainly have done so.
Personally the only handgun I carry is the Security Six loaded with 180 or 200 grainers. I've put many thousands of rounds downrange with that revolver and tens of thousands with similar Sixes. So in a pinch I have confidence I could at least hit something. Though my first choice is the .450 Marlin, assuming I can't exit stage right.
But I found my SRH .44 to be too brickish and slow. It carried heavy and drew heavy. You'd need to put some long hours into practicing before getting good with those ergonomics, particularly with the oddly short and thick barrel. A Redhawk is better IMHO.
Smith and wesson 629pd. 44 magnum, scandium frame, 25ish oz.
25 oz scandium for BEAR loads? Ouch!
The one all-important rule about handguns for bears is you MUST practice practice practice, then practice some more. You have to be a very good shot with your revolver firing full powered hardcast slugs. That means you must practice with those loads over and over again. Just throwing some light thing in the bag assuming you'll suddenly be a marksman with it when the time comes is not a plan for success. You truly would be much better off with only bear spray in that situation. Local bear encounter reports around here are full of incidents where hikers or fishermen armed with big magnums draw fast and hit nothing. Thankfully they don't usually get mauled, but if the bear had wanted to it could certainly have done so.
Personally the only handgun I carry is the Security Six loaded with 180 or 200 grainers. I've put many thousands of rounds downrange with that revolver and tens of thousands with similar Sixes. So in a pinch I have confidence I could at least hit something. Though my first choice is the .450 Marlin, assuming I can't exit stage right.
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