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

[Gibbshooter43]

Reading thru all the posts is both informative and challenging. I've carried my 1911 in my shoulder rig which makes access to both gun and mags very easy. On my hip, I've carried a 9; a 40; and my Taurus Tracker 7 shot 357. I find the later very useful since I can load the heaviest 357 in predator country (I live and hunt in bear and cat areas of Idaho) and I can load 38's for every day carry (which I also do). And now for the challenging portion of the post. I'm thinking I might ought to consider a 41, 44, 460, or 500 dedicated to a hunting sidearm. (It's always nice to have an excuse to purchase another gun)!

 

[Hal The Slayer]

I used to carry a 44mag but then switched to a Spfld armory 10mm/w Trigicon sight.can use sight or red dot.Used it in Texas last year on a hunt.After the farmers in the area loaded up a hay wagon full of dead pigs and took down to the Mexican's for a big cook out.I use it pretty much all the time now.Easy to shoot and accurate and powerful

 

[436]

In the lower 48 where there are Bear's of any size, Black's, Grizzly's along with Cougars I carry a G20SF in 10mm which I gave a major overhaul with a new; sights trigger, springs, KKM supported barrel for heavier loads and more. The ammo I use when I am in Bear areas is; 10mm Lehigh 180gr Xtreme Penetrator. I also handload a Montana bullet 180gr FMJ to reach velocities you can't obtain safely in any none supported barrel which is a monster load using 180gr FMJ, SP or HP bullets, 16 round of that on tap in a pistol walking trailers in the woods feels pretty good, one more thing I should mention, get the 24 lbs recoil spring it makes it shoot like a ***** cat, it feels like I'm shooting a hot 9mm, not a hot 10mm.

With the aforementioned said; I still have a sweet spot of my S&W Mod-29 6" .44 mag I never felt helpless with it on my hip around Bear's or anything else for that matter, I use Keith 255gr SWC .430" from Montana Bullet Works they are out of Bonner MT if you've never used this bullet in your .44 revolvers you are missing out on a real hammer and deadly accurate using Keith's loads.

So for "big" Bear; well, I've just returned from a seven-week trip running all over Alaska and the Yukon what I found was that, if you have to settle an argument with a big Bear in that AO you most likely better have a 12 gauge... I carried an Ithica Mod-37 one of the older LAPD/Deerslayer rifle barrel models with Brenneke Black Magic Magnum, 12 GA, 3" slug on my back while fishing off the grid. I'd really thought about taking my early marked (70's) JM Marlin .444 lever but in the end friends in Coldfoot Alaska and Dawson City Yukon brought me back to my senses, 12 gauge!

Bottom line ref Glock; caveat here; I'm not a big Glock fan at all... but, in 10mm with 16 rounds on tap it's pretty hard to beat overall as a woods pistol and not to bad as a home defense pistol with something like Glaser Safety Slugs in it, which, coming out of a 10mm is wicked. Just my .02 cheers.

 

[Hand Skills]

I don't carry a handgun while hunting. Here in Canada there is a lot of paperwork for that... I carried a 10mm for work, up in the foothills of Alberta. My feeling is it's pretty marginal.

I'm competent with a hand gun, but I'm much better with a rifle. I think a lot of people who comment on these topics must not have tried to shoot something on the move at close range...

I've carried shotguns in the bush for many seasons. They are tough to shoot without a buttstock too, and clunky either way.

Then again, I'm not a true long range hunter - if my hunting rig had a 28" barrel and weighed 15lbs, I might approach the issue differently.

I generally save bear spray for the parks

 

[luckyrxc]

Very similar story here. I used to always find myself carrying a 4" model 66, .357 with Buffalo Bore 180gr. Occasionally I'd carry a Charter Arms .44 special. If I wanted to cut weight I'd carry an airweight .38 snubby but we all know that's giving up a lot in terms of sight radius, number of rounds, and punch. Now (like lots of the folks above) I'm dating a G20SF, upgraded springs, barrel, and sights. She's a lovely girl and if I recall correctly she and the 66 weigh about the same loaded, but the 66 carries 6 rounds and the G20 carries 15 + 1.

 

[Michael Souther]

Smith 29, 44 mag carried in a shoulder holster . 10 mm might be okay. When looking at a bear the recoil will not be
felt. game theives other predators I want a stopper. I recall several instances of hikers being killed and eaten by a bear . Shot the bear with a 38 special and did not stop it and was consumed by the bear. A little extra weight some recoil is worth it to me.

 

[sea2summit]

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.

Sure

All I was trying to get after is the size is not indicative of strength it's just a byproduct of their manufacturing choices, I am not a metallurgist. Now if they would just put the Ruger cylinder in the S&W frame

 

[sea2summit]

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...

Familiarity makes the most sense for this, and I do not want to downplay how important it is to have confidence in your ability to correctly manipulate the firearm under stress.

But using the same logic how would you respond to someone that says they are going Elk hunting with a Mini-30 because they are most familiar with a Mini-14 so in order to not have to train/practice they'll just use the 30. Better than a 14? Sure. Get the job done? Possibly, probably not pretty. Better choices out there? Likely.

 

[sea2summit]

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.

Please post a link to your information. I just clicked every .44 bullet on their site and they said it "is recommended for all STEEL revolvers and rifles on today's market. It is NOT recommended for scandium or aluminum alloy revolvers."

Further, their heavy big bore listed four guns they used to test MV, one was the S&W Mountain Gun.

 

[sea2summit]

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.

12 ga is my preferred anti bear gun at close range but I wouldn't want to pack one as a backup gun

 

[sea2summit]

I used to carry a 44mag but then switched to a Spfld armory 10mm/w Trigicon sight.can use sight or red dot.Used it in Texas last year on a hunt.After the farmers in the area loaded up a hay wagon full of dead pigs and took down to the Mexican's for a big cook out.I use it pretty much all the time now.Easy to shoot and accurate and powerful

Powerful compared to?

 

[Clem Bronkoski]

Yes Sea2 but what about width and how much farther the butt is sticking out. The semi IMO is an easier carry. And as far as wt. the 629 holds 6 rounds and the M&P holds twice as many +. Not that you'd ever (hopefully) need that many. Nothing wrong with the 629 but if that was my choice it would have to be one with a 2-3" barrel.

 

[PFields]

Please post a link to your information. I just clicked every .44 bullet on their site and they said it "is recommended for all STEEL revolvers and rifles on today's market. It is NOT recommended for scandium or aluminum alloy revolvers."

Further, their heavy big bore listed four guns they used to test MV, one was the S&W Mountain Gun.

Straight from the Buffalo Bore website:

Heavy .44 Magnum +P+ Ammo
340 gr. Hard Cast, L.F.N. - G.C. @ 1,425 fps/M.E. 1,533 ft lbs
20 Round Box

ITEM 4D
NEW HEAVY 44 MAGNUM +P+
APPROVED FIREARMS

This new load is designed ONLY for certain firearms. They are as follows; Ruger Red Hawk, Ruger Super Red Hawk (the Ruger Alaskan is a short barrel Super Redhawk), Ruger Super Blackhawk or Vaquero, Freedom Arms Model 83, Taurus Raging Bull All Steel Versions (no lightweight alloys), Colt Anaconda, Magnum Research BFR and Dan Wesson Revolvers. Suitable rifles include T/C Encore, CVA Hunter, Handi Rifle and any rifle with a falling block action. Please note that this website list of approved firearms is more up to date than some of the lists found on our boxes of ammo.

We get hundreds of emails asking if this load can be fired in S&W revolvers or some firearm other than what is in the above list. The answer is NO. The above list is all-inclusive. If some shooters continue to use this product irresponsibly, we may have to discontinue it, and that would be unfortunate as it is our best selling 44 mag. Load, and it gives excellent performance for those that use it responsibly; however, as is always the case, irresponsible use of any product ends up penalizing responsible users. It would also be wise to read our "Technical Article" on "Dangerous Pure Lead Cowboy Bullets", before using this (ITEM 4D) product.

 

[Bux240]

Reading thru all the posts is both informative and challenging. I've carried my 1911 in my shoulder rig which makes access to both gun and mags very easy. On my hip, I've carried a 9; a 40; and my Taurus Tracker 7 shot 357. I find the later very useful since I can load the heaviest 357 in predator country (I live and hunt in bear and cat areas of Idaho) and I can load 38's for every day carry (which I also do). And now for the challenging portion of the post. I'm thinking I might ought to consider a 41, 44, 460, or 500 dedicated to a hunting sidearm. (It's always nice to have an excuse to purchase another gun)!