the ultimate Alaskan handgun - Page 2

jmortimer · December 16, 2012, 11:10 PM

^ It was 360 grain LWN to your 255 grain FP example. Two different worlds, one over 1,200 ft lbs with a huge bullet with huge meplat compared to much smaller bullet at around 975 ft lbs with smaller meplat.

RalphS · December 17, 2012, 12:07 AM

My ultimate Alaskan handgun is any handgun that can fire at least a 300 grain WFN hardcast bullet at 1200 fps.

If it can fire a 325 grain bullet at 1250 fps, even better. That is, in my opinion, the sweet spot between ballistic power and controllability.

A 4 inch Redhawk in 44M or 45LC can handle this easily.

jmortimer · December 17, 2012, 12:15 AM

^ Yes agree completely and I'm just pointing out you can get a 360 grain LWN LBT bullet to go 1,230 fps from the Ruger Alaskan .454 even with its short barrel. That is a beast.

kraigwy · December 17, 2012, 01:27 PM

There are a lot of big revolvers shooting some pretty heavy rounds. Elmer Keith talked about a 45-70 revolver.

These would be quite adequate, the problem being there are few people who can handle these revolvers, I certainly am not one of them.

But I do feel quite confident using my 357s, even more so then my Model 29. Confidence has a lot to to with how effective a firearm is.

I have some pretty heavy pistols, but I more comfort in a lighter 357 w/my 150-158 gr LSWCs.

Same with my rifles, I have a 458 Win, and a 416 Rigby, both are more then capable of killing anything on the planet. I'm not, those suckers kick. Both are more powerful then my 375 H&H, but I would feel safer in, lets say Africa with my 375 because I can shoot it.

Heck I'm in the process of re-reading Selous' book, "A Hunters Wanderings in Africa. My shoulder hurts just reading about him shooting 4 & 6 bore guns.

dajowi · December 17, 2012, 04:29 PM

Years ago I was in an aircraft circling the airport at Kodiak Island as the "follow-me trucks" chased the bears off the runway. When we debarked the plane, (which was parked away from the terminal) the armed escorts didn't carry handguns they carried rifles.

I've got a .44 Redhawk and I would consider that the ultimate Alaskan handgun.

Erno86 · December 17, 2012, 05:27 PM

I have enough confidence in my 454/45 Colt Ruger Super Redhawk...that it can take out any living creature on our planet; including the Big Five in Africa. If it were possible...it might even be capable of taking out a T-Rex or two; but I wouldn't bet on it.

sgms · December 17, 2012, 06:09 PM

Spent a few years in Alaska, my in the field gun was a Ruger Super Blackhawk with over sized grips made for my hand, magnaported, and had a ribbed barrel. Carried it in a vertical shoulder holster to keep it mostly out of the way. It may look a bit funny but it was my big unfriendly critter gun while doing site surveys and excavations.

Strafer Gott · December 17, 2012, 06:27 PM

I have a SRH .454 like Erno and a model 28 like Kraigwy. I'd take both of them!

Gaerek · December 18, 2012, 01:22 PM

Alaska State Trooper carry a Glock 22 on them, and have a Remington 870 (with Buckshot and Brenneke Black Magic Slugs), and an AR-15 in their cars. There's one episode where a trooper has to kill a bear (I think? Might have been a moose) who was injured and suffering on the side of the road. He couldn't get his 870 unlocked from the mount in his car for some reason so he used his G22 with great affect. One shot took the animal out of it's misery.

Having said that, since we're talking handguns only, if I were going to get a gun specifically for defense from 4 legged predators or hunting, I'd take a Glock 20 or other 10mm, or a 44 Mag...nothing less than either of those.

For the record, I carried a Mossberg 500 fully loaded with Brenneke Black Magics as my wildlife defense gun when I used to hike a lot in Alaska.

Nanuk · December 19, 2012, 05:36 AM

Quote:

^ It was 360 grain LWN to your 255 grain FP example. Two different worlds, one over 1,200 ft lbs with a huge bullet with huge meplat compared to much smaller bullet at around 975 ft lbs with smaller meplat.

Truth be known, I am actually a 44 mag fan.

stevelyn · December 20, 2012, 11:54 PM

Quote:

"the ultimate Alaskan handgun "

There is no such thing. Like anywhere else there are different handguns suited to different tasks.

Trapp · December 21, 2012, 12:03 AM

I like my 22mag 6" barrel old school Charter arms revolver...

jason_iowa · December 21, 2012, 03:20 AM

I have never spent time in the Alaska wilds only cities and Naval bases. I would submit to you though that a good 44mag loaded with hard cast lead will kill damn near anything on the planet. I prefer a minimum of 4 inches on all revolvers. IMO bullet selection has more impact <pun possibly intended> then caliber. 357 mag and 44 mag revolvers have insane versatility. I have 38 rounds that will penetrate an engine block and ones that would be hard pressed to get through 3/4 in of plywood. Big bear and moose have been killed with 357 mags. I think the 454, the 460 and 500 are awesome but I also think they are overkill.

If I were going into grizzly country i would take my 4in 629 with 305gr. Hard Cast lfn Buffalo Bore. They will knock the chocolate out of anything.

kcub · December 22, 2012, 08:47 AM

Why not the .460 Rowland for all around Alaskan gun? Easy to swap out magazines between .460R and .45ACP as needed? Being an auto you have a better chance of getting followup shots at a charging bear or moose than any hard kicking revolver; especially a single-action revolver.

Buffalo Bore makes a 255 grain @ 1300fps:
https://www.buffalobore.com/index.ph...t_detail&p=231

Sarge · December 22, 2012, 11:07 AM

I think the 45 Super & 460 Rowland are viable options provided that the gun is proven for reliability with the specific load you intend to carry. We should also remember that any animal attack is likely to result in hard contact or the attackee getting knocked ass over teakettle. DA revolvers do enjoy the advantage of working repeatedly while jammed against hair and meat.

Budda · December 22, 2012, 11:26 AM

The Garrett 330grn at 1400fps meplat hardcast ruger only load is what the wyoming grizzley teams uses.....that about answers it all does it not??

http://www.garrettcartridges.com/defensive.html

DEFENSIVE SHOOTING OF BEARS WITH THE REVOLVER

Single-action vs Double-action

I like both single-action and double-action revolvers for hunting, however when carried for self-defense from bear attack, there is a pretty strong consensus that the double-action revolver is the better choice. Since bear attacks invariably occur with incredible speed, there is a very considerable possibility that the attacking bear will reach the shooter before he has had an opportunity to effectively deploy his sidearm. If that does occur, it is generally believed that a double-action revolver offers the shooter a better chance of prevailing since it can be fired by simply pulling the trigger. The necessity of thumbing the hammer on a single-action revolver presents a substantial mechanical obstacle when the shooter is placed in such demanding circumstances, as the throttling provided by a bear attack is vigorous in the extreme.

Caliber selection

Since the only completely reliable shot placement against an attacking bear is one that destroys essential parts of the central nervous system, it could be argued that any caliber/load combination capable of shooting through the skull of a big bruin is a reasonable choice. However, the larger the caliber the greater the potential for disabling an attacking bear with a less than perfect shot. Therefore, the best choice is likely to be the biggest caliber the shooter can handle in a desperate struggle where all shooting will be done one-handed. In my opinion, this would include calibers as small as the 41 Magnum, assuming proper bullet selection.

Bullet selection

Where defense against bear attack is concerned, the best bullets for the large caliber handgun are clearly proper hard-cast bullets. Expanding bullets are far too likely to fracture when impacted into the tough bone of a bear’s skull. This should be rather obvious as any bullet designed to expand against the light resistance of a deer’s rib cage cannot be depended upon for major bone busting on a big bear. When selecting a hard-cast bullet for such applications, one should be careful to choose an extremely heavy bullet with a broad frontal flat (meplat). It is also important that the casting possess substantial inherent strength, with a hardness rating of at least 19-Brinnell. The importance of selecting a heavy bullet is twofold. First, heavier bullets penetrate deeper than lighter bullets. Second, since heavier bullets cannot be driven as fast as lighter bullets, they experience less impact stress and are therefore less likely to fracture upon impact. This is very important, as the amount of stress experienced by a bullet upon impact is the result of the speed of impact and the toughness of the target. When the target is close and extremely tough, reliable performance is always best achieved by increasing bullet weight and decreasing velocity. The importance of selecting a bullet with a broad meplat is also critical, as broad meplated bullets tend to penetrate deeper than small meplated bullets. It has become obvious to me through the years that although logic would seem to suggest that heavy bullets with small meplats should penetrate deeper than blunter bullets of the same weight and velocity, they usually don’t. This is quite interesting, as it would seem that the bullet with the smaller meplat would offer less resistance to penetration and therefore should penetrate better than the blunter bullet. However, nearly three decades of penetration testing with the 44 Magnum has established beyond any doubt that the blunter designs penetrate the best. The truncated cone is an excellent example of this. Although possessing meplats in the .210-inch to .230-inch range, truncated cones do not penetrate as deeply as semi-wadcutters of the same weight and impact velocity, and yet the semi-wadcutters I have tested possess meplat diameters of about .285-inch. Later testing revealed that penetration would continue to increase as the meplats increased in diameter up to about .320-inch. However, my penetration testing demonstrated that meplat diameters significantly greater than .320-inch, in 44 caliber, did not increase penetration depth, but instead led to decreased penetration depth. It is always easier to observe than explain, however it is my opinion that the reason for this pertains to the disparity in weight distribution of small meplated bullets. Simply stated, when the back half of the bullet carries significantly more weight than the front half, the back half tends to over-take the front half upon impact. In other words, the bullet tends to go sideways since the back half carries more weight and has more inertia. As the weight disparity between the two ends of the bullet is reduced, as in blunter designs, there is clearly less of a tendency for the back half to over-take the front half, and the bullet takes a straighter and deeper path. However, once this weight disparity has been corrected, any further increases in meplat diameter tend to decrease penetration depth as terminal stability can no longer be improved.

Final thoughts

It should be clearly understood that although a properly loaded large caliber handgun can be successfully deployed against an attacking bear, it certainly is not the gun of choice. It is best regarded as the gun of last resort. In my opinion, the short barreled lever-action carbine firing heavy bullets at modest speed reins supreme for the specific task of stopping a determined bruin. Also, as with the handgun, the lever-action carbine should be chambered in the largest caliber the shooter can handle. For most shooters this is probably the 45-70 with blunt hard-cast bullets of extreme weight.

- Randy Garrett

..

Budda · December 22, 2012, 11:37 AM

http://www.garrettcartridges.com/44hammerheadplusp.html

330-gr SuperHardCast Long-Hammerhead at 1400-fps from 7.5” barrel;
1275-fps from 4” barrel

RECOMMENDED FOR USE ONLY IN RUGER REDHAWK, SUPER REDHAWK, TAURUS RAGING BULL, DAN WESSON, AND CUSTOM SINGLE-ACTION LONG-CYLINDERED REVOLVERS BUILT BY HAMILTON BOWEN, GARY REEDER, AND JOHN GALLAGHER. THIS AMMO IS NOT RECOMMENDED FOR USE IN ANY REVOLVER WITH A BARREL LENGTH OF LESS THAN 4-INCHES. THIS AMMO IS TOO LONG FOR USE IN RIFLES.

Energy: 1435 ft/lbs from 7.5” barrel; 1200 ft/lbs from 4” barrel;
Meplat diameter: .320”; Bullet hardness: 25-Brinnell; 43,500-cup

Trajectory: +1.8” 50-yds; ZERO @ 100-yds; -7.5” @ 150-yds

For highly experienced shooters hunting big game with the above-specified revolvers (all of which have extra-long cylinders).

Our 330-gr +P Hammerhead Ammo is an excellent choice for those highly experienced individuals who are accustomed to, and comfortable with, extremely heavy recoil. We do not recommend this ammo for most shooters, as the heavy recoil can easily degrade a person’s ability to shoot accurately. However, for those who have mastered the heavy-recoiling revolver, this is the ultimate in power, accuracy, penetration and overall impact performance. This is the deepest penetrating cast bullet ammo in the industry. It is also extraordinarily accurate, and has been used by Ashley Emerson with a custom Hamilton Bowen, line-bored, long cylindered single-action revolver at the Whittington Center (New Mexico) to demonstrate dazzling shooting displays out to an incredible 700-yds! (As witnessed by various gun writers and NRA personnel).

Please read Garrett's 44 Magnum Ammo Commentary for more information.

$100 / 50 CTGS

Add to Cart
..

Rainbow Demon · December 22, 2012, 12:58 PM

On one of the educational channels they had an episode on bear attacks.
An alaskan state trooper described how he had been chased around, between and over a line of stalled cars by a very large grizzly.
He was emptying his .357 revolver into the bear at every oportunity and reloading on the run. It took more than two dozen rounds before the bear dropped.
The trooper then displayed the sidearm he had bought immediately after the incident, a .50 magnum desert eagle and belt with ten extra clips.

tdrizzle · December 24, 2012, 12:27 AM

I don't think AST would authorize anyone to carry a .50 Deagle. Perhaps hyperbole on the show? Or just as an off duty gun?

A .50 and a couple of spare mags would be a considerable drag on the belt, and you'd tend to tip to one side carrying in a shoulder rig.

Deaf Smith · December 25, 2012, 08:43 PM

'Ultimate' handgun for Alaska.

Well, tell me gents just how much handgun can you control? 2.5 inch .454 with full loads? 4 inch .44 magnum with 300 grain loads? .357? 10mm?

See 'ultimate' is a hard thing to pin down My wife could never hold and fire a Alaskan .454 2.5 inch snub. ZERO chance of that working. Sure no ultimate for her, right?

If I had the money, and in Alaska, I guess I'd get a RSH .454 7 1/2 and cut it down to 5 inch (good smiths do that!) but I know my father could never handle that gun with full power loads so maybe a 5 inch Redhawk in .44 might be the most he could use. Or a good GP-100 .357 with Buffalo Bore ammo

Now if power is the 'ultimate' then I'd just get a class II 12 inch Remington 870 shotgun with 'Black Magic' 3 inch 12 gauge slugs (and that gun will hurt alot on both ends.)

But bear in mind (pun intended) that any pistol is a weak sister to a good rifle (or full sized shotgun.) We only pack pistols cause it's to hard to drag around that long gun!

Deaf

Nanuk · December 25, 2012, 08:49 PM

http://www.magnumresearch.com/Firear...nch-Barrel.asp

A companion to your Guide Gun.

Super Sneaky Steve · December 25, 2012, 09:39 PM

Good suggestions all around but no one brought up the M25 yet.

BIG P · December 25, 2012, 10:01 PM

SRH 7.5 -454 gets my vote.I know nothing about Alaska.But I do know the 454 is one bad dude.

brizbane · December 28, 2012, 08:27 PM

I just traded off my Ruger Alaskan .454 after a very short love affair with it. It was a beautiful, overbuilt handgun and it was cool to have a snubbie that was this large, but there were some caveats.

I fired just six rounds of full boat and realized that the recoil was too much for me. I am not kidding when I say that each fired round felt as if a grenade had exploded in my hand. Punishing is an understatement.

But, there is no doubt in my mind that this combination would be devastating to any 2 or 4 legged predator.

Additionally, the Alaskan with .45Colt ammo was a pleasure to shoot, but I could not justify the heavy carry weight for this weaker cartridge, so it went bye bye.

So, if you have specific needs, and you have the ability to handle this very potent weapon, then, I think it could be a viable part of your arsenal.

drail · December 28, 2012, 08:58 PM

I would pick my old S&W 57 .41. With heavy hard cast slugs (handloads) it is a pile driver. I also have a Bisley in .41 that is a little slower to get into action but packs a good punch. I also like to walk in the woods with a Winchester Trapper in .44 mag. with 300 gr cast flat points.

December 17, 2012, 01:27 PM	#29
kraigwy Senior Member Join Date: June 16, 2008 Location: Wyoming Posts: 8,590	There are a lot of big revolvers shooting some pretty heavy rounds. Elmer Keith talked about a 45-70 revolver. These would be quite adequate, the problem being there are few people who can handle these revolvers, I certainly am not one of them. But I do feel quite confident using my 357s, even more so then my Model 29. Confidence has a lot to to with how effective a firearm is. I have some pretty heavy pistols, but I more comfort in a lighter 357 w/my 150-158 gr LSWCs. Same with my rifles, I have a 458 Win, and a 416 Rigby, both are more then capable of killing anything on the planet. I'm not, those suckers kick. Both are more powerful then my 375 H&H, but I would feel safer in, lets say Africa with my 375 because I can shoot it. Heck I'm in the process of re-reading Selous' book, "A Hunters Wanderings in Africa. My shoulder hurts just reading about him shooting 4 & 6 bore guns. __________________ Kraig Stuart CPT USAR Ret USAMU Sniper School Oct '78 Distinguished Rifle Badge 1071

December 21, 2012, 12:03 AM	#37
Trapp Senior Member Join Date: December 5, 2004 Location: KTN Posts: 1,221	I like my 22mag 6" barrel old school Charter arms revolver... __________________ HDR Ban!? It's a shame all of my guns sank with my boat last week... Time to catch up.....like mayonnaise

December 22, 2012, 11:07 AM	#40
Sarge Senior Member Join Date: May 12, 2002 Location: MO Posts: 4,347	I think the 45 Super & 460 Rowland are viable options provided that the gun is proven for reliability with the specific load you intend to carry. We should also remember that any animal attack is likely to result in hard contact or the attackee getting knocked ass over teakettle. DA revolvers do enjoy the advantage of working repeatedly while jammed against hair and meat. __________________ Visit us at The Sixgun Journal or the archive, at http://sargesrollcall.blogspot.com/

December 22, 2012, 11:26 AM	#41
Budda Senior Member Join Date: November 7, 2011 Location: Earth Posts: 384	The Garrett 330grn at 1400fps meplat hardcast ruger only load is what the wyoming grizzley teams uses.....that about answers it all does it not?? http://www.garrettcartridges.com/defensive.html DEFENSIVE SHOOTING OF BEARS WITH THE REVOLVER Single-action vs Double-action I like both single-action and double-action revolvers for hunting, however when carried for self-defense from bear attack, there is a pretty strong consensus that the double-action revolver is the better choice. Since bear attacks invariably occur with incredible speed, there is a very considerable possibility that the attacking bear will reach the shooter before he has had an opportunity to effectively deploy his sidearm. If that does occur, it is generally believed that a double-action revolver offers the shooter a better chance of prevailing since it can be fired by simply pulling the trigger. The necessity of thumbing the hammer on a single-action revolver presents a substantial mechanical obstacle when the shooter is placed in such demanding circumstances, as the throttling provided by a bear attack is vigorous in the extreme. Caliber selection Since the only completely reliable shot placement against an attacking bear is one that destroys essential parts of the central nervous system, it could be argued that any caliber/load combination capable of shooting through the skull of a big bruin is a reasonable choice. However, the larger the caliber the greater the potential for disabling an attacking bear with a less than perfect shot. Therefore, the best choice is likely to be the biggest caliber the shooter can handle in a desperate struggle where all shooting will be done one-handed. In my opinion, this would include calibers as small as the 41 Magnum, assuming proper bullet selection. Bullet selection Where defense against bear attack is concerned, the best bullets for the large caliber handgun are clearly proper hard-cast bullets. Expanding bullets are far too likely to fracture when impacted into the tough bone of a bear’s skull. This should be rather obvious as any bullet designed to expand against the light resistance of a deer’s rib cage cannot be depended upon for major bone busting on a big bear. When selecting a hard-cast bullet for such applications, one should be careful to choose an extremely heavy bullet with a broad frontal flat (meplat). It is also important that the casting possess substantial inherent strength, with a hardness rating of at least 19-Brinnell. The importance of selecting a heavy bullet is twofold. First, heavier bullets penetrate deeper than lighter bullets. Second, since heavier bullets cannot be driven as fast as lighter bullets, they experience less impact stress and are therefore less likely to fracture upon impact. This is very important, as the amount of stress experienced by a bullet upon impact is the result of the speed of impact and the toughness of the target. When the target is close and extremely tough, reliable performance is always best achieved by increasing bullet weight and decreasing velocity. The importance of selecting a bullet with a broad meplat is also critical, as broad meplated bullets tend to penetrate deeper than small meplated bullets. It has become obvious to me through the years that although logic would seem to suggest that heavy bullets with small meplats should penetrate deeper than blunter bullets of the same weight and velocity, they usually don’t. This is quite interesting, as it would seem that the bullet with the smaller meplat would offer less resistance to penetration and therefore should penetrate better than the blunter bullet. However, nearly three decades of penetration testing with the 44 Magnum has established beyond any doubt that the blunter designs penetrate the best. The truncated cone is an excellent example of this. Although possessing meplats in the .210-inch to .230-inch range, truncated cones do not penetrate as deeply as semi-wadcutters of the same weight and impact velocity, and yet the semi-wadcutters I have tested possess meplat diameters of about .285-inch. Later testing revealed that penetration would continue to increase as the meplats increased in diameter up to about .320-inch. However, my penetration testing demonstrated that meplat diameters significantly greater than .320-inch, in 44 caliber, did not increase penetration depth, but instead led to decreased penetration depth. It is always easier to observe than explain, however it is my opinion that the reason for this pertains to the disparity in weight distribution of small meplated bullets. Simply stated, when the back half of the bullet carries significantly more weight than the front half, the back half tends to over-take the front half upon impact. In other words, the bullet tends to go sideways since the back half carries more weight and has more inertia. As the weight disparity between the two ends of the bullet is reduced, as in blunter designs, there is clearly less of a tendency for the back half to over-take the front half, and the bullet takes a straighter and deeper path. However, once this weight disparity has been corrected, any further increases in meplat diameter tend to decrease penetration depth as terminal stability can no longer be improved. Final thoughts It should be clearly understood that although a properly loaded large caliber handgun can be successfully deployed against an attacking bear, it certainly is not the gun of choice. It is best regarded as the gun of last resort. In my opinion, the short barreled lever-action carbine firing heavy bullets at modest speed reins supreme for the specific task of stopping a determined bruin. Also, as with the handgun, the lever-action carbine should be chambered in the largest caliber the shooter can handle. For most shooters this is probably the 45-70 with blunt hard-cast bullets of extreme weight. - Randy Garrett .. __________________ ...They have the internet on computers now....-Homer Simpson- Last edited by Budda; December 22, 2012 at 11:39 AM.

December 22, 2012, 11:37 AM	#42
Budda Senior Member Join Date: November 7, 2011 Location: Earth Posts: 384	http://www.garrettcartridges.com/44hammerheadplusp.html 330-gr SuperHardCast Long-Hammerhead at 1400-fps from 7.5” barrel; 1275-fps from 4” barrel RECOMMENDED FOR USE ONLY IN RUGER REDHAWK, SUPER REDHAWK, TAURUS RAGING BULL, DAN WESSON, AND CUSTOM SINGLE-ACTION LONG-CYLINDERED REVOLVERS BUILT BY HAMILTON BOWEN, GARY REEDER, AND JOHN GALLAGHER. THIS AMMO IS NOT RECOMMENDED FOR USE IN ANY REVOLVER WITH A BARREL LENGTH OF LESS THAN 4-INCHES. THIS AMMO IS TOO LONG FOR USE IN RIFLES. Energy: 1435 ft/lbs from 7.5” barrel; 1200 ft/lbs from 4” barrel; Meplat diameter: .320”; Bullet hardness: 25-Brinnell; 43,500-cup Trajectory: +1.8” 50-yds; ZERO @ 100-yds; -7.5” @ 150-yds For highly experienced shooters hunting big game with the above-specified revolvers (all of which have extra-long cylinders). Our 330-gr +P Hammerhead Ammo is an excellent choice for those highly experienced individuals who are accustomed to, and comfortable with, extremely heavy recoil. We do not recommend this ammo for most shooters, as the heavy recoil can easily degrade a person’s ability to shoot accurately. However, for those who have mastered the heavy-recoiling revolver, this is the ultimate in power, accuracy, penetration and overall impact performance. This is the deepest penetrating cast bullet ammo in the industry. It is also extraordinarily accurate, and has been used by Ashley Emerson with a custom Hamilton Bowen, line-bored, long cylindered single-action revolver at the Whittington Center (New Mexico) to demonstrate dazzling shooting displays out to an incredible 700-yds! (As witnessed by various gun writers and NRA personnel). Please read Garrett's 44 Magnum Ammo Commentary for more information. $100 / 50 CTGS Add to Cart .. __________________ ...They have the internet on computers now....-Homer Simpson-

December 16, 2012, 11:10 PM	#26
jmortimer Junior member Join Date: January 24, 2010 Location: South West Riverside County California Posts: 2,765	^ It was 360 grain LWN to your 255 grain FP example. Two different worlds, one over 1,200 ft lbs with a huge bullet with huge meplat compared to much smaller bullet at around 975 ft lbs with smaller meplat.

December 17, 2012, 12:07 AM	#27
RalphS Member Join Date: December 24, 2010 Posts: 80	My ultimate Alaskan handgun is any handgun that can fire at least a 300 grain WFN hardcast bullet at 1200 fps. If it can fire a 325 grain bullet at 1250 fps, even better. That is, in my opinion, the sweet spot between ballistic power and controllability. A 4 inch Redhawk in 44M or 45LC can handle this easily.

December 17, 2012, 12:15 AM	#28
jmortimer Junior member Join Date: January 24, 2010 Location: South West Riverside County California Posts: 2,765	^ Yes agree completely and I'm just pointing out you can get a 360 grain LWN LBT bullet to go 1,230 fps from the Ruger Alaskan .454 even with its short barrel. That is a beast.

December 17, 2012, 04:29 PM	#30
dajowi Senior Member Join Date: November 2, 2005 Posts: 788	Years ago I was in an aircraft circling the airport at Kodiak Island as the "follow-me trucks" chased the bears off the runway. When we debarked the plane, (which was parked away from the terminal) the armed escorts didn't carry handguns they carried rifles. I've got a .44 Redhawk and I would consider that the ultimate Alaskan handgun.

December 17, 2012, 05:27 PM	#31
Erno86 Senior Member Join Date: September 22, 2012 Location: Marriottsville, Maryland Posts: 223	I have enough confidence in my 454/45 Colt Ruger Super Redhawk...that it can take out any living creature on our planet; including the Big Five in Africa. If it were possible...it might even be capable of taking out a T-Rex or two; but I wouldn't bet on it.

December 17, 2012, 06:27 PM	#33
Strafer Gott Senior Member Join Date: May 12, 2011 Location: New Mexico Posts: 878	I have a SRH .454 like Erno and a model 28 like Kraigwy. I'd take both of them!

December 18, 2012, 01:22 PM	#34
Gaerek Senior Member Join Date: October 3, 2012 Location: Arizona Posts: 811	Alaska State Trooper carry a Glock 22 on them, and have a Remington 870 (with Buckshot and Brenneke Black Magic Slugs), and an AR-15 in their cars. There's one episode where a trooper has to kill a bear (I think? Might have been a moose) who was injured and suffering on the side of the road. He couldn't get his 870 unlocked from the mount in his car for some reason so he used his G22 with great affect. One shot took the animal out of it's misery. Having said that, since we're talking handguns only, if I were going to get a gun specifically for defense from 4 legged predators or hunting, I'd take a Glock 20 or other 10mm, or a 44 Mag...nothing less than either of those. For the record, I carried a Mossberg 500 fully loaded with Brenneke Black Magics as my wildlife defense gun when I used to hike a lot in Alaska.

December 21, 2012, 03:20 AM	#38
jason_iowa Senior Member Join Date: July 30, 2011 Posts: 569	I have never spent time in the Alaska wilds only cities and Naval bases. I would submit to you though that a good 44mag loaded with hard cast lead will kill damn near anything on the planet. I prefer a minimum of 4 inches on all revolvers. IMO bullet selection has more impact <pun possibly intended> then caliber. 357 mag and 44 mag revolvers have insane versatility. I have 38 rounds that will penetrate an engine block and ones that would be hard pressed to get through 3/4 in of plywood. Big bear and moose have been killed with 357 mags. I think the 454, the 460 and 500 are awesome but I also think they are overkill. If I were going into grizzly country i would take my 4in 629 with 305gr. Hard Cast lfn Buffalo Bore. They will knock the chocolate out of anything.

December 22, 2012, 08:47 AM	#39
kcub Senior Member Join Date: October 24, 2010 Posts: 878	Why not the .460 Rowland for all around Alaskan gun? Easy to swap out magazines between .460R and .45ACP as needed? Being an auto you have a better chance of getting followup shots at a charging bear or moose than any hard kicking revolver; especially a single-action revolver. Buffalo Bore makes a 255 grain @ 1300fps: https://www.buffalobore.com/index.ph...t_detail&p=231

December 22, 2012, 12:58 PM	#43
Rainbow Demon Senior Member Join Date: September 27, 2012 Posts: 397	On one of the educational channels they had an episode on bear attacks. An alaskan state trooper described how he had been chased around, between and over a line of stalled cars by a very large grizzly. He was emptying his .357 revolver into the bear at every oportunity and reloading on the run. It took more than two dozen rounds before the bear dropped. The trooper then displayed the sidearm he had bought immediately after the incident, a .50 magnum desert eagle and belt with ten extra clips.

December 24, 2012, 12:27 AM	#44
tdrizzle Senior Member Join Date: September 11, 2007 Location: St Paul Posts: 146	I don't think AST would authorize anyone to carry a .50 Deagle. Perhaps hyperbole on the show? Or just as an off duty gun? A .50 and a couple of spare mags would be a considerable drag on the belt, and you'd tend to tip to one side carrying in a shoulder rig.

December 25, 2012, 08:43 PM	#45
Deaf Smith Senior Member Join Date: October 31, 2000 Location: Texican! Posts: 2,691	'Ultimate' handgun for Alaska. Well, tell me gents just how much handgun can you control? 2.5 inch .454 with full loads? 4 inch .44 magnum with 300 grain loads? .357? 10mm? See 'ultimate' is a hard thing to pin down My wife could never hold and fire a Alaskan .454 2.5 inch snub. ZERO chance of that working. Sure no ultimate for her, right? If I had the money, and in Alaska, I guess I'd get a RSH .454 7 1/2 and cut it down to 5 inch (good smiths do that!) but I know my father could never handle that gun with full power loads so maybe a 5 inch Redhawk in .44 might be the most he could use. Or a good GP-100 .357 with Buffalo Bore ammo Now if power is the 'ultimate' then I'd just get a class II 12 inch Remington 870 shotgun with 'Black Magic' 3 inch 12 gauge slugs (and that gun will hurt alot on both ends.) But bear in mind (pun intended) that any pistol is a weak sister to a good rifle (or full sized shotgun.) We only pack pistols cause it's to hard to drag around that long gun! Deaf __________________ “We can evade reality, but we cannot evade the consequences of evading reality” Ayn Rand

December 25, 2012, 08:49 PM	#46
Nanuk Senior Member Join Date: January 2, 2005 Location: Where the deer and the antelope roam. Posts: 1,426	http://www.magnumresearch.com/Firear...nch-Barrel.asp A companion to your Guide Gun. __________________ My rifle and pistol are tools, I am the weapon.

December 25, 2012, 09:39 PM	#47
Super Sneaky Steve Senior Member Join Date: August 9, 2011 Posts: 532	Good suggestions all around but no one brought up the M25 yet. __________________ anti-state, anti-war, pro-market

December 25, 2012, 10:01 PM	#48
BIG P Senior Member Join Date: July 8, 2010 Location: North Georgia Posts: 1,460	SRH 7.5 -454 gets my vote.I know nothing about Alaska.But I do know the 454 is one bad dude.

December 28, 2012, 08:27 PM	#49
brizbane Member Join Date: December 28, 2008 Posts: 24	I just traded off my Ruger Alaskan .454 after a very short love affair with it. It was a beautiful, overbuilt handgun and it was cool to have a snubbie that was this large, but there were some caveats. I fired just six rounds of full boat and realized that the recoil was too much for me. I am not kidding when I say that each fired round felt as if a grenade had exploded in my hand. Punishing is an understatement. But, there is no doubt in my mind that this combination would be devastating to any 2 or 4 legged predator. Additionally, the Alaskan with .45Colt ammo was a pleasure to shoot, but I could not justify the heavy carry weight for this weaker cartridge, so it went bye bye. So, if you have specific needs, and you have the ability to handle this very potent weapon, then, I think it could be a viable part of your arsenal.

December 28, 2012, 08:58 PM	#50
drail Junior member Join Date: February 2, 2008 Posts: 3,150	I would pick my old S&W 57 .41. With heavy hard cast slugs (handloads) it is a pile driver. I also have a Bisley in .41 that is a little slower to get into action but packs a good punch. I also like to walk in the woods with a Winchester Trapper in .44 mag. with 300 gr cast flat points.