Recommendations for 44 Magnum revolvers.

[nsbpd509]

Let me give you a bit of free advice, from someone who has put down about several Alaskan brown bears. I wouldn't carry a .44 into bear country. I will also tell you that I started out with a .45/70 guide gun and a .44 model 29, but upgraded rather quickly from the .44 to a .480 Ruger magnum in the Taurus Raging Bull, but when trying to finish off a brownie with the .480 Ruger, from about 10 feet in the head, (Buffalo Bore round) and having it fail to penetrate the skull, I decided that I needed a bigger gun. I bought a 5 inch 500 Smith and never looked back. The recoil is not prohibitive, the ported barrel and the weight of the gun assists with taming the recoil to easily manageable levels. After several years, I wound up carrying a combination of a .50 Beowulf and a .500 S&W (can both be reloaded with the same bullets) when I was hunting down nuisance bears. One of my officers bought the .460 Smith, and liked it. So if it were me, and I were limited to a handgun, I would go with either a .460 or a .500.

Just my

 

[OKCShooter]

I say if you're going to pack a cannon, pack the biggest one:

.500 S&W

 

[MadDogs]

I have a S&W M629 (no dash) that Larry Kelly at MagNaPort did one of the most unbelievable action jobs on and ported it. Highly recommend it.

 

[criticalbass]

Consider the .44 marginal. .480 is what I would choose. Can't offer any advice on models, but whatever you use, put heavy solid lead bullets in it. Hollowpoints are for human beings. You need penetration and a lot of it. CB

 

[ArealGunNut]

I would recommend a 460 S&W, I love mine. You can practice with 45LC,454, and Stoker up to 460 when in bear country! If you have to actually shoot a bear you will never notice the recoil or the muzzle blast!

 

[jdagreek]

OK, the verdict is in. Since I originally posted this thread back in October I have done a lot of research on all the possible options. In addition to endless internet research, talking with gun dealers and enthusiasts and spending hours reading all I could about the revolvers and the possible options I had for ammo. I also considered other options as well and I came back here from time to time to review all the suggestions on this thread from all of you.

In the end, I made my decision on a couple of factors. First, I debated with myself as to the reason I wanted to carry this weapon when out in the boonies. I thought of the fact that it was not all to likely that I would ever get in the situation where it would be an option to actually use it. I also figured that if that situation ever came up I should have something that actually had a chance of success.

So, I decided on a couple of possibilities. Then I actually went to the trouble of doing some test shooting. I wanted to make sure that I could handle the gun and use it without any future reservations. So, I went to a range and spent some time actually renting my choice and actually shooting it.

So, after all of the research, talking and shooting [couple hundred dollars worth of ammo] was done I took action and bought a S&W M460V with a 5 inch barrel. I am happy with my decision. My original concerns with this big bore revolver was the kickback. I was surprised that it wasn't all that bad. I shot about 60 rounds in an hour or so with no ill effects. A few hours later, noticed my wrist was a little stiff, but no bid deal.

What really surprised me is that after shooting this thing a few times I actually got to enjoy it. That was a big deal with me as well. I really believe that having a weapon like this is not worth much unless you actually use it and enjoy using it.

While I would have preferred a shorter barrel, I went with the 5 inch barrel because of accuracy and kickback. Most people thought the 2 3/8 inch barrel would have been some more difficult to handle when you actually had to use it for real. After shooting the gun, I knew I didn't want a barrel that short. The blast is bad enough with the longer barrel, can't imagine what the shorter barrel would be like.

I liked the 460 because of the options for ammo and the fact that it does have the power to do some damage.

Anyway, I appreciate all the post on this thread. It was very useful.

The last think I discovered was that these guns are really hard to find. I finally found one on an internet site and it is in the air as I type this post. I can't wait to get it and start using it and getting comfortable with it.

Again, thanks to all of you who responded here.

 

[Shadowrider]

Well you know that pics and video are mandatory now, right?

Edit to add: Nice choice!

 

[Dr_Mitch]

Shot placement. Practice using your tools, or your work will look like that of a novice.

Also, the last anecdote I read about man vs. bear entailed a .454 Casull, and it took all five shots to drop the bear. Granted, it was a humongous bear, and it was in Alaska. Interestingly, the revolver used was the Ruger Alaskan.

 

[dutchwrangler]

.45ACP for the win... at least in this situation.

http://www.nationalparkstraveler.co...-hikers-denali-national-park-and-preserve5943

 

[jdagreek]

Shot placement. Practice using your tools, or your work will look like that of a novice.

Also, the last anecdote I read about man vs. bear entailed a .454 Casull, and it took all five shots to drop the bear. Granted, it was a humongous bear, and it was in Alaska. Interestingly, the revolver used was the Ruger Alaskan.

I said I was a novice with the handguns, never said I was a novice with guns. Have been hunting and handling rifles and shotguns for a very long time. I used to shoot jackrabbits from the back of a pickup at night with a rifle with no front sight. So, I understand the issue of being proficient with your weapon.

Will make sure that I know what to do with it and hope I never have to use it. It will take an extremely dangerous situation for me to shoot at a bear. Have been up close and personal with them and never had a problem ... well, up to this point.