How many carry a 44 or similar when you are rifle hunting?

[7magcreedmoor]

My "bear spray" uses capsules of copper and lead size .45acp, 13 of them ready to go.

 

[RetiredSniper]

I carrt a 1911 45 ACP Commander with 185 grain hollow points that travel at 1100 F.P.S. We have an over population of Black Bears in Northern New Hampshire this year! My wife will not even go out of the house in the dark unless I am up and ready to take action.

 

[erikblank]

Back in the early 90's I was working just west of West Yellowstone. Our Forest Service inspector told us not to use pepper spray at the time. It seems campers were spraying the bears and after a while the bears started liking the taste. According to him, bears would attract people for their pepper spray. Maybe it was a lie. Maybe they've changed pepper spray. What I can honestly say is, no animals like being shot. So I'd recommend the largest caliber side arm, you can shoot comfortably and accurately. Personally, I've always carried a wheel gun with snake shot in the first cylinder.

 

[ntsqd]

My understanding is the strength of each is the same, I don't know of any independent tests of both frames in the same conditions. The Ruger is forged so has to be bigger because the steel is weaker, the S&W is smaller because it's milled out of harder steel from what I know.
.......

This really isn't accurate. Did you mean to say that the Ruger is casting rather than a forging? Most of their products are either permanent mold or more often investment castings.

Harder, in steel, does not automatically mean stronger. It does imply better wear resistance and can mean more brittle depending on the particular alloy and where in the hardness range for that alloy is being discussed.

As to the OP's topic, I'm reading with interest as to what is carried & why. My field carry is more about bad actors than dangerous game.

 

[FIGJAM]

Talking about areas where bears, cougars, etc can be found. Or do you just carry pepper spray, where aim doesn't have to be dead on. Moving to Montana in a month or so and curious to what people carry and what your reasoning is...whatever i decide to do I want it to be an informed decision somthe reasoning is important to me.

I carry a glock 29 10mm. Its lightweight, I don't even realize its there. My carry guns are glocks, so instead of switching to a special purpose wheel gun in 357 or 44 mag a few times a year that I am less familiar with, it just made sense for me to stick with the same platform and roll with the Glock in 10mm. My range time with my glock 17 or 19 or 23 or 43 all transfers over to the sidearm I take with me hunting. That's what I tell myself anyways

I carry the handgun for self defense against bears, wolves, mt. lions etc. Also nice to have to finish an animal off at close range. And if I am being honest, I worry more about the two legged critters more than anything...

 

[gvjm]

Food for though, I once read an article about handguns for bear protection. It stated than no handgun is really adequate for bear so the best option is one that you can shoot well and put as many rounds on target as possible. He recommended a full size 9mm with 124 fmjs and keep pulling the trigger until the "threat" gets the message! I have a 44 Tracker, great gun, I use it in the field but mostly with snake shot. I keep some "mid level" ammo if I need a "finishing" shot on game.

 

[Alibiiv]

I carry a Glock 20 with 200gr Nosler HP hand loads around 1250fps, will be carrying Buffalo Bore 220gr hard cast bullets for this year's black bear trip in Maine. The G20 is nice to have while waiting to be picked up by the guide at the end of the day, my biggest fear is running across a mother bear and here cub/s. I have been left in the woods from 9:00-10:45PM, it gets very dark and very noisy while doing so. If one is standing there waiting to be picked up, you have a loaded rifle in your hands, it is after legal shooting time, you then are hunting after dark! Maine is an "open-carry" state, as long as the handgun is exposed you are legal.

I've read a lot about the Glock 10mm with hard cast bullets, their effectiveness against grizzlies. I have never hunted grizzly bear, however I am not certain about the Glock20 and hard cast bullets and "probably" look for something with a bit more horsepower for grizzly medicine. A while back I read an article in a the American Hunter magazine where the "4-3-1" principle was recommended for a handgun against grizzlies. "(4) at least a bullet caliber of 44 (3) at least a bullet weight of 300 grains, and (1) at least a muzzle velocity of 1000fps.!

https://www.americanhunter.org/articles/2014/8/13/packing-pistols-in-bear-country/

I bike and kayak in some very remote areas, for those areas I always carry a S&W 340PD, more for the 2 legged predators than the 4 legged ones. The 340PD dispenses 5 rounds of.357 magnum out of a 14oz platform, not a treasure to shoot, however it does provide a nice warm fuzzy feeling for those bad moments; and, shooting that firearm in an actual situation I do not believe I will be worrying about/feeling recoil. The 340PD is light (14ozs), it is compact, and "is" the gun that I will carry instead of leaving it in the pack, or the glove compartment/console of the vehicle. A few years back while biking in Farmington, Connecticut one of the bikers, who was a few minutes behind us, nearly hit a sow and her cub crossing the bike path. When he met up with us, he was very shaken up stating he'd nearly hit the bear. My significant other does not like firearms at all, I always carry when we are on our excursions anyway!! On the way back to the vehicle, the little voice came out asking, "Do you have your little friend with you?" Response, "Yes and I have my gun with me too!" And.....yes I have had one encounter, while alone on a bike trail, in a very remote area, with two men who saw an overweight, 65+, white-haired potential victim. The 340PD ended the event "in my favor", without any further incident. This was one of those experiences of "prevention", that was never reported, and will never be mentioned or measured in any statistics. Oregonian, hope I didn't hijack your post, felt that what I wrote was somewhat pertinent to your post.

 

[ducky]

I've never felt the need to carry a handgun while hunting, I have always vewied it as weight that I could do without. Of course I don't usually hunt where big bears prowl, and cat attacks are so rare they really don't concern me. The only time I would consider carrying a pistol would be on a pack retrieval where I'd leave my rifle at the camp or truck. Then I'd probably carry my GP100 in .357 as it's really the most powerful handgun I have available.

 

[J Doss]

Talking about areas where bears, cougars, etc can be found. Or do you just carry pepper spray, where aim doesn't have to be dead on. Moving to Montana in a month or so and curious to what people carry and what your reasoning is...whatever i decide to do I want it to be an informed decision somthe reasoning is important to me.

I have always carried a 45LC on my hip when hunting in bear and lion country. I have never had to use it but have been in a couple of situations with lions that could have gone bad.
I guided hunts in TX, NM and CO for nearly 20 years and always carried when doing so. I had a couple of encounters with lions where we were still hunting muleys in northeastern NM. On both occasions I walked up on lions on deer kills. Needless to say, neither of us were very happy about the situations. Thankfully, it was me and not one of my hunters in either case. I was able to slowly back out, go gather up my hunters and find another area to hunt for a while. A lion looks a whole lot bigger when your staring eye to eye at 20yds and all your really paying attention to is teeth and claws.
I have hunted the Texas border country most of my life and have had distant encounters with illegals on occasion. I felt a little better knowing I had some extra close quarters firepower to back up my rifle.
I do also carry a 45ACP in a shoulder holster along with my 45LC hunting in border areas now days. It's a lot of extra weight to tote around with extra clips and speed loaders. I know if I run into some of the cartel guys I'll probably be out gunned but it makes me feel better anyway. My thought is, maybe I can get enough separation between us with the pistols to bring my long gun in if the situation calls for it.

 

[CUTTER1]

I live in bear, wolves and mountain lion country (WY) and spend a lot of time in Alaska in big bear country and always find humor in those who carry bear spray, always tell them that when they have a dangerous encounter that first thing to do with the Bear spray is to spray themselves, as they are less likely to be attacked than spraying the animal and wolves and bears don't like the taste of pepper spray so better chance they won't be eaten by either if your covered with spray! For cow moose or a bull in rut they will hurt or kill you, they scare me a lot more than Grizzlies. A mountain lion with intent to have you are extremely dangerous and will be all over you before you even know they are there!

I carry a 45 1911 for 40 years and do everyday but in high risk areas I always carry a handgun and big bore always! I've gone the entire route from 44 mag to 500 Smith, and have finally settled on a 460 Rowland in a custom STI double stack with 14 rounds in the gun in a custom chest holster. As a IPSC compeditor for years it is a platform that is purely natural for me. Quick into action even with a pack and rifle on or while fishing, getting in a float plane or on a horse. Can put 14 rounds in the "A" zone much quicker that 6 out of any 44 mag.
If you carry I can't reinforce too much that you have to practice frequently with any handgun. After both serious encounters with 2 Grizzlies and one cow moose, I take it seriously! And never bring pepper spray in my airplane! Float plane and bush pilots will make you double bag it and put it in the dumpster at their base! Maybe in a float but never in the plane! Several encounters I've experienced with 2 leg type have always came out favorable with intent and conviction to use deadly force and is why I carry every day.

 

[palerider3]

If I'm rifle hunting I'm either carrying a suppressed packlite for grouse, or a subcompact 9mm if it's closer to town. When bow hunting I carry a real pistol, either a midsize 9mm or a occasionally a Glock 20sf. In Idaho where I hunt we don't have much in the way of grizzly bears, so I'm mostly concerned with 2 legged predators. If you're carrying a rifle almost any of them will do better than any handgun out there. And you're more likely to actually hit it also. The number of people who carry pistols they never or seldom practice with is astounding. If you're going to carry a pistol for bear defense, or any defense really, you best be comfortable with it. Take it to your local gun club and shoot some steel challenge or IDPA with it. I got some looks the first time I showed up to steel challenge with a 10mm, but I still smoked most the stages.

 

[scarr25]

I'll be in the Jackson, WY area in October for an elk hunt. After reading everything I could find I bought a Ruger Redhawk 44 mag and a Kenai chest rig. Unfortunately, although I applied for a pistol permit mid March (NJ a permit is required for every handgun purchase) I still don't have it so the piece is sitting at my FFL. The Buffalo Bore does State for their hardcasts the make of every gun that can handle the load. S&W is not on the list.

 

[Pro2A]

Bear spray and a Smith and Wesson 460v loaded with HSM 325 gr bear defense loads.

I wish it wasn't unwieldy to carry a 12 gauge with slugs...

Just a thought. The Mossberg Shockwave 590M (magazine) is very packable (sling via a Boonie Packer Safari sling....at patrol ready...one or both hands free, still at ready....or around to back or under armpit for hands free control) and quickly reloadable via the magazines in 5, 10, 15, or 20 rounds. Very effective with slugs, buck or bird shot in close quarters. Add a Crimson Trace green laser Sidesaddle (mounts to receiver) for quick hip shooting. Great combination. Easy to change loads for changing situations.

 

[kolob10]

S&W 629 4" with 240gr or 300gr hard cast bullets. I have a 454 Casul but it is single action and repeat shots are too slow to manage. I hunt in grizzly country sometimes but do not feel even the 44 would be adequate to stop a charging grizzly. They are big tough animals! I have been within 50 yards of a grizzly while stand hunting. Luckily he was more interested in following a bleeding elk. I don't think he even noticed me sitting against a huge boulder. I had a .270 Winchester bolt rifle in my lap and my 44
On my belt. Neither gave me much confidence.