jamesjames
Member
I've been reading these threads over the years. So here is what I have distilled and learned from the sourdoughs in the land of the midnight sun.
Yes, a 45-70 guide gun is the best bear stopper in a fast, handy carbine package.
For handguns, the question always revolves around what handgun & caliber you will practice with and what you will carry. The best barrel length would be a 4 inch to get the compromise between accuracy and carryability (as a defensive, anti-bear handgun). Best caliber? Well, .44 magnum, .454, .460, and 500 S&W are all hunting calibers, but become really heavy guns for wilderness carry as a side arm. And if you don't shoot with them on a regular basis so you are accurate with them, they are no more effective than a .44 magnum that you can hit with.
The Smith model 29 is at the threshold of comfortable carry weight and still offering magnum power. I happen to have the 329pd and it is wonderful for carry in the lower 48. I can't practice long with maggies in the 329pd, and I carry Bufalo Bore reduced recoil hardcast keiths in it when hiking, hunting, and fishing. But it is a joy to carry, I often forget I have it on, and its always on my person and never gets left in the truck.
Whatever your brand preference, carry hard cast keith-style fodder in a caliber of .44 or above and practice with your carry load. Its as much about central nervous system shot placement as it is about penetration. I wouldn't go into Alaska Brown bear country armed with only a hand gun, and I wouldn't go by myself.
Yes, a 45-70 guide gun is the best bear stopper in a fast, handy carbine package.
For handguns, the question always revolves around what handgun & caliber you will practice with and what you will carry. The best barrel length would be a 4 inch to get the compromise between accuracy and carryability (as a defensive, anti-bear handgun). Best caliber? Well, .44 magnum, .454, .460, and 500 S&W are all hunting calibers, but become really heavy guns for wilderness carry as a side arm. And if you don't shoot with them on a regular basis so you are accurate with them, they are no more effective than a .44 magnum that you can hit with.
The Smith model 29 is at the threshold of comfortable carry weight and still offering magnum power. I happen to have the 329pd and it is wonderful for carry in the lower 48. I can't practice long with maggies in the 329pd, and I carry Bufalo Bore reduced recoil hardcast keiths in it when hiking, hunting, and fishing. But it is a joy to carry, I often forget I have it on, and its always on my person and never gets left in the truck.
Whatever your brand preference, carry hard cast keith-style fodder in a caliber of .44 or above and practice with your carry load. Its as much about central nervous system shot placement as it is about penetration. I wouldn't go into Alaska Brown bear country armed with only a hand gun, and I wouldn't go by myself.
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