I hear all the guys at the gun shop boast how if you want a gun for woods defense “you’re gonna need at least a 454”, or “I’ll only carry my .500” (which I think is ridiculously impractical FYI). This defense includes everything up to the biggest of North American animals, and that means PENETRATION!
Correct me if I’m wrong but in the “heavies” for each cartridge:
44 mag 320gr = .248 sd
454 casull 360gr= .250 sd
480 Ruger 410gr= .260 sd
Shouldn’t the 44 perform almost identically? In defense situations it matters what you hit, not wound channel since there is no time to wait for blood loss. And the 44 should be faster follow up shots. What am I missing?
You're not missing anything, a healthy dose of skepticism is a good thing.
Sometimes a hidden agenda has to be seen for what it is, as in selling you a new gun, or touting a line of BS as the truth, for the sake of conversation. Generally, my experience has been, that a hardcast Keith semi wadcutter, driven at about 1100-1200fps gives the best overall penetration
when compared with like calibers shooting handgun bullets. Remember, with any bullet, it will retain it's shape and penetrate, as long as it
A. Not met by a bone that will deflect it. and
B. It is of sufficient hardness that it can move through the target without deforming; lessening its penetration. (
driving bullets faster encourages deformation, and will likely cause less penetration. Think parachute.)
Ask the gunshop advice giver, "Oh, do you own a .500? What was your test medium?"
The 44 magnum and all the rest are
handguns. They are carried because they are
portable. You alone are going to have to decide what you want. If your 44 or 500 shoots through a rack of 2x4's, water jugs and ballistic gel with a given load at your range session, it's still up to you to judge if that's good for you. Then you might want to evaluate if this gun/load combination is going to save your bacon about the second bite into a bear attack.... and are you ever going to be in that situation.
The problem with relying solely on gun writers to provide test results, is the underlying fact that they are being paid to sell you more/new guns.
I've purposely left out the whole gamut of expanding bullets. I limited my discussion to penetration. Hope this helps.
There is a lot of PRACTICAL advice being given so far, that can help you make your decision.