With full power .44 magnum loads and rubber grips, it is manageable but not at all pleasant. My 14 year old daughter is the only one in the family that likes it. It is quite nice to shoot with .44 SPL.
44 Mag Revolver Buffs, Need Your Help
- Thread starter MDHunter
- Start date
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With full power .44 magnum loads and rubber grips, it is manageable but not at all pleasant. My 14 year old daughter is the only one in the family that likes it. It is quite nice to shoot with .44 SPL.
Ruger super redhawk with as short a barrel as your comfortable with in 44 mag with as stout a load as you can handle with one head and hit a pie plate every time at 20 feet one handed
44 mag rounds are plentiful most everywhere, you need to be able to shoot it well single handed like in a panic situation and you need to be comfortable with your gun
Too much guns worse than no gun in my opinion. If your gonna not want to shoot it or hesitate because it’s gonna bust you damn thumb it’s probably gonna be too late in a bear situation
Just my thoughts
Ymmv
44 mag rounds are plentiful most everywhere, you need to be able to shoot it well single handed like in a panic situation and you need to be comfortable with your gun
Too much guns worse than no gun in my opinion. If your gonna not want to shoot it or hesitate because it’s gonna bust you damn thumb it’s probably gonna be too late in a bear situation
Just my thoughts
Ymmv
A lot of good suggestions but consider a S&W 629 Mountain Gun for weight and comfort. I have a 625 MG chambered in 45LC and it is a dream to shoot even with some Buffalo Bore heavy loads.
The pistol is when the bear gets between you and your rifle or shotgun. Your working your fly rod in a stream. If you get ambushed coming out of a cabin or outhouse. And for under your pillow if a bear decides to rustle the tent flaps.
The pistol is when the bear gets between you and your rifle or shotgun. Your working your fly rod in a stream. If you get ambushed coming out of a cabin or outhouse. And for under your pillow if a bear decides to rustle the tent flaps.
TrappedinMD
Active Member
I carry a Ruger super Blackhawk in .454 6” barrel in a chest rig for bear. It’s a 5 rnd cylinder so it’s a lot smaller then a red hawk.
44man brings up valid points. Many people practice with low recoil ammunition and only fire a few rounds of really hot stuff. This type of training won't serve you well if you have to get off 5 or 6 shots at a running animal.
I too own a couple of Mountain Guns but will not use them for heavy stuff as they will loosen up shooting heavy 240 and above as much as I practice. The Taurus Tracker has the same lockup as a Smith model 69 and is much cheaper. Either one is smaller than the Rugers and makes them easier to lug around and to get into action.
Just my .02.
Biggfoot44
Ultimate Member
- Aug 2, 2009
- 33,145
No , you don't want as short as possible . Snub bbls on large cal, large frame revolvers are a marketing illusion . The frame and grip size are still controlling parameters , and if a certain power level is your main point, you loose lots of velocity with sub 4in bbl. ( Source- side by side chrono with 2.75 & 4in .44s with same loads .)
You want at least 4in , and depending upon your build & carry rig 6 and 6.5in are maxing out, and inbetween those two are generally good.
You are looking for reasonably quick drawing and firing, AND ability to control reasonably rapid additional shots . I Like the Really Big Boomers, and shoot them well . But to maintain a semblance of rapid-ish DA , SAAMI level .44mag, or Ruger level .45Colt is the top end .
Is that a lightening bolt against large bears ? No , but nothing is . But the above ( with proper bullets) is enough to penetrate the skulls of Yogi's large, mean cousins .
You want at least 4in , and depending upon your build & carry rig 6 and 6.5in are maxing out, and inbetween those two are generally good.
You are looking for reasonably quick drawing and firing, AND ability to control reasonably rapid additional shots . I Like the Really Big Boomers, and shoot them well . But to maintain a semblance of rapid-ish DA , SAAMI level .44mag, or Ruger level .45Colt is the top end .
Is that a lightening bolt against large bears ? No , but nothing is . But the above ( with proper bullets) is enough to penetrate the skulls of Yogi's large, mean cousins .
When I said as short as your comfortable with what l meant, but didn’t clearly explain, was that there’s a too short length. Personally I like a longer barrel but I have a super redhawk with their longest barrel with a scope on it that’s entirely too long for me to ever be able to draw quickly or comfortably.
A 2” barrel in .44 is good for playing around with but in a bear situation it’s going to reduce FPS and hitting power and is just as likely to blind you in a cloudy or dusk situation on your first shot
Sorry if I confused anyone, I would prefer a barrel length in that 4-1/2” to 5”
MDHunter
Ultimate Member
Thanks for all of the valuable suggestions. To give a little more background (and apologies for not doing this earlier)-
I’ve been going back to Alaska to do remote flyout hunts since 2002. I carry a .338 Winchester Magnum rifle packed with 250 grain Swift A Frames. If I were to be in an unruly bear situation and have a chance, the .338 will be deployed. So, no shotguns or short lever rifles needed – I’m looking for a handgun to wear while in camp, while field dressing caribou, cooking dinner, etc.. Will also wear while we are out hunting and I have the rifle too.
I’m not looking bigger than 44 Magnum because I have TONS more experience with rifles than with pistols. I have a .22 semiauto and a .357 revolver, but shoot them sparingly, and they aren’t in the same class as the 44 mag and up. If I get a 44 Mag, I can practice a lot with 44 Special; I know that doesn’t replace the need to practice with magnum loads, but it will allow me to put more practice rounds through the pistol and keep getting better with it.
When would the pistol be deployed? If a bear shows up with bad intentions at 25 yards or less, or shows up unannounced while we are hiking. If we can see the bear outside of 25 yards and it charges, it’s getting the .338 first – I practice deploying my rifle from my Kifaru gunbearer, and am pretty comfortable with the rifle and my gunbearer setup. A range officer once told me that he was on the verge of warning me for rapid fire with a bolt action.
I will also likely sign up for a self defense training class, since again I have eons more experience with rifles than with pistols. Better to build on good techniques and practices, than guess on my own and develop bad habits.
Thanks a lot for the valuable info guys. When I was a kid and lived in Alaska, my Dad used to carry a .38 Special when we were salmon fishing. That was until a bear attacked a fisherman on the same river that we were fishing – the man got off 2 shots to the head with the .38, still got mauled pretty bad. Dad picked up a .44 and sold the .38.
I’ve been going back to Alaska to do remote flyout hunts since 2002. I carry a .338 Winchester Magnum rifle packed with 250 grain Swift A Frames. If I were to be in an unruly bear situation and have a chance, the .338 will be deployed. So, no shotguns or short lever rifles needed – I’m looking for a handgun to wear while in camp, while field dressing caribou, cooking dinner, etc.. Will also wear while we are out hunting and I have the rifle too.
I’m not looking bigger than 44 Magnum because I have TONS more experience with rifles than with pistols. I have a .22 semiauto and a .357 revolver, but shoot them sparingly, and they aren’t in the same class as the 44 mag and up. If I get a 44 Mag, I can practice a lot with 44 Special; I know that doesn’t replace the need to practice with magnum loads, but it will allow me to put more practice rounds through the pistol and keep getting better with it.
When would the pistol be deployed? If a bear shows up with bad intentions at 25 yards or less, or shows up unannounced while we are hiking. If we can see the bear outside of 25 yards and it charges, it’s getting the .338 first – I practice deploying my rifle from my Kifaru gunbearer, and am pretty comfortable with the rifle and my gunbearer setup. A range officer once told me that he was on the verge of warning me for rapid fire with a bolt action.
I will also likely sign up for a self defense training class, since again I have eons more experience with rifles than with pistols. Better to build on good techniques and practices, than guess on my own and develop bad habits.
Thanks a lot for the valuable info guys. When I was a kid and lived in Alaska, my Dad used to carry a .38 Special when we were salmon fishing. That was until a bear attacked a fisherman on the same river that we were fishing – the man got off 2 shots to the head with the .38, still got mauled pretty bad. Dad picked up a .44 and sold the .38.
Biggfoot44
Ultimate Member
- Aug 2, 2009
- 33,145
DA practice is good . Drawing practice is good . "Standard" .44mag with proper bullet is good for you .
A "regular" , non- Mountain , 4in M629 would be just dandy . Suck up the extra few oz for the less muzzle flip .
A "regular" , non- Mountain , 4in M629 would be just dandy . Suck up the extra few oz for the less muzzle flip .
I have one of those (in .45-70) but energy wise I'd stick with the .44 mag. The longish barrels on the BFR's make drawing a longer issue then a 4.5 to 6 inch barrel. They are easy to shoot though, not much percieved recoil and I'm a recoil wimp.
What about an RPG
ironhead7544
Active Member
- Oct 27, 2018
- 188
The S&W M69 is probably the best trail revolver. You can get the Swift A frames for it if you like. Buffalo Bore makes good hard cast loads.
It is OK to practice with lighter loads. Handloads with a 250 gr cast at 900 fps will keep up your skill and wont cost a fortune.
It is OK to practice with lighter loads. Handloads with a 250 gr cast at 900 fps will keep up your skill and wont cost a fortune.
Like the 45/70 Big Freaking Revolver, the S&W 460 acheives its substantially high energy at least in part through longer barrels. I would consider 44 mag with a 5 to 6 inch barrel (6 allows deer hunting in MD in rifle counties). FYI, the BFR also come in 30/30. I have a close friend who has both. Still needs some length of barrel to actually produce max energies.
Magnumite
Ultimate Member
The subject of barrel length has been mentioned in the thread. As a side note, a 5.5" or 6" barrel is not ungainly in the drawing department using a properly chest rig if backpacking. Not bad from a hip holster as well depending on how one is outfitted. What bigfoot44 mentioned about ballistics and barrel length is true. Extend that to 5.5" to 6" and the ballistics are better but more importantly the shootability and followup shooting is faster as well while still maintaining good handling. The extra weight of the 1.5" to 2" of barrel is up to the wearer.
Someone mentioned practicing one handed shooting...good idea to at least become familiar with the technique if complete proficiency isn't obtained by the trip date.
Someone mentioned practicing one handed shooting...good idea to at least become familiar with the technique if complete proficiency isn't obtained by the trip date.
Gordon
Ultimate Member
C'mon what about a 22 magnum
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