Dangerous Animal Protection

[Spitpatch]

I would order it with engraving or etching displaying the "name" of the gun (i.e. "The Judge", etc.)

In this case it would be,

"Treadwell's Prayer"

 

[Vrod]

If you just need protection while hiking, look into the S&W 329 PD.

 

[ripzip]

50 Beowulf with 400gr FP all in a 10.5 barrel.

 

[Olderguy]

I'm an old old guy with small wrists but am very comfortable with my Ruger Alaskan in 454 Casull. Recoil is reasonable. Rubber grips ease the recoil. It is a great comfort walking around the woods

 

[orygun]

Officially, BFR stands for Big Frame Revolver.

I've always read "Biggest Finest Revolver". But even Magnum Research calls it two different things. Both do make sense. But Big F-in Revolver fits, too!

BFR - Big Frame Revolver | Magnum Research, Inc. | Desert Eagle pistols and BFR revolvers

OVERVIEW: BFR OVERVIEW:BFR MODELS BFR Overview Magnum Research’s BFR is truly the biggest, finest revolver on the market today. Like the legendary Desert Eagle, it is entirely manufactured in the US and designed as a magnum from the ground up. The BFR is all stainless steel, with a precision grade…

www.magnumresearch.com

 

[DeanMk]

At $2700 for the rifle I would have to find another solution.

94 Winchester or 336 Marlin can be had used for a couple of hundred bucks...if you're lucky enough, you can find an AE version of the Winchester chambered in .307 or .356 (slightly lower powered versions of .308 and .358 Winchesters).

Dean

 

[Bohemian]

Regardless of Caliber, Handgun or Rifle Shot Placement Matters Most...

AND That means lot's of regular practice, drawing & shooting accurately is a perishable skill.

That being said, IF your're going to be in area's where there's critters that can eat you, bring enough gun and bring a long gun & a hand gun capable of doing the job quickly, depending on the given scenairo.

IF you're salmon fishing in Alaska, you're going to need a big magnum revolver in something like a cross draw Alaskan rig that allows to to fish & clean your catch, while still giving you quick access to your firearm. A rifle is not the ideal tool here.

Same line of thinking applies, when your cleaning your big game, with or without someone standing watch with a rife; or taking a dump or wake to find a bear dragging you out of your camp into the woods.

700 Grain Hardcast can be had for the S&W 500 which can kill anything that walks the earth including hippo's which have one of the thickest, if not the thickest skulls of any animal walking the earth.

Big Heavy, High Velocity, Flat Hardcast Bullets are the ideal choice for thick skinned, heavy boned critters like bears, feral hogs & boars.

As a owner of large magnum revolvers & semi autos, a couple things you learn real fast are; the heavier the gun the better.

The .44 Mag S&W 329PD is extreemly light weight, feels good in the hands, is a great looking gun and is absolutely horrendous to shoot anything other than .44 Special light loads in. Even putting x-frame grips did not make enough of a difference for me to want to keep it. IF I don't like shooting it, I don't own it for long.
It's one of the few firearms I've ever sold.
In a nut shell it's too light for the caliber.

The Desert Eagles in .44 Mag & .50AE are equally not fun to shoot for long, don't have a big choice of grips and are finicky on ammo they'll feed well without some gun smithing that includes polishing the feed ramp. You don't want a jamomatic when subseconds count. I like mine now with the rework but I would not carry any semi auto handgun for my last line of defense against a bear, simply because revolvers never have a fail to feed or have a magazine spring go south from being loaded too long. Although, my ccw preference is .45 acp, depending on weather I'll carry a Glock G36 or a 1911. In addition, at home near the bed is a .357 revolver and a pistol grip 12 gauge.

The priceyness of the BFR's aside I think a 45-70 Revolver would be a fine bear gun, it's about tripple the power of a .44 mag depending on loads. I'd also go with a barrel in the 6-1/2" plus range. Anything shorter and it'll be too light a gun.

Despite internet legend, The single most common handgun caliber in Alaska & the Northwest Territories for DLP Defense of Life & Property from large predators & moose is the .44 Magnum in a revolver frame. Ruger's are often the choice because they can take heavier loads, have longer cylinders than the Colts & S&W .44 Mags and they're less expensive. You can basically shoot the better looking colt's & s&w's loose with heavy loads long before anything simular would happen, if at all with the big ruger magnums. IF you're not shooting 100's of rounds then shooting your Colt or S&W loose with heavy loads is likely not a concern, although cylinder length will still limit the loads you can run.

I can't emphasize enough how important the felt recoil factor is that is most influenced by the weight of the handgun, basically the more heavy it is, the less the felt recoil will be which translates to something you'll be able to shoot more accuratlely when you have to. Moreover, in the scenairos where your rifle is not the right tool at that moment.

While Ruger's are king of the economical .44 mags, for big game dlp imho the S&W .500 Mag rules them all, which is my last line of defense when my rifle is not the right tool in a given scenairo & bear spray failed. Mine is the 8-3/8" barrel I had the opportunity to shoot the shorter barrelled versions and the felt recoil difference was profound due to the weight difference in the guns.

I also like the x-frame 500 S&W more than the rugers & bfr's because of the bigger grip area of frame with or without wood or other non rubber grips, which gives you greater control & recoil surface area displacement. The Hogue rubber x-frame grips completely cover the back strap so there's no hard surface to punish your hands & wrists with.

 

[The Heretic]

460 S&W Magnum (that can also run 454 Casull & 45LC) for the win...

I have three bear guns:

My black bear gun is a S&W TRR8 in .357 magnum

My brown bear gun is a S&W 329 in .44 magnum

My white (polar) bear gun is a S&W 460V

I have spent time in Alaska, visited Denali, spent time outside Fairbanks at a shack in the woods, hiked around the Kenai and on Ketchikan island. I visited GNP, including camping in a teepee at Pole Bridge. I also visited Yellowstone on my day off. I have bears on my property (I have seen their scat within 50 feet of the house)

I have never seen a bear, any bear, in the wild.

 

[terdog]

I have never seen a bear, any bear, in the wild.

I lived in South Lake Tahoe for decades. Black bears were all over the place, in town and in the woods. I have a video of the wife and I kayaking on Fallen Leaf Lake. There was a good sized Black bear cruising the shoreline and we were headed right toward it. I told the wife to go silent and we drifted its way. We landed on a log that went to the shore and just stayed there. That bear actually went out of its way to walk out ONTO THE LOG to check us out, getting within 6-8 FEET of us. It just took a couple of sniffs and left.

I had my KIMBER CDP 45 in my chest pack ready to go if it started goin south.

 

[Spitpatch]

Remarkable video! and therefore, I'll remark:

So, just to understand:

1)YOU initiated contact with a bear when it was easy to avoid it.

2) You have no compunction killing it "if it started goin south".

I'd have been rootin' for the bear.
With the genuine hope that all you had to do was go swimming for your Kimber.

 

[terdog]

I did NOT initiate contact. Don't know how the hell you came to that off the wall conclusion. The bear walked towards us. We STOPPED heading towards it, while it continued towards us.

Another example of your "different" logic is ASSUMING that my intent was to kill it. Where did I say that?

Giving how things turned out, we apparently knew how to handle things, and my knowledge of the local bear population where I had lived with for 15 yrs was better than some keyboard jockey.

 

[Spitpatch]

"We drifted its way..." "We STOPPED heading towards it..." I am merely a spectator in that conflict.

" Intent" to kill it was not initially mentioned or assumed by you or me.

Relationships with populations of bears (personal or otherwise) might not allow for prediction of individual behavior.

I will add "keyboard jockey" to the list of names I've (as a last resort) been called, and you have my assurance I will not return the favor.

 

[Spitpatch]

Watching bears jump into boats: a popular spectator sport at Flathead Lake, Montana.

 

[terdog]

I will add "keyboard jockey" to the list of names I've (as a last resort) been called, and you have my assurance I will not return the favor.

My apology.

Post #50 from you...

2) You have no compunction killing it "if it started goin south".

yet you follow up with

" Intent" to kill it was not initially mentioned or assumed by you or me.

Relationships with populations of bears (personal or otherwise) might not allow for prediction of individual behavior.

"might not" is right. But, seeing as I've had literally dozens of encounters with wild Black Bears in the Northern Sierra, WITHOUT GETTING "BIT", might be that I can predict behavior. So far ...

 

[Spitpatch]

Agreed. I ain't been bit neither. .

 

[DirectDrive]

Should be a good flame show.
I reckon that skinny hog leg grip is gonna hurt some.

 

[Spitpatch]

Back to bear guns. My brother lived the last half of his life in Alaska and did well there. I went more often than I could afford.
We never hired guides. We rented airplanes and pilots.

He did not HAVE a bear gun. He had a "fishin' gun". (It was a no-holds barred portable powerhouse for bear).
It was a 12ga 3" Magnum Stoeger hammerless double trigger Coach gun.
He had a gunsmith put on African Express Sights from NECG (New England Custom Guns). Loaded it, fished with it slung diagonally over his shoulder, and it went in and out of any boat with him.

The load was copper slugs. Heavy.

His "Fishin' Gun".

Imagine Godfather II, and the bodygards with Michael in Italy. I have a gun like brother's, but no sights on it...yet.

 

[DeanMk]

That looks an awful lot like the Stevens 511 I used to have, but the stock's too fancy.
12 ga. slug is good bear juice, but I'd prefer the solid Brenneke slug to the hollow Foster.