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

[Joe Hooker]

Anyone interested in these types of weapons, check out Kentucky Ballistics, on YouTube.
He's testing the weapons and ammo we're discussing here.

 

[sobrbiker]

I switched from a Redhawk in 44 to a 1911 in 10mm.
I trained and trained, and after 2k rounds through the Redhawk I still couldn't put 2-3 well placed shots on target as fast as I could put double (if not more) that with a 1911.

No grizzly where I play, and even then-only hits count.
If I get to spending and any time where the big browns are-I guess I'll have a good excuse to pick up a S&W M69 I've been eyeballing.

 

[seattleman1969]

+1 on this

This is true and I can say I am guilty of it. Not because the gun was heavy but because we thought we wouldn't need it. Left spray in the truck too.

Saw a pair of moose run away from the backside of a pond so we booked up the road to get a look and see if we couldn't get a photo. Jumped out of the truck and hiked into the woods over a rise about 200 yards from the truck. Just over the rise 100 yards away was a grizzly overturning logs. Color me surprised... never again leave the truck without spray/gun or both.

 

[snookntarpon]

I carry one always, not for bears or other predators, but in case i get a deer inside 100 yards I get to take it with the revolver (all 629 44 Mags with red dots) which i really enjoy. Sometimes i carry my Glock 20, but to this day have yet to get a 50 yard shot that felt comfortable (also with red dot). Starting to carry a 1967 Blackhawk in 41 mag with iron sights now, and while i have a lot of fun with it, I have only shot one doe at 30 yards with it so far. Spined her, so no real comparison to the 44 Mag. No red dot here and my 50 year old eyes have now made me paint the front sight to hopefully shoot it with more clarity and confidence...

Bears or not, a handgun deer is amazing every time!

SnT

 

[DDRanch]

Ruger BlackHawk in 45LC, 250gr XTP Bullet

 

[TexasMarine]

This is the best write-up I have seen on bear protection handguns. https://alaskagunsite.wordpress.com/2017/01/01/the-case-for-the-357-magnum/

In my eyes, a bear defense handgun needs to be absolutely reliable. If you stuff an auto in a bears mouth, or against anything while it's attacking it likely will go out of battery and not go bang. If any type of failure happens, clearing said failure is really tough one handed especially with a bear on top of you. Just pull the trigger again in a double action revolver. It needs to penetrate, not expand and that means like 4+ feet to get to something in the CNS that will shut things down.

I have a 44 mag 629 S&W Magna Classic that I love and carries great in a Kenai chest holster like previously mentioned. But for last ditch and always there I have a 3" Model 65 K frame loaded with Buffalo Bore 180 hard cast LFN ~ 1300 fps.

I love my auto handguns for most everything else but for this one the double action revolver is the better tool IMO.

Outstanding article in link to .357 mag article.

 

[TexasMarine]

Outstanding article in the .357 magnum article link.

 

[Will Gray]

45 LC Bisley loaded hot. Son carries a 45 Auto: illegal immigrants (will take your truck) as well as critters are the issue in SW Texas.

 

[NEMTHunter]

When in bear country I carry a Ruger 45 Colt with +P hand loads. The bullet is a 360-grain WLNGC. Never had to use it and hope to never have to.

 

[TBell]

Outstanding article in link to .357 mag article.

Very good article. I have both a 44 margin both a 4" ported Taurus and 6 Anaconda, and 357 in a 6 Python, would not have expected the article out come.

 

[tumbleweed7mmstw]

To Texas Marine; Thanks for the 357 mag article.p, great read. I have a S&W 686 357, and I've always thought, that if I could have only one handgun that it would be that 686. The best trigger in the collection, it's a mind reader.

 

[chilli42]

This is true and I can say I am guilty of it. Not because the gun was heavy but because we thought we wouldn't need it. Left spray in the truck too.

Saw a pair of moose run away from the backside of a pond so we booked up the road to get a look and see if we couldn't get a photo. Jumped out of the truck and hiked into the woods over a rise about 200 yards from the truck. Just over the rise 100 yards away was a grizzly overturning logs. Color me surprised... never again leave the truck without spray/gun or both.

He would have covered that 100 yards in an eye blink if he had a mind to.

 

[John Klingenberg]

This is true and I can say I am guilty of it. Not because the gun was heavy but because we thought we wouldn't need it. Left spray in the truck too.

Saw a pair of moose run away from the backside of a pond so we booked up the road to get a look and see if we couldn't get a photo. Jumped out of the truck and hiked into the woods over a rise about 200 yards from the truck. Just over the rise 100 yards away was a grizzly overturning logs. Color me surprised... never again leave the truck without spray/gun or both.

Or toilet paper

 

[Msgt William Toprock]

Anyone interested in these types of weapons, check out Kentucky Ballistics, on YouTube.
He's testing the weapons and ammo we're discussing here.

Afternoo. I have carried a .44 Mag for many years. Started with a old model Vaquero .44 mag in Alaska, a bit heavy and slow to reload so I went to a S&W 629 Mountain Gun. Six shots and faster reload but still a bit heavy. Now I eventually have a S&W 69, five shots bu a bit lighter and when I get the barrel magna ported and get the cylinder machined for full moon clips it will be able to get much faster and more accurate follow on shots and extremely faster reloads. These points may not sound like much but they can make a world of difference when you are looking a a huge hairy and mad mountain charging down on you !!!!