.44 mag Alaskan=silly

Curious what your response is gonna be when you find out the Alaskan originated as a 454/480 and the 44 was a recent after thought.

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That's just what I mean, actually. People want the .44 when it really isn't the best choice but they give 'em what they want.

You wouldn't choose a .44 mag if you were going out to hunt a big brown bear

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Many have. People use ARROWS as well. Heck one of the most successful hunters on Kodiak back when the bruins were REALLY big never used anything bigger than a .30-30. He killed 40 some odd bears at close range before he finally got killed. Take it back even further and the big griz were driven out of the lower 48 with low pressure black powder rifles. They're not T-Rex, but it seems odd that the further people get from them the bigger the cartridge they assume you need to kill one. Out in the bush a lot of subsistence hunters who run into griz all the time use nothing more than a Mini-14. Guides insist on the .375 H&H at a minimum because they are covering their hindends and assume for liability purposes that the clients (who are almost all from outside) are going to be poor shots. The Alaska court system is way more scary than any bear, and the last thing some guide needs is to get sued by an idiot client who claims his OK of the .30'06 caused his injuries.

Silly?
I don't care what you think. I want one.

That may be the best answer yet.

That may be the best answer yet.

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Last year I ask a Ruger Rep., "Why did you come out with such a worthless, stupid gun?"

He answered, "Because we are in business to sell guns, and they are selling like hotcakes - mostly where the bears aren't."

Don't anyone fool themselves about the difference between what will kill a big brown bear (hunting) and what will keep a big brown bear from killing you (defense). The two are ENTIRELY separate matters. A big bear can cover 50 yards in about 2 seconds and kill you much faster than that AFTER you put a hardcast bullet through his heart. The only real way to stop a big bear that is intend on harming you is (1) with a CNS shot, or (2) do so much tissue and bone crushing damage that you make the bruin stop or turn long enough to finsih him off. While the big bears have been successfully hunted with the 22lr, 44, 30-30, bows, etc., none of those are reliable options for defense. Also don't kid yourself that a 500 S&W, 454 or ANY other handgun is reliable defense against big bears. NO HANDGUN IS RELIABLE DEFENSE AGAINST BIG BEARS, although some are reliable killing (hunting) weapons.
Lichen said

You would choose a weapon that you could be confident with as a weapon capable of stopping that man-killer in his tracks, boom, dead, just like that.

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Under that definition, weapons start at 375H&H and even that is not 100%

Has life been saved with a 44 and other handguns against a big bear? Yes, and those guys were glad they had handguns because their rifles were not there when they needed them. Have much more powerful arms failed often enough to make one think twice about carrying ANY handgun as a primary defense against big bears? YES, 1000 TIMES YES !!!!!

So any handgun from 500S&W on down is a last ditch, last line of defense option. They should NEVER be first line of defense if you are serious about survivng an encounter with a hostile brown bear. AK game and fish used to talk about 1 out of 100 bears will attack you and maybe 1 out of 1000 will eat you. The only problem is the bears don't wear numbers so you never know if you will run into number 1-99 which will just run away when it smells you (Cosmo this was not directed at you in any shape form or fashion ), or if your first encounter will be with number 100 who will attack you, or if you third encounter will be with number 1000 who will simply eat you if it ever sees you unless you have the means to stop it. Journeying into big bear territory is a bit like Russian roulette. You might pull the trigger all your life and never get hurt, or you might get your brains blown out the first time.

Where danger to life is concerned I fall WAY over in the "better safe than sorry" column whether you are talking about wearing seat belts, rockclimbing protection, or fishing in AK. REDUNDANT safety is ALWAYS a MUST for situations where fatality is a possibility. So if I EVER get to AK, I will have a long gun capable of sorting out the situation with one well placed shot (or go with someone who does) AND, NOT OR BUT AND, the biggest handgun I can fire accurately. For some people that is a 44mag and that is why the 44 Ruger Alaskan is not silly.

For some say they cannot afford a big enough gun. Is that going to make any difference at all to a hungry bear? Of course not, you will taste the same to him regardless of how poor you are.

Can a 44 save your life? MAYBE, BIG MAYBE.

Is a maybe better that a sharp stick or no stick at all? About 1000 times* better.

Is a 500 S&W better than a 44 assuming you can fire both accurately? Probably 2 or 3 times as good, maybe 10 times* as good. Is a 375 H&H better than any handgun? Yep, probably 1000 times*.

Will a howitzer save you from a bear? Only if you can hit him with it.

*(all these "10 times" and "1000 times" statements are exact statistical figures worked out from exhaustive research by the Roll Tide Arm Chair Bear Defense And Auto Body Service)

Don't loose sight of reality in all this internet banter we like to engage in, and always do your best to come home alive. Mostly that will invovle using your best defensive weapon which lies right between your ears. You and your loved ones deserve nothing less than your best in that regard..

Roll Tide

I would agree that any handgun is a poor choice as a primary arm if one is seriously considering defending themselves against a bear attack. But if or when someone is considering a handgun for that purpose it would be wise to remember that as the barrel is shortened, velocity decreases – and it is velocity that (hopefully) drives the bullet to a vital organ. Thus it would seem to be poor judgment to pick a revolver with a 2 ½ inch one when longer lengths are available.

The .44 Magnum Redhawk is available with in 4, 5 ½ and 7 ½ inch barrel lengths. The Super Redhawk in 44 Magnum, .454 Casull and .480 Ruger has a standard length of 7 ½ inches, but a custom gunsmith can shorten it to any length going backwards to the Alaskan’s 2 ½ inches.

A length around 5 ½ inches is still reasonable to pack – especially considering the circumstances - and offers substantially more performance where it counts.

It may be said that the larger gun is more inconvenient to carry, but it won’t seem so if it’s needed.

I was looking at the guns at the local hardware store a few days ago, and I thought they had --at first glance--a really big, bad-ass revolver. It's a stainless Ruger .44 mag Alaskan gun. The frame is huge, almost like the S&W X-frame, and it's billed as 'Alaskan', with about 3" of barrel.

Why make such a pop-gun?

Like someone else here said, .44 Mags are for kids.

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So somehow the original post goes from calling the Alaskan .44 (with a 2 1\2 inch barrel, BTW) a silly pop gun for kids to why it's not the right choice for brown bear? Hell, no hand gun is the right choice for a BLACK bear, let alone a brownie! But back to the original message of this thread. I own an Alaskan .44 silly pop gun for kids (soon to be two). Why, you ask? Because I enjoy shooting it, for much the same reason as anyone, including you, Lichen, enjoys shooting any caliber of gun they own. And it is a bad ass gun. I could counter that your choice of the .460 is just an extention of your machoness, but THAT seems a little silly, doesn't it? Sorry that I'm not a manly man in your eyes. You just keep on pushing the envelope and shooting those hot loads. I'll be at the other end of the range appreciating and shooting my guns of choice. Just try not to hurt any shooters that might be near you when your gun blows up. Now THAT would be silly, no?

Peace and God bless, Wolfsong.

.44 for bears

Well, I do live in grizzly country. My neighbor had one on his porch last october. Not only do I live with griz, but I spent six years guiding 21 day expeditions in the Bob Marshall wilderness, Yellowstone Park, and in a vast roadless area south of Glacier National Park known as the Badger/Two Medicine. I've had eleven close encounters with Ursus Horribilous (griz) and more black bear "face time" than memory serves. Every September, I chase wapiti with a recurve, a time of year when Montana bruins are on the move 24/7 looking for something to eat. In October (and then again in the spring), I go black bear hunting until the whitetail season opens. I've arrowed two bruins with my recurve, and sent four others to that great huckelberry patch in the sky with an -06. Yes, I have an opinion on bear protection and what it take to put 'em down.

The best protection in bear country is mind set. I learned this not from the bears, as I only felt mildly threatened on one occasion, and that was because of the way a griz "eye-balled" me before running away. I learned the mind set from a mountain lion crouched on the trail waiting for me one April afternoon as I was bowhunting blackies. Given that I'm 6'5", 245lbs, the cat changed his mind about the time I noticed him ten feet ahead of me and slighty above eye level as I was ascending a hillside. It's a damned good thing (for me) that the tom changed his mind, because the 44 on my hip wouldn't have done me a lick of good if he'd decided to pounce instead of walking away. I stopped carrying a sidearm for several years because that cat made me realize the chunk of metal on my hip had lulled me into a false sense of security. My senses needed to be resharpened, and the only way to do that was to rely on them instead of firepower. My account of the incident was published in Bowhunter magazine during the spring of 96.

The areas I archery elk hunt have become exceedingly wild over the years, and last autumn I had a long-distance encounter on the continental divide with the largest Grizzly I've ever seen. His presense some 400 yards across the open basin was enough to convince me not to shoot a nice bull that wondered across the trail in front of me at 15 yards just 30 seconds after I spotted the bear. Didn't feel like arguing with him over the meal that night.

That bear also let me know it was time to buy another 44 (stainless redhawk, 5 1/2") A heavy gun by comparison, but so what. Heavy is relative to attitude only. Your wilderness experience should hurt a bit--that's all part of the reward. But let me step right back down from my soap box and get to my point. My extensive backcountry experience, training, and research has left me with no delusions of grandure as to the stopping power of a sidearms when it comes to bears of any stripe. A systematic analysis of bear attacks in Alaska concluded that 90 % of people who pulled the trigger on a handgun during a bear attack died! Rather sobering, isn't it. Conversly, the vast majority of victims who didn't use a sidearm survived. Facts are facts.

So why have I gone back to "packin'?" Because I know what I need to know, and am confident in my mind set. By necessity I've learned to read a bear's body language, how to "guess well" as to whether or not a charge is preditory, defensive, or bluff. I know what areas bears concentrate in at given times of year, and most importantly how to keep my head out of my ass while walking through those areas smelling and sounding like an elk. I also view pulling the trigger as a last resort. My revolver carries a full belly of Buffalo Bore 340 grain hard cast rounds in front of enough powder to push them at 1402 fps from the 5 1/2 barrel. I'll never put a firing pin to them during an attack unless the wobble of the front sight no longer exceeds the distance between a bear's eyes, and I'm convinced there are no other options. Surely most of the 90% who died in Alaska did so either because they panicked, or overestimated their shooting ability, or a combination thereof. The sidearm MUST be considered a last and worst option. Moreoever, I have a great deal more faith in the can of pepper spray I also carry (except on windy days). The spray has a proven track record, certainly more so than any handgun configuration or caliber.

So there you have it. My twelve cents. All those days and nights in bear country have revealed to me a distinct protocol for self-preservation. Knowledge of animal behavior. Mind set. Only pull the trigger when all other options have passed, and then do so with the brutal intent of a wild animal fighting for its life, because you are. At that moment, it's time to kill the bear with extreme prejudice, and anybody who believes a 44 with the proper loads isn't up to the task is...well...silly. A casual scan of the photographs of cape buffalo taken with Buffalo Bore 44's should quiet the adequacy question. The gun can do it. The real question is can you?

Ah yes, one more thing. Somebody mentioned the potential damage done to our bodies by 100s of rounds of practice with heavy loads. It cannot be denied. I know a thing or two about this as well. As a strength coach I've trained three teenaged state champion powerlifters in the last few years. Repetitive motion injuries and high impact-related injuries are always a concern. Down time and periods of reduced intensity are the key to staying injury free. I've tried, mostly in vane, to convince my archery buddies that it isn't a good idea to shoot an 80lb recurve year-round. Sadly, they're bow-bending addicts. (I'm a recoverying one) Funny thing is, as we get older, more and more of them go under the knife for shoulder repair while I'm still a bendin' and a grinnin'. I force myself to take two full months off from the bow every winter. I then start up again in the spring with a mild draw weight and work up to my hunting weight of 73lbs. And I limit my shooting to three days a week with at least a day between. I swear I'm more accurate than the guys who do it every day. So the African PH mentioned above whose routine is to shoot mild rifles for practive during the off season is perfect. Any big bore handgunner would do well to invest in a 22 for plinking, do most of his/her big bore practice with light loads, and shoot the really big stuff only enough to achieve confidence.

I'm sure many LEO's in backcountry USA like to have a highly packable anti-material weapon nearby. More for cars than bears.

Interesting thread. Lots of real experience being spoken.

As far as not practicing lots means inproficiency with a pistol, that is balderdash. If one is familiar with the gun, uses reduced power loads to know the gun and gain proficiency with it, then the only rounds of actual ammo one needs to shoot is enough to know its POI and its recoil/blast characteristics, and to verify shooting competence with the full power load. If the shooter is proficient, the experience shooting the load will leave an impression with the shooter. Been there, done that, with 475 Linbaugh Ruger.

Anyone who refers to the 44 Mag being for kids doesn't know or understand the cartridge. It does sound like a bit of machoism.

And using the rifle power requirements, if you have the rifle on the trip and can't get to it, then it doesn't matter what if the handgun is 44 Mag through the 500's. It is still going to be one's head and heart that will get the

Just remember to file the front sight off of your handgun!

As to the lesser caliber practice comments... I have improved my marksmanship remarkably by shooting .22 pistols and rifles. Much more so than just shooting my usual calibers. If we approach our marksmanship humbly and know we can do better, and practice, practice, practice, we are better shooters for it.

Myself, my folks have 7 bears in the valley, and they are sometimes encountered at dusk by the creek in the orchard. They used to eat the honey, so the bees had to go years ago. Sometimes they come up to the house and push on the doors. From the roof rubber buckshot in the back keeps them away for good. While wandering around a .44 mag and a 12 ga are the usual. Not optimal, but there has never been an attack, they always run off. Still... You use what you can. We bring dogs, because mountain lions are the real threat, and very aggressive. Those suckers will be on you before you even know they are there. Mindset is key...

... .44 Mags are for kids.

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Rather cute given I have yet to see "kids" shooting .44 Magnums at my local range.

I've read this entier thread and there are so many comments that need to be made, that I could spend all day typing and that aint going to happen.

First, having killed dozens of bears, some of them grizzlies, I have some thoughts.

Black bears and grizzlies are not the same critters. Black bears can be detoured with a little pain or noise. Grizzlies (normally, but not always) require death to be detoured. A griz has a different motivation than a black bear, hence the grizzly is much harder to stop.

240gr. jacketed bullets are the absolute wrong choice for bear killing, when using a 44 mag., unless we are talking smallish black bears. A good 300gr. hard cast bullet that really penetrates is the only useful choice in 44, if you want to kill a grizzly bear, but as noted above, with black bears, you dont need to kill them to stop their aggression. Buffalo Bore Ammo makes a 340gr. +P+ 44 mag. load. That bullet is going 1,400 fps out of my 5.5 inch Redhawk and is moving roughly 1200+ fps out of the Alaskan version of the Redhawk. Not all 44 ammo is created equally. That 340gr. load, which shoots great out of any version of the Redhawk, including the Alaskan, will traverse through several feet of bear, including its skull or shoulder bones.

For grizzly protection, I prefer a good rifle, but since it is not handy to always carry a rifle, a good 454 in an FA revolver, 475, or 500 Linebaugh (in a Ruger conversion) is fairly light weight and very effective. A few rounds per week fired for practice is very effective in developing decent skill and maintaining that skill. I lost track of how many bear and other critters I've killed with my 500 Linebaughs, but my carry load in griz county is a 440gr. hard cast bullet at roughly 1350 fps out of a 5.5 or 6 inch barrel and that load works, I promise.

A 44 mag. or a 454 or any revolver or rifle is only as effective as the ammo you feed it. So when folks start talking about 44 this or 44 that, without discussing the particular load, they have no idea what they are really talking about. Pick your particular ammo/load for the particluar need at hand. Doing it any onther way is pure hooey.

good point

I carry hot 300 gr loads in my .44 levergun and revolver. I often carry a .454 levergun, and it has some very hot 300 gr bullets, over 2100 fps. Now that I have a .450 I should be seeing some real penetration improvement!

I’m sure that a 44 magnum will offer a good measure of defense for the man that knows how to use it well. Once while hunting in Wyoming, a Grizzly bear surprised me and I quickly placed a shot in her left shoulder that set her rolling over and away from me. I them made a follow up shot into the heart/lung area at about 20 yards distance. The bear died quickly and the rest of my trip was ruined because I had to be questioned by game management.

I was hunting mule deer with a 7mm magnum; that would have also done the job if I had seen the bear further off. As it was, the revolver was the best defense. I agree that a 454 or 480 might have given me an extra margin of safety, but I have always owned the 44 magnum and trust it well. The main thing is to keep a cool head and shoot with deliberation. If you have thought this all through, you are likely to have the forethought to use the right bullet

I've read all three pages of this thread and although I wouldn't buy this particular revolver myself, I can see how someone would want to buy one if they lived in Alaska or Canada. The point is that this revolver isn't to go hunting Grizzly Bears and Black Bears with, it's to try and stop them if they happen attack you and you don't have anything else with you. It's for a very specific purpose, one that most people don't have to worry about. I sure don't anyway.

As far as the .44 Mag being a kids gun, I have to disagree. Although more powerful rounds exist now, it's hardly a kids gun. For a number of years it was THE most powerful handgun in the world, hence the lines from the movie "Dirty Harry" with Clint Eastwood. The .44 Mag makes a pretty good deer and hog cartridge for both lever action rifles and for handgun hunters. It's the most common big bore round out there. The .454, the .460, the .480 and the .500 S&W may exist now, but they aren't really common in the same way that the .44 Mag is.

If I went to Alaska I would probably want to carry a 4 inch S&W Mountain Gun in .44 Mag or a S&W model 629 with a 5 or 6 inch barrel for a little more velocity myself, I'd put up with the extra weight for the extra velocity. I wouldn't feel under armed with that at my side. It wouldn't be what I'd take to actually go hunt Grizzly Bears with (then I'd take maybe a .338 Win Mag or a .375 H&H), but I'd feel that I'd have a much better chance with something that was pretty powerful that I could actually afford to practice with and that was actually enjoyable to shoot than something that I'd only fired 20 rounds in. It would be what I had at all times up there instead of actually taking on a planned hunt. You can't take a bolt action rifle with you everywhere you go, even in Alaska. Maybe the OP feels that this is a popgun for kids, if he feels this way, he should but something bigger for himself.

That would be my take on it anyway.

I sold a NIB Ruger "Redhawk" Alaskan with 2.5" barrel in .454 Casull last Friday
(23 March '07) for $649.88 + 9% sales tax~!

I own one just because it's the coolest looking big bore revolver around.
Everyone will not agree but it's not their money. It's mine.
It did bruise the crap outa my hand after only 12 rounds. I'm hopin I can build up some resistance or someones going to get a heack of a deal on it.

Bear Revolvers

I'd like to hear more from Sundles. Sounds like you know what you're talking about. Are you a guide and or resident of Alaska? Tell us more about that 500 L of yours. What frame is it built on? How much does it weigh? Even though my previous posting probably made me sound like a dyed-in-the-wool 44 man, which is close to the truth, I actually have a good deal or respect for the 454. My only experience with that caliber was in the Super Redhawk. A great gun, but I felt it was a little too big and clumsy for all-day trecks over the continental divide. How often do you carry your sidearm on the trail?

"A rifle is always better." Truer words have yet to be spoken (at least in this thread.) Yet, a handgun is more practical in certain situations.

I have had two personal encounters with bears. And, a few thoughts.

The first was in Yellowstone Park. We were camped at Fishing Bridge and went walking toward the lake. Out of nowhere, we noticed a knee-high, Black bear cub about 50 feet in front of us. We froze. The bear looked at us, grunted a few times and charged. When it was about eight feet from us, it stopped and grunted a few more times. Then turned and ambled away.

We were unarmed, except for a sheath knife. In the instant of the charge, I can't say that I even remembered I had a sheath knife. We were totally unprepared. Mentally and physically. One of the earlier posts from Bear Hunter mentioned 'mindset.' I think he hit it right on. Bears were the farthest thing from out minds, even in the face of one. And it happened SO FAST and WITHOUT WARNING.

Three points from this are to be remembered. Unexpected, Unprepared and Like Lightning it appeared.

The second was in Glacier National Park. We were tent camping and I had brought along a S&W 4" Model 58 in .41 Mag. I was frying bacon on the Coleman stove at one end of a picnic table. I looked up and low-and-behold, at the other end of the table was a cinnamon/brown Black bear having a sniffing ectasy on the bacon smells. It was big enough to be shoulder-high even with the top of the table. Out of nowhere, again! The .41 was in my backpack which was in the tent. After more sniffing, the bear ambled off.

Three points to be remembered. Unexpected, Unprepared and Like Lightning it appeared.

This year, we are planning a trip into the Beartooth Mts of Montana/Wyoming. Grizzlies are known there. What will we do? Jingle bells on the boots, for sure. A 'big' gun? For sure. Constant searching and wariness, for sure.

Which gun? We have a bunch. 380, 2 .38 snubbies, a 6" 357 King Cobra, a 45 Colt Gov't, that same .41 and a heavily loaded (I handload) 6" 45 Colt Anaconda. I'm thinking she'll be carrying the 41 and me the 45 Colt--holstered. I also own a Mod 70 375 H&H Safari Classic, but thoughts of a 10 pound 'scoped walking stick have little appeal.

What have I learned from my experiences? Be mentally prepared, if I can. Have a big, powerful gun at the ready. And hope like hell I do the right thing if the situation occurs.

As per the original post, a 44 Mag is a lot better than no gun at all. And, a short barreled one is a lot more wieldy than a long barreled one in close spaces. Imagine the 44 is in your sleeping bag with you and the bear is dragging you and your sleeping bag off into the woods. The short barrel would come in handy. And, if the 44 mag is not in your sleeping bag with you, then the bear is dragging you and your sleeping bag off without it---which is a lot like frying bacon with the gun in the pack in the tent.

Remember the 'Like Lightning' part.

Bear Hunter,

No I'm not a guide, but I used to Hunt Alaska for grizzly every year. Some times twice a year. Always looking for 10ft + bear. Hunted black bear in AK too.

Most of my bear hunting has been done in Idaho. Not only did I normally kill a bear every year, but I took several people a year bear hunting and nearly all of them took bear every time I took them.

When I first went into the ammunition manufacturing business, I gave free ammo to several bear guides in the Salmon, ID area. Then, I would accompany them on thier clients bear hunts and watch the shooting and do a basic autopsy. I saw many a bullet hole in many a bear. Learned a lot over the years.

I have several 500 and 475 Linebaughs revolvers made on Ruger Bisley frames, although most of them are not made by Linebaugh, a few of them are. Been shooting 500 Linebaughs since 1986 and have a serial no. 2 blue and a serial no. 2 stainless 500, made by John Linebaugh. 6 inch Bisley conversions normally weigh around 47 OZ.

I always carry a revolver while on the trail. Normally a 500, but not always.

Love the 454 Casull, but I would not own a clunky/heavy Redhawk in 454. I own several Freedom Arms 454's and 475's and think pretty highly of the much lighter and smaller Freedom Arms.

Grips at last.

Thanks, Sundles. And I don't know what anybody else here thinks, but it sounds like you have entirely too much fun for one man! Good on ya.

In my opinion, 47-49 ounces sounds about right for a backcountry carry revovler in the calibers/loads we're posting. Big enough to keep recoil manageable, light enough to pack. I'm sure many would favor a light-weight, or "mountain" revolver, but there are a few issues that have yet to be addressed in this thread: how weight and barrel length effects the "pointability" of firearms, and how steady they are in a wind. A Special Forces buddy shared with me his company's montra of "slow is fast" when it comes to tactical shoot-outs. Bring the front sight up or across slow (relative to a hell-bent jerk and shoot) and stay in control. Sidearms with some heft lend themselves to this practice far better than the bantams. Bigger guns are also easier to hold steady, especially in a stiff wind. For that matter, the same applies to rifles. Over the years, I've noted a commonality among the exceedingly rare individuals of my acquaintance who've killed more than a dozen elk in their lives. Most of them shoot -06's, and their "mountain rifles" weigh a lot closer to 8.5lbs then 6.5lbs. They all tend to agree it's hard to make a decent fleeding off-hand shot (by far the most common shot you'll get at an elk) in the wind at timberline with an ultra-lightweight rifle.

Much has been said in this thread about recoil, something that's never bothered me too much. But I think a lot of guys allow their machismo to get in the way of becoming better shooters. Even though recoil doesn't bother me, I still put a pad of my 8.25lb -06, and I place a thin sandbag between the butt and my shoulder when shooting off the bench. Why hurt yourself or do physical damage if you don't have to? And I absolutely hate the idea of developing a flinch. Because of its combination of weight, caliber, and recoil pad, my rifle is so reasonable that "recoil" never enters my thoughts when leveling my crosshairs on an animal. My shoulder and retina are fine, and I'm convinced all of this makes me a better shot.

Along those lines, I really feel it's the better part of valor to minimize or manage the amount of recoil somebody feels when torching off big-bore revolvers. Again, why do the damage, and why encourage the flinch-fu....? All hail Pachmayr! I used those natural rubber grips on my old S&W 44, and put them on my new Redhawk. The difference is impressive. Why on Earth wouldn't a shooter want their grips to soak up some recoil? I recommend them to any and all.

Bear,

I moved to Salmon, Id about 15 years ago because I was spending most of my summer and fall there every year any way. Now I live in N.W. Montana because my wife is allergic to all that sage brush around Salmon. Ohterwise, I would have lived my whole life in Elmer Keith country.

Elk? Ive killed dozens of those too. Some very large 7x7, 7x6 and 6x6 bulls amoung them. I maintain a pack string of horses and mules and spend much of my summer and fall in the high Rockies. I differ from most of your other freinds that kill lots of elk though. I normally use a 338 Win. Mag. or 340 WBY, built on CRF actions. If I use an 06, which I have several of, they are normally as light as humanly possible, at or below 7 lbs with scope.

Because of the business I am in, most of my guns (I have roughly 300 of them) have never seen any ammo other than what I load.